At last, footsteps sounded outside in the corridor.
They were Snape's distinctive footsteps, slow and steady, as regular as a pendulum. Wormtail held his breath as he watched the black-clad figure pass the storeroom door and head toward the classroom.
"Class has started... he's gone to teach..."
Wormtail's heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
He waited and waited. Only after making sure there was no more movement outside did he carefully crawl toward the wall. There was a movable brick disguised as an ordinary stone, behind which lay the secret entrance to Snape's storeroom.
Wormtail remembered that this brick bore a magical mark that could show whether anyone was in the office.
He reached out a paw and gently touched the stone brick.
The magical mark showed-empty.
"It worked! He really has gone to teach!" Wormtail was ecstatic.
He impatiently pushed aside the disguised stone with his paws, revealing a pitch-black passage. Just as he was about to crawl inside-
A dazzling white light suddenly erupted!
"Aah!"
Wormtail instinctively shut his eyes, his whole body going rigid under the intense light. In that instant, he seemed to see the Grim Reaper's scythe swinging toward him through the white light.
It's over... it's all over...
That was his last thought before he lost consciousness.
Fear washed over his entire body like ice water.
When Wormtail regained consciousness, he found himself clasped in the palm of a large, warm hand.
"Look at you. Following him, you can't even get any good Pet Food."
A terrifyingly calm voice came from above.
Wormtail struggled to open his eyes, and then his very soul trembled with fear.
"Don't move,"
Douglas said calmly.
"The more you struggle, the harder I'll squeeze. I imagine you don't want your ribs broken?"
Wormtail stopped struggling.
He opened his