At that exact moment in time, Mrs. Norris was having a bit of trouble as well. Normally, she would scream and cry for help in circumstances like these, but she was a little bit tied up. Literally. She’d gone for a stroll around the lake in Hogwarts’ grounds, and it had been quite a surprise when a clumsy human had jumped onto her, tied her up, and shoved her in a sack.
Eventually, someone had let the cat out of the bag, but when Mrs. Norris saw what was outside the bag, she immediately wished that she could go back in. Three faces leered at her -- one scaly, one furry, and the other just plain terrifying. In other words, a snake, a rat, and a human with deathly pale skin and red, snake-like eyes.
The human leaned forward and stroked Mrs. Norris’s head. “Wormtail, talk to our little friend here. I think she’d much rather talk to dinner than me.”
The rat gave a little whimper, and scurried forward towards Mrs. Norris. She looked at it and showed her sharp teeth, and the rat gulped.
“H-hello?” it asked.
“Hello,” Mrs. Norris purred. “Who are you?”
The rat held its tail in his front paws. “I’m Wormtail. See? My tail looks like a worm … ”
“I get it,” Mrs. Norris replied in a menacing tone. “Let mebe blunt. Why am I here, and who’s the ugly-looking person over there?” she asked, gesturing to the terrifying human.
Wormtail shook his head. “You don’t want Lord Voldemort hear you call him ugly … oh wait, I forgot. He doesn’t understand us. Anyway,” he began, sitting up on his hind legs, “Lord Voldemort has decided that you’re going to be part of his evil plans for world domination, and if he wants you to be part of his plans, you can’t refuse. Actually, come to think of it, you can. But he’ll kill you if you do.”
“How?”
“Pardon?”
“I said, how am I part of these plans?”
Wormtail thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Wait, I’ll just ask him … ”
He turned round, and turned into a human. A head shot up from the ground; limbs sprouted, and next moment, a man was standing where Wormtail had just been. Mrs. Norris watched with amazement.
“Master,” she heard Wormtail say, “how exactly does a cat come into your evil plans for world domination?”
Lord Voldemort frowned and cocked his head. “What do you mean by that, Wormtail?”
“What I mean is, this plan seems unusual, sir. I don’t normally go around kidnapping people’s pet cats in the dead of night … ”
“Here’s where my plan gets interesting, Wormtail. Whose pet cat is it?”
“I have absolutely no idea, sir. Is this some kind of riddle?”
“No, don’t be stupid. This cat belongs to Argus Filch, the caretaker. You might remember him from your days at Hogwarts.”
“I remember him!” Wormtail cried. “I hated him. A horrible person, you know. Always trying to get the headmaster to let him torture students. I’m glad he didn’t. A horrible person,” he repeated.
Mrs. Norris snarled at Wormtail.
Lord Voldemort reached out and stroked Mrs. Norris again. She purred and smiled. This Voldemort person’s quite nice, she thought. At least he likes cats …
“It’s alright, my dear,” cooed Lord Voldemort, “Voldy’s here! I’ll look after you, not like that horrid Wormtail.” He turned to Wormtail and glared at him. “Talk to her again! Ask her if she wants to be my spy in Hogwarts.”
He tried to hit Wormtail across the head, but Wormtail turned into a rat before his master’s hand struck him. So Voldemort kicked him instead.
Wormtail scurried over to Mrs. Norris and smiled nervously. “You understood everything that he said, didn’t you?”
Mrs. Norris didn’t answer. Instead, she stared wide-eyed at Wormtail. “You’re an Animagus!” she exclaimed. “An animal that can turn into a human!”
“Actually, it’s the other way round. I’m a human who can turn into an animal,” he corrected.
“Whatever. It’s still the same thing,” Mrs. Norris responded, shrugging her furry shoulders.
“So? Can you answer my questions now, erm … what did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t.” Mrs. Norris replied simply. “The name’s Norris, Mrs. Norris.”
“Alright then, Mrs. Norris. Let’s just get back on topic, shall we? Did you understand what You-Know-Who was saying before?”
“You-Know-Who? Oh, you mean Voldy. Yes, I understood him. He wants me to go and spy on everyone in Hogwarts for him. I might, but you haven’t told me what I’ll get out of this bargain.”
“The chance to stay alive, I guess,” Wormtail answered. “But don’t worry. I’ll put in some good words for you with the Dark Lord. You might get a treat!”
“You know, something makes me think that he won’t listen to you, Wormtail. I don’t know why you work for him if he seems to hate you too much.”
Wormtail smiled and looked wistful for a moment. “I helped make Lord Voldemort as you see him now. I was one of his creators.”
Mrs. Norris stared at him again. “I’m not going to ask, but you are one strange little rat.”
“Just say you’ll help him!” he pleaded. “I’m begging you, Mrs. Norris. I don’t want him to punish me.”
The cat sighed. “Alright. Tell him that I give in. I’ll be his eyes and ears in Hogwarts. Anything to get away from you, Wormtail.”