"Peter!" Lupin roared, lunging forward in fury.
But Dumbledore stepped in quickly, blocking him. If Dumbledore hadn't stopped him, there's no telling how badly Lupin might have beaten Peter Pettigrew in that moment of rage.
"What… what's his condition now?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes fixed on the crumpled figure of Peter, who lay unmoving and unaware of those around him.
"He's fine. I only knocked him out," Blake explained calmly.
"Oh… that's good." Dumbledore nodded slightly, relief hidden behind his composed expression.
Peter couldn't die now—not yet. He was a key witness. Without him, Sirius Black's name couldn't be fully cleared. They needed evidence so conclusive that the Ministry of Magic couldn't possibly deny it.
Sirius had been a loyal friend, a seasoned fighter. His supposed betrayal had shocked many. Now, with the truth about to be revealed, Dumbledore was determined to see justice done. After all, Sirius, as Harry's godfather, was one of the boy's last living connections to family.
Dumbledore stepped closer to Peter, quietly checking his condition himself.
"So… what on earth is happening here?" Professor McGonagall demanded, her voice tight with confusion. It was clear that Dumbledore, Lupin, and Blake all knew the truth—but she and others were left in the dark.
Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout exchanged puzzled glances. Professor Babbling studied Blake thoughtfully. In her mind, Blake always seemed to appear at the heart of every strange event at Hogwarts.
Snape, meanwhile, looked quietly entertained by the unfolding drama. The fact that Peter was alive shocked him, but the internal strife among the so-called "Marauders" pleased him even more. Watching their downfall brought him a dark satisfaction.
But Snape's smirk soon faded. Dumbledore turned to him. "Severus, wake him up."
Snape's expression soured, but he obeyed, drawing out a small vial.
As Lupin's anger began to settle, he and Dumbledore finally explained everything to the others.
They debated whether to leave out Blake's use of spirit summoning, fearing it might bring Blake unwanted trouble. But without it, there was no way to explain how they knew Peter had become the new Secret Keeper. And after all, a man believed dead had just been found alive—proof alone wasn't enough. It had to be clear.
When they reached the part about Blake summoning the ghosts of Lily and James, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout all turned to Blake with shock in their eyes.
At that same moment, the system in Blake's mind rewarded him: a sparkling diamond treasure chest and four golden ones appeared in his space. Blake's lips curved upward slightly. Well, it would be a waste not to collect the reward, he thought.
Then Lupin spoke of the past—how he, Sirius, James, and even Peter had all become Animagi in fifth year, so they could accompany Lupin during his transformations.
Professor McGonagall pressed a hand to her mouth. "I knew James and the others had great talent for Transfiguration… but to think they really became Animagi that young… and even Peter…"
She herself was an Animagus and knew firsthand how dangerous and difficult the transformation was without proper guidance. Failure could mean death—or worse, a half-human, half-animal existence.
What shocked her even more was that Peter Pettigrew, timid and frail, had actually succeeded. The odds were as slim as hearing Neville Longbottom had suddenly topped his class.
Snape's lip curled in mild disgust when McGonagall praised James and his friends, but he stayed silent.
Lupin continued, describing how James and Sirius had secretly discussed switching the Secret Keeper to Peter. McGonagall gasped, "Peter? How could they…?"
But facts were facts: they had switched, and Voldemort had found the Potters' hidden location. The Red Loyalty Charm protected by the Secret Keeper meant that only the Secret Keeper could reveal the secret's location—even Voldemort himself, standing at the door, wouldn't have been able to see inside unless told.
McGonagall's heart twisted painfully. Peter had betrayed not only his best friends but the very people who had protected and trusted him most.
She'd rather have believed Sirius had turned traitor than accept that Peter could do such a thing. Yet, as Lupin explained, Peter had already been passing information to Voldemort before the secret was changed. The mysterious spy in the Order of the Phoenix, never found until now, was undoubtedly Peter.
McGonagall whispered, voice cracking, "Oh… James and Lily… how they must have felt, betrayed at the last moment by someone they called friend…"
Lupin's gaze hardened as he stared at the unconscious Peter, eyes red with anger.
Then Lupin described how Blake had realized Ronald's pet rat, Scabbers, looked exactly like Peter's Animagus form—and that Sirius had been following the Hogwarts Express, not to hurt Harry, but to find Peter.
They'd tried to catch Scabbers, but thought he'd been eaten by a cat. Now, Blake had opened dimensional doors and caught Peter alive.
The passage fell silent. Everyone absorbed the heavy truth.
After a moment, Professor Flitwick spoke: "That means… Sirius, now hunted by the Ministry, is in great danger! The Dementors have been sent…"
Dumbledore considered this. "Blake's right, though. As an Animagus, if Sirius stays in dog form, the Dementors won't sense him properly—they cannot see, only feel souls, and animals feel different."
McGonagall frowned, "Still, leaving him hiding isn't safe. If we don't clear his name soon, what if the Ministry catches him first…"
Dumbledore turned to Blake. "Blake, your dimensional doors… can you teleport to a person, directly to Sirius?"
Blake shook his head. "No. To find someone, I need both their name and exact current form. Sirius is likely in dog form—and do you know how many big black dogs there are in the world, Professor?"
Dumbledore sighed. The magic was too broad to pinpoint Sirius.
After a pause, Dumbledore spoke again. "Then we must act quickly to clear his name. Once the Ministry accepts the truth, Sirius will be safe."
Flitwick nodded. "Yes. He should be safe for now—but we must hurry."
Dumbledore's gaze turned to Snape, who had watched silently until now.
"Severus, wake him," Dumbledore ordered.
Snape smirked coldly. "He's already awake—only pretending."
Everyone looked at Peter. Sure enough, his fingers twitched involuntarily.
"Enough," Snape growled, stepping forward and kicking Peter sharply in the ribs.
Peter's scream of pain ended the charade. He trembled, trying to rise.
Peter forced a strained, fearful laugh—but everyone's gaze felt like knives piercing his heart. Years had passed, but regret had long haunted him.
"Peter," Dumbledore said, voice steady, though anger simmered beneath. "Do you have anything to say?"
Peter shook, voice cracking, "I… I didn't betray them! No!"
"You still deny it?!" Lupin roared, rushing forward and striking Peter hard, knocking him down again.
Dumbledore stepped in. "Remus John! Control yourself!"
Looking back at Peter, Dumbledore's voice was softer but heavy with judgment. "Admitting it or not changes little now. You were once seen as a hero, but instead spent years hiding as a boy's pet rat…"
"That alone is enough to warrant Veritaserum at the Ministry."
Peter's whole body shook. He'd hoped to lie, to spin another story that blamed Sirius—but Veritaserum would reveal everything. Despair flooded him.
"Severus," Dumbledore asked. "You have Veritaserum?"
Snape's eyes glinted. "Of course," he said, pulling out a vial he always kept, once imagining using it on Harry Potter himself.
"No… you can't…!" Peter whimpered, backing away in panic.
Blake stepped forward, smiling coldly as he took the bottle from Snape. The system chimed—a golden treasure chest dropped into Blake's mind space.
Peter froze in terror at the sight of Blake. After all, Blake had cut off "little Peter" with a knife before; he'd become Peter's worst nightmare.
"Why not?" Blake asked quietly, moving closer. "If you're innocent, drink it and speak the truth."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I… I…" Peter stammered, stepping back until his back pressed against the wall.
He tried desperately to transform and escape—but his Animagus magic still hadn't returned.
Trapped, Peter broke down. "No… you can't… I… I couldn't help it!"
"I couldn't help it!" he sobbed. "The Dark Lord… he was so powerful. Who could resist him?"
"I just… wanted to live…"
Lupin's fury blazed. "Live? What about the people who died protecting you?! What about James and Lily? They loved you—how could you do this?!"
"You killed the very people who trusted you!"
Peter collapsed to the floor, legs giving way. Regret overwhelmed him, spilling from where he'd buried it for so many years.
"You don't understand…" Peter wept. "You don't know how terrifying he was… Anyone would have given in!"
Lupin stepped forward, voice shaking with emotion. "Would I? No, Peter!"
"I'd rather die than betray my friends! If it were me, I'd have fought! Even if my wand was broken and my limbs shattered—I'd still fight with my teeth!"
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