There are always many things in this world that you have no choice but to accept, and many people who force you to grow up. Peter Pettigrew was something Ron had no choice but to accept, and someone who forced Ron to grow.
Even though neither of them wanted this. Watching Ron scream, no matter how much they disliked him, he was still their own brother. Fred and George sighed and walked over to Ron, comforting their injured little brother.
No matter how you thought about it, Ron was pitiful—his pet had actually been a man! And sometimes, that man had even "shared a bed" with him! Because of this man, he had even argued with Hermione, almost ruining their friendship!
Ron was completely stunned, his eyes wide open as if they were about to pop out.
Harry and Hermione were just as shocked. Even though they already knew the rat was Peter, actually seeing this scene still left them too stunned to close their mouths.
Forced to reveal himself, Peter stood in place, wringing his hands. He glanced around at everyone, breathing rapidly, as if unsure what to do.
He was a very short man, with dull, sparse hair sticking up messily, with a large bald patch on top. He looked shriveled, like a fat man who had suddenly lost a great deal of weight; his skin was dirty, and his pointed nose and watery, beady eyes still carried a trace of rat-like features.
"Hello, Peter," Lupin said cheerfully. He was already used to seeing the rat turn into his old classmate in front of him. "Long time no see."
"Sirius… Remus…" Peter's voice was high-pitched as he forced himself to remain calm. "My friends… my old friends… I'm so glad to see you again…"
Sirius impulsively raised his wand, but Lupin grabbed his wrist and then turned to Wormtail, his tone still light and pleasant.
"We were just talking, Peter," Lupin said, "about what happened the night Lily and James died. I wonder if you have anything to add?"
"Remus, you don't believe him, do you…? He wants to kill me, Remus…" Peter said urgently, sweat breaking out across his pale face. He turned to Dumbledore. "Professor, Professor, you know me—I'm as timid as a rat…"
This was Peter's last struggle. Just like before, only by framing Sirius again could he hope to survive.
Dumbledore's blue eyes rested on Peter as the headmaster said gently, "I know, of course I know. Back at school, you always followed behind James and Sirius. Only when they were around would you show even a little courage. After James's death, you actually dared to face Sirius alone—that made me admire your bravery."
On the surface, Dumbledore's words sounded as if he were taking Peter's side, speaking for him. But just as Peter himself had said, someone as timid as a rat—how could he dare to face a crazed Sirius alone?
"He wants to kill me, Professor! He killed Lily and James, and now he wants to kill me too!" Peter shrieked. "Save me, Professor, save me, please…"
A grown man crying so miserably made Eda frown. Beside her, Snape finally reacted—his body began to tremble for some reason, whether from anger or lingering fear, it was hard to tell.
"You say Sirius killed James and Lily, and now wants to kill you…" Lupin's voice turned colder. "Then why hasn't he come to kill me?"
"I… I…" Peter stammered, unable to produce any explanation.
It seemed Peter had made up his mind not to admit anything. He pointed at Sirius and tried to frame him again. "He's the only one who ever escaped from Azkaban—only he could do it! That-That One must have taught him a few tricks!"
"Voldemort? Taught me a few tricks?" Sirius laughed—a terrible, joyless laugh that filled the entire room.
Refusing to admit anything and twisting the facts, Peter's words enraged Sirius so much that his face twisted. He wished he could kill Peter on the spot. Lupin understood Sirius well, so he kept restraining him, not allowing him to act rashly.
"If you are innocent, then why did you hide?" Dumbledore asked, feigning confusion. "I could have provided you with protection. Voldemort has already fallen from power, and you even received the Order of Merlin."
"I was afraid… Professor," Peter shrieked. "I sent Sirius Black, a key Death Eater, to Azkaban. I was afraid the remaining Death Eaters would take revenge on me!"
Dumbledore continued, "I still don't understand. At Voldemort's height, you didn't hide—you stood with your friends and joined the Order of the Phoenix to oppose him. Why is it that after Voldemort's defeat, a few insignificant remnants are enough to make you afraid and go into hiding?"
Peter wiped his face again. The questions from Dumbledore and Lupin pressed down on him so heavily that he could hardly breathe, and Dumbledore's next words pushed him further into despair.
"There was indeed a spy within the Order of the Phoenix, secretly passing information to Voldemort." Dumbledore looked at Lupin as he continued, "I'm very sorry, Remus—I once suspected you."
Lupin shook his head to show he didn't mind. Behind him, Sirius squeezed his shoulder in comfort.
"After James's death, my suspicions shifted to Sirius," Dumbledore said, turning to look at him. "If he could betray his best friend, why wouldn't he betray the Order as well?"
This time, it was Lupin's turn to comfort Sirius, patting the back of his old friend's hand. One knows one's own affairs—though being misunderstood was painful, Sirius could accept it.
Sirius still rolled his eyes at Dumbledore, just short of making an internationally understood finger gesture.
"But there are too many doubts in this matter—so many that even after Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban, I still couldn't convince myself," Dumbledore said, his voice still gentle. "Tell me, Peter—how should I convince myself?"
Peter muttered incoherently, babbling things like "the Black family" and "Lestrange," seemingly trying his best to prove that Sirius was connected to Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Sirius kept sneering, Lupin's gaze grew colder and colder, and only Dumbledore still wore a mild smile. The twins continued comforting the distraught Ron, while Eda simply couldn't be bothered to speak, quietly making her own calculations.
"Professor?" Hermione asked timidly. "C-can I say something?"
"Of course, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said kindly. "I've heard about your discovery from a certain prefect. Your intelligence is a remarkable asset—and you're far more obedient than that particular prefect."
Eda finally lifted her eyelids, displeased: you old bastard, if you want to praise Hermione, just praise her—why drag me into it!
"He lived in the same dormitory as Harry for three years. Why didn't he ever harm Harry?" Hermione asked.
Hermione's question was also Harry's question. In those three years, Peter had a thousand chances to kill him.
"Exactly!" Peter seized on this lifeline at once. He practically wanted to kneel to Hermione and kowtow a hundred times. "Professor Dumbledore, I've never touched a single hair on Harry's head. If… if I really betrayed James, then why didn't I kill Harry?"
"You didn't dare, and you couldn't," Dumbledore said. "Besides, Voldemort has been gone for years—you no longer had any reason to do so."
Peter was never truly loyal to Voldemort. He merely feared Voldemort's terrifying power; he followed strength, nothing more. He would never offer true loyalty to Voldemort.
Betraying James and Lily was simply Peter's way of gaining a higher position.
"Believe me," Sirius said as he walked over to Harry's side. "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily—I would have died before betraying them."
When Sirius suddenly reached out to touch his hair, Harry didn't pull away. He believed his godfather.
After Professor Lupin entered the room, he hadn't attacked Sirius. When Eda entered, she hadn't attacked Sirius either—instead, she had taken down Snape. After all, Eda had previously injured Sirius herself.
One after another, two people Harry trusted stood on Sirius's side. Later, with Lupin and Sirius giving reasonable explanations, Harry gradually began to believe Sirius.
After that, Dumbledore arrived, and Peter revealed his true form, putting the matter beyond doubt. Even the most foolish person would understand that Sirius had been wronged and that Peter was the real culprit—let alone Harry, who was not foolish.
Seeing that Harry didn't pull away, Sirius smiled happily, and Lupin was happy as well. Where there is happiness, there is also unhappiness—Snape remained expressionless like a block of wood, Ron was still in collapse, and Peter Pettigrew finally resigned himself to his fate.
Peter dropped to his knees and crawled toward Harry, begging for his forgiveness, hoping that for James's sake, Harry would spare his life. Harry quickly hid behind Sirius, who kicked Peter and sent him tumbling to the ground.
"Get away! Stay away from Harry!" Sirius roared. "How dare you mention James's name in front of him!" As he spoke, he continued to kick and strike Peter.
Peter shrank back, dodging Sirius's blows, then crawled toward Lupin. But before he could reach him, Lupin drove him back with a sharp rebuke.
Peter immediately changed direction and crawled toward Ron. As he crawled, he said, "Ron… wasn't I your good friend… your good pet? You won't let them kill me, right, Ron…? You'll stand on my side, won't you?"
Ron glared at Wormtail with extreme disgust and loudly told him to "get lost." The twins were even more direct—each gave Peter a punch, effectively giving him a pair of "glasses."
"This farce should end, Peter," Dumbledore said. "It's time to atone for your crimes."
Kneeling there, Peter trembled uncontrollably, crying as he begged, "Professor, please, please don't—"
Before he could finish, Peter transformed back into a rat. Immediately afterward, metal bars surrounded him, forming a cage—naturally, this was Dumbledore's doing.
"I cannot allow you to kill him. I will take him to see Fudge," Dumbledore said. "Also, I think Remus should not go out tonight."
This was a reminder that it was the full moon tonight. It was already late, and Lupin indeed could not leave here.
Eda, who had remained silent all this time, finally stood up. She took a small flask out of her pocket and quickly walked over to Lupin.
"Wolfsbane Potion, Professor," Eda said.
This was one of Eda's little habits. After receiving Snape's detention tutoring, whether it would be used or not, she would always brew an extra potion in private. The fireproof potion from before, and tonight's Wolfsbane Potion, had both been made this way.
"The Wolfsbane Potion you've been taking was brewed by Eda," Dumbledore explained. "All of it was completed under Severus's supervision."
Taking the flask, Lupin said, "Thank you very much for your help. Sirius and I don't even know how to thank you."
Sirius also added, "Yes, you saved me, and you helped me meet Professor Dumbledore and my old friend Remus again."
Eda casually pointed at the messy room—the damaged sofa, the overturned bookshelf, and so on. Lupin would be staying here tonight, and it would definitely cause even more damage.
Sirius immediately understood. "I'll pay. I'll cover all the damage in this room!"
"My younger brother is injured—quite seriously," Eda said, pointing at Ron behind the twins. "And you made him lose his favorite pet."
"I'll cover all the medical expenses!" the well-off Sirius said, thumping his chest. "I'll handle a new pet too—how about a new rat?"
Ron shook his head wildly in refusal, his face full of resistance. Clearly, after spiders, another animal had left him with psychological trauma—and this time, there was also a sense of personal humiliation.
"I think an owl would be better, Sirius," Lupin suggested. "Of course, a clever cat or dog would also be quite nice."
Everything that had happened in the shack that night was resolved satisfactorily. Aside from Lupin, who stayed behind after drinking the Wolfsbane Potion, everyone else left the Twilight Shack.
Walking at the front was Sirius, transformed into a dog. He would be staying in Harry's dormitory tonight. Following behind were Harry, Hermione carrying Crookshanks, the twins supporting Ron, and of course, Snape, who looked like a walking corpse.
Tonight had also been a heavy blow for Snape. He had accomplished nothing—he hadn't succeeded in taking revenge, and had almost let his enemy escape. Compared to those two things, being easily knocked down by Eda didn't even matter.
At the back walked Eda, carrying the rat's cage, alongside Dumbledore. They wouldn't be returning to the castle—she would accompany Dumbledore to London.
Perhaps—just perhaps—Dumbledore had discovered that having someone help him argue against the Ministry of Magic was secretly quite satisfying…
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel