Chapter 229. Turned Into a Big Rat
As one of the Marauders, Lupin was naturally very familiar with Peter's Animagus form.
He could tell at a glance that the pet rat named Scabbers before him was Peter himself.
"What's wrong?"
Ron looked around at everyone in the room. Dumbledore and Lupin both wore grave expressions; Adrian Wesson looked impassive; as for Harry, he looked just as taken aback as Ron.
Scabbers, meanwhile, struggled even harder.
At that moment, Dumbledore moved. He didn't speak. He simply drew the Elder Wand and gave it a small flick.
A spell shot from the Elder Wand.
Silver light enveloped Scabbers; the rat's body began to twist and warp violently.
Ron stared in horror—he watched with his own eyes as the pet he had kept for over ten years lengthened and swelled under the spell, finally becoming a bald, sharp-nosed, squat man who crashed to the floor.
"Merlin's beard!"
Ron gave a startled cry, then backed away on his knees until he bumped into Harry's bedpost. "Th… this is…"
Peter curled up on the ground, his small, ratlike eyes darting wildly, as if he still believed himself to be in rat form.
Realising he had already returned to human shape, he climbed to his feet, face ashen.
"H-hello," he stammered, his eyes skittering over each person in the room.
When his gaze fell on Lupin, he visibly flinched.
Harry looked on, at a loss. He didn't know this fellow who looked like a great rat, but he knew that was the one who had been Ron's Scabbers.
So this was Scabbers's true face?
That was… rather horrifying.
"Peter?" Lupin stared at him in disbelief and demanded, "Weren't you dead?"
"Wonderful to see you, Remus…" Peter forced a ghastly smile and said, trembling, "As you can see, I am indeed… still alive."
Lupin's expression was a tangle too complicated to describe—part joy, part panic.
He truly didn't know what face to wear before an old friend unseen for more than a decade.
Standing to one side, Adrian Wesson watched. He knew that at this moment Lupin still believed the traitor back then had been Sirius Black,
not Peter, the man before them.
"Explain yourself first," Dumbledore stepped forward, fixing the "back-from-the-dead" man with a piercing look. "Peter, I need you to explain why you turned into a rat and hid in the Weasley home."
Peter's eyes began to dart evasively.
Adrian Wesson knew he was about to start performing.
After all, Peter's current status was that of a hero: he had foisted the blame for betraying the Potters onto Black and faked being blasted apart while pursuing him, even receiving an Order of Merlin, First Class for it.
Dumbledore and Lupin, at present, likely trusted him.
Peter hunched his neck and said, trembling, "I… I was only hiding from the Death Eaters, especially Black. You know what he's like—he must hate me. I was forced into it."
Dumbledore gave a slight nod. There was some sense in what Peter said.
Adrian Wesson looked at Peter and sighed inwardly.
He couldn't reveal the truth now; after all, it wasn't something he should know.
If he told Dumbledore and Lupin that the betrayer back then was Peter, he had no idea how he would explain it.
So Adrian Wesson did not act rashly.
A lie is still a lie; one day it will be exposed.
As the saying goes, one lie requires countless others to cover it up.
Adrian Wesson didn't believe Peter could hide the truth for long under Dumbledore's nose.
Sooner or later, he would slip.
Moreover, even if his lies were seamless, once Black was caught and questioned a little, the matter would be settled cleanly.
As for how to catch Black—there was no need to worry. He would deliver himself to their door.
"Let's change venues," Dumbledore sighed. "Peter, I'm sure you have much to say to us.
To my office."
At that moment, Adrian Wesson keenly noticed Peter's look of relief.
Very soon, Dumbledore led Peter and Lupin away.
Adrian Wesson remained in the dormitory.
Because there was someone here who needed comforting and a bit of guidance even more.
Ron sat dazed on the edge of the bed, eyes vacant, staring at the spot where Peter had just stood.
Clearly, he couldn't accept this reality all at once.
Harry sat beside him and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"I… I held him every night when I slept…" Ron's voice was barely above a whisper. "I even let him sleep right by my pillow."
Harry didn't know how to comfort his friend.
Indeed, if Hedwig suddenly turned into some old man, he might take it even worse than Ron.
Adrian Wesson sighed, took a Chocolate Frog from his pocket, and handed it to Ron.
"Something sweet will make you feel a bit better," Adrian Wesson said gently. "None of this is your fault."
Ron took the still-jumping Chocolate Frog mechanically.
He kept muttering, "I fed him… he watched me change…"
Seeing this, Adrian Wesson tugged on Harry's sleeve and murmured, "Let Ron be alone for a bit. He needs some quiet."
The two of them went down to the Gryffindor common room.
It was a very comfortable-looking circular room, filled with armchairs.
Harry and Adrian Wesson leaned against the wall.
"Sir, you know the man Scabbers turned into, don't you?" Harry asked curiously.
Adrian Wesson gave a small shake of the head. "I don't know him. But…"
He paused. "More than ten years ago, The Daily Prophet ran a piece on him, saying he died heroically while pursuing Black and was awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Harry frowned. "But he's alive and well, isn't he?"
"Ah, yes." Adrian Wesson shrugged. "He hid for years with the Weasleys as an Animagus. Poor Ron…"
Harry nodded, feeling a bit of grudging admiration for the ugly man they'd just seen, and also a little puzzled. "What exactly is that Animagus magic you were talking about?"
Adrian Wesson crinkled the Chocolate Frog wrapper in his hand and said, "An Animagus is an extremely advanced branch of Transfiguration that allows a person to transform into a specific animal form, one almost no one can recognise. Once mastered, it must be registered with the Ministry of Magic. As far as I know, there are currently only seven formally registered with the Ministry."
Harry's eyes widened a fraction. "Do you know that magic, sir?"
"Have a guess."
Adrian Wesson smiled mysteriously.
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