"Did you hear?"
"What?"
"Oh, come on, about Sirius Black's case… there's more to it than meets the eye!"
Hodge sat at the dining table, flipping through the latest issue of The Daily Prophet. The ripples from Sirius Black's surrender were starting to spread. For instance, today's front page had turned into a comic strip. The article was stuffed with six photographs, chronicling every "key moment" of the saga: from Sirius Black's shadowy reappearance to his bold demand for justice, Fudge issuing orders for his capture, and Amelia Bones assembling a makeshift tribunal. Practically every pivotal plot point had been captured on camera.
Along with this came the unearthing of events from over a decade ago.
The second and third pages of the paper presented the same story from two different perspectives: Peter Pettigrew's and Sirius Black's. The second page told the familiar tale, the one the Ministry of Magic had peddled to the public for years: Peter Pettigrew, the ultimate hero who died a noble death. It painted him as an unremarkable, even somewhat timid figure who gradually earned friendship, magic, and courage. After graduating, he threw himself into the fight for justice, battling You-Know-Who. But as the war drew to a close, he discovered, to his heartbreak, that his closest friend was a spy for the Dark Lord. In a failed attempt to persuade his friend to surrender, Pettigrew was betrayed, ambushed, and tragically killed. The story wrapped up with a satisfying dose of cosmic justice: the villain was punished, and the hero's deeds were celebrated far and wide. But the tale didn't end there. Twelve years later, the spy escaped from prison, attempting to tarnish the hero's legacy, twist the truth, and clear his own name.
The third page, however, was based on Sirius Black's own account. The journalists, limited by their knowledge, had embellished his testimony with dramatic flair. According to them, Peter Pettigrew was the true villain. In a desperate bid to save himself, Pettigrew had cursed Sirius with his dying breath, rendering him mute and dazed, leading to the true hero's wrongful imprisonment.
Ugh. Neither version entertained the possibility that Peter Pettigrew had faked his death and escaped.
For Wormtail, this was probably good news—at least he wasn't panicking. Hodge had spotted him on the Marauder's Map, holed up in the Gryffindor dormitory, not daring to leave. He'd overheard Ron mentioning that his pet rat, Scabbers, was sick and that he planned to owl-order some vitality potion for rodent pets. Thanks to Ron's side gig as a prop for the twins' prank-candy sales, he'd recently made a bit of money.
Hodge mulled over Peter Pettigrew's thought process:
During the summer, Pettigrew had stumbled upon the secret of Ginny's diary. Of course, he likely didn't realize it was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—just some magical artifact imbued with Voldemort's thoughts. Naturally, he wouldn't fully obey the diary's commands. At best, carrying the diary to seek out Voldemort's remnants was a backup plan. From start to finish, Pettigrew's loyalty to Voldemort was shaky at best; his primary goal was survival. But the diary wasn't something he could easily brush off. Hodge could almost picture Pettigrew reluctantly opening the Chamber of Secrets and unleashing the Basilisk—a move that clashed with his strategy of lying low, dodging both Death Eaters and the Ministry.
It was around this time that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Pettigrew immediately toned down his antics, hiding the diary and refusing to leave the dormitory. He stayed put until Umbridge's use of an Unforgivable Curse came to light—a clear sign of the growing rift between Dumbledore and Fudge. Sensing danger, Pettigrew nervously suggested to the diary that they flee Hogwarts, only to be rebuffed. Not long after, Sirius Black turned himself in.
Pettigrew must be incredibly conflicted right now.
From the available information, this mess didn't seem to involve him directly. Officially, he was a dead man, and even Sirius didn't know he was still alive, so he appeared to be in the clear. On the other hand, Sirius's surrender had dragged their buried history back into the spotlight. By publicly revealing the truth, Sirius had prompted the Ministry to reopen the case, which could uncover critical clues—like the fact that Pettigrew wasn't actually dead.
After much hesitation, Pettigrew decided to stay put, lingering in the one place where he could easily gather information. Masquerading as an unassuming pet, he kept tabs on the situation, ready to bolt at the slightest hint of trouble.
For Hodge, this was all part of the plan he'd hatched with Sirius.
From their very first meeting, Hodge had used the Marauder's Map—where Peter Pettigrew's name was clear as day—to convince Sirius. The challenge was persuading Sirius to follow his plan instead of storming into the castle, grabbing the one-fingered rat Scabbers, and throttling him on the spot.
"Let the truth come to light. Let the guilty be punished, the innocent be vindicated, and Harry be free from the abuse of his aunt's family…"
The mention of Harry instantly cooled Sirius's temper.
"Harry's being abused? What's going on…?"
Sirius knew little about Harry's situation—or rather, his knowledge was patchy. He'd risked disguising himself as a student and learned that Harry was doing alright at Hogwarts. But as for what kind of life he led at the Dursleys', Sirius was clueless. Hodge shared some of Harry's past experiences: living in a ten-foot cupboard under the stairs, wearing his cousin's oversized, tattered hand-me-downs, enduring his cousin's fists and the Dursleys' verbal abuse… Sirius's forehead throbbed with veins as he listened.
"But things got much better for Harry after he started school, you know, because of magic…"
"Why," Sirius demanded, both furious and baffled, "why would Dumbledore place Harry with people like that?" The mention of Harry's aunt, uncle, and that "chubby cousin" Hodge described made his blood boil.
"Because his godfather's a murderer, isn't he?" Hodge shot back, leaving Sirius speechless. He continued, "As it happens, I've indirectly asked Dumbledore about it. To put it simply, placing Harry with the Dursleys wasn't necessarily the best choice for Harry himself—I might've misunderstood, since Dumbledore was pretty vague—but for Harry, the Dursleys, and even the entire wizarding world, it was the optimal decision."
Whether it was truly best for Harry was debatable, especially considering the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him—something Dumbledore likely didn't know about back then.
"Why?" Sirius asked curtly.
"First, Harry needed an environment where he wouldn't be treated as the Chosen One. There's no place more grounding than his aunt's family, with whom he shares blood. Second, while Voldemort was gone, his Death Eaters weren't. They wouldn't dare launch open attacks, but they could kidnap or torment in secret. The Dursleys were at risk, and Dumbledore could only protect them temporarily, not forever. Harry carries a protective charm from his mother, which Dumbledore extended to cover the Dursleys. Third—and this is just my guess—Voldemort isn't dead, not completely! The protective magic from Lily Potter might give Harry an edge when facing a resurrected Voldemort!"
There might be other reasons, Hodge thought, recalling Dumbledore's views on family ties.
But Sirius was already convinced.
Time marched on, day by day.
————
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