Hermione and the other Gryffindor girls had gone off somewhere, while Harry and Ron were heading back to the Gryffindor common room to play a game of wizard chess, eat some sweets, and chat.
Sean followed behind them. Just as they were about to reach Gryffindor Tower, he lightly shook his left hand. Kulkan immediately concealed herself and slithered out from Sean's left sleeve, quickly following them. At the same time, Sean raised his wand with his right hand and pointed it at the bulging, slightly twitching area on Ron's chest, casting a spell.
"Terrifying Illusion!"
Whispering the incantation, Sean cast the magic he had obtained from the boggart: Boggart's Shadow!
Since Sean controlled the target of this magic, Harry and Ron were unaffected. Instead, Peter Pettigrew in Ron's arms directly received this silent, completely undetectable illusion magic.
At this moment, a familiar, hoarse voice filled with killing intent suddenly rang in Peter Pettigrew's ears.
"Peter, I've finally found you. Pay the price for your betrayal, for James and Lily's deaths! Avada Kedavra!"
This illusion was so real that Peter Pettigrew, caught off guard, naturally couldn't escape its deception. Hearing the illusory Sirius Black actually use the Killing Curse, Peter Pettigrew immediately began struggling frantically, completely disregarding that he was in Ron's arms. Using claws and teeth, amid Ron's painful cries as he was scratched and bitten, Peter Pettigrew tore through Ron's clothes and burst out from his embrace.
At this very moment, in Peter Pettigrew's vision, bewitched by the magical illusion, an enormous black dog appeared right before him, opening its gaping maw filled with sticky saliva and razor-sharp fangs, biting directly toward Peter Pettigrew!
Sirius was here!
Sirius was actually here!
He dared to act on Christmas Day, with Dumbledore and the others all present. He was mad, completely mad!
Peter Pettigrew screamed frantically in his mind. Under the illusion's influence, he couldn't think about the reasonableness of it all. He completely ignored how Sirius, who could use the Killing Curse against him one second, would transform into his Animagus form the next second.
Moreover, Sirius's Animagus form appearing before him was far too large and ferocious, far exceeding the real Sirius. He couldn't realize that everything he was seeing, including Sirius's Killing Curse and this terrifyingly oversized Animagus form that defied common sense, was actually the manifestation of the terror in Peter Pettigrew's own heart. Sean's magic was merely a trigger; what truly drove Peter Pettigrew mad was only the fear and nightmares within his own heart.
"Scabbers! Scabbers! Where are you going? Come back! I said, Come back, Scabbers!"
Ron's shouts could no longer reach Peter Pettigrew's ears. The rat that Peter Pettigrew had become frantically fled outward, wanting to burrow into some corner and wait for Sirius to leave. However, wherever he tried to go, he would find Sirius appearing before him, swinging increasingly massive claws and razor-sharp fangs as he pounced.
Seeing this, Peter Pettigrew had no choice but to flee quickly, dodging and weaving. Under Sean's covert guidance, he gradually escaped from Hogwarts castle and rushed toward the Forbidden Forest.
Just as he entered the Forbidden Forest, Peter Pettigrew suddenly saw Lupin appearing at the forest's edge. Though he felt very guilty when facing Lupin, the increasingly loud panting and roaring sounds told Peter Pettigrew that he had to use Lupin's help to drive off Sirius.
Perfect. In Lupin's mind, Sirius was the murderer who killed James and Lily. Even if Lupin discovered it was him, with a little manipulation, Lupin should immediately attack Sirius.
Thinking this, Peter Pettigrew quickly rushed toward Lupin.
But just then, Peter Pettigrew suddenly discovered that Lupin, who had been standing in the Forbidden Forest, suddenly turned to look at him. His face showed bone-deep hatred as he loudly denounced: "Peter! I've long known that Sirius could never betray James and Lily. The betrayer must be you! I'm going to kill you and avenge them!"
As Lupin's words fell, countless black coarse hairs suddenly grew on his face. The teeth in his mouth transformed into sharp wolf fangs. Lupin tore off his clothes, his body swelling as he became a monster far larger than a normal werewolf. With crimson eyes, he roared and pounced toward Peter Pettigrew.
Lupin's transformation horrified Peter Pettigrew. Just then, the enormous black dog that Sirius had become also caught up. The werewolf and black dog pounced on Peter Pettigrew together, forcing him to continue fleeing forward.
But what followed was James and Lily, appearing before Peter Pettigrew again as corpses and ghosts, then Harry holding a wand and wanting to kill Peter Pettigrew, and Dumbledore looking at him sternly and disappointedly. One by one, people he had once known and strangers, people he liked and hated, feared and cherished, all appeared on Peter Pettigrew's escape route, looking at him angrily. Each of them held a wand, wanting to kill him.
"No no no, no no no... It wasn't me, it wasn't me! It was Sirius, all Sirius's doing, all him, all him, all him..."
Like a rolling gourd, Peter Pettigrew reverted from rat form to human shape.
However, perhaps because he had maintained rat form for too long, the human-form Peter Pettigrew still retained many rat-like characteristics. He curled up into a ball, trembling all over as he muttered "it wasn't me" and "it was all him," until the effect of Boggart's Shadow slowly faded, until Peter Pettigrew regained his reason and composure, until Sean appeared before Peter Pettigrew with the white snake Kulkan wrapped around him.
Only then did Peter Pettigrew finally realize how unreasonable everything he had just seen was. Whether it was the terrifyingly large black dog Sirius, the incredibly horrifying werewolf Lupin, or James transformed into a corpse and Lily as a ghost, their very appearance was extremely unreasonable.
He finally knew who was behind it all.
"Sean Bulstrode... You're the one behind this?"
"You seem to have seen some interesting scenes. Did you enjoy them, Peter?"
"Sean... Bulstrode... You're courting death!"
At the end of fear lay anger. Peter Pettigrew was extremely furious. The rage of humiliation clouded his reason, causing him to pounce toward Sean.
Seeing Peter Pettigrew pouncing toward him, a smile appeared at the corner of Sean's mouth. This was exactly what he wanted, for Peter Pettigrew to attack him. Only this way would the panel recognize the establishment of a duel!