As October set in, darkness fell earlier and earlier. The study, unlit by candles, remained dim even with light filtering through the window.
Wade sat in a chair, pushing his feet against the floor, making the entire chair lean at a dangerous angle. He swayed gently with the chair, listening to the conversation in the study.
"I was scared... The Dark Lord was so powerful, and Death Eaters were killing everywhere. What good would it do to oppose them... James even provoked the Dark Lord several times, making him focus all his hatred on us..."
Peter Pettigrew spoke in a somewhat dazed voice: "Dumbledore was clearly the one he feared most, but... but they kept hunting us... He had magic we couldn't even imagine, hunting us personally..."
"The McKinnons died... the Prewett brothers died... the Bones family died too..."
"Opposing him... what good could come of it besides death..."
"I thought... even if I betrayed them, Dumbledore wouldn't kill anyone, James... James would forgive me. He knows I've always been timid... at worst, I'd be sent to Azkaban, which is better than dying..."
"So you betrayed them, did you? Betrayed the Order of the Phoenix and James Potter?" Someone asked excitedly, "And then? What happened between you and Sirius?"
After a pause, Peter continued: "The Dark Lord was hunting James and Lily... He was hunting them personally, and I was terrified..."
"Dumbledore suggested they hide with the Fidelius Charm, with him as the Secret-Keeper. But... James refused, he wanted Sirius to be the Secret-Keeper..."
"Then... then at the last moment, Sirius made a foolish suggestion..."
Peter chuckled, even in his dazed state, he seemed to be relishing the enormous surprise and hidden mockery of that moment. "He suggested that I be the Secret-Keeper... He would draw the Dark Lord's attention, and I... I'm just a timid rat, I could easily hide... No one would care about me... No one could find me..."
"But he didn't know... I had already defected to the Dark Lord a year earlier... They suspected Remus was the one passing information to the Death Eaters, and they never suspected me..."
The swaying chair suddenly stopped.
Wade watched Lupin emerge from the living room, burying his face in his hands. After a long while, he lifted his head, his eyes still holding deep pain.
"Time proves everything,"Wadesaid softly. "Their not trusting you was absolutely wrong."
Lupin shook his head. "I won't blame James and Sirius for it. At that time... almost all werewolves were Voldemort's soldiers, and their suspicion of me... wasn't without reason..."
"But even so, James and Lily never turned me away..."
"And... and for the past decade, I never believed Sirius either..."
He slumped into the chair beside Wade, no longer hiding his pain and regret.
"Not going to listen anymore?"Wadeasked, looking at the bookshelf ahead.
Lupin shook his head. "If I stayed in the living room, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from killing him."
In the living room, Peter Pettigrew recounted how, after the Potters' deaths, Sirius had found him... how he had shouted that Sirius had betrayed James and Lily, used a Blasting Curse to kill a dozen people, then painfully cut off his own finger, pretending he too had been killed by Sirius...
He spoke with great satisfaction.
And then, his hiding at the Weasleys'... for eleven years...
Life as a rat was difficult, but he had no choice. He couldn't return to the light side; as soon as he showed his face, his lies would be exposed. He also couldn't return to the Death Eaters; they all considered him a traitor. Because his information had caused the Dark Lord's demise, the Death Eaters wanted him to pay the price... His only hope was to wait for the Dark Lord's return... because only the Dark Lord knew that he hadn't betrayed him...
Lupin listened silently, his teeth grinding.
The people in the living room were not satisfied; they eagerly pressed him for more secrets. Peter Pettigrew answered every question, hiding nothing. Everyone could see that he had definitely been given Veritaserum. But what did it matter? They completely disregarded it, only wanting a sensational news story.
When the conversation began to lose substance and gradually turned to private matters, Marchioni also emerged from the living room. Lupin went in to monitor, to prevent Peter Pettigrew from breaking free.
"Thank you, Mr. Marchioni,"Wadesaid, standing up. "If not for your help, I wouldn't know where to find so many suitable reporters."
Those questioning Peter Pettigrew in the living room were journalists from five or six countries, including Britain, each equivalent to Rita Skeeter. As long as the news was shocking enough, as long as the newspapers sold well, they could completely disregard morals, let alone governments—especially those of other countries.
"They should be thanking you for getting such high-quality news." Marchioni said with a smile. He sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and then said: "The sales of the Soft-Light Badge have completely surpassed the Friendship Ledger; witches are practically going crazy to buy them. Some buy over a dozen at once, even though we've emphasized that they only last a month."
Wade's gaze settled on Marchioni's collar, where a Soft-Light Badge was pinned.
"Yes, I'm using one too," Marchioni said with a smile, flicking the badge on his collar. "A good image makes most things go more smoothly. So our second largest client group is men over middle age."
"In fact, almost everyone I do business with is a customer of mine. The Soft-Light Badge is the first topic we discuss when we meet, even more than the weather."
He had gained enormous profits from the Friendship Ledger and the badges, so he put his full effort into Wade's requests, no matter how unclear the reasons, without cutting any corners.
"Wade, do you have any new research lately?" Marchioni leaned closer to Wade, lowering his voice. "Even if it's just a small trinket you don't think much of, I can sell it for a good price... no matter what it is!"
Wade thought for a moment and said, "There is indeed a new project recently, but the technology isn't mature yet, and the cost will be relatively high."
Marchioni's eyes lit up. "Do you have a finished product? It doesn't matter if the technology isn't mature; we can earn money every time we improve it!"
His fervor for money seemed to burn, makingWadeinstinctively recoil a bit.
"Next week,"Wadesaid. "We'll meet here next week."
"Good," Marchioni said excitedly. "It's settled then!"