The sales of Wade's Friend-Locating Tome were only mediocre. Just a few parents bought them as talismans to put on their children.
Wade, of course, had various templates of the Tome himself. After acquiring the Marauder's Map, he improved the Tome's magical circuits based on what he learned from the map. This made it smaller, the location display more precise, and the magical fluctuations more subtle.
After capturing Peter Pettigrew, Wade used a Sticking Charm to attach a Friend-Locating Tome to the back of the man's head. He had shrunk the Tome to a tiny size, so even if Peter Pettigrew transformed into a rat, it would probably be mistaken for a bit of accidental dust.
With this, Wade could track Peter Pettigrew's location in real time.
To Percy, Ron, and others, handing Peter over to the Ministry of Magic would solve everything. But Wade didn't see it that way. In fact, his initial decision to take the risk and capture Peter with the Weasley brothers, instead of seeking help from Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall, was based on the same reasoning.
Wade neither trusted the Ministry of Magic's abilities nor their integrity, and he certainly didn't trust their sense of responsibility.
As for Dumbledore, although he was one of the most powerful wizards in the world, he had a "self-imprisonment" mentality. Even though he could crush Fudge and Umbridge with one hand, he tolerated them using various absurd laws to restrict his power and persecute the school's teachers and students.
Not only that, from the beginning of the second year, the Ministry of Magic repeatedly invaded Hogwarts, using high-sounding reasons to arrest people Dumbledore knew to be innocent. They forced Dumbledore to leave the school on multiple occasions and later slandered him as an old lunatic.
And what about Dumbledore?
He always gave ground.
Dumbledore would make small adjustments to the hands of the clock within the rules, letting events move in the direction he desired, but he would never directly flip the table.
Inspired by Dumbledore, most of the professors at the school—like Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Sprout—had a similar approach.
So, after capturing Peter Pettigrew, Dumbledore would question him privately but ultimately hand him over to the Ministry of Magic for investigation and trial. He had his own expectations for the outcome but wouldn't arbitrarily use his power to interfere with the Ministry's investigation or force Fudge and others to rule as he wished. Even if the final result was the opposite of what he expected, he would first try to fight for it within the law, rather than directly saying, "Fudge, this is how it must be, or I'll have you thrown out of office!"
For ordinary people, it was undoubtedly a great blessing that the most powerful person was law-abiding and self-disciplined.
But when the person standing opposite him was an incompetent fool who used the law to arbitrarily break rules, was hungry for power, and yet shirked responsibility, Dumbledore's "law-abiding" nature was frustrating.
Wade couldn't pin his hopes on Dumbledore.
Nor could he, like the trio in the original plot, naively pore through legal texts to try to change an unfavorable ruling by the Ministry. Or regret missing the best opportunity when the situation worsened.
Because he knew that regret was useless, and making a mistake came at a cost.
…
At the Umbrella House gathering the next day, Harry told everyone exactly what had happened, with Fred and George adding details. Since the Battle Royale game began, the twins had joined the SSC, and their spellcasting skills had improved by leaps and bounds. When they didn't have classes, they would study alchemy with Wade.
"Something that big, you should have called us to join," Michael complained to Wade.
"You can't get into the Gryffindor common room," Wade said. "And for something to succeed, you first have to keep it a secret. What if that rat overheard us when we were discussing it?"
"So... the former hero was the traitor, and the person who was locked up was actually framed?" Ryan summarized at the end.
"Yeah..." Harry said wistfully. "Lupin told me that Sirius Black is actually my godfather. I wonder what kind of person he is."
Theo said sympathetically, "Merlin, he's been in Azkaban for eleven years... I can't even imagine it."
"What's Azkaban like?" Harry asked.
"It's the most terrifying place in the world, a wizard's prison." Theo subconsciously lowered his voice. "The guards there are Dementors."
"Dementors?" Harry still didn't understand.
"They're monsters that suck away happiness and make you remember the most horrible things."
Theo instinctively shivered. "I had an uncle who spent three months in Azkaban and almost went insane when he got out. He said he'd rather die than ever go back there."
Harry's face clouded with worry.
He almost went crazy in just three months, so what about eleven years?
Could his godfather have already gone insane?
Even so...
Harry thought.
Even so... I'll take good care of him...
Because even if Sirius Black had gone crazy, he had gone crazy while trying to protect his family.
This was his responsibility, and what his parents would have wanted him to do.
…
For several days, the thought of Scabbers made Ron feel sick, until Harry asked Lupin to buy Ron an owl as compensation for his lost pet.
It was a very beautiful owl with luminous, pearl-like eyes. Its feathery face was shaped like a cat's pointy ears, and its mottled brown and yellow feathers resembled a leopard's, making it look very imposing. The joy of getting a new pet instantly overshadowed the disgust and frustration from the last one, and Ron was ecstatic, showing off his owl all day long.
Harry was also very happy, almost counting the days until his godfather would be released.
Over the weekend, Marchioni had to postpone his meeting with Wade because of work.
So Wade and the others went to Hogsmeade through the Room of Requirement. When they arrived at Lupin's house, they all saw that Lupin had hung the photo back on the wall, but this time Peter Pettigrew's face was covered. The now visible face of Sirius Black was handsome and elegant. His black hair fell messily over his eyes, and he had a pair of striking, smiling gray eyes.
"He has gray eyes just like you!" Michael said in surprise.
"Yeah, he does," Wade was also a little surprised.
Harry looked at the photo over and over again, an unconscious silly grin on his face.
Lupin watched him, his smile subtly tinged with worry.
"What's wrong?" Wade asked him.
"I don't know... but it feels very bad," Lupin said vaguely. "I applied to visit Sirius, but I was refused. And there are some unfavorable rumors..."
"Rumors?"
"Someone put forward an idea..."
Lupin lowered his voice, making sure no one else could hear. "That both Sirius and Peter were working for Voldemort... Eleven years ago, when James and Lily were killed, they pushed Sirius out and Peter went into hiding, waiting for an opportunity..."
"Eleven years later, Peter was exposed, so he would defend Sirius's innocence in return... to ensure that a loyal Death Eater would always be on the outside, working for Voldemort..."
Even Wade was stunned for a while, and he said, half in admiration and half in sarcasm, "What an imagination... Did they not consider why the two of them couldn't just escape together back then?"
"Exactly, and some people actually believe such a ridiculous story."
Lupin could barely hide his emotions. "The most important thing is, the Ministry of Magic seems to support this idea..."
"Who's that stupid?" Michael overheard and naturally joined the conversation.
"The Minister of Magic, Fudge. I heard he provided important testimony."
Lupin smiled bitterly. "Back then, he was the deputy head of the Department of Magical Disasters. They were the first to arrive at the scene after Peter killed everyone."
"He testified that... when there were corpses all over the ground, Sirius was standing there laughing madly. He was still laughing when he was arrested, like a madman seeking revenge because his master had been defeated..."
"Besides Sirius, the Black family were almost all staunch pure-blood supporters and had always supported Voldemort. Sirius had a younger brother who willingly joined the Death Eaters before he even graduated from school."
"So Fudge doesn't think Sirius is innocent. He seems to think... if Sirius is released, he will find a way to get back to the Dark Lord. This loyal and insane servant will certainly help the Dark Lord rise again..."
"Doesn't the Ministry of Magic always insist that the Dark Lord was defeated?" Wade asked.
"That's what they say in their propaganda, of course." Lupin shook his head. "Fudge said... he was just suggesting a possibility... a possibility that, upon a little thought, sends chills down his spine..."
"No one wants the Dark Lord to return, except for the Death Eaters."
Michael said objectively, "Given this situation, the trial might go in an unfavorable direction."
"If they were even more despicable, they would hint for Peter Pettigrew to give testimony against Black..."
Lupin's face grew even paler, his brows furrowed, and he looked especially worn out. He said in a low voice, "Wade, that thing we prepared earlier..."
Wade thought for a moment before nodding. "I originally wanted to hold the news back a little... but it seems now might be the most suitable time..."
Lupin's tense expression eased slightly, and he couldn't help but say, "It's a good thing you were prepared... I originally thought it was unnecessary."
"What else did you do?" Michael asked curiously.
"Found a few reporters, getting ready to make a big news splash," Wade said briefly.
If he waited a while longer, to release the news during the public trial at the Ministry, it would hit Fudge and his ilk even harder, perhaps getting them to step down sooner.
But that would also introduce more variables.
Most importantly, while Fudge seemed timid, he was ruthless enough to "silence" people. If the situation became too unfavorable for him, he might have both Sirius and Peter killed.
It was not uncommon for criminals to "commit suicide out of fear of their crimes" in prison. At most, Fudge would blame one or two "temporary workers" and absolve himself of responsibility. At that point, even if Dumbledore was unhappy, what could he do?
No matter how angry Dumbledore was, he wouldn't just storm into the Ministry and take out Fudge, and that's why the Minister dared to provoke the great white wizard again and again.
Without even waiting to return to school, Wade contacted Marchioni.
Early the next morning, Marchioni sent several newspapers to Wade.
France, the United States, Germany, New Zealand, Italy...
Several of the most popular newspapers in these countries published similar stories, telling a dramatic and confusing tale that had happened in the UK.
In the wizarding world, distance meant very little, and the news flew to the UK in an instant.
How could the UK's mainstream media tolerate others snatching their headlines?
On the third day, the Daily Prophet published a news story in an exceptionally prominent font—
"Hero or Traitor? Peter Pettigrew's Crimes Exposed After Eleven Years!"
The front page featured two large photos.
One was a gaunt-faced, long-haired, disheveled Sirius Black.
The other was a bald, round-faced, and timid-looking Peter Pettigrew.
Wade was pleased to see that the reporter had almost completely copied the foreign reports, narrating the entire story in a way that raised questions repeatedly and was exceptionally engaging. He believed that anyone who read the story would come to their own conclusion—that Peter Pettigrew, who had once received the Order of Merlin, was the real traitor, and the Ministry of Magic had made a huge mistake in this case.
After the newspapers were delivered, the entire Great Hall was abuzz with discussion, and the students barely paid attention to their food. The professors at the high table also each had a copy of the paper, discussing it in low voices. With the exception of the few who were present on the day of the capture, most of the professors at the school were still unaware of Peter Pettigrew's arrest.
Wade quickly finished his meal and, after returning to the Room of Requirement, opened the slightly warm Tome.
[Marchioni: A reporter contacted me. Fudge is very unhappy with their story. The Ministry has forbidden them from portraying Sirius Black as an innocent hero and has put a lot of pressure on the newspaper.]
[Wade: Wasn't it Barty Crouch of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who sent Sirius Black to prison without a trial? If you push the blame onto him and downplay Fudge's role, the Ministry should be less opposed.]
[Marchioni: Weren't you trying to undermine Fudge's authority?]
[Wade: It's just a temporary measure. There will be plenty of opportunities to bring this up again later.]
Marchioni drew a thumbs-up on the paper and then wrote:
[Marchioni: This will encounter much less resistance. I will persuade them to cooperate.]
[Wade: Tell them I can pay more.]
[Marchioni: ...Then there's no problem.]
[Marchioni: But I have a question I'd like to ask, may I?]
[Wade: Please do.]
[Marchioni: Why are you doing so much to exonerate Sirius Black? You don't even know him.]
After a long while, Wade wrote on the paper:
[Wade: The law is designed to protect the innocent. If the rule of law is not just, order will crumble.]
[Wade: If those in power use the law to persecute the innocent at their whim, and if we have the ability to change it but choose to look away, then when such persecution befalls us, who will speak for us?]
After a long pause, Marchioni's reply appeared:
[Marchioni: I look forward to meeting you next weekend, Wade.]