The moment Sirius saw the rat, his expression twisted with fury. With a growl like a feral dog, he sprang to his feet and lunged toward the table.
"I'm going to kill him," Sirius snarled, eyes wild. "I'm going to kill this filthy little rat!"
His hands reached for the stunned creature, trembling with violent intent—but before he could touch it, his body locked mid-motion. He froze like a statue, stiff and unmoving.
All eyes turned, but it was Cael who stood with wand raised, his expression carefully neutral.
"Well," Cael said coolly, "he was about to destroy a key piece of evidence, Professors."
Professor McGonagall's mouth twitched in disapproval, but she merely thought to herself: At least show a bit of respect for your uncle, boy.
Dumbledore, without lifting the freezing charm from Sirius, stepped forward and turned his attention to the rat on the desk. He raised his wand with quiet precision and murmured an incantation—one older than most present could name.
The rat began to twitch. Its limbs shuddered, pulsing unnaturally as its small body grew larger and larger, bulging grotesquely. Fur receded, limbs stretched and reformed, until with a sickening squelch, the creature collapsed into a squat, balding man.
Peter Pettigrew lay on the table, blinking in the light, his beady eyes darting rapidly in all directions—instinct and fear written across his twitching features. He was trembling like a cornered animal.
When his gaze finally settled on the tall, silver-haired wizard before him, he gasped.
"P-Professor Dumbledore," he stammered.
Dumbledore's voice was as still as the air before a storm. "Peter."
Pettigrew turned his head quickly, scanning the room.
"Professor McGonagall—goodness—it's been so long. I've missed you all!" he said, with such pitiful innocence that Cael couldn't help but think that, in this moment, there wasn't a more innocent-looking man in the world than Peter Pettigrew.
Peter's watery eyes found Lupin next.
"Moony," he whimpered, "my old friend, I've missed you most of all."
Then he turned to Snape and offered a trembling nod. "Severus…"
Snape sneered at him with undisguised disgust, as if the mere sound of his name on Pettigrew's lips soiled it.
Dumbledore stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Peter. You've lived with the Weasley family for nearly thirteen years. Why?"
At that, Peter broke down completely. Fat tears spilled down his cheeks as he collapsed into a pathetic sob.
"I was scared, Professor," he whimpered. "I was terrified… Sirius was coming after me—I knew he'd kill me! When I heard about the attack on James and Lily's house, I rushed there—I wanted to help—but…"
He trailed off, choking on his own voice. Then he looked up again, lips trembling.
"I—I had information," he stammered. "That Sirius had betrayed us. That he was the spy in the Order! It was him! He was working for the Dark Lord. I—I tried to warn them—tried to save James—but I was too late. It was Sirius. He gave them away."
Dumbledore's face remained unreadable. "Sirius claims otherwise. He says you were the Secret Keeper. That you were the one who revealed the location of the Potters to Dark Lord ."
Peter's sobs intensified. "No! No, it wasn't me—it was him! He—he used the Imperius Curse on me! I never wanted to betray them—I didn't have a choice! Sirius forced me to do it, Professor! He made me tell the Dark Lord!"
"That doesn't make sense," Dumbledore said calmly. "If Sirius was the traitor, why wouldn't he go to Voldemort himself?"
"Because—because he didn't want to be discovered!" Peter cried. "He thought the Dark Lord would kill me afterward, cover his tracks! But he didn't, he let me go. I ran—I ran to find James and Lily —to warn them—but Sirius found me first! He tried to kill me in the middle of the street—to silence me!"
Snape snarled, stepping forward. "Don't you dare speak her name with your filthy tongue."
Dumbledore raised his hand to halt the rising tension—but he never got the chance to speak. The office door burst open with a thunderous crash.
James Potter stood in the doorway, wand in hand, eyes blazing with confusion and fury.
He froze. His eyes swept the room, seeing Sirius still petrified… and Peter Pettigrew sitting alive on Dumbledore's desk.
Shock cracked across his face like lightning.
Before anyone could speak, James raised his wand.
"James!" Remus Lupin moved instantly, crossing the space and grabbing James's arm. "James, stop. Calm down."
"Let me go, Remus!" James shouted, his voice ragged with grief. "Let me go—I want to kill them! They took her from me! They took her from me, Moony!"
Peter dropped to the ground in front of him, crawling on his hands and knees.
"James!" he wept. "My friend—it wasn't me! It was Sirius! He used the Imperius Curse on me! He made me tell the Dark Lord! I tried to save you, I swear—I tried—but he stopped me, James! He was the traitor!"
He clutched desperately at James's legs.
James's face twisted in revulsion.
"You—" he whispered. And then he struck.
James punched him hard across the jaw. Peter screamed and fell back, but James followed, fists flying, screaming with every blow.
"I trusted you! I trusted you! I gave you everything! I gave you our secret—I gave you our lives! My wife, my son! You were my brother, and you—you betrayed me! You killed her! You killed Lily!"
Peter was sobbing, wailing through his bloodied mouth.
"No! It wasn't me! It wasn't me! It was Sirius! He—he—"
Cael stood silently, watching with clenched fists. For all his bitterness, he felt no triumph—only sadness as he saw James collapse to his knees, weeping uncontrollably.
"That's enough!" Dumbledore bellowed.
The office went still. James looked up at him, eyes bloodshot and broken.
"Please," he whispered, "please, Professor… let me kill him. For her."
McGonagall moved swiftly, placing a firm hand on James's shoulder. "No, James. Not like this. We will find the truth. We must."
James let her pull him away. His shoulders shook with silent grief.
Peter Pettigrew lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, his face bruised and bloodied, still sobbing.
"It wasn't me," he whispered. "It was Sirius. It was always Sirius."