The little mouse with a missing finger was running frantically through the Forbidden Forest.
Unfortunately, it didn't get far before a strong gust of wind swept over its head...
Peter Pettigrew was forcibly transformed back into his human form, and the wand in his hand was blasted a dozen yards away.
A tall, thin old man appeared before him.
"P... Professor Dumbledore..." Peter stammered, trembling.
"Good evening, Pettigrew." Albus Dumbledore's voice was calm, as if he were speaking to a student from long ago.
"Just a few minutes ago, I heard a very interesting story," Dumbledore said with a faint smile. "It told me that it wasn't Black who betrayed James Potter... but you?"
"I... I..." Peter seemed to muster his courage and screamed, "I didn't betray James!"
"Oh?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying you weren't James Potter's Secret Keeper?"
"No... I was James's Secret Keeper, and I was the one who gave his address to the D... the Dark Lord..." Peter's voice shook. "But I swear, I didn't betray James!"
If Black had been here to hear such a ridiculous excuse, he would probably have blasted Peter to pieces in a fit of rage.
But Dumbledore was not Black. "Is that so? Then it seems I'll be hearing a new story."
"James trusted me. He and I once made an Unforgivable Oath..." Peter's voice dropped low. "There are things I swore never to reveal to anyone... especially to Lupin and Black."
"Twelve years ago, James and his wife discovered an ancient spell..." Peter's voice slowly grew calmer. "If a wizard was willing to sacrifice his own life for another, he could place a protective enchantment upon them, one that could reflect dark spells."
"But the spell wasn't strong, in fact it was quite weak... Against a dark wizard like the Dark Lord, it wouldn't have much effect at all!" Peter's voice suddenly rose. "But then came Trelawney's prophecy... A boy born at the end of July... whose parents had defied the Dark Lord three times... who possessed a power the Dark Lord knew not... one destined to die at the hand of the other..."
"With the prophecy amplifying it, that ancient spell would unleash terrifying power!" Peter nearly roared. "This was James's plan—the way he thought to destroy Voldemort!"
It took nearly all his strength just to utter the word "Voldemort."
Dumbledore frowned slightly.
"James was always so very brave..." Peter's tone softened again. "He thought of this way to fight the Dark Lord—through Harry. So he came to me, the only one who could help him, the only friend who had mastered Occlumency. That idiot Black could never keep such a secret, and Lupin, that werewolf, wasn't to be trusted!"
"We put the plan into action..." Peter's voice trembled. "I arranged to be captured by the Death Eaters. My Animagus form is a rat, Professor, as you know—I'm very good at escaping. If I hadn't let them, they could never have caught me!"
"I defected to the Dark Lord and became a Death Eater... I betrayed the McKinnons and Edgar Bones, completely earning the Dark Lord's trust." Peter let out a sigh. "Finally, James suggested to Black that I be made Secret Keeper instead... That fool Black agreed without hesitation. He had no idea what our real plan was."
"In James's presence, I wrote the secret address in a letter and sent it to the Dark Lord," Peter continued. "Then, at the very last moment, James told his wife about our secret and our plan, and ordered me to bind her with a spell, take her away, and hide her."
Peter's tone suddenly grew furious. "But Evans ruined everything!"
"That fool Evans—that wretched woman... First with Snape, then she seduced James... She broke free of my spell, knocked me unconscious, and went back to her husband... By the time I woke up, it was over... She was dead, killed by the Dark Lord!"
Peter fell to his knees in despair. "Our plan succeeded, the Dark Lord was defeated by that ancient spell... but she died. She was the only one who could have proven my innocence!"
"So far, it's quite a flawless story," Dumbledore said calmly. "And then, Pettigrew?"
Peter clutched his mouth, as if trying to stop himself from speaking—but finally forced his hand away.
"There's one more secret, Professor Dumbledore," he said, shaking. "James made a terrible mistake when he was young. Evans, Black, and Lupin don't know about it. Only I do... and it's our only hope!"
"Black knew I was the true Secret Keeper, and he came for me!" Peter shouted hysterically. "But I couldn't go to Azkaban. I still had to find that last hope. I had to frame him! Black, as foolish as ever, was easily tricked, and spent twelve years in Azkaban without suspecting a thing!"
"What mistake?" Dumbledore's tone grew sharp.
"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore... I swore I could never tell!" Peter rasped hoarsely, clawing at his own throat. "James entrusted something very important to his Auror mentor, Gideon Prewett!"
"That object... it was their last hope!" Peter gasped for breath. "But Prewett died the day after James did... After the Dark Lord's fall, enraged Death Eaters found him and his brother, and they were surrounded... and killed!"
"James's possession, along with their other belongings, was passed down to Gideon Prewett's only living relative—his sister, Molly Prewett, later Molly Weasley. I had to find it, so I infiltrated the Weasley family and managed to stay hidden as one of them!"
"The Weasley boy treated me as a pet and brought me to Hogwarts every year... I only had time to search during the summers. I dug countless tunnels under their house. At last, I found it—at the very bottom of the basement, buried in a pile of rubbish!"
"I worked as hard as I could, digging a passageway..." Peter whimpered. "One more summer, and I could have had it... But then that fool Black escaped from Azkaban. I knew he was coming for me, but I didn't leave—I stayed, waiting for summer, hoping to evade his hunt... But now Ron knows my true identity... My last hope is gone..."
"What a touching tale," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet. "At least the logic holds together."
"Professor Dumbledore..." Peter said, his whole body shaking.
"I believe I can spare your life, Pettigrew," Dumbledore said sternly. "But only if you agree to one condition..."