Chapter 45: Peter Pettigrew is captured
"How is this possible?" Cornelius Fudge stood up suddenly and leaned over to look at the sleeping man.
His voice lost its previous rage, replaced by a tone of uncertainty. He blinked, clearly still unsure of the situation. "He... wasn't he already dead? Killed by Sirius Black? I saw that street with my own eyes, it was blown to pieces... He only had one finger left..."
Fudge turned to Draco, a look of confusion on his face. "How did you find him, son?"
"As I said, Minister, this is just my speculation." Draco bowed politely to Fudge. "Let's call it a hunch. I happen to find this rat suspicious."
Draco would never reveal the existence of the precious Marauder's Map.
Magical items of this level will never be allowed in the hands of students and will definitely be confiscated.
"Where did you get the rat?" Professor Dumbledore looked at Draco and got straight to the point.
"He asked us for it. Actually, the rat was Ron's pet. We originally just wanted to take it away as a joke or something... Then we met Draco on the way and talked for a few words. When we talked about its age, we suddenly felt that something was wrong with it." Fred said.
The two brothers had already compared their statements with Draco on the way here.
"How long has he lived?" Professor Dumbledore's eyes behind his glasses flashed sharply.
"It's been in our family for 11 years," George said briefly.
The wizards present gasped, and Fudge and his Aurors began to whisper among themselves.
Behind Draco, Harry seemed to have not given up hope yet. He asked the two brothers: "When you went to our dormitory to look for mice, did you see a diary? I lost one recently..."
"Oh, what are we supposed to do with your diary?" Fred patted his shoulder helplessly.
"We don't even want to write in our own diaries." George spread his hands, indicating that he was helpless.
"It's too hard to wipe your butt." Fred said maliciously.
"Eleven years..." Fudge muttered now, falling back into his chair. "The timing is just right."
He suddenly seemed to remember something and said to the Auror who had tied up Peter Pettigrew tightly, "Look at his hands."
"A finger is missing." The Auror named Dawlish raised his hand and showed it to the people present. On the wall of the headmaster's office, the portraits of the former headmasters, after the initial period of shock, began to look at each other, and began to discuss and exclaim in amazement.
Even the big crimson bird on the shelf in the principal's office was chirping for unknown reasons, as if it had seen something filthy that it could not tolerate.
"I don't understand. If he's not dead, why doesn't he show up? The Dark Lord has been defeated for so many years, why is he hiding here and there..." Fudge was upset, and he ran his fingers through his hair again and again, pulling out several strands of hair.
"I think these answers can only be answered by him himself after he wakes up," Professor Dumbledore said to Fudge. "Minister, desperate times call for desperate measures. I suggest using some special potions to find out the truth as quickly as possible, before he is ready."
"Of course, of course." Fudge murmured, "Although the truth serum is strictly restricted, if we weigh the pros and cons, the procedure can be supplemented afterwards -"
Dumbledore nodded and said to one of the hooded Aurors, "Kingsley, please go to the dungeon and find Professor Snape. Ask him to bring some sobering potion and truth serum." The Auror named Kingsley nodded, opened the door and left in a hurry.
Not long after, Professor Snape arrived, his black robes rustling. He glanced at Peter Pettigrew, then paused, his expression unchanged. He pursed his lips, walked directly to the pale, wretched man, pried his jaws open, and roughly poured the two potions into his mouth.
Then, Professor Snape turned around and glanced at the students who had appeared in the headmaster's office with an uneasy look on his face. He lingered on Harry for a second longer. Then he said to Dumbledore, "I think the scene that is about to happen is not suitable for students to watch. If there is nothing else, please allow me to escort them out."
"Very good," said Professor Dumbledore lightly, "Let us do it."
"Professor Dumbledore, I have something very important to report to you in private." At this time, Harry finally came back to his senses from the shock and said to Professor Dumbledore.
"Then Harry stays, and the others can go. I think Harry has the right to know all this." Dumbledore said to Fudge. Fudge nodded solemnly.
Draco knew the reason why Dumbledore kept Harry. This matter was indeed closely related to Harry.
Peter Pettigrew betrayed Harry's parents, and when he stood before the mouse, he was only surprised that it had turned into a human being, unaware that it was the indirect murderer of his parents' deaths.
If someone betrayed Draco's parents and caused them to lose their lives, he would definitely want to know the truth rather than live in confusion.
The enemy who killed his father and mother stood in front of him, but he was still confused and knew nothing.
There is nothing more sorrowful in the world than this.
In his previous life, he had cruelly mocked Harry for this because of his ignorance. At that time, Draco did not understand what this matter meant.
Now, looking back, he felt nothing but sadness for Harry.
Why had no one ever told Harry what had happened to his parents? Why had Dumbledore always been so secretive about it?
Don't make light of a child's mental health issues. Harry wasn't the only wizard to lose a parent in the war. Those children knew why their parents died.
Of course, they will be heartbroken for a while, but after that, they will live on with the longing and love for their parents. They may even inherit the beliefs and insist on what their parents insisted on.
Like Harry, who grew up in an unclear state about the cause of his parents' death and knew nothing about his parents' friends, he lived like a child kept in a glass case by Dumbledore - this is definitely not a normal way of education.
"Well, Professor Dumbledore, I really don't know what you're doing. But I won't let Harry go on in this confusion," Draco thought to himself, glancing at the thoughtful headmaster.
"I must say, Mr. Malfoy and the two Mr. Weasleys, you have demonstrated both wisdom and courage." Professor Dumbledore seemed to pay no attention to his gaze at all, smiling as if no one else was around. "You should go back and have a good rest. Let's call it a day for today."
This is Dumbledore's order to leave.
Draco gave a diplomatic salute to Dumbledore and Fudge, and left the Headmaster's office with the Weasley twins and Professor Snape.
It was late in the evening, the setting sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon, and flickering flames were swaying in the candlesticks on the walls of the corridor.
"Hurry back to the dormitory!" Professor Snape said to them with a sullen face after sending them downstairs, "The school is no longer safe in the evening."
"As for you, Mr. Malfoy, we'll have a good talk later." He hurriedly said something harsh to Draco and turned back to the headmaster's office.
It seemed that even someone as aloof as Professor Snape couldn't help but be curious about what would happen in the Headmaster's office. He was so curious that he didn't have time to criticize them too much.
"Harry is so lucky," George said with envy, "We want to know what happened too. This is our rat, we have the right to know!"
"I must invent a listening ear or something..." Fred gritted his teeth, "so we can eavesdrop even if we're not in that room."
"That's a great idea," Draco said. In his previous life, he remembered that they had indeed invented something similar.
"Listen, we have to go find Ron and talk to him—" Fred gave a malicious smile.
"He still doesn't know that his mouse has turned into a man!" George smacked his lips in satisfaction.
"Imagine his reaction when he finds out about this. His expression must be quite interesting." The two brothers laughed heartily, as if they were ready to make fun of Ron for the rest of his life - he had slept in the same bed with a man transformed from a mouse for more than a year.
"Go ahead. I want to wait a while until Harry comes out." Draco smiled at them and said calmly. Then the Weasley twins said goodbye to Draco and walked lazily towards the Gryffindor Tower.
Draco stood by the window, looking at the dark blue sky and the pitch-black field, his heart filled with excitement.
The excitement was not for himself, but for Harry.
There was one thing Draco couldn't wait to tell him the next day.
This boy who had suffered abuse from Muggles should know one thing: he was never helpless in the wizarding world.
Harry didn't just have the option of living in a Muggle family. He could have chosen to live in a wizarding family, where no one would lock him up or take his wand away.
There was someone who was about to take care of all the ill will Harry had from his Muggle uncle and aunt.
Solve all the problems that bother Harry openly, confidently, reasonably and legally.
Harry needed to know immediately—especially after the shock of Peter Pettigrew betraying his parents—that he still had a godfather alive.
Since his rebirth, Draco had returned to his roots, gradually developing a hidden sympathy for Harry. Ever since he'd discovered that the supposed savior had lived an unimaginably miserable life for the first 11 years of his life, it had become difficult for Draco to truly dislike him. Even the immense resentment he'd harbored towards Harry in his previous life had slowly melted as they spent time together.
Now, rather than hating Harry, Draco seemed more worried.
Harry's lack of wizarding common sense was shocking, and he hadn't developed many of the usual wizarding habits. For example, he left his wand carelessly, even using it as a throwing weapon rather than a spellcasting tool. He had an extremely valuable invisibility cloak, but he left it lying around, not even knowing how to use it properly, and even wandered around in the middle of the night without wearing it. Most importantly, he even believed in magical objects with thoughts, which was simply too dangerous...
It's no wonder Professor Snape had a problem with him. If people hadn't known he came from a Muggle family, they would have thought Harry was deliberately mischievous. If there had been a reliable adult wizard to guide him, he might have acted much more reliably than he did now, and would have avoided misunderstandings and criticism.
For young wizards from Muggle families, the adult wizards who take them to Diagon Alley for the first time take on a kind of mentor role. They are the guides for the young wizards and they will tell them all the rules and precautions of the wizarding world.
Why did Dumbledore send Hagrid as the guide? He is even less reliable than Harry.
Why not send a more reliable wizard, even Professor McGonagall?
Look, thanks to the irresponsible Hagrid, Harry not only did not have a full understanding of the wizarding world, but also had many wrong ideas, at least he did not pay enough attention to some dangers.
It's not hard to understand why Hagrid himself has some misunderstandings about the word "danger".
Now, Harry, who had no one to manage him, no one to teach him, and no one to guide him, finally had a decent mentor.
His godfather, Sirius Black, came from a legitimate wizarding family and would be able to help Harry adapt to wizard life, Draco thought with relief.
After a long time, the door was opened again. Fudge came out hurriedly, followed by the two Aurors. They tied up Peter Pettigrew tightly.
"This is unbelievable." Fudge said to the Auror behind him in annoyance, "Sirius Black is actually innocent... and we locked him up in Azkaban for eleven years! Once this news gets out, I wonder how many people will make a big fuss about it. I have to rush back to the Ministry and reopen the case! I hope they still have his wand, then this will be much simpler... Everything is a mess!"
"But think about it from another perspective. You caught the Death Eater on the run, which is a great achievement." Kingsley said positively.
"That's right." Fudge scratched his nose.
"About the Chamber of Secrets, and that gamekeeper Hagrid..." said Dawlish.
"We'll discuss this later," Fudge waved his hand vaguely, taking out the gold watch from his pocket and looking at it. "Peter Pettigrew is more important now! He might be the one behind this series of attacks!"
After a while, Harry came out of the headmaster's office alone. He looked pale and his eyes were red and swollen. It was obvious that he had been crying.
Harry had just experienced an unbearable psychological shock. He had never imagined that Ron's rat, Scabbers, was actually his enemy. This revelation was so shocking that the matter of the diary seemed less important.
"Harry," Draco greeted him, "how's it going?"
Harry forced a smile at him, clearly feeling drained.
"I told Professor Dumbledore about the diary. I also told him that the owner of the diary was Tom Marvolo Riddle. He looked very serious and said he would pay attention to the matter. He said that he thought the diary was very dangerous and that if it was found, it must be handed over to him immediately."
"That's not what I'm asking about," Draco said concernedly. "I'm asking about Peter Pettigrew."
"He's a Death Eater, if you want to know." Harry lowered his head, his eyes starting to wet again. He spoke softly, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away by Dumbledore's office. "I didn't expect that he would betray my parents. He was their friend, but he killed them..."
"Congratulations, I'm very happy to hear that," Draco said.
Harry finally looked up, his eyes red, and said in surprise: "I can't believe you would say such a thing! You are glad that he is a traitor, aren't you?"
"No," Draco said calmly.
"No, Harry, I just wanted to congratulate you. You're finally going to have someone who loves and cares for you."
"What do you mean?" Harry said, his face flushed, and Draco could see that Harry was very angry with him.
"Sirius Black, have you heard of this name? He is your godfather and your parents' best friend. Now the truth is out, he was wrongly accused. I think they will clear his name soon. After he is released from prison, he will naturally take care of you and even take you away. You don't have to live with your Muggle uncle and aunt anymore." Draco said with a faint smile, observing Harry's expression.
"My godfather—I have a godfather?" Harry's face gradually lit up.
He murmured, "Sirius Black?"
"Yes," Draco confirmed, patting his shoulder. "He'll take care of you. He's a very powerful wizard."
It had been like that in his past life—the Death Eaters were afraid of him, Draco thought.
"Draco! This is the best news I've ever heard!" Harry burst into tears of joy.
He wanted to hug Draco, but Draco took a step back warily and dodged him.
"No, Harry, be a British wizard!" Draco gave him a look of horror, his eyes drifting away. "We should only show affection to owls and broomsticks!"
"Whatever! Choose one!" Harry still hugged the struggling platinum boy, patted his back vigorously, and said happily, "Draco, thank you!