Fudge's gaze locked onto Peter, his eyes filled with shock.
Peter, this person who was thought to be dead, this heroic figure celebrated for years, was actually still alive?!
The Savior really didn't lie!
Fudge's hand unconsciously reached for his hat, clutching the brim tightly, as if that could help him grasp the last shred of sanity.
He blinked, trying to compose himself, but Peter's repulsive face was still clearly imprinted in his vision.
Fudge's face turned beet red.
Damn Dumbledore, why didn't he explain the situation here beforehand? He must want to deliberately make a fool of him.
No, no, no...
When he had just arrived at Hogwarts via Floo powder, Dumbledore seemed to have mentioned something, but he was too focused on the news of Sirius's appearance and had ignored that remark.
After all that, it turned out to be his own problem.
What a huge embarrassment!
Did he look like a clown just now, being so serious?
"Minister Fudge," Harry continued, "Pettigrew has already admitted to us that he betrayed my parents back then."
"Besides me and my two classmates, Professor Swan and Professor Snape were also present, and both of them can testify."
"The Ministry of Magic really made a mistake in this matter."
Made a mistake?!
Hearing Harry's words, Fudge's brows furrowed tightly.
He suddenly realized that this was no longer a simple matter of right or wrong, but had escalated to an issue of the Ministry of Magic's reputation.
The Ministry of Magic absolutely would not, could not, and would not allow itself to make mistakes.
Otherwise, the authority of the Ministry of Magic would be completely gone.
If people started questioning whether all the Ministry of Magic's cases were miscarriages of justice, it would lead to great chaos.
Thinking of this, Fudge's face hardened, and he forcefully interrupted Harry's statement.
"Enough, Harry Potter, these are all your one-sided claims. The Ministry of Magic requires evidence from multiple sources to make a judgment, and this is a necessary procedure."
He glanced at Sirius Black and Pettigrew, a strong feeling of disgust and endless resentment rising in his heart.
It was these two guys who caused such trouble that he couldn't back down.
Damn it!
He had only been the Minister of Magic for a few years, how could he encounter such a mess?
If this had happened before he took office, it wouldn't be his headache.
Now he was really unlucky; he had to deal with something from over ten years ago.
After all, if this matter were to break out, the public wouldn't care whether it was a mistake made by the previous Minister of Magic; they would only wait for him to make a statement.
Fudge snorted coldly in his heart.
Make the Minister of Magic apologize?
Haha, such a thing had never happened since ancient times.
To maintain his own and the Ministry of Magic's reputation, the key was to start with Sirius Black and Pettigrew.
Black was a stubborn old bone, so he might as well test Pettigrew's attitude.
As long as Peter didn't admit it, this matter would be easy to handle.
After all, the Ministry of Magic was a legitimate organization that relied on evidence for cases, and there was hardly any evidence remaining from something that happened over ten years ago.
In particular, the Ministry of Magic did not recognize testimonies obtained through illegal means such as Veritaserum.
By then, this case would be a mess, and he could completely drag it out until his retirement, leaving it for the next Minister to handle.
Thinking of this, he suppressed the disgust in his heart, walked up to Peter, and asked meaningfully.
"Pettigrew, as the Minister of Magic, I want to ask you, Harry Potter claims that you betrayed his parents."
"Do you agree with this statement? Were you subjected to any torture or coercion?"
Hearing Fudge's somewhat profound words, Peter looked up at him with uncertainty.
His eyes lit up, and he was about to say that he had been threatened, when he suddenly saw Sebastian, who had returned to the Duelling Club at some unknown point, smiling.
Oh no, how could he forget about this jinx?
Having lurked in the Wizarding World for so long, Peter was very clear about the power behind Sebastian and his methods.
He was a person who, if you reasoned with him and followed the rules, would be happy to reason with you too.
But once you didn't play by the rules, he would be very happy to deal with you with unconventional methods.
Especially since Lily's background also involved Snape and Sebastian's wife, Mia.
Even if he tried to argue, he would definitely not escape an accidental death.
Since he was going to die either way, he might as well die with some dignity, after all, he was a Gryffindor.
Thinking of this, Peter gave up the idea of quibbling and said weakly, "It was I who betrayed the Potters, and no one threatened me."
"Damn it, what an idiot. Completely useless." Seeing that he couldn't muddle through, Fudge cursed under his breath, then waved to the Aurors.
"Take Black and this person who is suspected to be Peter back to the Ministry of Magic, and then interrogate them thoroughly."
"Everyone disperse now. Once the truth is clear, the Ministry of Magic will hold a press conference."
Before the Aurors could move, the many reporters present were not happy.
"The case is clearly understood, why still interrogate? The parties involved have already admitted it."
"Isn't this a waste of public resources?"
"Minister, the news media has the right to know; we also want to go to the Ministry of Magic."
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said, "how about finding a quiet room here for the Aurors to conduct their interrogation?"
"After all, the case is already very clear; it's not worth making a big fuss."
Fudge was overwhelmed by the reporters' questions. He glanced at Dumbledore, cursing him bitterly in his heart.
Dumbledore, you actually let the reporters in to interview before the Ministry of Magic had clarified the truth.
Don't think I don't know what you're up to; you want to pressure me with the reporters to make me back down, right?
This is utterly despicable!
Seeing Fudge looking exasperated and about to lose his temper, Sebastian sighed softly in his heart.
Forget it, even for Harry and Regulus, he still had to help Sirius out.
Sebastian approached Fudge and gently advised, "Minister, calm down! Let's talk privately for a moment."
Fudge's sanity recovered slightly. He coughed lightly, covering up his earlier Gaffe.
Then, he had the Aurors take Peter aside for interrogation, while he and Sebastian moved away from the crowd to a quiet spot.
"Minister," Sebastian said directly, "are you worried about how to handle these two people?"
Fudge nodded slightly, acknowledging Sebastian's statement.
"Actually, it's very simple," Sebastian smiled slightly, "you just need to make this case public and transparent, openly announcing all the details to the entire Wizarding World."
"At the same time, we need to make this matter as big as possible, preferably attracting everyone's attention."
"By then, you will not only not lose face, but your prestige will greatly increase, becoming the most wise and responsible Minister of Magic in the eyes of the public."
The most wise and responsible Minister of Magic?
Fudge's heart pounded a few times; clearly, this suggestion hit his sweet spot.
This title is good, it suits him well.
He grabbed Sebastian's arm, his gaze burning as he looked at him.
"Sebastian, how do you mean?"