Watching Sirius Black drain an entire bottle of Veritaserum in one gulp, Professor Snape's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
Amanda also looked at Sirius with slight surprise. A single dose of Veritaserum was usually just one or two drops; an entire bottle... she feared it might make him speak nothing but the truth from now until a week later, spilling everything from his birth to the present.
"Sirius Black," Headmaster Dumbledore stepped forward, looking at him with a solemn expression, "were you, or were you not, the Secret-Keeper for The Potters?"
At this point, they didn't need to ask too many other things; it was better to ask the key point directly.
"No."
Under the influence of the Veritaserum, Sirius blurted it out without a moment's hesitation, a look of deep resentment surfacing on his gaunt, haggard face.
"No..."
Professor McGonagall stared blankly at Sirius sitting on the floor, unable to believe any of it.
Everything she had known before was that Sirius was James and the others' Secret-Keeper!
"Did you decide among yourselves to change the Secret-Keeper?" Headmaster Dumbledore nodded, appearing not overly surprised.
"Yes, I thought my identity was too obvious, making me a perfect target to draw away the Death Eaters and Voldemort. The Secret-Keeper could be changed to someone else, making James and the others safer, because Voldemort and the Death Eaters would focus all their efforts on capturing me."
Sirius closed his eyes as he spoke. It was this idea... this idea that should have worked, that had killed his best friend and left his son without a family from a young age.
"The Secret-Keeper—who was it?"
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath to calm herself, yet her slightly trembling voice still betrayed her emotions.
"Peter Pettigrew."
"What?!"
"Merlin..."
"Is—is this true?"
"Nonsense, he's taken Veritaserum, how could he possibly be lying!"
Sirius's answer shocked the surrounding Young Wizards; many of them could hardly believe their ears.
After all, some of them had read the reports from back then: Sirius Black had betrayed the Potter family, subsequently killed Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles, and was arrested by the Ministry of Magic after blowing up a street.
Now, his words undoubtedly overturned all the previous investigation results of the Ministry of Magic.
Wait, did the Ministry of Magic... actually conduct an investigation back then?
The faces of many Young Wizards changed in unison. If the Ministry had investigated, or used Veritaserum, it would have been impossible not to uncover these facts.
"Why, why didn't you tell us, why didn't you appeal?"
Professor McGonagall gripped her wand tightly, unsure if she was heartbroken or angry—perhaps both.
"It was I who failed James and the others... I should atone for my sins in Azkaban."
Sirius gave a bitter smile, stating his true thoughts without reservation.
"Foolish! Mr. Black! Foolish!"
Professor McGonagall looked at her haggard former student; after so many years in Azkaban, he had long lost the high spirits of his youth.
How could his current state not break her heart? This was her student, her child, yet he had spent over a decade in Azkaban despite being innocent.
Was that even a place for a human being?!
"You think torturing yourself like this is atonement?!"
Professor McGonagall was both pained and angry, her lips trembling slightly. "If you truly want to atone, you should have accompanied Harry as he grew up and taken good care of your friend's child."
Sirius turned his head slightly toward Harry. The boy's face was filled with confusion, and there was a hint of faint reliance in his eyes.
"I was wrong..." Sirius's voice began to choke up, "I never grew up. I acted on impulse, thinking only of atonement, but I neglected Harry..."
"You are not guilty."
Harry shook his head firmly, stepped forward in front of everyone, and hugged Sirius.
"The one at fault is Voldemort, and the one at fault is Peter Pettigrew who betrayed my parents. They are the ones who caused me to lose my parents and my home."
"The fault lies with those who hurt us, not with the one who only wanted us to be safe."
Harry straightened up as he spoke, blinking hard to quickly dry the tears in his eyes.
He looked around at everyone present, his voice steady and firm.
"Caring for friends is not a crime; the crime lies with the betrayer and the perpetrator!"
He turned back to Sirius and said word for word, "As long as you need me, I will go to the Ministry of Magic to testify for you. I will absolutely, absolutely not let you go back to Azkaban!"
"Harry... Harry, I'm sorry..."
Sirius stood up unsteadily and hugged him tightly, finally looking like a dependable elder.
"Don't worry, Potter. With so many people here to bear witness, we will not let Mr. Black enter Azkaban again."
Professor McGonagall patted Harry's shoulder, her tone resolute.
Since her student was innocent, no one should even think about sending him back to Azkaban. It was absolutely impossible!
Amanda also nodded while holding the video camera, her voice devoid of emotion. "Yes, I have also preserved the audio-visual records. The Ministry of Magic will have no chance to deny it."
Headmaster Dumbledore gave a gentle and apologetic smile. "I am sorry to interrupt this reunion, but I must say, we still have matters that haven't been fully clarified."
"Sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Harry nodded and helped Sirius sit on his bed.
"Mr. Black, why did you escape from Azkaban? Was it because you discovered Mr. Pettigrew's whereabouts?"
"Pettigrew? He's not dead?"
Hermione exclaimed softly from below, and Amanda, standing beside her, answered expressionlessly.
"This is the only explanation that can account for why Sirius Black, who was intent on atoning in Azkaban, would choose to escape."
"Because the man who betrayed his friends is still alive, and he wants revenge for them."
Hearing Amanda's explanation, Hermione nodded in understanding; indeed, it was a very logical analysis.
No one present noticed that from the moment Harry said the guilt lay with the betrayer and the perpetrator, Professor Snape's face had turned pale—even paler than usual.
His hand hidden inside his wizard robe clenched into a fist, and a storm surged in his hollow Black eyes. The betrayer... yes, the guilt lies with the betrayer.
"Yes, because I saw Peter in the newspaper again, on the very newspaper the Minister gave me when he visited Azkaban."
The Daily Prophet during the summer holidays... seeing Peter Pettigrew... Sirius, Harry's father, and Peter Pettigrew should all have been unregistered Animagi... the Weasleys were in the paper because they won a grand prize... and by Ron's side was a rat she had identified as an unregistered Animagus.
Several scattered bits of information she had previously organized popped into her mind, integrating with the newly acquired information.
At the same time, the image from that newspaper gradually became clear in Amanda's mind.
Scabbers, the rat perched on Ron's shoulder, was missing a toe on one paw... the information chain was completely filled. Amanda immediately arrived at the final calculation: "Scabbers..."
She murmured softly, and both Hermione and Ron, standing beside her, turned to look at her at the same time.
"What?" they both asked.
"Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew."
"The ones in that newspaper should be The Weasley Family. Peter, that traitor, turned into a rat and was perched on that boy's shoulder. I've seen his Animagus form too many times; I could never be mistaken!"
Amanda and Sirius's voices rang out simultaneously. Ron, whom Sirius was pointing at, felt a 'boom' in his head.
"Merlin's floral bedsheets..."
Ron stumbled back a step. At this moment, he didn't doubt Amanda or Sirius's words at all.
After all, Amanda's analyses were never wrong, and Sirius had just taken Veritaserum.
So, so he had actually shared a bed with a betrayer for three years.
And this betrayer was the culprit who caused the death of his best friend's parents!
Gag...
Ron couldn't help but cover his mouth and double over, feeling so disgusted he wanted to vomit.
"Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
"Ron." Harry shook his head, stood up, and patted his back.
No more words were needed; they understood each other.
"A rat... no wonder he could vanish from the scene." Headmaster Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
"Mr. Weasley, is your rat still here?"
Professor McGonagall turned to Ron with a serious expression. Ron, looking pale, shook his head.
"He's gone. Ever since," Ron paused and glanced at Sirius, "ever since Mr. Black broke into Hogwarts last time, he disappeared."
"This is troublesome."
Professor McGonagall rubbed her temples, nursing a headache. Where could they find Peter Pettigrew now? Not to mention his Animagus form was a rat; he could hide anywhere and they'd never find him.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew somber. No one wanted to see the guilty escape punishment, especially Harry, whose expression was filled with intense frustration.
However, when he looked at Sirius, his expression softened involuntarily.
It was already good enough. His father's friend could clear his name. It was good enough... surely if his father knew, he would be very relieved too.
Amanda blinked mechanically as various pieces of information and data began to flash through her mind at high speed; even a personality analysis of Peter Pettigrew surfaced.
"Given that Peter Pettigrew is already considered dead in the eyes of the public, he will absolutely not expose himself. Therefore, he will keep himself in his Animagus state and will not easily revert."
Amanda spoke in a steady, cold voice, and everyone's eyes naturally gravitated toward her.
The whispering Young Wizards also fell silent. Amanda was analyzing again. This time, would her analysis lead them to the truth and to Peter Pettigrew?
Everyone present except Sirius was looking at her, anticipating her words.
"Furthermore, based on what Professor McGonagall said, Peter Pettigrew usually followed Sirius Black and James Potter during school. It can be inferred that he chooses to befriend students with superior magical skills."
Amanda's voice remained flat. Her gaze slowly moved to Sirius Black. "From this, I conclude that his own magical level is not high."
"Right," Sirius gritted his teeth resentfully, "he only managed to master his Animagus form with James's help."
Nodding calmly, Amanda continued her deduction. "Therefore, it can be determined that Peter Pettigrew does not possess the ability to use Wandless and Non-verbal Spells, and Apparition is prohibited within Hogwarts Castle and its grounds."
"If he cannot revert from his Animagus form, he cannot leave the vicinity of Hogwarts, whether by Levitation Charms, Apparition, or any similar means."
"Leaving Hogwarts solely in an Animagus form is too difficult. According to analysis, it would take Peter Pettigrew at least two weeks in rat form to run beyond the boundaries of the Forbidden Forest or Hogsmeade Village."
"From his personality analysis, he would not do this unless he was at a total dead end. In his view, he hasn't been completely exposed; the only threat is Sirius Black alone, who is himself a wanted man. Therefore, he will believe he is not yet at a dead end."
"Comprehensive analysis," Amanda's eyes gradually brightened, and the breathing of those around her grew shallower, "indicates he is still within the grounds of Hogwarts."
"This..." Sirius, the only one who hadn't heard Amanda's analyses before, looked at her dumbfounded. Were the Young Wizards nowadays all this formidable?
They were so different from his own generation!
"Narrowing the scope further, due to certain reasons..." Amanda paused and glanced at Harry, who vaguely understood the unspoken reason.
"I can confirm that Peter Pettigrew is not inside Hogwarts Castle, not near the Black Lake, and not on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest."
"The remaining locations within Hogwarts are deep within the Forbidden Forest, Hagrids Hut, and the depths of the Black Lake."
"The danger level deep in the Forbidden Forest is too high. Without a wand, Peter Pettigrew cannot ensure his safety. Excluded."
"The same applies to the depths of the Black Lake; he cannot survive there without a wand. Excluded."
"The final remaining option," Amanda looked calmly out the window, "is Hagrids Hut. The living environment is safe, and food and water are abundant. According to comprehensive calculations, the probability of Peter Pettigrew hiding there is greater than eighty-five percent."
"Minerva."
Headmaster Dumbledore nodded to Professor McGonagall without hesitation. She acknowledged him and strode out of the boys' dormitory.
Her dark green robes billowed slightly behind her, and her wand emitted a few faint sparks in her hand.
Now, it was time for the true criminal to face justice.
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