Chapter 147: Capturing Wormtail 4
"Good afternoon, Mr. Filch," Wade said. "As you can see, we haven’t violated any school rules."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Even a good student could lie with the conviction of truth.
If Filch had seen the muddy mess earlier, he’d have been furious—sure to give Wade a detention for the entire term.
Of course, none of them would have betrayed Wade in front of Filch.
Wade was the only student who routinely greeted Filch proactively—and never showed him contempt or disgust.
Though Filch’s paranoia made him constantly suspicious—wondering if Wade was merely lulling him into a false sense of security before pulling off another prank—still, seeing Wade somehow eased the man’s mood.
The castle caretaker snorted. "Better be."
He signaled to his cat, Mrs. Norris, who shot out from beneath the hornbook, a bony figure matching her lean, skeletal frame. The two—man and cat—continued their silent patrol through the corridor.
Soon, Filch’s voice rang out again:
"Stop right there, Ward! Defiling the castle, leaving mud everywhere! I’m going to give you a proper lesson—"
"Can you believe he just let us off?" George whispered in disbelief.
"Let’s go!" Percy snapped, barely holding back his temper. "I’d love to hear what excuse you’ve got this time! Bullying a rat? You two are getting more ridiculous by the day!"
"Wade and Hermione were with us too!" Fred protested. "Do they look like the kind to pick on a rat?"
That was precisely why Percy was still tolerating them. Otherwise, the Weasley twins’ behavior points would’ve long been in the negative in his eyes, and he’d have already dragged them straight to Professor McGonagall.
But he couldn’t say that aloud. Instead, he glared, sternly lecturing:
"Mr. Gray, Mr. Potter, and Miss Granger—you’d do better to focus on your studies instead of wasting time on nonsense with people like this."
The twins seethed, shooting daggers with their eyes.
Ron leaned toward Harry. "What’s going on?"
Harry shook his head. "I just got summoned by Wade. I don’t know anything."
"I think only Fred and George are on Wade’s side," Ron frowned. "But what could Scabbers possibly have to do with them?"
"Yeah…" Harry murmured, confused. "It’s just a rat, isn’t it?"
…
"Not just an ordinary rat."
When they reached the Umbrella Room, Wade turned to the twins and said, "In fact, we suspect he’s an Animagus."
"An Animagus?" Ron knew exactly what that meant—he’d just learned about it in Professor McGonagall’s class a few days ago. He snorted. "That’s absurd. Scabbers has been with us for eleven years. You’re saying he’s an Animagus?"
He paused, then added seriously: "Are you two insane?"
Harry said nothing, but inwardly, he found Wade’s claim utterly unbelievable.
Percy narrowed his eyes at the Weasley twins. "Is this another prank? Did you trick Wade with some lie, then mock us for believing it?"
Wade wasn’t even a Gryffindor. He’d never even seen Scabbers before—how could he come up with such a ridiculous idea?
To Percy, it was obvious his younger brothers had somehow fooled him with some trick.
Furious, Percy snapped: "You just wait! I’m telling Mum everything—exactly as it happened!"
Fred rolled his eyes. George stepped in: "We’ve got proof!"
"Proof?" Percy demanded.
George hesitated. He knew full well what would happen if Percy found out about the Marauder’s Map. The map would be seized and handed over to the professors—something George would never allow.
He glanced at Fred and Wade.
Fred spoke in a low, firm tone: "He’s been with us for eleven years, Percy. No rat lives that long."
"Only because of that?" Percy waved his hand dismissively. "You think you’re the only smart one? Don’t you think Dad and Mum have considered it? We give him tonic every year—potion to extend his life!"
"But it’s just ordinary tonic, not the Elixir of Life!" Fred shouted louder. "We’ve always said he’s near death, but he still eats as much as ever—no sign of aging at all!"
"Because I’ve taken such good care of him!" Ron yelled back. "You don’t understand! Scabbers is a good rat!"
"Then you’re the one who doesn’t understand!" Fred shot back. "We’re not making this up. This rat has a name—"
"Yeah, it’s Scabbers," Ron sneered.
"No!" Fred insisted. "It’s Peter Pettigrew!"
Percy froze. Then his face went pale. "What?"
Wade raised a hand, cutting off the rising argument.
"Arguing won’t help. The truth will prove itself."
He raised his wand, and with a sharp motion, the door and windows of the Umbrella Room slammed shut and locked—no crack remained.
Then he pulled out a jar and poured out the unconscious rat.
"Scabbers!" Ron lunged forward, but Percy grabbed his shoulder.
"Percy?" Ron said.
"Wait," Percy gasped, struggling to breathe. "Why do you think… it’s called that name?"
Fred didn’t answer. He was silently regretting that he might’ve revealed the Marauder’s Map.
"Current Spell," Wade said, pointing his wand at the rat. "If he’s an Animagus, this spell will force him to reveal his true form. If he’s just a rat, nothing will happen."
"I don’t believe this," Ron frowned. "You’re actually taking this joke seriously? It’s ridiculous…"
He trailed off, his face slowly turning ashen.
A blue-white light flared from the tip of Wade’s wand. The unconscious rat suddenly stirred, then shrieked as it writhed, its body twisting unnaturally.
Hermione gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Then a head emerged—then arms and legs—then the rest of a body…
A short, plump man lay on the floor, panting, his bald head glistening, hair thin and sparse, his face filthy, his appearance eerily rat-like—sharp nose, wide, watery eyes.
"Is that Scabbers?" Ron groaned. "Or did you turn Scabbers into a man?"
"This can’t be!" Percy whispered, stunned. "Peter Pettigrew… he’s been dead for years! Sirius Black killed him!"
He turned to Harry, searching for confirmation. Harry just stared back, utterly bewildered.
"Petrificus Totalus! Bind fast!" Wade didn’t give the man a chance to speak. Two spells flew from his wand, and the man was instantly frozen, rigid on the floor.
"Now do you believe it?" Wade said. "This is what we’ve been trying to tell you."
(End of Chapter)
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