Chapter 151: Peter·Peter
Chapter 151: Peter·Peter
The faint scent of incense wafted through the silent room.
It was pitch black, with only a faint, weak light emanating from a crystal ball on the table.
Within the transparent crystal, a mist-like substance continuously changed shape, making it impossible to discern.
Silke, dressed in a loose black robe with a hood that covered most of her face, always wore the same unchanging attire.
She had been sitting here, watching the crystal ball on the table for an entire day, but the fate it revealed remained unpredictable, never settling.
This was a rare occurrence.
She was just a diviner, not a prophet, and naturally, there were times when she could not see clearly.
However, this time she saw something, but that something kept changing.
In just one day, it had transformed into tens of thousands of possibilities, more confusing than the previous divinations that were only vaguely visible through the mist.
At that moment, a green flame suddenly ignited in the cold fireplace, forming the face of a middle-aged witch.
"I apologize for interrupting your divination, Miss Silke, but the Director says there is something you need to attend to."
Silke spoke with a cool, clear voice.
"About what?"
"The Memory Tracing Team has completed the decryption of Fidelius's memories. They have discovered the reason the fear demon wants to escape and have also uncovered the origins of the Pendant Box your friend possesses."
Hogwarts, Forbidden Forest.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them.
The notorious traitor who betrayed Harry's parents, joined Voldemort, and escaped from prison to kill Harry, was now standing with their two most trusted Defense Professors, wands raised against them!
"No! This can't be true, Professor!" Hermione cried, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head.
Ron's mouth hung open, his hand instinctively clutching Scabbers tightly, unable to utter a word.
Harry's expression was utterly shattered.
He recalled the moments he had shared with Sherlock, the trips to France, the birthdays they spent together even when he was busy at the Ministry of Magic, and the Dementor he had captured just to teach Harry the Patronus Charm.
So, was Professor Forrest just a façade all along?
Was this his true self?
Was he another of the Dark Lord's lackeys?
In that moment, Harry's mind raced, feeling utterly betrayed by the world.
As the three of them stood in stunned silence, Sherlock gently waved his hand, and Ron and Hermione's wands flew into his grasp. Harry's wand, however, remained in his hand, clutched too tightly to be taken.
"Why, Professor? Why are you helping Black?" Harry asked, his eyes brimming with tears, wand still raised.
Sherlock waved him aside.
"Don't make this more dramatic than it is, Harry. We're not here to capture you. Hermione, step aside; don't get in our way."
Harry, hearing this, noticed that Sherlock and the others had never pointed their wands at him but had always aimed at Ron.
"Don't delay! Catch him! I can't wait any longer!" Sirius Black urged impatiently.
The three of them had Ron cornered, leaving Harry and Hermione to the side.
Harry's face was frozen in despair as he watched Sherlock's actions.
Ron's expression, initially one of shock, now turned to desperation.
He clutched Scabbers tightly, like a lifeline, ignoring its frantic squeals and bites.
"You're after me!" Ron exclaimed, disbelief in his voice. "What have I done?"
Lupin's gaze was fixed on the rat in Ron's hand, his voice still gentle.
"No, Ron, don't be nervous. We're not here for Harry or you. Give me the rat in your hand. Hold it tightly, and then hand it over to me."
His words stunned Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
"Scabbers", Ron tightened his grip on the rat. "What do you want with it? It's just an old, pathetic rat!"
Black, impatient, could barely contain his eagerness to seize his enemy.
He stepped forward, ready to snatch Scabbers from Ron, but Lupin stopped him.
"We need to explain, Sirius Black! They have the right to know everything!"
"We can explain later!"
"Petrificus Totalus."
A sudden spell cut through the air, silencing the argument between Lupin and Sirius.
They turned to see Sherlock lowering his wand, then looked at Ron, who was breathing heavily but not petrified.
His gaze finally settled on the rat Scabbers, who had been struggling fiercely in his hand but was now as still as a statue, only his eyes darting around wildly.
"You're too slow. I agree that we should explain things to Harry and the others, but before we do, we need to take some precautions."
Sherlock shrugged and turned to Harry and the others.
"So, do you want to hear the story? If you do, sit down quietly and listen to Lupin and Sirius Black. And Ron, you can let go of Scabbers a bit. If you accidentally strangle him, Sirius Black's anger will be directed at you."
Harry shook his head, still looking incredulous, and kept repeating.
"I can't understand. I still can't understand. Black is a murderer. He killed my parents. The entire Wizarding World is hunting him. Why would you professors be with them, and why are you after Ron's pet!"
"Because he's not just a rat!" Sirius Black sneered.
"He's an Animagus", Lupin said calmly. "His name is Peter, Peter."
"You're all mad!" Ron shouted, thinking they were speaking nonsense.
Even Hermione weakly added, "Ridiculous!"
Sherlock did not join in their storytelling. He seemed to hear a "tick-tock" sound but couldn't locate its source.
Lupin and Sirius Black, however, began to tell Harry and the others the true story from the past. As the three of them listened, their initial skepticism gradually gave way to a growing belief in what they were hearing.
"It was right here in the Forbidden Forest where Lupin and Sherlock caught me. I confessed everything to them, and in the end, they believed me and helped me capture Peter!"
Sirius Black never took his eyes off the rat in Ron's hand, not even for a moment.
After spending over a decade in Azkaban and a year on the run, his enemy was now right in front of him!
He was never a patient man, and now his patience was wearing thin.
"How are we supposed to believe you?" Harry asked, staring into Sirius Black's eyes.
He was already starting to believe, but he needed concrete evidence.
"Getting evidence is simple", Sirius Black said, extending his hand toward Ron.
"Give him to me, kid, now."
Ron's face was filled with panic. He was starting to believe the adults, but the long bond with Scabbers made him hesitant.
Lupin spoke softly.
"Think about it, Ron. How long has this rat been living with your family? Would a normal rat live that long?"
"We've always taken good care of it!"
"Didn't it start acting strange at the beginning of the semester, after hearing about Black's escape from Azkaban?"
"If I give him to you, what will you do to him?" Ron asked Lupin nervously.
"Force him to transform", Lupin replied. "If he's just a rat, it won't harm him."
Ron hesitated, then finally handed over Scabbers.
Scabbers was under the effect of Sherlock's Petrification Charm, his body stiff and motionless, but his tiny eyes showed a human-like fear and despair.
Lupin held him in his hand, and Sirius Black's eyes, slightly moist, gleamed with intense emotion.
They raised their wands.
"Will you join us, Sherlock?" Lupin invited him.
Sherlock aimed his wand at Scabbers.
"A Forced Transformation Spell?"
"Exactly. It's very effective on Animagi", Lupin said, gripping Scabbers tightly in one hand and holding his wand in the other. "I'll count to three. One, two, three!"
Three wands emitted a blue-white light. After about a minute, Scabbers, who had been suspended in the air, seemed to be released from the Petrification Charm. His small black body writhed violently.
The rat fell to the grass, and another blinding flash of light followed. It was like watching a time-lapse of a tree growing.
A head appeared on the ground, followed by limbs. Soon, a male wizard stood where Scabbers had been, nervously wringing his hands!
The man was short, barely taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, light-colored hair was messy, with a large bald spot on top. His appearance was that of someone who had lost a significant amount of weight in a short time, his skin dirty and almost as rough as Scabbers' fur. His sharp nose and watery eyes still retained some rat-like features.
The moment Peter transformed, Sherlock cast a Binding Curse.
Magical ropes sprang from his wand, binding Peter and cutting off any chance of escape!
(End of Chapter)
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