Chapter 151: Remus Lupin Takes the Blame
The group entered the Headmaster’s Office. Dumbledore, who had been sitting behind the desk writing a letter, immediately noticed the unconscious Peter Pettigrew as they filed in. The white-bearded headmaster strode forward, studying the dusty figure of Pettigrew closely, then glanced at Remus Lupin and the others.
“If I’m not mistaken…” Dumbledore said slowly, “this is Mr. Pettigrew?”
“Yes, sir,” Remus Lupin replied.
Their eyes met.
Wade felt it in an instant—Dumbledore already understood what had happened.
The headmaster didn’t say anything outright. Instead, he conjured enough chairs for everyone and said, “Sit down. Let me hear your story.”
The others exchanged glances. The Weasley Twins were subtly signaling Wade—neither of them wanted to reveal the secret of the Marauder’s Map. They’d been trying to figure out how to tell the tale convincingly while keeping that truth hidden.
But Remus Lupin spoke first.
“When I was at school, I helped James Potter and the others create a map—one that shows every person’s name inside the castle at any given time…”
The twins stared at him in shock.
“You… you’re the mapmaker?”
“Yep,” Remus smiled at them. “I’m Moony—the nickname my friends gave me back then. By the way…” He turned to Harry and added, “James Potter was Prongs, Sirius Black was Padfoot. And Peter Pettigrew…” His gaze shifted to the unconscious man, and his voice hardened with disdain. “He’s Wormtail. His Animagus form is a rat.”
Harry looked from Pettigrew to Remus Lupin, intrigued by the tale of his father’s school days—but he knew this wasn’t the time to ask questions. He sat beside Remus Lupin, quiet and still, as if leaning against a father’s shoulder. The gesture was instinctive, natural.
Dumbledore’s eyes flickered across Harry for a brief moment, but he said nothing.
Remus continued. He’d already learned the gist of the situation from Wade before coming here. Now, with calm precision, he recounted every detail—each word carrying a weight that made the story impossible to dismiss.
Wade didn’t want to be the one to step forward. So Remus willingly took the lead, accepting most of the responsibility.
In his version, Wade had spotted Peter Pettigrew’s name repeatedly appearing in Harry and Ron’s dormitory on the map. Since no student from Gryffindor House in their year had such a name, Wade had mentioned it to Remus during their Book of Friends Communication.
Fred and George exchanged a glance.
Now it sounded as if the Marauder’s Map had been given to Wade by Remus himself.
All the sneaky exploits—stealing the map from Filch’s office, using it to sneak out of school—were suddenly being framed as part of Remus’s plan.
—This guy’s a saint, Fred silently declared.
George gave a firm nod, even though he hadn’t spoken yet. Their admiration for Remus Lupin had skyrocketed.
They’d never met an adult this kind.
Remus, of course, couldn’t help but remember the name of his old friend. The moment he heard the name, he knew something was wrong.
Since he couldn’t enter the school himself, he asked Wade to capture Pettigrew—Wade then enlisted the help of the Weasley Twins.
“Why not me?” Harry asked, puzzled. “I share a dorm with Ron. I should’ve been more convenient!”
“Because you’re close to him,” Wade said casually. “If you slipped up, he might realize what you’re doing and turn it against you.”
Harry blinked. “But Fred and George still got caught in the end!”
George cleared his throat. “Wade probably figured… even if we caught Ron’s rat and messed with it, he’d just think he was unlucky. Not that we’d exposed ourselves.”
To everyone’s surprise, it made perfect sense.
The twins, mischievous as ever, had somehow managed to be useful in a serious situation.
Percy opened his mouth several times, wanting to speak—but he bit it back, his ears turning red. He was clearly furious, but he held his tongue in the presence of the professors.
Professor McGonagall was livid.
“Remus!” she snapped, glaring at him with sharp intensity. “I thought you’d grown up a bit since your school days. But you’re even more reckless than James Potter ever was! Tell me—how could you possibly think it was okay to send children after Peter Pettigrew?”
“If… if Peter Pettigrew were dangerous…” Wade and the twins instinctively flinched. “They could’ve been hurt. Or worse—killed.”
“I’m sorry,” Remus said, bowing his head. “I lost my head. I didn’t think things through.”
Professor McGonagall’s expression softened slightly. She sighed. “I understand how you feel. James and Lily… I still miss them. But no matter what, children shouldn’t be dragged into danger like this. Even if nothing happened, what you did was wrong.”
“Yes,” Remus said sincerely. “I should’ve contacted you or the Headmaster right away. But I was afraid—afraid if I waited even a second, he’d vanish completely.”
She looked at him with sorrowful eyes, shook her head, and said nothing more.
The “children” who had just narrowly escaped blame sat like quivering sparrows, silent and subdued.
Remus resumed his story.
After Wade captured Pettigrew, he brought him through the secret passage to Hogsmeade.
Professor McGonagall nearly choked.
If Remus hadn’t already graduated, she’d have deducted two hundred points from Gryffindor.
There, Remus interrogated Pettigrew and confirmed—without a doubt—that Pettigrew was the one who had betrayed them all.
Sirius Black had been framed—wrongly accused by Pettigrew.
Betrayed?
Harry felt a cold knot tighten in his chest. He stared at Remus Lupin, heart pounding.
Who did he betray?
But Remus didn’t elaborate. Instead, he returned to the castle with Wade and Pettigrew, bringing the matter to Dumbledore.
“So…” Professor McGonagall whispered, disbelief etched on her face. “The confidential informant… it was him?”
“Yes,” Remus said, pain flickering across his face. “Sirius Black switched the confidential informant at the last moment. He thought it would be safer… but he was wrong.”
She wanted to say something, but seeing the confusion in Harry’s eyes, she held back.
Not yet. A child shouldn’t carry such hatred.
“Can we be certain Pettigrew is telling the truth?” Dumbledore asked. “He’s been lying for over a decade. How do we know he’s not making up a story now?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Remus admitted, shamefaced. “I used Veritaserum.”
Using Veritaserum without authorization was illegal. But the others could feel his remorse. No one questioned him.
“We’ll need to notify the Ministry of Magic,” Dumbledore said, rising. “Ron Weasley and Wade Gray will stay behind. Professor McGonagall, please take the rest of the children back to the common room. And send Arthur and Molly to the school.”
“Of course,” she replied.
Harry stepped forward, eager. “But… can’t we stay too?”
“I’m sorry,” Dumbledore said bluntly. “You won’t be able to help much in the interrogation of Peter Pettigrew.”
“Uh…” Harry had no reply. He looked enviously at the two left behind, then nodded silently as he followed Professor McGonagall out.
Ron gave him a quiet, meaningful look. “I’ll tell you everything later.”
Harry nodded, a small comfort easing the weight in his chest.
“P-Professor!” Percy stammered, raising his hand. “Scabbers was my pet. I might be able to offer some information.”
“We can help too!” the Weasley Twins chimed in urgently. “We were part of the capture!”
“…I think one person is enough,” Dumbledore said.
Fred and George were disappointed, but Professor McGonagall’s stern voice cut through. “Stop arguing, Weasley boys! The Headmaster has made his decision.”
Reluctantly, they followed her out. As they passed the door, Fred mouthed silently to Wade: After this is over—tell us every single detail!
They were dying to be part of it. This was more thrilling than any prank they’d ever pulled.
But the adults were coldly, firmly shutting them out.
Wade gave a small nod in agreement.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
