Chapter 276: Crimson
How fast could a Falcon fly?
At ordinary flight speed, it could reach 140 kilometers per hour—over 300 kilometers per hour during a dive.
This was Wade’s first time fully unleashing the Speed he’d gained through Transformation.
High above, the wind howled through the thin air, tearing through clouds that swiftly fell behind. A lone eagle seemed to spot the Falcon, but after circling for only a moment, it abandoned the pursuit.
On the parchment, the tiny black dot still moved.
Wade glanced at it periodically, adjusting his course to avoid veering off track.
That black dot marked Peter Pettigrew’s location.
Back then, when Wade had captured him—just before he was taken away—he’d secretly attached a tracking parchment to the man.
After all, Peter Pettigrew was a master escape artist. To prevent the same events from repeating, Wade had taken precautionary measures.
The parchment had been shrunk using a Shrinking Charm—so small it looked no larger than a speck of dandruff. Wade wasn’t worried about it being discovered.
But there was one flaw: he couldn’t apply a Permanent Sticking Charm to a person without being noticed. So if Peter took a bath, the parchment would almost certainly wash off.
Fortunately, neither the Wizengamot trial court nor Azkaban had shown such generosity as to offer prisoners a shower.
The tiny parchment had remained undetected—right up until now.
Peter Pettigrew’s escape wasn’t an unexpected event.
Even though the Ministry of Magic claimed they had effective means to contain Animagus wizards and prevent any escape, the fact remained: a rat was too small, too agile, and too skilled at burrowing and gnawing to be fully contained.
Still, Wade had expected Peter to break out much sooner.
Instead, he’d waited nearly a year.
Had he just found his chance recently?
Or had he been planning something during that time?
Unease stirred in Wade’s chest. He flared his wings, accelerating even further.
Below, the endless ocean stretched to the horizon.
The tracking parchment was crude—its function limited to indicating direction. It couldn’t show terrain changes like the Marauder’s Map, nor could it display routes or distances like a modern navigation app.
All Wade could do was confirm which way Peter was moving.
After flying for a while, he suddenly noticed: the dot had shifted from north to south.
He knew immediately—he’d flown past his target.
He immediately carved a sharp arc through the sky, reversed course, slowed his speed, and began a meticulous search.
A Falcon’s vision was eight times sharper than a human’s, capable of spotting prey up to a kilometer away.
But finding a single gray rat required lowering his altitude significantly.
Wade circled back and forth, scanning the sea.
There was no frantic, bald man swimming desperately, nor any tiny mouse.
Instead, he saw a Muggle fishing boat.
Predictably, Peter Pettigrew was on board.
This man was far smarter than Sirius Black had been.
In the original timeline, Sirius had swum across the North Sea on sheer willpower, dog-paddling all the way to land.
Wade pulled up, then followed the boat for a while.
The crew was resting—lazily lounging. Some read books in their cabins, others slept. Only one man remained on deck, mending nets.
After a while, someone emerged from inside carrying a large tray.
He called out, and the others gathered on the deck, sitting down to eat.
That was when a small rat suddenly appeared from nowhere.
It paused, cautiously observing its surroundings, then slipped through a gap in the wall and darted into the kitchen.
With a single leap, it transformed—into a short, hunched man.
Peter Pettigrew had years of experience stealing food.
Back when he lived with the Weasley family, he’d been given only scraps—small handfuls of grain or the crusts of biscuits. He’d survived solely through theft.
Now, he didn’t even glance at the sandwiches still on the table, nor at the freshly sliced carrots the cook had laid out.
Instead, he lunged straight for the pantry, grabbing a few raw vegetables and shoving them into his coat.
He rummaged through cabinets, found a sugar jar, stuffed a handful into his mouth. Then salt, two bars of chocolate, and a strip of dried salted meat.
He stole only food that was abundant—items that looked untouched after being taken.
He even tidied up the mess afterward, making it appear as if nothing had been disturbed.
But on the sea, water was more vital than food.
Peter grabbed a full bucket of fresh water, hugging it close, and slipped out the door while the crew was distracted by their meal.
One foot already outside, the other still in the kitchen, he was calculating how long his stolen supplies would last—when suddenly, his sixth sense screamed a warning.
His small, watery eyes widened instantly.
Without thinking, he tried to retreat—but his body refused to follow his mind.
His neck froze, then his entire torso.
Only his eyes could still move.
—Petrificus Totalus?
Who had come for him? Or… were those two back?
Before he could finish the thought, his clothes suddenly lifted, then yanked upward—dragging him toward the ship’s railing with unyielding force.
—No, no, no…
Panic surged through Peter Pettigrew, so intense it nearly broke the magical restraint.
His eyes strained to turn backward, desperate to see what was happening.
“Plop!”
The rigid, immobile body fell like stone into the sea.
The water swallowed him with a single, heavy glug.
A small whirlpool formed—then vanished instantly, torn apart by the ripples from the boat’s engine.
Wade, standing on the bridge above, didn’t relax.
He cast a Bubble Head Charm, then leapt into the water.
“Plop!”
On deck, one fisherman suddenly lifted his head, ears twitching.
He turned to the others. “Did you hear that? A splash?”
“Probably a dolphin or a swordfish,” someone replied.
Others had heard it too—but didn’t care.
“Could be. But it’s not like there’s anyone else on board.”
“—Yeah, you’re right.” He settled back down, continuing to eat.
Below the surface, Wade, protected by his Bubble Head Charm, finally saw Peter Pettigrew.
The Petrificus Totalus spell had lost its effect.
The man was now flailing desperately, kicking and thrashing toward the surface.
The moment he saw Wade enter the water, panic flashed across his face—his eyes filled with both terror and a feral, desperate hunger.
Wade didn’t hesitate.
He unleashed spell after spell in rapid succession.
The light of magic flashed like raindrops from the sky—fierce and relentless.
[Bind Fast! Petrificus Totalus! Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy! Split-into-Parts Spell! Thunder Explosion!]
Peter transformed into a rat instantly—evading the first three spells.
But the fourth struck him. Then the fifth. Then the sixth.
Red blood spread through the sea, blooming like a crimson flower.
Far away, a shark turned, its dorsal fin slicing through the water as it headed straight for the scene.
(End of Chapter)
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