https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-336-The-Order-of-Merlin-and-the-Publisher-Third-Update-/13460066/
Chapter 335: The Truth is Revealed (Second Update)
Chapter 335: The Truth is Revealed (Second Update)
"Harry, calm down, calm down. I think Hermione is right; he can't die yet!"
Seeing Harry’s state, Ron stepped forward and held him back, preventing him from grabbing the wand and killing Peter Pettigrew.
"Ron, even if he is Scabbers, I can't let him go?"
Harry struggled to break free from Ron’s grip, but Ron was both taller and stronger.
Ron managed to pin Harry to the ground and shouted back,
"Harry, knowing he’s Peter Pettigrew makes me feel sick, but if you kill him now, you’ll regret it!"
Under the influence of Veritaserum, Peter Pettigrew had revealed everything that had happened in the past.
It turned out that, back then, because Voldemort's power was overwhelming, Peter Pettigrew felt that the weak light side couldn't suppress the darkness. Out of cowardice, he secretly joined Voldemort's ranks and became a spy.
Later, Sirius Black, fearing that being the Secret-Keeper would make him too obvious, convinced James to secretly transfer the role to the unassuming Peter Pettigrew, while Sirius himself drew Voldemort’s attention.
As a result, once Peter Pettigrew became the Secret-Keeper, he immediately led Voldemort to the Potters' house, leading to the deaths of Harry's parents and Voldemort’s own demise due to the magic rebounding from Harry.
Sirius Black, realizing Peter's betrayal, chased him to a Muggle street. In a moment of quick thinking, Peter used an Explosion Charm to destroy the entire street, causing chaos. He then shouted that Sirius Black was the traitor, cut off one of his fingers, and transformed into a rat to escape.
For years, Peter Pettigrew had stayed hidden for two reasons: first, because only his death could confirm Sirius Black’s status as a Death Eater, and second, because he feared revenge from the Death Eaters who hadn't been imprisoned in Azkaban.
In the eyes of those Death Eaters who were unaware of the truth, it was because of Peter that Voldemort had died.
Additionally, he chose to hide with the Weasley family to gather information about the wizarding world. If there were any signs of Voldemort's return, he could immediately capture Harry and offer him to Voldemort, regaining Voldemort’s favor.
This was the reason Harry was so angry when he heard the truth.
If not for Peter Pettigrew’s betrayal, his parents wouldn’t have died, and he wouldn’t have been an orphan, living with the Dursleys for so many years. He deeply envied Hermione and Ron for having complete families.
Even during his first year, when he first saw the Mirror of Erised at Christmas, he saw a vision of his family living happily together.
"You're right, I can't kill him. I need to use him to save my godfather!"
Hearing Hermione and Ron’s reasoning, Harry finally calmed down.
Despite growing up in the Dursleys' abusive home, Harry was inherently good. He wanted to save his godfather, Sirius Black, more than he wanted revenge on Peter Pettigrew.
"Killing him is definitely out of the question, but I think Mr. Pettigrew’s plump body could handle a few good beatings without much issue!"
Jerry, who had been silent until now, looked at the relieved Peter Pettigrew and offered his suggestion.
At this, Harry’s eyes lit up, and Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance before turning away, clearly agreeing with Jerry’s idea.
Moments later, the woods echoed with cries of pain!
In the Headmaster’s Office on the eighth floor of Hogwarts that evening,
Dumbledore and the school professors looked at the man tied up like a mummy, his face bruised and swollen, almost unrecognizable. They turned to the composed Jerry, the somewhat embarrassed Harry, and the amused Hermione and Ron and asked:
"Is this really Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes, it is Peter Pettigrew. If Madam Pomfrey can use healing magic to treat the injuries on his face, we can confirm it!"
Jerry stepped forward and smiled.
"Headmaster, it is indeed Peter Pettigrew!"
At that moment, Professor Lupin, with a serious expression, stepped out from the crowd.
As one of the closest friends back then, even with Peter Pettigrew's face beaten to a pulp, he recognized him at first glance.
"Since we have confirmed that this is Peter Pettigrew, who was supposedly dead twelve years ago, can you explain what is going on here?"
With Professor Lupin's confirmation, there was no need to waste time, so Dumbledore got straight to the point.
Ten minutes earlier, Jerry and the trio had brought Peter Pettigrew back to the castle and, under everyone's watchful eyes, had come to the Eighth Floor, claiming that Sirius Black was innocent and that they had found the supposedly deceased Peter Pettigrew.
Now, he was very eager to know what exactly was happening.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron all looked at Jerry, who cleared his throat, stepped forward, and took out the Marauder's Map. He began to recount the story he had previously explained to Harry and the others.
However, he used a subtle writing style to omit the part about using Veritaserum, instead claiming that Peter Pettigrew had confessed on his own and that Jerry had used Obliviate and the False Memory Charm to modify Peter's memory.
The use of Veritaserum was strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic and was generally only allowed during interrogations. As a student, Jerry's use of it was definitely against the rules.
As for why Peter had revealed the truth, it might have been a moment of insanity. Regardless, as long as he was brought to Dumbledore, Dumbledore could use Legilimency to verify the truth, or he could be sent to the Ministry of Magic for further verification with Veritaserum.
The truth came out, and the scene erupted in shock. All the professors looked furious, especially Hagrid, Lupin, and Snape.
If Dumbledore hadn't been there, Jerry felt that Peter Pettigrew would have been torn to pieces by the three of them, both physically and magically.
Hagrid had always been close to the Potters and felt a fatherly affection for Harry. Lupin had been the best friend of James, Black, and Peter. As for Snape, he didn't care much about James's death or Black's wrongful conviction. What he cared about was that if Peter hadn't led Voldemort to the Potters, his beloved Lily wouldn't have died.
"So that's how it is. I see. Well, Mr. Carmen, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley, you four have done very well.
This is a matter of great importance. I will contact Minister Fudge immediately and take Peter Pettigrew to the Ministry of Magic for a second confirmation. This way, we can bring Mr. Black back from Azkaban as soon as possible!"
Dumbledore had always been skeptical about Sirius Black being the traitor, but at the time, the evidence seemed irrefutable. Furthermore, Sirius Black had believed Peter to be dead and was in a state of self-imposed isolation and guilt when he was locked away in Azkaban. Therefore, there was no way to confirm the truth.
This was also why, despite knowing that Sirius Black might have been hiding in the secret passage under the Whomping Willow, Dumbledore had not attempted to capture him. After all, he had created that secret passage for Lupin and had transplanted the Whomping Willow himself.
(End of Chapter)
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