Chapter 756: Beast's Tracks
Chapter 756: Beast's Tracks
Since the attack incident, Ron Weasley had become the center of attention, and he seemed to be reveling in his newfound fame. He was more than happy to recount the events of that night to anyone who would listen, often adding many "details" to his retelling.
Neville Longbottom, whose actions had inadvertently allowed Sirius Black to infiltrate Gryffindor Tower, also faced consequences for his mistake. The day after Black's break-in, Longbottom received a howler from his grandmother, and for a while, Mr. Longbottom became the subject of post-dinner entertainment, usurping Draco Malfoy's usual position.
However, none of this affected Albert, who continued to lead a busy and fulfilling life.
"Here!"
After class, Albert handed a folder to Katrina, "The exams you wanted are all in there."
"Thank you." Katrina hugged the folder to her chest and whispered her gratitude.
"Don't mention it, it was our agreement." Albert turned to leave and joined Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who had been waiting for him.
"We're going to check out that secret passage," Fred said, looking around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. He lowered his voice, "We might be able to figure out how Black got into the castle."
"I've made sure the painting isn't on the security patrol route, and Filch doesn't know about this particular passageway leading out of the castle," George added. "That old coot has been sealing off a lot of the passages lately."
"If Black really did come in that way, should we tell Professor McGonagall about it?" Lee Jordan asked.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jordan realized that the surrounding buzz of conversation had died down.
The three boys looked at Albert, waiting for his decision.
"We'll discuss it later! Come on, let's go, the coast is clear." Albert glanced at the Marauder's Map in his hand to confirm they were alone and urged the others to hurry.
The painting shifted slowly to the side, revealing the passage behind it. The four boys quickly stepped through, and George closed the entrance, ensuring no one would stumble upon their discovery.
With their wands illuminating the way, their attention was immediately drawn to the footprints on the ground.
"There are footprints! We were right!" Lee Jordan exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the faint marks on the floor.
The twins had previously sprinkled chalk dust in the passage, and although a significant amount of time had passed, they could still make out the traces of someone having used the secret route.
"Sirius Black indeed entered the castle through this passage," Fred said, his voice filled with excitement at their discovery. He held his wand aloft as he led the way, but soon, the human footprints disappeared, replaced by the tracks of some unknown animal.
"What kind of footprints are these?" George lowered his wand to get a better look at the strange marks on the ground.
"Cat claws?"
"Did Black turn into a cat?"
The three boys recalled Albert's previous speculation, and in unison, they said, "Black is an Animagus. Professor McGonagall can transform into a cat, so if Black has the same ability, it would explain how he escaped from Azkaban. I bet those Dementors couldn't hold him in their cells. And since Dementors have no eyes, they wouldn't know if he transformed into a cat."
Albert didn't respond to their musings. Instead, he silently pulled out his camera from the Chameleonic Charm Leather Pouch and snapped a few photos of the tracks.
As they continued down the passage, they found more animal tracks in the areas where the twins had sprinkled chalk dust.
On their way back to the castle, the four boys discussed their findings, even daring to speculate that Sirius Black might have transformed into a cat and was hiding somewhere in the school.
"Why do you think Black would turn into a cat?" Albert asked as he handed the photos he'd taken to his friends. "If Black could transform into a cat, he wouldn't need the Gryffindor password. No one would suspect a cat, and these look like dog prints to me. I can tell the difference between cat and dog paw prints—just look at their pads. If you don't believe me, ask Tom to make a print for comparison when we get back. As I suspected before, the large prints probably belong to Black if he is indeed an Animagus."
"Maybe we should go to the library and look up records of Animagi," Lee Jordan suggested.
"Don't be daft," George replied with a shake of his head. "If you were an Animagus, would you register with the Ministry? If Black is an Animagus, I doubt he'd publicize it."
"I've looked into it," Albert added. "There are only seven known Animagi in this century. But, as George said, there could be more that we don't know about. If I were an Animagus, I wouldn't register either, as long as I wasn't using it for espionage or anything that would draw the Ministry's attention."
"I think we're getting close to the truth," Fred said excitedly. "If there's a stray dog wandering around the school grounds, it might be Black."
"It should be a black dog," Albert reminded them.
"Why a black dog?"
"Because of his name—Black."
"Oh, I see." George eyed Albert suspiciously. "I'm starting to think you knew about this already."
"Well, my prediction about Black's form was a black dog," Albert admitted, not denying it. "I didn't tell you directly because I needed evidence to support it.
"Harry mentioned he once encountered a black dog," Fred suddenly said.
"Yeah, he considered it a bad omen and even chatted with me about it. Now it seems to be confirmed, and by the way, I once saw a black dog in an alley in Hogsmeade," Albert nodded, acknowledging the incident. "It seems like Sirius Black might be that dog."
"If that was Black, why did he give up on killing Harry, and... the attack incident a few days ago was strange as well. I recall you mentioning that Sirius Black is Harry's godfather," George said, finding the situation increasingly odd.
"Now, all signs indicate that Sirius Black's target might not be Harry but someone else," Fred agreed with George's viewpoint.
"Could it be that small Peter Pettigrew?" Lee Jordan suggested tentatively. "I think that Scabbers might be him. Since Black might be an Animagus, what if Harry's father and Peter Pettigrew were both Animagi? I recall Albert mentioning that the nicknames on the Marauder's Map could represent their transformed states."
"What was Harry's father?" Fred asked.
"A stag, Harry's Patronus is a stag, and he resembles his father, so he's likely a stag as well, corresponding to the nickname 'Prongs'," Albert replied.
"Harry's Patronus?" George's voice rose slightly in surprise.
For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly turned oppressive.
"How long did it take Harry to summon a corporeal Patronus?" Fred asked abruptly.
"About half a year, or maybe a month or so if we're counting from when he started training with Professor Lupin?" Albert wasn't sure of the exact timeline.
An eerie silence fell, and Fred and George suddenly stopped walking, placing their hands on Lee Jordan's shoulders as they spoke solemnly, "You better get to work, mate."
"Shut up, we're discussing Black right now," Lee Jordan shrugged off the twins' hands, forcing the topic back on track. "I'm starting to doubt Black's guilt. After all, dogs generally represent loyalty, and I find it hard to imagine Black betraying his friend. Would you guys do that?"
"No," Fred and George shook their heads in unison.
"What if the mysterious person was threatening your family?" Albert interjected.
An even longer silence ensued.
Indeed, what if their families were being threatened?
"So, the one who betrayed Harry's father could be that supposedly dead Peter Pettigrew?" Fred furrowed his brows. "Is that guy still alive?"
"His code name is 'Wormtail'?"
"What do you guys think he would be if he were an Animagus?" George asked.
"A worm?"
"Obviously not, Wormtail probably refers to a tail that looks like a worm," Albert speculated, "It's likely a rat."
"A rat?" George repeated softly, remembering something that sent a shiver down his spine. "Scabbers! That's right, Scabbers, Ron's rat could very well be Peter Pettigrew."
"But... how is that possible?" Fred turned to Albert, his face paling slightly as he saw the other boy nod in confirmation.
"Don't forget, Scabbers has been around for a long time. Ever since Percy got a new owl, that rat became Ron's pet. Who knows how long it's been alive, five, seven, or even more years?" George pointed out the evidence, "I recall Albert mentioning before that the rat's lifespan seemed a bit abnormal, even joking about selling it to Muggles... it would be worth a lot."
If Scabbers were indeed a wizard, that would be truly terrifying.
However, everything made sense. If Scabbers were Peter Pettigrew, then the one who betrayed Harry's father could be him; otherwise, why would a human pretend to be a rat for over a decade?
Sirius Black must have discovered that Peter Pettigrew was still alive from the Prophet and broke out of Azkaban to seek revenge for his friend. And Scabbers was right there in Harry's dormitory.
"If Black is truly innocent, should we still capture him for the bounty?" Lee Jordan asked suddenly.
Another lengthy silence followed.
"Let's catch him first, and then we can prepare some Veritaserum or perform a Legilimency on him to get to the truth. I think we need to figure out the specifics before making any decisions," Albert concluded, "Before that, we need to be prepared. I believe Black showed up to capture Peter Pettigrew, and if that guy is indeed still alive, we can hand him over for the bounty. If the Ministry doesn't want him, we can trade him to Black, who I'm sure would be willing to pay a hefty sum for that rat."
At that moment, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were all left speechless, staring at Albert with wide eyes, never having considered such a possibility.
"That's... blackmail, isn't it?" Fred whispered.
"How is this blackmail? We've spent so much effort and taken great risks; in the end, we'll be upholding justice in the wizarding world. How can we return empty-handed?" Albert argued righteously, "Moreover, there's a bounty on Black, and as long as it hasn't been canceled, capturing him should earn us that reward. Whether Black is innocent or not is the Ministry's concern, not ours. And wouldn't you want something for your troubles?"
(End of Chapter)
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