The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 349 Peter Pettigrew

There are always many things in this world that you have to accept, and there are also many people who force you to grow up. Peter Petillo is the thing that Ron has to accept, and the person who forces Ron to grow up.

Even though neither of them volunteered for this.

Looking at the screaming Ron, no matter how much they disliked him, he was still their own brother. Fred and George sighed, walked to Ron and comforted their injured brother.

No matter how I think about it, I feel sorry for Ron. The pet he was holding turned out to be a man! This man sometimes even slept with him! Because of this man, he even quarreled with Hermione and almost broke off their relationship!

Ron was completely stunned, his eyes were wide open and his eyeballs almost popped out.

Harry and Hermione were equally shocked. Even though they already knew that the mouse was Peter, they were still so shocked when they actually saw this scene that they couldn't close their mouths.

Peter, who was forced to reveal his identity, stood there, wringing his hands. He glanced at everyone, breathing rapidly, and no one knew what he was thinking.

This is a very short man, with sparse, matted hair and a large bald spot on top. He looks wrinkled, like a fat man who has lost a lot of weight in a short period of time; his skin is dirty, and his pointed nose and watery green eyes have some rat-like features.

"Hello, Peter." Lupin said happily. He had long been accustomed to the mouse becoming his classmate in front of him. "Long time no see."

"Sirius... Remus..." Peter's voice was shrill, trying to remain calm. "My friend... my old friend... I'm so glad to see you again..."

Sirius raised his wand impulsively, but Lupin caught his wrist and turned to Pettigrew, his tone still cheerful and light.

Lupin said, "We were just chatting, Peter, about what happened on the night Lily and James were killed. Do you have anything to add?"

"Remus, you won't believe him...? He wants to kill me, Remus..." Peter said hurriedly, with beads of sweat on his pale face. He turned to Dumbledore, "Professor, professor, you know me, I am as timid as a mouse..."

This was Peter's last struggle. Just like he had done before, he could only survive by framing Sirius again.

Dumbledore looked at Peter with his blue eyes, and the headmaster said gently: "I know, of course I know. When you were in school, you always followed James and Sirius. Only when they were around would you show a little courage. After James was killed, you dared to face Sirius alone. I admire your courage very much."

It sounds like Dumbledore is on Peter's side and speaking for Peter. But as Peter himself said, how could a man as timid as a mouse dare to face the crazy Sirius alone?
"He wants to kill me, Professor, he killed Lily and James, and he wants to kill me now!" Peter screamed, "Save me, Professor, save me, please..."

A grown man was crying so hard that Ada frowned. Snape beside Ada finally reacted. For some reason, Snape began to tremble. It was unknown whether it was because of anger or fear.

"You said Sirius killed James and Lily, and wanted to kill you..." Lupin's voice became colder, "Then why didn't he come and kill me?"

"I...I..." Peter hesitated for a few times and couldn't make out a clear answer.

Peter seemed determined not to admit it. He pointed at Sirius and framed him, saying, "He is the only one who escaped from Azkaban. He was the only one who did it! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named must have taught him a few tricks!"

"Voldemort? Taught me a few tricks?" Sirius laughed, a terrible, joyless laugh that filled the room.

Peter refused to admit it and distorted the facts. Sirius was so angry that he wanted to kill Peter. Lupin knew Sirius, so he kept stopping him from being too impulsive.

"If you are innocent, why are you hiding?" Dumbledore asked in a puzzled manner, "I can provide you with protection, Voldemort is also defeated, and you have also received the Order of Merlin."

"I'm scared... Professor," Peter screamed, "I sent Sirius Black, a key figure in the Death Eaters, to Azkaban. I'm afraid the remnants of the Death Eaters will take revenge on me!"

Dumbledore continued, "I still don't understand. You didn't hide when Voldemort was at his peak, but joined the Order of the Phoenix with your friends to fight against him. Why did you feel afraid of a few useless remnants after Voldemort was defeated and want to hide?"

Peter wiped his face again. Dumbledore and Lupin's questions almost suffocated him, and Dumbledore's next words made Peter even more desperate.

"There is indeed a spy in the Order of the Phoenix, and he has been secretly passing information to Voldemort." Dumbledore looked at Lupin and continued, "I'm sorry, Remus, I once suspected you."

Lupin shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind. Sirius behind him squeezed his shoulder to comfort Lupin.

"After James got into trouble, I began to suspect Sirius." Dumbledore looked at Sirius again. "He can betray even his best friend, so why wouldn't he betray the Order of the Phoenix?"

This time it was Lupin's turn to comfort Sirius, and he patted the back of his old friend's hand. Family members know their own affairs, and although it was uncomfortable to be misunderstood, Sirius could accept it.

However, Sirius still rolled his eyes at Dumbledore and was almost making an international hand gesture.

"But there are too many doubts in this matter. Even when Sirius was imprisoned in Azkaban, I still couldn't convince myself." Dumbledore's voice was still gentle. "Tell me, Peter, how can I convince myself?"

Peter muttered incoherently, saying things like "the Black family" and "Lestrange", as if trying to prove that Sirius was related to Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

Sirius kept sneering, Lupin's eyes became colder and colder, only Dumbledore still had a gentle smile on his face. The twins were still comforting the collapsed Ron, while Ada was too lazy to talk, thinking about her own plans.

"Professor?" Hermione asked timidly. "Can I - can I say something?"

"Of course, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said kindly. "I heard about your discovery from a certain prefect. Your intelligence is your great asset, and you are much more obedient than that prefect."

Ada finally raised her eyelids, she was very dissatisfied in her heart: The old man is so bad, if you want to praise Hermione, just praise Hermione, why do you have to mention me!
"He lived in the same dormitory with Harry for three years, why didn't he hurt Harry?" Hermione asked.

Hermione's doubts were also Harry's doubts. In the past three years, Peter had a thousand chances to kill him. "Yes!" Peter grabbed the life-saving straw at once. He wanted to kneel down in front of Hermione and kowtow a hundred or eighty times. "Professor Dumbledore, I didn't touch a hair of Harry. If... If I really betrayed James, why didn't I kill Harry?"

"You dare not, and you can't do it." Dumbledore said, "And Voldemort has disappeared for many years. You have no reason to do so."

Peter was not loyal to Voldemort at all. He was just afraid of Voldemort's terrifying power. He just followed a powerful wizard and would not offer his loyalty to Voldemort.

Betraying James and Lily was just Peter's way of gaining a higher status.

"Believe me," Sirius walked up to Harry and said, "Believe me, Harry. I have never betrayed James and Lily, and I would rather die than betray them."

Harry did not dodge when Sirius suddenly touched his hair. He believed in his godfather.

After Professor Lupin entered the room, he did not attack Sirius; after Ada entered the room, she did not attack Sirius either, but knocked down Snape. You should know that Ada had injured Sirius before.

Two people he trusted stood on Sirius' side one after another. Later, Lupin and Sirius gave reasonable explanations, and Harry gradually began to believe Sirius.

After that, Dumbledore also came, and Peter also showed his true form, which made the matter final. Even the dumbest person knew that Sirius was innocent and Peter was the culprit, not to mention that Harry was not stupid.

Seeing that Harry did not dodge, Sirius smiled happily, and Lupin was also happy. When someone is happy, someone else will be unhappy. Snape still had a blank expression like a piece of wood, Ron still collapsed, and Peter Pettigrew finally accepted his fate.

Peter knelt down, crawling towards Harry, begging for Harry's forgiveness, hoping that Harry would spare his life for James' sake. Harry quickly hid behind Sirius, who kicked Peter and knocked him to the ground.

"Get away! Stay away from Harry!" Sirius roared, "How dare you mention James' name in front of Harry!" As he spoke, he kept kicking and hitting Peter.

Peter cowered away from Sirius's punches and kicks and crawled towards Lupin again, but before he could reach Lupin's side, Lupin shouted him off.

Peter immediately turned around and crawled towards Ron. As he crawled, Peter said, "Ron... Am I not your good friend... good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, right... You will stand by me, right?"

Ron glared at Pettigrew with extreme disgust and shouted at him to "get lost". The twins were even more direct, one of them punched Peter and gave him a pair of glasses.

"It is time to end this farce, Peter," said Dumbledore. "It is time to atone for your crimes."

Peter knelt there, shaking uncontrollably. He cried and begged, "Professor, please, please don't..."

Before he could finish his pleading, Peter turned into a mouse again. Then some metal bars surrounded him, eventually forming a metal cage. All this was of course Dumbledore's work.

"I can't let you kill him. I want to take him to see Fudge." Dumbledore said, "Also, I don't think Remus should go out tonight."

This was a reminder to Lupin that today was a full moon, and it was getting late, so Lupin really couldn't leave here.

Ada, who had been silent, stood up, took out a small flat flask from her pocket, and walked quickly to Lupin. Ada said, "Wolfsbane potion, professor."

This was Ada's little habit. After receiving Snape's remedial lessons, Ada would make another potion in private, regardless of whether it was needed or not. The fireproof potion and the wolfsbane potion tonight were both made in this way.

"The wolfsbane potion you took before was brewed by Ada," Dumbledore explained, "and she did it under the supervision of Severus."

Taking the small flat flask, Lupin said, "Thank you very much for your help. Sirius and I don't know how to thank you enough."

Sirius also said: "Yes, it was you who saved me, and it was you who let me meet Professor Dumbledore and my old friend Remus."

Ada casually pointed at the messy house, the broken sofa, the overturned bookcase, etc. If Lupin stayed here at night, he would definitely cause more damage.

Sirius reacted immediately and said, "I'll pay for all the damage in the room!"

"My brother is seriously injured." Ida pointed to Ron behind the twins and said, "And you made my brother lose his favorite pet."

"I'll pay for all the medical expenses!" Sirius, who was very wealthy, patted his chest and said, "I'll pay for a new pet, too. How about a new mouse?"

Ron shook his head frantically in resistance. Apparently, after the spider, another animal had left a psychological trauma on Ron, and this time it was an insult to his personality.

"I think an owl would be better, Sirius," Lupin suggested. "Of course, a smart cat or dog would also be nice."

Everything that happened in the cabin tonight was resolved satisfactorily, and everyone left the Twilight Cabin except Lupin who drank the wolfsbane potion.

Walking in front was Sirius, who had turned into a dog and would stay in Harry's dormitory tonight. Following behind were Harry, Hermione holding Crookshanks, the twins supporting Ron, and of course Snape, who looked like a walking corpse.

Tonight was also a big shock to Snape. He did nothing, failed to take revenge, and almost let his enemy go. Compared with these two things, being easily knocked down by Ada was nothing.

Ada was walking at the end with Dumbledore, carrying a mouse cage. She and Dumbledore would not return to the castle. She would accompany Dumbledore to London.

Perhaps, perhaps, it was because Dumbledore found that someone was helping him to confront the Ministry of Magic, which was a very satisfying thing...

(End of this chapter)