Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 379 How Can We Stand Still?
As if to confirm Sherlock's words, almost at the same time he finished speaking, a series of footsteps sounded.

The door at the corner of the room opened again.

Three people walked in at the same time this time.

The two on the left and right are tall, while the one in the middle is short, creating a stark contrast.

Strangely, as soon as they entered the room, the previously comfortable indoor temperature suddenly dropped.

wrong!

This is not right!
As the three approached further, Harry felt a chill run through his body.

Because he was shocked to discover that there were not three people at all!
The two tall figures on the left and right were clearly Dementors.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

This made Harry feel himself starting to tremble all over.

Compared to Harry, whose eyesight was poor, Sherlock could tell at a glance that it wasn't human.

Its main features are too obvious: it is tall, its whole body is covered by a hood, and it can only glide, not walk.

Of course, the more important detail is that Sherlock observed their rotting, dead-like hands.

At this moment, they tightly gripped the arm of the person in the middle, dragging him slowly toward the armchair in the center of the room.

The person who was taken hostage was none other than Peter Pettigrew.

He looked like he was about to faint.

Of course, this is not his fault. Even the onlookers in the front row seemed a little timid when facing the Dementors up close.

Not to mention him, sandwiched between the Dementors on either side.

The Dementor placed Peter on a chained chair, and without lingering, slowly walked out of the room.

The atmosphere in the room only returned to normal after the door was closed again.

The power of the Dementors is terrifying!
Now let's look at Peter Pettigrew.

He was in a very bad state at that time.

She was in even worse shape than when Sherlock exposed her identity in front of everyone in the principal's office.

He was wearing a thin, tattered robe, and even though the Dementors had left, his whole body was still trembling.

Just as Sherlock was watching Peter, the chains on the armrest of the chair suddenly emitted a golden light, then coiled around Peter's arm like snakes, binding him there.

“Now there are 256 people,” Sherlock remarked, “that’s rather interesting.”

Harry took a deep breath. "He won't transform into an Animagus and run away, will he?"

"If he can escape under these circumstances, Voldemort can hand over the nickname to him."

Sherlock said calmly, "Brother, don't bring up questions that insult my intelligence."

Harry gave Sherlock a somewhat resentful look.

He knew, of course, that Peter couldn't escape now.

But he was feeling unwell after the Dementors had just appeared, so he thought he should change the subject.

Is it really necessary to criticize me like this?
Harry had initially thought their seats were too far away, but now he felt somewhat relieved.

Otherwise, if we get any closer, we might faint from seeing the Dementors again.

If that's the case, then things will get really interesting.

"Did you feel terrible just now?"

Sherlock asked abruptly.

"No... well, it's terrible."

Harry instinctively intended to deny it outright, but under Sherlock's gaze in his grey eyes, he told the truth.

Anyway, I've already fainted twice in front of my older brother, so there's nothing more to be ashamed of.

"Yeah, just bear with it and it'll pass."

Harry had expected Sherlock to say something more after that, but after waiting for a long time, there was nothing more to say.

When I looked at him again, I realized that his gaze had turned towards Peter Pettigrew.

Harry: "..."

"Very good, the defendant has finally arrived."

Just then, Fudge suddenly spoke, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"I think we can officially begin now. Are you ready?"

He shouted at the other end of the bench.

"Yes, sir."

Rufus, who had just accompanied Fudge, immediately answered.

He stared intently at the parchment in front of him, a quill pen in his hand, ready to take notes at any moment.

"The trial, scheduled for January 6th, is now officially beginning!"

At that moment, Fudge's voice boomed like a bell, announcing the start of the trial.

Rufus immediately began taking notes.

"The trial is now beginning on the case of Peter Pettigrew, who, as the Keeper of Secrets, deliberately revealed the Potters' address thirteen years ago, framed Sirius Black to cover up his own crimes, and murdered thirteen Muggles."

Interrogator: Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge.

Amelia Susan Bornes, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Senior Deputy Minister Dolores Jan Umridge.

Trial recorder: Rufus Elliott Fudge.

Witness: Sirius Black.

With that sound, Sirius Black reappeared in everyone's sight.

He was accompanied by a wizard who was carrying a chair.

Sirius Black originally intended to place it some distance away from Peter Pettigrew, but Sirius simply picked it up and placed it next to Peter, then sat down and stared intently at Peter.

That gaze seemed to transform into a giant dog at any moment, tearing him to shreds and then swallowing him whole.

Peter's trembling intensified as soon as he saw Sirius.

“Very good,” Fudge pulled a parchment from a pile of documents, took a deep breath, and stared at Peter over the parchment.

"You're Peter Pettigrew?"

Peter shuddered violently like a startled mouse, and the chains binding him rattled.

He looked up in alarm, large beads of sweat sliding down his sallow cheeks and soaking the collar of his tattered robe.

He didn't answer immediately, his cloudy eyes scanning the audience listlessly.

Just like when he was forced to reveal his true form by Professor McGonagall, he was searching for an escape route that didn't even exist.

"Answer the minister's question!"

A high-pitched, shrill voice, like that of a little girl, rang out.

It was that witch shrouded in shadow.

Peter shrank back sharply, his lips moving slightly: "Yes, yes, I am Peter."

"Very well, do you admit that you are an unregistered Animagus?"

“Yes, but—” “In 1981, did you take Sirius Black’s place as James Potter and Lily Potter’s secret keeper?”

“Yes,” Peter said, “but—”

"As a secret agent, you knew that the Potters' residence was protected by the Faithful Charm, yet you still revealed their address?"

Yes, but—

"You were a trusted friend of the Potters, yet you still revealed their hideout in Godric's Hollow to that... well... mysterious person, directly leading to the deaths of James Potter and Lily Potter?"

Peter fell silent.

"answer the questions!"

This time, it was the witch wearing a monocle who spoke, her voice loud and deep, "Did you tell the mysterious man about this?"

Peter's gaze struggled for a long time. After Sirius Black let out a cold snort, Peter finally lowered his head and answered in a voice so weak it was almost a whisper:

"Yes, it is."

Although they already knew about it, when Peter admitted it himself, a low commotion still broke out in the crowd, mixed with angry whispers and disdainful glances.

Sirius, sitting next to Peter, clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white, his body trembling slightly from suppressed rage.

Twelve years of wrongful imprisonment, twelve years of hellish life living alongside Dementors—at this moment, these transformed into tangible flames burning fiercely in his sunken eye sockets.

Even now, Sirius still dreams of James and Lily lying on the ground that night.

Perhaps Mrs. Weasley is right.

It was precisely because of his deep affection for James and his profound regret over his passing that, at times, the way he looked at Harry and the tone of his voice when mentioning him were as if a good friend had come back.

"You damned traitor!"

Peter whimpered as if stung by a scorpion, slumped in his chair, and stared blankly into space.

remorse?

Perhaps for a brief moment.

But even more intense is the deep-seated fear of the impending ultimate punishment and the numbness of escaping reality.

"I...I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."

Sirius stared at Peter, as if he wanted to devour him whole, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth:

"You don't know you're wrong, you just know you're going to die."

Fudge seemed pleased with the intimidating effect Peter's appearance had on him, and he said to the witch with the monocle, "Thank you for your question, Ms. Burns."

Then he continued to ask loudly:
"So...does the defendant admit that, after leaking information that led to the tragic deaths of the Potters, in order to cover up your crime and frame Mr. Sirius Black, you planned and used the Bomb Charm to blow up the streets of London, killing more than a dozen people?"

Thirteen Muggles have died!

Ms. Burns added clearly in a calm, steady voice that hinted at anger.

She glanced at Fudge, somewhat displeased with his way of stating things.

"Yes! Thirteen innocent Muggles!"

Fudge quickly continued, then said heavily, "And after the explosion, he faked his death, transformed into a rat, and fled for twelve years!"

Peter could no longer speak in complete sentences.

Now he could only let out intermittent, unintelligible sobs and whimpers, his head drooping almost to his chest.

Tears mixed with snot streamed down his face, but this pitiful sight did not elicit any sympathy from most of the people present; it only intensified their disgust.

This is the best illustration of despicable betrayal and shameless cowardice.

"good very good."

Fudge looked at his nephew and recorder Rufus, who was scribbling rapidly on parchment.

Next, Fudge and Ms. Burns asked Peter again, but he still refused to speak.

However, Fudge had anticipated this situation. He turned slightly to the side and said:
"This chairperson grants Senior Deputy Minister Dolores Jan Umbridge permission to speak."

The witch who had been sitting to Fudge's right leaned forward upon hearing Fudge's words.

This was the first time Sherlock had seen her clearly.

She was short and fat, with a broad, loose face.

Just like Harry's Uncle Vernon, you can't see his neck, and his big mouth hangs down.

Her eyes were large and round, but slightly protruding, making her look like a pale, large toad.

And then there's that little black velvet bow in her short, curly hair...

how to say?

This is a witch whose temperament and appearance are seriously inconsistent with her age.

In summary, it's like painting an old cucumber green – trying to look young.

"According to the Ministry of Magic's investigation, Peter Pettigrew disappeared after he caused the bombing."

The only remaining fragment of the 'body' at the scene was a finger.

Coincidentally, the Animagus rat, after its transformation, also lost a claw…

What she said next was almost a carbon copy of what Sherlock had said in the headmaster's office, which was also what Dumbledore had told the Ministry of Magic.

However, according to Umbridge, the protagonist who discovered all of this and deciphered the chain of evidence was the Ministry of Magic.

The Ministry of Magic promptly discovered the evidence and immediately notified Hogwarts, requesting the school's assistance in the investigation.

Minerva McGonagall, a professor of metamorphosis, discovered an Animagus rat and restored it to its original form.

Severus Snape, a professor of potions, used a truth serum to get Peter to reveal everything about his past.

Remus Lupin, a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, confirmed the original Explosion Charm and its power, and successfully made contact with his former friend Sirius Black through their friendship.

Those who knew the truth remained expressionless, while those who did not were deeply shocked by it all.

After all, the previously published investigation report only stated the facts and did not explain how Peter was exposed.

The case has garnered so much attention that the wizards present comprised almost all the upper echelons of the magical world.

As Umbridge recounted the story, the wizards who were hearing it for the first time couldn't help but show expressions of utter shock.

During this process, Sherlock noticed a witch in the middle row of the opposing team.

She had short, golden hair, wore a magenta robe, and was sucking on the nib of a garish green quill pen.

Sherlock immediately recognized that this was a reporter, and a very capable one at that.

Because the position she chose was just right, allowing her to clearly see the performance of the defendant and witnesses in the middle of the room, the judge and recorder in the stands, and most of the attendees.

In addition, this is also the best location for taking photos.

However, the key to Sherlock's attention was that she had glanced in their direction more than once.

Sherlock knew perfectly well that the other person wasn't looking at him, but at Harry.

This was quite rare among those present.

Senior Deputy Minister Umrich clearly enjoyed the feeling of being in the spotlight.

As for shamelessly turning other people's hard work into something to brag about... who cares?

Hogwarts is nothing compared to the Ministry of Magic!
Moreover, Dumbledore later seemed to say that this matter was discovered by a third-year wizard.
That way, she would feel even less guilty!
Peter Pettigrew doesn’t seem willing to speak right now, but so what?
As Minister Fouché's most trusted confidant, I will not allow this trial to stall, no matter how hard I try!

Thinking of this, Umbridge spoke in her characteristic high-pitched voice, followed by a string of silvery laughter:
"The next speaker is Sirius Black, a key witness in this case."

(End of this chapter)