Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Chapter 143 Peter's Last Struggle

Dumbledore exclaimed in surprise, "It really is him, Peter Pediru."

Dumbledore looked at Eric, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He knew Eric was secretly plotting something behind his back.

Dumbledore, who had already reached a certain agreement with Eric, did not stop him, but instead waited to see how things would unfold.

But I never expected Eric to reveal such explosive information.

Peter Pedro, a man who disappeared twelve years ago, a man who was presumed dead long ago.

Now it has reappeared before the world.

With Dumbledore present, the matter could no longer be concealed.

Fudge's face grew even more somber.

Peter's problem not only didn't disappear, it got even worse.

Now Peter appears in front of everyone.

In addition, Peter just confessed to his crimes after taking truth serum.

He knew exactly what this meant.

This means that the Ministry of Magic's manhunt for Sirius Black was a joke from beginning to end.

And it's a huge scandal that can't be covered up.

Peter betrayed the Potters, and he also committed the murder during their escape.

The whole thing had absolutely nothing to do with Sirius Black.

To be honest, Fudge still had a sliver of hope when the mole launched its attack.

He hoped the mole would create enough chaos to get Peter to go.

In this case, having no witnesses is the best outcome for the Ministry of Magic.

Even if Amelie Burns insists on overturning the case from back then, there's nothing Eric and Burns can do if they don't catch Peter.

Talk is cheap. The Aurors present were all his confidants. Only Burns and Eric insisted that Peter was the real culprit, which wouldn't cause much of a stir.

But now, Peter is safe and sound, and the mole and the others are all under control.

For Fudge, this was the worst possible outcome.

This means that while the Ministry of Magic's reputation has been severely damaged, he also has to deal with these two enormous troubles.

A flicker of surprise crossed Dumbledore's eyes, but he quickly regained his usual composure and asked with a smile, "When you found Peter, was he disguised as Sirius Black?"

Amelie Boynes nodded and said, "That's right. The effect of the transformation didn't seem like a transformation spell, but more like a polysaccharide. In addition to the polysaccharide, he also took truth serum at the time."

"Truth serum? How interesting." Dumbledore's smile widened. "You interrogated Peter, didn't you? Can you repeat what he said to me?"

Fudge coughed and said, "Dumbledore, I think this matter... needs further consideration... We need to take Peter back to the Ministry of Magic now..."

He certainly didn't want Dumbledore to take the initiative in this matter, as Dumbledore wouldn't care whether his position as minister was secure or not.

If Peter is brought back to the Ministry of Magic, then Fudge will have the final say on what happens next.

Who knows what might happen in the Ministry of Magic?

Dumbledore said firmly, "I don't think so, Cornelius. This incident happened on Hogwarts grounds, and as the headmaster, I have a duty to protect all the teachers and students and it is necessary for me to find out the details."

Fudge said, "That doesn't make sense, Dumbledore. You're just the headmaster of Hogwarts, and this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic..."

“You’re right,” Dumbledore interrupted him, “but I am also the chief wizard of Wizengamor and have the authority to oversee court proceedings. Now that the Chief Justice and I are here, is there any problem with conducting an impromptu inquiry into Peter?”

“This…this…” Fudge was sweating profusely, his expression extremely unpleasant.

Wizengamo is essentially the High Court of the Wizarding World, with functions similar to a parliament. As the leader of Wizengamo, Dumbledore certainly had the authority to participate in the internal affairs of the Ministry of Magic.

Seeing Fudge get the short end of the stick, Amelie Bones couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile.

Ignoring Fudge, she began to explain to Dumbledore what had happened that night.

This time, Bones made no attempt to hide anything.

From the moment she received Lupin's message, to Eric capturing Peter disguised as Blake, and then to the attack by the Mole and his gang...

The whole story is clear to Amelie Bones.

After listening to Burns's account, Dumbledore looked at Lupin and said, "Peter admitted that he betrayed the James Potters and then he ran away, but the Sirius Black that the Ministry of Magic later captured was indeed him... Considering all these things, I think there is only one conclusion: Sirius Black is also an Animagus, right? He was wrongly accused, spent twelve years in Azkaban, and finally escaped in animal form..."

Dumbledore concluded, "The real culprit is Peter, not Sirius. Sirius infiltrated the castle to find Peter."

Upon hearing this conclusion, Fudge's face turned ashen, yet he had no way to refute it.

He was the one who insisted on using truth serum for interrogation!

People who have taken truth serum will not lie; what they tell will be based on facts within their own knowledge.

Even if he wanted to distort the truth, it wouldn't work, because besides him and the Aurors around him, there were also Borns and Eric.

These two people, now that things have come to this, will not speak up for him.

Lupin lowered his head silently, not daring to look Dumbledore in the eye, and said, "Yes, Sirius found me, and I believe him."

“I remember, Sirius Black was the secret agent for James and his wife, right?” Dumbledore asked.

Lupin said, "Sirius changed his mind at the last minute. He thought he would be hunted down, so he made Peter James's secret agent."

Dumbledore sighed, “I see… I don’t blame you, Remus. You didn’t seek my help in this matter, so you must have had your own concerns.”

Lu Ping's face showed even more shame.

Dumbledore turned to Peter and Ron, who were still sleeping on the ground, and said, "Well then, it's time for us to wake them up."

Dumbledore waved his wand, waking Peter and Ron one after the other.

When the two woke up, they were startled to see a large crowd gathered around them.

Peter was the first to react. When he saw Dumbledore's face, he trembled with fear and immediately grabbed Ron's leg, fawningly saying, "Ron, tell them that I'm your good friend and I haven't done anything wrong."

Ron kicked Peter in the face: "Who are you, old man?!"

Dumbledore used his wand to separate the two of them and said with a smile, "Ron, please allow me to introduce you. This is Peter Pediru, and the name he has used for the past twelve years is Scabbers."

Spots?!

Ron scrambled backward, his face contorted with terror.

Chapter 144 The Missing Grindelwald

Ron is devastated tonight.

First, he was abandoned while patrolling the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid.

Then, Eric inexplicably took control of her, and with his strength, she had no way to resist.

Upon waking up, Dumbledore tells him that Scabbers, the pet rat his family had kept for over ten years, was actually a disgusting middle-aged man.

Or is it the kind that is utterly wicked?

Ron was exasperated: "What on earth is going on?"

Eric pulled him aside: "So it is, like this and that."

Ron was completely stunned after hearing this.

Peter was the one who betrayed Harry's parents, while Sirius Black was framed.

Hearing such a shocking piece of news from the magical world suddenly requires a certain level of mental fortitude.

Amid the crowd, Peter was still struggling, trying to justify his actions.

Fudge looked at him with disgust and said to the Aurors around him, "Take him under control, feed him the Water of Life and Death, keep him under constant surveillance, and conduct a detailed trial when we get back to the department."

As Fudge thought about the follow-up handling and the various occasions where he would need to step in, he grew increasingly disgusted with Peter, this troublesome guy.

The Aurors stepped forward and imposed various restrictions on Peter.

Peter's resistance was futile, and finally, for the third time tonight, he lost consciousness and passed out.

It's quite pitiful to think about, but compared to what Azkaban would suffer later, being able to faint is actually a relatively fortunate option.

After learning about Peter's situation, Fudge pointed to the mole and the others lying nearby and asked with a troubled expression, "Dumbledore, what should we do with them?"

Dumbledore said, "Them? Then that should be handled according to the Ministry of Magic's normal procedures. Cornelius, you shouldn't ask me, you should ask yourself."

“No, I mean…” Fudge hesitated, “how should we handle this, you know, the public opinion…”

Fudge has completely lost his own opinions.

He already lacked control over the Ministry of Magic, and now, with Peter and the dark wizard involved, there were also considerable casualties.

Fudge lacked the ability to oversee the overall situation at this time and had to rely on Dumbledore's support.

But tonight, behind Dumbledore's back, he secretly met with Black around Hogwarts to arrest him.

This has already proven Fudge's ambition.

At this point, Dumbledore wasn't really interested in paying attention to Fudge.

If Fudge can execute this clandestine operation flawlessly and clean up the mess, he will rightfully earn the respect of others.

Even Dumbledore will gradually change his opinion of him and regard him as a collaborator.

Unfortunately, Fudge couldn't do it.

All his power stemmed from his position; however, the most fatal problem was that he was a figure pushed into power by Dumbledore.

He did not earn his position through his own abilities.

Fudge is short-sighted, extreme, and arrogant.

Previously, his only advantage was that he was easy to control, but today's events have proven that he cannot even maintain this one advantage.

Upon hearing his question, Dumbledore suddenly realized: "Oh, that's what you mean. Well, I have something to tell you, Cornelius."

"what's up?"