The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

While Dumbledore and McGonagall were still arguing about how many dumplings he could eat, a low hooting of an owl came from outside the window.

"This weather... whose owl sent the letter?"

Although Dumbledore receives many letters from all over the world every day, it is now night, and as the weather gets colder, many owls cannot fly too far in such cold weather.

Even within Britain, these owls need to rest for a long time after each delivery before they can move again.

“It’s the Tonks’ owl. Let it in. Andromeda and Ted might have something important to discuss,” Dumbledore remembered that the Order of the Phoenix used to be everyone’s owl messenger. He put down his cutlery and quickly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

“Andromeda… could something have gone wrong with White?” McGonagall frowned and quickly brought the somewhat tired owl inside.

She took the letter, and it was indeed stamped with Tonks' seal.

She gave the letter to Dumbledore, and then told the owl to get some rest for the night before going back.

Dumbledore opened the envelope, his gaze sweeping across the letter in an instant, instantly shattering the relaxed atmosphere in the office.

“Albus?” Professor McGonagall keenly noticed the change in the other’s expression.

Dumbledore carefully read the letter before handing it to McGonagall.

"Riz said he discovered a shocking truth from ten years ago through divination. This truth may have caused an innocent person to suffer in Azkaban for a full ten years, while the real culprit remained at large."

"Dumbledore said slowly, his voice sounding somewhat dry."

McGonagall quickly looked at the letter.

In the letter, Andromeda described in detail what happened and the truth that Ritz discovered through divination: the real traitor who led to the Potters being killed by Voldemort was probably not Sirius, but Peter Pettigrew, who was regarded as a hero by everyone and even received the Order of Merlin, First Class.

“Is…is this really true?” McGonagall’s hands trembled slightly. “We all know that Sirius Black is the Secret Agent, so why has it suddenly become Peter?”

Dumbledore shook his head: "Perhaps they believed Peter enough, or perhaps Peter volunteered himself... or perhaps Reese's divination was misled."

“However, one thing is certain,” Dumbledore said, his head bowed, his eyes hidden behind glasses, “Sirius was indeed thrown into Azkaban without trial, and we never heard a word of his own defense.”

As Dumbledore's voice faded, Phineas Black on the wall suddenly opened his eyes.

"Are you saying someone has wronged someone from our Black family?"

"Although Sirius Black was a fool to begin with, if he really did end up spending ten years in the dregs of Azkaban because of the machinations of a despicable traitor, it would be the greatest disgrace to the Black family in a century!"

For this former principal, if family members were imprisoned in Azkaban for becoming Death Eaters, it was simply because they had chosen the wrong side; he did not believe that the pureblood ideology was wrong.

He even uses the term "mud seed" in private.

But if a Black is completely fooled and framed, it's something he simply can't tolerate.

He shouted Dumbledore's name from the wall, urging Dumbledore to find out the truth.

“Phineas, calm down,” Dumbledore’s words carried a magical quality, silencing the portrait on the wall. “I’ll investigate, but don’t alert them beforehand.”

Dumbledore turned to McGonagall: "Minerva, you've seen the letter. Ritz says he still has a strong feeling that Peter isn't dead, but rather like a rat in the shadows, lurking in some corner of the wizarding world, spying on us."

“Until we find out the truth, we must keep a low profile. If Peter is really alive and the real culprit of that incident, then any slight movement could cause him to disappear into the shadows again.”

Listening to Dumbledore's description, Professor McGonagall felt a chill: "What do you plan to do? The Ministry of Magic probably won't easily admit to the misjudgment back then. Would Cornelius be willing to do something that would shake the Ministry of Magic's reputation?"

A glint of wisdom flashed in Dumbledore's eyes: "I remember that it was Barty Crouch the Elder who threw Sirius into Azkaban without trial, and he had a better chance of becoming Minister of Magic than Cornelius at the time. It was only because his reputation plummeted after it was revealed that he had a son who became a Death Eater that Cornelius became Minister of Magic."

“I know Connelly’s character well. He wouldn’t mind kicking someone when they’re down and giving this former rival, who has already lost power, another heavy blow to show how wise he is now.”

Professor McGonagall was clearly somewhat averse to this kind of political maneuvering.

"You mean, he'll use this to solidify his position?"

“That’s why I’ve always refused to become Minister of Magic, because I know I can’t completely control my desires,” Dumbledore said, taking a packet of Floo Powder from a drawer. “I’m going to find Cornelius now and tell him I need to go to Azkaban to visit some prisoners to check on the movements of some Voldemort remnants.”

"Of course, I won't mention Reese's name directly; it's too dangerous for him. I'll find a way to extricate him and the Tonks family from this."

Chapter 110: Sirius's Current Situation

The North Sea, in the middle between Great Britain and the European continent.

On an island inaccessible to Muggles lies the most dangerous prison in the wizarding world.

Azkaban.

Since the 15th century, when this island, which was once a mysterious testing ground for dark wizards, was discovered by the Ministry of Magic, the then Minister of Magic chose this island, located in the middle of the North Sea, as a place to imprison those dark wizards.

Although many wizards who studied Dementors and the traces of dark magic on Azkaban strongly opposed the law at the time, the wizards eventually built a wizarding prison on the island.

Although over the centuries, a few ministers have become aware of the inhumane practices of the Dementors within Azkaban.

However, compared to the high costs of managing these Dementors and hiring human Aurors to guard them, having these Dementors prey on the souls of dark wizards would obviously greatly reduce the Ministry of Magic's budget expenditures and the trouble that escaped prisoners might cause.

After all, to this day, no wizard has ever escaped after being imprisoned in Azkaban.

All these Ministry of Magic officials could do was try to avoid setting foot in this area, which was considered a symbol of despair, unless absolutely necessary.

Cornelius Fudge clearly didn't want to accompany Dumbledore to Azkaban to interrogate the Death Eaters on Christmas Eve.

When he first heard Dumbledore say that he had "noticed some movement among the remnants of the Death Eaters" and that there was "a potential threat to the current stable situation," he was somewhat worried that Dumbledore intended to bypass him and directly command the Ministry of Magic.

But when he heard that Dumbledore only wanted to go to Azkaban to question a few prisoners, he was immediately relieved.

“Albus, if you are certain that this will uncover those lurking scum, the Ministry of Magic and I will certainly support your decision.”

They were just going to Azkaban to question a few prisoners; no one wanted to start their power grab from that godforsaken place.

He signed the permission without hesitation and even asked Dumbledore if he needed anyone to accompany him.

In theory, it is necessary to be accompanied by several Aurors when going to Azkaban in order to avoid any accidents.

However, since the other party is Dumbledore, even if he sneaks off to Azkaban alone, there won't be any problems.

Out of respect for the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore still allowed Fudge to bring an Auror to accompany him on his journey to Azkaban during the cold winter.

Ultimately, Kingsley Shackler took on the task.

A senior Auror, who was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

At that moment, the two of them were walking on the stone steps leading to the prison cell.

Kingsley Shackle stood beside Dumbledore as they walked past the cells.

This wasn't his first time in Azkaban, but no matter how many times he came, everything that happened in the prison made him uncomfortable.

Kingsley felt nothing about letting Dementors devour the souls of dark wizards, because he hated those damned dark wizards just as much.

He was mostly expressing his attitude towards Dementors to Dumbledore.

"The Ministry of Magic has never thought about how to deal with these Dementors. They have even started to reproduce. When they can no longer find satisfaction here, they will definitely choose to leave."

Dumbledore did not offer his opinion, because he had said similar things when he was young, but to no avail.

The Ministry of Magic cannot refuse the convenience brought by Dementors, and even hypnotizes itself into believing that these Dementors are perfect, law-abiding, and dutiful guardians.

They walked through the area where ordinary prisoners were held and reached the cells of serious offenders.

One by one, criminals who had committed heinous crimes during Voldemort's reign of terror appeared before them.

Dumbledore walked past the cells of these notorious criminals, listening to their mockery of him, until he reached his destination.

“This is Sirius’s cell,” Kingsley said, looking at Dumbledore, who had known Dumbledore’s true purpose on the way here.

He had once deeply resented Sirius's betrayal, and he didn't know how Dumbledore had obtained this information. But if there was something fishy going on, then all their praise for Peter Pettigrew over the years would probably become a joke.

Dumbledore tapped his wand lightly, and a soft glow emanated from it.

By the light, they saw the figure huddled in the corner.

An extremely thin adult, dressed in an old prison uniform, with messy black hair like withered grass.

Sensing the appearance of the light, the figure shielded their eyes with their arm before finally seeing the familiar figure behind it.

“Albus...Dumbledore,” Sirius revealed his face at this moment.

His once handsome face now appears extremely haggard, and his eyes reveal a sense of lifelessness.

"Are you here to see me off?"

Dumbledore looked at Kingsley, who took out a key and opened the cell door.

“I’m here to confirm some things you didn’t say ten years ago,” Dumbledore said, stepping into the cell and looking at his former student and comrade-in-arms, “about that night and about Peter Pettigrew.”

Upon hearing that name, Sirius turned around and said in a hoarse voice, "Go on, Albus. If you came here to hear me repent, you've come to the wrong person."

"I've been here for ten years, and the Dementors have practically drained me dry. Are you sure you want to keep talking to a living dead like me?"

Dumbledore spoke calmly: "This winter has indeed been tough, but thankfully one of your brothers just made me a hot bowl of fruit dumplings, and I can still feel the blood flowing through my veins. It's a pity I came in a bit of a hurry and couldn't bring you a bowl too."

“Brother…” Sirius laughed self-deprecatingly, “Besides me, who else in the Black family is there? Don’t tell me it’s Regulus who crawled back from hell.”

"It's Alfard's child, Riz White."

Dumbledore said gently, “He grew up in an orphanage in London and did not inherit the Black name. He is now being cared for by Andromeda and has enrolled at Hogwarts this year in the same year as Harry Potter.”

Sirius's body trembled slightly.

The familiar names seemed to revitalize his long-dormant mind.

“Alfard’s children… Andromeda, and Harry,” he murmured, “how are they now?”

“Riz was sorted into Ravenclaw, while Harry was in Gryffindor. Although they weren’t in the same house, they became good friends. And because Riz looks somewhat like you when you were young, and Harry… except for his eyes, he’s almost a carbon copy of James, they’ve been targeted by Severus quite a bit at school.”

Upon hearing the name "Severus," Sirius Black's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"That snotty-nosed brat... is still the same as ever."

But soon, that smile disappeared from his face.

He sat up and looked at Dumbledore.

"Albus, you came all this way to tell me all this, what are you planning?"

“It seems your soul still retains consciousness, and your will has not been completely destroyed by those Dementors. Then we can continue our conversation,” Dumbledore stepped closer. “I’ll repeat myself: I’m here to confirm the truth of what happened ten years ago.”

Chapter 111: Peter the Pettigrew's Betrayal

“I can’t say where I got the information right now, but I think you’ll find out later,” Dumbledore said to Sirius. “But according to them, Peter Pettigrew is not dead yet.”

The name was like a forbidden switch, instantly igniting Sirius's emotions.

"Peter...that guy isn't dead!?"

He suddenly stood up, wanting to grab Dumbledore's clothes to question him, but he was indeed a little weak. When he suddenly stood up, he felt dizzy and his eyes were swollen. Then he staggered and fell back to the corner.

But he still tried to stand up, supporting himself with his hands on the wall.

"I should have known... That cowardly traitor, that stinking rat who only knows how to hide in other people's shadows, how could he possibly have the courage to die? It was all a disguise, the only thing he was good at!"

Kingsley had already placed an ear-blocking spell around the cell, so there was no need to worry about other prisoners noticing the sounds coming from inside.

However, at this moment, he realized that Dumbledore was probably right because of Sirius's overly strong reaction.

The traitor back then probably wasn't Sirius Black.

Dumbledore cast a spell on Sirius, which made him feel a little better.

"All we know now is that Peter Pettigrew may still be alive and hiding somewhere in the wizarding world, but we don't know what exactly happened back then."

"So, Sirius, tell the truth from back then, and maybe we can find where Peter Pettigrew is hiding now. This is your only chance to clear your name."

Sirius leaned against the wall, the warmth of the magic slightly restoring his vitality.

He began to recall the truth of what happened back then, and a few tears slid down his cheeks.

“The Secret Keeper… was someone I suggested to James and Lily to be replaced,” he said with a guilty conscience, which was why he had given up arguing and let the Aurors throw him into Azkaban to decay.

“I…I thought this was the safest way. Everyone would think I was the one keeping the secret, even that scoundrel Voldemort would definitely think it was me. So as long as I distracted them, that mediocre, cowardly, nobody would notice Peter, and he could protect James and Lily’s safety…”

He jerked his head up, his voice sharp with agitation: "I never imagined that bastard Peter had already sided with Voldemort. In less than a week, he leaked everything, leading to James's murder. So... it was my suggestion that sent my best brother to hell, Albus!"

Not only Sirius, but even Dumbledore's eyes flashed with pain.

Sirius continued, "I followed his trail and finally caught him on that street, but that damn Peter yelled at me that I killed James, and then he exploded right in front of me, blowing up half the street!"

"I thought he was dead, and everyone else thought he was dead too. All the Aurors present said that besides the dozen or so Muggle corpses he had blown up, there was only one of his finger bones left!"

"But I should have thought of that. Since that coward had planned to pin everything on me, how could he bear to die? He must have secretly cut off his own finger and then turned into a rat and crawled into the sewer to escape after the explosion!"

Upon hearing this, Kingsley, who was standing behind Dumbledore, gasped.

"Turns into a mouse, you mean Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus!?"

As an Auror, he naturally knew what this meant.

A shapeshifter not under the Ministry of Magic's control, and a rat that can be found anywhere, would be unstoppable if he wanted to plot any underhanded schemes in the past ten years.