The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

Professor McGonagall tried to stop him, but Dumbledore said it was fine.

“This child has the right to know about this matter, so let him come over.”

Harry glanced at Ron, who was still frozen in place. Ron looked somewhat dazed, clearly not yet accepting the fact that Scabbers was actually a man in disguise.

He whispered, "I'll tell you when I've figured things out," and followed Dumbledore.

Behind him, Professor McGonagall's stern voice could be faintly heard, reminding the Weasleys not to spread what they had seen that night before the truth was revealed.

......

This was Harry's first time in Dumbledore's office.

Most noticeably, an eerie green flame burned in the fireplace of the office, and as Dumbledore approached, he could even hear a man's voice coming from inside.

"Albus...Albus, are you back?"

Dumbledore nodded and greeted the other end of the flames: "I'm back, Cornelius."

At this moment, Harry finally noticed a somewhat anxious round face emerging from the flames.

“I finally got in touch with you. Kingsley sent me a message saying that you discovered Peter Pettigrew isn’t dead and is hiding at Hogwarts... Is that true?” Fudge wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression filled with incredulous excitement. “I was attending the Christmas ball that Lucius invited me to, and I’ve been trying to contact you ever since I got Kingsley’s message.”

He was unaware of the truth and only felt that this was a good opportunity to gain support.

His gaze then fell on Harry behind Dumbledore. He paused for a moment, then quickly recognized the boy who had miraculously survived. A kind smile appeared on his face: "Oh, this must be Harry. He really looks exactly like his father. I am Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister of Magic. If there's a chance, after this matter is settled, we can take a photo together with Peter Pettigrew, who also miraculously survived, as a celebration."

“Cornell,” Dumbledore interrupted his attempt to ingratiate himself with Harry, “I heard a peculiar rumor last night in Azkaban from the prisoners.”

Fudge turned his attention to Dumbledore: "You told me yesterday that you found out some information about the Death Eater remnants and wanted to confirm it, so what does this have to do with Pettigrew?"

In Fudge's logic, Peter Pettigrew is still a hero evading the Death Eaters.

“My initial intelligence was that Peter Pettigrew was an unregistered Animagus, and that the one who betrayed the Potters back then was not Sirius Black, but him,” Dumbledore said, staring directly at Fudge, ignoring the wide-eyed stares of both Fudge and Harry standing behind him.

Dumbledore didn't give anyone a chance to interrupt him and continued, "And my biggest takeaways in Azkaban last night were confirming things with Sirius Black himself and finding out who the real traitors were among the core Death Eaters imprisoned in the deepest parts."

"Those Death Eaters also hated Peter Pettigrew, but their reason for hating him wasn't because he was their enemy, but because they felt that Peter Pettigrew had given Voldemort the wrong information, which led to Voldemort's destruction at Potter's old house. They now all believed that Peter was a spy who ruined their business."

Fudge felt like his brain was a little oxygen-deprived.

He tried hard to keep up with Dumbledore's pace.

His voice trembled slightly as he replied, "You...you mean Sirius is innocent, and Peter, whom we've always considered a hero, is the real traitor?"

This, how is this possible... Albus, could this be a Death Eater plot, a lie to mislead you?

“You know, those guys locked up in Azkaban are all lunatics, you can’t trust what they say!”

Dumbledore nodded noncommittally, then revealed Peter Pettigrew, who was being stared at by several Aurors behind him: "I know, Cornelius. That's why I asked Kingsley to come. I believe Kingsley and his Aurors will confirm the truth with Peter Pettigrew in the most impartial way."

Fudge's expression kept changing as he looked at the timid, short, fat man.

He didn't dare let Dumbledore do everything by himself, so after a moment's hesitation, he nodded to Dumbledore: "I understand. I'll take the Interrogation Division's recorder and come over via the Floo Network right away. But before that, don't let the Daily Prophet get a word of it!"

Chapter 117: The Truth Revealed

Three hours later, the atmosphere in the principal's office became increasingly heavy.

The effects of the truth serum are gradually fading from Peter Pettigrew's body.

His once dull, beady eyes began to show signs of panic.

Because in front of Dumbledore and Fudge, the Minister of Magic, he had confessed everything he had done over the years, even every dark thought he had.

Ten years ago, when he realized the Dark Lord's power and was confronted by him, he chose to betray him out of fear.

After being chosen by the Potters as their secret agent, he personally handed over their hidden address to Voldemort.

Later, in order to frame Sirius, he deliberately ran to that street and shouted those things that would be misunderstood. Finally, before Sirius could attack him, he cut off his own finger and used an explosion magic that he himself could hardly control, eventually turning into a rat and escaping, creating the illusion that he had been cruelly killed by Sirius.

The reason for hiding in the Weasley family was to confirm whether Voldemort had truly fallen. As a pureblood, but also a pureblood traitor, the Weasleys were the safest place to hide and could obtain information about the wizarding world as soon as possible.

As for why he didn't lay a hand on Harry while they were together, it was simply because he was waiting for the right moment.

If Voldemort had truly disappeared, as a hero, he certainly wouldn't have killed Harry. In fact, he would have claimed in the future that he had always been by Harry Potter's side, protecting him as he grew up.

But if Voldemort were to return someday, a living Harry Potter would be the best way for him to return to Voldemort's side.

Such extremely selfish and cowardly remarks sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

After hearing all this, Harry felt an indescribable rage. He glared at the real traitor, who dared not look him in the eye.

Fudge was now slumped in a chair to the side.

After three hours of interrogation, his once-smooth dress had begun to wrinkle.

He kept wiping his forehead with a handkerchief to hide his nervousness.

“This is simply… a disaster,” Fudge’s voice was dry. “Peter Pettigrew is the traitor, and he framed Sirius Black… This means we’ve imprisoned a pure-blood heir who should have been a war hero in Azkaban, while the real Death Eater has been hiding outside for ten years, and in recent months, he’s even had the chance to kill Harry at any moment!”

Fudge looked up at Dumbledore, his eyes filled with apprehension: "Albus, if word gets out, the Ministry of Magic's reputation will be completely ruined!"

The doubts raised by ordinary civilians and the pure-blooded nobles will likely have a significant impact on his approval rating.

Especially the latter.

The more he comes into contact with pure-blooded wizards, the more easily he is influenced by them. Although the Black family has declined, if they really want to pursue the matter, they can still unleash unimaginable power.

Fudge never dreamed that this seemingly ordinary Christmas Eve would deliver such a heavy blow to him.

“Cornell, the mistake has been made. The only way to salvage our reputation now is to demonstrate the Ministry of Magic’s determination to correct it,” Dumbledore said, having known Fudge’s weakness and his obsession with power from the beginning, so he emphasized his words.

"Don't forget who signed the order to throw Sirius into Azkaban without trial."

Fudge paused for a moment, then, as if grasping at a straw, exclaimed, "Yes, I remember now, it's Barty Crouch!"

"That's right, it was him. At that time, the mysterious man had just fallen from power, and he showed a very tough attitude in order to compete for the ministership, so many cases were skipped from the trial stage!"

“So, it’s not your fault, Connelly,” Dumbledore replied calmly. “You just inherited a mess, and now, if you make all of this public, you’ll be the minister who personally exposes the innocence of the innocent.”

Fudge's breathing became rapid, and the panic in his eyes was gradually drawn to the scene described by Dumbledore.

He stood up and nodded vigorously: "You're right, Albus. Justice will surely be served, and the innocence of the innocent is more important than anything else!"

He turned to Kingsley: "Kingsley, take this...this shameful Death Eater away immediately, lock him in the highest level of solitary confinement, and keep him under strict guard. I want to personally draft the documents for the retrial of Sirius Black's case, and at the same time contact the Daily Prophet. I want to personally publish this document!"

Kingsley bowed silently, and together with two other Aurors, lifted Peter Pettigrew, who was already wailing and begging for mercy.

Snape silently followed the Aurors out of the office.

The other person hadn't said a word in the past three hours, just stood there coldly, like a bat hiding in the darkness.

He strode out of the office. Before leaving, Snape gave Harry a cold look, his gaze so complex it was impossible to decipher. Then, his black robes swept across the floor like bat wings, disappearing behind the door.

Fudge nodded to Dumbledore with a sigh of relief, and before leaving, he told Harry that when Sirius was released from prison, Harry might be allowed to come and watch, which left Harry somewhat bewildered.

After the other person left, only Dumbledore and Harry remained in the office.

This was the first time they had been alone together.

But as soon as Harry opened his mouth, he felt his legs go weak.

Only now did he realize that he hadn't eaten anything all night.

A wave of emptiness in his stomach made him feel dizzy, and the anger that had been supporting him became even more pronounced after the truth came out.

Dumbledore gently waved his wand, and a small table appeared in front of Harry with some food on it.

Sandwiches, pumpkin juice, roast meat, and the dumplings that Rizzi gave him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect it to take this long. I'm sure you must be starving. Would you mind if we just grabbed a quick bite here? I think you probably have a lot of questions you want to ask, so we can eat and talk at the same time."

Harry sat down, picked up a sandwich, took a bite, and drank some hot pumpkin juice to temporarily suppress his hunger.

"Professor, about Sirius being framed..." Harry hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Who first discovered it?"

Dumbledore pushed up his glasses, a hint of approval in his eyes.

"He was a very perceptive and talented person. He noticed these things that we had overlooked or were unwilling to mention again, and pointed out the oversights, which led us to find the truth of what happened back then."

Harry instantly recalled the boy who had mentioned Sirius to them.

“It’s Rhett, isn’t it?” Harry asked in a low voice, knowing that Rhett had been investigating what happened back then.

And at this moment, the only person he could think of was Ryze.

“As a prophet, Raz certainly saw further than most of us,” Dumbledore said, neither affirming nor denying it, “but neither of us wanted to publicize the other’s contribution to this matter.”

Harry paused for a moment, but quickly realized what was going on: "Is it for protection?"

Dumbledore smiled at Harry: "Too much talent will always attract jealousy. We always need to provide nourishment and protection to those saplings that are still growing, so that they can grow up healthier, right?"

He didn't continue that topic, but returned to Sirius: "You should already know that Sirius is your godfather, and still is. He's been very concerned about you in Azkaban. Although, given the Ministry of Magic's efficiency, it will probably be the end of the year at the earliest before he's truly released, I think it would be the best Christmas gift for him if you could appear in the gallery at Wizengamot to acquit him."

"Of course, that is, provided you are willing to take some time during your vacation to go to London."

Chapter 118: Acquittal

On December 27, the special edition of The Prophet's Daily almost shocked the entire British wizarding community.

A huge front-page headline dominated everyone's view: "Sirius Black Innocent? The Real Traitor Has Been Hiding for a Decade!"

In the photo, Cornelius Fudge stands upright, signing a serious review order with a solemn expression, while behind him is Peter Pettigrew, who looks particularly dejected and is being tightly escorted by Aurors from the Ministry of Magic.

The report states that Peter Pettigrew, the "hero" who was posthumously awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, is the real traitor. After causing the explosion ten years ago, he has been hiding in the form of an Animagus in a wizarding family, serving as their pet for a full decade to evade legal punishment.

Of course, the newspapers also pointedly mentioned the source of all this.

In the postwar reckoning, the then-Chief of the Law Enforcement Division, Batty Klaus, in pursuit of efficiency, signed an order to send Blake to Azkaban without any formal trial, leading to this decade-long miscarriage of justice.

The shockwaves caused by this newspaper were enormous, drawing countless eyes to the Wizengamot trial chamber.

Located in the Ministry of Magic's underground, the towering tiered seating area was filled with wizards from all over the world, all there to witness the wrongful conviction from ten years ago and the story of Sirius Black, who was unjustly imprisoned.

Harry was sitting in the front row of the audience.

Beside him were the Tonks and Ritz.

He had originally intended to ask Rhett more about the matter in private, but he and Dumbledore arrived a bit late. They had barely greeted Rhett when the trial began.

Sirius Black was the first to be brought in.

He was even thinner than Harry had imagined, and his hair was very dry. Harry could hardly connect him with the young man in his parents' photo who bore a slight resemblance to Rizz.

He wasn't locked to the chair; this was Fudge's special arrangement.

Then Peter Pettigrew was brought in as well.

Peter looked much more disheveled than Sirius.

He was dragged in by two Aurors, his feet on the ground. His rat-like face was somewhat dazed, clearly indicating that he had been given truth serum again before the trial.

“Name,” Fudge asked Peter Pettigrew, sitting high on the judge’s bench.

“Peter Pettigrew…”

"Regarding the night of October 31, 1981, did you betray the Potters' hiding place to a mysterious person?"

"Yes... I was the one keeping the secret at the time... I gave him the address."

Although the news had already spread throughout the wizarding world, a commotion and gasps still erupted from the audience.

Fudge calmed the atmosphere in the interrogation room and continued to interrogate Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black in turn.

The trial proceeded very quickly.

Under the influence of the truth serum, Peter confessed every detail from ten years ago. Along the way, Sirius Black, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but want to go over and beat him up several times, but the Aurors held him back each time.

Fudge stood up and looked around: "The evidence is conclusive, so let's move on to the vote by raising a hand."

"Raise your hand if you agree to bring charges against Peter Pettigrew, including murder, illegal Animagus acts, and other offenses, and sentence him to life imprisonment in Azkaban."

As the voice faded, hands rose one after another in the judge's dock.

All the Wizengamo members passed the verdict against Peter Pettigrew, the despicable traitor.

“Unanimously approved,” Fudge slammed his gavel down, glancing disgustedly at Peter below. “Take him away and execute him immediately.”

The atmosphere in the trial room became slightly more relaxed after Peter Pettigrew was dragged away.

However, there is still one last task that has not been completed.

"Next, the retrial vote on Sirius Black."

"Given the new evidence and the testimony of the real culprit, those who agree to drop all charges against Sirius Black and to immediately restore his reputation and his rights as a citizen of the British wizarding world, please raise your hands."

This time, they raised their hands even faster than when they had sentenced Peter.