HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

He tapped the map with his wand, and it instantly activated, revealing the entirety of Hogwarts and countless moving names.

"This magical item can display the location and real name of everyone in the castle. Most importantly, it cannot be fooled by regular illusion charms or Animagus forms."

The professors gathered around, curiously examining the magic map in his hand.

“You mean,” Professor McGonagall’s voice tightened, “that we can use it to find Peter Pettigrew?”

“It has been found,” Sagres replied calmly.

He extended his wand and pointed to a tiny ink dot on the map that was slowly moving through the common room area of ​​the Gryffindor Tower.

Next to that ink spot, a name that made everyone's pupils shrink was clearly marked:

Peter Pettigrew

The air froze instantly.

……

In the warm common room of the Gryffindor Tower, a fat, gray mouse struggled to squeeze out from the bottom of a sofa.

It—or rather, it—Peter Pettigrew, having just finished enjoying some breadcrumbs stolen from the kitchen, was now burping contentedly.

"It's safe...it's finally safe..."

Peter's vile heart pounded triumphantly in his chest.

Blake is dead!

He was personally killed by that horrible Greengrass!

Hogwarts returned to peace, and his days of fear and hiding were finally over.

Just a few days of peace and the stolen food caused his weight to quickly return, so much so that it took him a lot of effort to squeeze out from under the sofa.

"When those little brats come back from their wild time in Hogsmeade, I'll pretend to be a 'lost' mouse that was 'luckily' found."

Peter pondered, a cunning glint in his beady mouse eyes.

"That silly boy Ron will be both surprised and delighted, and he'll give me even more treats... I'll continue being Scabbers, the pet mouse of a Ministry of Magic official, what a perfect cover... until my master returns..."

He shook off his dusty fur, and with what he thought were light and agile little legs, prepared to sneak back to Ron's dormitory and find a comfortable corner to take a nap.

However, in the instant he turned around—

My blood felt like it was frozen!

His tiny, rat-like eyes were wide open, almost bursting with extreme fear.

The doorway to the lounge had been silently filled with people.

It was like the worst nightmare had descended.

Sagles stood at the forefront, his deep, cold gray eyes silently watching him.

Behind him were Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout, Lupin…

All the professors he avoided like the plague, as well as Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasley twins, and... that "dead" Sirius Black!

They all stared at him, this lowly mouse, with blank expressions.

Peter's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of his thin chest.

We've been exposed?!

Do not!impossible!

He was just a mouse! An ordinary mouse!

He suppressed the fear that threatened to make him lose control of his bladder, and instinctively drove his obese body to squeak in a series of panicked sounds, like a real, frightened mouse.

Those four short legs struggled desperately, trying to rush toward Ron—this was the only lifeline he could think of at that moment!

"Squeak!"

He screamed in the most pitiful sound a mouse could make, his beady eyes desperately squeezing out tears of terror, and lunged toward Ron's feet.

However, he couldn't even get a step closer to Ron.

With a flick of his wand, Sargeras unleashed an irresistible force that instantly subdued Peter's obese rat-like body.

"Do not--!!!"

A piercing, yet human scream replaced the squeaking of the mouse.

Under the cold gaze of everyone, the fat, gray-black rat's body began to twist, swell, and deform violently.

Its bones crackled and popped, making a tooth-grinding sound, and its fur disappeared as if the tide had receded.

In just a few seconds, a short, fat man with thinning, greasy hair collapsed like a lump of mud on the warm carpet of the common room—it was Peter Pettigrew, who had been "dead" for many years.

He is no longer a mouse.

He reverted to being that despicable traitor.

Peter collapsed to the ground, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

But after a brief period of despair, like falling into an ice cave, the instinct for survival grows wildly like a poisonous vine.

He still has a chance!

If they can trust Sirius Black, why can't they trust me?

The lie had already created a crack in his mind; he had been deceiving this group of people for over a decade, so there was no reason why he couldn't fool them this time.

He was still weaving lies in his mind when someone spoke up.

"Hello, Peter, it's been a long time," Lupin said first, but his tone lacked the joy of seeing an old friend.

“Re...Remus…” Peter Pettigrew’s voice was high-pitched, his eyes glancing toward the door, “My friend…my old friend…”

“Yes, old friend.” Lupin nodded. “We’ve heard some things about you, um, would you like to hear them?”

“Remus,” Sirius said urgently, beads of sweat forming on his pale face, “you don’t believe him, do you…? Remus, Sirius’s words are not to be trusted, he wants to kill me, Remus…”

“Nobody’s going to kill you until we figure some things out,” Lupin said.

“He can! He has dark magic we can't even dream of!” Little Pettigrew shrieked. “Otherwise, how could he have escaped from Azkaban? I bet that guy whose name we can't even mention taught him a few tricks!”

"Hahaha!" Blake laughed, but there was no real joy in his laughter. "Voldemort? Taught me a few moves?"

Peter shrank back when he heard the name.

"What? Are you scared when you hear your old master's name?"

Blake grinned maliciously. “It’s understandable, Peter. His men aren’t too happy with you, are they? If they find out you’re still alive… hey, you know what’s going to happen.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying…” Little Star kept shaking his head, then looked at the crowd opposite him.

"You won't believe this nonsense, will you? If the Dark Lord's men are really looking for me, it's because I sent his right-hand man to Azkaban, right? Sirius Black is the Dark Lord's most loyal henchman. He's a member of the Black family, a pure-blood without a doubt. Look at his family..."

Blake's face contorted.

“How dare you say such a thing!” he roared. “Me, Voldemort’s lackey? When have I ever fawned over anyone stronger than me? It’s you who always likes powerful friends so you can get their protection, isn’t that right? Back in school it was me, Remus, and James, and then it became Voldemort…”

“Believe me, Harry,” Black said, looking at Harry in a hoarse voice. “Believe me, I have never betrayed James and Lily, and I would rather die than betray them.”

Harry's throat tightened, and he couldn't speak, but he nodded.

He truly believed it; otherwise, why would anyone willingly be a rat for over ten years?

When Peter saw Harry nod, his little eyes instantly filled with tears, snot and tears streaming down his face. He crawled toward Harry on all fours, his voice hoarse and shrill, filled with remorse.

“Harry! Oh, for James and Lily’s sake! Harry, my dear child! I was forced! The Dark Lord… he’s too powerful! He coerced me! I… I had no choice! I’ve always wanted to protect you! I’ve always been protecting you in secret! Forgive me! Please, forgive me!”

He tried to grab Harry's trouser leg.

Harry took a step back abruptly, his emerald eyes devoid of warmth, filled only with icy hatred and indescribable nausea.

Looking at the tearful, pleading face before him, he couldn't believe that his parents had been betrayed by such a person.

Seeing that Harry was unmoved, Peter immediately turned around and crawled towards Lupin on all fours, his cries even more pitiful:

“Remus! My old friend! My brother! I was wrong! I was so wrong! It was the Dark Lord… it was him! He forced me to do this! He threatened to kill me! You know how crazy he is! Remus, do you remember? We used to be… raiders… we were brothers! Spare me! Please, spare my worthless life!”

He kowtowed repeatedly.

Lupin closed his eyes, his face deathly pale, his body trembling slightly, as if he were trying his best to suppress some surging emotion.

Brother? The word coming from Peter's mouth made Lupin feel nauseous.

Peter turned to Ron in despair: "Ron! Good boy! Kind boy! I...I'm your Scabbers! I've been with you for so many years! For the sake of the joy I've brought you...please, please! Tell them I didn't mean to! I'm just...just a poor little mouse!"

He tried to win Ron over with their past relationship.

Ron's face was contorted with extreme anger and disgust. His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but in the end he just turned his head away abruptly.

The thought that he had shared a bed with this traitor who had caused the deaths of Harry's parents for so long made his stomach churn.

Peter lunged at Professor McGonagall again: "Professor McGonagall! Stern but fair Vice-Principal! I...I know I was wrong! I'm willing to repent! I'm even willing to go to Azkaban! Please! Don't kill me! Give me a chance to reform! I'll do anything!"

He cried out, his voice piercing.

Professor McGonagall took a half-step back in disgust, as if avoiding something extremely filthy, her lips pressed into a stern line.

Peter then turned to Dumbledore: "Oh, great Headmaster Dumbledore, you are so gentle, so kind! You are the most forgiving headmaster in history. Save me! If you just say the word and spare my life, they will all agree. Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore's blue eyes were filled with deep sorrow and an all-knowing compassion, but he pursed his lips and remained silent.

Finally, Peter saw Snape, as if grasping at a last straw: "Severus! Professor Snape! We...we were all loyal to the Dark Lord! For the sake of the past! Help me! Please talk to the Headmaster! Don't let them kill me! We're on the same side!"

Snape's face instantly turned frosty, and his cold black eyes flashed with extreme disgust and contempt, as if he had seen the most disgusting thing in the world.

His thin lips moved, his voice hoarse: "Stop your disgusting performance, Peter. Or you could try asking someone else."

“The others?” Peter was stunned for a moment. He turned to Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick, his voice trembling with tears. “Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, please save me! I’m your student! Although my grades aren’t very good, I’m definitely the most honest and pitiful one, aren’t I?”

Professor Flitwick turned his head away, and Professor Sprout also sighed, remaining silent.

“Oh no—” Peter knelt before the twins, “Gentlemen, please, for the sake of all these years we’ve lived together…”

The Weasley twins looked away.

Peter turned around on his knees and came to Hermione, pleadingly tugging at her robe:

“Lovely girl… clever girl… you won’t let them kill me… you will stop them, right? You’re so smart, you…”

Hermione pulled the robe out of Pettigrew's hand, took a step back, and looked somewhat frightened.