Ron handed Sherlock a copy of the Daily Prophet.
The front page featured a conspicuous large photograph: a balding, short man blinking slowly none other than Peter Pettigrew whom they had seen not long ago in the Headmaster's office.
In this photo, his face looked panicked and utterly wretched.
With his shifty eyes and rat-like facial features, he clearly didn't look like a good person. The text below the photo explained perfectly what it meant for one's appearance to reflect one's heart.
Below the photograph was a headline in large, prominent letters:
Ministry of Magic Final Investigation Announcement Regarding the 1981 Potter Murder Case and the Sirius Black Case
Following a joint investigation by the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Department of Mysteries, and the Wizengamot, we hereby announce the truth regarding the 1981 Potter murder case and the Sirius Black case:
Peter Pettigrew was an unregistered Animagus who replaced Sirius Black as the Potters' Secret-Keeper.
Pettigrew betrayed the Potters' hiding place to the Dark Lord on October 31, 1981, directly leading to their deaths.
The original accused, Sirius Black, was in fact an innocent victim who fulfilled his duties as the intended Secret-Keeper until the last moment and attempted to prevent Pettigrew's betrayal.
After the incident, Mr. Black tracked Pettigrew to a London street and exposed his crimes.
To cover up his betrayal, Pettigrew used an explosive curse to destroy the street and murder thirteen people, deliberately framing Black for the massacre before transforming into a rat and escaping.
Mr. Black thus suffered twelve years of wrongful imprisonment. His loyalty and courage deserve recognition from the entire wizarding world.
Current Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge recently reviewed historical case files and discovered the Ministry's misjudgment of the Black case.
Minister Fudge, with extraordinary political courage, initiated a secret investigation. Upon learning the truth, he covertly authorized Black to track Pettigrew's whereabouts. The prison break was in fact a cover.
This strategic deployment successfully forced Pettigrew to reveal himself at Hogwarts, where he was captured in December 1993.
After his capture, Pettigrew confessed to his crimes under Veritaserum interrogation and memory extraction verification.
The Ministry's special tribunal immediately dismissed all charges against Mr. Black and posthumously awarded him the Order of Merlin.
Due to his treacherous acts, murder of Muggles, and illegal Animagus status, Pettigrew's original Order of Merlin has been revoked, and he has been sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, to be carried out shortly at Azkaban.
The successful resolution of this case benefited from the full cooperation of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff.
The Ministry reaffirms the necessity of coordination with educational institutions to maintain social safety and highly commends Professor Dumbledore's crucial role in revealing the truth.
This case demonstrates the Ministry's commitment to not tolerating historical errors and not evading judicial responsibility.
Minister Cornelius Fudge emphasized: "Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent. The Ministry will continue to improve its oversight system, maintain judicial fairness, and anyone who attempts to challenge legal authority will ultimately pay the price."
Ministry of Magic Press Office December 1993
(Note: This announcement was approved by the Wizengamot and is published simultaneously in the Law Enforcement Gazette and the International Confederation of Wizards Newsletter)
"Sherlock, how on earth did Mycroft do it?" Ron looked at Sherlock, his face full of amazement. "The Ministry wouldn't even give Headmaster Dumbledore face, yet you just wrote a letter and solved everything? Is your brother really that impressive?"
"Calm down, Ron," Dean said from the side. "This investigation announcement doesn't mention Sherlock's brother at all—it doesn't even mention Sherlock. It only talks about Minister Fudge's brilliant leadership, as if they knew the truth all along!"
"Brilliant my arse!" Ron said angrily. "The Ministry is shameless to the extreme! They did absolutely nothing—they were even trying to hide the truth before."
Harry, who had initially been as happy as Ron about Sirius's vindication, now said indignantly after hearing Ron's words:
"You did everything from start to finish, and they didn't even mention your name!"
Neville and Dean were stunned. "What? You mean Sherlock discovered all this?"
After their initial surprise, the two quickly accepted it.
As Sherlock's roommates, they knew all too well what this genius was capable of.
For someone who could look at you once and tell you everything you'd done that day in detail, discovering the truth was only natural, wasn't it?
Seeing his friends' indignation on his behalf, Sherlock couldn't help but laugh:
"Gentlemen, there's no need to be angry over such a small matter. As long as the truth is made public and the criminal receives his due punishment, I'm completely satisfied.
As for them being able to claim credit for themselves—that's inconsequential. As the Roman miser said: 'Let others laugh or scold as they will; I do as I please. With treasures in my vault, I alone enjoy them.'"
Hearing Sherlock's words, all the dormmates fell silent.
They looked at Sherlock, deeply admiring his indifference to fame and fortune.
They were at an age where they loved showing off and being recognized.
Especially Ron, born into a family with five excellent older brothers, constantly imagined himself becoming the center of attention like his friend Harry.
He asked himself honestly—if their positions were reversed and he were in Sherlock's shoes, he absolutely couldn't be so unconcerned about having all the credit stolen like this.
In comparison, Sherlock's usual enjoyment of friends' praise for his brilliant deductions was nothing worth mentioning at all!
"So how exactly did your brother do it?" After coming full circle, the topic returned to the beginning. Ron asked curiously, "How did he make the Ministry change their attitude?"
Sherlock smiled slightly. "For Mycroft, it's as simple as you eating two chicken legs."
Ron was stunned. "Even so, he's still a Muggle!"
"A Muggle... so what?"
Sherlock's fingers tapped out a rhythmic beat on the bedpost, his gray eyes sweeping over Ron's tense and confused expression.
"Dear Ron, do you think wands and spells are the sum total of power?"
Seeing Ron actually nod unconsciously, he scoffed and casually picked up the alarm clock from Harry's bedside:
"Look at this—Muggles, dismissed by wizards, measure time with gears and springs, tear open the earth with steel and steam. Their minds, without wands, make iron birds pierce clouds and iron horses tunnel through mountains."
Seeing Ron and Neville, these two pure-blood wizards, still looking confused, he pressed his palms together under his chin, his gaze sharp.
"I can say with certainty that Mycroft doesn't need any magic to manipulate all of Britain. Because he wields a weapon more lethal than any wand—logic.
"Magic can instantly transport objects; Muggle mathematics can calculate the trajectories of stars. Their words can construct theories that revolutionize the world.
"Magic and Muggle wisdom are like two parallel rivers, both driving the world forward.
Never learn from those idiots who worship pure-blood supremacy. To cover up their fear of the unknown, they created labels like 'Mudblood' that seem contemptuous but are actually laughable."
Sherlock gently placed the alarm clock on the table, the metal touching the surface with a soft sound:
"True strength lies in appreciating brilliance in different domains. Mycroft can make the Ministry bow because he deeply understands both types of power. Magic has its intricacies, and Muggle wisdom has irreplaceable value. And the rules are redefined in the collision of these two forces."
Ron and Neville listened, half-understanding. Harry and Dean lowered their heads in deep thought.
At this moment, Sherlock chuckled. "More than that, there's something else that surprises me."
"What?" Ron immediately asked.
"That Peter was directly sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, that doesn't seem like the Minister's usual style."
Harry also emerged from his contemplation, looking at Sherlock curiously: "The Dementor's Kiss, what's that?"
"It's the Dementors' worst weapon, only used when they want to completely destroy someone," Ron jumped in. "No one knows what's under a Dementor's cloak, because only when using this move do they lower it. They press their jaws to those people's mouths and suck out their souls."
"What? They kill those people?" Harry and Dean were horrified.
"No, not kill them—it's worse than killing." At this point, Ron and Neville, both from pure-blood families, couldn't help but shudder.
"No soul, just the brain and heart working, no self-awareness, no memories, nothing left."
"Sounds a bit like a vegetative state," Harry understood.
"What's a vegetative state?" This time it was Ron and Neville's turn to ask.
"In fact, a person without a soul is even more pitiable than someone in a vegetative state," Sherlock said quietly. "At least a vegetative patient has hope of waking. But if a person loses their soul, they can never recover—just a walking corpse, a blank shell without thought."
"I remember now—the Daily Prophet wrote before that the Ministry authorized the Dementors to treat Black this way once they caught him," Dean patted his chest. "Oh, just thinking about it is terrifying!"
Harry sat silently on the bed.
Sucking someone's soul out through their mouth—the thought shocked him.
But after a moment, he said, "He deserves it."
Even Harry, typically generous and forgiving, couldn't forgive what Peter Pettigrew had done.
He could accept that Peter couldn't be as brave as his father and the other Order members in fighting Voldemort.
He could even accept Peter abandoning the fight and running away.
But he couldn't accept Peter's betrayal.
His treachery had caused his parents' deaths and made him an orphan.
Such a person deserved to die!
After saying this, however, he looked at Sherlock with some concern.
"Sherlock, do you... think I'm too vicious... that Peter shouldn't deserve such punishment?"
"Quite the contrary, my dear Harry."
Sherlock turned to look at Harry with an encouraging gaze.
"If you repay resentment with kindness, how will you repay kindness? Only by repaying resentment with justice and kindness with kindness. Kindness is a virtue, but you can't choose the wrong object—you've heard the story of the farmer and the snake, haven't you?"
Seeing Harry nod, Sherlock continued.
"Those who disregard others for their own interests deserve such an end. Don't forget, his betrayal not only caused Sirius to spend twelve years in Azkaban, and didn't just kill your parents and make you an orphan."
At this moment, Sherlock's tone became especially serious. "There were also those thirteen innocent people on the street who lost their precious lives and thirteen families who lost their loved ones, simply because of Peter's selfishness."
Hearing Sherlock's consolation, the slight guilt in Harry's heart also disappeared.
As the Daily Prophet, Law Enforcement Gazette, and International Confederation of Wizards Newsletter, all major publications carried the investigation announcement, and with word of mouth spreading, this matter instantly became the hot topic everyone discussed before the holidays.
Of course, more obvious changes came later.
At breakfast, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appeared prominently in the Great Hall.
Dumbledore tapped his fingertip against the cup of honey water in front of him, signaling the discussing students and staff to quiet down.
"I'm afraid I must interrupt your enjoyment of this delicious food. The Ministry believes it necessary to personally explain certain—ah—Christmas gifts that are twelve years late."
Dumbledore gestured to Cornelius Fudge, who had appeared beside him. "Please remain quiet. The Minister will now explain the front-page content of the Daily Prophet for us."
After saying this, his gaze inadvertently swept over Sherlock.
Their eyes met briefly before separating.
At the same time, Fudge also stood up. His moleskin cloak swept across the silver plate in front of Snape, making the latter frown and move his plate aside with disgust.
After Fudge sat back down, he pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping his forehead while speaking:
"Dear children! As your Minister of Magic, I believe you've already seen today's Daily Prophet. I must emphasize..."
At this point, he suddenly raised his voice, as if secretly casting a Sonorus Charm on himself:
"When certain old cases threatened the stability of the wizarding world, it was I! Cornelius Fudge! Who overcame opposition to reopen the investigation!
I firmly believe that the Ministry's authority should be built on the foundation of facing history and defending truth. Faced with that regrettable miscarriage of justice twelve years ago, I felt a heavy responsibility.
Since taking office, I personally promoted the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's thorough investigation of old cases, with extraordinary courage reforming rigid procedures and re-examining key evidence—including the fatal oversight of unregistered Animagus registration and the credibility of Muggle eyewitness testimony.
It was precisely this series of decisive decisions that brought Peter's betrayal and Black's innocence to light!
Starting today, all Dementors will be withdrawn from the school, and everyone can move freely!"
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