In the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, tension crackled in the air.
By now, Peter Pettigrew had realized that Hermione Granger was no longer the naive little girl he once knew. She'd always been clever, but now her sharp mind wielded cunning and strategy he hadn't expected.
The barrage of revelations, combined with his gnawing suspicion that Sirius Black might be lurking nearby, left Peter rattled. His answers grew sloppy, riddled with inconsistencies.
Hermione pounced on every slip, relentless in her questioning.
Even the onlookers began to wonder if she was being too harsh.
"So, you stayed with Ron's family just to keep up with the latest news from the wizarding world..."
"But in our first year, you clearly knew what we were up to, yet you did nothing. By your own logic, you always follow the strong. But at the time, he was weak, so you kept hidden..."
"And now you're silent. Professor Holmes always says: when someone meets a question with silence, it means they're admitting the truth..."
The students around them were reeling, heads spinning from Hermione's rapid-fire interrogation.
Weren't they supposed to be squeezing information about Sirius Black out of Peter? How had it turned into Peter being the true traitor all along?
At last, Harry caught on to Hermione's hints. Following her lead, he asked the question that hung heavy in the air:
"So, why did you betray my parents? My father always treated you as a friend..."
That was the breaking point. Peter erupted—first clawing at his hair in wild frustration, then shrieking,
"Friend? Ha! A friend... Potter's real friend was that idiot Black. We all shared a dormitory, but he always looked down on me.
If it weren't for poor Remus pushing for me, and those two fools needing someone to make themselves look better, do you really think they'd have let me join them?
I always knew the truth. From the very start, I knew I was never truly their friend. I was slower than they were, so they mocked me, ridiculed me..."
Suddenly, everything clicked for those present. Now they understood why Hermione had pressed Peter so mercilessly—he really was hiding something.
With a flick of her hair, Hermione turned to Ron and Harry. "I'm always telling you two you're thick, that you can't answer simple questions, that you have to copy my homework. Do you think I'm humiliating you?"
Harry and Ron shook their heads at once. Banter among friends wasn't humiliation.
Hermione faced Peter again. "If they didn't see you as a friend, they wouldn't tease you. When someone calls you out to your face, they're either your friend or your enemy. If it were anyone else, do you think they'd even bother? But by your own admission, you weren't even worthy of being their enemy. They treated you as a friend, but you saw them as enemies."
Peter spat at her feet. "What do you know? You know nothing!"
Harry's wand hand trembled as he shouted, "Then why did you betray my parents? What did Voldemort offer you?"
Percy, standing behind Peter, rubbed his own head, baffled that someone so slow-witted could possibly be related to him.
Peter's voice rose to a manic screech. "Why? You want to know why? You lot are just children—you know nothing! He was powerful everywhere—what good would it do to stand against him? What's the point in fighting the most evil wizard alive?
He kills, you know? Kills! You hide behind Hogwarts' protection, clueless about the real world..."
Harry roared, "Even if we died, none of us would ever betray our friends!"
Peter glanced around at the students, his gaze full of contempt. "Then kill me! You lot can't even cast the Killing Curse—what right do you have to look down on me? You don't understand me at all. He killed so many, tortured so many. Do you even know what torture is? Do you know what the Cruciatus Curse feels like...?"
Suddenly, from the crowd, Neville Longbottom shouted, "Shut up! Diffindo!"
A jet of red light shot out, blasting apart the floor beside Peter and startling everyone.
In the confusion, Peter transformed into a rat and made a desperate dash for the door.
But he underestimated the Gryffindor spirit—these students were fiercer than he imagined. Before he could reach the exit, a Impediment Jinx from the crowd sent him flying to the far corner. Then came a flurry of Levitation Charms, pinning him down. The classroom erupted into chaos.
They might hesitate to attack an adult wizard, but a rat? Every Hogwarts student had caught their fair share.
While the room descended into pandemonium, Percy quietly edged toward the door.
Just as someone tried to push it open, Percy whipped up his wand and hit the forcibly re-transfigured Peter with a Stunning Spell. Peter collapsed in a heap.
The classroom door swung open.
"Everyone, freeze!"
"Wands away—against the wall!"
"Don't be afraid, we're Aurors. We're here to protect you."
Percy called out at once, "I'm this year's Head Boy, Percy Weasley! Peter Pettigrew has been stunned by me!"
One of the Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt—tall, bald, dark-skinned, and sporting a gold earring—spoke in his deep, measured voice, "Everyone else, guard the door. Dawlish, check on him. Kids, gather by me—stay away from the suspect so he can't grab a wand."
The students quickly obeyed, shuffling toward the door.
Many cast awestruck glances at the Aurors. After all, it was every student's dream to become one—only the best wizards got to chase down Dark wizards.
Dawlish strode over, flipped Peter's eyelid, and reported, "He's out cold."
Kingsley gave a rare smile and turned to Percy. "You're a Weasley, aren't you? I recall there's an Arthur Weasley at the Ministry..."
Ron piped up, "That's my dad! He works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office."
Dawlish added, "Oh, right—the one who wrote the Muggle Protection Act. I remember he was investigated last year over that flying car business."
At this, Harry and Ron ducked their heads, catching the Aurors' amused looks.
Just as George and Fred were about to protest in defense of their father, a sudden cry rang out from the students.
Dawlish spun around—Peter had somehow transformed back into a rat, scurrying up the wall and squeezing through a high, narrow window.
No one had thought to watch it—it was too small for a person.
Kingsley barked, "Dawlish, you said he was unconscious! Get outside and after him!"
Dawlish shoved past the students, shouting to the Aurors at the door as he sprinted toward the castle's rear.
Though Kingsley looked frustrated, he turned to reassure the panicked students, "Don't worry, kids. The Ministry will catch him. Weasley, this isn't your fault. Remember, he once faked his death and escaped right under the Ministry's nose. Take everyone back to your common room—it's safer there."
He clapped a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder before hurrying out after his colleague.
Harry called after him, "Sir, we can help! We're brilliant at catching rats!"
The other students chimed in eagerly.
Kingsley's tone was firm, "This is Ministry business now. Trust the Ministry, trust the Auror Office. Mr. Weasley, keep an eye on them—the professors will be here soon."
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