The Headmaster's Office was a flurry of chaos and tension.
The moment Peter Pettigrew transformed into a rat and slipped away, Cornelius Fudge erupted, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Idiots! Why didn't you all go after him together and catch that little vermin?"
Scrimgeour shot Fudge a withering look. "Kingsley's orders were sound. Don't forget, Pettigrew blew up an entire street a decade ago. If you want someone to blame, blame that rat's cunning."
With that, he strode briskly out of the office.
Dumbledore turned immediately to his staff. "Minerva, gather all the students in the Great Hall. Prefects, patrol the corridors. Cornelius—under no circumstances are Dementors to be allowed into Hogwarts."
Professor McGonagall left at once, flanked by Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick.
As he exited, Flitwick paused, beaming at Douglas Holmes. He gave Douglas's leg a hearty pat. "Well done!"
Douglas returned the smile, but barely had time to catch his breath before he saw Sirius Black and Remus Lupin about to storm out after Pettigrew.
He quickly intercepted them. "Remus, take Sirius to my office and wait for me. I'll be there soon—there's something important we need to discuss."
Sirius thrashed in frustration, his voice raw. "Douglas, let me go! I want to deal with that traitor myself!"
Lupin was nearly as angry. "What are you playing at?"
Douglas shot a glance at Fudge before replying, "You have to trust the Ministry—they'll catch Peter. For now, wait in my office. I have something urgent to talk over with you."
Fudge chimed in, his tone suddenly oily. "Black, Professor Holmes is right. Trust the Ministry.
Besides, the warrant for your arrest hasn't been lifted yet. You're still a wanted man—it's not appropriate for you to be seen in public.
Of course, if you're willing to settle the damages from your escape, I'll send word to the department and have your warrant withdrawn immediately."
Without hesitation, Douglas produced a Gringotts money pouch and handed it to Fudge, smiling. "Minister, here's fifty thousand Galleons. Is that sufficient? Of course, you're free to decide what the losses amount to."
Fudge's face split into a wide grin as he took the pouch, completely unbothered that Dumbledore was standing right there. "No, no, you're mistaken! This is simply Sirius's fine for being an unregistered Animagus. Twelve years in Azkaban and a hefty fine—that's punishment enough.
As for the rest, I'll head back now, withdraw Black's warrant, and issue one for Peter Pettigrew. I'll also revoke his Order of Merlin. What kind of status does he have to stand on par with me as a First Class recipient?"
With a flourish, Fudge stepped into the fireplace and vanished in a flash of green flames.
Sirius snorted in disgust. "He's no better than that rat. Douglas, why are you stopping us?"
Douglas responded quickly, "Look at yourself—do you really think it's safe for you to be out there? The Dementors would finish you off in a heartbeat. If you go out now, you'll just draw attention away from Peter. Remus, take him back to my office. I'll be along soon with something important."
Sirius argued, "That's rubbish. If I turn into a dog, the Dementors won't even notice me."
Douglas sighed and leaned in, murmuring a Muffliato charm for privacy. "Don't forget our contract. Besides, Peter isn't our only concern—we have to think about Harry. I'll bring him to see you soon, so go clean up and wait for me."
With obvious reluctance, Sirius relented and transformed back into a massive black dog.
Douglas turned to Lupin. "Remus, you understand the stakes here, don't you?"
Once the man and dog had left, Douglas finally released a long, weary breath.
Behind the desk, Dumbledore plucked a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean from his candy bowl and tossed it to Douglas. "Things are progressing even better than I'd hoped."
Douglas popped the bean into his mouth—chocolate, thankfully. "Now it's up to Peter. Let's hope he doesn't really believe Voldemort is gone for good."
Dumbledore gave a sly wink. "Then I'll leave him for you to explain."
It was only then that Douglas remembered the other occupant of the room—someone he'd left bound in the corner.
With everything that had happened, everyone had forgotten about Snape—except perhaps Sirius, who'd probably kept quiet just to let Snape stew a bit longer.
Trying not to look too sheepish, Douglas approached the furious-looking Snape.
"Professor, I'm truly sorry—I had no choice earlier... You're not saying anything, so I'll take that as agreement, right? Once I untie you, you can't attack me, deal?"
Snape's eyes blazed. Agreement? Remove the spell on my mouth and we'll see!
Douglas snapped his fingers twice, releasing both the ropes and the Silencing Charm.
Rising stiffly, Snape demanded coldly, "My wand."
Douglas hurriedly handed it over with an apologetic smile.
The instant Snape had it in hand—
"Levicorpus!"
"Protego!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Protego!"
"Langlock!"
"Protego!"
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Protego!"
"Tarantallegra!"
"Protego!"
Spell after spell ricocheted wildly off Douglas's Shield Charms, leaving the office in utter disarray.
Finally, when a stray curse rebounded onto Dumbledore's desk, the Headmaster intervened with a single spell, separating the two.
"Severus, surely you've vented enough. Now, let's get down to business."
Douglas quickly added, "Yes, Professor. I haven't even told Sirius or Lupin about this yet."
Hearing that even his old rival was in the dark, Snape swept his robes, stowed his wand, and took a measured sip of tea.
With a snap of his fingers, Dumbledore restored the office to its original state.
From the way Snape had attacked, Douglas knew he was just letting off steam; if he'd truly meant harm, a single Sectumsempra would have been far more dangerous than any Shield Charm could handle.
Still, Douglas couldn't help but feel like a two-timer—placating one side, then the other.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a magical radar, selecting a particular mode.
A red dot blinked on the display. Douglas zoomed in on the map, and Dumbledore commented, "He's still inside Hogwarts."
Noticing Snape's puzzled look, Douglas explained, "Months ago, I started feeding Peter a special type of pet food. It makes him stronger—even boosts his magical resistance—but I also mixed in a unique material. His body absorbs it, and it enters his bloodstream.
That red dot is the signal his body emits..."
Snape's voice was icy. "So, you let him escape on purpose?"
Truthfully, from everyone's reactions when Peter got away, Snape had already suspected something was off—otherwise, he'd have been first out the door.
To him, Peter was an enemy, but Black—who'd squandered Lily's trust and offered up that disastrous plan—was just as deserving of vengeance. It irked him that Douglas protected Black so zealously.
Dumbledore interjected, "It was our decision."
Douglas shook his head. "Strictly speaking, we didn't deliberately let him go. Everything depends on his own ability. We simply withheld the most crucial information. So even if he's caught, as long as he doesn't get the Dementor's Kiss on the spot, he still has a chance to escape."
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