It wasn't just Hogwarts.
The entire wizarding world was in shock!
In Knockturn Alley, wizards shopping for potion ingredients stared blankly at the massive water screen hovering overhead, their mouths hanging open.
They didn't even notice when they forgot to collect their change.
In Hogsmeade, inside the Three Broomsticks pub, the unusually busy landlady spewed out a mouthful of her drink.
Pointing at the short, stout figure on the screen, she shrieked, "Pettigrew—that's Pettigrew! I've seen him before!"
Even the dazed patients at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries snapped to attention, while residents in wizarding villages let mischievous goblins roam free without a second thought.
Almost every wizard in the heart of Britain had witnessed the "resurrected" war hero!
At the Ministry of Magic, Minister Fudge bellowed at his subordinates, "What are you all doing? Why haven't you taken that thing down?!"
He jabbed a finger at the enormous water screen, dozens of meters high, dominating the Great Hall.
He was furious, practically vibrating with agitation!
It covered an entire wall of the central atrium, visible to every Ministry employee.
It felt like a blatant slap across his face!
However, at that moment, his staff were all frozen in stunned silence.
Arthur Weasley gaped at the image of Pettigrew—who was supposed to have died in battle—on the water screen.
His briefcase slipped from his hand and thudded to the floor.
"Merlin's beard! How... how is this possible...?"
"Pettigrew isn't dead?!"
"What exactly happened back then?"
No one responded, leaving Minister Fudge trembling with rage.
"It's nothing..." He forced himself to suppress the unease churning in his gut, muttering under his breath, "Ethan's just trying to expose some twisted scheme to the wizarding world..."
"There's no way this threatens my position!"
Meanwhile, in the third-level painting, titled "A History: Love Endures," Pettigrew stared at everything in a daze.
What had he just been doing?
His mind was a whirlwind of chaos.
His memories felt shrouded in fog, hazy and indistinct.
"Peter, what's wrong?"
Pettigrew snapped back to reality.
He looked up into James Potter's concerned eyes.
Instinctively, he shrank back and let out a nervous chuckle. "N-nothing..."
James, however, misinterpreted it.
He clapped Pettigrew on the shoulder, flashed a thumbs-up, and grinned with his usual confident swagger.
"Don't worry! With Sirius as Lily's and my Secret-Keeper, Voldemort won't have a chance of finding this place!"
At the mention of that name, Pettigrew flinched.
A flicker of terror crossed his eyes, and his hands twitched involuntarily.
James remained oblivious, lost in his dreams of the future.
"Once the war's over, Lily and I are going to travel the world! We'll bring Harry along so he can see those smelly mummies in the pyramids!"
"James~!"
Lily gave him a playful punch, but her face beamed with happiness. "Haha, of course we'll win..."
Pettigrew stammered in response.
A shadow of gloom passed over his features.
He remembered it all now.
He had sworn allegiance to Voldemort.
After all, Voldemort's terror and power were infamous.
The wizarding side didn't stand a chance.
So, he hadn't done anything wrong!
The fools were these idiots who refused to see reality and kept resisting!
Pettigrew glanced at the three of them discussing the Fidelius Charm, his fists clenching tight.
His eyes darted around: Sirius is the Secret-Keeper... I need to remember the hiding place and report it to my master.
Just then, Sirius piped up. "Hey, I just had an idea."
"Why don't we make Peter the Secret-Keeper instead?"
The words hung in the air, stunning everyone.
Then James's eyes lit up.
He slapped his hands together in excitement. "Brilliant! You're my best mate, so Voldemort would naturally assume you're the Secret-Keeper—"
"But he wouldn't suspect Peter Pettigrew!"
Sirius grinned wildly. "Exactly! Reverse psychology—I love it."
Pettigrew: ?
What did that mean? They think I'm too insignificant, too cowardly to be a Secret-Keeper!
Pettigrew's gaze darkened even further... Yeah, it's always been like this.
I'm just your tag-along, "Wormtail."
You've never treated me as an equal!
But then, a rush of ecstasy surged through him.
If he became the Secret-Keeper, he could deliver the information straight to his master in one go!
And he'd skip the hassle of interrogating Sirius!
With that in mind, Pettigrew blurted out, "G-good! I'll do it—I'll be your Secret-Keeper!"
James frowned. "You sure? I'm worried about Voldemort—"
Pettigrew snapped back angrily, "You think I can't handle it?"
James smiled ruefully. "Of course not. We've never doubted your resolve."
"You and Sirius are like brothers to us! I know you wouldn't betray the secret!"
Pettigrew's bravado deflated.
He looked away, mumbling, "Th-that's only natural..."
After some more discussion, they swiftly performed the ritual, appointing Pettigrew as the Secret-Keeper.
On the other side, Harry—who had watched the entire process—felt his brain short-circuit.
Pettigrew was the Secret-Keeper??
Wasn't it supposed to be Sirius??!
Sirius was the one who leaked the secret to Voldemort, leading to my parents' deaths... But if they switched the Secret-Keeper to Pettigrew at the last minute...
Then who really betrayed them?
...And what exactly does Ethan know?
An invisible storm brewed in Harry's heart.
It swept over every wizard glued to the water screen.
Rippling out to nearly the entire British wizarding world!
Back at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall, a profound silence fell.
As if a mass Silencing Charm had enveloped the room.
Students, professors, and Aurors alike gaped, mouths wide open, staring blankly at the water screen!
Merlin... Could this be true?
Was Pettigrew really the Secret-Keeper back then?
Or did Ethan twist history on purpose?
What the hell is going on? Come on, keep playing!
At the Gryffindor table, everyone leaned in, eyes unblinking, desperate to see what happened next.
"I feel like I'm watching one of those 8 PM Muggle soap operas... I could really use a bag of popcorn right now."
Dean Thomas, a Muggle-born, was buzzing with excitement.
He stared fixedly at the water screen, itching to know how it would unfold!
But someone else was unraveling.
"Peter Pettigrew!"
Professor Snape ground out the name through clenched teeth.
His eyes burned with shock and hatred.
The veins on his wand hand bulged as he gripped it tightly.
He wanted nothing more than to charge in and blast that shifty-eyed rat with ten Cruciatus Curses!
Harry Potter! If you make a move now, I'll award Gryffindor a hundred points!!!
But his words couldn't pierce the water screen.
The scene shifted.
The warm hues faded away.
Replaced by a scene of utter devastation.
The charming little house lay in ruins, crumpled like a sandcastle.
"Hiss—!"
A collective gasp echoed through the viewers.
Even the previously hyped Dean fell quiet.
In that moment, it was hard to see this "image" as mere artwork.
It felt like a slice of real history.
Harry stood numbly amid the wreckage.
In the distance, dazzling fireworks lit up the night sky, an unconventional meteor shower streaking overhead.
Illuminating his ashen face.
Faintly, he could hear voices in the air: "You-Know-Who is dead! Harry Potter is our Savior!"
Harry opened his mouth, but his throat felt sealed shut, no sound emerging.
Until a warm hand landed on his shoulder.
He turned.
And came face-to-face with a grotesque, fanged ghost mask.
Harry: ?!!
What the—?!
The hand pressed down firmly, those fierce, malevolent eyes boring into him.
For a split second, Harry thought it was a demon from the underworld come to drag him away!
Until a familiar, clear voice spoke from behind the mask: "Don't be afraid, Harry. I'll watch the rest with you."
Harry: "..."
So it was Ethan.
He'd almost prefer the demon.
Huh, Ethan probably thinks he's being so "thoughtful" right now.
The thought made Harry want to laugh despite himself.
He didn't bother asking the obvious newbie question like "Why are you wearing such a scary mask???"
Instead, he pressed his lips together, wiped the corner of his eye, and waited in tense silence.
Soon enough, two figures apparated in with a crack!
It was Sirius and Pettigrew!
The former had the latter in a vise grip, his eyes bloodshot, like a wild animal at its breaking point.
A furious roar thundered in every viewer's ears!
"Why—why did you betray James and Lily?!"
"Why did you give their location to Voldemort?!"
Boom!!!
It hit like a sledgehammer!
Everyone's minds reeled!
Their eyes bulged, scarcely believing their ears!
At the Daily Prophet headquarters, Rita Skeeter's red lips gaped wide enough to swallow an apple!
Her Quick-Quotes Quill scribbled so furiously it blurred into afterimages!
Pettigrew was the traitor?! The Ministry of Magic's miscarriage of justice for over twelve years?!
The wizarding world is truly exciting!!!
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