"Sirius! You traitor!" Remus Lupin, usually so mild-mannered, had eyes burning red like a furious beast. He drew his wand, ready to cast an Unforgivable Curse.
Wes Elwin reacted instantly—his Disarming Charm sent Lupin's wand flying.
Seeing that Lupin's rage was about to push him into transforming into a werewolf, Dumbledore spoke just in time to stop him.
"Calm yourself, Remus. I'm sure Wes will give us a reasonable explanation."
Dumbledore's words still carried weight—Lupin gradually cooled down, though his eyes never left Sirius, as if afraid he might escape.
Wes explained the whole sequence of events in detail, then opened the Marauder's Map—where the name Peter Pettigrew shone unmistakably.
As one of the map's creators, Lupin knew exactly what that meant.
"Why is Wormtail still alive? Why is he here at Hogwarts?"
Sirius stepped forward, meeting Lupin's incredulous gaze. "I can explain everything."
He recounted to everyone present the decision to make Wormtail their Secret-Keeper back then.
At the time, he thought it was a clever move—never imagining that Wormtail would betray them and hand their secret to Voldemort.
"How could this happen?" Lupin struggled to believe his old friend had endured such deep misunderstanding and suffering.
"I haven't lied. You can use Veritaserum, or search my memories—I never betrayed James. I'm not a traitor." Sirius's voice was almost pleading; he was willing to accept any test. In this moment, he longed desperately for their trust.
Lupin gripped Sirius's shoulders tightly. "Then why didn't you defend yourself back then? Why not tell the truth?"
"At that time, James and Lily were dead, Voldemort's whereabouts were unknown, Wormtail was 'dead,' and I… the arrogant fool… was the only one still alive." Sirius lowered his head, filled with guilt and shame. "I went to Azkaban willingly… I was atoning."
His words drew the whole room into silence.
"Black…" Lupin's voice trembled. He believed Sirius. In truth, he had always had doubts about Sirius's supposed betrayal.
Lupin hugged him tightly. Sirius looked up and asked, "You believe me?"
"Of course."
But just as a smile began to form on Sirius's face, Lupin's right fist shot out, striking him hard in the cheek. Sirius fell to the floor with a thud.
He struggled to get up, blood streaming from his nose, pain etched across his face as he stared at Lupin.
"You are the most selfish, most foolish man in this world!" Lupin's tears streamed down his cheeks as he roared in anguish.
Sirius laughed brightly, though his bloodstained face made the sight chilling.
There was release in that laughter, as though in that instant he had finally found some kind of freedom.
Once the bleeding stopped, the four of them gathered around the desk. Four pairs of eyes, sharp as blades, were fixed on one name glowing on the Marauder's Map—Peter Pettigrew. That name drew them in, for it held all the answers.
"Just grab this traitor and force the truth out of him," Lupin said, eyes burning with rage. He wanted nothing more than to catch Pettigrew immediately and make him pay for his crimes.
Sirius clenched his fists, suppressing his fury. Though outwardly calm, years of injustice and suffering had turned into pure hatred for Pettigrew.
Wes fully agreed with Lupin. With him and Dumbledore on the job, Pettigrew wouldn't stand a chance of escaping.
To avoid giving Pettigrew any chance to slip away, Wes suggested they act immediately.
The proposal was unanimously approved. With the Marauder's Map, things would be simple.
Scabbers—or rather, Peter Pettigrew—had been living in constant fear lately.
News of Sirius's escape had terrified him. He felt certain Sirius was coming for him.
Damn it, where did I slip up so that mongrel realized I was alive? The rat hid in a corner of the castle wall, head swiveling constantly, eyes darting around warily.
And that stupid cat…
"Meow~"
The cat's cry was like a clap of thunder, making Pettigrew flinch and bolt.
Crookshanks herded him purposefully in one direction. Pettigrew didn't notice the people thinning around him; he only wanted to shake off the cat.
When he found himself in an empty corridor, he realized something was wrong.
"Woof!!"
A large black dog appeared in front of him.
Pettigrew screamed, "Sirius!!!"
The next second, his mind went blank as Wes's Stunner hit him perfectly, knocking him out cold.
Sirius growled and moved to tear Pettigrew apart on the spot.
Wes stopped him. "If he dies, your name will never be cleared. Don't you want to live with Harry?"
Those words hit Sirius like a hammer, bringing him to his senses instantly.
Wes shoved Pettigrew into a cage he had prepared beforehand. Man, cat, and dog headed back to the headmaster's office.
Lupin, impatient, grabbed the cage and inspected the rat closely. "It's him. It's really him!!"
The Marauders knew each other's Animagus forms well. This rat's missing finger confirmed Pettigrew's identity.
Sirius changed back into human form, grabbed Pettigrew out of the cage, and threw him roughly to the floor.
The thud echoed as Pettigrew—still unconscious from Wes's spell—hit the ground.
Lupin shoved Sirius aside and drew his wand. "Cruciatus!"
The curse hit the rat squarely. Gentle men truly are terrifying when enraged.
Dumbledore acted like he hadn't seen a thing, calmly polishing his glasses.
Pettigrew convulsed violently, his body twisting in agony. Lupin wasn't done—he raised his wand again for another round.
"Enough, Lupin!" Dumbledore finally intervened. "We need him conscious to learn the whole truth."
The pain was too great for Pettigrew to keep his Animagus form.
The rat swelled and transformed into a short, pudgy, balding man with a greasy face. His squeaks became human wails.
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.
If you do subscribe, please do so in the web patreon, not the ios app.