"…and it is our very own Rubeus Hagrid—"
After Dumbledore announced the news, applause thundered through the hall, even louder than the greeting Lupin had received earlier. Hagrid was evidently well liked among the students.
Hagrid was sitting beside Professor McGonagall. McGonagall nudged him with an elbow, signaling for him to stand and greet the students. Almost immediately she regretted it — Hagrid's bulk was enormous, and as he rose his beer belly swept across the table and sent the dinnerware flying.
"The next matter is more serious. At the Ministry's request, Dementors from Azkaban will be stationed at Hogwarts until Sirius Black is captured."
"They will guard the school's entrances to prevent an escaped prisoner from entering. Although I have been given assurances that their presence will not interfere with your daily studies…"
"But I must remind you: Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the fugitive they pursue and any person who stands in their way."
"Therefore I warn you all not to give them cause to harm you."
"And finally — for personal reasons I will need to be away from the school for a while. During my absence Professor Snape will serve as Acting Headmaster."
Dumbledore dropped a second bombshell before the students had time to digest the first. Hullabaloo erupted among the four houses; the Great Hall buzzed with nonstop discussion.
Harry reacted most strongly. He had not expected things to unfold so suddenly — one of his chief protectors was announcing an absence. And worse: Severus Snape as Acting Headmaster.
Dementors plus Acting Headmaster Snape. The prospect made Harry feel that the upcoming term would be unbearably bleak. He resolved, then and there, that he had to settle the Sirius business as soon as possible. At the very least, he wanted the Ministry to withdraw those Dementors — he did not want to suffer that soul-deadening fear again.
"All right, children, rest assured: if all goes well I shall return soon." Dumbledore soothed the students. "Now — let us enjoy this excellent feast!"
Arthur heard that and couldn't help but smirk inwardly. With Voldemort's present state of affairs, whether Dumbledore would be seen again this term was not a certainty.
Once the feast wound down, the students dispersed. Arthur had barely returned to the Gryffindor dormitory when someone knocked on his door.
He opened it to find Harry standing on the threshold.
Without waiting for a greeting, Harry grabbed Arthur and pulled him out the door, saying, "Arthur — come on, we can act now."
"Act?" Arthur asked, puzzled. "Act on what?"
"About checking whether Scabbers is really Peter Pettigrew! You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"That? Of course I haven't forgotten. But are we just going to arrest Scabbers like this? Won't Ron object?"
"Don't worry. He won't object — I put a sleeping draught in his drink. He won't wake up for a while."
All right then—Ron would have a good dream tonight.
Harry led Arthur to his dormitory. On Ron's bedside table sat the little rat in a wooden cage, sleeping contentedly. The rat (Pettigrew in his Animagus form) suddenly felt a cold prickle of foreboding and woke up with a start — and immediately saw Arthur and Harry staring straight at him.
Pettigrew felt the danger, but before he could react Arthur bound him with magic.
"Excellent! Arthur, now make him show his true form," Harry said eagerly.
"Not so fast," Arthur replied. "Sirius is not currently here, and we lack a witness of sufficient weight."
"You mean…?"
"Come on. Fetch Sirius. Let's go to Dumbledore — he hasn't left Hogwarts yet."
Arthur and Harry walked to the owlery. Sirius had been hiding there. Hogwarts allows small animals like owls, cats, and toads on the grounds — Sirius's large black dog form couldn't simply slip in. Harry had asked Arthur for help, so Arthur lent him the Disguise Veil.
Sirius slipped in as Harry's second pet owl. When he saw Harry holding a mouse, he transformed back instantly and leapt at him. Arthur waved his hand, binding Sirius as well and muffling his mouth. They were out on a nighttime errand; Arthur didn't want Filch alerted by noise.
"Calm down for now," Arthur said, then used Levitation to trudge them toward the Headmaster's office.
Sirius gave Harry a puzzled look. Harry whispered in his ear, "We're going to Dumbledore. We'll explain there. Keep quiet so we don't alert Filch."
Standing outside the Headmaster's door, Arthur began the familiar charm to lift the stairway — reciting passphrases until "Lemon Sherbet" unlocked the ascending steps. Harry watched in amazement — so the Head's password could be played like that too.
They entered an empty office. For a moment Harry wondered whether Dumbledore had already left the castle. Then, with a soft creak, Dumbledore appeared on the stairs above — robes replaced by nightclothes; he had clearly been preparing to sleep.
Dumbledore blinked at the unusual sight: Arthur, Harry, and above them the levitating, bound Animagus.
"I did not expect that Sirius Black — hunted by the Ministry for weeks — would be taken into custody by you," Dumbledore said with mild wonder.
"You would be surprised at many things tonight. For example, you are not the only protagonist of this evening." Arthur replied.
"Oh? Is there something else this old man should know?"
Arthur said nothing. He gestured to Harry to throw the mouse to the floor; then he used an anti-Animagus charm to force Peter Pettigrew to reveal his human form.
Dumbledore was taken aback — Pettigrew was not dead. The situation from years ago might be more complicated than he had assumed. Looking at Sirius, who flailed as if trying to speak, Dumbledore asked, "Very well. It seems this matter is more complex than I thought. Could you release Pettigrew's mouth first?"
Arthur waved; all bindings fell away. On the way to the Headmaster's office Sirius had calmed; once freed, he did not lung at the bound Pettigrew.
"All right — talk among yourselves," Arthur tossed the remark aside and wandered off to amuse the phoenix.
…
"So — can someone enlighten this old man?" Dumbledore asked Harry.
Harry recounted what Sirius had told him; Dumbledore listened and pondered. Pettigrew — who had been silent after being restored to human form — suddenly blurted out a denial in a high, frantic tone.
"It's false! This is all made up by Black! I faked my death to escape his hunt. Now he's found me, escaped Azkaban, and come to kill me!"
Pettigrew tried to lie his way out, insisting that he had defected to Voldemort and that Black was the true villain — but Sirius could not produce immediate evidence to the contrary.
What Pettigrew forgot was that the wizarding world had a potion called Veritaserum. As Snape's student, Arthur happened to possess a vial of it.
"Everything you say can be verified," Arthur said coolly.
He uncorked the Veritaserum and poured it down Pettigrew's throat until the man had swallowed it all.
"Now speak. Tell us the truth about that night."
Pettigrew's face went pale. Under the potion he confessed.
"Back then Black suggested making me the Secret-Keeper, and I chose to betray the Potters. I turned to Lord Voldemort and gave him their whereabouts."
Hearing Pettigrew's admission, Sirius seized his collar. "We treated you well — why betray us?"
"Treat me well?" Pettigrew spat. "Ha! I was always the fourth wheel. When you suggested switching Secret-Keepers, who paid any attention to the least noticeable member of the group? You never asked if I truly wanted such danger put on me. I only wanted to survive — so I told Voldemort."
Sirius's fist struck Pettigrew's face.
"If we never cared about you," Sirius roared, "why did we include you at all? Don't forget we helped you become an Animagus!"
Pettigrew's protest and Sirius's retort were cut in your provided text — the chapter ends mid-sentence at that point.
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