Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 212, Section 211: Arresting Peter Pettigrew

For wild magical animals or ordinary animals that do not hibernate or store food for emergencies, the winter in the Forbidden Forest is a time of food scarcity, and they must hunt to maintain the nutrition necessary for their survival.

Peter, who is afraid of death, would certainly not dare to leave his hiding place in his rat form to look for food under such circumstances. Unlike Harry, ordinary wizards cannot use magic in their Animagus form and can only fight by relying on the animal body they have transformed into... A rat has no fighting power in front of those magical creatures.

Therefore, in order to survive, Peter Pettigrew must find food and provide himself with warmth, and to do this, he must operate in his human form.

So here's the question: how can someone who can't interfere with divination through magic, someone without a wand and unable to use spells, someone who has never received special training in wilderness survival move around in a snow-covered forest, and how can he perfectly conceal his hunting activities?

The answer is... impossible.

....................................

Peter Pettigrew had never hated anyone so much, even if that person was the child of his former best friend.

—Was that really his good friend?
Now, even Peter himself couldn't answer the question, especially now, as he huddled in this dark cave, feeling the biting cold seep into his heart and lungs, the boiling hunger seemed to be digesting him from the inside out, and his hatred grew deeper and more unforgettable.

why?
Why treat him like this?

Why does it seem like all the misfortunes in the world are chasing after him?
Even though he had given up his rights as a human being and wanted to live simply as a little wizard's house mouse, he couldn't?

Why? ! !
Hunger can erode a person's sanity, while cold can drive them mad—as long as a person wants to live, they must make an effort to survive.

So Peter crawled out of his burrow, which he had been hiding in for so long. He couldn't remember how he had caught the poor deer. Perhaps the long period of stiffness made the deer think he was just a dry tree? Or maybe it was just good luck... but none of that mattered.

Peter greedily tore at the deer's neck, sucking the hot blood and swallowing it all into his roaring stomach. He then painstakingly tore off pieces of warm venison and swallowed them, not caring even if it caused him to lose a decaying tooth.

As long as he could eat his fill, Peter felt alive again, thanks to the warmth of the deer's body and the feeling of fullness in his stomach. He even started thinking again, wondering if he should bury the deer's carcass so he could turn into a mouse and crawl into the warm corpse—a person who had endured the bitter cold didn't want to waste even a moment of warmth.

The flesh and blood he was eating were gradually bringing Peter's reason back to his withered body. The blood that had flowed from the deer's carcass during the tearing had frozen into red ice and was starting to prick him... Peter knew he had to hurry.

Whether it's making use of the deer carcass or escaping the pursuit of that most disgusting and repulsive little bastard in the world, he has to get it done as soon as possible.

How could anyone in this world possess such disgusting magic!

Divination magic!!
As a wizard, Peter had never hated the existence of magic so much. He had fantasized countless times about whether he could escape from the Forbidden Forest smoothly without magic, without worrying about that little rascal predicting his escape route or being caught.

If only I could wake up one day and find that I was the only one in the world who could cast magic.

Unfortunately, every time I woke up, the cold was still cold, and the hunger was still hunger.

Peter stared blankly at his surroundings. The snow in this area was stained red with deer blood. He had no other choice but to hope that those bastards would mistake this place for the aftermath of some magical creature's hunt.

With this thought in mind, Peter grabbed the antlers with both hands, stood up shakily, and then turned around—completely frozen in place.

The snow covered his now gaunt, chubby face, and his mouth was wide open in a daze, revealing a few missing teeth... Peter's mind went blank. Behind him stood three people, three people who had appeared behind him at some unknown time.

I will never forget those three faces, especially during this time, when they were the nightmares that woke Peter from his sleep countless times.

Sirius Black, Remus Lupin—and finally, Harry Potter.

The three people Peter never wanted to see again were now standing right in front of him.

Suddenly, Sirius sprang to life, pulling himself out of the snow and charging forward. He punched Peter hard in the face. The snow, high enough to reach above his knees, slowed Sirius's movements, but the man pressed down on him without even balancing himself, as if afraid Peter would run away.

"traitor!!!"

With his eyes bloodshot, Sirius roared furiously, his fists pounding Peter's cheeks repeatedly. Simple punches and kicks were no longer enough to vent his anger. Sirius even went so far as to smash Peter's head against Peter's head, once, twice, with such force that he didn't even need a third blow to stain both his head and Peter's head with blood.

It wasn't the deer's blood, but rather bright red human blood.

Why! Why did you betray us?!

“I didn’t! I didn’t betray you!! Let go of Sirius—let go!” Peter screamed in agony, his voice sounding almost like a real rat. “Remus! Help me! Sirius’s gone mad! He’s a liar! He’s lied to everyone!!”

"You still dare to lie even now?!" Sirius Black was even more furious. "The crimes you've committed are no secret! You traitor!!"

Every word was accompanied by a heavy punch. Peter, who had already endured so much cold and hunger outside, was no match for Sirius. Within seconds, several teeth flew out of his mouth and landed on the snow.

"Wait a minute, Sirius," Lupin couldn't help but say, "If this continues, you'll kill him."

Sirius Black's raised fist stopped. "Yes, yes, that's it!" Peter Pettigrew laughed hastily, his face covered in a mixture of snot, tears, and snow. He was pinned down by Sirius, his arms outstretched pleadingly towards Lupin and Harry. "Long time no see, old friend, my old friend—you don't really believe what's in the newspapers, do you? And this kid—he's so young—he doesn't know anything! Sirius tried to kill me, Remus!"

"He deserves to be beaten to death!!" Sirius roared angrily, then punched Peter in the face again, leaving him a bloody mess.

"Calm down, Sirius," Lu Pingan reassured him. "You don't want him to die so easily, do you?"

Such advice was indeed effective immediately. Sirius stopped immediately. If it weren't for the fact that his current posture made it inconvenient to take out his wand, Sirius might even have wanted to treat Peter.

“No, Remus,” Peter’s fingers gripped the snow desperately. “He’s coming to kill me again. He killed Lily and James, and now he’s coming to kill me again. You have to save me, Remus…”

“Thank you, I saw everything,” Lupin said rather coldly. “Peter, if you’d like, could you answer a few questions for me?”

“A question?” Peter gasped for breath, as if grasping at a straw. “Good question, I like questions.”

Without offering any further assistance, Sirius watched Peter's struggle with a cold smile. Compared to the period immediately after his release from prison, his mental state was much better now... At least, if he had seen Peter right after his release, he would never have been this calm.

—Well, actually I wasn't particularly calm.

"First question, if Sirius was the one who betrayed James, why did you hide for so many years?" Lupin said lightly, "Why would an innocent person be willing to be a rat for twelve years?"

“Because I’m scared!” Peter screamed. “I’m innocent, how could I not be scared?! Voldemort’s men are looking for me because I sent their most trusted lieutenant to Azkaban—that traitor, Sirius Black!”

boom!
Another punch.

"I'm sorry, Remus, I couldn't help it," Sirius said, taking a deep breath.

That's just the kind of person he is; by the time he apologizes, the damage is often already done.

“It’s alright, I forgive you,” Lupin’s tone was even lighter. “Then the second question: even James’s own soul has identified you as the true Keeper of the Secret, and it was you who told Voldemort the location of Potter’s old house—how do you explain James’s words, Peter?”

Peter Pettigrew was speechless. His cracked lips trembled, or rather, he finally realized that the three people in front of him had no intention of letting him go.

All of this is just making fun of him now.

"Ha! He's not talking!" Sirius shouted triumphantly, his gaze sweeping over Peter beneath him with ill intent, like a knife contemplating how to slice a steak. "Let me think... how should I kill you? Slice your flesh piece by piece, or cut off your despicable tongue first?"

With his tongue lolling out in a sickly manner, Sirius Black frantically threatened Peter, enjoying this unprecedentedly wonderful feeling.

"Sirius?" Lupin said with a hint of helplessness, "There are children here, let's not talk about such bloodshed."

“It’s okay, I think it’s normal,” Harry interrupted Lupin, waving his hand and saying, “No punishment is too much for a traitor. If it weren’t for the inappropriate location, I would actually think we could throw Peter out onto the plains and let the hyenas devour him—he would still be alive when they eat him, and yeah, hyenas like to start eating from their prey’s anus.”

Lupin: "..."

He glanced at Harry with a complicated expression, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Great idea, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed in agreement. "This despicable traitor deserves to be punished like this!"

"No, no, no, no!" With a strength that seemed to come from nowhere, Peter shook his head frantically, struggling desperately. In a burst of energy, he flung Sirius off his body and lunged towards Harry and Lupin, landing in the snow. "Kind boy, kind Harry—Harry, you look exactly like your father… exactly like him…"

"How dare you speak to Harry?!" Sirius Black, who had just gotten back to his feet, kicked Peter in the backside. "How dare you face him?! How dare you mention James to him?!"

“Harry!” Ignoring Sirius, Peter simply turned and knelt before Sherry, his bloodied face beaming with a fawning smile as he looked at Harry. He realized that perhaps of everyone present, Harry was the one who could decide everything. “Harry, James wouldn’t want me to be killed… James will understand, Harry… He will spare me…”

Even Lupin couldn't stand it anymore, and he kicked Peter, who was close to Harry, to the ground.

"Even at this point, you still want to live?" Lupin said with a complicated expression, "Peter, you..."

"...What can I do?!" After being kicked away again, Peter seemed to finally break down. He sat on the ground and cried out, "Sirius—Remus—what can I do?! Dark Lord, you have no idea, he has magic you can't even imagine...I'm scared!"

"Sirius, I've never been as brave as you, Remus, or James. I never imagined it would be like this. It was that person whose name I can't even mention who forced me to—"

"Liar!!" Sirius roared, veins bulging on his face. "You've been giving him intelligence for a year before Lily and James were killed! You betrayed us! You betrayed Dumbledore!!"

“He—he’s powerful everywhere, what good will it do to defy him?!” Perhaps feeling that he could no longer escape or survive today, Peter seemed to have completely let go of something, and he shouted: “Anyway, you’ve never treated me as a friend, I’m just your lackey—that poor, nobody cared about, always following you around—the rat!!”

(End of this chapter)