Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

In his eyes, this ugly and cowardly man was like a rat that had been magnified countless times. His skin was dirty and his facial features still had the characteristics of a rat. He was listless, as if he had quickly lost weight from an obese state. Only his watery eyes could move, observing with despair and unwillingness.

"This is a great surprise, Peter Pettigrew," Lynn said slowly and cheerfully, as if greeting an old friend. "Haven't you been dead for twelve years?"

"Eeheeeh...Eric..." Peter was about to cry, "I...I wasn't, that was Sirius, he wanted to kill me...I didn't do anything!"

"Sirius?" Harry frowned and pointed at the black dog lying on the ground. "You said it was Sirius Black?"

"Yes, Harry, that's Sirius Black, the murderer of your parents!" Peter seemed to have found a savior, squirming and screaming, "I'm innocent!"

"But... Professor... what the hell is going on here?"

Harry was obviously confused by the series of news.

You know, just half a day ago, he was still enjoying the cheers on the Quidditch field.

As a result, just in the afternoon, someone told him that Peter Pettigrew, whom he had been investigating, was not dead, and he had also met Sirius Black, the enemy who killed his father.

"I think we can let him transform into human form and take a look. It turns out that Newt has a very experienced eye. We can totally trust him—"

"We should trust the Ministry completely, Eric. If I were you, I would do nothing with the black hound and leave it to the Beater - or the Eater of Souls."

Before Lynn could finish his words, a sinister voice sounded from a distance.

It was Snape, and Lupin was walking beside him, all holding wands in their hands, looking over here warily.

"I think I am a member of the Azkaban Fugitive Affairs Office, Professor Snape." Lynn ignored Snape's meaning and continued to look at Harry. "After all, each of us believes more in what we see with our own eyes rather than hearsay."

Before he finished his words, the blue-white light lit up again, shining on Sirius from the wand hanging at his side.

Before Snape and Lupin could get close, he, who had regained his human form, had already received the same treatment as Peter: he was tied up like a dumpling and thrown to the ground at random.

This obviously displeased Snape.

But he knew that his plan of personal revenge had completely failed.

Moreover, he also met another old enemy who made him feel sick.

Chapter 313 Liar and the Truth

"Black, Pettigrew, Lupin...Except for the dead Potter, the four of you are all together here - oh, I almost forgot, there is another Potter here."

Although he lost the chance to take action, Snape did not forget his ability to talk. As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone present frowned.

Especially Ron, he had a stern face, regarded Scabbers' true identity as a great shame, and felt extremely resentful about Snape's arrival.

Crookshanks didn't seem to like Snape very much either. He curled up in Hermione's arms and kept waving his fleshy paws in his direction, which made Ron feel strangely familiar.

It turns out that it's easy to find friendship when both parties hate someone.

Newt still couldn't stand it, and said calmly: "Severus, I suggest you maintain a little decency in front of the children."

"..."

Snape glanced at Newt, his eyes narrowed slightly.

After a while, he seemed to weigh the pros and cons and nodded slightly.

"I see, Mr. Scamander."

After saying this, he took his wand, walked around the collapsed pumpkin pile, and came to Lynn's side, with the tip of the wand pointed at Sirius' head at all times.

But Sirius didn't give him an excuse to attack. He pretended not to see Lupin and shouted, "Harry! I saw your Quidditch match this morning! You flew really well, even better than your father did!"

This sentence ignited the hatred in Harry's heart.

He simply drew out his wand, strode forward, and tried to cast a spell regardless of the consequences, but was stopped by Lin En who was standing in the middle and hugged him.

"Keep calm, Harry, there's obviously something unclear here, isn't there?" Lynn said softly, not taking the fact that her back was facing Snape seriously.

"He was the one who killed my mom and dad, wasn't he?" Harry tried to control his anger and pointed at Sirius, "That's him! He escaped from Azkaban!"

"I promise you, if he did it, I will kill him for you myself. But now we still need to figure out some things, Remus!"

"I'm here." Lupin came over and gently held Harry down. "We need the truth. Nothing is better than a face-to-face confrontation - as a friend of your parents, I hope so."

Snape sneered, but no one paid any attention to him.

With his hands free, Lin En walked to the two of them and waved his wand lightly. The scattered pumpkins fell back to their previous positions, and some of them turned into exquisite chairs.

"Now we can discuss some important topics, such as what happened back then. Who will start it? I think it would be better if it was Pettigrew. After all, I think everyone will be curious about why you stayed in the form of a mouse for twelve years."

He sat on one of the chairs and sent the rest to Newt and the others, except for Snape who was alone, which made the livid face even livid.

Lupin had the same attitude. He held Harry in his arms to prevent him from acting impulsively, and pointed his wand at Peter instead of Black.

Snape noticed this and his sinister gaze moved back and forth among the few people.

"Sirius has obviously been sent to Azkaban. What exactly scares you to the point that you're willing to be a pet mouse in someone else's home rather than return to human form, Wormtail?"

He called out the other person's nickname from his school days, which was originally a very intimate name, but there was no warmth in his eyes at this moment, and his voice became cold.

"I... don't know... I don't understand what you're talking about - I'm just scared!"

Peter Pettigrew stammered, sweat pouring down his forehead and almost covering his entire face with sweat.

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that your fellow Death Eaters will find out that the liar who killed their master is not dead, but is still outside Azkaban?!"

Sirius said with a grim look, "You are not hiding from me, at least not just me. You know that if I come out I will kill you, but you also know that those guys who were not sent in will also want to kill you!"

"I don't know... what are you talking about...! You must be crazy! You are just like those Death Eaters, you are all crazy!"

"Of course you have to say you don't know." Sirius roared like a brown bear, "If I hadn't suggested that Lily and James replace you with the Secret Keeper, you wouldn't have had the chance to sell their information to Voldemort! That must have been the proudest moment of your life, when you could finally wag your tail to the powerful master and get his little leftovers as a reward!"

"Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous!" Peter's face was ashen, his eyes looked around, and finally fell on Lupin, "Moon Face! You know it, speak for me!"

"I don't know," said Lupin dryly. "They wouldn't have told me anyway."

This sentence made Sirius on the ground feel guilty, while Harry's eyes widened.

"Is this true?" he asked.

"I can remove my brain blockade and let Dumbledore check it - I know you trust him, Harry." Sirius said hoarsely, "I don't deny that it was my decision that harmed your parents. You have reason to hate me."

"He does have that reason, Black." Snape sneered. When he was not blinded by hatred, he was still rational. "Because you are really stupid."

His wand was also pointed at Peter, which seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Sirius didn't bother to refute the words of the person he hated the most. He just stared at Harry - Harry didn't avoid his eyes either.

"Believe me, I never betrayed James and Lily. I would rather die for them."

"..."

Harry believed the sincerity of what he saw, and he nodded with a sob.

"Don't do that!——"

Peter Pettigrew wailed miserably, "He's a liar! He's a liar!"

"Then why don't you open your brain and let someone see what's inside?" Lynn interrupted him indifferently, "You don't trust me and Snape, so what about Lupin? Or...just like Black, find Dumbledore before the Ministry of Magic comes?"

Peter Pettigrew shook his head vigorously with tears in his eyes, his mouth opened and closed silently, but he could not speak.

"Professor, may I ask a question?" Hermione walked forward stiffly and stood beside Lynn. Crookshanks in her arms was looking up at him.

Lynn said calmly, "Of course, Hermione. No one here will stop you from asking questions."

His voice gave Hermione a lot of motivation.

"I want to know why Mr. Black knew he was in Hogwarts? You know, he was in Azkaban, and... No, Peter Pettigrew was always at Ron's house."

"This may involve some secrets about Animagus, kid." Newt, who had been observing everything silently, stood up from his chair and said considerately, "Perhaps some of the people present have some secrets in their hearts that they don't want others to know - that is personal privacy."

His gaze swept across Snape, Lupin, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew, and finally stopped at Lynn, silently conveying some message.

Dumbledore had consulted him when he transplanted the Whomping Willow here. The secret was kept very well at the time. It was not until today that he pieced together the fragmented information and knew everything.

"…Yes, Mr. Scamander."

Hermione didn't understand the deeper meaning behind his words, but still nodded obediently, "What should we do now, take them back to the castle together? Or..."

"Before that, please allow me to say something." Lupin seemed to have made up his mind, and although his hands were cold due to nervousness, he still said firmly.

"No, Moony, you don't have to—"

"It's necessary, Padfoot," Lupin said gently, "so that the children can know the cause and effect of all this. They have the right to know the truth, especially Harry."

He lowered his head, looked at Harry who was full of doubts, and said softly: "You must be very curious about why they are all Animagus. The reason is very simple, to protect me back then."

"You back then?"

"Yes, because I am a werewolf - you must have learned about dealing with werewolves and their habits in Professor Snape's class, right?"

"……Yes."

Harry looked at Lupin, whose face had turned pale, and nodded slightly.

Snape's expression also became distorted.

Chapter 314 The fate of the traitor

That afternoon, Fudge rushed to Hogwarts after receiving the news, and met Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black who were still tied up in the principal's office.

Fudge did not come alone, he was accompanied by a whole team of Aurors, Smiters and a dozen officials from the Ministry of Magic.

Including old Barty Crouch, the former head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who investigated the case.

Such a big scene, even with Professor McGonagall and her colleagues maintaining order in the school, inevitably alarmed a considerable number of young wizards - before they were taken back to the common room.

Snape had disappeared by this time - the revenge plan he had planned for a long time not only failed, but also made him a passive witness, witnessing the recognition of a godfather and godson, and witnessing the vindication of a man who had been in Azkaban for twelve years.

But this person is one of the people he hates the most.

There may not even be one.

He felt like an actor who was forced onto the stage. No matter what he did or how he did it, he could not escape the predetermined trajectory. He could only passively endure the frustration and bitterness of having no place to vent his anger and no place to use his strength.

He was angry and powerless, with resentment stuck in his chest, as if he had punched cotton. He felt like he was about to vomit blood, and he couldn't stay in front of these people for even a moment.

-----------------

"Albus, I really don't know how to describe my current mood..."

In the principal's office, Fudge, who had only brought a few of his cronies in, covered his face with a handkerchief, and sounded like he was happy, frustrated, and restrained.

After all, there were Newt, Lupin and three students in the office, especially three underage students, so Fudge had to remain decent.

Dumbledore said calmly, "It now seems that our last suggestion was correct. The case twelve years ago should be re-examined. Excuse me, Cornelius, I have already questioned the two parties before you came, and I have learned something."

He pointed to Sirius and Peter Pettigrew, who were imprisoned separately, and then to the Pensieve in the corner, making an inviting gesture.

Fudge put down his handkerchief, his face not looking very good.

"Of course, of course... I should. We need your wisdom." He concealed his reluctance very well, walked quickly to the Pensieve and buried his head in it.

"Professor, the Minister doesn't seem happy?" Hermione asked in a low voice.

Lynn nodded imperceptibly, his eyes moving back and forth between several Ministry of Magic officials who followed into the room, and without seeing him do anything, the voice rang in Hermione's mind.

"Of course he won't be happy. After all, this case not only involves the serious dereliction of duty and procedural errors of Barty Crouch Sr., but also involves him. He was the Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters at the time and the person in charge of on-site handling. By the way, you can think about what you want to say in your heart so that I can hear it."

Hermione saw the encouraging smile and closed her eyes to concentrate on her thoughts.

"Wouldn't this matter be very embarrassing for him?"

"It's not so bad actually, because our Minister has been publicly embarrassed more than once or twice. And with Dumbledore backing him up, the worst that can happen is that old Barty will take the blame, and by the way, give Peter Pettigrew a Dementor's Kiss, and there will be no evidence against him."

"What about Sirius Black?"

"The injustice is redressed, and then there are two possibilities. One is that the hero who endures humiliation will publish a series of reports to publicize that the Ministry of Magic has worked diligently to redress the hero and catch the real murderer; the other is to completely freeze it out and put pressure on the media to not report it, and pretend that it never happened. I think the latter is more likely, based on my understanding of Fudge."

"Is that so... then Harry can -"

"Wait a minute, they seem to have finished reading the memory."

Before Hermione could ask more, Fudge had already pulled his head out of the Pensieve and was looking angrily at the unconscious Peter Pettigrew.

"This damned--damned liar! He deceived us all!"

As Lynn expected, he started to act out as soon as he saw it all, roaring towards his men, his face flushed, and speaking at the top of his lungs.