The secret interrogation in the Headmaster's office lasted for a long time.
When Orli and Harry finally descended the spiral staircase, Orli felt she was on the verge of mental exhaustion, while Harry—his cheeks were wet with tears, his hands clenched into fists under his robe, trembling uncontrollably.
Before they left the office, the effects of the Veritaserum on Wormtail had worn off. At this moment, he was bawling in the Headmaster's office, like an oversized, fat, bald baby. But Orli no longer had the energy to think about him; she had to hold onto Harry, gripping his arm tightly to prevent him from going back and smashing Wormtail with a stone or his fists.
When they finally returned to the small potion base, Ron and Hermione had been waiting there for a long time. Harry was filled with anger, unable to say a word, leaving Orli to muster her energy to explain how she discovered Peter's name appearing in the cellar office, and how Dumbledore used Veritaserum to uncover the truth of the past—the betrayal of the Potters wasn't by Sirius Black, but by Peter Pettigrew. He had faked his death to escape, leaving Black to take the fall.
# Hermione "My goodness."
Hermione covered her mouth, her face pale as she looked at Orli, then turned to Harry, who was once again shedding tears due to Orli's recounting, and walked over to comfortingly pat his back.
# Ron "Peter Pettigrew was hiding in the cellar all along!"
Ron was also shocked, but his thoughts clearly deviated:
# Ron "Scabbers was always in the cellar too! Is Scabbers okay now?"
## Orli "Ron..."
Orli spoke with difficulty:
## Orli "Actually, Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus. His transformed form is a rat."
# Ron "…You mean…"
Ron's throat seemed to be blocked by slugs again.
# Harry "Your Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew. Orli fed it a potion to reverse the transformation, and it turned into a fat man right in front of her and Snape."
Harry said, panting.
# Ron "Merlin..."
Ron's quill dropped to the ground with a thud. Immediately, he began to look at his robe and hands with disgust, shouting incessantly:
# Ron "He used to sleep in my bed! For over two years!!! He was always in my pocket, right next to me!!!!"
# Hermione "I told you Crookshanks is a good cat."
Hermione glanced at him.
Ron fell into a rage, clearly unable to accept that he had been inseparable from a sleazy middle-aged man for two years. Orli managed to calm him down:
## Orli "Perhaps you should consider your next pet."
# Ron "No, I never want to keep anything ever again."
Ron shook his head frantically.
# Hermione "But the good news is, Sirius Black is innocent, right?"
Hermione changed the subject, looking at Harry:
# Hermione "He's your godfather?"
# Harry "Yes, Professor Lupin just told me."
Harry nodded, suddenly seeming to realize something, his face lighting up:
# Harry "So that means he's my guardian?! He can be my new guardian, a wizard, replacing the Dursleys! I can go to Hogsmeade! I won't have to go back to Privet Drive for the summer anymore?!!!"
# Hermione "It should be like that!"
Hermione was happy for him too.
# Hermione "That's wonderful, Harry, it's the best news today."
## Orli "I advise you not to be too optimistic."
Orli was a bit hesitant. She knew that Harry had to be under blood protection until he came of age, so he couldn't stay with Sirius all the time.
But Ron also chimed in:
# Ron "Yeah, Azkaban is not a good place. It's located on a small island, but there's no need for walls or water to keep prisoners because they're all under the control of Dementors. Any good feelings, happy memories, and all hope are sucked away by them. —Most prisoners go mad within weeks, and Black's been in there for over ten years."
Harry slumped into a broken three-legged chair, feeling a bit deflated. Hermione glared at Ron disapprovingly and continued to comfort Harry:
# Hermione "Don't be so pessimistic, I think Black is not an ordinary person. He's your godfather, Harry, he must have been looking forward to the day he sees you. You must have faith."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (50+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!