After receiving his five thousand Galleons, Maurise spent the entire next day in an exceptionally good mood.
Near dusk, Dumbledore summoned him to the Headmaster's office once again. Undoubtedly, it was about Sirius Black.
Upon arriving at the office, Maurise was surprised to find another person present. Professor Lupin.
Lupin sat slumped in a chair before the desk, his expression incredibly dim. He kept his head bowed and did not say a word. When he saw Maurise enter, he barely managed to force a tight smile.
"Good evening, Professor," Maurise greeted him politely, taking a seat naturally beside the man.
Dumbledore skipped the usual pleasantries this time. He glanced at Lupin and stated calmly, "Professor Lupin has provided a crucial piece of information. Peter Pettigrew is indeed an Animagus in the form of a rat."
"I figured as much," Maurise nodded. "So, what is the purpose of calling me here?"
"Listen to me, Maurise, and do not rush," Dumbledore's voice remained steady. "Over a decade ago, Sirius was sent to Azkaban without a formal trial. The Ministry of Magic has now reopened his case and even administered Veritaserum."
Maurise was not particularly surprised to hear this. For a criminal of Sirius's caliber, the use of Veritaserum was standard procedure. Interrogations in the magical world were wonderfully convenient.
"So, Sirius Black was falsely accused?"
"According to his testimony, yes," Dumbledore frowned slightly. "The problem, however, is that Veritaserum is not entirely impossible to resist. If Sirius is to completely clear his name, we must find another key witness. Namely, Peter himself."
Maurise immediately understood the situation. Simply put, Sirius needed to catch Peter to prove his innocence. And by intervening, Dumbledore was clearly taking Sirius's side.
What a headache-inducing development.
Fortunately, it had absolutely nothing to do with him. The bounty was already securely in his hands. Could they really ask for it back? If they expected him to cough up the money, they were sorely mistaken!
Noting Maurise's guarded expression, Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Maurise, do you happen to have any way to track down Peter?"
"Me?" Maurise paused, pointing a finger at himself. Was the Headmaster not overestimating him a bit too much?
Dumbledore nodded. "You did manage to capture Sirius Black, after all. Not just anyone can see through an Animagus disguise."
Maurise fell silent for two seconds before asking, "Is there a bounty for this one?"
Dumbledore did not answer. He merely watched the boy with an amused smile.
"Alright," Maurise let out a long sigh. "I will give it a try, but I cannot guarantee I will catch him."
Maurise was not taking the task of finding Peter too seriously. Or rather, he had no real way to be serious about it. Not a single spell in his arsenal was designed for tracking people down. His only option was to have Tin keep a close eye out. After all, catching mice was a cat's primary job.
When Tin heard the news, the undead cat was so thrilled it nearly leaped out of its skin. It was deeply moved. Finally, its moment to shine had arrived! As its master's very first undead summon, it could not simply idle around forever doing nothing.
Seeing Tin so fired up, Maurise simply offered a faint smile. In all honesty, he had never held high expectations for the cat.
However, the very next morning...
Just as Maurise finished his daily Animagus training and stepped into the Ravenclaw common room, Tin suddenly darted out from nowhere. Clamped firmly in the cat's jaws was none other than Ron's long-lost, suspiciously fat rat.
"Hmm?" Maurise froze in his tracks.
Tin proudly lifted its head, dropping the desperately struggling gray rat right at Maurise's feet. The cat then stood up on its hind legs, placing its paws on its hips with a clear "praise me" expression plastered across its face.
The rat, Scabbers, or rather, Peter Pettigrew, was trembling violently. It tried to scramble away, but Tin firmly pinned it to the floor with a single, icy paw, rendering it completely immobile.
Maurise looked down at the scene, momentarily at a loss for words. Was it really that fast? Well, as long as the result was good, he would not complain.
He crouched down to examine the rat closely. Without a doubt, it was an Animagus. He was now capable of accurately detecting the unique magical signature of an Animagus, provided he focused his attention.
"Good job." Maurise reached out and rubbed Tin's cold head.
He drew his wand and gave it a lazy flick. The rat immediately floated into the air, hovering obediently behind him as if pulled by an invisible string.
"Let's go," Maurise said, standing back up. "Time to see the Headmaster. We might even make it back in time for breakfast."
"Meow."
As Maurise reached the landing of the Grand Staircase, two familiar figures suddenly came into view. Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy.
Draco was without his usual two cronies. He looked rather grim, sporting dark circles as if he had not slept well. Ron, on the other hand, was red in the face, looking entirely ready to start throwing punches.
Spotting Maurise, Ron's eyes lit up. He waved frantically. "Maurise, over here!"
"You just wait," Draco sneered, his face paling slightly before he turned and bolted, disappearing down the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye.
Maurise looked at Ron curiously. "What is going on with you two now?"
Ron looked highly indignant. "Malfoy challenged me to a duel. He said he wanted to test out some new spell he learned."
"Do not fall for it, Ron," Maurise warned. Draco was definitely up to no good.
Ron nodded. "I know. Malfoy is definitely plotting something... Hey, what is that!?"
His gaze suddenly snapped to the floating rat hovering just behind Maurise, his eyes widening in pure shock.
"Scabbers!"
Ron rushed forward, pulling the struggling rat into his arms with a look of overwhelming joy. "You found Scabbers? What happened to him? Why was he floating?"
Maurise looked at the boy, a flicker of genuine pity crossing his face. "Come with me, Ron. We are going to the Headmaster's office."
Ron looked entirely bewildered. "Why?"
"You will find out when we get there."
---
Inside the Headmaster's office.
The moment Maurise and Ron stepped inside, Dumbledore stood up from behind his desk and gave his wand a subtle wave. The heavy oak door automatically clicked shut behind them.
Clutching Scabbers tightly to his chest, Ron grew increasingly uneasy. "What exactly is going on?"
Lupin took a deep, shaky breath. He walked over to Ron, his voice low and strained. "Ron, put the rat on the desk."
"Him?" Ron instinctively looked down at the rat in his hands. He had no idea what was happening, but he did as he was told.
The moment Scabbers touched the polished wood, he scrambled frantically, trying to throw himself off the edge. However, Dumbledore quickly cast a Binding Spell, tying the rat tightly in place.
"Professor!" Ron gasped in horror. "Why are you doing that?"
No one answered him. Only Tin let out a soft meow in his direction.
Lupin stepped right up to the desk, staring down at the terrified rat with icy eyes. "Are you really going to keep up this charade in front of me, Peter?" he asked coldly.
The rat began to tremble violently.
"What is going on?" Ron yelled, finally realizing something was terribly wrong. "Will someone please tell me what is happening?"
Maurise reached out and gave the boy's shoulder a comforting pat.
"My condolences, brother."
The moment the words left his mouth, the rat on the desk began to twist and deform in a grotesque manner.