Ron stared at Scabbers floating helplessly in the air before looking back at Victor like he had completely lost his mind.
"Victor, what the hell are you talking about?" he asked. "How can my rat be someone who died twelve years ago?"
Victor kept his wand raised toward the suspended rat.
"Ron," he said calmly, "your rat is twelve years old. That alone is already abnormal for an ordinary rat."
Ron opened his mouth slightly.
"And more importantly," Victor continued, "Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form was also a rat."
That made the entire trio freeze.
Hermione's eyes widened first as the pieces slowly started connecting inside her head.
Harry looked back toward Scabbers with growing disbelief while Ron's face slowly shifted from confusion to horror.
Because now that they actually thought about it—
Scabbers had lived far longer than any normal rat should.
And if Victor was telling the truth…
Then Ron had spent years carrying around and hugging a middle-aged wizard disguised as a rat.
Ron's expression immediately became deeply disturbed.
"…I feel sick," he muttered.
Above them, Scabbers squeaked wildly while twisting in the air trying to escape the spell.
Sirius Black, meanwhile, had gone completely still.
Then slowly, a terrifying expression spread across his face as he stared at the rat.
"Peter…" Sirius said quietly.
The excitement and hatred in his voice made even Harry tense slightly.
"The cover's finally broken."
For the first time since entering the room, Sirius looked alive instead of exhausted.
Because after twelve years—
After losing James and Lily.
After being blamed for betrayal and murder.
After rotting inside Azkaban—
Peter Pettigrew was finally in front of him again.
Victor noticed the look in Sirius's eyes immediately and sighed quietly.
"Yeah," he said while keeping his wand on Scabbers, "before you do something emotional and stupid, maybe let him turn himself back first."
Then Victor slightly flicked his wand toward the floating rat.
"Turn back," he said coldly, "or I'll start testing transfiguration spells on you while you're still half-rat."
Then the transformation began.
Scabbers' body twisted violently in the air while the rat's shape stretched unnaturally larger. Fur began disappearing, bones cracked loudly, and within seconds the rat was gone.
In its place hung a short, fat middle-aged man with thinning hair, pale skin, and terrified watery eyes.
Peter Pettigrew.
The moment Ron saw him properly, his face twisted in complete disgust.
Hermione looked equally horrified.
Honestly, after seeing Peter's human form, even she suddenly understood why Crookshanks had hated him so much.
"Peter," Sirius Black said quietly.
The hatred in his voice made the room feel colder.
Victor released the levitation spell immediately afterward.
The second Peter hit the floor, Sirius crossed the room in two steps and grabbed him violently by the robes before slamming him against the wall.
Peter let out a frightened squeal.
At the same moment, Remus Lupin stepped forward too and seized Peter by the neck, his expression filled with disbelief and fury.
"I never believed Sirius could betray James and Lily," Lupin said, voice shaking slightly. "So it was you."
Peter immediately began trembling harder.
"You… you don't understand—"
"You let Voldemort find them," Lupin snapped. "They trusted you."
Peter's terrified eyes darted wildly between Sirius and Lupin.
Meanwhile Harry stood frozen nearby, staring at Pettigrew with shock and growing anger.
This pathetic man—
This shaking coward—
Was the real reason his parents were dead.
"Move aside, Remus," Sirius said hoarsely while tightening his grip on Peter. "Let me kill him."
There was twelve years of hatred in his voice.
"Twelve years in Azkaban because of him," Sirius growled. "Twelve years while he hid as a rat."
Peter immediately burst into panicked pleading.
"Sirius… Sirius, for old times' sake…"
The words only made Sirius angrier.
"Old times?" Sirius said dangerously. "You sold Lily and James to Voldemort."
Peter turned desperately toward Lupin next.
"Remus, you were my friend too—"
Lupin's face hardened completely.
"I would never betray my friends," he said quietly.
Peter Pettigrew fell to his knees trembling violently while looking between Sirius and Lupin like a trapped animal searching for escape.
"You don't understand," he said desperately. "What would you have done in my position? He was becoming stronger every day! People were disappearing—dying—"
Sirius looked at him with pure disgust.
"So you sold out your friends?"
Peter flinched immediately.
"I-I didn't mean for them to die!" he cried. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was too powerful! I was scared!"
"You were their friend," Lupin said coldly.
Peter turned quickly toward Harry now, trying to find sympathy somewhere.
"Harry, your father wouldn't have wanted—"
"Don't," Harry said sharply.
Peter froze.
Then, unbelievably, Peter looked toward Ron instead.
"You understand, don't you?" he said weakly while inching closer. "I stayed with your family for years. I never hurt you—"
Ron looked horrified.
"Don't talk to me."
Peter's eyes darted around the room desperately again searching for any weakness, any chance to survive.
Sirius finally lost patience.
Before Peter could continue begging, Sirius grabbed him by the robes and hurled him hard against the door.
Peter slammed into the wood with a cry of pain.
Then Sirius kicked him hard in the side before he could crawl away.
Peter curled up immediately, wheezing and clutching himself while Sirius stood over him breathing heavily, years of rage finally spilling through his expression.
"Twelve years," Sirius growled. "Twelve years because of you."
*****
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