Harry stared at Peter Pettigrew lying terrified on the floor while his thoughts spun painfully inside his head.
If Peter was the real traitor,
Then that meant Sirius Black had never betrayed his parents at all.
The realization hit Harry hard enough that for a brief moment he forgot everything else happening inside the room.
Then the room door suddenly burst open.
A spell flashed through the air instantly.
"Expelliarmus!"
Remus Lupin's wand flew violently from his hand before crashing across the floorboards.
Everyone turned sharply.
Professor Severus Snape stood in the doorway, his black robes billowing slightly while his wand remained pointed directly at Lupin.
His expression looked cold and furious all at once.
"I knew it," Snape said softly, his eyes fixed on Lupin with obvious disgust. "I knew you were helping your old friend."
Lupin immediately stepped forward.
"Severus, listen to me," he said quickly. "This isn't what it looks like."
Snape ignored him completely.
Instead, he moved farther into the room and placed himself directly between the students and Sirius Black as though protecting them from a dangerous animal.
His dark eyes shifted toward Sirius with years of hatred burning behind them.
"Sirius Black," Snape said quietly. "You have absolutely no idea how long I've waited for this."
Sirius glared back at him but said nothing.
Snape's lip curled slightly.
"For years," he continued coldly, "I imagined what I would do if I ever saw you again. And honestly… I think I prefer the idea of watching the Dementors handle you instead."
There was genuine satisfaction in his voice now.
"After all," Snape said softly, "a traitor and murderer like you deserves—"
His words stopped abruptly.
Because his eyes had finally landed on the man curled against the floor.
The graying middle-aged wizard trembling in terror beside the wall.
Snape's expression changed instantly.
His gaze sharpened sharply while disbelief flickered across his face for the first time since entering the Shack.
"…Pettigrew?" he said slowly.
The entire room fell silent again.
Snape's eyes moved slowly between Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew while confusion mixed dangerously with suspicion across his face.
That made no sense.
Sirius Black was supposed to have murdered Pettigrew twelve years ago.
Snape himself had believed it all this time.
And yet the man shaking on the floor.
The short, balding wizard with watery eyes and ratlike features—
Was unmistakably Peter Pettigrew.
Snape had studied at Hogwarts with all of them. He knew exactly what Pettigrew looked like.
Which meant either he was losing his mind.
Or something far bigger had happened twelve years ago than anyone realized.
"Severus," Remus Lupin said carefully, trying to keep the situation from getting worse, "give me a moment to explain everything."
Lupin slowly stepped forward.
Snape reacted instantly.
His wand snapped upward until the tip pressed directly against Lupin's throat hard enough to stop him where he stood.
"No lies leave your mouth, Lupin," Snape said softly.
The coldness in his voice made the room tense immediately.
His dark eyes narrowed dangerously while keeping the wand fixed at Lupin's neck as though he genuinely would not hesitate to silence him permanently if pushed too far.
"For years," Snape continued quietly, "I suspected you were helping Black."
His gaze flicked briefly toward Sirius before returning to Lupin again.
"And now I find both of you together inside the Shrieking Shack with a dead man somehow alive."
Snape's expression remained cold, but after a moment he finally looked away from Sirius and Lupin toward the students instead.
"You four," he said sharply, "are you all incapable of staying away from danger for even one evening?"
Harry opened his mouth slightly while Hermione looked exhausted enough that she probably didn't even have energy left to argue.
Snape's eyes briefly moved toward Ron's injured leg before hardening again.
"Black and Lupin stay against the wall," he ordered while keeping his wand raised. "Move."
Sirius immediately looked like he wanted to fight him on principle alone.
Lupin, however, slowly raised both hands slightly.
"Sirius," he said quietly, "just do it for now."
Snape motioned them backward with his wand until both men stood near the far side of the room.
Then his eyes landed on Peter Pettigrew curled on the floor.
The disgust on Snape's face deepened instantly.
"You," he said coldly. "Even after twelve years you still look exactly as pathetic as I remember."
Peter shrank visibly under the words.
Ron tried standing up beside Harry but the moment he put pressure on his injured leg, pain shot through him hard enough to make him nearly collapse again.
"Ahh—bloody hell!"
Harry immediately caught him before he hit the floor.
Snape clicked his tongue impatiently at the sight.
"Potter. Malfoy," he said sharply. "Help Weasley stand unless you intend to spend the night here."
Victor walked over without complaint while Harry pulled one of Ron's arms over his shoulder.
Ron groaned loudly the moment Harry and Victor helped him stand properly.
"I think my leg's broken…"
Victor glanced briefly at the injury before answering calmly.
"No, the muscles are damaged badly, but the bone itself isn't broken."
That explanation did very little to comfort Ron.
The moment he tried putting proper weight on the leg again, he immediately whimpered in pain and leaned harder against Harry.
Severus Snape watched the scene silently for a moment with his usual expression of deep disappointment toward humanity.
Then his eyes shifted toward Hermione.
"Granger," he said sharply, "pick up Professor Lupin's wand."
Hermione hesitated briefly before moving toward the fallen wand near the fireplace and picking it up carefully.
Snape then motioned everyone toward the door with his own wand still raised.
"We are leaving this place immediately," he said coldly. "Black and Pettigrew will return to the castle under supervision."
Sirius looked furious at the idea of following Snape anywhere, but Lupin quietly placed a hand against his arm before he could argue.
The group slowly began moving out of the ruined bedroom and toward the tunnel leading back beneath the Whomping Willow.
*****
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