Peter Pettigrew was extremely scared. He didn't want to go to Azkaban, let alone be kissed by a Dementor. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't. Sirius had his tail firmly in his grasp. Peter, who had transformed into a rat instead of a lizard, couldn't shake off his tail to escape, so he could only be a sitting duck, ready to be sacrificed.
"Very well, hand him over," Dumbledore's voice came from behind them. Sirius turned around and handed Peter to Dumbledore.
"It's 'he,' not 'it,'" Sirius corrected Dumbledore's choice of words.
"One can only know for sure by trying," Dumbledore didn't jump to conclusions. Although he was 99% certain, he still needed one final confirmation.
Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place in the office.
"Ron, what are you doing here?" Percy was confused by the sudden commotion. But after getting up and surveying the office, he realized that Fred and George were not there, only Ron, looking at him in astonishment.
Percy began to put it all together.
Percy exclaimed, "Ron, are you the one who's going to be expelled?!"
Ron: ???
Expelled? How did I not know about this?
"Who said I'm getting expelled?"
"Everyone outside is saying that one of the Weasley brothers will be expelled," Percy responded.
Ron: ...
"It's just a rumor!" he covered his face. "I was just called to Dumbledore's office."
Upon hearing this, Percy felt the tension in his heart ease. Thank goodness his brother wasn't going to be expelled. That was all that mattered to Percy at that moment.
However, once the joy in his heart faded, Percy realized some questions: How was it that his brother, someone ordinary who followed the rules, had been called to Dumbledore's office? After all, his older brother had been here for seven years and was never personally summoned. Plus, he had just seen Sirius Black standing in the office.
"Why were you called here?" After thinking for a moment, Percy decided to ask his brother first.
"Dumbledore is interested in Scabbers," Ron also found that claim absurd, but it was the reality! The greatest wizard of the 20th century brought him to his office just to see the rat he had as a pet. Who would believe that?
Percy: ...
"I think I just saw Sirius Black outside," Percy said.
So, the two brothers began to converse in the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore returned with Scabbers, Ron's rat, to the office.
"Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore!"
When they saw them return, Percy and Ron quickly stood up.
"Please, sit down," Dumbledore remained as kind as ever and conjured chairs for everyone in the room.
"Today, I will show both of you a spell that is not very practical, but it can force an Animagus back into their human form."
Upon hearing Dumbledore's words, Percy immediately looked up and incredulously stared at Scabbers. He understood what Dumbledore meant: the rat he had as a pet for over ten years turned out to be an Animagus! He felt nauseous, and a chill ran down his spine. A human living in his house, interacting with his family, even sleeping together... Just the thought of it filled him with great dread.
Dumbledore paid no attention to the reactions of the others. He drew his wand and held Scabbers in one hand, while he held his wand with the other. Then, a blue flash illuminated the room.
Scabbers hung in the air, his small body writhing wildly for a moment before falling to the ground. Accompanied by a blinding glow, a head emerged from the rat's body, followed by the rest of the body and limbs... In no time, a short man appeared before everyone.
He stood in the place where Scabbers had been, with his hands crossed and shrinking in fear. This small man was no taller than Ron, with yellowish and lackluster hair, even with a significant bald patch, and his skin was dirty, just like Scabbers' fur. Overall, he looked very dejected, with a listless and energyless appearance.
Throughout the entire process, from start to finish, Ron didn't say a word, and his facial expression didn't change either. It was as if his brain had shut down due to the influx of new information.
[Oh... My rat turned out to be an Animagus. Oh... My rat turned into a person.] That kind of thought floated in his mind, but it didn't cause any commotion, at least not for now.
But soon, Ron realized what it meant, and his face turned pale as if all his blood had been drained.
This rat, or rather, this man, had been sleeping in his bed for the past few years! Sometimes, he had even buried his nose in his belly and taken deep breaths, not to mention stroking him. He had even confided deep secrets to him on numerous occasions!
If Ron knew the Killing Curse, he would undoubtedly use it against Peter Pettigrew. However, outwardly, he still showed no expression.
"Peter, long time no see," Lupin greeted Peter with a relaxed and cheerful tone, as if they were old friends reuniting after many years. Sirius, who stood beside him, emitted a strange growl, as if he were chewing on something.
As for Dumbledore, he seemed to have become invisible, yielding the stage to the three old acquaintances.
Peter spoke, his voice high and thin. He first looked at Dumbledore and then at his two old friends.
"Sir... Sirius, Rem... Remus, and Professor Dumbledore," he suddenly lunged, but not to escape, but to throw himself at Dumbledore and hug one of his legs.
"I finally found you, Professor Dumbledore!" Tears and mucus streamed from his eyes and nose. "I-"
"Peter, you have arrived at the right time. Earlier, Sirius and Remus were telling me some stories, things that happened before and after the deaths of James and Lily. You were also a witness to those events; could you help them fill in some details?" Dumbledore's kind expression had disappeared, and everyone felt a deep fear as they saw his emotionless face.
Upon hearing Dumbledore, Peter jumped up. "Professor, Sirius, don't be deceived by him! You won't believe him, right? He wants to kill me!"