After discovering their targets, Dumbledore immediately gathered the professors to prepare for the capture of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black.
Before everything was clear, Black had to be restrained.
Severus Snape volunteered to capture Black. He had a deep hatred for James Potter and Black since their days with the Marauders.
So, Alaric and Snape were responsible for capturing Black, while Dumbledore led Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall to the Whomping Willow to apprehend Peter Pettigrew.
This was a logical arrangement: Alaric and Snape were very familiar with the Forbidden Forest, as they often went there to collect magical materials.
And as a dwarf, Professor Flitwick was more suitable for combat in narrow passages.
Not to mention, Professor McGonagall's Animagus form was a cat, making her the best choice for either sneaking into the tree hollow to open the passage for others or catching the rat form of Peter Pettigrew.
In less than half an hour, a black dog and a rat appeared in the Headmaster's office, with everyone surrounding them.
Dumbledore also brought Harry and Ron, believing they had the right to know the truth.
"Isn't that my Scabbers?" Ron looked at the struggling rat on the ground, pleading with Dumbledore.
"What are you going to do with Scabbers? Please don't hurt him, okay?"
"Oh, of course, we'll return him to you," Alaric sneered at Ron, "if he doesn't turn into some weird fellow after we use the Revealing Charm on him."
Dumbledore pointed his wand at the rat, which emitted a blue-white light.
After a moment, Scabbers hung in the air, his black little body twisting frantically.
Then, the rat fell to the floor. Another dazzling flash, and it was like watching the fast-forwarded growth of a tree.
A head appeared on the ground; limbs extended; and after a while, a man stood where Scabbers had been, shrinking back with trembling hands.
Seeing this scene, Ron was dumbfounded. It was hard for him to accept that his pet was actually a wizard.
The man was short, not much taller than Harry and Ron. His thin, light-colored hair was disheveled, with a large bald spot on top.
His appearance was like that of an overweight person who had lost a lot of weight in a short time.
His skin looked dirty, almost as mottled as a rat's fur.
His pointed nose and watery eyes still had the characteristics of a rat. He looked at everyone, breathing heavily and weakly.
"Oh, hello, Peter," Lupin said cheerfully, as if it was common for rats to turn into former classmates, "Long time no see."
"Lu...Lupin, Dumbledore," Pettigrew's voice was also sharp. His eyes quickly glanced towards the door. "And the professors, professors..."
After twelve years of seeing his long-time enemy again, the black dog suddenly turned into a human shape: a mass of dirty, tangled hair hung down to his elbows.
If the eyes hidden in the deep, dark eye sockets didn't gleam, he might be mistaken for a corpse; wax-like skin clung to the bones of his face, looking like a skull.
Grinning with teeth, it was Sirius Black.
He struggled to pounce on Peter Pettigrew, seemingly wanting to strangle him with his withered hands, but Alaric waved his wand and subdued him. He was tied to a chair.
"I know you might be innocent, but before you seek revenge, let us know the whole truth," Alaric said calmly.
Sirius Black looked resentfully at him but nodded nonetheless, slowly recounting everything he knew, with Lupin supplementing from the side.
"...I convinced Lily and James to switch me with Peter at the last moment, persuading them to use him as Secret Keeper instead of me.
It's my fault, I know. On the night they died, I went to see Peter to make sure he was safe, but when I arrived at the place where he was hiding, he was gone.
But there was no sign of a struggle. I felt something was wrong. I got scared. I went straight to where Lily and James lived.
When I saw their house, it was destroyed, and I saw their bodies. I knew Peter must have done something wrong. I realized the extent of my mistake."
Upon hearing Black's words, Pettigrew became panicked, large beads of sweat breaking out on his pale face.
He tried to defend himself, but Snape gave him a vial of Veritaserum, and he immediately confessed everything.
With Black's explanation, coupled with Pettigrew's confession, the truth of everything from years ago finally came to light.
Black strongly desired revenge, wanting to kill Pettigrew himself, but Dumbledore suggested letting Harry Potter decide Pettigrew's fate.
"I think," Harry said breathlessly, looking at Pettigrew with hatred in his eyes, but ultimately making a different decision.
"We can hand him over to the Dementors, to the Ministry. He can go to Azkaban... just don't kill him."
"You are the only one authorized to make a decision, Harry," Black said, "but think about it, think about what he's done..."
"He can go to Azkaban," Harry said again, "if anyone should go there, it's him! Because I don't think my dad would want his best friend to kill, especially someone like him."
Alaric sneered; if it were up to him, he wouldn't do it that way.
The Ministry of Magic and wizarding laws could only constrain ordinary people and couldn't deal with Voldemort. Sending Pettigrew to Azkaban would have dire consequences.
But Alaric still notified the Ministry of Magic.
However, he didn't inform Fudge directly; instead, he contacted Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his collaborator.
Black had been wrongly accused by the Ministry of Magic in the past, and now that the true culprit was Pettigrew, this could deal a significant blow to Fudge's reputation.
Finding out the truth and capturing Pettigrew could elevate their own reputations, so why not?
Soon, Bones appeared in the Headmaster's office, accompanied by Scrimgour, the head of the Auror Office, and two other Aurors.
These Aurors couldn't help but tremble when they saw Alaric.
"Dumbledore, and Alaric, I just heard... my goodness, Peter Pettigrew, he's actually alive."
Bones stared at the bound Peter Pettigrew in disbelief, as if she needed to confirm whether he was an impostor.
"We've already learned the truth from him," Dumbledore sighed, "Black has always been innocent, and it was Pettigrew who defected to Voldemort.
We've recorded everything. But you can also ask him again for confirmation."
Professor McGonagall handed a parchment to one of the Aurors behind Bones, containing statements from Black and Pettigrew.
"I think you should know what to do," Alaric reminded, from the side.
"Ah... yes, indeed," Bones quickly responded, "This is indeed a significant mistake on the part of the Ministry.
The former officials responsible for this will bear great responsibility.
We will soon revoke the warrant for Black, and the Dementors will withdraw from Hogwarts.
However... due to Black concealing the fact that he was an Animagus for so long, we will impose a hefty fine on him.
Of course, as compensation for the twelve years of wrongful imprisonment, the Ministry will also pay a compensation sum, which should roughly cover the fine. What do you think?"
Indeed, as the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, second in power only to Fudge, Bones was adept at wielding authority despite being a fair and kind person.
In this way, she could not only strike at Fudge by exposing the truth of the past but also salvage the Ministry's reputation by imposing fines on Black for concealing his Animagus form, thereby avoiding accusations of "neglecting the overall interests of the Ministry for the sake of political vendetta."
Sirius, of course, had no objections. With the wealth of the Black family, he didn't care about such a sum of money.
At this moment, he was eager to catch up with his godson, Harry Potter.
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