Previously On Playing With Magic
A moment later, the door opened to reveal Professor McGonagall, her stern expression softening slightly when she saw who it was. "Mr. Grey, how may I help you?" she asked, as she glanced at the rat I was holding.
"Well.."
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Chapter 25: Operation: Dawg-Father
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2 November, 1991 - Saturday
Jonathan Grey
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"Well, I had a few questions regarding being an Animagus."
"Why, Mr Grey, are you carrying your…rodent around?" McGonagall asked, opening the door wider and gesturing for me to enter as she walked towards her desk.
Stepping inside, I closed the door behind me. "Oh, this isn't my rodent. It's Ronald Weasley's. I believe his name is Scabbers. But I have reason to believe it's not just an ordinary rodent."
"Mr Grey," McGonagall frowned as she spoke, "Theft of rodents from fellow students is not tolerated at Hogwarts." The more she says 'rodent' is leading me to believe she has a personal hatred toward them, and considering her animagus transformation is a cat, it's rather fitting. "With that said, can you elaborate as to why you believe this not to be no ordinary rodent."
"Sure," Placing the cage on the desks, not missing the quick, almost imperceptible sneer she sent Scabbers' way as I took a seat in the chair opposite her. "I've looked into becoming an Animagus myself, and came across ways of identifying if an animal is a wizard in disguise or a regular animal."
"I would highly advise against becoming an Animagus at such a young age, Mr Grey." McGonagall peered at me over her half-moon glasses as she spoke. "Though you are currently studying at the OWL level despite your age, the Animagus ritual contains several variables that have to be completed perfectly, and even if done correctly, there is still a chance of a disastrous outcome. You wouldn't want to become a grotesque half-human, half-animal mutation, now would you?"
With the system, there was never any worry on that front. The fact that a cure was never found for failed Animagus transformations would have been a scary thought, though. But with the [Tamper Proof] DLC from the system, I had a green light. Even if I didn't have it, I could always buy the [Knowledge] DLC and buy the cure from there. Then, sell the potions to people and add some more gold to the Hoard.
"Of course not, ma'am," I shook my head. "At least not unintentionally." That got me a disapproving look that got expertly ignored. "The problem, Professor, is that I believe Ronald's…rodent is actually an Animagus because, well, I used the Animagus Reveal spell, and it verified he was one. I initially wanted to use the Animagus Reversal spell, but I thought it best to bring it to you so the individual doesn't cause harm to any students once revealed."
"I also heard that the life span of a garden rat is only around a year or so. But, to my knowledge, this rat has been alive for almost a year, if not more. Well, that is if Ronald is to be believed."
"Ten years," McGonagall muttered, still looking disapprovingly at me as she took out her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at Scabbers, flawlessly performing the [Animagis Revelio] spell. As soon as she did so, her expression shifted from disappointment to shock, before her eyes snapped from me to the rat and then back to me. "Mr Grey, did you help another student become an Animagus without supervision?"
"No, Ma'am." I shook my head, maintaining eye contact as she examined my expression for any potential lies. "Is there a spell to check a person's age as well? I have a feeling that would be rather useful."
"Mr Grey, remove the rodent from the cage." McGonagall gestured to the cage as she found her way to her feet. "Luckily, from what I can tell, the transformation was done correctly, so there will be no issue with transforming the individual back." Sternly, she continued. "I would, however, like to know if the individual was fully clothed when they transformed, Mr Grey."
"I have no idea ma'am," I replied as I was placing Scabbers on the floor. Even when showing no signs of lying and being a good student, she still couldn't bring herself to believe me. Probably the aftereffect of dealing with the Marauders and the twins for so long. "I had nothing to do with this person's Animagus transformation."
Pointing her wand at the rat as I stepped back a little, McGonagall performed the Animagus Reversal spell, [Reverso Animagus]. As soon as the dim blue spell hit its mark, the small rat morphed into the still-unconscious, short and plump figure of Peter Pettigrew lying face-first on the floor. Ew, why is he naked, though? I just got an unnecessary view of his butt cheeks. He could have stolen Arthur Weasley's clothes at any time. That's just…nasty. I was ripped from my internal disgust by McGonagall conjuring a blanket for the man before using the [Incarcerous] Spell, which conjured thick rope and tightly bound Pettigrew.
Recognising the man, McGonagall almost froze when she had instinctively clothed and bound the man, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Pettigrew... it can't be..." She trailed off.
"Professor, I don't believe that's a student. It's clearly a fully grown man." I added unhelpfully. Let it not be said that I could not be petty too.
McGonagall snapped out of her shock, her mind racing with questions and implications. "How could this be? How did the wards not detect him?"
"That was actually one of the questions I was going to ask, Professor." I shrugged. I haven't checked the Wards to a high degree, but I would think any competent grown-up would put in something that would stop an Animagus from making their way into the castle, especially if they already had an Animagus on staff that had most likely used that ability as a way of infiltration in the previous war.
Completely ignoring my 'helpful' comments, McGonagall took a few vigilant steps towards the unconscious man, flipping him over with her wand to get a better view of his face. When she made sure she was not mistaken, her gaze went toward the slightly faded Death Eater tattoo on his left arm, a skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth in all it's glory. The sight of the tattoo alone made the professor gasp, her face turning pale.
Quickly, she conjured her Patronus. The silvery and somewhat translucent tabby cat calmly stood before her, ears twitching, and waited for orders. "Go to Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall instructed the Patronus. "Tell him to come to my office immediately, it's an emergency."
As the ethereal cat bounded through the wall to Find the Headmaster, McGonagall turned back to the unconscious Pettigrew, cast a Stunner of her own for good measure. She then tuned to address me, "Mr Grey, step to the side, near the door."
Nodding, I did as asked.
Soon enough, the old man walked through the door, Wand ready at his side, not even bothering to knock. "What seems to be the problem, Professor?" Dumbledore asked, glancing at me near the entrance as he closed the door behind himself. When he noticed the blanketed, tied man on the floor, he questioned again. "Professor?"
"Albus, look at his face," McGonagall said with a little anger, not even looking away from the plump man on the floor as she did so, and that was the first time I had seen Dumbledore angry. First came disbelief as he sent a spell at the traitor to verify if the body on the floor resulted from a spell or potion of some kind. Then, the atmosphere in the room grew heavier with his magical energy, slowly radiating off him as he glanced at the man's forearm. The typically twinkling blue eyes become hard and piercing as his features tighten.
"Professor, please explain how you found yourself with the body of an unconscious man in your office," Dumbledore said with authority while still maintaining a calm tone. Though he didn't say his name, there was no doubt he recognised him. McGonagall did as asked without pause, still staring at the unconscious man. Once she was done with her retelling, Dumbledore woke the man with the reviving spell.
Pettigrew stirred, his eyes fluttering open. As he regained consciousness, his expression quickly turned from confusion to terror. He looked around frantically, taking in his surroundings—the stern and angry face of Professor McGonagall, the imposing figure of Dumbledore… me, casually stuck in the corner, and the ropes he was bound in. Did…did he just shit himself. Ugh, what the fuck. Luckily for everyone, Dumbledore quickly dealt with that with a simple spell.
"Why am I tied up? What's happening? What's going on?" Peter whimpered as he spoke, voice trembling.
"I was wondering if you could answer those questions for me, Mr Pettigrew," Dumbledore began, his voice carrying an edge of anger as his Legilimens probe entered Pettigrew's mind to get first-hand information. "We all assumed you had been dead for years. Explain yourself."
"I-I had to keep my survival secret, Headmaster! T-They wanted to kill me! He wanted to kill me! Look what he did to all those i-innocent people," Pettigrew stammered, eyes wide with fear as he did so.
I need to kill this guy. There was no way I would leave him alive, I don't even care what the verdict will be once he's taken in.
"Your lies do you no good Pettigrew," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the mark on his forearm as he continued to sift through the man's mind. . "Your mark is visible enough for all to see."
"Please, Headmaster, there was nothing I could do," Pettigrew begged, getting no response from the Headmaster or McGonagall who had been oddly silent since he regained consciousness. "I had no choice, they would have killed me, I had no choice!" Seeing that his snivelling was getting him nowhere, he changed tactics, turning to me. Who was, in his eyes, an innocent eleven-year-old thought could easily be manipulated."You wouldn't let them hurt me, would you?"
I frowned.
I'm definitely killing him…with no remorse. The audacity to betray your friends, get them killed, allow another to take the blame and spend what would have been the rest of his life, then lie in the presence of a Dragon of all creatures. For the Horde, he can not be allowed to live.
McGonagall clearly had enough, casting a Stunner at the snivelling rat so powerful it knocked him back into the wall with a thud. Without missing a beat, Dumbledore produced his Patronus, a phoenix, quickly sending it out to fetch Snape and asking him to bring Veritaserum. I had no doubt he already had the information he needed from the man's mind, the Veritiserum was most likely just extra proof for when he called the Ministry.
As we waited for Snape to arrive, Dumbledore secured Pettigrew to a chair. Not once did he take the time to heal the man from the damage he had taken from McGonagall's spell. It turns out I'm not the only one who knows how to be petty. Soon enough, Snape entered the room.
"Severus, administer the potion to the suspect. He needs to be questioned immediately," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the chair-bound criminal. Snape's face initially showed confusion and then anger at seeing Pettigrew, already mentally filling in the details.
Snape did as he was told, using his wand to prop open Pettigrew's mouth and dropping the three necessary drops of the serum. Snape made sure he swallowed the contents administered before reviving the traitor, only lowering his wand when he noticed Peter's glazed eyes and relaxed body. A part of me thought he might kill the rat himself here and now, either because he now knew he was a major reason why Lily was dead or because he knew he was the cause all along and now gets to kill him himself while simultaneously letting Sirius rot in prison.
"What is your name?" Dumbledore asked.
"Peter Pettigrew," Pettigrew replied.
"Did Sirius Black betray the Potters?"
"No," Peter replied, causing McGonagall to put a hand over her mouth with a distraught expression. Seeing there was never a trial, no one to fight for him, and basically being condemned by the very people he fought beside, she must be finally letting all that guilt hit her all at once.
"Are you one of Voldemort's Death Eaters?"
"Yes."
"Did you frame Sirius Black for the murder of muggles and the murder of the Potters the night he was captured?" Dumbledore continued.
"Yes."
"Were you the secret keeper for the Potters?"
"Yes."
"Severus," Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Contact the Ministry and take Mr Pettigrew to Amelia Bones immediately. Minerva, please accompany him to provide any further details Amelia may need. If they require anything from Mr. Grey, they will have to speak to me directly."
Snape nodded curtly with an impassive expression. McGonagall, on the other hand, gave a quick nod of understanding while pulling herself together, finally finding her voice. "Of course, Albus," she said, once against sending another stunner at the traitor. With that, Snape and McGonagall levitated the bound and unconscious Pettigrew between them and swiftly left the office, via the Floo, directly to head to the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore then turned to me, his expression having already returned to its normal grandfatherly. "Mr. Grey, would you join me in my office? There are a few things we need to discuss."
"Of course, Professor." I nodded, and together we walked to his office in silence. The part of me that wanted to be petty against McGonagal for thinking I had done something wrong didn't really feel the need to rub in the fact that he allowed a criminal such as him, or Voldemort for that matter, get into 'one of the most secure places in the magical world'.
When we reached the entrance, Dumbledore gave the password, "Sherbet Lemon," causing the gargoyle to spring aside and reveal the spiral staircase. Making our way forward, we allowed the steps to take us up, ascending in silence.
Once inside the office, Dumbledore gestured to the seat opposite his own. "Please, have a seat, Mr Grey."
"Now, Mr Grey, I would like you to tell me everything that happened before you brought Peter Pettigrew to Professor McGonagall's office," Dumbledore requested gently.
"Well, after researching Animagus, I wanted to make sure I had all the spells regarding the subject added to my growing list of spells. Having heard of, Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, being so old. It led to only a few possibilities. So, I used an Invisibility spell to sneak into the Gryffindor common room, verify my thoughts, stun Scabbers and bring him straight to Professor McGonagall's office, knowing that she would be able to help uncover the truth."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with understanding and admiration. "Remarkably done, Mr Grey. Though I would admonish you for breaking into another house's common room in a normal situation, I suppose that transgression can be overlooked, considering the result. You wouldn't happen to have become an Animagus yourself, now would you?"
"To my knowledge, it's illegal to become an Animagus without letting the MInistry know," I responded.
Dumbledore nodded and continued to stare, waiting. I realised he was trying to change topics a little to get his mind off Pettigrew and Sirius, but I didn't mind playing along. I had a test for him within all this. It was simple, if he didn't try his hardest, and I mean his absolute hardest, to save Sirius or even if he did but failed to do so…, I'd take the Elder wand. He simply wouldn't deserve it.
There was a long silence before I answered. "Hypothetically speaking", I started, which caused Dumbledore's moustache to twitch ever so slightly as he smirked a little. "If a person was to become an Animagus but only in for the ministry after an hour or two of completing their transformation due to, say, helping to capture a criminal, would it still be a crime?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore shook his head. "People are given time to register, it doesn't have to be within a few minutes of their first transformation. We can go to the ministry tomorrow to register if you want."
I nodded, "That would be great, Professor, thank you."
Dumbledore gave me a nod of his own, "Care to tell me the form you take when you transform?" he asked.
"A Dragon, sir."
Dumbledore blinked, "A dragon," he repeated. "A… Komodo dragon?"
"No, a Dragon-Dragon. I grow to around a hundred and thirty meters in length and maybe twenty metres in height." I said nonchalantly.
"I…" Dumbledore trailed off before gathering his thoughts. "You know I originally had a childish theory, that you were somehow incapable of telling…tall tail. I suppose I will find out if I was right tomorrow."
I take back what I said before, I'm going to be petty. I'll leave it a while and let him think I forgot. Shrugging, I replied, "Don't really see the point in lying to be honest with you, especially when the truth is so hard to believe."
"Indeed, wise words," Dumbledore nodded, interlocking his fingers as he did so. "Now, you will be expected to give a statement as a witness. I think it best we do that tomorrow as well. We, the Ministry, will investigate this matter thoroughly. A trial will be set up for Mr Pettigrew, and soon an innocent man will be set free. With that said, I would like to Thank you for bringing a criminal that had illuded us all for so many years."
I shrugged, "It was no big deal, Professor, just lucky I guess."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "In all my years, I have found that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. It is clear that you possess a rare combination of intelligence, courage, and determination. These qualities will serve you well in the future, Mr Grey."
You're buttering me up a little too much there, Albus. Relax. "I appreciate that, Professor. I'm just glad I could help."
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Indeed, you have. Now, I must ask you to keep what happened tonight in confidence. The details of Pettigrew's capture must be handled delicately."
"Of course, Professor," I agreed. "I understand."
We then discussed how the next day would go regarding giving my statement and registering my Animagus form. Soon enough, McGonagall and Snape walked through the door to inform us, Dumbledore, that the Aurors had verified it was Pettigrew and that he was now in custody in a Ministry holding cell, awaiting trial. They had relayed all te information to the DMLE, specifically Amelia Bones, and she requested the statement 'first thing in the morning'.
"And Mr Grey," McGonagall started, eyes red from crying, "It was a wonderful thing you did today,"
"Yes, thank you. You may return to your common room now. If you need anything or have any questions, my door is always open." Dumbledore added.
Noticing a dismissal when I heard one, I got up, said goodbye, and left.
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"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed."
— Peter Pettigrew
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Author Here
The rat needs to die, maybe not today, but soon.
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