Although Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail, was fully immobilized by the spell, his beady little eyes continued to dart around, clearly searching for a way to escape.
"He… he's really a person?"
Ron was in disbelief.
Seeing Pettigrew's skin, gray and dingy like a rat's fur, made Ron feel queasy.
He'd been fond of Scabbers, but he had no affection whatsoever for this bald, rat-like wizard. The thought of having slept in the same bed as him every night made Ron's skin crawl.
Harry had been watching from the sidelines as an observer, but he suddenly noticed Wormtail's eyes flick over to him several times, as if he wanted to say something. It struck Harry as strange.
In those eyes, there was a pleading, a desperate hope, as if he thought Harry would somehow save him.
"Percy, do you know Peter Pettigrew?" Hermione asked. "Who is he, really? And why would he turn into a rat and hide in your house?"
Harry noticed that Percy glanced at him briefly before looking away and replying, "I heard his name when I was young…"
"How come we didn't know about him?" Fred and George asked in unison.
Percy rolled his eyes. "You two were only three or four years old then; what could you possibly remember?"
"Who exactly is he?" Ron asked as he glared with disgust at Pettigrew.
"He's…"
But before Percy could finish, Wade cut him off.
"If we're telling stories, let's save that for a bit later."
Wade poured a pale green potion down Pettigrew's throat and said, "I need to take this man away for a little while."
"Where are you taking him?" Hermione asked. "And what did you make him drink?"
"Draught of Living Death," Wade replied. "It'll make him drowsy and weak so he doesn't accidentally slip away again."
Wade understood that their success in capturing Pettigrew came largely from the element of surprise.
Pettigrew hadn't known his identity was exposed; as long as he clung to the hope of remaining hidden, he wouldn't dare return to his human form right under Dumbledore's nose.
Forced to remain as a rat, he could only wield the strength of one, which was why a few young wizards could capture him.
It was like in the original story, when Ron grabbed his tail, and no matter how much Wormtail struggled, he couldn't break free.
But once his identity was exposed, and if Peter Pettigrew managed to get hold of a wand, none of the Weasleys would stand a chance against him. Even Wade wasn't entirely certain he could restrain him alone.
"Wait, Grey," Percy interrupted. "We should hand him over to Dumbledore. This man…he's known as…a hero who sacrificed himself…"
"A hero?" Ron frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I know," Wade said and looked Percy in the eye. "Mr. Weasley, I know who he is. I will hand him over to Dumbledore—but in an hour."
Percy was stunned. "Why an hour?"
"If you don't know what's going on, don't offer so many opinions," Fred said impatiently and shoved his older brother aside. He turned to Wade. "Do what you need to do…I trust you!"
"So do I," George added and raised his hand. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have found him at all. I'm sure you have your reasons."
Wade nodded with a smile.
Though Percy still seemed unconvinced, Wade wasn't overly concerned about his opinion. All he needed was for the Weasley twins to cooperate with his plan.
Ideally, they would successfully escort Peter Pettigrew out of the Gryffindor common room without attracting any attention. But if they caused a bit of commotion and drew in unexpected people—as long as it wasn't a professor—it would only be a minor complication.
If Percy and Ron continued to interfere, Wade had no problem putting them both out of commission.
Using a levitation charm, Wade moved Pettigrew to the area where they usually practiced spells. With a wave of his wand, a massive curtain unfolded, splitting the Umbrella Room in half and blocking both sight and sound.
"Zoe."
Wade murmured.
With a soft "pop," Zoe appeared with the Vanishing Cabinet.
"Mr. Wade Grey, Zoe is ready," the house-elf said.
"Thank you for your help."
Wade dragged Pettigrew into the cabinet, smiled at the elf, and whispered, "See you in an hour, Zoe."
With a clank, everything went dark for a moment, then light again as Lupin opened the cabinet door.
"Wade, it's not time for class yet, so why have you suddenly…"
Lupin's voice trailed off as his gaze locked onto Peter Pettigrew. His face turned blank and pale.
"…Peter?"
He spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
Seeing a friend he'd thought lost forever suddenly appear before him—was it relief or anger?
In that brief moment, Lupin's expression went through a rapid, complex range of emotions that words could hardly describe.
Wade observed Lupin's pupils contract sharply and his nostrils flare, knowing that Lupin was putting together the truth of what had happened in the past.
For an instant, Lupin looked as if he was ready to bare his teeth, as though he might lunge and snap Pettigrew's neck like a wolf.
Then he saw Wade and forced himself to calm down.
"This man… where did you find him? How did you catch him?" Lupin asked with a trembling voice.
"Follow me. I don't want to explain it twice." Wade, pulling Pettigrew out of the cabinet, asked, "Is Mr. Marchionne here?"
Lupin's gaze lingered on Pettigrew for a moment before he answered, "He's here. He and the people he brought are all waiting in the living room."
"Perfect," Wade replied. "I promised to return him within an hour."
Wade took a small crystal vial from his pocket and said, "Veritaserum. I trust you know how to use it."
Lupin looked at the Veritaserum, then back at Wade. "When did you learn about all of this?"
"After I saw Peter Pettigrew's name, I did some research," Wade replied vaguely.
Yes, he'd "read up" a book called Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
"His name?"
"Are you familiar with the Marauder's Map?"
Lupin nodded, seeming to understand what Wade was implying.
As the map's creator, he was well aware that it displayed the names of everyone within Hogwarts grounds.
Wade must have obtained the map, happened to see Peter Pettigrew's name on it, and realized this wasn't a student. He then looked into it further, piecing together the truth of the past—just as Lupin was now.
Lupin poured three drops of Veritaserum into Pettigrew's mouth and then hoisted his former friend up, and carried him toward the living room.
"Stay here, Wade," Lupin said calmly. "This isn't something you need to witness."
From the living room, the faint sounds of Mr. Marchionne chatting and laughing drifted through the crack in the door, and the light spilling through looked warm and bright.
But Lupin seemed shrouded in shadows as he turned back to Wade and said, "Stay here and wait for me."
In his eyes gleamed a deep hatred.
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