bioinnovel Chapter 211 Welcome Chapter
Chapter 211 Welcome Chapter
Chapter 211 Welcome Back
The phrase "cowardly as a mouse" seems to have been tailor-made for Peter Pettigrew.
With a timid and weak personality, a nickname that translates to "worm tail," and an Animagus form that resembles a rat, it couldn't be more fitting.
It was this very cowardice that enabled Peter to escape danger time and time again, avoiding the punishment that should have fallen on him long ago.
Twelve years ago, Peter Pettigrew preemptively framed Sirius Black, but faked his death to escape.
For twelve long years, Peter willingly served as a pet mouse, hiding in the Weasley family home, which not only further solidified Sirius's guilt but also allowed him to evade the pursuit of the Death Eater remnants.
More importantly, hiding in a wizarding family allows them to gather intelligence on the wizarding world and patiently await the return of the vanished Voldemort.
When Voldemort makes a comeback and the situation becomes safe, Peter Pettigrew, who has been dead for many years, will be "resurrected," and the old man will be gone forever.
Now that Sirius has escaped from Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic is launching a massive manhunt, and with Belvina by his side, Ron Weasley is no longer safe. The cowardly Peter has once again gone into hiding, waiting for his chance.
Peter Pettigrew is waiting for the Ministry of Magic to capture Sirius Black, for the guards at Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic to relax their guard, and for a chance to escape.
Belvina's nascent plan also stemmed from this: to create the illusion of Sirius's capture in order to lure Peter Pettigrew into taking action.
As long as Peter makes a move, whether it's returning to Ron's side or taking the opportunity to leave Hogwarts, it could be an opportunity to capture him.
I'm not afraid that Peter Pettigrew will escape; what I'm afraid of is that he will remain unmoved and continue to hide in his mouse hole, eking out a living.
Showing borderline videos to a blind person is a complete waste of their time.
Is Peter Pettigrew, a graduate of Gryffindor House, truly a coward?
Belvina initially thought so too; the Peter she remembered, and the Peter others spoke of, was a timid and cowardly figure.
But can a cowardly person navigate between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters? Can a cowardly person maneuver between Dumbledore and Voldemort?
Peter Pettigrew is indeed timid, but he is not as cowardly as he appears. He possesses a unique kind of courage, a courage misplaced within him.
Abandoning the light and embracing darkness, betraying friends for personal gain, framing others—seemingly cowardly, but actually audacious and reckless.
This extraordinary courage is something even Peter Pettigrew himself might not be aware of.
After much thought, Belvina felt that her plan was feasible, requiring only appropriate modifications to change it from enticement to coercion, forcing the prey to move.
The script is now ready, but the cast still needs two big names, Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge, to join and lend their support.
To create the illusion of Sirius Black's arrest, the Ministry of Magic had to cooperate, and persuading Minister Cornelius Fudge was a top priority.
Albus Dumbledore, widely regarded as the greatest wizard of his time, was naturally there to provide a safety net. The opportunity to force Peter Pettigrew to reveal himself was likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and it had to be a fatal blow.
As for Sirius's own opinion, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, and you can't catch a rogue without risking your wife," I believe Sirius won't mind.
At 4:30 a.m., as dawn broke, the three people sitting around the fireplace, passing the time, moved almost simultaneously.
Belvina and Lupin stood up one after the other, and Sirius tried to stand up as well, but unfortunately, no medical miracle happened, and his efforts only managed to lift Inui's buttocks a few inches off the cushion.
"Let's go, let's go now. There's hardly anyone wandering around the castle at this time," Belvina said, rubbing her aching legs.
Sitting there until dawn was not a pleasant experience. Lu Ping, who was already haggard, looked even worse now, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"We went ahead and waited, hoping Sirius's appearance wouldn't surprise Dumbledore too much," Lupin said. "We'd be damned to disturb a centenarian before dawn."
Sirius remained silent, appearing somewhat nervous, as if unsure how to face Dumbledore.
"No, no, no, we two shouldn't have died. The one who should have died is Sirius." Belvina shook her head. "Any blame can be directed at him."
Having said that, Belvina, having completely shirked responsibility, walked out of the lounge first, with Lupin pushing Sirius Black in his wheelchair, following closely behind.
The castle was deserted at 4:30 a.m. The embers of the dying fire emitted a faint light, and only Belvina and Lupin were seen in the empty corridors, with Sirius Black floating behind them under the Disillusionment Charm.
Only when the three of them stood in front of the dripping stone beast did Belvina release Sirius's illusion spell, and the floating, simple wheelchair fell back to the ground.
"Toffee apples," Belvina said, giving the password to the principal's office.
The gargoyle stone beast guarding the principal's office jumped aside, and the wall behind it split in two, revealing a spiral staircase in front of the three.
Belvina gently patted the makeshift wheelchair, which was converted from an armchair, and Sirius and the wheelchair beneath him floated up again, becoming the first to ascend the spiral staircase.
Once Belvina and Lupin were on the stairs, the spiral staircase immediately rose slowly like an escalator, quickly taking the three of them to the front of the principal's office.
The oak door still gleamed, and the brass door knocker in the shape of a griffin was still the same. Belvina didn't knock on the door, and neither did Lupin.
Although they could have pinned all the blame on Sirius, the two decided to wait a little longer and let the old man get some more sleep.
However, the oak door opened silently. Dumbledore may have been awake long ago, or he may have been awakened by the visitor.
Belvina hesitated for a few seconds, but decided to take Sirius into the headmaster's office with her. The portraits of past headmasters hanging on the wall should keep quiet.
The Headmaster's office at Hogwarts is a spacious, beautiful circular room that Belvina has visited countless times over the past two years.
"Belvina, and Remus, disturbing an old person's sleep is not something that can be easily forgiven."
Dumbledore's voice rang out from the office. He came out yawning, wearing a purple dressing gown and a purple nightcap.
Purple is a very elegant color, but it doesn't look good on Dumbledore.
"Last night I was thinking, Belvina, whether I had wronged you," Dumbledore said softly, holding up a finger. "And then this morning you showed up with Sirius Black."
"You really can't hide anything from me," Belvina sighed. "How did you know I found Sirius?"
Dumbledore walked forward with his hands behind his back, saying as he went, "I don't know, it's just a feeling. Asking someone to search your common room is a bit out of character for you. Even if that person was Severus."
"May I inquire about Sirius Black's injuries?" Dumbledore continued, looking at Sirius and asking, "What happened to you?"
"I fell," Belvina answered without hesitation, even though no one asked her.
Sirius nodded, acknowledging Belvina's nonsense.
"You've had a bad fall!" said Dumbledore. "You've even broken your leg." He said this while looking at Belvina.
Sirius nodded again, and said indistinctly, "I fell really badly. Not only did I break my leg, but when I got up I accidentally bumped into the door and knocked out my front teeth."
His words were half-hearted and full of holes, but Dumbledore didn't ask any further questions.
Actually, there's no need to ask any more questions. There are only four people in the principal's office, so the answer is quite obvious.
Dumbledore walked behind the large desk, hands behind his back, immediately creating distance between himself and the other two. Then, Dumbledore said seriously, "Sirius Black, James Potter, and Lily Potter have sworn the Charm of Loyalty. Are you their Keeper of the Secrets?"
Sirius shook his head and said, "I wasn't their Secret Keeper. I didn't betray James and Lily. But... but I really did kill them. I suggested they change the Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew."
At this moment, the principal's office resembled an interrogation room of the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore sat behind his large desk, asking questions with a blank expression; Sirius Black sat in his simple wheelchair, answering every question.
Why change the secret keeper? Why did the Potters go to Godric's Hollow on the day they were murdered? And how did they find Peter Pettigrew, who was hiding?
Sirius answered all of Dumbledore's questions truthfully, without hiding anything.
"So, you found out Peter Pettigrew was at Hogwarts through the newspaper Fudge had, and that's why you left Azkaban without permission, is that right?" Dumbledore asked again.
"Yes," Sirius said seriously, his attitude upright and his tone solemn, completely unlike the joking around he had with Belvina.
Sirius continued, "Peter is at Hogwarts, and he's been staying by Harry's side the whole time. If word gets to him that the dark forces are making a comeback, he might really do something to Harry! I can't wait any longer."
The headmaster, with his deep gaze, did not relent in his interrogation of Sirius, even though he had already suspected that Sirius might be innocent.
"I have never betrayed James and Lily, and I would rather die than betray them," Sirius said in a deep voice. "Never."
Dumbledore stood up, walked out from behind his large desk, and stopped in front of Sirius.
The headmaster said, "Welcome back, Sirius. Next time, please don't act on your own."
Upon hearing this, Sirius and Lupin both breathed a sigh of relief. Although Dumbledore had already expressed his opinion, the two of them were still very nervous.
Belvina remained silent, her gaze moving to the portraits of past principals hanging on the wall, her eyes sweeping over each of the old principals who had been pretending to be asleep and eavesdropping.
At that moment, Phineas Nigellus Black opened his eyes and said, trembling, "I can't believe my ears, can I? The last male member of the Black family, my great-grandson, Sirius Black, can come home?"
"I think so, Phineas," said Dumbledore, "if Sirius would like to go back."