Chapter 42: Encounter with the Truth

Leo, Hermione, and Ku enter the dilapidated Shrieking Shack. The interior was as terrible as the exterior.

"The detected reaction was on the second floor. The stairs are... over there.

The three of them went upstairs and arrived at the target room.

"Now, what could be in here?"

They opened the door and looked around. As expected, the dilapidated room only had a bed. And on it, a large black dog was sleeping.

"Well, it's just a stray dog. I wonder where it came from?"

"Is this a dog? Can I pet it?"

Ku, seeing a dog for the first time, approached with great interest. The black dog woke up sensing their presence. It seemed surprised at first but became docile when petted by Ku.

Leo alone felt something strange about the black dog and decided to observe it closely using his "eye". The analysis result showed that the black dog was not just a dog.

"Ku, step back. That's not a dog, it's an animagus."

Upon hearing Leo's words, the black dog suddenly lunged at Leo and Hermione.

Leo stepped in front of Hermione to defend her. But Ku jumped in front of Leo. The black dog's fangs sank into Ku's arm. Body fluid flowed from her arm and dripped onto the floor.

"Ku!"

Hermione screamed. But Ku herself was looking at the black dog biting her arm with an emotionless face and cold tone.

"Attacking my creator, Leonard Taylor, confirmed. Arm damage minor. Hostile organism identified. Defense function Protect deactivated. Elimination initiated."

Ku spoke mechanically. The next moment, her body grew larger to an adult-like physique, her maid uniform changed into an armor-like appearance covered with black scales. Her hair grew longer and wings sprouted from her back.

The black dog's fangs were repelled from the skin they had been biting into. Its hardness was harder than metal and didn't seem to be destructible.

The black dog watched their situation as it jumped away. But Ku didn't wait for it. Her hair turned into blades and attacked. Unable to dodge completely, the black dog had its foreleg deeply slashed. Deciding that it would be killed if it remained in its dog form, it returned to its human form. Even Leo was slightly surprised at its appearance.

"Oh, so it's Sirius Black."

Black used a wand he had somehow obtained to cast magic on Ku. In this situation and against an unknown creature monster like this, he couldn't afford to hold back.

"Stupefy."

His full-powered magic hit Ku in the chest directly. He was slightly surprised as he had expected it to be dodged or blocked.

(Good! I have to knock out the remaining two and escape as soon as possible... I can't get caught until I kill him!)

While thinking this and trying to point his wand at the remaining two people, his right arm holding the wand was blown off from the elbow.

"Ugh! Gahhh!"

He squatted down on the spot due to intense pain. That saved his life. At that moment, Ku's hair that had turned into blades passed through where his neck had been.

"Inaccuracy detected. Correction required. But this is the end."

Sirius Black prided himself on his magical power being considerable. Despite being hit directly by his full-powered magic, this monster wasn't affected at all. His movement was delayed for a moment due to the intense pain in his arm and fear of his opponent. Ku grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall.

"Gah!"

"Burn to ashes.

The monster's mouth opened and flames could be seen inside. Even if he were in perfect condition with a wand, he realized instantly that those flames had enough power to burn a person.

He didn't want to die! He resisted with all his might just for that reason alone. But he couldn't escape from the monster's restraint and was destined to become a lump of carbon in the next moment.

"Wait, Ku."

That fate was easily undone by a single boy's words.

Ku stopped her attack without questioning his command.

"Ku, for now, stop your arm from bleeding. Also restrain him. Now what should we do? I guess I'll contact Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Wait! Listen to me!"

Sirius Black shouted while being wrapped up by Ku's hair.

"Feel free to talk."

Sirius Black began to talk about how he wasn't the secret keeper of the Potters', how he had switched with Peter Pettigrew, how Peter betrayed them afterwards leading to the death of Potters', how he cornered Peter but let him escape, how Peter is currently at Hogwarts as Ron Weasley's pet in his animagus form of a rat, and how he escaped from Azkaban using his animagus form to kill that rat.

After hearing everything, Leo felt that the story was consistent at least. But whether to trust it or not was another matter.

"You might not believe it, but it's the truth. I don't mind drinking Veritaserum if you want."

If he's willing to say that much, it might be the truth, but honestly, it's a hassle to judge that. He decided to leave it all to Headmaster Dumbledore.

He sent a telepathic message to Headmaster Dumbledore.

((Headmaster Dumbledore. I found and restrained Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. However, Sirius Black says that he is not the traitor but Peter Pettigrew is. I would like you to come alone with Veritaserum to judge this matter.))

After waiting for a few minutes, Headmaster Dumbledore rushed into the Shrieking Shack.

"Leo, and Hermione too. Are you alright? Now, Sirius. I heard from Leo, is it true?"

"Professor Dumbledore... I'm here to kill Peter. That's my only purpose!"

"Well then, there's a truth serum here. Let's determine that after you drink this."

Sirius Black drinks the truth serum without resistance. The truth he speaks afterwards was exactly the same as before.

"Well, what to do... Even if Sirius is innocent, the crucial Peter is nowhere to be found."

"It's a blow that Crookshanks was smart. Perhaps he saw through Scabbers being an Animagus and persistently attacked him."

"Do you know Crookshanks? I met him here, it took time to gain his trust but I asked him to bring him."

"Crookshanks is my pet. It was your fault that he was so persistent. Because of that, I had a fight with my friend."

"I apologize for that. But I had no other choice."

"For now, let's shelter Sirius here. We'll do something about Peter. Don't leave here until then. If you're not careful, not only will Peter escape, but a Dementor's kiss awaits you."

"I'll take you up on that offer. I can't move with this injury, I have to rest for a while."

Saying so, he raises his missing right hand. It's okay for now because he received first aid, but even with magic, it takes time to join a severed arm.

In fact, it could be easily healed with the water of life in Ku's body. Since Ku's blade cut it off cleanly, it could be completely healed with a little magic and the water of life by attaching the arm.

Leo and Ku don't feel like healing someone who attacked them.

Leo and Dumbledore created a protective barrier around the Screaming Shack, both for watching and preventing entry. Amidst this, they pushed aside the immediate issue to strategize how to catch Peter Pettigrew.

In the headmaster's office are Dumbledore, Leo, Hermione, and Ku who has returned to her maid state. Then Lupin enters.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, sorry to keep you waiting. And Leonard-kun and Granger-san and even Ku-san. What on earth happened?"

"Professor Lupin, please calm down and listen... We captured Sirius Black in the Shrieking Shack earlier. There we heard the truth from him. Sirius did not betray the Potters. The one who should truly be held accountable is Peter Pettigrew."

Dumbledore tells the truth he heard from Sirius. Lupin is shaking with regret for doubting Sirius and anger at Peter.

"Now here's the problem... I believe you knew that Peter and Sirius were Animagus. So what do you think Peter would do if he were hiding as a rat? We want any hint we can get to find him."

"Haha... So you knew after all. Then I have something good for you. This."

Saying so, he spreads out a parchment with nothing written on it. Hermione and Ku don't understand, but Dumbledore notices something and Leo is surprised at the complexity of the formula built into it.

"It's called the Marauder's Map which we four - myself, Sirius, James, and Peter - created for mischief during our student days. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'... As you can see it becomes a map of Hogwarts. Not only that but it can show people's positions and names."

"Ho ho! This is amazing! That's why you guys were able to be so mischievous."

"This is wonderful indeed! It would be impossible to create this without extraordinary skills."

Leo stares at the complexity of the magic of the Marauder's Map in surprise. When he searches all over Hogwarts he finds Peter Pettigrew's name.

"Well then, let's go! Haste makes waste."

Dumbledore, Lupin and Leo go to capture Peter as a trio.

As expected they captured the rat easily and returned with it.

All that remains is to get testimony from this rat as well and prepare to convince the Ministry of Magic.

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Ku evolves into combat form. The specs of this state will be introduced next time but basically it's cheat.

It feels like a dragon + basilisk + wizard + α embedded with the philosopher's stone.

Sirius gets caught easily. Leo stopped Ku because he didn't want her to kill even if she was a criminal. Well, there was also the author's convenience that he didn't want to kill Sirius.

And then Peter gets caught even more easily.

It was unlucky that Lupin confiscated the Marauder's Map from Harry.

The Marauder's Map is quite a cheat item, isn't it?