129 Peter Pettigrew 4
"I see. You put a lot of thought into this Mr. Mason. Even hired and Law Wizard in advance. Could it be you knew of Pettigrew and didn't alarm a teacher?" asked Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes as he stared over his half-moon glasses at Matthew.
"No Professor, I didn't know that Scabbers was Pettigrew until today." Lied Matthew, "I hired Mr. Tonks as Law Wizard to help Harry."
"What do you mean? Why does Mr. Potter need help?" asked Professor McGonagall shocked.
"Are you aware where Harry is currently living, Professor? My parents had a business meeting with his Guardians during the Summer. And what I found there wasn't pretty, and I believe I only saw the top of the Mountain. Harry wouldn't explain more but I could see in his eyes it was even worse."
At that Professor, McGonagall glared at the Headmaster. "Albus I told you they were the worst kind of People. We should have looked for other Possibilities!"
The Headmaster looked suddenly older, "Yes Minerva, I admit it was a Mistake to leave Harry with the Dursleys. I had no idea that it would be so bad. But back then there weren't many safe options. Even from today's perspective, I am unsure who could have taken Harry in and granted him enough protection." Admitted Dumbledore with a pained look in his eyes as the twinkling visibly diminished, "But how did that to you realizing that Mr. Pettigrew was alive, Mr. Mason."
"Well to be honest I am deeply disappointed in you Headmaster or every Professor in Hogwarts who knew Mr. Black and the Law Enforcement. The next day after visiting Harry I began to investigate. And just from reading the old Newspaper article, I found the whole thing fishy. Professor, what kind of Curse or Spell only leaves one Finger behind? A blasting curse would leave a total mess behind, a withering curse would leave dust behind, and for it to stop at the finger would need a very specific Curse that isn't worth the Arithmetic and Spell-creation work needed. And do you believe that someone who lived with James Potter like a brother and was so loyal to him during their youth would suddenly betray him without a sign? The Possibility that the more distant and cowardly friend is the culprit was more likely. So I hired Mr. Tonks whose wife coincidentally is Mr. Blacks Cousin. And he recently gained some critical information from Mr. Lupin that Pettigrew was like Mr. Black an animagus. A rat to be precise."
All three Professors present felt ashamed that they realized the obvious signs. Professor Dumbledore continued the thought, "I see. And young Ronald possesses a Rat that was very old and missed its right claw. It seems that in my high age I became more blind than I believed. And there are no Animagus detection Wards in the Castle since they are so rare." He muttered to himself.
Soon Professor Snape and Sprout returned with a vial of Veritaserum. "Good Severus, if you would do us the honor of administering the Serum to Peter. I can already feel the Arrival of the DMLE through the Wards." Requested Dumbledore with a tone in his voice that left no space for discussion.
A few moments after Professor Snape woke Pettigrew up and let three drops of Veritaserum drip into the Rats Mouth and his eyes turned distant. It didn't take long as the large doors of the Great Hall opened and Edward Tonks, Madame Bones followed by Mad-eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and trainee Auror Nymphadora Tonks entered.
"Dumbledore what is this about—" began Madame Bones before her eyes fell on Pettigrew and she stopped in shock.
"Ah, good timing Amelia. You just arrived in time to interrogate Peter under Veritaserum who we found alive hidden in the Castle." Said Dumbledore.
"I can't interrogate him under Veritaserum! That is against the law. Even if he is supposedly dead, the protections of the Law still apply to him." She said with a critical eye as she stared at Pettigrew.
This was the moment when Mr. Tonks interfered and cleared the Situation up, "The DMLE isn't allowed to use Veritaserum to interrogate someone themselves. But if he is already under it there is no Law forbidding them from legally interrogating someone. And Professor Snape is a Potion Master and is allowed to legally use Veritaserum if the Situation requires it, which would be the case here." He explained while smirking while Moody snorted amused at thr loophole in the Laws.
"I see, well since everything is according to the Law there speaks nothing against using the evidence we find." She said with a thin smile on her lips as she approached Pettigrew followed by Kingsley and Moody who had their wands ready just in case.
"Are you Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes."
"Where were you born on 27th March 1960?"
"Yes."
"Are you a Death Eater?" she asked now very serious.
"Yes." He replied in a monotone Voice after a slight struggle.
"Was Sirius Black the Secret Keeper of the Potters?"
"No." At that, a shock went through the older people present in the Hall.
"Who was the Secret Keeper and why?"
"I was the Secret Keeper, Sirius believed that everyone would think he was it and they would hunt him down. So he suggested we secretly change it to me. The only people aware of it were me, Lily, James, and Sirius."
"So you betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord?"
"Yes, I wanted to be part of the winning side."
"I see. And how are you alive?"
"The moment Sirius realized that I betrayed them, he began to hunt me down. I knew Sirius and his mentality very well. He would definitely blame himself and losing what was his family would be a traumatic event for him. Once he found me all I needed to do was to loudly blame Sirius, and stage my death. I cut off one of my Fingers as proof and blew the street off with a blasting curse that I learned from the Dark Lord before turning into my Rat animagus form. Soon I found a Wizarding Family where I could hide as a Pet." Explained Peter.
"So you spent the last 11 years as a pet rat?"
"Yes, I lived under my disguise with the Weasley's so I could still follow the News of the Wizarding World, waiting for my Masters' return."
That was enough proof for Madame Bones, she once again stunned Pettigrew and turned to Shacklebolt, "Kingsley! Head to Azkaban and transport black into a hearing Cell!"
But at that moment she got interrupted by Mr. Tonks, "My client won't spend any longer in any Cells. He is not only innocent but spent the last 11 years detained in Azkaban without a Trial! You will transport him instantly to Saint Mungos where he gets the proper treatment. And publish as soon you return a statement of his Innocence or you won't like the Legal consequences for the Ministry!"
"He had no trial?" asked Madame Bones as she paled realizing the consequences of an Heir to a most Noble and most Ancient Houses thrown into Azkaban without a Trial, "Kingsley! Get Black as fast as possible to Saint Mungos!" she ordered as the dark-skinned Auror quickly left the Castle.
The rest began to transport Pettigrew to the Ministry after getting a few further Statements about his capture. Once they left with Mr. Tonks who was making sure that everything went as planned. Matthew turned to the Headmaster.
"Professor how about you contact the Minister and offer him your Advice. As far as I could gather information about him he likes to listen to people like Malfoy and would probably try to hide the Truth. But you could suggest that he is correcting the Mistakes of the last Government which would send a strong sign, and a proper compensation would make it even better." Suggested Matthew.
"That is a good idea, Mr. Mason. You seem to have a considerable talent for politics. Are you planning to work for the Ministry in the future?" asked Dumbledore with a meaningful look.
"Not really. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared for all occasions." Explained Matthew.
"Hmm, yes it is wise to be always ready. Take 50 points for each of you Mr. Mason, Mr. Weasley. If you would excuse me I need to visit the Ministry." Said the old man as he left the Hall.
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