Chapter 332 "Bold Evildoer"

"Jerry, if you weren't so ordinary-looking, I would have thought you had the blood of a giant like Hagrid." Ron remarked, brushing off the snow from his body and pulling out his plump pet rat, Scabbers, from his pocket.

He checked that everything was fine with Scabbers and then turned to complain to Jerry.

Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement with Ron's statement. They were amazed by Jerry's quick reflexes and agility during the snowball fight.

In fact, Jerry had rolled a massive snowball that flew higher than any of theirs, scoring him a "Home Run."

Jerry laughed at their comments and didn't provide an explanation. Instead, he looked at Scabbers in Ron's hands with expressive eyes.

"Ron, your pet seems to have recovered from its illness. It looks like it has gained quite a bit of weight!" Jerry observed playfully.

"Indeed! Since Halloween, Scabbers suddenly became energetic and developed a huge appetite. It's even fatter now than before it fell ill!" Ron replied, holding up Scabbers proudly.

After returning from Egypt, Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, seemed to fall ill during the summer vacation.

It refused to eat, shivered frequently, and kept losing weight, despite Ron's attempts to use a rat booster from the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley.

However, Scabbers miraculously recovered after Halloween, regained its appetite, and no longer showed any signs of illness.

It seemed to be enjoying its days sleeping in Ron's pocket.

"Be careful not to let him get too fat. Sirius Black has been captured and sent back to Azkaban," Jerry warned with a smile.

Jerry knew deep down that Scabbers had never been sick.

It was all a ruse. Scabbers, in fact, was Peter Pettigrew, an Animagus who had been hiding in Ron's family for twelve years.

He had been afraid of Sirius Black finding him and had lived in constant fear, which explained his previous illness-like behavior.

"Do you remember the spell I used to transform Sirius from his Animagus form back into his human form?" Jerry suddenly asked the group as they prepared to leave.

Hermione raised her hand eagerly and responded, "Yes, it's a restoration spell that can forcibly revert a wizard Animagus to their human form."

"Exactly. And if the person is not an Animagus but a normal animal, the spell won't work and won't harm the animal in any way," Jerry explained.

"Jerry, why are you mentioning this spell suddenly?" Harry questioned, sensing something unusual.

Jerry smiled mischievously and gazed at Scabbers in Ron's hands as he playfully said, "Because I suspect Ron's pet, Scabbers, is actually an Animagus!"

"What?!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione exclaimed in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Even Scabbers froze in Ron's hands, sensing the gravity of the situation.

"That's impossible! Scabbers has been with our family for over ten years. You must be joking!" Ron protested, looking at Scabbers, unable to fathom that his beloved pet could be an Animagus.

"Why don't we find out for sure? It won't harm him, after all," Jerry suggested nonchalantly, drawing his wand from his robes.

At the sight of Jerry's wand, Scabbers panicked and attempted to escape Ron's grasp. Ron struggled to hold onto his tail but was forced to let go when Scabbers bit him.

"Revert to your original form!" Jerry commanded as Scabbers landed on the ground and made a dash to escape.

A magical blue light emitted from Jerry's wand, hitting Scabbers precisely.

In an instant, Scabbers transformed rapidly, resembling the growth of a tree in fast-forward.

First, his head emerged, followed by his limbs, and finally, his body.

Within moments, the spots on the ground were replaced by a short, stout man with sparse, messy hair and a bald spot on top of his head. He appeared wretched and filthy.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Peter Pettigrew!" Jerry greeted him with a smile, acknowledging his true identity.

Peter Pettigrew, also known as Scabbers, was shocked and couldn't comprehend how his disguise had been uncovered after successfully masquerading for twelve years.

However, his bewilderment didn't last long. As soon as he regained his senses, he turned around and sprinted toward the depths of the grove.

After all, he wasn't facing an ordinary wizard but a formidable opponent who had defeated Sirius alone without a scratch.

Without his wand, it was better to prioritize escape.

"You may be swift on those short legs, but it's futile!" Jerry exclaimed, pointing his wand at Peter Pettigrew.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he incanted, casting a simple full-body immobilization spell that pinned Peter Pettigrew in place.

Confusion filled Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they tried to process the shocking revelation of Scabbers' true identity.

"Jerry, how did you know Scabbers was an Animagus? And why did you call him Peter Pettigrew? Wasn't Peter Pettigrew supposed to be dead for twelve years?" Hermione inquired urgently.

Jerry motioned for the trio to approach the immobilized Peter Pettigrew and then retrieved the Marauder's Map, handing it to them.

"It all started with this Marauder's Map that Fred and George gave me," Jerry began, explaining that he had spent significant time studying the map's magical properties.

He revealed that the map used detection magic and a touch of Legilimency to capture and display the name and location of every person in the castle.

The map could even detect invisible individuals or those in their Animagus form.

"With this map, I discovered that Scabbers, or Peter Pettigrew, was masquerading as a rat," Jerry explained. "And it seems that Pettigrew's disappearance and death were not as they seemed."

The trio listened intently, absorbing the newfound knowledge about Scabbers' true identity and the complex events surrounding Peter Pettigrew's supposed demise.

Jerry had delved into the secrets of the Marauder's Map, gaining a deeper understanding of its magic.

He had replicated the map based on the principles of detection and mind-reading, allowing him to track the movements and identities of those within the castle.

The Weasley's large clock, which displayed the location and status of each family member, shared similarities with the Marauder's Map, further solidifying Jerry's comprehension of its enchantments.