Releasing The Rat-ii

Harry saw Remus entering his home, and then he realized that he had no way to hear or see what was happening inside.

Harry slapped his forehead. He planned everything and every tiny detail for inside the house but forgot about how to look inside afterward.

It wasn't too late to do it now, either. Harry had many spells for such occupations. He was thinking about which one to cast. He finally agreed on 'Sneaky Snake' spell.

Sneaky Snake spell: It can melt according to the environment and scout things ahead and send the information back to the caster. The spell was perfect for doing sneaky things.

Harry created this spell back when he had just got "Spell Creation."

Harry waved his hand, and out of thin air, ten snakes materialized. Just to be safe, if they found one or more of them, he could still hear or see inside.

All the snakes were finger long. They were almost transparent when the spell was cast, but just after that, they turned invisible — melted in color of trees behind them.

Even with Harry's exceptional magical sense, they were hard to detect. Harry had to focus hard to detect, or he wouldn't be able to find them either.

He sent all the snakes to the house. Eight out of ten went inside, while two of them sneaked in and stayed just outside of the house. Six of the snakes hidden in various places in the room were he placed the Rat, and the last two went to another room.

When everything was done, Harry looked for Remus, but to his surprise, Remus didn't notice the Rat cage and the memory orbs yet. He placed his coat and went directly to the bathroom.

Harry was speechless. He placed the cage in a way that people who enter would definitely notice it. He never thought that Remus would go directly to the bathroom!

"Forget it, he might have a bladder problem." Harry could only look for an excuse, as his plan wasn't perfect. He likes to do things perfectly, always. But here, he made two mistakes. Well, it wasn't a mistake, to be precise, it was just overlooked of almost zero probability.

Harry could now see the house as 360 degrees with all his snakes. There was no corner in the house that he couldn't see!

Soon, Remus came out, and instantly saw Rat's cage, as his house was small, and it was placed at the most eye-catching place.

He was shocked! He leaped to the table and saw the stunned Rat inside.

How can he not recognize this creature who lived with him for seven years of school!

He was 100% sure that it was his one of best buddy — Peter!

He did exactly what Harry had expected him to do — He tries to open the cage without giving a single glance at the memory orb!

Harry nodded in satisfaction, as it happened just as he had planned.

Remus failed to open it with a bare hand. It was no joke to open with a bare hand, which was closed by Harry's magic! Even giants, who were known for their brute strength, couldn't open it!

Remus also realized this problem, so he took out a wand from an inner pocket and tried various spells to open the cage.

He tried ten minutes nonstop, but the cage didn't even move 1mm. (millimeter)

Harry could understand why Remus was so agitated, as he still thinks that it was Sirius who betrayed the Lily and James —Harry's parents — not Peter, and so, he was happy to see Peter alive.

When Remus finally put the cage down, he realized that there were two memory orbs. He put the cage down with care and a look at the orb. He knew the memory orbs were somehow related to Peter, so without hesitation, he inputs magic in the orb.

Magic orbs were similar to a smartphone but in a round shape screen. Remus was perplexed as the memory belonged to Peter!

But soon, confusion turns to anger!

Remus saw inside memory orb the face of a man feared by all the wizard —Voldemort!

Remus wanted to kill Peter, then and there, but he knew there should be more to it. He watched it from start to end, but he can only understand that Peter betrayed them, not the Sirius. There were some other details, but he wasn't in the right mind to understand or analyze it.

In anger, he took the cage and tried to break it open with both hands, but it was useless, so he threw it in the ground. He was frustrated to no end!

He walked into the room to and fro. In the end, he decided to contact the Leader of order — Albus Dumbledore. He was in mind to decide what to do next. Surely, Albus would know what to do.

He wanted to send the owl, but he was in no mood to write, so he took the wand and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" The silver colored wolf materialized from his wand. Then, he mumbled, "Come to my place ASAP!" The wolf, even without a wing, flew in the air and disappeared into the sky.

Remus waited anxiously for Albus as he walked in the room to and fro. He would look at the cage with hatred, but deceive look away, lest he would kill the traitor in anger.

Harry watched him and waited patiently, too.

Albus came in just a few minutes with the sound of Apparition. Remus came out of his trance and went out to welcome Albus.

"You sounded... uneasy in the message. Are you all right?" Albus came near Remus and caught his shoulder. He looked at him from above his half-moon shaped glasses.

Remus smiled weakly. "I am fine. Come in." He hurriedly dragged Albus inside. He then pointed at Rat's cage. Albus followed his direction and looked at Rat's cage. He carefully looked at the cage, and then, he looked at Remus in questioning gaze. "The cage surly is one of a kind. Surely you didn't call me to unlock his cage and release the Rat?"

Remus was still walking inside the house, while bearly controlling his anger. "Of course not! I would rather kill it!" He wasn't sure how to explain everything, so he just asked, "Look at the finger and try to remember anything related to it." Remus knew Albus was one of the smartest wizards, and a hint would be all he needed to understand everything.

Albus looked at Rat's fingers and soon noticed one of the missing fingers. He tried to remember anything major related to his finger. He soon remembered the famous incident, just after the first war, where Sirius killed many Muggles and another wizard, whose only finger remained on the scene. He also remembered that both of them were related to Remus. More precisely they were all best friends. Could that missing finger is...

Albus looked at Remus, who at some point stopped walking around and was looking at Albus.

Albus was 90% sure, so he asked, "Is Rat unregistered Animagus?" Remus, as well as Harry, was shocked to hear the answer. All Albus needed was one hint, and he was able to connect everything. Harry was glad to hear that as his future ally in the war was not a burden, and so he will be able to at least track a few Horcrux, especially since it increased from 7 to 9.

Remus sat on a nearby chair and sighed with helplessness. "Peter was an Animagi since school time. He helped us by stopping Whomping Willow from attacking all of us."

Albus was shocked to hear that. "Harvey's beard! How is that possible!?" Surely you don't mean the Rat is Peter, right?"

Remus laughed helplessly."I don't know either." He began to tell how he found the cage and the memory orb.

"You mean to say someone came to your home and dropped these things?" Remus nodded his head, which made Albus look around. Remus was bewildered by Albus' action.

Soon, he pointed in for direction, and a spark flew in that direction, which made hidden snakes destroyed.

Harry smirked as Albus was only able to find four out of ten of them.

"Whoever that person was, he/she was watching us." Albus then looked at the memory orb. He knitted his brows but soon relaxed it.

"We should call for other members of the Order too." He summoned the Patronus and did the same action as Remus did earlier.

He then looked at the cage for a few moments. "Done admirably!" He praised it. Remus was looking at him, so he said, "The cage, it was locked in a very particular way. It can't be open by any known means, and of course not by brute strength." Remus said under his breath that he knew it that part very well.

"Others might not be able to open it, but I am confident in opening it." Albus started looking at it carefully again.

Actually, Harry had made that cage, like he said, in a particular way, so to open it, one needs the key first, and that was what Albus was trying to do.

Remus couldn't be careless about that, so he asked what was bothering him, "I know Memory orb can't be fake, and there is this...This Rat is proof too, so what should we do next?"

Remus was most worried about Sirius now, and Albus could tell that too.

Albus put the cage on the table and looked at agitated Remus. "There are two ways I can think of. Pray tell, which you think is better. The first is the right and lawfully way — contact the Ministry, and let them handle everything. The second method is..."

That is what Harry wanted to hear the most. So, whichever method they chose, Harry was confident that he would be able to release Sirius from prison, by his Harvey form's fame.

Harry recalled the spell of snakes and smirked as Albus wasn't able to find all of his snakes.

Then, Harry went home. He can now only wait for the result.