Unveiling the Suspicion: Scabbers Revealed

"How is that possible?" "It's impossible!" Percy and Hermione said simultaneously.

"Didn't you say Peter Pettigrew was already killed by Sirius Black?" Hermione said.

"That's why he needed to transform into a rat to hide himself because technically he was already dead. Moreover, when Sirius Black broke into the school, I specifically looked up old newspapers about the incident. The old newspapers reported that Sirius Black was thrown into prison without a trial, which means we can't be completely certain about what actually happened at that time," Hermione explained.

"This is simply..." Hermione appeared angry. "Even the most heinous criminals must be tried before being sentenced. How could the wizarding world do this?"

"There must be other reasons," Percy said somewhat awkwardly. "Because at that time, the mysterious person had just been defeated, so everyone's emotions needed release. Sometimes the procedures may not have been so strict. Not to mention, my father said there was no request for a trial after Sirius Black's arrest, so he was directly sent to prison."

"It's really hard to know what to say about this," Hermione muttered, crossing her arms and sitting on the sofa.

At this moment, Percy turned to Ryan and asked, "Even with these two points, we can't be sure that Scabbers is Peter. Do you have any other evidence?"

"Of course, Scabbers is missing a toe. And the largest piece of remains found of Peter after his death was his finger," Ryan replied.

Percy seemed somewhat convinced, and taking advantage of the situation, Ryan continued, "Furthermore, have you noticed that Scabbers started getting anxious at the exact time Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban?"

"That seems to be true," Percy said after recalling the events. "So, what should we do now? Should we immediately report to the professor?" Percy seemed visibly overwhelmed by the situation.

"I personally suggest you send an owl to your father and ask him to come to the school. After all, your father works at the Ministry of Magic. If it's confirmed, having a suspicious person living in your house for a long time might not be favorable for him. You should discuss it with him," Ryan advised.

"You're right," Percy immediately grasped Ryan's hand. "I shouldn't have overlooked that point. I'll write to my father right now."

As Percy walked away, Hermione asked curiously, "Since we have already determined that the rat is suspicious, why don't we just take this suspicious rat directly to the professor? Why involve Percy?"

"On the one hand, the Weasley family are good people. If we were the ones to deliver the rat, it could easily cause them some trouble, as I mentioned before, harboring a suspicious person is not a good thing. On the other hand, I imagine that many people were involved in this case back then, and the Weasleys are one of the 28 pure-blood families. Those who were involved in the incident should be able to handle it, but it might not be the same if it were us," Ryan explained.

"You make sense," Hermione nodded slightly. "Not to mention, this way we can owe Percy a favor. After all, our dreams require enough support, and someone like Percy, who is destined to enter the Ministry of Magic, can naturally help us the most."

Upon saying this, Hermione glanced at Ryan and asked, "Do you think my thinking is somewhat opportunistic?"

"No, you're just growing up," Ryan shook his head and said.

"Oh, it's that 'Daddy' tone again," Hermione jokingly patted Ryan on the back.

After a brief moment of joking around, the two of them switched back to study mode. For the rest of the day, Ryan acted just like his usual self, with the only difference being that he added three calming spells on the cage before going to bed to prevent Peter from escaping during the night.

The next morning, as Ryan was getting ready to have breakfast after getting up and tidying up, he saw Percy approaching him quietly and saying, "Ryan, everyone is already waiting in the Headmaster's office."

Ryan nodded and went upstairs to retrieve the cage. At this point, he no longer needed to conceal anything. Taking advantage of the fact that Peter was still under the effects of the calming spell and asleep, Ryan directly pointed his wand at the cage and cast the stunning spell to render Peter unconscious.

After packing up his belongings from the cage, Ryan went downstairs and headed to the Headmaster's office with Percy. On the way, Ryan said to Percy, "By the way, when we go in, you should mention that you discovered most of these suspicious points and try to mention me as little as possible."

"Why? It was clearly you who discovered them," Percy said, somewhat puzzled.

"On one hand, I have a good relationship with your twin brothers, and I can sense that your family is full of good people. I don't want your father to be implicated because of this. I think if you take credit for it, your father won't have to bear too much responsibility," Ryan explained, smiling at Percy. Seeing Percy's uneasy expression, Ryan reassured him.

"Besides, if Scabbers is truly Peter, it may involve a lot of Ministry of Magic officials related to Sirius Black's trial back then. You know I'm a half-blood wizard, and I can't afford to offend so many people at once," Ryan added.

At this point, Percy stopped in his tracks and looked at Ryan, saying earnestly, "Thank you! You're my best friend from now on."

Afterward, the two of them silently walked through the corridor without portraits and arrived at the entrance of the Headmaster's office.

"Scurgify." After uttering the password, the stone staircase slowly rotated upwards. Ryan once again entered Professor Dumbledore's office, but this time, unlike the previous visit with his notebook, there were many people inside. In addition to Professor Dumbledore and the Weasley couple, the office also had Professor Lupin, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, and an unfamiliar middle-aged witch with a broad figure and a square chin. She had short gray hair and wore a pair of monocle glasses. "My father said he would invite a Ministry of Magic official as a witness, but I didn't expect him to bring the Director of Magical Law Enforcement," Percy whispered to Ryan.

Amelia Bones, upon hearing Percy's introduction, Ryan finally recognized the unfamiliar person. It was reasonable to invite her since Amelia Bones's brother, Edgar Bones, was one of the founders of the Order of the Phoenix, and their entire family was killed by Voldemort. With such a connection, it wouldn't be too difficult to have her involved in handling cases related to Voldemort back then.

"Alright, you two young men, can you tell us why you believe this rat is Peter Pettigrew, who was presumed dead?" Professor Dumbledore, sitting behind the desk, said very seriously. "When Ron handed me this rat and asked me to help take care of it, I was curious and asked how old the rat was. But Ron couldn't tell me clearly; he only said he got it from Percy. Later, when I had a chance to ask Percy yesterday, he told me the rat had been with their family for twelve years. I mentioned at the time that this type of rat theoretically only has a lifespan of about three years, which surprised Percy a bit. I'm not sure about the details after that until he called me this morning to bring the cage here," Ryan spoke first, following the prepared script.

Then Percy recounted all the doubts raised the previous day. After listening to Percy's words, Headmaster Dumbledore gestured for Professors Lupin and McGonagall to step forward and examine Scabbers in the cage.