He looked around wildly, just as he had all those years ago, hoping someone would stand in front of him and protect him...
But... this time, there was no one.
Because of the choices he had made back then, the people who would have stood by his side to help were gone.
They wouldn't step forward to shield him from Snape as they once had.
Pettigrew cast a desperate glance toward the other professors, hoping someone would step in to stop Snape.
However, although the professors still had lingering doubts about Victor Wick's claims, none of them felt that administering Veritaserum was excessive at this point.
In fact, if a person was truly innocent, they wouldn't be reacting with such frantic resistance as Pettigrew was now.
Seeing Pettigrew's panicked state, and considering that a supposed "hero" had faked his death for over a decade just to live as a pet rat in the Weasley household...
The professors' belief in Victor's words grew even stronger.
By now, Ron had finally put the pieces together.
Meaning... the pet rat he slept with and ate with every day... was actually a middle-aged man?
Whether Pettigrew was a hero or a traitor, the thought was utterly revolting.
Suddenly, Ron felt a light tap on his shoulder.
He turned to find Harry Potter looking at him with deep pity.
Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom shared the same expression.
"I'll be much nicer to you from now on..." Hermione started, but she couldn't find the words to finish, letting out a long sigh instead.
Ron's expression instantly became more nauseated than if he had swallowed a bucket of slugs.
"Ron! I'm innocent! You've all been tricked by Victor Wick! You're my master! You have to save me!" Pettigrew crawled toward Ron, trembling as he begged.
Ron took a deep breath, forcing down his disgust. "If you're really innocent, why won't you take the Veritaserum? Isn't that the best way to prove it?"
Pettigrew froze. "I... I..."
He couldn't find the words, and Snape certainly didn't have the patience to wait. He pulled a vial of Veritaserum from his pocket, grabbed Pettigrew, and forced the liquid down his throat.
Victor watched Snape in surprise. Did this man carry Veritaserum on him at all times? He had assumed Snape would have to return to his office.
Under the influence of Snape's magic, Pettigrew couldn't struggle. Within moments, he had been forced to swallow the entire vial.
Snape tossed Pettigrew aside and looked at the empty bottle with a look of pure regret.
"I didn't bring enough..."
Professor McGonagall watched him, looking as though she wanted to say something.
Veritaserum... usually, a single drop was enough. He'd just forced an entire bottle down the man's throat and was complaining it wasn't enough?
Meanwhile, Pettigrew's whimpering gradually subsided until it vanished. His eyes became glazed and vacant.
Clearly, the potion had taken effect.
Victor stood before him and asked calmly, "Tell me, why was the Secret-Keeper for the Potters' safe house changed to you?"
Pettigrew looked up, answering in a hollow, eerily calm voice. "The original Secret-Keeper was Sirius... One day, he came to me. He said many people knew he was the Secret-Keeper, so to prevent the secret from being forced out of him if he were caught, he transferred it to me... He thought no one would ever imagine James and the others would entrust such a vital secret to someone as cowardly as me... James thought Sirius's plan was brilliant." The professors all gasped in shock.
That sentence alone was enough for them to piece everything together.
"So you revealed the Potters' address to the Dark Lord? Why did you do it?" Victor continued to press.
"Yes... I told the Dark Lord... You have no idea how powerful he is! I was... I was so afraid! When he caught me, I couldn't endure his torture. I agreed to be his spy... After Sirius made me the Secret-Keeper, I went straight to the Dark Lord..."
Professor McGonagall turned pale, clutching her chest. Her eyes were filled with pain and grief as she looked at Pettigrew. "How could you, Peter! Have you forgotten? Who was it that always helped you? They were your best friends!"
"I haven't forgotten, of course not... But... why did they have to oppose the Dark Lord? The Dark Lord is invincible! They should have joined him, just like I did! Only then could we have lived in peace... and even gained wealth and fame!"
Pettigrew's voice remained calm, but everyone looking at him felt only loathing and hatred.
McGonagall bit her lip, images of James, Lily, and her other students flashing through her mind.
Because of Pettigrew's betrayal, they were all dead.
Snape stared intensely at Pettigrew, his knuckles white from gripping the empty vial. The hatred in his eyes burned fiercer than Fiendfyre.
All because of this pathetic, honorless rat.
Harry was shaking. Best friends? His parents' death was caused by their best friend's betrayal?
If his friends hadn't been holding him back, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from lunging forward and kicking the man.
This filthy thing had failed his parents and desecrated the most beautiful thing in the world: friendship.
"Tell us about Sirius Black. Why did you fake your death?" Victor asked in front of everyone.
"After James and Lily died, I didn't expect the Dark Lord to vanish... Then, Sirius found me... At that time, only he knew I was the Secret-Keeper! Only he knew I was the traitor! He caught up to me on that street, intending to kill me..." A flicker of fear crossed Pettigrew's face despite the potion's effect. "I begged him for mercy... I explained my reasons, told him how terrifying the Dark Lord was... but he wouldn't listen. He just wanted to kill me to avenge James. Then I... while he was busy cursing me and distracted, I used a Blasting Curse to blow up the entire street... In the chaos, I cut off one of my fingers, faked my death in the explosion, and transformed into a rat to escape."
"I faked my death because the Dark Lord was gone... I was afraid... afraid Sirius would talk, and afraid the Death Eaters would come after me because my information had led to the Dark Lord's downfall..."
Victor took a deep breath. "Your Blasting Curse killed a dozen Muggles and left Sirius unjustly imprisoned for over ten years..."
"It wasn't my fault! Really! If I hadn't done it, I would have been the one who died!" Pettigrew trembled.
"If any of you have more questions, ask them now..." Victor said wearily, pulling over a chair to sit down.
By now, the truth was laid bare.
Snape suddenly whipped out his wand!
But before he could cast a spell, Albus Dumbledore gripped his arm.
"Do not do this, Severus. He is a crucial witness... Only while he is alive can Sirius be exonerated," Dumbledore said softly.
"I don't care if that bastard is innocent or not! I just want to kill him!" Snape hissed, glaring at Pettigrew with pure rage.
Harry looked at Snape in surprise.
It made sense for the other professors to hate Pettigrew; most had fought alongside his parents.
But Snape... the man who seemed to despise Harry at every turn, why was he so furious?
"Severus..."
"He caused Lily's death!" Snape's eyes were bloodshot, the veins in his wand-arm bulging.
"Severus, stop..." Professor Flitwick also reached out to restrain Snape's wand. "We should take him where he truly belongs."
Seeing everyone blocking him, Snape slowly lowered his wand and stepped back, his face drained of all color.
Harry stared at Snape.
Snape's grief seemed far too deep, and... he had only mentioned his mother's name, not his father's...
And he had called her by her first name! Not Evans, her maiden name, and not Potter, her married name...
'No... it couldn't be...'
An absurd thought formed in Harry's mind.
It was ridiculous, yet strangely logical...
"To avoid any complications, I expect everyone to keep what happened today a secret!" Dumbledore suddenly said, looking at everyone with gravity.
Victor raised an eyebrow. He understood; Dumbledore didn't want Quirinus Quirrell—or rather, Voldemort—to know that Victor was the one who exposed Pettigrew.
Dumbledore continued, "I will have the Ministry send Aurors..."
"I think it's best if you deliver him yourself," Victor interrupted, his tone firm.
Dumbledore sighed softly. "Victor, you still don't trust the Ministry..."
"How can I trust them, Dumbledore?" A mocking smile appeared on Victor's face. "If they were trustworthy, my testimony wouldn't have been useless back then. Sirius wouldn't have been thrown into Azkaban, and Harry wouldn't have grown up so alone. He should have had a godfather who cared for him."
Harry's eyes widened. He finally understood why Professor Wick had said he'd soon have a godfather.
"Very well... I will personally deliver Peter Pettigrew," Dumbledore eventually nodded. "Severus, prepare more Veritaserum. I will present the facts clearly in front of Cornelius."
Snape was still staring deathly at Pettigrew.
"He will receive the punishment he deserves, Severus. But it cannot be by your hand... do you understand what I mean?" Dumbledore said gently.
Snape finally seemed to regain his senses and nodded silently.
Dumbledore's meaning was simple: until Pettigrew's crimes were made public, he was still a "hero" in the eyes of the world. If Snape killed him, Snape would likely end up like Sirius—especially given his past as a Death Eater.
Dumbledore left Hogwarts with Peter Pettigrew.
The other professors began to disperse one by one.
Harry and the others wanted to ask Professor Wick about the godfather, but seeing that he wasn't in the mood, they left, promising to keep the secret.
Once everyone was gone, Victor called Fleur Delacour over and handed her a piece of parchment.
"Have your partners put aside their current work for a moment... investigate these people thoroughly! I want to know everything—down to when they use the bathroom and what color underwear they wear!"
"On it! Don't worry, this is exactly what we're best at!" Fleur took the list, looking excited as she left.
Victor turned to watch the snowflakes falling outside. He had a feeling that things wouldn't go as smoothly as hoped, so some necessary preparations had to be made.
"Back then, I was weak, so I had to play by the rules. But now... you'd better play by the rules too! Otherwise... don't blame me for breaking them."