Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying!

In the living room, the faint sound of Machioni laughing and talking could be heard, and the light shining through the crack in the door looked warm and bright.

Lupin, however, seemed shrouded in shadow. He turned to look at Wade and said, "Stay here and wait for me to come back."

His eyes gleamed with hatred.

I stayed up all night to add an extra chapter. Thank you, Shui_Lan, for becoming the second patron of this book!

Chapter 149 Reporter and Traitor

As October progressed, it grew dark earlier and earlier. No candles were lit in the study, and even with light filtering in through the window, it was still quite dim.

Wade sat in the chair, pushed off the ground with his feet, and the chair tilted to a dangerous angle.

He listened to the conversation in the study as he gently rocked his chair.

“I’m scared… The Dark Lord is so powerful, and the Death Eaters are killing people everywhere. What good will it do to go against them… Jaime has even provoked the Dark Lord several times, causing him to focus all his hatred on us…”

Peter Pedro said in a somewhat dazed voice:

“Dumbledore is clearly the person he fears most, but… but they keep hunting us down… He possesses magic we can't even imagine, and he's personally hunting us down…”

“The McKinnons are dead…the Prewitt brothers are dead…the Bornes are dead…”

“What good would it do to fight him, except for death…”

“I think… even if I betray him, Dumbledore won’t kill anyone, and James… James will forgive me. He knows I’ve always been a coward… at worst, I’ll be locked up in Azkaban, which is better than death…”

"So you betrayed them? Betrayed the Order of the Phoenix and James Potter?" someone asked excitedly. "And then? What happened between you and Sirius?"

After a pause, Peter continued:

"The Dark Lord is hunting Jaime and Lily... He's doing it himself, I'm terrified..."

"Dumbledore suggested they hide using the Faithful Charm, and he would be the Secret Keeper. But... James refused; he wanted Sirius to be the Secret Keeper..."

"Then...and then at the very last moment, Sirius made a stupid suggestion..."

Peter chuckled, seemingly still savoring the immense surprise and the silent mockery he had felt.

"He suggested I be the liaison... He would distract the Dark Lord, while I... I'm just a cowardly mouse, easily hidden... Nobody would care about me... Nobody could find me..."

"But what he didn't know was... that I had already sided with the Dark Lord a year ago... They suspected Remus was the one who was passing messages to the Death Eaters, but they didn't suspect me..."

The swaying chair suddenly stopped.

Wade watched Lupin emerge from the living room, burying his face in his hands. It took him a while to look up, his eyes still filled with deep pain.

"Time has proven everything," Wade said softly. "They were absolutely wrong not to believe you."

Lupin shook his head: "I won't blame James and Sirius for this. Back then... almost all the werewolves were Voldemort's soldiers, and they suspected me... not without reason..."

"But even so, James and Lily never turned me away..."

"And...and for the past ten years or so, I've never believed in Sirius Black..."

He slumped down beside Wade, no longer bothering to hide his pain and regret.

"Aren't you going to listen anymore?" Wade asked, looking at the bookshelf in front of him.

Lupin shook his head: "If I stay in the living room, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist killing him."

In the living room, Peter Pettigrew recounts how Sirius Black found him after the Potters' deaths...

How he shouted that Sirius had betrayed James and Lily, killed more than a dozen people with a Blast Charm, and then painfully cut off one of his own fingers to pretend that he had also been killed by Sirius...

He said it with great pride.

Then he hid in the Weasley family home... and remained hidden for eleven years...

Being a mouse was a tough life, but he had no choice.

He cannot return to the light; the moment he shows his face, the lies will be exposed.

He couldn't return to the Death Eaters' side either, because they considered him a traitor. Because his information had led to the Dark Lord's death, the Death Eaters wanted him to pay the price…

His only hope was to wait for the Dark Lord's return... because only the Dark Lord knew that he had not betrayed him...

Lupin listened quietly, his teeth chattering.

The people in the living room weren't satisfied; they eagerly pressed for more questions, wanting to uncover more secrets. Peter Petirou answered every question without reservation.

Everyone could see that he had definitely been given truth serum.

But so what?

They didn't care about that at all; they just wanted a big news story that would shock the world.

When the conversation began to become frivolous and gradually turned to private matters, Marchionne came out of the living room, and Lupin went in to keep watch, lest Peter Pedilú break free of control.

“Thank you, Mr. Marchionni,” Wade said, standing up. “Without your help, I don’t know where I would have found so many suitable reporters.”

The journalists questioning Peter Pediru in the living room were from five or six countries, including Britain, each one akin to Rita Skeeter.

As long as the news is sensational enough and the newspaper sells well, they can completely disregard morality, let alone the government—especially the government of another country.

"They should be thanking you for getting such high-quality news."

Marchionni said with a smile, as he sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and then said:

"The sales of the Soft Light Badge have completely surpassed those of the Book of Friends. The witches are going crazy to buy it. Some people buy more than a dozen at a time, even though we have emphasized that it is only valid for one month."

Vader's gaze lingered on Marchione's collar, where a soft-light badge was also pinned.

“Yes, I use it too.” Marchionne smiled and adjusted the badge on his collar.

“A good image can make most things go more smoothly. That’s why our second largest customer group is men over middle age.”

"In fact, almost everyone I do business with is my customer. Soft light badges are the first topic we talk about when we meet, even more so than the weather."

He had gained enormous benefits from the Book of Friends and the badges, so he would do his best to fulfill Vader's requests, even if he didn't know why, without any compromise.

"Wade, have you had any new research lately?"

Marchionne leaned closer to Wade and asked in a low voice, "Even if it's a trinket you don't like, I can still sell it for a good price...no matter what it is!"

Wade thought for a moment and said, "I do have a new project recently, but the technology is not yet mature and the cost will be relatively high."

Marchionne's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Do you have a finished product? It doesn't matter if the technology isn't mature yet; we can make money every time we improve it!"

His obsession with money seemed so intense it could actually burn, causing Wade to instinctively back away.

“Next week,” Wade said. “We’ll meet here next week.”

“Great!” Marchionne exclaimed excitedly, “Then it’s settled!”

Chapter 150 Tacit Understanding and Innocence

As the effects of the truth serum wore off, the reporters obtained news that made them tremble with excitement.

As Peter Pediru gradually regained consciousness, Lupin did not hesitate to use a Stunning Charm to put Peter back into a deep sleep.

As he dragged the insect's tail out of the room, the reporters seemed oblivious, still excitedly exchanging their articles.

Because they all came from different countries and their newspapers were not in competition with each other, the atmosphere among the reporters was very harmonious and friendly.

Before leaving with Peter Pediru, Vader added, "There's one more thing, Mr. Marchionne."

“Please speak,” Marchionne said solicitously.

“I hope they don’t publish this report for now—until the British government denies the mistakes of that year,” Wade said.

Marchionne initially thought he had mispronounced "admit" as "deny," but upon further reflection, he realized his mistake.

He curled his lips into a wicked smile and said, "As you wish, Wade."

……

"Will you come with me?"

Returning to the attic and standing in front of the Vanishing Cabinet, Wade asked Lupin.

Lupin was somewhat tempted, yet also somewhat conflicted.

He should not be allowed to enter the school without permission.

And he also knew that Wade didn't want everyone to know the secret of the Vanishing Cabinet—

If this matter comes to light, for the safety of teachers and students, the professors will probably make Wade hand over the vanishing cabinet to the school for safekeeping.

But Lupin really wanted to witness firsthand the traitors being brought to justice.

“Let’s go,” Wade made the decision for him. “But please tell me that you got to the school through a secret passage.”

Wade knew that the secret of the Vanishing Cabinet might not be hidden from Dumbledore—he suspected that the headmaster already knew, but simply didn't say anything.

Dumbledore always gave his students too much freedom, such as arranging for Harry, a first-year student, to confront Voldemort, and in the sixth year, he condoned Malfoy's various attempts to murder him.

When this freedom was in his favor, Wade liked it very much.

However, Wade also knew that the convenience provided by this tacit understanding could only be done, not spoken of. Once it was publicized, the Vanishing Cabinet would no longer belong to him.

After all, he only bought one cabinet, while the other belonged to the school.

……