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

Inside the Umbrella House, everyone had already heard Percy finish recounting what he remembered.

Percy, who was only five or six years old at the time, didn't remember much of it, but after his reminder, Hermione recalled that she had read similar content in the book.

She quickly found "Major Magical Events of the Twentieth Century"—a book she had finished reading before starting first grade—and discovered Peter Petitrou's name in it.

"...Brutally murdered by Sirius Black, who had nowhere else to turn...his body lay strewn everywhere...the Ministry of Magic awarded him the Order of Peter Petitrum Merlin, First Class, for his sacrifice..."

Looking at these words, and recalling that sleazy, cowardly face from earlier, Harry felt it was all very unreal.

"If he's a hero... why would he turn into a mouse and hide?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Hiding at Ron's house... as a child's pet?"

“So, that’s the scariest part, Harry,” Fred said meaningfully.

“Remember?” George asked, looking at him. “When we heard about that last year…”

“Professor Quirrell is a puppet of Mystic… Ronnie’s pet was a ‘hero’ who was blown up…” Fred smiled sarcastically: “It’s as if we’ve never known this world before.”

He looked at his other brothers—BoBo's former and current owners both had very ugly expressions and couldn't say a word.

They looked like they were about to vomit.

The book doesn't record anything about the Loyal Heart Charm or the Secret Keeper, so Harry's mindset is relatively calm, but he's mostly puzzled.

“I just remembered, I’ve actually seen that guy’s picture before,” Harry told his friends. “Remus has it on the wall. Peter Peterou, Remus, and my dad were friends when we were in school.”

“There must have been a lot going on between them…” Hermione said. “There’s a reason why Peter Pedirou has a hero’s name but pretended to be dead.”

"Yes... but he didn't hurt me, right? We've always lived in the same dorm, and Banban has never done anything bad except for being greedy for food and sleep."

Harry looked into everyone's eyes, seeking approval: "I think he might not be a bad person, he's just hiding because he's afraid of retaliation from the Death Eaters... uh, is that right?"

The way people looked at him was as if he were some kind of naive idiot.

“If he were just a coward…” Fred shook his head and said, “He could have easily sought help from Dumbledore… but he’s always acted like a rat at school, which means he’s not afraid of anyone else…”

“...It’s Dumbledore, isn’t it?” Ron said in a low voice.

Fred nodded.

Harry opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Just then, the curtain was drawn back, and Vader appeared with Peter Pediru, along with another person.

"Remus!" Harry immediately went to greet him. "What are you doing at school?"

Lupin forced a smile and patted his head.

The awakened memories constantly tore at his heart. When he saw Harry's face, he was reminded of his best friend who was killed because he trusted his friend.

Lupin took a deep breath, suppressing the stinging in his eyes, and said, "Wade knows I'm also involved, so he sent me through the secret passage... Let's take Peter and go see Dumbledore."

The seemingly calm and reliable adult wizard naturally seized the initiative upon his appearance. This time, Percy didn't say anything, and the group left the Umbrella House together, heading towards the Headmaster's Tower.

"You guys!"

On the way, they ran into Professor McGonagall, who strode over and said angrily, "I heard you guys actually made a mud pit outside the Gryffindor common room. The fat lady told me..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Lupin and Peter Pedirou, and immediately gasped, completely stunned.

“Merlin…” Professor McGonagall said in shock, “What’s going on?”

“As you can see, Professor,” Lupin said as calmly as possible, “Peter Pedirou is not dead. It was all a lie… We need to see Dumbledore now.”

“Of course…of course…” Professor McGonagall took a while to get her brain working, and said stiffly, “Come with me…”

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Lupin and Peter Pedirou, and rubbed her eyes as if she thought she was hallucinating.

The students they encountered along the way stared at them in surprise, and some secretly asked the Weasley brothers what had happened, but they did not answer.

Soon, they arrived at the principal's office.

Chapter 151 Lu Ping Takes the Blame

The group entered the principal's office.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk writing a letter when he noticed the unconscious Peter Pediru as the others entered.

The white-bearded headmaster strode over, carefully examining the dusty-looking Peter, then glancing at Lupin and the others.

“If I’m not mistaken… this is Mr. Pediru?” Dumbledore asked.

“Yes, sir,” Lupin said.

They looked at each other.

Wade felt that in that instant, Dumbledore should have already understood what had happened.

The principal didn't say it directly. He conjured up enough chairs and said, "Sit down and let me hear your story."

The group looked at each other.

The Weasley twins were exchanging glances with Wade—they didn't want to reveal the secret of the Marauder's Map and had been figuring out how to make the story believable while keeping it a secret.

But Lupin spoke first.

"When I was in school, James and I drew a map that showed the names of everyone in the school..."

The Weasley twins stared at him in astonishment.

"You...you are the mapmaker?"

“Yes,” Lupin smiled at them. “I’m Moon Face, that’s a nickname my friends gave me at school. By the way…”

He looked at Harry and said, "James is a fork, Sirius is a big foot. And Peter..."

Lupin's gaze shifted to Peter Pediru, and he said with disgust, "He has a wormtail. Because his animagus is a rat."

Harry looked at Peter, then at Lupin, interested in the stories of his father’s school days, but knew now was not the time to ask.

He sat next to Lupin, like a child leaning against his father, appearing quiet and obedient.

Dumbledore's gaze swept over Harry, intentionally or unintentionally, but he said nothing.

Then Lupin continued his story—before coming here, he already knew the general outline of what had happened from Wade. Now, as he recounted it, every sentence carried a convincing power.

Wade didn't want to be the first to stick his neck out, so Lupin took on most of the responsibility.

In his story, Wade sees the name "Peter Pediru" frequently appearing on a map in Harry and Ron's dormitory. Knowing that there is no such student in Gryffindor, he mentions it to Lupin in his correspondence in the Book of Friends.

Fred and George looked at each other.

Lupin's statement made it seem as if he had given the Marauder's Map to Wade. This also covered up the fact that the two of them had stolen the Marauder's Map from Filch's office and frequently used it to sneak out of the school.

—This is a good person!

Fred said with his eyes.

George nodded vigorously; although he hadn't said much yet, their goodwill towards Lupin was already off the charts.

They had never met such a compatible adult before.

Lupin, of course, would not forget the name of his former "friend," and he immediately realized that something was amiss.

Unable to enter the school, Lupin asked Wade to capture Peter Pedirou, while Wade sought help from the Weasley twins...

"Why didn't you come to me?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Ron and I share a dorm room, so it should have been more convenient for us!"

“Because you spend so much time together, he knows you very well,” Wade casually offered a reason. “If you accidentally reveal your intentions, he might turn the tables and hold you hostage.”

Harry blinked. "But Fred and George were exposed in the end too!"

George coughed. "Wade probably thinks... even if we bully Ron's rats, he'll just think he's unlucky, not that he's been exposed, right?"

Surprisingly, everyone thought it made perfect sense!

These two brothers are used to being mischievous and naughty; I never expected them to provide such convenience at a time like this.

Percy wanted to say something several times, but held back because the professors were present, his ears turning red from holding it in.

Professor McGonagall was furious.

"Remus!"

She glared angrily at Lupin and said sternly:

“I thought you'd be more mature now that you're an adult, but you're even more reckless than James was in his youth! Tell me, what were you thinking, sending a bunch of kids to capture Peter?!”

"If...if Peter were...they might get hurt, they might even die!"

Both Wade and the Weasley twins instinctively flinched.

"I'm sorry." Lu Ping bowed his head and apologized, taking the blame without hesitation. "I was blinded by anger and didn't think things through..."

Professor McGonagall's expression softened, and she sighed.

“I understand how you feel, James and Lily…sigh…but no matter what…the children shouldn’t be put on such a risk. Even if nothing happens, I still have to say, what you did was absolutely wrong…”

“Yes,” Lupin said sincerely, “I should have contacted you or Dumbledore… but I’m afraid that if I’m even a second late, he will have vanished completely…”

Professor McGonagall looked at her with pity, shook her head, and said nothing more.

The "children" who escaped the disaster were as quiet as quails.

Lupin continued his story.

Following his orders, Vader captured Peter Pedyru and then brought him to Hogsmeade through a secret passage.