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

"Given the severity of this incident, we had no choice but to use truth serum to get him to tell the truth."

Dumbledore took the blame for Lupin's actions as well, saying, "Peter confessed that he was the real secret keeper for the Potter family, and it was he who revealed James and Lily's address to Voldemort..."

Fudge suddenly shuddered.

Dumbledore, seemingly oblivious to his fear, continued calmly, "After Voldemort disappeared, Peter became a true pariah. He framed Sirius Black, killed over a dozen Muggles in front of everyone with a single spell, and faked his death to escape..."

"Yes, we will investigate this matter thoroughly," Fudge said diplomatically. "Our Ministry of Magic also has its responsibilities; we can't just unilaterally... We'll believe whatever you say, right?"

“After all, you yourself assured the Ministry of Magic that Sirius Black was the Potters’ secret keeper…” he added, “and now you’re just going to overturn that claim? The public might not be so accepting. We need… well, more detailed evidence.”

Wade could tell that he wasn't saying this because he doubted Dumbledore's words, but simply because he didn't want to look like the old headmaster's puppet.

However, it was only right for the Ministry of Magic to investigate again, and Dumbledore naturally wouldn't object.

“Minister, just ask Peter and you’ll know Sirius is innocent…” Lupin couldn’t help but say.

"Hmph!" Snape suddenly sneered:

“I can also assure you that Sirius Black showed homicidal tendencies at the age of sixteen! He once tried to kill me! This man may have joined the Mystic along with Peter Pediru, and the later conflict was just infighting among the accomplices…”

He glared at Lupin, but because Dumbledore was right there, he didn't expose Lupin's werewolf identity.

“Severus!” Lupin exclaimed angrily, “It is not a just act to imprison an innocent person in Azkaban!”

"Innocent?" Snape's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Sirius Black is not innocent..."

"Alright, alright, gentlemen," Fudge smoothed things over. "There's no need to argue. I can assure you, the Ministry of Magic will conduct a thorough and serious investigation. We will not wrong any innocent person, nor will we let any villain go unpunished..."

His attitude calmed them both down.

“Thank you, Minister.” Snape’s voice hissed like a snake flicking its tongue. “I will await the outcome of the trial…”

He seemed to be saying that if the Ministry of Magic didn't punish Peter and Sirius enough, he would send them both to hell.

“Severus…”

Dumbledore sighed.

Snape did not respond; he opened the door and strode out of the headmaster's office.

Fudge then took his leave, and they departed with Peter Pedyru, the Weasleys, and Lupin. Only two Aurors remained to take notes of Wade and Ron.

After Lupin became the nominal leader, Wade's responsibilities as a "tool" were very limited, and his participation was not very high.

He briefly recounted how he caught the mouse and his relationship with Lupin, after which the female Auror gestured for him to leave.

They probably thought that a second-year student shouldn't know anything.

Ron's questioning took much longer.

Standing in the corridor, Wade looked at his palm in the light from the window.

In his hand was a small rectangular piece of parchment, on which a tiny dot was slowly moving.

Chapter 153 News, Law

The sales of the location-tracking friend book invented by Wade were only so-so; only some parents would buy it and put it on their children as a talisman.

Of course, Wade also has various templates of his own Book of Friends.

After obtaining the Marauder's Map, he improved the Friend's Positioning Book based on the magic rune circuits he learned from the map, making it smaller, displaying locations more accurately, and making magical fluctuations more concealed.

After capturing Peter Pediru, Vader used a Sticker Charm to attach a Friend's Register to the back of the man's head.

He shrunk the Book of Friends so much that even if Peter Pediru turned into a mouse, he would probably be mistaken for a speck of dust that had accidentally stuck to him.

With this, Vader could keep track of Peter Pediru's location in real time.

Percy, Ron, and others thought that handing Peter over to the Ministry of Magic would solve everything, but Wade didn't think so.

Even his initial choice to risk everything with the Weasley brothers to capture Peter, rather than seeking help from Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall, was based on the same reasoning.

As for the Ministry of Magic, Vader had no faith in their abilities, their character, or their sense of responsibility.

Despite being one of the most powerful wizards in the world, Dumbledore had a self-imposed prison mentality.

Even though he could easily kill Fudge and Umbridge with one hand, in the story he tolerates the two using all sorts of absurd laws to restrict his power and persecute the school's teachers and students.

Moreover, starting from his second year, the Ministry of Magic repeatedly broke into Hogwarts, arresting people whom Dumbledore considered innocent under dubious pretexts, forcing Dumbledore to leave the school more than once, and later even accusing him of being an old madman.

And what about Dumbledore?

He was always giving in.

Dumbledore would subtly adjust the pointer within the rules to steer things in the direction he desired, but he wouldn't simply overturn the table.

Influenced by Dumbledore, most of the professors at the school—such as Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and so on—had similar ways of doing things.

So Dumbledore will interrogate Peter Pedyru privately if he is captured, but he will eventually be handed over to the Ministry of Magic for investigation and trial.

He has his own expectations for the outcome, but he will not arbitrarily use his power to interfere with the Ministry of Magic's investigation or force Fudge and others to make a judgment according to his own wishes.

Even if the final result is contrary to his expectations, he will first try his best within the scope of the law, rather than directly saying: "Fudge, this matter must be done this way or I will kick you out of the stage!"

The fact that the person with the greatest power always abides by the law and exercises self-discipline is undoubtedly a great blessing for ordinary people.

However, when standing opposite him is an incompetent person who arbitrarily breaks the rules in the name of the law, has a strong desire for power, but dares not take responsibility, Dumbledore's "obeying the law" becomes frustrating.

Wade could not place his hopes on Dumbledore.

He couldn't possibly act like the trio in the original story, naively searching through legal texts to try and change the outcome when the Ministry of Magic made an unfavorable ruling. Nor could he regret missing the best opportunity only when things got worse.

Because he knew that regret was useless and that making mistakes would come at a price.

……

At the Umbrella House gathering the next day, Harry told everyone what had happened in detail, with Fred and George adding to the story.

Since the start of the battle royale game, the twin brothers have also joined SSC. Their spellcasting skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and when they don't have classes, they even study alchemy with Vader.

“You should have involved us in something this big,” Michael complained to Wade.

“You can’t get into the Gryffindor common room,” Wade said. “Besides, for anything to succeed, you have to keep it a secret. What if that Wormtail overhears us talking?”

"So... the former hero was the traitor, and the person who went to jail was actually innocent?" Ryan concluded.

“Yes…” Harry said wistfully, “Lupin told me that Sirius Black is actually my godfather, but I don’t know what kind of person he is.”

Theo said sympathetically, “Merlin, he spent eleven years in Azkaban… I can’t even imagine.”

“What kind of place is Azkaban?” Harry asked.

“That’s the most terrifying place in the world, a wizard’s prison,” Theo said, unconsciously lowering his voice. “There are Dementors guarding it.”

"Dementors?" Harry still didn't understand.

"A monster that feeds on happiness, reminding people of the most terrifying things."

Theo shuddered involuntarily: "I have an uncle who spent three months in Azkaban and came out nearly insane. He said he'd rather die than go back there."

A look of worry settled over Harry's face.

If she almost went insane in just three months, what about eleven years?

Has his godfather gone mad?

Even so...

Harry thought.

Even so... I will take good care of him...

Even though Sirius Black went mad, it was to protect his family.

This is his responsibility, and it's what his parents would want him to do.

……

For several days in a row, Ron felt nauseous whenever Scabbers was mentioned, until Harry asked Lupin to buy Ron an owl as compensation for losing his pet.

This is a very beautiful owl, with eyes that sparkle like luminous pearls. Its radiating feathers resemble pointed cat ears, and its mottled brownish-yellow feathers are like those of a leopard, making it look very majestic.

The joy of getting a new pet instantly overwhelmed the disgust and frustration brought by the previous pet. Ron was extremely happy, showing off his owl all day long.

Harry was also very happy; he was practically counting down the days until the godfather was released.

Over the weekend, Marchionni had to postpone his meeting with Wade due to work commitments.

So Vader and the others went to Hogsmeade through the Vanishing Cabinet. When they arrived at Lupin's house, they saw that Lupin had hung the photograph on the wall again, only this time Peter Pediru's face was covered.

Sirius, finally revealing his face, was handsome and elegant, with messy black hair hanging in front of his eyes and a pair of striking, smiling gray eyes.

“He has gray eyes, just like you!” Michael said in surprise.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Wade was also somewhat surprised.

Harry stared at the photo, looking at it again and again, a silly grin creeping onto his face.

Lupin looked at him, but his smile carried a hint of worry.

“What happened?” Wade asked him.

“I don’t know… but I feel really bad,” Lupin said vaguely. “I applied to visit Sirius, but I was refused. And there are some unfavorable rumors circulating…”

"Rumors?"