HP: For a better world

Everyone was startled and looked towards the door. Blake was even more excited. He didn't know who the person was, but he was just the rat that pounced on Ron - he didn't want to be caught by anyone and lose the chance of revenge.

Only two spells struck Blake like lightning as the door opened.

One to Expelliarmus and one to Bind.

The light of the spell comes first, and the voice of the latecomers comes late.

"You nearly killed me." Snape said coldly as he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak.

"Why are you here?!" Blake fell to the ground in embarrassment and shouted.

"—James pulled you back!" Lupin's voice rose over him.

"If you pull me back at the last step and it's not considered murder!!" Snape yelled back with red eyes, "I only know that you are in the same group!" He pointed his wand at Lupin, took a few breaths and said, "Look at you now, Lupin, I know you are not trustworthy... Dumbledore still refuses to let you get out of the school. Can't figure out how I got here?"

He sneered.

"I will go back and praise my student for his attentiveness. If he hadn't mentioned rats so many times, I would never have thought of rechecking the wolfsbane potion I brewed and found that it was added with sugar. I would not have specially delivered the potion to you and found that you left in a hurry. I will remember to add some dangerous protection to my storage room next time... Any thief who does not have my permission should be punished... Dumbledore has no reason to stop me anymore."

Hermione asked quietly, a little nervously, "What do you mean?"

Snape glanced at her and said in a low voice: "It's obvious, Miss Granger. Someone is trying to cause a disturbance in the school and take this opportunity to do something. Fortunately, there is a ready-made target here."

Lupin's expression was blank.

"Do I need to tell you who he is?" Snape said softly, full of malice. "Your friendship is more fragile than paper, Lupin. Last time, your so-called friend used your identity to try to kill me, and now he wants to destroy your short-lived peace and make your crime public... and now you are still standing by him, soft-hearted, trying to believe the traitor? I will respectfully report your nobleness to Dumbledore on your behalf, Lupin. I am afraid I will never be able to do the same as you in my life."

"No - listen to me, Severus, you are wrong. You didn't hear it all - I can explain to you that Sirius didn't do this, and you don't have to send an innocent man to prison for something that happened in your school days, he -"

"—save that for the Dementors. You have no credibility left, Lupin."

Snape grinned, and snake-like ribbons emerged from the tip of his wand, binding Lupin tightly and automatically sealing Lupin's mouth.

Black angrily transformed into a black dog, broke free from the ropes, and then changed back into human form in mid-air and pounced on Snape.

But Snape was prepared. He pointed his wand directly at Black's forehead.

"Tell me your reason," he whispered, "tell me your reason, and I swear I will not be soft-hearted." Blake did not move. For a moment, no one could tell whose face showed more hatred.

Harry stood there, as if he were a fool, not knowing what to do or who to trust.

He looked at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked just as confused as he was, still trying to hold onto the struggling Scabbers. Crookshanks had been crouching in a corner of the room since he had been thrown off, watching everything quietly.

Hermione took a small step towards Snape hesitantly: "Professor Snape..."

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension," Snape said sharply, "You, Potter, and Weasley went out without permission and violated the ban, staying with murderers and werewolves. Now shut up and I can still think that you are too young and deceived by criminals!"

"But if—if there's a misunderstanding—"

"Shut up, you stupid girl!" Snape yelled madly, "Don't talk about things you don't understand!"

Because of his excited emotions, the tip of his wand was affected and shot out several sparks uncontrollably, but his wand was still pointing at the center of Black's eyebrows, even a little closer.

Hermione was silent.

"Revenge tastes so good," Snape said to Black. "I have always wanted to catch you..."

Blake cried, "If the boy can only bring the mouse back to the castle"—he pointed back with his hand—"I will go with you obediently..."

"Go back to the castle? No need, Black. I happened to see some Dementors patrolling nearby when I came here... As long as we go out, and call... they will come happily... and give you a kiss... an ending you deserved long ago." Snape's eyes flashed with hatred, and his wand was clenched tightly, as if he wanted to cast some evil curse at any time to let Black taste it first.

Black was tied up again and floated slightly in the air with Lupin. Snape was ready to tie them up and walk outside.

"No! Please... Professor... the truth!" Harry struggled to block the door and made a difficult request, shouting to Snape, "I want to know... what happened in the past! What kind of person is my father!"

"Your father is just an arrogant fool! He put his life in the hands of others just because he trusted his friends - didn't he know he was married? How stupid! He is such an arrogant bastard! Only Dumbledore would worry that his fragile Mr. Savior would be hurt if he knew the real father - but I am different."

"Get out of the way, Potter, don't make me say it again! You're in enough trouble already," Snape ordered coldly, "if your delay gives the man who murdered your mother a chance to escape -"

A voice interrupted him. It was Winster. "Professor, I think you really should hear the whole story - maybe it's an unexpected surprise - there is a man with ulterior motives lurking around us. If he succeeds, I'm afraid you will never be at peace in your life."

Everyone was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. Snape's anger was also interrupted.

Black and Lupin fell to the ground with a thud.

Winster lifted the Disillusionment Charm, forcefully snatched Scabbers from Ron's hand, held the rat tightly with his dragon-skin gloves, and greeted the six people huddled in the small room.

Banban struggled, biting the dragon-skin gloves with his teeth and claws, but he couldn't even break through the defense. He only felt the hand that was strangling his neck tightening, until he had only the strength to gasp.

"Regulus?!" Sirius blurted out, "Why are you here?" But the next second he remembered that Regulus had died long ago. "--No, no, you are not him," he murmured, and shouted hostilely, "Where is the Slytherin?!"

"Winster!" Hermione shouted in surprise, "So you are here!"

Winster ignored what they said, only pinched the rat and pointed his wand at it. "Right, Peter - an illegal Animagus?"

Peter kicked his legs weakly, just wanting the Slytherin in front of him to quickly loosen the hand that was strangling his neck.

"You have to find the real murderer for Lily, Professor." Winston made sure that Snape had calmed down - no, maybe not completely calm, but as long as he could control his emotions - he turned to Black and gave a cold order: "- You can continue, Mr. Black."

Ron fished his hands in the air in surprise, but had to take them back in frustration: "Come on," he said weakly, "You think he escaped from Azkaban just to catch Scabbers? I thought you were at least smarter than Hermione, White..." He muttered and looked at Harry and Hermione, "Well, even if Pettigrew can turn into a mouse - there are tens of thousands of mice - he is imprisoned in Azkaban, how would he know which one to catch?"

"Yes, Sirius," Lupin struggled to free himself from the rope on his mouth, and Snape glanced at him coldly. "How did you know where he was?"

Winster untied the ropes on his hands.

Blake reached his clawed hands into his robes and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, smoothing it out and holding it up for everyone to see.

It was a photo of Ron's family that appeared in the Daily Prophet last summer. The one squatting on Ron's shoulder was none other than Scabbers.

"Last year, Fudge came to Azkaban for inspection and gave me this newspaper." Black said, "I recognized him immediately... I have seen him transform so many times, even if he only showed one claw, I could recognize him." Black's eyes were fierce and he seemed to want to rush over and strangle the traitor to death. But he continued, "The newspaper said that the boy was a student of Hogwarts... I knew he was going to see Harry..."

"I see!" Hermione screamed, her throat trembling, "He's missing a claw!" Hermione swallowed nervously, staring at the mouse with a missing claw, "The newspaper said that the largest piece of Peter's bones they found was one of his fingers!"

"But, but - Scabbers might have had a fight with another mouse or something! He's been in my house for years!" Ron argued.

Winster continued: "It's been twelve years, and it's not a basilisk - just an ordinary mouse, right?" He snorted and pinched it a little tighter. "I told you to be careful - there are many unusual troubles in the wizarding world - I just encountered it last year." Winster said.

Snape's wand was still pointed at Black.

"It was this cat that helped me... Crookshanks, is that what you call it? It helped me get into the castle, bringing a note with passwords from a boy... It told me that Peter was not among the mice buried outside, and it disappeared into the castle again... I guess it went to find its mouse friends... Hmm, a little advantage of Animagus... He wanted to lead me into a fight with Lupin who had transformed into a werewolf so that he could escape... Another golden escape..."

Crookshanks flicked his tail, sweeping it past the gray, round object next to him.

Harry's brain seemed to be overwhelmed...all this was too incredible for him, he was almost shouting.

"——But why did he pretend to be dead? Because he knew you were going to kill him? Just like you killed my parents?"

Snape shuddered, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire. Winster desperately begged him to restrain himself with his eyes.

But it obviously didn't work.

"Are you saying this rat is Peter Pettigrew?"

His suppressed, angry voice exploded in the room:

"How are you going to prove that you weren't the one who betrayed me! Blake——" He laughed in anger: "Just because you opened your mouth and said nonsense?!"

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