Even under Veritaserum's influence, both Snape and Glenn could detect the steely conviction in Sirius Black's words. Though his tone remained devoid of sorrow, joy, or emotion, it carried unwavering certainty—as if stating indisputable facts.
"A newspaper? What newspaper!"
Snape was momentarily stunned before urgently demanding answers.
But before the Veritaserum-affected Sirius Black could process the information his subconscious had absorbed and provide feedback, Glenn—who had remained silent—spoke up, apparently holding something.
"Is it this newspaper?"
Glenn unfolded the newspaper he'd just retrieved from the Shrieking Shack's second floor—the same one Sirius Black had been studying throughout both afternoon and evening—displaying it for Snape and Sirius Black to examine.
The section Glenn held facing them happened to feature the photograph of the Weasley family's vacation interview published in the paper.
"Yes."
Sirius Black spoke softly, confirming Glenn's assumption.
Snape swept his hand forward, snatching the newspaper from Glenn, then stared intensely at it as though attempting to pierce through time and space with his gaze to extract Peter Pettigrew from within the pages.
But regardless of how he searched, examined, or even employed revealing charms, he could only see the Weasley family's foolish grins beaming from that newspaper.
As if mocking his inability to uncover truth—foolishly deceived for twelve years.
"Where exactly is Peter Pettigrew in this newspaper?"
Glenn showed no reaction to Snape's behavior, instead cupping his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't spotted the alleged Peter Pettigrew in that newspaper either, so he turned to question Sirius.
"Front page of the newspaper, in the Weasley family photograph—the rat perched on Ron Weasley's shoulder is Peter Pettigrew. I absolutely couldn't mistake him."
Peter Pettigrew was a rat—Ron's pet, Scabbers?
Instantly, Glenn's memories and corresponding thoughts began flooding his mind.
Scabbers' overly humanized behavior and physical condition so abnormal for ordinary rats had given him an indescribable, indefinable sense of wrongness...
Crookshanks, who'd never shown interest in rats, suddenly developing fascination with catching Scabbers and remaining persistent despite Hermione's intervention and scolding...
Details Ginny had mentioned to Hermione regarding Scabbers' life with the Weasley family...
The missing index finger on Scabbers' right front paw...
After that explosion, Peter Pettigrew's remaining "corpse" consisted solely of a right index finger—nothing else recovered...
Then...
"Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus. His Animagus form is a rat, and he's been concealing himself with the Weasley family for twelve years in rat form to hide the truth and evade pursuit by Sirius Black—or rather, assassination by Voldemort's other followers... Is that the situation?"
Glenn connected the known clues into a coherent thread. Ignoring the involuntary astonishment now flickering across Snape's features, he voiced his speculation to Sirius Black, seeking verification.
"Yes."
Sirius's tone remained without fluctuation, but he definitively confirmed Glenn's assessment.
"What exactly is happening here?"
Snape looked toward Glenn, his gaze flickering with multiple emotions, thoughts unknown. In response, Glenn spoke, sharing all information he possessed with Snape.
"...Ginny once told Hermione that Ron's current pet Scabbers only came to live with the Weasley family twelve years ago. For a rat species with typical lifespans of two to four years, a twelve-year lifespan is obviously abnormally extended."
"Additionally, that rat's right front paw is missing an index finger. I originally assumed it was severed due to accident, but now, hearing Sirius Black's account, I believe that assumption was incorrect."
"When the Ministry of Magic collected Peter Pettigrew's remains, they recovered only his right index finger. No other remains were found—not even a single blast-torn, charred body fragment. This struck me as peculiar."
"But if circumstances match Sirius Black's description—that Peter Pettigrew didn't perish in that explosion but instead used Animagus transformation to become a rat and feign death for escape—then finding no other remains would make perfect sense."
"So, can we conclude that Peter Pettigrew deliberately severed one of his own fingers as sacrifice, orchestrated an explosion that nearly demolished half the street, used this to fake his death, and successfully deceived everyone?"
Here, Glenn paused, shifting his gaze from Snape's eyes to observe Sirius Black lying motionless on the ground.
"Naturally, this represents merely speculation formed by connecting information I possess with details Sirius Black just provided. Though every piece of information links coherently—Sirius Black seeing the newspaper photograph and finally choosing escape after twelve years' imprisonment—this doesn't necessarily constitute truth..."
"After all, coincidences abound in this world, and memories may prove unreliable."
"Things witnessed firsthand aren't absolutely authentic, much less ethereal information obtained from others' accounts."
"However, presently, the optimal evidence—evidence capable of definitive resolution—remains only that single option."
Accompanied by Glenn's emotionless, measured narration, Snape's turbulent, agitated heart gradually calmed. He also resumed his customary expressionless demeanor.
"Ah, precisely."
Snape's voice returned to its characteristic icy tone as he confirmed Glenn's statement.
Whether in the Muggle or wizarding worlds, human memory could be modified and fabricated—and this proved even simpler within magical society.
If Sirius Black's memory had already been falsified by himself or others, then even Veritaserum—capable of compelling truthful speech—would prove useless against him.
Because Veritaserum's function was making users speak "truth"—truth as the users themselves believed it to be.
Therefore, for such individuals, the "truth" they voiced after consuming Veritaserum would remain lies.
So Glenn and Snape had to consider this possibility.
Fortunately, this problem had now become the simplest possible proof.
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