Revealing a traitor
Fudge had kept his word, the dementors were gone the next morning when Harry returned to the castle. Rita's article on the matter had been spectacular. Harry had been bombarded with questions from his classmates for the whole week and he was answering them happily.
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Discover moreComicsBooks & LiteratureCartoonsBooksMoviesWith some temptation to get an exclusive interview, Rita had kept the secret of the true traitor being Pettigrew. That would be her next great story. Harry was subtly making the blond reporter indebted to him. She would only be able to get top selling stories from him if she kept writing the truth. That and she now knew he was the majority owner of the Prophet.
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The one who was clearly displeased was Dumbledore. He now knew that Harry had found out about his heritage, and it would be terribly difficult to influence him with him being aware of his political position in the wizarding world. He couldn't count on the effect the abuse at the Dursley's hands had on the boy anymore. Harry had done everything to guarantee that he would never go back there. Nobody could force him to do so; even more now that he was the acknowledged heir of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. He didn't even know this. He had had his suspicions about Gryffindor because all of the Potters had been in that house for generations, but Ravenclaw? More so, he was the Boldon heir, a family with so much influence in wizarding economy that everybody would be trying to do what the boy wanted.
Discover moreBooks & LiteratureCookiesComicsBooksScience Fiction & Fantasy FilmsThe next thorn in his plans was Orion de Jarjais. The damned French nobleman was clearly helping the boy to become more independent. If he didn't know that it was impossible, he would have guessed that Sirius had paid the man to help Harry; but as an escaped prisoner on the run he couldn't do that. Nothing would be worse than Sirius taking charge of Harry. The Black Lord was too smart for Albus' liking; too independent. He didn't want to follow Dumbledore's orders.
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Plus he couldn't let Harry become too independent. He had to kill Voldemort with Albus guiding him on the way. That way Albus could keep control, be the one who stood in the center of admiration, and take the role of the leader when the job was done. He had declined the offers for the top spot at the Ministry so far because it wouldn't have done his image any favors to have to play the bad Minister who was unable to protect the population from Voldemort.
Discover moreAnimeAnime & MangaChildren's BooksScience Fiction & Fantasy BooksScience Fiction & FantasyNo, the better way had been to be the only one who did something against Voldemort and had some success. Yes, manipulating the good people was so easy. Gellert should have known better than to attempt to rule by fear and terror. That never worked. You had to get the masses on your side to have success. If Gellert had not become stuck in his delusional superiority complex, they could have become the leaders of all wizarding Europe. But no, it didn't work.
You never told those you regarded below you that you did. You had to be subtle, something Gellert never was, but he had been trained to be by his mother from a young age. Yes, Kendra Dumbledore had taught her son everything about secrets and deception. Something his younger brother Aberforth had never been able to appreciate. Since his little sister had been harmed by those muggles he had had the goal to make the wizards the ruling power in Europe.
Discover moreScience Fiction & Fantasy FilmsAnimeAnime & MangaMoviesCartoonsHis plans had brought results over time. The first real drawback was Voldemort rising to power after he had established himself as a powerful political figure. That blasted Tom Riddle was a danger to his own position, but thankfully, he was also as deluded as Gellert had been. Sadly, he had not been able to find Tom's hideout or he would have done the same as with Gellert; strike at an appropriate moment to take the spotlight again. After hearing the prophecy, he saw the perfect opportunity to get rid of Tom and in the process gain a powerful tool for his plans.
Letting Peter betray the Potters was so easy. He had known for some time that he was the spy. How could he not? He wasn't a master at Legilimency for nothing; and it was so obvious. That had taken care of Lily and James, who would have fought tooth and nail to protect their son against his manipulations. The same was true for the Longbottoms. Just in case, he had delayed the calls for help of Frank and Alice. Through planting doubts in Neville's abilities in Augusta, the boy was severely self-conscious and easy to control. It was Albus' policy to never completely disregard a potentially useful tool.
Bringing the boy, who was thought to be a squib—the wonders of magical binds—into Hogwarts, let him be seen as the nice old man, who everybody trusted again.
He really had to find a way to get Harry to believe in him; and do this before his magic undid all the blocks he had placed on the boy before he left him at the Dursleys. Some had broken. The wandless magic block was destroyed, that much was sure. He just hoped the others were still intact. Well, the teachers hadn't told him any impressive results of Harry in their classes, so this seemed to still be under his control.
Discover moreScience Fiction & Fantasy BooksChildren's BooksScience Fiction & FantasyScience Fiction & Fantasy FilmsCookiesIt was finally time to act. Harry was glad. He really had problems keeping his cool while observing the rat. He, Fred, and George had everything ready. They had checked on the marauders map where McGonagall was at the moment. Dumbledore was out of the castle and couldn't interfere with anything. So without the headmaster present—he was at some meeting of the ICW, from what they knew it was held in Japan—the decision concerning the ousted Peter Pettigrew would be with the deputy headmistress.
It was just after lunch. They had timed the revelation for the time when McGonagall was getting ready to head to her afternoon classes. Fred and George approached Ron.
"Hey, Ron, could we borrow Scabbers for some minutes? We want to test a new spell we need for a prank." Fred asked his younger brother in a hushed voice.
"What have you planned?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Don't worry, it won't hurt Scabbers. We just want to scare some Slytherin girls. If this test goes well, we will have a lot of fun. They will think Slytherin house is being haunted by ghost rats." George told Ron, grinning.
Ron was battling with himself. On the one hand, he wanted Slytherin pranked; they had a house rivalry after all. On the other hand, Fred and George were not that responsible and he didn't want Scabbers to be hurt. Harry jumped in to aid the twins.
"Listen, Ron, I know what the twins have planned and it is brilliant. I can't tell you anything here, too many ears not meant to hear it. I can guarantee you that it won't hurt Scabbers. I overheard them planning." He assured Ron.
Hesitantly, Ron nodded and handed the rat over to Fred. Harry took pleasure in the unhealthy look of the traitor. Oh yes, fear was a powerful thing, and he deserved it for being the reason Harry's life had become hell in his childhood; well, him and Dumbledore. He wouldn't begrudge the old manipulator his share of guilt.
Fred took the rat and went over to George, out of earshot of Ron. Harry and Ron went to a more secluded area.
"What exactly have the twins planned, Harry?" Ron wanted to know.
"It's quite the idea. You remember when McGonagall taught us how to do the animagus revealing spell? How a normal animal glows green when it is hit with it?" Harry began explaining.
"Yes." Ron said not seeing where this would lead to.
"The twins think they have found a variation of that spell, based on the normal one. The normal one only leaves a glow around the animal for a short time, the color depending on the animal, you know if magical or normal."
Seeing Ron nodding, Harry continued.
"The thing the twins are planning is keeping the glow for hours and varying the intensity of the color. Think of one hundred of eerily green glowing rats, mice, toads and so on and you get the plan for the twins' prank." Harry said.
Ron was grinning widely.
"You're right, this is brilliant. And there really is no real danger for Scabbers. I can't wait for the Slytherins being haunted."
Harry knew before this would happen, Scabbers would be revealed. The twins made it so that Harry was near them when they would cast the spell, as were McGonagall and Remus, who was in on the plan.
The great hall was nearly empty as most students were on their way to their dormitories to get their things for the afternoon lessons.
Ron and Harry then heard one of the twins cast the spell Harry had his wand ready.
"Animagus revelio." They heard.
The rat turned glowing red and then the power of the spell forced Peter Pettigrew to transform into his human form. Harry knew his act. It wasn't really hard to play the hatred, as he was really feeling it.
"You!" Roared Harry, looking at Pettigrew.
The teachers had never seen Harry draw his wand so fast.
Harry stormed at Pettigrew. He wanted to hurt the man so badly. This was the sign for Remus to act.
"Stupefy!" Remus yelled, hitting his mark dead on, making Peter fall on the ground.
"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall asked sternly.
"Minerva, I think the twins accidentally found the scumbag that ratted Lily and James out to Voldemort." Remus said, causing those students, who had been near and heard Harry's yelling to come to look, to gasp.
Ron, who was obviously disturbed to see his best friend like this, and Hermione, who had talked to Neville when Harry had told Ron of the twins' plan, held Harry back.
"Hermione, Ron, let me go! This scum is going to suffer!" Harry shouted.
"What did you do?" Minerva asked the twins, carefully keeping an eye on Harry, while Remus kept his wand pointed at the unconscious form of Peter.
"Professor, we just borrowed Scabbers, eh, this man, weird to think Scabbers was a wizard, anyway, we borrowed him from Ron, because we wanted to test a variation of the animagus revealing spell. We wanted to eh, make the glow a bit brighter." Fred awkwardly explained.
Harry had to admit the twins were really good at acting.
"When the spell hit him, he began glowing red and changed into this form. Then we heard Harry…" George pointed at him "…yell, and then Professor Lupin cast the stunning spell. Who is that man?"
"This is Peter Pettigrew, a man I thought dead for twelve years, who was said to have been killed by Sirius Black." Remus explained.
Many gasps could be heard at the name.
Minerva took action. As deputy headmistress, she was in charge of Hogwarts when Albus was absent.
"Severus, get me some Veritaserum, please. We'll get to the bottom of all of this. Peter is our best chance to find everything out, as it seems Mr. Potter believes him to be a traitor." She said, getting a feeling that this had been planned.
"He is! My parents wrote it in their will. He was their secret keeper. He betrayed our hiding place to Voldemort. Nobody else could have done it!" Harry growled.
Severus hurried to the dungeons. He had some Veritaserum in stock at all times. You never knew when you needed it. He had dreamed of sliping some into Potter's pumpkin juice. To think he had the man who had sold Lily out before him lit a fire he didn't know he still had inside of him. While he had told the dark Lord the prophecy, he had practically sold his soul to Dumbledore to save her. He would not let the chance to see at least a bit of justice for Lily slip away.
Minutes later, he arrived back with the truth potion. Seemingly, Weasley and Granger had managed to calm Potter somewhat down. The boy still glared at the man on the ground.
"Here it is, Minerva." He said, handing her the vial.
"Thanks, Severus. Please bind him to a chair and make sure he can't escape. Remus, I suppose you know the charm to prevent him from transforming again?"
"Of course, Minerva." Remus confirmed.
Severus conjured ropes to bind Pettigrew to the chair Minerva had conjured. She then administered the truth potion. Three drops in the mouth.
"Enervate." She cast the spell to awake the man.
"Transforma prevento." Remus said casting his spell and holding it.
Peter's eyes opened and he blearily looked at the teachers.
"What is your name?" Minerva asked.
"Peter Patrick Pettigrew." He answered.
"Who has been the secret keeper of the Potters in 1981?"
"Me." He answered.
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"Yes."
"What have you been doing in You-Know-Who's name?"
"Finding opposing wizards, telling him their locations, torturing muggles and muggleborns..."
"How did you manage to make Sirius Black look like the culprit in betraying the Potters?"
"I shouted for all the muggles around me to hear that he had betrayed James and Lily, cast a bludgeoning spell at a building where I knew was a gas pipe—which would make everything around explode—cut my finger to fake my death, and transformed into my rat animagus form to escape. It looked like Sirius did everything."
"Why did you hide all this time in a wizarding family?"
"I wanted to listen to the news if the Dark Lord was returning. I wanted to be in a position to kill Harry to prove my loyalty to the Dark Lord when he returned."
This shocked everybody in the great hall.
"Give him the antidote, Severus. I have a floo call to make. We need some aurors to get this scum to Azkaban. We also need to report this to Amelia Bones so she can call off the hunt for Sirius Black, no need to hunt an innocent man. He has to be freed of all charges." Minerva said, making Harry smile a bit.
Snape and Remus guarded Pettigrew carefully under the curious eyes of the students in the great hall. There were now a lot of them, word of what had happened had spread and everybody wanted to get a look at the caught Death Eater.
Ten minutes later Amelia Bones, Rufus Scrimgeour, and three other aurors entered the hall with Minerva. Minerva led them towards Pettigrew, where all of them inspected the man.
"Are you absolutely sure it is Pettigrew?" Scrimgeour asked.
"I questioned him under Veritaserum, Rufus. It is him." Minerva confirmed.
"Very well. Peter Pettigrew, you are under arrest for betraying the location of James, Lily, and Harry Potter to the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort, membership in a terrorist organization, use of unforgivable curses against fellow human beings, and treason against the country. You will be transported to Azkaban to await your trial before the Wizengamot." Amelia Bones told the man, who had begun whimpering more and more with every word.
Nobody paid him any merciful thought. Remus looked at him with utmost disgust, Harry with hatred and a shrewd satisfaction. The traitor would spend the rest of his pitiful life in Azkaban. If there was anybody who deserved the dementors, it was Peter.
That's it, please tell me how you liked the method of revealing the traitor.