The morning after Peter Pettigrew's capture, Hogwarts awoke to a world irrevocably changed. The students, emerging from their dormitories, found the castle buzzing not with fear, but with a wild, incredulous excitement. The early edition of the Daily Prophet, delivered by a fleet of bewildered owls, was screaming the news in headlines that would be remembered for a generation.
PETER PETTIGREW ALIVE! WAR HERO A TRAITOR!
SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT! TWELVE YEARS IN AZKABAN FOR A CRIME HE DIDN'T COMMIT!
MINISTRY ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY TRIAL! FUDGE VOWS TO CORRECT 'GRAVEST INJUSTICE IN A CENTURY'!
The story was a bombshell, a narrative so shocking it eclipsed every other piece of news. It detailed the dramatic capture within the walls of Hogwarts, crediting the "astute observations of certain students and the decisive action of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and DMLE Director Amelia Bones."
The night before, after Pettigrew had been secured, Ariana had requested a brief, private word with Director Bones and Professor Dumbledore.
"Director," she had said, her tone respectful but direct. "The political fallout from this will be significant. The Ministry will be seen to have wrongfully imprisoned an innocent man for twelve years without a trial, while awarding a mass-murdering traitor the Order of Merlin. This could be disastrous for Minister Fudge."
Amelia Bones had nodded grimly. "I am well aware of the potential scandal, Miss Dumbledore."
"Which is why," Ariana continued smoothly, "it must be framed not as a failure, but as a triumph. A triumph of the current administration correcting the errors of the past. Minister Fudge did not sentence Black. Bartemius Crouch Sr. did, under emergency wartime powers. This is not Fudge's mistake to own; it is his opportunity to be the hero who rectifies it. If you advise him to act decisively, to hold a swift and public trial for Pettigrew, to publicly exonerate Black, and to position himself as the champion of justice, he will not only survive this scandal, he will emerge more popular than ever."
Dumbledore's eyes had twinkled with deep appreciation for her political acumen. Amelia Bones, a pragmatist to her core, had recognized the brilliant, if slightly cynical, logic of the strategy immediately. It was the perfect way to manage the narrative, ensuring the truth came out while minimizing institutional damage.
The results were now splashed across the front page. Cornelius Fudge had seized the opportunity with both hands, his quotes full of bluster about justice, integrity, and the strength of his administration. An impromptu session of the Wizengamot had been convened overnight.
Pettigrew, forced to testify under Veritaserum, had confessed to everything. Sirius Black, asked to appear and, in a tearful, dramatic session, was declared a free and innocent man.
His Order of Merlin, Second Class, was revoked, and the Wizengamot, in a move suggested by a suddenly very popular Minister Fudge, voted to reassign it.
The news was announced by Professor McGonagall in the Great Hall during breakfast, her voice ringing with a pride and satisfaction she rarely showed.
"And in light of his heinous crimes," she read from an official Ministry decree, "the Order of Merlin, Second Class, awarded to Peter Pettigrew has been stripped from his name. Furthermore, in recognition of her pivotal role in uncovering this twelve-year deception, for her application of logic and reason in the pursuit of justice, and for her courage in presenting a difficult truth to the highest authorities, the Ministry of Magic is proud to award the Order of Merlin, Third Class, to Miss Ariana Dumbledore."
It was a strategic decision. Diverting the attention from the ministry scandal and currying favour from the young Dumbledore, a political move of multiple angles and steps.
A stunned silence fell over the Great Hall, followed by an eruption of applause so deafening it shook the enchanted ceiling. The Gryffindor table exploded, with Fred and George starting a chant of her name. Students from all houses, even the Slytherins—many of understood the principle of a well executed and almost Slytherin plan—applauded with genuine respect.
Ariana simply gave a small, polite nod of acknowledgement, her expression serene, as if being awarded one of the highest honors in the wizarding world was a perfectly normal Tuesday morning. She was pleased not by the award itself, but by the fact that her plan had executed flawlessly.
The celebration, however, was cut short by a second, more frantic wave of owls carrying a special edition of the Prophet a few days later.
PETTIGREW ESCAPES!
DEMENTOR KISS AVERTED AS TRAITOR TRANSFORMS ON WAY TO AZKABAN!
The paper detailed how, during the heavily guarded transfer from the Ministry holding cells to Azkaban, Pettigrew, in a moment of desperate opportunity when the Dementors' draining presence caused a guard to falter, had transformed back into his rat form and scurried away into the London sewer system, vanishing without a trace.
A groan of frustration went through the Great Hall. The ultimate justice had been thwarted. Harry, sitting beside Ariana, looked devastated. "He got away."
"Yes," Ariana said, her eyes scanning the article. "He did." But she did not seem surprised. In fact, a cool, calculating look was in her eyes. Pettigrew's escape was an unfortunate but predictable variable. A cornered rat will always try to bite, and a desperate wizard will always look for an escape. This did not change the primary outcome.
"It doesn't matter in the long run, Harry," she said quietly. "His guilt has been proven. His confession is on record. Sirius is free. That is the victory that counts."
Sirius Black, now cleared of all charges, was recovering in a private ward at St. Mungo's.
The Dementors were officially recalled from Hogwarts that very afternoon, their presence no longer required. A palpable sense of relief and liberation swept through the school.
The next few days were a blur of excitement and readjustment. The world had been turned on its head. The story of Ariana Dumbledore, the quiet genius who had single-handedly exonerated a man and exposed a traitor, was now legend. She handled her newfound fame with the same unnerving calm she handled everything else, deflecting questions and praise with polite, minimalist answers.
Her plan had been a resounding success. She had exposed the truth, freed an innocent man, neutralized a threat within her own circle of friends, and placed Harry's long-lost godfather back on the board as a powerful ally. Pettigrew's escape was a loose end, yes.
But he was a frightened, powerless rat on the run. The far more significant piece, Lord Voldemort, was still out there, weakened and bodiless.
And Ariana knew that Pettigrew, desperate and alone, would eventually seek out the only master he had ever known. His escape was not just an escape. It was the beginning of the next chapter. A chapter that would lead inevitably to a graveyard in Little Hangleton.
And for that, Ariana would be ready.