"You could kill him right now, and no one would ever know," Dudley suggested.
Harry slowly raised his wand.
Peter, who had just regained consciousness, overheard Dudley's words and was terrified. He tried to beg for mercy, but his mouth was gagged, so all he could manage were muffled whimpers. He squirmed desperately, trying to escape, but only spun in place like a top.
Lupin attempted to cast a spell to intervene, but Dudley interrupted him with a quick charm, sending Lupin's wand clattering to the floor. "Harry, you can't do this!" Lupin shouted urgently.
"Dursley, you shouldn't be encouraging him! You should stop him!"
"Stop him?" Dudley raised an eyebrow. "Stop him from avenging his parents? On what grounds?"
Lupin grew even more frantic. "You're his brother! You can't just stand there and let him become a murderer, let him go down the wrong path!"
"It's because I'm his brother that I should support him in taking revenge," Dudley shot back.
He looked Lupin dead in the eye, his voice steady. "He's not killing a person—he's killing a beast! A rat! A rat that's been dead for twelve years!"
"And this isn't going down the wrong path. An eye for an eye, a life for a life—that's justice! It's only fair!"
"His parents' deaths are an unforgivable wrong."
Seeing he couldn't sway Dudley, Sirius transformed into his large black dog form, slipping free from the wooden hand restraining him. He lunged forward to stop Harry.
But before he could take two steps, a massive wooden hand grabbed him tight.
Is this really a Hogwarts student? Such advanced Transfiguration—Professor McGonagall herself could hardly do better, Lupin thought in shock.
The black dog struggled with all its might, but it was futile. All Sirius could do was bark frantically at Harry.
"Everyone, shut up! Only Harry gets to decide. Only Harry has the right to choose," Dudley said firmly, stomping his foot. The Shrieking Shack trembled, looking like it might collapse any second.
"Harry, if you want to kill this rat, do it. Don't hesitate. Whatever happens after, I'll handle it for you."
The loss of his parents was a deep wound for Harry. Though he never spoke of it, Dudley, who grew up with him, knew it well. Whenever other kids at school were picked up by their parents, Harry's face would show nothing but envy.
Dudley's promise to "handle it" wasn't just talk.
Harry raised his wand again, pointing it at Peter. The man was petrified, writhing in terror and rubbing against Harry's shoes as if begging for mercy.
Kill or spare—it was Harry's call.
Did Harry hate Peter, the man responsible for his parents' deaths?
Of course. He burned with hatred, wanting to tear him apart.
But when it came to actually making the choice, his kind nature made him hesitate.
"If you can't do it, I can take care of it for you," Dudley said, stepping forward with a calm that belied the weight of his words.
Hermione watched Dudley's back with worry but didn't intervene. This was Dudley's choice, and she respected it. She'd stand by him.
Harry's heart warmed at Dudley's words. He might not have parents, but he had a brother who cared for him, an aunt and uncle who loved him, and friends who treated him with sincerity. The time spent with them was the happiest in his life.
"No, D," Harry said, shaking his head. "You don't need to become a killer for someone like him."
Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind, his voice trembling slightly. "I want the truth to come out. I want everyone to know what really happened, to see the guilty punished and the innocent cleared."
Hermione, Lupin, Sirius, and even Peter let out a collective sigh of relief at Harry's words.
Lupin and Sirius wanted Peter dead, but they'd never want Harry to be the one to do it.
Dudley paused for a moment, then nodded. "If that's your choice, Harry, I'll help you make it happen."
Harry nodded back, a bright smile breaking across his face.
His cousin Dudley was the best brother in the world.
"Mr. Rat, you're one lucky guy, getting to keep your life," Dudley said to Peter, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
He glanced at the black dog, who was practically gasping for air, and snapped his fingers, releasing Sirius.
"And you, foolish Black. Since you're Harry's godfather, I'll help clear your name."
"But from now on, stay away from Harry. I don't want him catching your stupidity."
The black dog transformed back into Sirius, panting heavily.
"Professor Lupin, you—" Dudley began.
But in that moment, Sirius lunged at Peter with a roar.
"Stop, Black!" Lupin cried, alarmed.
Without a wand and relying only on his Animagus form, Sirius was less dangerous than a Cornish Pixie.
As he leaped toward Peter, he froze mid-air.
It was Peeves. The poltergeist had recovered from his charmed daze.
"Let me go! I'll kill him! Let me avenge James! I was locked up for twelve years!" Sirius roared, flailing in mid-air. His bloodshot eyes glared at Peter with pure hatred. If looks could kill, Peter would've been torn to pieces.
Dudley snapped his fingers again, and vines identical to the ones binding Peter wrapped around Sirius. Then, finding him too noisy, Dudley stuffed a grimy rag—Merlin knows where it came from—into Sirius's mouth.
"Professor Lupin, you'd better keep your idiot friend in check. Next time, I'll toss him to the Dementors. I'm sure they'd love to give him a nice French kiss," Dudley said coolly.
With that, he stood up. "It's getting late. We should head back to Hogwarts and report to Professor Dumbledore."
The situation was tricky but not impossible. The key was convincing Minister Fudge to overturn Sirius's conviction, which meant coordinating with Dumbledore.
"Who knows, maybe we can sort this out today. After all, the 'greatest' Minister of Magic in all of England has been spending a lot of time in Dumbledore's office lately," Dudley said with a smirk.
He glanced at the other side of the Shrieking Shack. "That passage leads to the Whomping Willow. It won't take long."
The group, with Peter in tow, headed back to Hogwarts. Along the way, Lupin must've said something to Sirius, because he finally gave up his plan to kill Peter. Dudley released the vines binding him.
With the password "Liquorice Wand," the door to the headmaster's office swung open.
And, as luck would have it, Dudley was right—Minister Fudge was there, consulting with Dumbledore about something.
"S-S-Sirius Black!" Fudge stammered, nearly diving under the desk in panic when he saw Sirius walk in.