Real Past

Read up to 25 chapters ahead on Patreon - patreon.com/Dark_sym

-----

Snape's hand holding the document trembled violently. Had Harry not been standing right behind Snape, he would have thought Snape had been electrocuted.

Snape's eyes swept back and forth with a vicious glare over Ethan, Lupin, and Sirius. His face was flushed, and he was gasping for breath and clenching his teeth, all signs of his extreme anger.

But in the end, Snape didn't do anything. He threw the document heavily on the ground, knocking over Harry, Hermione, and Ron as he stormed out.

The three stared at Snape as he left, bewildered by what had happened.

Finally, Harry carefully stepped forward and picked up the document Snape had thrown down. He wanted to know what had infuriated Snape so much.

When Harry saw the document's contents, his eyes widened in surprise. Hermione and Ron also leaned in to read it with him.

The document was an official exoneration stating that Sirius Black had been cleared of all guilt, signed by Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Director of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones. Two signatures and stamps were at the bottom of the document.

"But how is that possible?" Harry muttered.

"Because I was wronged!" Sirius finally voiced what he had kept in his heart for so long.

Now, even a fool could sense that something strange was going on.

"What exactly happened before my parents were killed?" Harry murmured to Sirius Black.

"You should know, Harry, I used to be your parents' Secret Keeper'," Sirius explained the true history.

"Yes, the Fidelius Charm," Harry murmured.

"Yes, I, your father James, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were best friends then."

Sirius seemed to recall those years, and a warm smile appeared.

"You know about Animagus, right?" Sirius asked them.

Hermione nodded while Harry and Ron shook their heads.

"Animagus is a kind of magic that can turn wizards into animals, and all wizards with this skill must register with the Ministry of Magic," Sirius explained.

Harry and Ron were puzzled; they didn't understand why Sirius explained this.

"But the Ministry of Magic doesn't know that there were once three unregistered Animagus. One was your father; his Animagus form was a stag. I could turn into a black dog, and it was in this form that I escaped Azkaban," explained Sirius.

"I'm a werewolf. I was bitten by a werewolf when I was a child. As long as the moon is full, I will become a werewolf," Lupin added, stepping forward.

"The other one is Peter Pettigrew," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"After I became James and Lily's secret keeper, we temporarily changed it for safety. The keeper became Peter Pettigrew!"

"Then things happened quickly," Sirius continued, his eyes suddenly red.

"Peter Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily and told Voldemort their address. When I got there..." Sirius couldn't hold back his emotions any longer and squatted on the ground, sobbing and crying.

"Harry is right! It's all my fault! I killed James and Lily!" Sirius beat his head hard as if he wanted to beat himself to death.

Ultimately, Lupin stepped forward and firmly clamped Sirius's hands, preventing him from hurting himself.

"That's not right," said Harry.

"Peter Pettigrew is already dead. He was blown up by you with only one finger left! What you're saying now is impossible!"

Sirius tried to calm down and said, "Peter Pettigrew is not dead! This is all part of his conspiracy!" through gritted teeth.

"After I found out the truth, I chased him frantically and drove him to a street. He blew up the whole street with a blasting spell and then turned into a rat and escaped into the gutter!"

"He also cut off a finger himself to frame me!" Sirius said angrily, hitting the wall.

"There's still no evidence for what you're saying," said Harry.

"Now there's no evidence. Say what you want!"

"Yeah!" Hermione said, "There are countless rats in this world, and finding one that has been transformed from a human is like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

"No, no!" Sirius chuckled, "He's here now! In this room!"

"How is that possible?" Harry said in surprise. He glanced around Ethan's office and found no sign of Peter Pettigrew.

"Hermione, you're a clever little witch," Lupin interjected.

"Think about it—the rat with one finger missing."

Hermione was puzzled at first, but suddenly, she trembled as if electrified and looked at Ron in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Hermione said in disbelief.

"How's that possible!" exclaimed Ron.

"Scabbers has been in my house for years! My brother had him before me! He's been alive for twelve years!"

As he spoke, Ron's voice gradually became quieter. Following Hermione and Lupin's hints, he finally realized something was amiss.

"That's right—can an ordinary rat live that long?" Lupin said.

"My God!" Ron gasped, realizing the terrifying truth: the rat he had lived with and carried around for years was a middle-aged murderer.

Ron plunged his hand into his chest to pull Scabbers out, but the rat began to resist fiercely, trying to avoid Ron's grasp. Scabbers even bit Ron's hand twice, causing blood to flow from the wound.

"Ow!" Ron screamed, but he kept struggling with the rat, trying to pull it out despite the pain.

"I'll help you!" Hermione volunteered and rushed forward, putting her hand into Ron's robes and trying to catch the rat.

"I'm coming too!" Harry rushed over, looking at Ron's chest carefully.

Trying to find Scabbers' bulge under Ron's clothes, Harry finally spotted it and punched it hard, trying to knock the rat unconscious.

"Ow!" Hermione screamed, pulling out her hand and shaking it vigorously.

"Harry! It bit me in the hand!" Hermione complained.