Chapter 432: The Truth

Watching Scabbers frantically banging his head against the wand, Ron backed up against the wall, one hand clutching his chest. His voice tinged with hysteria, he blurted out, "What the hell is going on? Can someone please explain?"

He'd had this rat as a pet for years, and now to see it trying to use a wand left him reeling. He was too shocked and unnerved to even approach Scabbers again.

"That's what we'd all like to know," Professor Lupin said, eyeing Black, who was still cackling. With a frown, he added, "How do you know Peter can't transform back?"

Kyle didn't answer immediately; instead, he raised his wand and cast, "Stupefy!" Instantly, Peter's rat form collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Kyle then returned Hermione and Professor Lupin's wands before explaining, "It's because of the tonic I made for him."

"Tonic?" Hermione asked, frowning as she accepted her wand. "But I've never read about pet tonics preventing Animagi from changing back."

"Normally, they don't," Kyle replied. "But I added a whole dried Mandrake leaf to his remedy... specifically the one at the top of the root."

"What did you say?" Professor Lupin blurted, clearly shocked.

Mandrake leaves weren't cheap, costing five Sickles each, and the topmost leaves from the root were even rarer and more expensive, about ten times the price of regular ones. A single leaf could support someone's needs for a month, yet Kyle had used it to brew a tonic for a rat?

Did Kyle know Scabbers was Peter all along? But that didn't seem possible. Peter's Animagus form had been kept a secret for years, and his staged death was twelve years ago. Kyle would have only been two or three years old at the time.

"It was... kind of a coincidence," Kyle admitted, disregarding Lupin's puzzled expression. "I wanted the tonic to be as potent as possible. I didn't expect him to actually be an Animagus."

"But... does it really matter?" Harry asked, looking baffled.

"Of course it does," Kyle said, pulling out a cage and locking Peter inside, hardly glancing up. He'd half-expected someone to jump in with an explanation, but everyone remained silent, watching him as he secured Peter. Even Hermione and Lupin looked as bewildered as Harry.

"Have none of you read herbology books beyond your textbooks?" Kyle asked almost absently.

Hermione shook her head, somewhat sheepishly. Though she'd read a great many books, herbology references outside her school texts were few among them. Professor Lupin also looked away, admitting silently that he hadn't, either.

"All right then..." Kyle sighed. "Mandrake leaves are incredibly beneficial for magical creatures. They heal injuries, strengthen the body… they have all kinds of uses. But Animagi are an exception. You do know what the first step is to become an Animagus, right?" Kyle's gaze shifted pointedly to Black.

"Of course I remember," Black said, still floating awkwardly mid-air. Without even asking how Kyle knew he was an Animagus, he rubbed his sore chin. "You have to keep a Mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month straight... And believe me, that month was no picnic. I nearly gave up more than once."

"Exactly," Kyle replied. "The Mandrake leaf serves as a kind of magical record of you as a wizard. It's like another 'you,' or a beacon to help guide you back..."

"A beacon?" Harry repeated, more confused than ever.

It felt like one of Professor Trelawney's Divination classes, where he'd have no idea what was going on but was still expected to participate.

"Okay, let me simplify," Kyle said with a sigh. "A Death's-head Hawk Moth transforms you from a human to an animal, while the Mandrake leaf allows you to transform back..."

"What's a Death's-head Hawk Moth... Ouch!" Harry began, but before he could finish, Hermione elbowed him in the stomach, leaving him gritting his teeth in pain.

"That's one of the ingredients in the Animagus Potion," Kyle explained, giving Harry a knowing look before continuing. "So, if an Animagus consumes a large amount of Mandrake root while in their animal form, the magic that holds their wizard identity can slowly dissipate, to the point they may not be able to change back."

"But that can't be right," Hermione protested. "Professor McGonagall taught us about Animagi, and she didn't mention any dangers like that. If it were as risky as you say, she would have definitely warned us."

"There's no need for that," Kyle replied calmly. "For one thing, a wizard's magical identity isn't easy to dissolve. They'd have to consume Mandrake root for several years, continuously, and in animal form. And once they changed back to human, all that information would be restored. Animagi are rare, and for one to stay in animal form for five years, regularly eating food containing Mandrake leaves, is nearly unheard of."

Kyle glanced down at Peter in the cage. "In fact, it's only happened once in a thousand years… well, twice now."

Black started laughing again, his voice raspy.

Professor Lupin turned to Kyle, watching him closely. "Kyle… did you know Scabbers was Peter?"

Kyle looked back at him, eyes steady. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you're the only one here who didn't look the least bit surprised," Lupin replied. "The rest of us—me, Harry, Ron, Hermione—we were all shocked when we learned Scabbers was Peter. But you seemed… very calm."

The others all turned to look at Kyle, suspicion and curiosity in their eyes. Ron seemed to want to speak up, but Hermione held him back.

Kyle shrugged. "The reason I'm not surprised is because… this isn't the first time I've seen something like this happen."

"What?" Professor Lupin said, caught off guard by Kyle's response.

"Actually, I saw something similar in my first year. Another student's pet also turned out to be an Animagus—a rat, too, as it happens."

Kyle chuckled. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Fred and George, or any of the students in fourth year or above—they all know about it."

Everyone exchanged bewildered looks, their expressions a mix of amazement and disbelief. Harry and the others had entered school a year after Kyle, so they hadn't heard about any incidents like that. As for Professor Lupin, he was new to the school and had only heard the professors talk about Harry's more notable adventures.

No one pressed Kyle further.

Harry nodded as he listened, a faint smile on his face. After everything he'd seen so far, he realized he probably wouldn't be surprised by much at Hogwarts anymore—even if someone's head suddenly sprouted an extra face.

The room grew silent, save for the gradually hoarse laughter still spilling from Black. Harry felt a bit awkward, shifting where he stood. He looked at Professor Lupin, hesitating with a question on his lips but unsure how to ask it.

But his expression must have been readable, because Lupin asked softly, "You want to know about Lily and James, don't you?"

"Yes," Harry replied, nodding eagerly. "I heard you say earlier that you were friends."

"Best friends," Lupin said with a fond but pained smile. "At least, they were to me."

"So… can you tell me?" Harry asked, his voice urgent. "What really happened? And what did you mean about the Secret Keeper?"

Professor Lupin hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Finally, he nodded.

"All right. You deserve to know the truth. But I only know the beginning of the story. Sirius will have to tell you the rest…" He paused, then added, "Let me think where to start… I first met James and Lily when we were students here at Hogwarts…"