Everyone present looked a little awkward. Although it had been the Ministry of Magic that had arrested and imprisoned Sirius in Azkaban, none of them had really thought further about the matter.
Especially Lupin, who had always believed that Sirius was the true traitor. He had never really considered the possibility that Sirius might have been framed.
"You mean, Peter Pettigrew isn't dead? He's the traitor who betrayed the Potters?"
Dumbledore had to admit that it was a real possibility, but the question was, how could Ethan prove it?
In the original timeline, Harry had accidentally seen Peter Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map while using it and told Lupin, which made Lupin realize that Peter was still alive.
But now, things wouldn't be that complicated. All they needed to do was catch Ron's pet rat. That rat was actually Peter Pettigrew. This guy had been living in the form of a rat for years just to avoid being discovered. His patience was commendable.
After Sirius escaped from Azkaban, Peter, who had been living comfortably as a pet rat, eating and sleeping, started to panic. That was why Ron had recently been looking everywhere for his Scabbers, and the pet had been increasingly uncooperative.
"Ron Weasley's pet rat?"
Everyone exchanged glances. None of them had expected Peter to be hiding in such a form. But they had to admit the guy was smart. No one would ever pay attention to a rat.
"What should we do?"
Dumbledore began to think further ahead. Peter Pettigrew had to be caught, that much was certain. But after that, what should they do about Sirius?
If it could be proven that Peter Pettigrew was still alive, then Sirius was undoubtedly innocent. That would involve the Ministry of Magic's handling of his case.
There were many matters to resolve, both internal and external. What was even more frustrating was the Ministry of Magic's usual attitude. Would they really care whether Sirius was the real criminal?
After more than ten years, they weren't concerned about whether Sirius had been wrongly accused. What they cared about was that Azkaban had let a prisoner escape, which diminished the Ministry's authority over the magical world.
And if Sirius's case were overturned, who knew how many people in the Ministry would be implicated? It was too troublesome. It would be easier to just let Sirius keep taking the blame.
Although Dumbledore firmly believed the Ministry wouldn't go to extremes, he couldn't deny that some people definitely wanted to sweep the matter under the rug.
As for Peter Pettigrew, he could just continue to be a 'dead hero'.
After thinking for a long time, Dumbledore still couldn't come up with a better solution. He could only continue to be troubled by it himself and discuss with a few trusted wizards how to capture Peter and handle the aftermath.
After revealing Peter's current identity, Ethan left Dumbledore's office.
He had no interest in the struggle between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. In his view, the Ministry should've been purged long ago.
From the earlier discussion, it was clear Dumbledore still didn't want to intervene directly in the Ministry's affairs. He likely still wanted to maintain his detached status as Headmaster of Hogwarts, not getting involved in that political field he disliked. But just because you didn't want to intervene didn't mean others would let you be.
Dumbledore's fame and power made him a giant target for resentment. The current Minister of Magic had always seen Dumbledore as a thorn in his side.
In many events that followed, Minister Fudge had played a major role. Besides being motivated by profit, his main goal was to use the opportunity to bring down Dumbledore, his greatest political threat.
In this situation, if Dumbledore wanted to help Sirius, he was going to be very busy.
"But what does that have to do with me?"
Ethan toyed with the Time-Turner Snape had retrieved for him and happily returned to the Slytherin dormitory to rest.
After Ethan left, Dumbledore continued to speak with Snape and Lupin. This time, the topic wasn't Sirius, but some of Lupin's questions about Ethan.
"This child... what exactly is his identity?"
"Child? Oh no, Remus. He's not a child. Just keep that in mind and treat him like a normal student most of the time."
Lupin had a feeling he'd stumbled upon a huge secret. Maybe he had been unknowingly pulled into some secret mission, which didn't bode well for him. He just wanted a stable job, since his life had been difficult and his financial situation was poor.
"In short, don't pay too much attention to him. Let him do whatever he wants. However, if you run into any trouble, he might be able to help..."
As he said that, Dumbledore suddenly seemed to remember something. He looked closely at Lupin, then turned to Snape beside him.
"Severus, are you thinking the same thing I am?"
Snape's face remained cold and emotionless. After a moment of silence, he gave a small nod.
"I am indeed considering that possibility."
Lupin was thoroughly confused, looking back and forth between them.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing. If it's really possible, then that would be very fortunate for you."
Dumbledore wasn't going to explain things to Lupin just yet. He wanted to confirm it before saying anything. He didn't want to raise the man's hopes only to disappoint him later.
"The most important thing now is to catch Peter Pettigrew."
Dumbledore acted quickly. This was his domain, and he had trusted allies around. Capturing a rat wouldn't be difficult.
Even though Peter was cautious and careful, he still ended up in Dumbledore's hands.
All of this happened quietly in a hidden corner. Except for Scáthach, who had nothing better to do and enjoyed wandering around, none of the students at Hogwarts knew what had happened in secret.
After Peter was captured and Ethan's words were confirmed, the next thing Dumbledore needed to do was find Sirius, who had likely infiltrated Hogwarts.
He wasn't going to let Sirius meet Harry, even though he now knew Sirius was innocent.
Because Sirius had not been cleared of his charges and was still being hunted by the Ministry, and since Hogwarts was currently surrounded by Dementors, this wasn't a suitable time for a reunion.
Judging from the fact that Harry didn't seem to have met Sirius, Dumbledore had likely already found the escaped prisoner. As for how he persuaded Sirius, Ethan didn't know, but with Dumbledore's reputation, it probably hadn't been too difficult.
Moreover, Peter Pettigrew was already in Dumbledore's custody. In this situation...
"Hmm?"
Ethan suddenly thought of a question. Since Peter Pettigrew had been captured, could Voldemort still be resurrected? He remembered that Peter had played a crucial role in Voldemort's resurrection later on.
Not only was the flesh of a servant required for the resurrection ritual, Peter also did a lot after his escape, including participating in the various plots during the Triwizard Tournament.
If Peter hadn't escaped...
Ethan thought for a moment, then shook his head. He was overthinking it. Given how useless the Ministry of Magic was, Azkaban wouldn't be able to hold a Death Eater like Peter. Once he was imprisoned, he'd probably escape, and the plot would fall back into its original trajectory.
With that, another Potions class ended. At the end of class, Snape asked Ethan to stay behind. His classmates were used to this by now.
Everyone knew how much Snape "favored" Ethan. Even when Ethan ignored class and did his own thing, Snape never said a word.
"Do you need something?"
Once the other students had left, Ethan finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Snape, wondering why he had been asked to stay.
Over the past year and a half, Snape had learned plenty from him. It would take him years to digest everything. Even if Ethan gave him more knowledge, Snape wouldn't be able to grasp it right away.
Besides, Snape was also learning Runes from Scáthach. Wasn't that enough?
"There's something I'd like to ask for your help with."
"What is it?"
When Snape spoke to Ethan in private, he was always polite and respectful. After all, for most of the past year, Ethan had basically been his teacher. He couldn't be disrespectful to his teacher.
"It's about Professor Lupin."
"Lupin?"
Ethan didn't understand what could be wrong with him. Did something happen when they caught Peter? That didn't seem likely. Lupin, although he frequently took leave, had still taught a Defense Against the Dark Arts class just yesterday.
Thinking of that, Ethan suddenly understood.
The reason Lupin couldn't consistently teach was because he was a werewolf. He had been bitten as a child by a werewolf who held a grudge against his father. That bite had ruined Lupin's life.
"You want to ask if I can fix Lupin's werewolf problem?"
Snape nodded. Back then, Lupin's parents had tried everything they could but had never found a cure. Even Dumbledore couldn't do anything. Everyone had accepted that Lupin would just have to live the rest of his life as a werewolf. No one had imagined someone like Ethan would one day appear.
Though Ethan's true identity was still unknown, this might be Lupin's only chance.
But what Snape hadn't expected was how straightforward Ethan's answer would be.
"Yes."
(To be continued.)