"My memory is as good as ever, Severus."
Looking at the now thoroughly agitated Professor Snape, Dumbledore said calmly.
Professor McGonagall also chimed in. "Severus, why not hear Sherlock's evidence first."
"Evidence?"
Snape whirled around to look at McGonagall, his robes swirling and making the Sneakoscope spin faster. "What evidence could there possibly be for such nonsense?"
"There is, sir, there is."
Sherlock said quietly. "Although I'd very much like to share my reasoning process with everyone now, judging from your impatient display, I think it would be more effective to let the facts present themselves directly before you.
After all, we both know very well that facts speak louder than words—this is also why I asked everyone to come here."
At that moment, Scabbers let out a shriek, its small black eyes bulging from its head, writhing desperately to escape Sherlock's grip.
However, the well-prepared Sherlock held it fast.
"What a pity, Mr. Peter Pettigrew!"
The corners of Sherlock's mouth revealed undisguised mockery as he spoke to the small rat he was holding.
"While transforming into a rat has increased your agility and concealment, it has equally limited your abilities, making it impossible for you to escape even from the hands of an underage wizard like myself.
In fact, your best opportunity was just now, on the way to this office.
Unfortunately, you gave up that only chance in order to gather more information."
Watching Sherlock still talking to himself to this small rat, Snape was beside himself with fury.
"Holmes, I warn you..."
However, before Snape could finish speaking, Sherlock had already turned to Lupin. "Professor, could I trouble you to hold it for me?"
Among the four professors present, Lupin's behavior was the strangest.
From the moment Sherlock produced Scabbers, his body had begun to tremble slightly, forming a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.
Now, hearing Sherlock's words, he walked step by step to the desk and slowly took Scabbers from Sherlock's hands.
At this moment, Scabbers shook even more violently.
Lupin gripped Scabbers tightly as it struggled in his hand. Reminded by Sherlock's earlier words, he stared hard at the small rat's missing claw, his face showing deep self-mockery and regret.
"So simple... so clever... but why didn't I think of it?"
He suddenly raised his head, his gaze at Sherlock filled with gratitude. "Sherlock, you truly are a genius!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Professor.
Someone once said that genius is the infinite capacity for taking pains—a very poor definition, but it does apply to detective work."
He glanced meaningfully at Harry and continued.
"In fact, if it weren't for you mentioning this matter when chatting with me, Professor, allowing me to connect Peter with a missing finger to Scabbers with a missing claw, combined with the help of that little gadget, even I would have needed more time to discover its disguise."
The moment Sherlock's gaze fell on him; Harry's intelligence came online.
He now understood that while Sherlock was ostensibly talking about the pocket Sneakoscope, he was actually referring to the Marauder's Map!
When they'd received the map this morning, Sherlock said he'd give them an answer in a few days, yet on the very same day he'd brought them here.
It was clearly because he'd seen the name Peter Pettigrew on the map!
This was the true final piece of the puzzle Sherlock had mentioned!
Having successfully carried the entire scene, Sherlock turned again to Professor McGonagall.
"Professor, I believe you can make someone who has transformed into an animal through Animagus transformation revert to their original form?"
As he said this, he glanced at Professor Snape, whose face was now clouded with darkness.
Clearly, he too had understood what Sherlock intended to do, and his earlier indignation and dissatisfaction had dissipated somewhat.
Professor McGonagall's feelings at this moment were equally complex. She already had an inkling.
Very likely, what was about to happen would overturn the "truth" they had believed without doubt for twelve years.
She looked at Dumbledore. The old headmaster's smile had already spread across his beard, and he nodded slightly.
"Minerva, if you would."
"Yes, leave it to me, Albus."
"Wait, what are you all talking about?"
Watching Professor Lupin grip Scabbers tightly, and Professor McGonagall even draw her wand and point it at Scabbers, Ron finally couldn't help but stand up.
"Weren't we supposed to be treating Scabbers' illness? What are you trying to do?"
"Still calling him Scabbers?"
Sherlock gave a cold laugh. "Dear Ron, I've said so much—haven't you understood yet?"
Ron clearly truly didn't understand. "Understand what?"
"Shut up, Weasley!"
The already irritable Snape suddenly turned on him. "If you don't want me to stuff a Bezoar into your brain, just stand there quietly and don't move!
Minerva, if you can't bring yourself to do it, then let me."
"Thank you, Severus," Professor McGonagall shook her head firmly. "I think it's better if I do it myself."
Lupin was still kindly explaining. "Don't worry, Ron, if it's really a rat, this won't harm..."
Before he could finish, a blue light had already shot from the tip of Professor McGonagall's wand, hitting Scabbers in Professor Lupin's hand with perfect accuracy.
Under the magic's influence, Lupin released his grip on Scabbers. The small gray body of Scabbers hung suspended in midair, wriggling frantically.
"No—!"
Seeing Scabbers' painful appearance, Ron cried out.
However, when he prepared to rush forward, Snape blocked him.
"That's twice now, Weasley.
I just told you—stand still and do nothing. Five points from Gryffindor."
Harry and Hermione looked at Snape in astonishment.
'Professor, at a time like this, you're still deducting points?'
Sherlock nearly laughed aloud.
Professor Snape... truly interesting.
As they spoke, Scabbers had already fallen to the ground.
Then, after a burst of dazzling light, something miraculous happened.
Like a time-lapse of a tree growing, a head emerged first, followed by limbs. The small rat Scabbers disappeared in front of everyone's eyes, replaced by a real, living adult human.
Crookshanks immediately roared in fury, even the fur on its back standing on end.
The adult man transformed from Scabbers was short in stature, barely taller than Hermione.
His dull, sparse hair was a mess, with a large bald spot on top. The whole person gave off a wrinkled impression, even more so than Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron.
Experienced people knew this was the appearance of someone who had lost a lot of weight in a short time.
When the transformation was complete, everyone noticed his skin was very dirty, almost identical to Scabbers' fur. His pointed nose and beady eyes also carried some rat-like characteristics.
His gaze swept over everyone present, his breathing rapid, giving off an especially sleazy impression.
Although Sherlock had already revealed the answer beforehand, when they actually saw Ron's pet transform into a living person right before their eyes, everyone was still shocked by the scene.
They stared blankly at the balding man before them. Just as when Sherlock had announced about Scabbers, they didn't speak for a long time.
"We finally meet, Mr. Peter Pettigrew. I can see you haven't been using the Potters' hair potion."
In the end, it was still Sherlock who spoke first, greeting the man, then looking at the professors present with a smile.
"Teachers, I believe... I haven't misidentified him?"
"Of course not!"
Professor Lupin was the first to respond, his voice sounding even more cheerful than Sherlock's, as if rats regularly transformed into old classmates in front of him.
He stared at the man, saying word by word.
"It is been quite a while, my dear friend—Peter."
Professor McGonagall didn't speak. Even though the other party had reverted to human form under her magic, she still found it somewhat hard to accept, still looked at the balding man with shock.
On the contrary, Professor Snape, who had refused to believe Sherlock's account just moments ago, now quickly accepted this reality.
Though he too didn't speak, the look he directed at Peter Pettigrew was full of disgust.
That disgust was different from the disgust he'd shown Ron earlier—it contained an additional element of... hatred.
Dumbledore's reaction was the most interesting.
After brief surprise, he closed his eyes and sighed gently, as if mourning an era of lies.
After reopening his eyes, his expression first changed to one of relief, and finally became full of joy. The way he looked at Sherlock was impossibly doting.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Ron couldn't help but cry out.
Even though the facts were before his eyes, watching a pet who had lived with him day and night for three years transform into an ugly man right in front of him—the impact on him was imaginable.
Especially thinking about how many nights he'd held Scabbers in his arms while sleeping, and how it would constantly dirty his bed sheets, Ron felt sick enough to vomit his stomach out.
Harry promptly supported him, though his gaze remained fixed on Peter Pettigrew.
Though he still didn't know why Peter, who should have died, hadn't died, anyone with half a brain could figure out that if someone would disguise themselves as a rat for twelve years rather than enjoy that enormous honor, there must be something fishy about it!
Hermione quietly moved closer to Sherlock, as if doing so could give her more sense of security.
"Nothing is impossible."
Hearing Ron's words, Sherlock said lightly.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Sherlock had said this more than once.
But at this moment, everyone present including the four professors had a profound understanding of these words for the first time.
"Remus... my dear friend, Headmaster Dumbledore, Pro-Pro-Professor McGonagall..."
Peter Pettigrew finally spoke, his voice high and thin, very unpleasant to hear.
"Mr. Pettigrew, if you're thinking of escaping, then I advise you to abandon that idea early."
"I'm not—I haven't—don't talk nonsense..."
"Is it really nonsense? From the moment you transformed into human form, you've already looked toward the door seven times."
Sherlock unceremoniously interrupted Peter, saying in a relaxed tone.
"I already said just now that your best opportunity was before arriving at this office. It's too late to think of escaping now.
Also... forgive me for being blunt, but if you could truly escape in front of these four professors, then Hogwarts might as well close its doors!"
Both Dumbledore and Lupin smiled, McGonagall kept a straight face without speaking, and Snape gave a cold snort.
However, this time all four remained silent, tacitly handing the initiative to Sherlock.
Sherlock accepted without hesitation, stepping forward and staring at the man, speaking slowly.
"Although I already roughly know what happened, I still want to ask you to tell us why you faked your death and became a rat twelve years ago, then lurked for so long..."
"He's come to kill me again!"
Before Sherlock could finish, he was interrupted by Peter's shriek.
"Sirius Black—he killed Lily and James, and now he's come to kill me!
Remus, Headmaster, Professors, you must save me, save me!"
Sherlock tilted his head. "But Mr. Pettigrew, I have doubts about your words.
Because I truly don't understand what reason could make a hero of the wizarding world, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, refuse to be a proper person and instead become a rat.
And remain one for a full twelve years!"
"What do you know! He has dark magic beyond your wildest dreams—otherwise how could he possibly escape from Azkaban? That person whose name must not be spoken must have taught him a few tricks!"
"Ha, that's an interesting theory. You mean Volde—"
"It's all your fault!"
Sherlock had barely uttered the first syllable of Voldemort when Peter suddenly roared and lunged at him.
"Ah!"
"Watch out!"
The situation changed too quickly, Harry and Hermione only had time to call out warnings.
Seeing that Peter still couldn't read the situation even now and intended to resist desperately, Sherlock couldn't help feeling somewhat helpless.
He simply adopted a fighting stance, preparing to let him taste his fist.
However, whether it was because of living as a rat for many years that Peter's body had become more agile, when he was halfway through his lunge, he actually changed direction mid-course, abandoning Sherlock to pounce fiercely in another direction.
Standing there was none other than Harry.
"Get away!"
A voice full of fury rang out simultaneously.
Before Peter could reach Harry, his entire body lifted off the ground and flew straight backward.
Though the Headmaster's office was spacious, that was only relatively speaking.
In just the blink of an eye, Peter was about to crash into Dumbledore.
However, as the latter waved his wand gently, Peter suddenly stopped just a few feet away from him, then fell heavily to the ground.
Dumbledore waved his wand again, and this time Peter, who had wanted to continue struggling, became completely motionless.
"Severus, you seem a bit too rough. If my reaction had been any slower, these old bones would have been scattered."
Dumbledore glanced at Snape, who was blocking Harry's path, then showed a smile, saying in a gentle tone. "Well done."
Snape slowly lowered his wand, simultaneously stepping aside from in front of the still-unresponsive Harry, saying through gritted teeth.
"I merely wanted to make that fellow understand the consequences of acting presumptuously before me."
Hearing Professor Snape's attempt to cover up, Sherlock nearly laughed aloud.
Although he too had been at the center of the whirlwind just now, he had never neglected his surroundings.
The moment Peter lunged at him, Snape had already moved.
When Peter changed direction mid-course to charge at Harry, Snape immediately stepped forward, shielding Harry behind him.
Even Snape himself probably hadn't realized what that instinctive action meant.
But Dumbledore clearly understood, which was why he had spoken as he did.
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