After hearing about Buckbeak's execution, Harry and the others couldn't sit still, but in the end, there was nothing they could do. After all, they were just thirteen-year-old students—they didn't have the power to overturn a decision that had already been made.
Harry and Hermione walked dejectedly, and Edith tried to cheer them up by patting their shoulders. Hagrid had tried to drive them away so they wouldn't have to witness the brutal end, but that only made it harder for Harry and the others. They couldn't even share his pain.
By now, Buckbeak must be dead, his head severed. The sound of Hagrid's tearful cries from afar made it impossible to ignore.
"How can they do this?" Hermione sobbed, condemning the Ministry of Magic's cruelty.
Harry and Edith had no words to respond, and they remained silent.
Is this the limit of what we can do as students? Was there really nothing we could have done?
No matter how many times Harry asked himself, there was no answer, only a growing sense of despair.
As he walked on, Harry suddenly noticed something familiar at the edge of his vision. It was something he hadn't seen in a year, something that shouldn't be in this school.
"Scabbers?!"
What he saw was a rat—Scabbers, Ron's pet, who was supposed to be hospitalized at St. Mungo's.
Why was Scabbers here without Ron?
As Harry wondered, Scabbers ran toward the Whomping Willow. Seeing this, Harry couldn't help but run after him.
"Hey, Harry! What's wrong?!" Hermione called out.
"It's Scabbers! Scabbers is here!"
Harry explained about Scabbers to Hermione, who had called out to him in surprise. Only Edith seemed unable to grasp the situation, but both girls hurriedly followed Harry.
The small rat ran toward a hole at the base of the Whomping Willow, and Harry and the others tried to follow. However, the branches of the Whomping Willow swung wildly, blocking their path.
"Damn it, what should we do..." Harry muttered.
As Harry and the others couldn't get closer, Scabbers suddenly jumped onto one of the tree's knots, as if unable to bear watching any longer. Then something incredible happened—the willow tree, which had been raging moments before, suddenly calmed down and stopped moving.
Harry and the others stood there in shock as Scabbers ran again and disappeared into the hole.
No, we can't lose him.
Harry tried to rush forward in panic, but Edith stopped him.
"Harry, wait! That rat seems to be trying to lure you somewhere!"
"He must have something he wants to show us!" Harry replied.
Edith seemed wary of the rat's strange behavior, but it was Ron's pet rat. It couldn't possibly mean any harm.
Harry shook off Edith's restraining hand and entered the hole. Hermione and Edith, though feeling uneasy, reluctantly followed Harry.
The hole led to a narrow, dark tunnel. The three of them lit their wands and slowly made their way forward, searching for Scabbers. It was a long passageway—at least several minutes of walking.
Eventually, the three emerged from the tunnel into a small, cluttered room. All the furniture was broken, and the windows were boarded up.
"Harry... this is the Shrieking Shack," Hermione whispered, and Harry finally realized where they were.
The Shrieking Shack—one of the most notorious locations in Hogsmeade Village, named for the screams that could be heard on full moon nights even when no one was around.
But why did Scabbers know about this place?
As he pondered this, Edith suddenly noticed someone hiding in the shadows at the corner of the room.
"Incarcerous!"
"...!"
Three ropes suddenly flew out and wrapped around Harry, Hermione, and Edith, binding them completely. Caught off guard, Harry collapsed and glared at the person who had cast the spell.
Emerging from the shadows was a short, gaunt man. His faded hair was disheveled, and the top of his head was bald. His skin was dirty, and his sharp nose and small eyes gave him a distinctly rat-like appearance. The wand he held was the school-issued wand Ron had used the previous year.
"Who are you?!" Harry shouted defiantly, trying to stay strong despite being bound on the ground.
But the man just grinned maliciously, showing no sign of being disturbed.
"Who am I? That's how you greet someone... I've been with you ever since you enrolled at Hogwarts."
"What are you talking about?! I don't know you!"
Ever since I enrolled? What nonsense, Harry thought. The ones who had been with him since he enrolled were Hermione and Ron, who wasn't here now. It certainly wasn't this filthy man in front of him.
However, the man continued mockingly, "Oh, but you do. I've been with you all along... I even saw Ronald try to turn me yellow right in front of you. Ronald always called me useless and envied your owl Hedwig."
"What nonsense..."
"Don't you understand? I'm Scabbers, Harry Potter."
Harry and Edith gasped at the man who had identified himself as Scabbers. Meanwhile, Hermione muttered in shock, "Animagus."
"And I was once a student named Peter Pettigrew."
"No! That's a lie! You're supposed to be dead!" Harry blurted out, denying his words.
Peter Pettigrew—the name of the man who had once been his father's best friend. And the name of the man who, when his father and mother were killed, had foolishly challenged Sirius Black alone and been destroyed, leaving only a finger behind.
There was no way that man was here, attacking them!
But the man mocked Harry as he spoke. "Yes, I made everyone think I was dead... I outwitted Sirius by cutting off my own finger. That Sirius, who was so talented at everything and the envy of everyone, was finally outsmarted by me."
If Harry's information was correct, this man should be an ally. But why? Harry couldn't sense anything but malice from him. All he could see in those dark, murky eyes was filthy, evil intent.
"What do you mean? You challenged Sirius Black to avenge my father and the others, didn't you?"
"That's what the world believes... I think it was a brilliant move on my part. The only one who knows the truth about who the real Secret-Keeper was is Sirius."
Harry couldn't understand his words for a moment. He didn't want to accept the truth that had just been spoken so casually.
What did he just say? The real Secret-Keeper? Did this rat of a man really just say that?
Secret-Keeper—an ironclad protection that hid the whereabouts of those in hiding. It was the highest level of concealment magic that could be placed on a location, and as long as the Secret-Keeper didn't reveal the secret, no one could ever find it.
Once, James and Lily had sought safety through this magic and chosen Sirius Black as their Secret-Keeper. That's why the world—and Harry—had never doubted that Sirius had betrayed his parents.
"You? You... you killed my father and mother?"
"I had no choice... The Dark Lord was too terrifying to defy... So I revealed the secret to him and was granted mercy. But the Dark Lord was defeated by you, a mere child, and I lost my position."
The man who had looked so pitiful moments before suddenly appeared hideously ugly.
This man... this man betrayed my parents! This man killed them!
Hatred warped Harry's vision, and he clenched his fists until they bled.
"Sirius was chasing me to kill me... but I won. He was sent to Azkaban, and I gained peace."
The filthy man grinned triumphantly. Harry wanted to punch him in the face, but his body wouldn't move. He had never wanted freedom so desperately in his life. He didn't want freedom to protect himself—he wanted it to destroy his enemy.
"But I was still being hunted. Not just by Sirius Black, but by other Death Eaters... It couldn't be helped. My information had weakened the Dark Lord, so it was only natural that I would be targeted. That's why I decided to live as a pet in a wizard's house to ensure my safety... It was a miserable life, but at least I felt safe."
What he had gained by betraying his friend was a life worse than that of a beast. Yet it seemed he considered it happiness—a life free from threat. There was nothing he desired more than that.
"But it's over now... Sirius has come to Hogwarts to kill me. If I leave this school, the Death Eaters will find me... If I stay here, Sirius will kill me... I have no choice but to take your life as a gift to the Dark Lord."
"You bastard..." Harry's hatred toward Peter, who spoke so calmly, continued to grow.
The man who killed his parents was right in front of him, yet he couldn't do anything! How could such a thing be allowed?
"Don't hate me... I had no choice. It's not my fault—it had to be done."
Using this as an excuse, Peter raised his wand. Some kind of dark magic would likely be cast. Even knowing that, Harry could do nothing. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Harry continued to glare at Peter.
And then—
Edith kicked Peter aside from his blind spot.
"Ugh!"
Spinning wildly, Peter crashed to the ground and looked at Edith in shock. The ropes were gone. He was certain he had captured her along with Harry and Hermione, but she had completely escaped.
Peter was confused by this, but for Edith, it had been no difficult feat. The only thing she had done was "grab her wand before being bound"—that was all.
Edith had noticed Peter just a second too late and grabbed her wand, but was tied up by the ropes before she could act. But if she had her wand, she could use magic! That's why she was able to cut through Peter's binding and stand free.
"You... don't interfere!" Peter drew his wand in anger, and at the same time, Edith cast a spell.
"Stupefy!"
"Locomotor Mortis!"
The spell Edith cast was actually a levitation charm. Locomotor was a versatile spell, and the target object was specified after the incantation. By targeting herself, Edith launched herself into the air!
Avoiding the red flash, she spun in mid-air and delivered a spinning kick to Peter's shoulder, timing it perfectly with her descent.
"Gah!"
The emaciated man groaned in pain but tried to aim his wand at Edith. But before he could, Edith had already vanished from his sight.
Where did she go?
Before Peter could react, Edith struck him with an elbow strike using the high-speed movement achievable only through magic.
Magical combat largely consisted of ranged attacks—aim the wand, cast the spell (sometimes silently), and fire the magic. Most attacks consisted of these actions, but conversely, if you couldn't lock onto your target, there was nothing you could do.
Peter, who had fallen to the ground, quickly sat up to look for Edith, but she had already vanished from his sight. And once again, a blow from his blind spot sent him flying.
"Gah...?! What the hell... You're a witch, yet you fight so primitively...?!"
"Sorry about that."
Edith Linagul had originally been a student who excelled in practical applications. To put it more precisely, she was a kinesthetic learner who was skilled at moving her body and acted on instinct.
"This is how you're supposed to use this," "This is what it's originally meant for"—such constraints on thinking simply didn't exist for her. She had already pushed most of what was taught in class out of her mind. There were things she memorized by cramming three days before exams, but she would forget them once the tests were over.
It was precisely because of this nature that she used magic in such an unconventional manner.
However, in terms of experience, Peter was superior. The gaunt, cunning man caught sight of Harry and Hermione in his peripheral vision and smiled sinisterly.
Realizing his intent, Edith hurriedly moved to shield Harry and the others, while Peter fired his spell at the same time.
"Stupefy!"
"Ugh..."
Unable to abandon Harry and Hermione, Edith took the stunning spell head-on and was blown backward. She dropped her wand, collided with the wall, and collapsed motionless. She seemed to be clinging to consciousness, but if left alone, she would soon lose it.
Peter, gasping for breath, laughed triumphantly. "It's over... This time, it's finally over..."
The ropes binding Harry and Hermione remained intact. Struggling to break free, Harry gritted his teeth in frustration at his own helplessness.
While Edith was fighting, I didn't do anything... worse, I only got in her way! How powerless! How pathetic!
Peter aimed his wand at Harry, who was seething with self-directed anger.
But suddenly, someone grabbed Peter's head from behind.
"Actually, you're right. It is over... for you."
A fist slammed into Peter's face. The man who had knocked the pitiful coward to the ground was even thinner than Peter. His hair was dirty and sparse, and his face was gaunt like a skull. His beard was unkempt, and his clothes were in tatters.
He picked up the wand Peter had dropped and waved it once. The restraints that had bound Harry and Hermione vanished instantly, freeing them.
"Harry... Harry Potter... Harry James Potter. I've been longing to see you... I've been praying to see you just once... You are all that remains of my dearest friend."
The man spoke with trembling emotion, taking Harry's hand. It was as though he had found a long-lost treasure, his gestures filled with overwhelming joy.
And that was all Edith witnessed—the reunion of Sirius Black and Harry Potter—before her consciousness faded into darkness.
***
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