Veritaserum was not cheap.
Tom felt a sting of genuine heartache over Snape's extravagant waste. If the remaining potion had been given to him, who knew how many mouths it could have pried open.
Still, excess had its advantages. With an entire bottle forced down his throat, Peter Pettigrew was not only bloated as if he had drunk his fill of water, the potion also took effect with alarming speed.
The haze in his eyes faded into a vacant, unfocused stare. His greasy, furtive face flushed with an unhealthy redness.
Dumbledore rose from his seat and walked over to Pettigrew, waving a hand slowly in front of his eyes.
"Peter, long time no see. Who am I?"
Pettigrew lifted his head mechanically. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"D-Dumbledore…"
"Very good. And who is he?" Dumbledore asked, pointing toward Snape.
"S-Snape…"
Dumbledore was clearly testing the effects of the Veritaserum, though watching this made Tom click his tongue inwardly.
Old Dumbledore's reputation really was something else. Even under the influence of truth serum, Pettigrew still reacted to him with instinctive fear.
"You must answer all of my questions in detail," Dumbledore said sternly.
Pettigrew nodded blankly.
"What happened between you and Sirius Black back then? Why did you not die, and why did you turn into a rat and hide with the Weasley family?"
Pettigrew answered obediently, "Sirius didn't kill me. Everything was a fake. I used magic taught to me by the Dark Lord. In exchange for one of my finger bones, I blew up half a street and escaped by transforming into a rat during the chaos."
"I was afraid people would hunt me down because of the Dark Lord's disappearance. But I didn't want to completely leave the wizarding world, so I chose the Weasleys."
"Then why did you betray them!" Snape demanded. Hearing that the Dark Lord had personally taught Pettigrew magic made his heart seize, as if an invisible hand had clenched it tight. He asked through clenched teeth, "Did you have anything to do with the Potters' deaths?"
"It was me… it was me…" Guilt flickered briefly across Pettigrew's face before vanishing again. "Back then, the Secret Keeper of the Fidelius Charm wasn't Sirius. It was me. They were always like that, clever little tricks. Before signing the pact, James and Sirius suddenly decided to switch the Secret Keeper to me. They thought no one would ever guess that useless Peter was the Secret Keeper. And they were right. No one has suspected me even now."
"And then you told the Dark Lord?" Snape looked like a demon pulled from hell. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes. "You were their best friend!"
"Friend?" Pettigrew shook his head wildly, rejecting the word. "No. I was a lackey. Lupin and I were just there to make Sirius and James look better. Lupin didn't mind. As long as someone let him tag along, he was satisfied. But I had enough. Until one day, the Dark Lord caught me…"
Terror flooded Pettigrew's face, as though Voldemort stood right in front of him. His body shook like a leaf.
"If I didn't betray James and Lily, he would kill me. I didn't want to die… I wanted to live. I wanted power and respect."
After saying this, Pettigrew seemed to exhaust every last ounce of strength in his body. He slumped forward, collapsing into himself.
...
Dumbledore fell silent.
Snape panted heavily.
Tom sat back on the sofa with his legs crossed, watching the three of them with undisguised interest, appreciating their vastly different reactions.
The mass of humanity, really.
He could not relate at all.
What was he supposed to feel?
Sorry. He honestly felt nothing.
At last, Snape drew his wand.
"Avada…"
"Severus!!"
Dumbledore swung his sleeve violently. A powerful shockwave blasted Snape off his feet, sending him crashing into a bookshelf.
A cascade of books rained down onto his head, dealing a second blow.
The headmasters who had been pretending to sleep could no longer keep up the act. Gasps and cries rang out.
"What do you think you're doing, Severus!" Dumbledore strode over, dragging the dazed Snape out from beneath the pile of books. Sharp light filled the old man's eyes. "Casting the Killing Curse at will, in front of students?"
"Calm down!"
"How am I supposed to calm down!" Snape roared, shoving Dumbledore away and raising his wand again. "He killed Lily! Why are you stopping me? Move! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to avenge Lily!"
At that moment, the books behind him silently transformed into ropes, binding Snape before he could react. Dumbledore snatched the wand from his hand.
Facing the old man's sharp, furious gaze, Snape cooled instantly.
What had he just done?
He had pointed his wand at Dumbledore.
"Tom is still here. I will not allow you to do something like this in front of a student," Dumbledore said in a low voice, pressing down on Snape's greasy hair. "You cannot kill Peter. He still has other uses. Yes, he is the one who caused Lily's death, but… are you truly innocent yourself?"
That single sentence struck Snape squarely in the chest.
The light in his eyes went out completely.
...
Dumbledore ignored Snape and let out a long breath. He turned to Tom, who was watching with undisguised excitement, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
"Mr. Riddle, you have indeed brought us a troublesome problem. One that has been fermenting for far too long."
"The true criminal will face judgment, and the innocent deserve to see the light again."
"No need to thank me, Headmaster."
Tom shook his head. "Go on. Talk. Do whatever you like. Just pretend I don't exist."
Dumbledore took a deep breath. This boy really was impossible to deal with.
"Severus is emotionally unstable right now. You should return to your dormitory first, Mr. Riddle. Please come again tomorrow. I would like to hear more details about how you discovered Peter Pettigrew."
"Alright."
Since Dumbledore was openly ushering him out, Tom reluctantly stood up. Still, he clearly had no intention of leaving quietly. He grinned foolishly and rubbed his hands together.
"Professor, this counts as a good deed on my part, right? About that reward…"
Dumbledore looked puzzled. "Slytherin already has the House Cup firmly secured. Does adding more points really matter?"
"Of course it matters!" Tom suddenly raised his voice. Even Snape, who had been emotionally shattered, was jolted awake by it.
"House points are recognition of my personal performance. They are proof of my effort. Even if Slytherin is guaranteed victory, you cannot erase my achievement."