Snow fell in a silent curtain across Hogsmeade, blanketing rooftops in white. Deep in its outskirts, the Shrieking Shack sat shrouded in legend — a decaying monument to screams that no one had heard in decades.
Within its darkened halls, Sirius Black waited — thin, pale, but burning with purpose. The plan Roy had given him echoed in his mind: "Let Pettigrew reveal himself. But control the stage."
Every sound made him tense — every creak of the wood, every sigh of the wind. Until at last, the door opened.
A wandlight cut through the darkness.Remus Lupin stepped in.
Sirius rose, his voice low, rough with emotion.
"Moony."
Lupin froze — the name slicing through years of isolation and grief. Slowly, he lowered his wand.
"Padfoot…"
For a long moment, they just looked at each other — two ghosts of a past time, standing amid ruin.
But the years had left scars. Lupin's eyes were wary.
"You broke out of Azkaban, Sirius. The whole world thinks you murdered Peter Pettigrew — and the Potters."
Sirius clenched his fists.
"That's why I'm here. I didn't kill Peter — because Peter isn't dead."
Lupin frowned, disbelief flickering — until Sirius stepped closer.
"He's alive, Moony. He's been hiding as a rat. Living with the Weasleys for twelve years."
Silence stretched. Lupin searched his friend's face… and saw no madness there. Only conviction.
"Harry saw him," Sirius pressed. "In the Marauder's Map. Pettigrew's name — alive, inside Hogwarts!"
Lupin exhaled slowly.
"Harry saw… Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes. You know what that means."
And in that instant, Remus Lupin — logical, cautious Lupin — made his choice.
"All right," he whispered. "We end this. Tonight."
A Test of Truth
That evening, Lupin summoned Harry Potter to his office. The boy arrived wary but curious.
Lupin began softly, his voice gentle but steady.
"Harry… I was your father's friend. So was Sirius Black."
Harry's eyes widened.
"You knew my dad?"
"Yes. And I need you to understand something important — Sirius was accused of a crime he didn't commit."
Harry blinked, confusion warring with anger.
"But he betrayed my parents. Everyone says so!"
"Everyone's wrong," Lupin said quietly. "The real traitor is Peter Pettigrew. He's still alive… and he's been hiding as a rat. The same one Ron Weasley keeps as a pet."
Harry stared at him, stunned.
"Scabbers? That rat?!"
"We have to be sure," Lupin said. "Bring Ron — and the rat — to the Shrieking Shack tonight. But tell no one."
Harry hesitated only a moment, then nodded.
"If there's a chance to prove it… I'll do it."
The Truth Unmasked
Later that night, under the whispering moonlight, Harry and Ron slipped through the secret tunnel with Scabbers trembling in Ron's pocket.
Inside the Shrieking Shack, Lupin and Sirius waited — the former calm, the latter a storm barely restrained.
Harry looked between them.
"Professor… Sirius… this is the rat."
Ron's face was pale.
"Harry, you've gone mad — Scabbers isn't—"
"Then let's see," Sirius growled, eyes flashing.
Lupin raised his wand.
"Revelio Animagus!"
A flash of light — a shriek — and the rat twisted, limbs stretching and contorting until Peter Pettigrew collapsed to the floor, trembling and filthy.
Ron staggered back, face draining of color.
"I've been sleeping with him in my bed…" he whispered, horrified. Then promptly vomited.
Harry just stared, shivering.
"All this time…"
Sirius's voice was low, venomous.
"You betrayed them, Peter. James and Lily trusted you!"
Peter's lips trembled.
"V-Voldemort would have killed me! I had no choice!"
"You had a choice," Sirius snarled, raising his wand.
"No!" Harry shouted, stepping between them. "If you kill him, you'll destroy your proof. Let the Ministry see the truth."
For a long, trembling moment, Sirius hesitated. Then, slowly, he lowered his wand — and smiled faintly.
"You sound just like James."
Interruption and Escape
They turned to leave — dragging Peter between them — when the door burst open.
Severus Snape stood there, wand drawn, his face a storm of rage and disbelief.
"Well, well," he sneered. "What a touching reunion. Black, Lupin, Pettigrew… all together. How convenient."
"Snape, listen—" Harry began, but Snape's voice cracked like a whip."Silence! You think I'd believe the word of him?!" He jabbed his wand toward Sirius. "If you hadn't switched Secret-Keepers, Lily would still be alive!"
The room fell silent. Sirius froze. Lupin looked stricken.Snape's voice softened, bitter and broken.
"You don't deserve her memory."
Then, with a flick of his wand, he bound Peter in glowing chains.
"We're taking him to Dumbledore."
They made it halfway out before the night shifted — the moon slid free of the clouds.
Lupin stiffened.
"No…"
Sirius's eyes widened.
"Get away from him!"
The transformation began — bones cracking, fur spreading, a howl tearing through the night.
In the chaos, Pettigrew looked to Ron — eyes pleading, manipulative.
"Ron! Please! You were my friend, remember? Don't let them kill me!"
Ron's expression twisted — months of bitterness and confusion clouding his judgment.And before Harry could stop him, Ron flicked his wand, muttering the counter-spell.
The bindings vanished. Pettigrew transformed, a blur of fur and shadow — and vanished into the night.
A Plan Fractured, Not Failed
As the echoes of the werewolf's howl faded, Sirius stood in the wreckage, breathing hard, fury and frustration burning through him.
But in the back of his mind, Roy's calm voice echoed:
"Even failure can be turned into evidence."
Because now, they had witnesses — Harry, Ron, Snape, Lupin.The truth had surfaced. The rest was strategy.
And in some unseen corner of Hogwarts, Roy Valvas smiled faintly, already planning the next move.