Chapter 393: I Definitely Did Not Betray Them!!
Both Lupin's and Sirius's wands glowed with a soft blue light.
Scabbers was lifted into the air, writhing violently.
The small body struggled and let out sharp, piercing squeaks.
Darren looked like he wanted to stop them—but he resisted.
That movement seemed to irritate Sirius.
He stepped forward.
The black rat slammed onto the ground.
Its head… its body… its limbs…
They stretched unnaturally, like branches growing out of wood.
In seconds, a human figure collapsed onto the stone floor on all fours.
The man wasn't much taller than Harry.
Bald.
Thin.
His face still carried traces of a rat's features—narrow nose, twitching eyes, sharp nervous movements.
His breathing was uneven, and his gaze kept flicking toward the door, as if he were ready to bolt at any second.
"Hello, Peter."
Lupin laughed coldly.
Peter Pettigrew flinched.
He took another furtive glance toward the exit, then hurriedly stammered,
"R-Remus… don't blame me… It was Sirius! He's been hunting me down! I had no choice!"
"Oh?" Lupin lifted his wand slightly.
"Then when Sirius was thrown into Azkaban… why didn't you come forward?"
Peter's face twisted.
"I was afraid… I was afraid he'd escaped… and he had connections with that man who must not be named… I was terrified!"
"Me?" Sirius roared.
"Me, connected to Voldemort?"
"Say it with me, Peter—Voldemort! Say it! Do you dare?!"
Peter shrank back instinctively.
His lips trembled.
He muttered nonsense under his breath, too terrified to speak clearly.
Darren frowned.
He could hear several ridiculous excuses mixed in, but none of them made any real sense.
Peter stayed silent for a long moment.
Then suddenly, as if he'd remembered something important, he shouted,
"Anyway—you were the Secret-Keeper! James died because of you! You and James said it yourselves in front of Dumbledore! Sirius Black was the Secret-Keeper—!!"
"LIAR!"
Sirius exploded.
"James and I switched at the last second! You were the Secret-Keeper, Peter!"
"I thought Voldemort would hunt me down. I went into hiding, even hid in Muggle charities and orphanages so he couldn't find me!
But what about you?"
"You turned around and sold them out!"
"I suppose that was the brightest moment of your miserable life, wasn't it?"
"And don't think we were fools—we never told you where Darren was hidden."
"Otherwise—"
Sirius stopped abruptly.
He realized what he'd just let slip.
He turned sharply.
Lupin was staring at him in shock.
That detail—
Even Dumbledore hadn't known.
They'd never told anyone.
Fortunately, no one else paid attention.
All eyes remained fixed on Peter Pettigrew.
After all—
Right now, Peter looked far more like a prisoner than Sirius Black ever had.
Darren had heard it.
But he pretended he hadn't.
Instead, he found Peter more interesting to deal with.
Because Peter—
Was staring at him now.
With desperate hope.
Darren walked over slowly.
Peter lit up as if he had seen salvation itself.
"Darren! You're here too… that's wonderful… You're the only one who can understand me…"
Boy.
Who was the one who just grabbed you and slammed you onto the ground?
Did you lose your memory that fast?
But Darren didn't say that.
He only looked at Peter quietly, curious what nonsense would come next.
"Darren… think about it…"
"If I were really a traitor… if I'd really surrendered to Voldemort…"
"Then why did I stay in Harry's dormitory for three years?"
"Why didn't I ever kill him?"
"And that night—you were drunk in Gryffindor Tower. Completely defenseless."
"Why didn't I kill you and frame Sirius?"
Not bad.
That was a clever argument.
Darren almost wanted to applaud him.
So he turned and looked at Sirius.
Seeing that look, Peter immediately grew hopeful.
Sirius scowled and snapped instantly,
"Darren, don't listen to a single word he says!"
"He didn't kill Harry because after Voldemort fell, Harry was worthless to him."
"What use was killing a boy for a half-dead Dark Lord?"
"And as for you—"
Sirius sneered.
"Does he even dare touch you?"
"Drunk or not, conscious or not, even if you were lying unconscious right in front of him—he wouldn't dare."
"He's been cowardly his whole life!"
"When Voldemort rose, Peter clung to his robes like a parasite—"
"And when Voldemort fell, Peter hid behind children!"
"He dares to betray the strong… but never to touch them!"
Sirius's voice shook with rage.
Then his gaze shifted to Darren.
His eyes were red now.
But he still forced himself to speak clearly.
"For all these years… I've been in Azkaban…"
"I regretted that decision every single day."
"James regretted it even more."
"Lily… Lily was furious…"
"Later Dumbledore told us Voldemort would come for Harry."
"We thought… if we could just survive that night… we would bring you back ourselves."
"But James never got the chance."
"The last time we met… he kept saying he wanted to raise you properly."
"I've been in that hell because of James… because of you."
"I told myself that if I never left… if the Dementors devoured me piece by piece… it would be enough to atone."
"In Azkaban, I forgot almost everything."
"But I never forgot you."
"You were so small… just a little child…"
"My hatred toward you was never because of you."
"It was because I couldn't forgive myself."
"So this time I escaped… I only wanted to kill Peter."
"I was going to go back after."
"They can execute me for all I care."
"Darren… I may fail you."
"But I NEVER betrayed your mother and father."
"I will never betray them—even in death."
Sirius's voice cracked.
Darren's eyes slowly reddened.
"I believe you didn't betray Mom and Dad."
"But… can you tell me something?"
"Why did you hate me?"
"Why did you abandon me?"
Of course Darren already knew the answer.
But he couldn't say it.
Not now.
Sirius froze.
He opened his mouth.
Then looked into Darren's eyes—
And lied.
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