Today, after being mocked by Snape, Orli uncharacteristically remained silent. Her body was motionless, her expression rigid, and her gaze shifted from Snape to the wand beside him.
# Snape "What are you looking at?"
Snape instinctively sensed something was off. He discreetly reached for his wand, keeping a watchful eye on her.
## Orli "Nothing, Professor."
Orli's tone was relaxed, but her expression was entirely contrary to her tone. Her hand slowly lifted, bringing the potion bottle close to the rat Scabbers. Scabbers sniffed it casually, as usual, and upon detecting the sweet aroma it loved, it unhesitatingly drank the entire bottle of liquid infused with Mandrake extract, smacking its lips contentedly.
Orli, with her stiff arms, tossed it to the ground, then slowly retreated. She also drew her wand, her eyes fixed intently on the rat's front paw, which was missing a toe.
Scabbers looked around on the ground, seemingly confused by its sudden placement there. Suddenly, it began to screech continuously, writhing as its small black eyes bulged out. Then, it floated into the air, its small black body twisting and transforming wildly. Subsequently, with a dazzling flash, like watching a tree grow in fast motion—a head appeared on the ground, limbs extended, and within seconds, a man stood where Scabbers had been, wringing his hands nervously.
## Orli "Immobulus!"
Orli cast the spell the instant he materialized, and a thick rope tightly bound him to the spot.
The man was short, almost as tall as Orli. His thin, light-colored hair was disheveled, with a bald patch on top. His body, fed by Orli, was extremely obese, his skin appeared dirty, almost matching the fur of Scabbers. His pointed nose and watery eyes retained rodent-like features. He looked at Orli and Snape, displaying a panicked expression and breathing weakly. Orli noticed his eyes darting towards the door before quickly retracting.
# Snape "Peter Pettigrew!"
Snape's face revealed an astonished expression as he raised his wand to his chest, aiming it directly at the man trapped in the center of the floor.
# Snape "Waters, come behind me."
Orli obediently moved to his side, but she also pointed her wand at Peter.
# Snape "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Snape stared at him.
# Wormtail "Se...Severus..."
Wormtail's voice was also sharp. His eyes swiftly glanced towards the door again.
# Wormtail "Old classmate... it's been a long time..."
# Snape "Answer my question!"
Snape cast a spell, like an invisible whip striking Wormtail's fat body, causing him to flinch.
# Snape "You should have been blown to pieces by Black, shouldn't you?!"
# Wormtail "Oh... of course... I narrowly escaped; he wanted to kill me. Black... killed Lily and James, then came to kill me. I could only transform into a rat to hide..."
Wormtail gasped as he spoke, large beads of sweat bursting from his pale face.
Snape's eyes flashed with a kind of madness that Orli had never seen before. But he didn't lose his composure:
# Snape "Black has been imprisoned in Azkaban for over ten years. Why did you continue to remain in the form of a rat? They awarded you the Order of Merlin, yet you, a cowardly and timid follower, did not come out immediately to enjoy the glory your friend never had?"
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