# Snape: "Speaking of him—"
Snape turned to look at the unconscious Peter Pettigrew lying on the ground, his expression filled with intense hatred:
# Snape: "—I could administer Veritaserum on him right here and finish him off."
## Orli: "No, Professor. That would get you into trouble."
Orli cautioned:
## Orli: "To everyone, he's still considered a former hero. Those stories from back then are still circulating; even a young witch like me knows them well."
# Snape: "If we hand him over to Dumbledore—the one in Azkaban will be released..."
A shadow crossed Snape's face.
## Orli: "Sirius Black?"
Orli pondered for a moment and then suggested casually:
## Orli: "Perhaps he's already been driven mad by the Dementors. However, if he is indeed innocent, everyone will be shocked—I guess he would care deeply for Harry."
Snape lowered his head and stared at Peter Pettigrew for a moment, then suddenly turned his gaze to Orli:
# Snape: "How do you know the true identity of this rat? You've been acting strangely since you walked in today."
Orli took a silent breath, trying to remain calm:
## Orli: "Recently, Harry acquired a special map of the school that shows everyone's names and locations. I suspect it's some new product from Zonko's Joke Shop or a prank. But this morning, I borrowed the map from him just to take a look, and accidentally saw the name of a supposedly dead person in your office—"
# Snape: "Peter Pettigrew."
Snape filled in the name, muttering:
# Snape: "Yes, Peter Pettigrew, Pet I Grew."
His face showed a complex expression, staring intently into Orli's eyes as if to induce her, or perhaps hypnotize her, he asked softly:
# Snape: "Why would you think I was unaware? Just think, a person who should be dead appears in my office. You'd rather think of a rat than consider that I might be hiding a fugitive?"
## Orli: "For over two years, I've been coming to your office weekly. If you really had someone hidden in your office, you wouldn't let me continue to be your assistant and cause trouble for yourself."
Orli thought for a moment and continued:
## Orli: "Moreover, Ron's rat living for over ten years is quite unusual, so I thought of it first."
# Snape: "Ha."
Snape leaned forward slightly, his thin lips forming a smile that was unsettling, but his tone returned to normal, even slightly rising:
# Snape: "Thank goodness. Although you've been hanging around with Potter, at least your brain hasn't shrunk to the size of his walnut."
He finally put his wand back into the pocket of his robe.
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Half an hour later, Dumbledore's office was filled with people.
Dumbledore sat in his chair, Professor McGonagall standing beside him.
Orli and Snape stood on one side, Lupin with Harry stood opposite them, his hand on Harry's shoulder, while Harry looked around cluelessly.
Through his round glasses, he looked in Orli's direction, hoping she would give him some hint, but Orli had no idea how to explain this with a glance—she could only keep looking at Peter Pettigrew in the middle of the floor, who had just been awakened and fed Veritaserum, now tied to a chair.
But Harry didn't recognize the short, stout man at all, and he was even more confused.
# Dumbledore: "If everyone is ready, then I'll start questioning Peter."
Dumbledore's blue eyes sparkled, he rested his chin on his hands, staring at the dazed Peter Pettigrew after taking the potion.
# Dumbledore: "Peter, was the Secret Keeper for James and Lily you or Sirius?"
# Peter Pettigrew: "In the end, they changed the Secret Keeper to me."
Peter Pettigrew answered unconsciously.
# Professor Lupin: "So, you revealed James's hiding place to Voldemort?"
Lupin hurriedly asked, his voice tinged with emotion. And Harry, finally understanding something, widened his eyes.
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### Notes:
1. The news of Sirius's capture and Peter Pettigrew's death was widespread, and the story of the Potters' murder has circulated to this day. It's a series of news, and Harry (the Boy Who Lived) became famous in the wizarding world because of it—after all, the Potters' murder is closely related to Voldemort's disappearance. Even Ron knows these things, so Orli mentioning some of the events from back then wouldn't surprise Snape.
2. Pettigrew can be broken down into "Pet I Grew," which roughly means "I became a pet."
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