Even though the dash had drained much of his strength, Snape, panting as he threw off his Cloak of Invisibility, still snapped off two Disarming Charms with flawless precision, hitting Lupin and Black squarely.
After that, he did not even spare a glance at the wands spinning through the air. Instead, his eyes swept first toward Harry and the others.
Only after confirming they were unharmed did he look back at Black, a cold smile creeping across his face.
"Well, well, well."
Snape raised his wand and aimed it at Black's head, as though he were holding a sharpened blade.
"How I've looked forward to seeing you again, Sirius Black," he said through clenched teeth.
"Revenge really is a pleasure."
"Severus, listen to me," Lupin said urgently.
Snape cut him off at once.
"Hah. I warned Dumbledore long ago that someone was helping Black. And yet he chose to trust you, just as he trusted that arrogant Fawley."
"But it doesn't matter. The magic I prepared for Fawley will work just as well on the two of you."
"And don't worry. These spells will only bring you despairing agony. After that, I'll personally hand you over to the Dementors."
At the word Dementors, Black's face drained of color, his already gaunt features turning even more ashen.
Snape caught it and let out a satisfied, chilling laugh.
"What's wrong? Still not used to the Dementors? Don't worry. After tonight, you won't need to stay in Azkaban anymore. They'll be more than happy to give you a kiss, so that—"
"Expelliarmus!"*3
Three flashes of red light slammed into Snape like cannon fire. His body flew backward, smashed into the wall, then slid down to the floor. Blood seeped into his hair as he lost consciousness.
"Uh… I think one would've been enough," Harry said awkwardly as he lowered his wand.
"Mate, I thought I was the only one who reacted in time."
Ron shot an amused look at Hermione, who stood beside him, clearly stricken with guilt.
"No matter what, we shouldn't have attacked a professor," Hermione said in a panic.
She took a couple of steps forward, then hesitated and retreated, as if she wanted to go check on Snape but didn't dare.
"You're right. That sort of thing should be left to us," Black said, swallowing hard.
He suddenly realized that students these days were even wilder than they had been in his own time.
"We still don't trust you!" Harry said, raising his wand at him again.
"That's fine. The truth will come out soon enough," Lupin said, holding up both hands to show he meant no harm.
"Just hand Peter over to us, and everything can be explained."
He gestured toward Ron.
But Ron only tightened his grip on the struggling rat.
"No way. I'm not handing Scabbers over to you. He's been with our family for—"
"Twelve years! Exactly twelve years!" Black's face twisted even more fiercely than Snape's had moments earlier.
"Is that even a normal lifespan for a rat?!"
Seeing Harry and the others tense up, Lupin quickly reached out and gave Black's shoulder a calming pat.
"More importantly, when they found Peter back then, all that was left of his body was a single finger."
"And this rat, Scabbers, is missing a toe."
"Ron, we spent seven years with Peter. We saw him transform countless times. There's no way we're mistaken."
"If he really is Peter, then why couldn't it be Black who wanted to kill him, to silence a former hero?" Hermione suddenly asked.
Lupin froze for a moment. "Then why would he hide with the Weasley family for twelve years…"
"Hero? He was the one who betrayed James!" Black roared.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his voice uncertain as he stared at him.
"Back then, Voldemort suddenly intensified his hunt for your parents and for you. No one knew why."
"To protect you, Dumbledore proposed using the Fidelius Charm to hide you."
Harry stepped forward, his grip on his wand tightening unconsciously.
"That's right. You were the Secret Keeper, weren't you?"
"At first, yes. I was the one everyone knew about. That way, as long as I stayed hidden, no one could find you."
"But the problem was, our enemy was Voldemort!" Sirius said, clutching his head in frustration. "I couldn't guarantee he wouldn't track me down!"
"I wasn't afraid of dying. What I was afraid of was exposing your location because of me."
"So in the end, I decided to make Peter Pettigrew the Secret Keeper, while I drew Voldemort and the Death Eaters' attention away."
"That way, even if I died at Voldemort's hands, no one would ever know where you were."
"But none of us ever imagined that Peter himself would be that shameless traitor!"
Burning with rage, Black strode forward and snatched the squeaking rat straight out of Ron's hands.
"If this is a lie, I'll go find the Dementors myself and die alongside James. But if it's true, I'll tear this filthy traitor apart with my own hands!"
"Scabbers!" Ron shouted.
But before he could say anything else, a flash of blue light from Lupin struck the rat.
The cry died in his throat.
The rat he had lived with day in and day out suddenly sprouted a man's head.
Then arms, legs, and finally the rest of the body emerged, until a whole person stood there.
He was a very short man, with dull, sparse hair sticking out in messy clumps and a large bald patch on the top of his head.
His body looked wrinkled and shrunken, like a fat man who had lost a great deal of weight in a short time. His skin was filthy, almost the same color as Scabbers' fur, and his sharp nose and watery, beady green eyes still carried an unmistakably rat-like quality.
He swept his gaze across the group, breathing rapidly. Harry noticed his eyes constantly flicking toward the door.
This was Peter Pettigrew.
"You slept with that thing for twelve years?" Hermione said to Ron in disgust.
"Not twelve years!" Ron protested immediately. "Percy didn't want it anymore and gave it to me. It's only been these past few years, and I didn't sleep with it!"
He pulled a miserable face, clearly just as revolted, as he shouted his defense.
"Don't worry, Ron. Peter fooled a lot of people, myself included. But after today, he won't be fooling anyone ever again."
Lupin smiled gently.
"Long time no see, Wormtail."
"Remus… oh, and Sirius. I've missed you too," Peter said, forcing a tense smile, his eyes still darting around nervously.
Black let out a cold laugh.
"Hah. It's not you I've missed. It's the truth you've been hiding."
"I… I… I don't know what you're talking about," Peter stammered.
His voice grew weaker and weaker. He didn't dare meet anyone's eyes, instead staring at the floor as if a hole might open up for him to crawl through.
Seeing his shameless display, Black clenched his fists tightly.
"Wasn't it already perfectly clear just now?"
"Fine. If you didn't hear me, I can go through every one of your despicable crimes again, nice and slow."
Peter finally seemed unable to withstand the pressure. He suddenly shouted at Black, "You have no idea how powerful the Dark Lord's magic really is!"
"Yes, you're strong. You can afford to look down on the Dark Lord, but I'm different!"
"I was timid to begin with, my abilities were weak, and most importantly, my mother was waiting for me to come home. I couldn't die!"
He broke down crying as he dropped to his knees, covering his face with his hands. His shoulders shook with each sob, a pitiful sight that could easily move anyone who saw it.