Tver leisurely watched Peter Pettigrew sink into deep thought, making no move to interrupt him, instead calmly admiring the moon outside.
It was a bit of a shame, really. Such a beautiful moon, yet a werewolf like Lupin had no choice but to avoid it.
Peter, however, had no mood to appreciate the view.
Hadn't he betrayed James and the Order of the Phoenix in the first place because the Dark Lord's power was overwhelming back then, because he believed Dumbledore had no chance of winning?
And now he was being told to betray the Dark Lord again. According to what Tver had revealed, the Dark Lord might be barely clinging to life at present, but sooner or later, he would rise again.
If Peter exposed himself now, he would end up hated by both sides. His fate would be even worse than that of an ordinary traitor.
No. I can't do this.
"Die now, or gamble and die later. Take your pick," Tver said calmly, looking at Peter as he suddenly raised his head, clearly about to speak.
Peter's earlier resolve instantly collapsed into—
Desperate fury.
"Do I even have a choice?!" he cried, his voice trembling with sobs.
"Why can't you look at it from a more positive angle?" Tver asked, amused.
"I'm asking you to help Voldemort return. If you succeed, then even if he later finds out you were a spy, he won't really care."
"If Voldemort ultimately defeats us, you'll become the greatest contributor among the Death Eaters."
"If we're the ones who win in the end, not only will you wash away the crime of your past betrayal, you'll even be celebrated as a symbol of endurance and sacrifice."
"No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation. Honestly, you're making me want to go undercover myself."
Tver even clenched his fist, smiling broadly, as though he truly planned to take on the role himself.
"Then… should we really let you go instead?" Peter asked cautiously.
Win-win?
More like lose-lose.
No matter which side won, he would be branded untrustworthy. As long as either leader was even slightly narrow-minded, he would be the first one to be purged.
Tver's smile vanished at once. He stared at Peter expressionlessly.
"…"
Silence immediately fell over the room.
Peter looked at Tver, who still hadn't spoken. His expression grew more and more miserable, bitter enough to rival the Wolfsbane Potion Lupin usually drank.
At last, he spread his hands in resignation.
"But that's the Dark Lord we're talking about. The moment I come into contact with him, I'll be discovered immediately. Wouldn't that make the whole point of sending me undercover meaningless?"
Tver nodded in satisfaction at Peter's belated good sense and took out a crystal glowing a vivid green.
"The memories of our conversation tonight can be stored in this. In the memories Voldemort is able to see, you'll have seized a lone Hippogriff and fled Hogwarts on its back."
"I've already confirmed it. Even Voldemort won't detect anything unless he forcibly digs it out of your mind."
Tver had tested it on Marvolio himself. At the very least, Marvolio had been unable to use Legilimency to break through the crystal's protection and glimpse the memories sealed inside.
As for whether the current Voldemort had made further advances in Legilimency, or whether he might notice something off about Peter through his usual behavior, that was none of Tver's concern.
If it failed, the one who died would just be a lowly rat. Tver neither wanted to care nor had the time to.
Peter stared at the crystal's flickering green light and couldn't help swallowing hard.
To him, it felt less like a safeguard and more like a Killing Curse, one that could claim his life at any moment.
"Stop hesitating. I'll be honest. This is your only chance to stay alive."
"You caused the deaths of the Potters and sold out a great deal of the Order of the Phoenix's information. This is your chance to atone."
"If you refuse, I won't be as merciful as Harry was, kindly watching you slowly face legal judgment."
Bathed in the green glow, Tver's face looked faintly sinister.
Only then did Peter let out a helpless sigh. Having fallen to this point, he no longer had the luxury of choice.
Even so, the fact that Tver was willing to explain all this to him already counted as mercy.
"Fine. Then… I sincerely hope you succeed in the future."
"It's we," Tver corrected with a gentle smile.
He raised the crystal toward Peter.
Peter instinctively reached out to take it, only to realize in horror that his body would not respond. He could only watch as the crystal drew closer and closer to his forehead, and then—
His skull was cut open.
Even without seeing it, the sensation of his skin being sliced was etched clearly into his mind.
No. It wasn't just his skull.
It was his entire brain.
The crystal settled at the very center of his mind, and a strange, indescribable sensation washed over him, as though his soul were peeling away from his body.
Time seemed to lose all meaning. He had no idea how long it was before he finally felt his soul return.
Tver let out a quiet breath.
This was his first time using partial Transfiguration on a living being, and it was far more difficult than he had expected. Even with Peter's body and magic completely suppressed, the strain on him was considerable.
This was already the limit of what he could manage right now. Pushing further wasn't impossible, but whether Peter could survive it was another matter entirely.
He couldn't very well send Peter to infiltrate Voldemort with his brain half-destroyed.
When Peter finally came back to himself, he touched his head. The sensation of being cut still lingered faintly, but the strange presence of the crystal was gone.
"This is just a memory-preserving crystal. It won't affect you in any way."
Which was, of course, a lie.
Tver felt that his ability to tell outright falsehoods with a straight face was improving by the day.
Peter didn't know whether to believe him, but he could only lower his hand in resignation.
"Aren't you worried I'll tell the Dark Lord about this and have him remove the crystal for me?"
"You wouldn't want to do that," Tver said, offering him an encouraging smile.
"In truth, we're willing to trust you. That includes Dumbledore. He's always believed you were a brave Gryffindor."
"You just haven't discovered the courage in your own heart yet."
"Courage?" Peter laughed bitterly.
"If I really had that, I wouldn't have chosen to become such a despicable traitor."
"Don't give up so easily, Peter. Even if you live in a gutter, you still have the right to look up at the stars."
Tver stood, gave Peter's shoulder a light pat, and left him standing there in a daze as he walked straight out of the small cell.
"Even if you live in a gutter, you still have the right to look up at the stars~" Marvolio said at the doorway, swaying exaggeratedly, his tone dripping with mockery.
"I've noticed you always have a lot of these weird lines. And somehow they always sound impressive. Do you usually read books like that?"
"I'm just speaking from the heart. And besides…" Tver glanced at him with a teasing look.
"That line applies to you too, Tom. You have that right as well."
Marvolio's grin froze. A moment later, he angrily punched Tver, who was clearly holding back laughter.
"You're the one living in a gutter!"