Peter didn't stay inside for long before coming back out, his expression perfectly calm.
It was the first time Tver had been unable to read anything from his face.
"Has his mouth-talk really gotten that powerful?" he thought, mildly bemused.
But it didn't matter. Whatever Peter was thinking wouldn't interfere with his plans.
"How will I contact you after I leave?" Peter asked evenly, clearly no stranger to undercover work.
"There's no need," Tver said. "Just focus on carrying out Voldemort's orders."
Peter's composure finally cracked. He parted his lips slightly, genuinely surprised.
"You really trust me that much?"
"I told you. I'm willing to believe you."
Tver reached out and ran a hand along Buckbeak's neck.
He didn't mean to belittle them, but sometimes animals' instincts were simply… direct.
All that bowing and etiquette existed only to gauge intent. As long as you could control the emotions you projected, those formalities were unnecessary. In fact, doing so worked even better than any bow.
"Go," Tver said. "Voldemort is still waiting for his loyal servant in the forests of Albania."
"After you leave with Buckbeak, find a safe place and release him. He knows how to come back on his own."
"Aren't you worried the Ministry might reopen the case on this Hippogriff?" Marvolio asked suddenly, frowning.
"Could you even recognize Buckbeak among a whole flock of Hippogriffs?" Tver shot back irritably. "Hagrid just needs to give him a new name. Even if Fudge inspected every single feather, he still wouldn't be able to tell."
Peter had no interest in bickering with them. Seeing that Buckbeak showed no aversion to him, he climbed up without a word and settled into place.
Tver withdrew his hand from Buckbeak's neck.
Sensing the intent he conveyed, Buckbeak's long wings trembled. With a sharp whoosh, they spread wide, his front hooves lifting high into the air…
One powerful flap sent him soaring skyward, cutting through the darkness and vanishing into the distance.
Tver watched Peter's figure recede until it disappeared completely into the blackened sky.
"Keep a close watch on both him and Voldemort," Tver said calmly to Marvolio. "Once Voldemort creates a new Horcrux, we move."
Trust?
Since when was there ever that much trust in this world?
...
With Peter's matter settled, Tver felt unburdened as he followed Marvolio, watching him dash toward the Headmaster's office with almost theatrical urgency.
"Minister, Peter's escaped!"
Marvolio bent over, hands braced on his knees as he panted. If not for the utterly unruffled Tver standing behind him, the scene might have looked far more dire…
Fudge glanced at Dumbledore, who was wearing an equally calm smile, and immediately felt awkward.
Why did these two look like they were watching a performance?
Still, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep playing along.
"What? Dawlish, didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him? How did you let him get away?"
Fudge slammed his fist onto the desk in frustration, though the impact was restrained. Whether he was holding back out of consideration for Dumbledore, or simply afraid of hurting his own hand, was anyone's guess.
"Damn it. Now this case is going to drag on!"
Dumbledore finally frowned.
"And Black?" he asked. "He's innocent. Surely he can be released now?"
"No!" Fudge shouted reflexively.
The moment he realized he was yelling at Dumbledore, his neck stiffened and he shrank back slightly.
"I mean, Black's escape is an established fact. We still need to…"
But Dumbledore interrupted him without warning.
"If there are already plenty of people who can prove that Black is innocent, then your focus should shift to capturing Peter."
Fudge was left momentarily speechless. He wanted to argue, but caught Dawlish giving him a subtle shake of the head.
He understood immediately.
He had already acted questionably enough. If he kept tangling with Dumbledore now, he risked drawing attention to himself when he was supposed to be blending into the mess.
"All right," Fudge said, putting on his best ministerial airs.
"Peter Pettigrew is still at large. Therefore, we cannot yet confirm that Sirius was the true informant back then."
"Of course, we also can't say he's completely innocent until Peter is brought in."
"So Black must remain under Ministry supervision… fine. He'll need to respond to a summons whenever the Ministry requires it."
Under Dumbledore's steady, penetrating gaze, Fudge backed down and revised his wording.
It wasn't a full exoneration, but being able to move freely within the wizarding world was already a significant improvement for Black.
Dumbledore finally smiled, satisfied.
"Then the Dementors stationed at the school can be withdrawn, yes? I doubt Peter Pettigrew would sneak into the castle just to attack a student."
"That's exactly what I was going to bring up," Fudge said, his temper flaring the instant Dementors were mentioned.
"The Dementors I transferred from Azkaban, there are fewer than a third of them left!"
"I want an explanation!"
"The explanation is simple," Tver said calmly, meeting Fudge's shocked stare. "Your so-called partners attempted to attack an innocent wizard, two highly respected professors, and three… well-behaved students, all within the grounds of Hogwarts."
Fudge clearly hadn't expected someone he regarded as a junior to speak up and contradict him so directly.
"Quite so," Dumbledore added. "I warned you long ago that Dementors are unreliable. The risk of them turning on one's own side is far too great."
Fudge sprang to his feet, acting as though he hadn't heard a word.
"We'll be removing the Dementors tonight. As for Black, have him come to the Ministry when he has time and see Dawlish. He needs to give a statement."
With that, he grabbed Marvolio and fled the Headmaster's office as though escaping a fire.
Tver watched his retreating figure with a faintly amused look.
"I've got a bad feeling Fudge is going to cause us serious trouble someday."
"No matter what," Dumbledore said quietly, "he is still the Minister of Magic."
He, too, was disappointed by Fudge's performance. But as someone who never cared for fame or power, Dumbledore understood that maintaining the Ministry's authority mattered more during times of peace.
"Enough about him," Dumbledore continued. "Are you certain Peter will end up on our side?"
"Of course not," Tver said matter-of-factly, taking a seat and smoothly pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice.
"There's no such thing as a perfect plan. I'm just making a few extra preparations."
"And even if Peter truly decides to stand with Voldemort, Voldemort's suspicious nature means he won't dare trust him fully."
It was a simple act of sowing discord. How could Voldemort ever entrust important matters to someone who might harbor divided loyalties?
When the time came, Tver wouldn't even need to lift a finger. Peter would be on his way to meet Death all on his own.
Peter never really had a choice. From the moment he betrayed the Order of the Phoenix, this was the future that awaited him.