The next instant, several fine ink lines spread out from the spot the wand had tapped, webbing across the parchment like a spider's web—interlinking, crisscrossing, and gradually expanding to every corner. Then, at the very top of the map, several lines of green, ornate script slowly appeared:
[Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs][Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers][Are Proud to Present][The Marauder's Map]
Once fully unfolded, the parchment was large enough to cover an entire table. Hogwarts Castle—along with its surrounding grounds—was rendered in astonishing detail, thoughtfully marking the entrances to many hidden locations such as the kitchens and numerous secret passages. However, there was no record of the Chamber of Secrets or the Room of Requirement on the map.
"The Chamber is one thing, but with their abilities… they didn't even discover the Room of Requirement?"
After a brief moment of amazement, Avada shifted his gaze to Gryffindor Tower on the map.
Among several adjoining dormitories, he immediately spotted the room labeled with Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom. It wasn't even five in the morning yet; naturally, none of them were awake. All the names were fixed in place, with only the occasional tiny shift—probably someone turning over in their sleep.
But right beside Ronald Weasley's name, there was a sixth name, glaringly obvious—
Peter Pettigrew.
"So Fred and George really never paid Ron any attention at all…"
Grumbling to himself, Avada donned gloves and picked up the potion bottle that had just come off the flame, still warm. He carefully poured it into a smaller vial, then tapped it with his wand, transfiguring the mouth into a pointed dropper, much like an eye-drop bottle.
"I brewed a bit too much… half a bottle should be more than enough."
After letting the potion cool, he slipped it into his pocket. Then, using the lab equipment, he brewed himself a pot of tea, casually pulled out the collection of Nicolas Flamel's research notes that Dumbledore had gifted him, scribbled a few keywords on the cover, opened one of the volumes, and sat back in a chair with his legs crossed—reading while sipping tea like a retired old man.
An entire morning passed like that before he returned his attention to the Marauder's Map.
It was lunchtime now. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley had already left the dormitory and appeared in the Great Hall, with Hermione Granger right beside them—perhaps they were comforting Harry about not being able to go to Hogsmeade?
Meanwhile, back in the dormitory, Peter Pettigrew's name remained perfectly still, likely still sprawled atop Ron's bed.
"Excellent."
He kept watching, focusing intently on the three names—Peter Pettigrew, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter.
Gradually, Harry and Ron left the Great Hall and returned to the dormitory, probably to pack their things. Then Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered in the Gryffindor common room, moved together to the Entrance Hall on the first floor, and merged into a dense cluster of names. Standing at the doorway was Argus Filch, who was likely checking the list of students heading to Hogsmeade, making sure no underage or unauthorized students slipped through.
In the end, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger completely left Hogwarts Castle, while Harry returned briefly to the common room before heading to the library…
"Perfect. No surprises at all…"
Avada watched Peter Pettigrew, still motionless in the dormitory, and broke into a victorious grin. As expected, Ron wouldn't take a sickly old rat along on his very first trip to somewhere as novel as Hogsmeade.
"Then—let's begin."
He quickly glanced down the eighth-floor corridor to confirm no one was approaching, cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, grabbed the map, and vanished from the Room of Requirement. With a single Near-yet-Far spell, he entered the space between spaces, pulled out his broom, mounted it, and shot toward Gryffindor Tower.
Using both his magical senses and the Marauder's Map for precise positioning, he swiftly located the correct dormitory. At the same time, the unique life-force structure belonging to an Animagus appeared clearly in his perception…
He carefully parked the broom at a spot inside the dormitory but some distance from Ron's bed, then drew his wand and methodically layered spell after spell for stealth—odor suppression, muffled footsteps, concealed body heat, silenced breathing…
Hiss.
With a barely audible sound, Avada slipped out of the space between spaces, appearing soundlessly inside the boys' dormitory. At last, he saw Peter Pettigrew with his own eyes—lounging lazily beside Ron's pillow, his mental state suggesting he was dozing.
"Perfect. He didn't crawl under the blankets, and his mental defenses are relaxed. Everything's going as smoothly as it possibly can!"
He brazenly jinxed himself with that thought, then silently leveled his wand, the tip aimed steadily at Peter Pettigrew's body…
"Stupefy."
A silent red bolt struck the rat squarely in the back of the head. He didn't even have time to twitch before collapsing into unconsciousness.
"Stupefy! Stupefy!"
Avada followed up with several reinforced, spoken casts, ensuring that no matter what noise occurred outside over the next few hours, Peter wouldn't wake. A Levitation Charm lifted the limp body, followed by a Bubble-Head Charm, and then Avada stuffed him into his pocket. Immediately, he re-entered the space between spaces, kicked off on his broom, and rocketed back to the eighth-floor corridor—bursting out and slipping into the Room of Requirement at top speed.
Bang!
As the wooden door slammed shut behind him, Avada finally let out a long breath.
Flawless. Seamless. Not a single hitch.
Next, as long as he completed the magic and returned Peter before Ron got back, this phase of the plan would be finished.
He took Peter out, quickly secured him in the pre-made mousetrap-like apparatus, then produced the eye-dropper bottle. Prising Peter's mouth open, he slowly poured in half a vial.
"That should do it."
Closely monitoring Peter's mental and life-force states, Avada nodded. He carried Peter over to the Pensieve, lifted the strand of light with his wand, performed one final check, and—once satisfied—guided it downward until it fully sank into Peter Pettigrew's mind.
But it wasn't over yet.
Even after the strand was completely absorbed, Avada didn't pull his wand away. Instead, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. He shut his eyes tightly, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead…
Nearly two hours later.
His wand finally lowered. His eyelids lifted slowly, revealing eyes that were hollow and unfocused. After a long while, a trace of clarity returned to them.
"Hah…"
He exhaled deeply and wiped away the sweat. "More work than I expected—but still within projections. And the final result has no issues… What time is it?"
He quickly checked the clock and the Marauder's Map. Once he confirmed that not too much time had passed—and that Ron and Hermione were still in Hogsmeade—he finally relaxed completely, looking at the still-unconscious Peter Pettigrew with palpable relief.
"This way, Peter's fine, Black's fine, Lupin's fine, I'm fine, Harry's fine, and Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix are fine too… A world where only Voldemort's remnants suffer has officially been achieved."
"Now then—carry your sin and your redemption, and contribute to the final victory…"
(End of Chapter)