Watching Sirius Black drain an entire bottle of Veritaserum in one gulp, Professor Snape's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
Lynn also looked at Sirius with slight surprise. A single dose of Veritaserum was usually just one or two drops; an entire bottle... she feared it might make him speak nothing but the truth from now until a week later, spilling everything from his birth to the present.
"Sirius Black," Headmaster Dumbledore stepped forward, looking at him with a solemn expression, "were you, or were you not, the Secret-Keeper for The Potters?"
At this point, they didn't need to ask too many other things; it was better to ask the key point directly.
"No."
Under the influence of the Veritaserum, Sirius blurted it out without a moment's hesitation, a look of deep resentment surfacing on his gaunt, haggard face.
"No..."
Professor McGonagall stared blankly at Sirius sitting on the floor, unable to believe any of it.
Everything she had known before was that Sirius was James and the others' Secret-Keeper!
"Did you decide among yourselves to change the Secret-Keeper?" Headmaster Dumbledore nodded, appearing not overly surprised.
"Yes, I thought my identity was too obvious, making me a perfect target to draw away the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. The Secret-Keeper could be changed to someone else, making James and the others safer, because Voldemort and the Death Eaters would focus all their efforts on capturing me."
Sirius closed his eyes as he spoke. It was this idea... this idea that should have worked, that had killed his best friend and left his son without a family from a young age.
"The Secret-Keeper—who was it?"
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath to calm herself, yet her slightly trembling voice still betrayed her emotions.
"Peter Pettigrew."
"What?!"
"Merlin..."
"Is—is this true?"
"Nonsense, he's taken Veritaserum, how could he possibly be lying!"
Sirius's answer shocked the surrounding Young Wizards; many of them could hardly believe their ears.
After all, some of them had read the reports from back then: Sirius Black had betrayed the Potter family, subsequently killed Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles, and was arrested by the Ministry of Magic after blowing up a street.
Now, his words undoubtedly overturned all the previous investigation results of the Ministry of Magic.
Wait, did the Ministry of Magic... actually conduct an investigation back then?
The faces of many Young Wizards changed in unison. If the Ministry had investigated, or used Veritaserum, it would have been impossible not to uncover these facts.
"Why, why didn't you tell us, why didn't you appeal?"
Professor McGonagall gripped her wand tightly, unsure if she was heartbroken or angry—perhaps both.
"It was I who failed James and the others... I should atone for my sins in Azkaban."
Sirius gave a bitter smile, stating his true thoughts without reservation.
"Foolish! Mr. Black! Foolish!"
Professor McGonagall looked at her haggard former student; after so many years in Azkaban, he had long lost the high spirits of his youth.
How could his current state not break her heart? This was her student, her child, yet he had spent over a decade in Azkaban despite being innocent.
Was that even a place for a human being?!
"You think torturing yourself like this is atonement?!"
Professor McGonagall was both pained and angry, her lips trembling slightly. "If you truly want to atone, you should have accompanied Harry as he grew up and taken good care of your friend's child."
Sirius turned his head slightly toward Harry. The boy's face was filled with confusion, and there was a hint of faint reliance in his eyes.
"I was wrong..." Sirius's voice began to choke up, "I never grew up. I acted on impulse, thinking only of atonement, but I neglected Harry..."
"You are not guilty."
Harry shook his head firmly, stepped forward in front of everyone, and hugged Sirius.
"The one at fault is Lord Voldemort, and the one at fault is Peter Pettigrew who betrayed my parents. They are the ones who caused me to lose my parents and my home."
"The fault lies with those who hurt us, not with the one who only wanted us to be safe."
Harry straightened up as he spoke, blinking hard to quickly dry the tears in his eyes.
He looked around at everyone present, his voice steady and firm.
"Caring for friends is not a crime; the crime lies with the betrayer and the perpetrator!"
He turned back to Sirius and said word for word, "As long as you need me, I will go to the Ministry of Magic to testify for you. I will absolutely, absolutely not let you go back to Azkaban!"
"Harry... Harry, I'm sorry..."
Sirius stood up unsteadily and hugged him tightly, finally looking like a dependable elder.
"Don't worry, Potter. With so many people here to bear witness, we will not let Mr. Black enter Azkaban again."
Professor McGonagall patted Harry's shoulder, her tone resolute.
Since her student was innocent, no one should even think about sending him back to Azkaban. It was absolutely impossible!
Lynn also nodded while holding the video camera, her voice devoid of emotion. "Yes, I have also preserved the audio-visual records. The Ministry of Magic will have no chance to deny it."
Headmaster Dumbledore gave a gentle and apologetic smile. "I am sorry to interrupt this reunion, but I must say, we still have matters that haven't been fully clarified."
"Sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Harry nodded and helped Sirius sit on his bed.
"Mr. Black, why did you escape from Azkaban? Was it because you discovered Mr. Pettigrew's whereabouts?"
"Pettigrew? He's not dead?"
Hermione exclaimed softly from below, and Lynn, standing beside her, answered expressionlessly.
"This is the only explanation that can account for why Sirius Black, who was intent on atoning in Azkaban, would choose to escape."
"Because the man who betrayed his friends is still alive, and he wants revenge for them."
Hearing Lynn's explanation, Hermione nodded in understanding; indeed, it was a very logical analysis.
No one present noticed that from the moment Harry said the guilt lay with the betrayer and the perpetrator, Professor Snape's face had turned pale—even paler than usual.
His hand hidden inside his wizard robe clenched into a fist, and a storm surged in his hollow Black eyes. The betrayer... yes, the guilt lies with the betrayer.
"Yes, because I saw Peter in the newspaper again, on the very newspaper the Minister gave me when he visited Azkaban."
The Daily Prophet during the summer holidays... seeing Peter Pettigrew... Sirius, Harry's father, and Peter Pettigrew should all have been unregistered Animagi... the Weasleys were in the paper because they won a grand prize... and by Ron's side was a rat she had identified as an unregistered Animagus.
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