Chapter 373 Snape’s Awakening (6K)

What should I do if I encounter Dumbledore after coming out of the Shrieking Shack? Waiting online, quite urgent.

Rogge stood under the Whomping Willow and met Albus in his pajamas. His eyes seemed to be staring at the moon.

Rogge pretended to be relaxed and said hello: "Good evening, principal."

"Good evening." Dumbledore turned around slowly, a kind smile spreading across his face.

His voice was gentle and he was concerned when asking: "Roger, the professors told me that you seemed to have skipped class yesterday. What happened?"

"Ah, yesterday?" Rogge yawned and scratched his head in confusion: "No, I remember configuring potions in the dungeon... Hey, did it take too long to configure, and I missed a day?"

Dumbledore looked at him, his deep eyes seemed to be able to see through all disguises, but his expression remained gentle, showing no sign of reproach. He raised his head and looked at the hole in the tree. Harry, Lupin and the others happened to come out with Peter.

"Headmaster (Albus)..." Several people shouted in unison, and then they lined up under the Whomping Willow like a group of children who had made mistakes.

Sirius was the last to come out. He stood at the far right of the group, with several people between him and Lupine.

"Sirius, this is not the place you should come." Dumbledore cast his eyes on him, his tone slightly reproachful: "You need to surrender to the Ministry of Magic."

"Headmaster, Sirius was wrongly accused." Harry's voice was firm and full of conviction. He looked directly at Dumbledore and said, "It was he who betrayed my parents, Peter Pettigrew."

"The illegal Animagus proves the excellent education level of Hogwarts." Rogge muttered in a low voice, "Oh, and there is also a big black dog..."

Dumbledore turned his head and looked at Rogge sharply, and he quickly fell silent and said nothing more.

"Come on, I think we need to go to the Ministry of Magic." There was unquestionable determination in his voice.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and his pajamas instantly turned into dark blue robes. Then he grabbed a scarf out of the air and motioned for everyone to hold it.

Rogge curiously looked at the red cashmere scarf in front of him, wondering whether this portkey had been reported to the Ministry of Magic.

"Headmaster, where is Peter?" Before Harry could finish his words, the tail of the scarf flexibly wrapped around Pettigrew's wrist.

Everyone only felt a hook pulling hard behind their navel. Everyone's feet lifted off the ground and their bodies spun quickly. They moved forward like a gust of wind, everything around them becoming blurry.

Peter in the cage tried to escape, but the scarf seemed to have a terrifying suction force, pulling him around tightly. Finally, the thorn wooden cage hit the ground heavily. Peter let out a cry of pain and fainted.

Harry felt Black's tight grip on his arm, keeping him from falling to the Ministry floor. He looked up and saw Dumbledore, Lupin and Rogge all standing firmly.

"Mr. Dumbledore!" the clerk on duty exclaimed. He looked at Black with uncertainty in his tone: "Is this a fugitive from Azkaban?"

"I think so, sir." Dumbledore nodded in confirmation, and then asked: "Is Minister Amelia here? Black and Peter need a trial."

When the people around heard Black's name, they nervously took out their wands and pointed them at the escaped prisoner. They didn't expect that Dumbledore would need to personally catch him.

The crisp sound of boots hitting the floor came from the corridor, and the capable Minister Amelia walked over. Her eyes swept over Blake's face, and then turned to the cage.

"Principal, who is he?" Amelia asked.

"Peter Pettigrew." Dumbledore patted Harry gently to signal him to be silent.

"Really? Isn't he dead?" someone asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Peter is a great hero. He was the one who exposed Black's conspiracy and let everyone know who was the traitor who killed James and his wife."

"Hey, what if what the principal said is true? He is the recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class."

"So is Peter."

The surrounding staff members kept whispering to each other, and everyone's eyes moved back and forth between Blake and Peter. More wizards came out of the fireplace, and Arthur Weasley couldn't help but become nervous when he saw his unkempt young son Ron.

Minister Amelia's wand flew out with a beam of light, trying to cut through the thorn wooden cage. But the cage only had a few cracks and did not shatter as expected.

"Huh?" She asked in question, and tried a few more times before cutting off a few vines.

"Let me do it." Rogge smiled and waved his wand, and the thorn vines quickly untied, revealing Peter lying motionless on the ground.

"It seems like it's really him." Someone whispered after seeing Peter's appearance clearly.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense."

The hall fell into an eerie silence. Everyone focused on Peter's severed finger, but no one dared to directly reveal his identity.

Because according to official records, he had died heroically in the war against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. He used his own death to expose the traitor Black.

The Ministry of Magic awarded him a lofty honor: the Order of Merlin, First Class, which is the highest honor in the magical world. The murderer Sirius, Black of the Holy Pure Blood Family, was imprisoned in Azkaban for 12 years.

Everyone realized that this was an extremely serious scandal. Especially when Malfoy and other representatives of pure-blood families walked out of the fireplace, the halls of the Ministry of Magic seemed to return to the tense atmosphere of three years ago.

Compared to Travis and his son, Black was even more wronged and was even publicly offered a reward by the Ministry of Magic. Now, the naked answer is before everyone, and everyone's eyes turn to the new minister Amelia.

The only good thing was that the talkative and scribbling Ms. Rita Skeeter was not there. Otherwise, tomorrow morning's Daily Prophet is bound to cause a stir.

"I need evidence, Mr. Dumbledore, Mr. Black." Amelia changed her title and motioned to Delis to control Peter.

"Peter Pettigrew is an illegal Animagus. He turned into Scabbers and hid in our house." Ron suddenly said, "He is a mouse..."

"Ron!" Arthur rushed out immediately and stopped his son.

Even if what Ron said was true, he didn't understand where this place was and what it meant to say such a thing!

Of course, Lucius Malfoy would not miss this opportunity. His silver snake cane hit the floor with a loud sound.

The scene became even more tense as the knocking sound echoed through the hall, seeming to alert everyone to his presence and position.

"Arthur, do you want to cover up the facts?" Lucius walked out of the crowd with a sneer on his lips, thinking to himself: "I have not forgotten what Molly Weasley said to me during the Easter trial last year. accusation."

"Good boy." He leaned down, looked at Ron with a smile, and said, "Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew, right?"

Ron lowered his head, not daring to answer. He clasped his fingers, not knowing what he said wrong.

"Madam Minister, I believe Black is innocent." Lucius said righteously and in a loud voice: "As a pure-blood Black family, there may be prodigals and Death Eaters, but there will never be those who betray their friends. "

"Perhaps you know, of course, I don't shy away from this. My wife, Narcissa, is Sirius' sister." Lucius looked at Black and extended his hand in a friendly manner.

Lucius's move not only showed his support for Black, but also hinted at the close connection between the two families.

Sirius snorted at this and tilted his head slightly. Lucius still kept smiling, not at all embarrassed by Black's rejection.

"Thank you very much, principal." Lucius continued, "If you hadn't sent Peter, I'm afraid we would have been kept in the dark."

He squinted at Peter who was lying motionless on the ground, and the meaning in his tone was unpredictable: "If it weren't for his betrayal, Harry Potter's parents would not have been killed by Voldemort. James and Lily, right? He is a hero who protects the magical world."

"Maybe you want to kill him." Black said coldly and sarcastically, "As a Death Eater, I'm afraid you have always wanted to avenge your master."

Lucius paused the cane in his hand, and stood quietly, letting Black finish.

"This traitor turned into a mouse and hid because he was afraid that the Death Eaters here or outside who had not been cleaned up would seek revenge on him!" Black's voice echoed in the hall of the Ministry of Magic.

"Black!" Amelia frowned and scolded sternly: "This is the Ministry of Magic. As a fugitive, please pay attention to your identity!"

"He was wronged." Harry couldn't help but defend his godfather.

Amelia looked at the savior with slightly soft eyes, "This is a possibility that needs to be verified, but his escape from prison is a fact."

"What?" Harry's impression of the Ministry of Magic suddenly changed drastically. He felt that the serious witch in front of him was far inferior to Fudge, the former minister who was kind and enthusiastic to him.

"If Fudge had not resigned, he would never have treated the wronged Sirius like this!" Harry thought and shouted, "Why is it that the facts I said are possible, but the mistakes you said are facts?"

Many staff around him subconsciously raised their eyebrows and pinched the bridge of their noses, feeling helpless towards Harry. To put it bluntly, even if Black was wrongly accused, his trial process was conducted in accordance with the legal procedures of the magical world and was reasonable and legal.

The witnesses and physical evidence were all there, and he was unanimously found guilty by everyone in the Wizengamot. If it weren't for the lack of capital punishment in wizarding Britain, the grass on his grave would be five feet high.

"If I had known earlier, I should have reinstated the death penalty to avoid such trouble." A staff member complained in a low voice.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense." The person next to him immediately warned, "The death penalty was abolished by purebloods."

"Ah, why?"

"In order to avoid being executed after committing a crime. You don't think that ordinary wizards can promote the abolition of the death penalty, do you?"

Amelia decided to take action. She did not respond directly to Harry's question, but turned to her assistant Percy beside her and ordered: "Go and prepare the conference room."

Then, she whispered to the people present: "Since the Weasley family is related to this matter, Arthur, come in together."

"Mr. Malfoy, please stop!" Delis stood at the door, reaching out to stop Lucius who wanted to follow him in.

"You..." Lucius was clearly unhappy at being left out.

Delis smiled and explained: "I'm sorry, the minister was referring to the relevant personnel."

"You? Humph!" Malfoy clenched his cane and stood helplessly outside the door.

Amelia's handling was very clever. First of all, she excluded the purebloods who were related to Black. Without the messiness of people like Malfoy, Sirius and Peter could all be handled as simple judicial matters.

Even so, looking at the people in the conference room, she could still feel an invisible pressure. Two Aurors held Peter, and the group sat on a long table.

Dumbledore still had a vague smile on his lips, seemingly just a bystander. However, everyone present was aware of the old wizard's weight and influence.

"Headmaster, you are the chief of the Wizengamot..."

"Amelia, you are the minister." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, indicating that she would lead the meeting.

Amelia nodded, looked at Black, and began to interrogate: "Sirius, how did you escape from prison?"

The scribe behind him immediately took out his quill and faithfully recorded Sirius's escape process. When he heard that the other party turned into a dog through Animagus and swam from Azkaban to land, he couldn't help but sigh that this was really a cruel person.

"So, Peter Pettigrew...also known as Scabbers, has been hiding in the Weasley family." She turned her sharp eyes to Arthur and asked: "You treat him as a family member, and even take him to travel to Egypt?"

Arthur felt speechless for a moment. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down his confused mood. This matter must be explained clearly. Otherwise, their family would be considered criminals harboring Death Eaters.

"Minister, we have absolutely no idea!" Arthur shouted loudly, saying emotionally: "No one would be wary of a mouse. There are a total of 7 Animagus registered, and there is no Pettigrew among them. ·Peter’s name.”

"But it lived for 12 years." Amelia's eyes moved on Arthur and Ron. She then looked at Dumbledore and asked sharply: "The notes on the Hogwarts admission notice have been revised. ?"

"Of course not." Dumbledore smiled slightly and shook his head slightly, as if he was puzzled by Amelia's question.

The two looked at each other, knowing full well that rats were not pets allowed to students in the school. However, Ron took it with him, and no one in the Hogwarts management raised any objections.

Amelia winked at the clerk, suggesting that he delete the question. She had reason to suspect that Dumbledore already knew Scabbers' true identity.

She seemed to begin to understand why Fudge was so wary of Dumbledore, even viewing him as a potential threat to the Ministry.

However, she had to pretend to know nothing. In the British wizarding world, there can only be one leader. Even if Voldemort rises again, that leader can only be Dumbledore.

"There are still two illegal Animagus." Amelia looked at Blake and shook her head helplessly, "If Peter remains awake, we will not be able to try his crimes."

"I have a camera with a video of Peter admitting his betrayal." Blake said and looked at Roger.

Rogge was confused and said in confusion: "Don't look at me, I'm only responsible for providing magic props. You didn't forget to take them, right?"

Blake's lips trembled slightly. He seemed to have really forgotten to take it.

"Where?"

"In the Shrieking Shack," Roger replied, then added, "But the Whomping Willow is guarding it, so you can't get in."

"Uh, why?"

"You can ask Snape to help." Dumbledore suddenly said, and Rogge frowned, feeling that this was a bad idea.

Amelia nodded and signaled the Auror to contact Hogwarts. She turned to Roger and continued to ask: "Mr. Travis, I noticed that Blake's appearance and clothes have changed a lot compared to those on the wanted poster.

He even has a wand and magic items, did you provide them? "

"The scar on his face has nothing to do with me. It's because he insisted on fighting that werewolf named Griffin." Rogge shrugged and said calmly: "As for the wand and projector, Minister Amelia, You know me.”

"Both my mother and I came out of Azkaban. When I heard Mr. Black say that he had been wronged, I couldn't help but want to help him." Rogge looked very emotional, and his tone paused from time to time, listening. I felt very aggrieved.

Blake had a dark look on his face. He had never thought that someone could be so shameless.

Yes, the information Rogge said is correct. But if he didn't have this guy's potion formula, would he be looking for potion ingredients for Lu Ping?

He listened to Roger complaining to Amelia, and the sound was like needle pricks, making him want to cut off his own ears with a knife.

His brother's relics, the family elves, and Harry's treasury were all quietly devoured by this black-hearted and cunning little snake.

Under the table, Blake clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from excessive exertion. He forced himself not to be angry, trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart from exploding.

Amelia also regretted asking, because Roger's past was a stain that the Ministry of Magic could not get around. Especially when Rogge was about to reveal the details of the compensation that year, she immediately interrupted him: "Rogge, I already understand!"

"You have been misled by Black. You must be more vigilant next time you meet an escaped prisoner..."

Listening to Rogge thanking "Sister Minister" in a sweet voice, Blake secretly swore in his heart: "Just wait, kid! When Snape brings the projector, your greedy true face will be completely exposed!"

Amelia felt a headache, and she understood that Black was wronged and that the real traitor was Peter Pettigrew. The Ministry of Magic could admit their mistakes and even withdraw the Order of Merlin awarded to Peter, but...

She had to find a way to get Sirius to voluntarily reconcile with the Ministry of Magic. As for compensation? The Ministry of Magic was unwilling to pay even a copper nut.

Just when she didn't know what to say, Snape walked in slowly. His face was pale and he was obviously very weak.

Snape quickly glanced around, and when he saw Black, Lupin, and the unconscious Peter, he immediately understood why Dumbledore had come by himself.

"Let me see who this is?" Snape put the projector on the table with a sarcastic smile on his lips: "Padfoot Black...no, no, no, it should be the wanted criminal Scarface Black now. !”

He suddenly pulled Blake up, with a fierce look in his eyes: "It seems that you are going to be kissed by a dementor tonight..."

"Teacher," Rogge interrupted him softly, "The traitor back then was Peter."

Snape's expression froze for a moment, he squinted his eyes, and a dangerous aura emanated from his body.

"Blake and James temporarily changed the secret keeper and killed Lily Evans. On the projector, there is a video of Peter admitting his betrayal."

Snape's body trembled slightly, and his eyes moved away from Roger and fell on the unconscious Peter. Then, he suddenly punched Blake hard in the face.

Blake wiped away the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and sneered back: "Good fight!"

"Snotlout, you are so weak, you don't have the strength to hit anyone. Lily doesn't love you at all, she loves James Potter!" His words were like sharp arrows, piercing Snape's heart.

Harry was stunned for a moment, and a turmoil arose in his heart. He had never imagined that the relationship between Snape and his parents was so complicated.

He looked at Dumbledore and Lupin as if asking for help, and both of them remained silent, acquiescing to this fact.

Black glared at the shaky Snape and shouted: "You know, I am Harry's godfather! He doesn't need your sick and twisted care."

"Do you think your harsh scolding in Potions class will make Harry remember you? Thank you?" Black spat out blood-stained saliva and cursed: "Freak, you are a weirdo who doesn't understand love! You give You can’t feel like Lily, but James can!”

Snape, who was still seriously ill, stubbornly supported his body and sat on the chair with his eyes closed, as if this could block Black's sharp words.

"Ahem..." Amelia knocked on the table, trying to calm down the heated argument, "Blake, shut up."

As a woman, she is curious about the relationship between several people and wants to explore the intricate love story. But as a minister, she must deal with Blake and Peter neatly.

Rogge turned on the projector, and the scene of Blake breaking the cage appeared on the screen. Then, Harry and Ron broke into the Shrieking Shack. Then there's the scuffle, Lupin's appearance...until Peter begs Ron for mercy.

Blake turned his head and stared at Roger, obviously not expecting the video to end here.

Amelia nodded, thinking that the magic projector was indeed a powerful tool to reveal the truth. She said: "Things are clear, but if Peter can wake up..."

"I'll make him wake up, I promise." Snape smiled cruelly, with undisguised sternness in his eyes.

His teeth were slightly exposed, as if a beast was preparing to pounce on its prey. He stood up slowly while holding on to the table, his nails digging into the wood of the edge of the table.

Snape stared at the unconscious Peter, approaching him step by step, each step exuding a chilling air. The two Aurors felt the strong murderous aura emanating from him and involuntarily took a few steps back.

Snape finally stood next to Peter. He lowered his head and suddenly grabbed Peter's hair hard. The force was so strong that it seemed like it was going to tear his scalp off.

Peter's eyes flew open and he let out a shrill scream. There was a cold glint in Snape's eyes, and he sneered, as if enjoying Peter's pain.

"I, I'm going to Azkaban!" Peter shouted, struggling and throwing himself at the Auror next to him, "Save me, Mr. Minister! Principal, I was wrong! I'm going to Azkaban, and I'm going now. Azkaban!"

One chapter has 6K words, which is better than three chapters