#163 - Section 163

Logically speaking, Ethan shouldn't have needed to attack Harry and Ron, and even if he did, it wouldn't have caused such a commotion.

After all, Harry's strength was incomparable to Ethan's. Although Ethan hadn't shown much over the years, the level he sometimes displayed was something even Snape couldn't achieve.

If he were targeting Harry, he would have been defeated in a single encounter. There was no need to make such a big scene.

It was certain that a battle had occurred inside, and the situation at the scene was quite intense.

If Ethan attacking Harry and Ron was ruled out, then it was only possible that Ethan was attacking someone else.

Harry really didn't deserve this kind of treatment.

Suddenly, Snape thought of a possibility. He had been tricked by Sirius Black to come here in the first place, and he was almost bitten to death by Lupin.

At the same time, this place had gained a reputation as a haunted house, and generally no one would approach it, except for those brainless Gryffindors who would come to explore.

Could Sirius Black have been hiding here ever since he arrived near Hogwarts?

Then, when Ethan, Harry, and Ron went in to see this haunted house, they encountered Sirius Black.

Now, Sirius Black and Ethan were fighting inside. If that were the case, everything could be explained clearly.

After thinking for a while, Snape trotted all the way to the gate of the Shrieking Shack. He wasn't worried about Ethan's safety. After all, if it was just Sirius Black alone, he couldn't even handle Snape, let alone Ethan.

But a confrontation of this level might kill Harry with just a little aftermath.

"Alohomora!"

A simple unlocking charm was cast, but the lock remained motionless.

Looking at the thin, dilapidated door, Snape decided to use physical means. After all, no one knew who was behind the door. What if Harry was hiding near the door and couldn't get out? If he forcibly blasted it open with a spell, he might blast the person behind it as well.

Moreover, this thin, dilapidated wooden door could probably be kicked open with just one kick.

Bang!

"Ah!"

The result of charging up and kicking was that Snape was now squatting on the ground, his entire leg trembling, and his face was flushed, looking like he was enduring a great deal of pain.

Was a Strengthening Charm cast?

Snape squatted on the ground in pain, and that was the only explanation he could think of.

It seemed that Sirius Black was waiting for Harry here, and it was likely premeditated, just waiting for Harry to take the bait. Otherwise, where would he have time to cast a Strengthening Charm on the house during the battle?

"Sectumsempra!"

Snape, who had struggled to stand up, waved his wand, and an invisible blade slashed diagonally upwards.

If he couldn't enter through the door, then he wouldn't go through the door. He would just tear off the roof. He didn't believe that the Strengthening Charm could withstand Sectumsempra.

But the reality was even more outrageous. Snape only scratched the outer layer of rotten wood on the Shrieking Shack. Looking into the cut, it was a very thick rock.

Even if his Sectumsempra slashed across, there would only be a scratch of a dozen centimeters.

One failure after another made Snape feel a little frustrated, and he was in a state of red-hot anger.

But for a moment, he couldn't do anything about it and could only anxiously wait at the door.

Inside the Shrieking Shack, the Blasting Curse had long ended. Maintaining such a high-intensity output was also a very tiring thing.

After Peter saw that the Blasting Curse was useless, he immediately stopped the output.

But just as a Killing Curse was thrown out, it was hit by a red light, and the whole person was directly blasted onto the granite behind him by the powerful magic, and the wand also fell to the side.

"Peter!"

The first thing Sirius Black did when he saw Peter being subdued was to rush up, grab his sleeve, and lift him directly off the ground.

Then, a charged-up right fist was directly slammed into his face.

Only Ron on the side felt quite awkward, and at the same time, his face felt a little painful.

Until this moment, Peter still maintained Ron's appearance, but everyone at the scene knew that he was Peter Pettigrew.

And Peter was completely silent at this moment, not saying a word, and not daring to look at Sirius Black and Lupin, his eyes fixed on the ground.

"Speak, why did you betray James in the first place, ah!"

Seeing Peter like this, the anger in Sirius Black's heart couldn't be stopped, and he punched him in the face several more times.

"Finite Incantatem!"

Ethan walked over and threw a white light, concentrating on Ron, who was being held in Sirius Black's hand.

The next moment, he directly turned into a short, fat, and somewhat bald middle-aged man with small eyes, some gray hair, and a pointed nose, looking quite ugly.

It was Peter Pettigrew himself. Ethan had seen him a few years ago, but after the matter, Ethan used Venom of the Streeler to erase that memory.

"Sirius Black, the oath I made has been completed."

Hearing Ethan say this, Lupin looked at Sirius Black curiously.

This oath, could it be an Unbreakable Vow?

Ethan helped capture Peter. It could be said that without Ethan, it would have been impossible for them to capture Peter. Who would have thought that he would use Ron's identity, while Ron was transformed into his Animagus form by him.

If they had taken action, the best result would have been to capture a Ron.

Now that Ethan had completed the oath, what did Sirius Black need to pay?

"Don't worry, when Hogwarts has summer vacation, I will hand everything over to you."

Sirius Black was still holding Peter, his face full of狰狞 smiles, but he still remembered the deal with Ethan.

"Peter, raise your head and look at this face. Do you have anything you want to say?"

After beating Peter's face a little out of shape, Sirius Black brought Peter to Harry's face.

Forcing Peter to raise his head and look at Harry's face.

Harry and James were eighty percent similar in appearance.

The first time Sirius Black saw Harry, he thought he had seen a young James. If it weren't for his green eyes being the same as Lily's, Sirius Black would have been ready to hug him excitedly.

Under Sirius Black's coercion, Peter looked at this face, and the emotions in his eyes were extremely complicated, nostalgia, fear, resentment...

He really didn't want to hurt Harry. If he had, he would have done it long ago. He had actually enjoyed spending time with Harry under the guise of Ron, and he hated himself for it every night.

But as for regret, it seemed he didn't have much. Peter knew his own nature. Even if he had another chance, he would still make the same choice.

He couldn't help it. He was naturally timid and cowardly. He had joined Gryffindor to build courage and bravery, but he still couldn't shake his fear of death.

A normal person wouldn't disguise themselves as a rat for over a decade just to survive, and even plan to live as a rat forever.

"Harry, you can vent your anger as much as you want."

Sirius Black threw Peter to the ground, forcing him to crawl before Harry, and suggested to Harry.

Looking at Peter crawling on the ground, Harry was silent for a long time before saying:

"Forget it, let the Ministry of Magic handle it!"

Harry ultimately made this decision. Initially, Harry did have the idea of taking revenge himself, but looking at this enemy who had spent several months with him under the identity of Ron, Harry really didn't know what to do.

Hearing Harry say to hand him over to the Ministry of Magic, Peter's guilt was instantly overwhelmed by fear.

He knew what he would face if he went to the Ministry of Magic.

Immediately, he began to think about ways to escape.

[Thank you for the monthly ticket, big shot! Thank you!]

Chapter 206: Snape VS Lupin

"Immobilize!"

A rope of magical power shot from Lupin's wand, binding Peter's arms behind his back.

"Sirius, transform back into your Animagus form now. And Harry, you and I together, we'll go find Dumbledore."

"This matter needs to be resolved by him."

Lupin had wandered in the wizarding world for over a decade, and he was very clear about the Ministry of Magic's way of doing things.

If they handed Peter over themselves, Fudge would definitely secretly execute Peter to save face for himself and the Ministry of Magic, and then deny it, since the dead tell no tales.

At that time, Sirius's wanted status would definitely not be lifted.

After that, they wouldn't be able to find any other way to help Sirius clear his name. It would accompany him for the rest of his life, until death or the day he was caught.

But handing it over to Dumbledore to negotiate was different. Fudge and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't dare to easily deceive him.

"Okay!"

Sirius kicked Peter again before obediently transforming into a large black dog.

"Wait, here, take this."

"It can block the flow of magic, just like the restraints worn by serious criminals awaiting trial in the magical world."

Ethan said, throwing Lupin a collar, also to prevent Peter from running away if he got the chance.

To survive, Peter would do anything. As long as he could seize an opportunity, he would escape.

As for whether they needed to rely on Peter to revive Voldemort, Ethan no longer cared.

If he revived, they would proceed according to the original plan. If he didn't revive, Ethan could also have Little Tom, who had absorbed enough remnants of souls from the Horcruxes, cosplay a bit at a critical moment.

Anyway, they were both Tom Riddle, so what did it matter who showed up?

"Thank you!"

Lupin took the collar and immediately put it on Peter.

It looked like it was made of leather, with complex magical patterns on it. After tightly fastening the buckle, Lupin also felt a lot more at ease.

Now that they had caught Peter, he was just afraid that something unexpected would happen later.

Peter, on the other hand, felt a deep despair. Without this collar, he wouldn't have a chance to transform into an Animagus and run away later, but now he really couldn't muster any magic.

"Then I'll undo these spells now."

"Okay!"

Peter had already been caught, and now he had no ability to escape, so it was time to leave.

Seeing this, Ethan lightly tapped the granite wall with his wand, and the half-meter-thick granite disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, like a punctured bubble.

Snape, who had been anxiously waiting outside, heard the movement at this moment and immediately cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.

It had been a long time since there had been any movement inside. He didn't know what had happened. After all, with half a meter of granite, the sound of talking certainly couldn't be heard. Only large-scale spells like thunderous explosions could alarm the people outside.

If Ethan won, he would pretend he had never been here and had never seen them.

But if Sirius won, he could hide aside and strike.

Creak!

The dilapidated wooden door was opened from the inside. Ethan walked in front, followed by Harry and Ron, and behind them was Lupin escorting Peter, and a dog following beside them.

Snape, hidden aside by the Disillusionment Charm, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Harry walk out safely, but Ron seemed to be injured.

But what did that have to do with him?

If Harry was injured, he could pretend to pass by by chance later and offer a few bottles of healing potions out of his duty as a professor.

But if it was Ron, he would be doing well if he didn't kick him a few times. Snape still remembered the cross-dressing incident during the first week of school.

And he still deducted Gryffindor's house points every class.

"You guys go to the Headmaster's office, then I'll go to Hogsmeade."

At the crossroads, Ethan prepared to part ways with them, after all, the rest was not within his transaction scope. He only needed to hand Peter over to Sirius.

Delivering him to Dumbledore was not his task.

Moreover, Peter was already like this, his whole person had swollen up, his hands were tied behind his back, and his neck had a magic-suppressing collar, basically eliminating any possibility of escape. What was the point of him going along?

Cassandra and Penelope were still waiting for him in Hogsmeade.

"Okay, you go!"

Lupin nodded and did not refuse. Just as Ethan thought, if something could still go wrong with this, he might as well die. What was the point of being a Hogwarts professor?

"Ethan, what I said before still stands. Next time you go to Hogsmeade, the expenses are on me."