#410 - The truth (asking for monthly recommendation tickets)

"Remember the website I asked you to repeat three times? If you haven't, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It would be great if you could share it on Facebook."

Anduin was able to make this judgment quite simply. If Sirius wasn't lying, then there were only two possibilities for how Voldemort found the Potters: either the 'Fidelius Charm' itself had a problem, or Sirius wasn't the Secret-Keeper to begin with.

But in his second year, he discovered that he couldn't contact Lily, which proved that they were indeed protected by the 'Fidelius Charm,' and there was no such thing as breaking the spell. At the same time, he also understood that the effectiveness of this protective spell was very powerful, and the secrecy rules couldn't be bypassed at all. Whether it was Legilimency, Veritaserum, or torture, if the Secret-Keeper didn't reveal it willingly, the secret couldn't be known by outsiders.

So, the only other possibility remained.

And when Sirius heard Anduin make this deduction, his expression became even more painful, as if he was caught in a sense of duty, holding his head with his only hand.

"Stop it, don't make me recall these painful things. It's all my fault. I failed Potter and Lily's trust. I chose the wrong person!" With that, Black held his head and pressed it hard against the iron bars, seemingly tormenting himself.

Remember the primary website domain 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞

"Just as I expected." Anduin ignored Sirius's actions and continued to speculate, "Since you're not the Secret-Keeper, then who would be the Potters' real Secret-Keeper? First, it must be someone you trust."

"And among your group, the closest relationships are between you, Potter, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. If the Secret-Keeper isn't you, and Peter looks a bit timid and fearful, you probably wouldn't choose him. So, is it Lupin? Was he the Secret-Keeper you chose?"

"No, if Lupin had betrayed Potter, you would have tried to get revenge with your life." Anduin shook his head in denial. Then, recalling the events after Potter's death, he immediately realized the key, "That's right, it's Peter!"

"The Secret-Keeper you re-selected was Peter, wasn't it? You wanted to deceive everyone, but you were too clever for your own good. Peter Pettigrew is the real traitor in the Order of the Phoenix, and your re-selection was equivalent to directly exposing the secret to the Dark Lord. And after Potter's death, you went to find Peter immediately, also for this reason. You wanted revenge?"

After Anduin deduced this series of events, the more he thought about it, the more logical it seemed.

And when Sirius heard Anduin speak of this long-sealed past, his whole body trembled, and he couldn't help but fall silent.

"It seems I'm right, am I?" Seeing Sirius's reaction, Anduin confirmed that his deduction was correct. "Why don't you argue? Peter is the one who truly betrayed the Potters. You should be innocent."

"Anduin, you're really smart." Sirius's voice was now weak, but tears kept streaming down his cheeks, dripping slowly from his chin. "But, if I hadn't suggested changing the Secret-Keeper, and trusted Peter, Potter and Lily wouldn't have died. I killed them. I'm guilty."

"So, you'd rather be locked up in Azkaban to torment yourself?" After learning the truth, Anduin found Sirius's idea incomprehensible. You think you made a mistake, so you have to torment yourself?

"Only by staying here can I reduce the guilt in my heart. Anduin, leave me alone. Let me stay here and atone for Lily, for Potter," Sirius said, choking with emotion. He now felt extremely painful as Anduin stirred up his past memories.

"But you're innocent. You're doing no good by locking yourself up here. If you really think you're wrong, you should go out and speak with your actions. You know, there are still many Death Eaters out there. They are all Voldemort's accomplices."

Anduin realized that Sirius had become so negative and dejected, so he had to patiently persuade him.

"I can't imagine getting out of here, Anduin!" At this point, Sirius suddenly raised his head, looking at him with an expression full of despair. "I've been here for so many years, and I can't forget the mistakes I've made. I can't forgive myself. You should leave this place quickly and let me live and die in a dark corner. This is the result I deserve. As for the other Death Eaters, I believe in Dumbledore, and I believe in you. You can do what needs to be done, and even if I join you, it won't add anything."

"This…" Anduin was rendered speechless by Sirius. How could there be such a stubborn person? He was unwilling to leave prison even though he was innocent.

If Sirius himself was unwilling to go out, then even if he could prove Black's innocence to everyone, what about Minister Bagnold's promise? It couldn't be fulfilled at all.

Then, Anduin continued to persuade Sirius, trying to use the outside world and Lupin, his only remaining friend, to convince him, but it was still futile.

In the end, Sirius still buried his head deeply, holding it tightly with his hands, resisting all of Anduin's words.

Seeing this, Anduin had no choice but to turn his head and look at Minister Bagnold, who was standing aside.

At this time, the Minister had not yet recovered from the shock of the news he had just received. Peter Pettigrew was the Secret-Keeper? He was the real traitor? Bagnold found it hard to believe such a result. To commemorate the deceased Peter Pettigrew, the Ministry of Magic had even posthumously awarded him a first-class Order of Merlin.

If all of this were overturned, the impact could be even greater than releasing Sirius Black.

However, after seeing Anduin's gaze, Minister Bagnold nodded, giving him a supportive response.

After failing to persuade Sirius, Anduin thought of something that might move him.

"Sirius, what about Harry? Have you given up on your godson? Potter and Lily are gone, and it's your responsibility to take care of their child! Are you going to let Harry grow up in a lonely environment without any relatives?"

After speaking, Anduin specially took out a magical photo from his pocket, which was the family photo they took together when he spent Christmas at the Potters' house five years ago.

After hearing his words, Anduin clearly felt Sirius's body stiffen, as if he had been touched on a sore spot.

At the same time, when he saw the family photo Anduin handed over, Sirius couldn't help but reach out and take it, then stared blankly at the Potters in the photo and Harry, who was being held in Anduin's arms.

Remember when I asked you to say the website three times at the beginning of the chapter? Sharing it on Facebook might bring surprises.