Watching Sirius gulp down an entire bottle of Veritaserum, Professor Snape's mouth twitched slightly at the corners.

Lin Yue also looked at Sirius with mild surprise. The usual dosage of Veritaserum is only about one or two drops; an entire bottle... it could make him tell the truth for a week straight, revealing everything he has known since birth.

"Sirius Black," Professor Dumbledore stepped forward, looking at him with a serious expression, "are you or are you not the secret keeper for the Potters?"

At this point, they didn't need to ask too many other questions; it was better to get straight to the key point.

"No."

Under the influence of the Veritaserum, Sirius blurted it out without a moment's pause, and a deep anger appeared on his gaunt, haggard face.

"Not...?"

Professor McGonagall stared blankly at Sirius, who was sitting on the ground, unable to believe what she was hearing.

What she had always known was that Sirius was James and Lily's secret keeper!

"You all decided to change the secret keeper?" Dumbledore nodded, looking surprisingly unfazed.

"Yes, I thought my identity was too obvious, making me a target for the Death Eaters and Voldemort. The secret keeper could be someone else, which would make James and Lily safer, because Voldemort and the Death Eaters would be focused on capturing me."

Sirius closed his eyes as he spoke, reflecting on this thought... this idea that should have worked, which ended up costing him his best friend’s life and left his son without a family from a young age.

“Who is the secret keeper?”

Professor McGonagall took a deep breath to calm herself, but her slightly trembling voice still revealed her emotions.

“Peter Pettigrew.”

“What?!”

“Merlin…”

“Is this… is this true?”

“Of course, he even drank the truth serum, how could he possibly lie!”

Sirius's answer shocked the surrounding young wizards, many of whom found it hard to believe their ears.

After all, some of them had seen the reports from back then, stating that Sirius Black had betrayed the Potter family, then killed Peter Pettigrew and thirteen Muggles, blowing up a street before being arrested by the Ministry of Magic.

And now, his words undoubtedly overturned the previous findings of the Ministry's investigation.

Wait, did the Ministry really… conduct an investigation?

Many young wizards changed their expressions in unison; if the Ministry had conducted an investigation or used the truth serum, it would have been impossible for them not to uncover these facts.

“Why didn’t you tell us, why didn’t you appeal?”

Professor McGonagall tightened her grip on her wand, unsure whether she felt heartbroken or angry, or perhaps a mix of both.

“It’s my fault that James and the others suffered... I should be at Azkaban making amends.”

Sirius gave a bitter smile, undoubtedly expressing his true feelings.

“Foolish! Mr. Black! Foolish!”

Professor McGonagall looked at her haggard student. After so many years in Azkaban, he had long lost the spiritedness of his youth.

How could she not feel heartbroken seeing him like this? He was her student, her child, who had innocently spent over a decade in Azkaban.

Was that a place for a human to be?!

“Do you think torturing yourself is making amends?!”

Professor McGonagall felt both heartbroken and angry, her lips trembling slightly. “If you truly want to make amends, you should be there for Harry as he grows up, taking care of your friend’s child.”

Sirius slightly turned his head to look at Harry, whose face was filled with confusion, and there was a hint of reliance in his eyes.

“It’s my fault…” Sirius’s voice began to choke up, “I never grew up, acted impulsively, only thinking about making amends, but neglecting Harry…”

“You are not to blame.”

Harry shook his head firmly, stepping forward in front of everyone and hugging Sirius.

“The ones at fault are Voldemort, and Peter Pettigrew who betrayed my parents. They are the ones who caused me to lose my parents, to lose my home.”

“The ones who hurt us are the wrongdoers, not those who only want to keep us safe.”

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Harry straightened up as he spoke, squeezing his eyes tightly to quickly dry the tears inside. He looked around at everyone present, his voice firm and steady. "Caring for friends is not wrong; the wrongdoers are the betrayers and the perpetrators!" He turned to look at Sirius, speaking each word clearly, "As long as you need me, I will go to the Ministry of Magic to testify for you. I absolutely, absolutely will not let you go back to Azkaban!"

"Harry... Harry, I'm sorry..." Sirius stumbled to his feet and hugged him tightly, looking like a reliable elder.

"Don't worry, Potter. With so many people here to testify, we won't let Mr. Black go back to Azkaban," Professor McGonagall said, patting Harry's shoulder with a determined tone. Since her student was innocent, no one should think about sending him back to Azkaban; it was absolutely impossible!

Lin Yue, standing nearby with a video camera, nodded and said flatly, "Yes, I have also kept the video materials. The Ministry of Magic will definitely have no chance to deny it."

Principal Dumbledore smiled gently and apologetically, "I'm sorry to interrupt this reunion, but I must say, we still have some matters that need to be clarified."

"Sorry, Principal Dumbledore." Harry nodded and helped Sirius sit down on his bed.

"Mr. Black, why did you escape from Azkaban? Was it because you discovered Peter Pettigrew's whereabouts?"

"Pettigrew? He's not dead?" Hermione exclaimed softly from below, and Lin Yue, standing next to her, replied expressionlessly.

"There is only this explanation that can well account for why Sirius Black, who has been consumed by guilt in Azkaban, would escape."

"Because the person who betrayed his friend is still alive, and he wants to take revenge for his friend."

Listening to Lin Yue's explanation, Hermione nodded in understanding; indeed, it was a very reasonable analysis.

No one at the scene noticed that from the moment Harry said that the guilt lay with the betrayers and the perpetrators, Professor Snape's face had turned pale, even more so than usual. His hands, hidden in his robes, clenched into fists, and turbulent waves surged in his hollow black eyes. The betrayer... yes, the guilt lies with the betrayer.

"Yes, because I saw Peter in the newspaper again, right on the paper the Minister brought me to Azkaban."

During the summer vacation, the Daily Prophet reported seeing Peter Pettigrew. Sirius and Harry's father, as well as Peter Pettigrew, were all supposed to be illegal Animagi. The Weasley family made the news during the summer for winning a lottery, and there was a rat next to Ron that she identified as an illegal Animagus.

Several pieces of fragmented information she had previously organized jumped into her mind, integrating with the new information she had just received. Meanwhile, the image from that newspaper gradually became clearer in Lin Yue's mind.

The rat Scabbers, resting on Ron's shoulder, was missing a toe on one of its paws...

The information chain was completely filled in, and Lin Yue immediately reached the final conclusion, "Scabbers..."

She whispered, and both Hermione and Ron turned to look at her simultaneously.

"What?" ×2

"Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew."

"The family in that newspaper should be the Weasleys, and Peter, the traitor, transformed into a rat that was resting on that boy's shoulder. I've seen his Animagus form too many times; I absolutely won't mistake it!"

The voices of Lin Yue and Sirius sounded simultaneously, and Ron, who was pointed at by Sirius, felt a "bang" in his head.

"Merlin's tattered bed sheets..."

Ron staggered back a step, completely convinced by what Lin Yue and Sirius had said.

It was known that Lin Yue's analysis had never been wrong, and Sirius had just taken a truth serum.

So, he really had shared a bed with a traitor for three years.

And this traitor was the culprit who had caused the death of his brother's parents!

"Ugh..."

Ron couldn't help but cover his mouth and bend over; it was too disgusting, so disgusting that he wanted to vomit.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"Ron." Harry shook his head, got up, and walked back to pat him on the back.

There was no need for more words; they understood each other.

"A rat... no wonder he could disappear from the scene." Principal Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.

"Mr. Weasley, is your rat still around?"

Professor McGonagall turned to Ron with a serious expression, and Ron shook his head, looking pale.

"He's gone. Ever since," Ron paused and glanced at Sirius, "ever since Mr. Black broke into Hogwarts last time, he disappeared."

"This is troublesome."

Professor McGonagall rubbed her forehead in frustration; where could they find Peter Pettigrew now? Not to mention that his Animagus form was a rat, which could be hidden anywhere and make it impossible for them to find him.

The atmosphere in the room fell into a low mood; no one wanted to see the guilty escape punishment, especially Harry, whose expression was filled with deep resentment.

However, when he looked at Sirius, his expression unconsciously softened.

It was already good; his father's friend could clear his name, and that was already good enough...

If his father knew about this, he would probably feel very comforted.

Lin Yue mechanically blinked her eyes, and various pieces of information and data began to race through her mind, even a personality analysis of Peter Pettigrew surfaced in her brain.

"Given that Peter Pettigrew is already considered dead in the eyes of the public, he will absolutely not expose himself. Therefore, he will keep himself in his Animagus form and will not easily come into contact with anyone in that form," Lin Yue said in a calm and indifferent voice, drawing everyone's attention to her.

The wizards who had been whispering among themselves fell silent. Lin Yue began to analyze again, wondering if her analysis could lead them to the truth and help them find Peter Pettigrew.

Everyone present, except for Sirius, was looking at her, eagerly awaiting her words.

"According to Professor McGonagall, Peter Pettigrew generally followed Sirius Black and James Potter during school, which suggests that he likely chose to befriend students with strong magical abilities."

Lin Yue's voice remained steady as her gaze slowly shifted to Sirius Black. "From this, I believe his magical level is not high."

"Right," Sirius gritted his teeth in frustration. "He only managed to become an Animagus with James's help."

Nodding with a calm expression, Lin Yue continued her deductions. "Therefore, it can be concluded that Peter Pettigrew does not possess the ability to use non-verbal spells without a wand, and that Apparition is prohibited within and around Hogwarts."

"He cannot revert from his Animagus form, which means he cannot leave the vicinity of Hogwarts, whether by using the Levitation Charm, Apparition, or any similar methods."

"Simply relying on his Animagus form to leave Hogwarts is too difficult. Based on my analysis, Peter Pettigrew would need at least two weeks to escape the Forbidden Forest or the boundaries of Hogsmeade in his rat form."

"From his personality analysis, unless he is at his wits' end, he would not do this. He believes he has not been completely exposed yet; the only threat is Sirius Black, and he is still being hunted, so he thinks he is not at his wits' end."

"From this comprehensive analysis," Lin Yue's eyes gradually brightened, and the breaths of those around her became lighter, "he is still within the boundaries of Hogwarts."

"This..." Sirius, who had never heard Lin Yue's analysis before, stared at her in disbelief. Are the young wizards today this impressive? They are so much better than they were back in their day!

"Further narrowing down the options due to certain reasons," Lin Yue said, glancing at Harry, who vaguely understood the unspoken reasons behind her words.

"I can confirm that Peter Pettigrew is not inside Hogwarts Castle, not near the Black Lake, and not on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest."

"The remaining locations within Hogwarts are deep in the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's hut, and deep in the Black Lake."

"The danger level in the depths of the Forbidden Forest is too high. Without a wand, Peter Pettigrew cannot ensure his safety, so we can rule that out."

"The same goes for the depths of the Black Lake; without a wand, he cannot survive there, so we can rule that out as well."

"The final remaining option," Lin Yue looked out the window with an indifferent gaze, "is Hagrid's hut, which has a safe living environment and abundant food and water resources. Based on comprehensive calculations, the probability of Peter Pettigrew hiding there is greater than eighty-five percent."

"Minerva."

Without hesitation, Principal Dumbledore nodded at Professor McGonagall, who responded with a nod and strode out of the boys' dormitory.

The dark green robe behind her formed a shallow arc, and sparks faintly emitted from her wand.

Now, it was time for the true culprit to bow down.