Chapter 216: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Lockhart thought Snape would be angry, angry that he had concealed Peter Pettigrew's existence, allowing Pettigrew to wander right under Snape's nose without him knowing.
In the field of Potions, there was a fascinating branch that dealt with the breeding of magical creatures and the development of medicinal potions, a class Snape had once taught to the students. He had watched Ron hold Pettigrew in his arms while brewing a potion, and now, looking back, he felt nothing but mockery.
But Snape wasn't angry. His expression was utterly serious. Looking at Lockhart's slightly cowering demeanor, he sincerely cautioned, "There is no such thing as the most powerful or foolproof magic in this world!"
This was true of Dumbledore, and it was also true of Voldemort.
When Voldemort learned of the prophecy and sought to kill Harry, Dumbledore believed the Fidelius Charm was a foolproof spell, but in the end, the Potters died.
Voldemort was the same, believing he could become immortal and act with impunity by creating several Horcruxes. But in reality, that was not the case at all. The more extreme a thing was, the more powerful it became, but also the more susceptible it was to a specific counter.
Voldemort, who pursued the magical path of life to its extreme, was targeted by fate itself. Snape had always believed that Voldemort was killed not by Lily, nor by Harry, but by the Divination professor, Sybill Trelawney.
He agreed with the prophet Gellert Grindelwald's statement that the future is always uncertain. Therefore, Grindelwald only prophesied the inevitable grand tides of events but never trusted the specific details of a prophecy's journey.
"The future holds infinite possibilities, and only a Diviner can narrow it down to a single outcome," Snape said, explaining his understanding of magic. "In my eyes, Divination is essentially a curse. In fact, in ancient wizarding society, the two were often confused."
The curse could be a prince turning into a disgusting, slimy monster, or a princess falling into an enchanted sleep, only to be awakened by someone who could love them. But the most twisted part of this curse was that it seemed to suggest that love was the cure, but few people realized that the love was often warped, a product of twisted desire. Snape patiently explained the logic behind this.
Gradually, Lockhart's expression also turned serious, then slowly returned to its usual calm and gentle state as he immersed himself in the discussion. "Yes, I agree with you!"
Time travel was indeed a powerful thing, but too many lessons from history warned people of its terrible consequences. Lockhart did not want to be caught off guard.
A Niffler, a bottom-feeder in the magical creature world and merely food for dragons and Acromantulas, had the ability to steal Grindelwald's blood pact and completely change the course of the wizarding world.
The seemingly ordinary, even clumsy, Neville Longbottom in the school could wield a sword and kill Nagini, permanently severing Voldemort's chance at true resurrection. The fact that wizards like Barty Crouch Jr., Peter Pettigrew, and Rita Skeeter could exist right under the noses of far more powerful enemies, unnoticed, constantly proved the vastness and strangeness of magic.
It made him acutely aware that there were always more incredible things happening in the magical world.
And so, the conversation returned to its original topic: Peter Pettigrew.
Lockhart had to admit that he had been arrogant in underestimating this cowardly man. When you look at his achievements, nothing about them was simple.
The not-so-excellent Peter had earned the approval of the arrogant pure-blood heir, James Potter, and Sirius Black, and the approval of the sensitive Lupin. He later joined the Order of the Phoenix and gained the approval of everyone there.
This was more than just a case of Dumbledore misjudging someone. In those war-torn years when everyone's life was on the line, everyone was on high alert. The members of the Order, arguably the very best of the wizarding community, had all been fooled.
Professor McGonagall was fooled, Mad-Eye Moody was fooled, and the Longbottoms were fooled. Then, after Voldemort's downfall and the widespread defeat of the Death Eaters, when the Order and the Ministry's Aurors were hunting down fugitives everywhere, Peter Pettigrew exposed his identity as a spy to Sirius Black. Yet, he was not only never convicted but was posthumously awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, as a hero! After that, he hid with the Weasley family and at Hogwarts for over a decade without being discovered.
"Do you really think he's a coward?"
Snape sneered. "Do you think a coward would dare hide in the home of an Order member, in the home of the Weasleys—one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families with a long magical history—and then dare to follow a family member to Hogwarts, the headquarters of the Order, right under Dumbledore's nose?"
"I don't think there is a more daring man in the world!"
"Put yourself in his shoes. Would you dare hide like that, even if you understood the theory of 'the darkest place is under the lamp'?"
Lockhart gasped, suddenly realizing that, no, he really wouldn't dare.
The Weasley family was by no means simple. Their house was filled with strange and powerful magical creations that could expose his presence at any moment. Hogwarts was even more ridiculous; if he were exposed there, he couldn't even Apparate away.
"Cowardice may be his nature, but he has absolutely conquered his nature!" Snape said, analysing the man he wanted to kill with the utmost calm. "His magical abilities must be the complete opposite of his timid nature!"
Lockhart suddenly remembered the duel between Pettigrew and Sirius. "That spell that blew up an entire street and killed over a dozen Muggles must have been an extremely explosive curse!"
"Not only explosive, but also calm," Snape's tone was solemn. "He judged the situation and people's hearts with extreme precision. He decisively cut off his own finger to create evidence of his fake death, making Sirius give up on revenge and become despondent, allowing Pettigrew to shift the blame to him."
"He knew exactly what kind of person Sirius was, what kind of person Dumbledore was, and what kind of people the Order members were. That's how he knew the Order wouldn't suspect he was alive and wouldn't secretly hunt for him."
Snape squinted. "Rumors of the Dark Lord's return have been circulating. Professor Quirrell even went looking for him, but Peter Pettigrew stayed put. Later, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and Voldemort's presence appeared, but he remained unmoved."
"Therefore, I believe he has no loyalty to the Dark Lord. He is simply clever enough to find a way out of a dead end."
"I don't think it's a good idea to force such a man back to the Dark Lord's side. If you have a chance to kill him, do it decisively. If not, don't push too hard."
Lockhart found it hard to imagine what state of mind Snape was in to make such a judgment, to say, "don't push too hard." This was more than just hatred; this was a wartime mentality, a tactical way of thinking about everything. It was true that sometimes you couldn't think of things simply.
Lockhart looked at Snape apologetically. "I'm sorry, this was my fault for concealing the information about Peter Pettigrew."
Snape shook his head. "I would never blame anyone for such a thing, because the interests of two people are never perfectly aligned." He didn't want to discuss the topic further. "I suspect Remus Lupin has betrayed Dumbledore, secretly working with Sirius to catch Peter Pettigrew themselves. That is a point we can use!"
Lockhart was stunned. "That's not betrayal, is it?"
Snape sneered. "Then why, after Sirius escaped, did he not go to Dumbledore? Why didn't he share the information he had with Dumbledore and let him catch Peter, who was still disguised as Ron Weasley's pet? Wouldn't that have been simpler?"
"He wouldn't even have to show his face. Was it so hard to write a letter and send it by owl? You have to remember, he's been out of Azkaban for a while now."
Ah, that's… Lockhart blinked. He honestly had no idea why Sirius wouldn't do that.
"Because he no longer trusts Dumbledore!" Snape's voice was icy. "He, or they, are afraid that to Dumbledore, Peter Pettigrew might be just another Severus Snape!"
"They want revenge. They want to settle a personal grudge, not a war on Dumbledore's terms. What if Peter was seen by Dumbledore as the most useful double agent who could be turned? Would they stand by and watch Peter repent, atone for his sins through self-sacrifice, and finally become a great hero?"
Snape sneered, a malicious grin on his face. "Only those who have done such a thing would be afraid of others doing the same, because they know it works!"
In his eyes, there was no such thing as justice, only interests and positions. If you stood on one side, worked hard to defeat the enemy, and ended up on the winning side, you became part of "justice." Whatever evil or wrong you did in the past would be completely erased, and no one would ever hold it against you. Hadn't such things happened before?
Lockhart's expression grew strange. He didn't want to argue with Snape about these things, but he agreed with his point Peter Pettigrew really was a more suitable spy than Snape himself! He was magically powerful, had a good understanding of situations and people's hearts, was good at finding a way out of dead ends, and always appeared weak so that people habitually ignored him.
Most importantly, he was frighteningly patient and persistent. In the matter of Lily's death, from Voldemort's perspective, Peter Pettigrew was undoubtedly more loyal than Snape, had no way out, and was far more trustworthy.
Hiss…
So he really couldn't figure out what Dumbledore's ultimate plan was. After all, it was for the Greater Good!
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