He flicked his wand, pointing its tip directly at Charlie.
A hint of gravity flashed in his dark eyes, and his arm was held rigidly straight, clearly masking his inner unease.
That kid Charlie was incredibly wicked; if they really fought, he had no confidence at all.
"Charlie, it's best to cooperate honestly now," Snape's voice was very low.
"Don't make things worse."
Charlie sighed.
"Professor Snape, calm down," He spread his hands, indicating he had no ill intent.
"Black isn't the real criminal; Peter Pettigrew is. That rat on the floor, that's Peter."
The air solidified for two seconds.
Then Snape let out a sneer, a sneer of complete disbelief.
"What a creative excuse," A sarcastic arch formed on his lips.
"A rat is Peter Pettigrew? Charlie, when did you learn to tell stories from Lockhart?"
He paused, his tone growing colder.
"Peter died twelve years ago, with only one finger left. I've seen this rat before; it's that ugly thing the Weasley family's Troll keeps."
Snape's chin was slightly raised as he spoke, his dark eyes full of coldness.
"Stop making things up. Come with me to see Dumbledore. Now."
Charlie scratched his head, feeling a bit helpless.
How could this person be so unyielding?
He was about to transform Peter back into human form, to let the facts speak for themselves, when Black suddenly erupted.
"Don't you want to know who really killed Lily?!"
Black's voice was almost a roar, shaking the entire room. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging, and his whole body was trembling.
"Don't you want to avenge Lily, Snape! He's the one who betrayed the Potter family! It's Peter!"
Snape's face changed dramatically.
His wand trembled slightly but quickly steadied.
"Shut up."
His voice was terrifyingly low, each word squeezed out through gritted teeth.
"You don't deserve to say Lily's name!"
Charlie's spirits lifted.
Something was off, a big secret!
Lily was Harry's mother, did she have a relationship with Snape?
He glanced at the struggling rat on the floor; anyway, that guy couldn't escape.
Gossip was paramount!
He'd slow down for now, let them talk more.
Black was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.
"I know you hate me, and you hate Potter, he stole Lily from you."
"But do you want to watch the person who truly killed Lily escape justice?!"
"You shut up!!"
Snape, as if an old wound had been reopened, glared at Sirius.
Charlie, like a civet cat in a melon field, his eyes gleaming, 'There's more to this story?'
"I'm telling the truth," Sirius stared intently at Snape, his voice filled with despair.
"James and Lily made me their Secret Keeper, but we changed it at the last minute, to Peter. Everyone thought I was the Secret Keeper, including You-Know-Who."
He raised a trembling hand and pointed at the rat on the floor.
"But Peter was the real Secret Keeper. He was the one who betrayed the Potter family's location, he was the one who killed James and Lily!"
Snape's face was grim, staring at Peter on the floor.
Peter, still in rat form, was trembling.
Black took a step forward, his eyes red-rimmed.
"When I caught up to Peter, that coward shouted in the street that I had betrayed James and Lily, then blew up the entire street, cut off his own finger, and turned into a rat and ran away."
"Everyone thought he was dead, thought I killed him. But he's been alive all this time, hiding in the Weasley family's house!"
Snape stared intently at Black, countless emotions flashing in his dark eyes—shock, doubt, anger, pain—finally all turning to ice.
"Proof," His voice was hoarse.
"How do you prove it?"
Black pointed at the rat on the floor.
"Turn him back! Then you'll know!"
Seeing that there was no more gossip to be had for now, Charlie slowly walked towards the rat bound with rope.
There was a specific Spell to forcibly revert an Animagus.
Charlie walked in front of the rat and gently waved his wand.
The rat on the floor began to tremble violently, its fur receding inch by inch, its limbs elongating, its body swelling. Bones cracked continuously, making one's scalp tingle.
In less than ten seconds, a short man appeared on the floor.
He was very short, not even 1.6 meters tall, with a sparse, bald head, and a few wisps of gray hair plastered limply to his scalp.
His skin was loose and sagging, like an empty skin left after a fat person had rapidly lost weight.
His right hand was missing a finger, the scar at the break already white.
He was huddled in a ball, his eyes darting around, constantly glancing at the door.
"Hello, Peter," Sirius's voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth, a savage grin on his face.
"Long time no see."
The moment he saw Peter, he paradoxically became less urgent.
Peter was trembling all over, trying to retreat, but he was tightly bound by the rope.
Snape stared at the man on the floor, his chest heaving violently.
It was him.
It really was him.
Peter's appearance now proved that what Sirius said was true.
The person who truly killed Lily was Peter.
A surging hatred welled up in his heart, and the veins on the back of Snape's wand-holding hand bulged.
"S-Snape--" Peter's voice was high and thin, with a whimper.
"Don't believe his nonsense! He's the real informant!"
He desperately tried to inch towards the door, like a maggot.
"No one has ever escaped from Azkaban before, and he could do it. Besides him defecting to You-Know-Who, and You-Know-Who teaching him, what other reason could there be?"
"Are you talking about Lord Voldemort?" Black sneered.
Peter stiffened all over, trembling even more violently.
"Afraid to hear the old master's name?" Black slowly approached, his footsteps echoing in the empty room.
"That's understandable. In Azkaban, I heard Lord Voldemort's followers all believed you betrayed him, which led to him being killed by Harry that night."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Peter shrieked.
"I didn't betray Potter."
"Shut up!"
Snape's voice rang out, terrifyingly cold.
His wand slowly rose, his dark eyes utterly devoid of life.
Peter still wanted to say something, but the three people present had no interest in hearing his excuses.
Sirius had already lunged, his hands tightly gripping Peter's neck.
"Die! Die!" Black's eyes were bloodshot, his fingernails digging into Peter's flesh.
Peter struggled desperately, making gurgling sounds, his face turning crimson.
Just then, an invisible ripple flashed.
"Sectumsempra."
Snape coldly uttered the Spell.
An invisible blade sliced through the air.
A deep bloody gash instantly appeared on Peter's neck, blood gushing out.
His head flew off directly, rolling to the corner of the wall.
His mouth was still open, his eyes wide, dying with a grievance.
Blood splattered across Sirius's face, and Sectumsempra even left a bloody cut on his cheek.
But Sirius was oblivious, simply staring blankly as the headless corpse fell to the floor, blood spreading across the floor.
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