Late at night.
Hogwarts Castle was no longer peaceful.
Professor Minerva McGonagall transformed into a tabby cat and quietly patrolled the third floor. She immediately discovered the Weasley brothers sneaking around on another late-night adventure.
The Gryffindor head of house felt that letting the Weasley Twins into Gryffindor would probably shorten her life by ten years. Those two little troublemakers were far too bold!
The twins had even made a special pair of shoes for their late-night adventures. Wearing them reduced the sound of their footsteps, preventing anyone from hearing them...
Fortunately, she had heard them tonight!
Otherwise, if anything happened to them at school tonight, how was she supposed to explain it to their parents?
"Mr. Weasley."
Professor Minerva McGonagall took a deep breath to suppress her anger and said sternly, "Haven't you learned your lesson from being trapped by that magical trap two days ago?"
"But..."
Fred Weasley looked awkward for a second before suddenly grinning and asking in return, "Professor McGonagall, don't you think that trap was mysterious?"
George Weasley nodded repeatedly beside him, chiming in with his brother. "Yeah, yeah! What secret could such a powerful trap possibly be hiding?"
"..."
Professor Minerva McGonagall suddenly had no idea how to refute them.
All right.
That magical trap really was quite interesting.
Professor Minerva McGonagall knew that it had been set by Dumbledore.
As a witch who had come from Gryffindor, Professor Minerva McGonagall had to admit that she was a little curious about it too. What had Dumbledore hidden behind the trap?
But...
Curiosity was absolutely no reason for the Weasley brothers to escape punishment!
"Mr. Weasley."
Professor Minerva McGonagall was no longer distracted by their words. Calmly, she announced her decision. "Since you have once again violated Hogwarts' rules against being out after curfew, Gryffindor will lose fifty points for each of you..."
"Fifty points!"
Fred Weasley and George Weasley couldn't help exchanging a glance. Even they were astonished by how high the deduction was!
Professor Minerva McGonagall calmly continued, "To be precise, the two of you have caused Gryffindor to lose a total of one hundred points. I hope you will remember today's lesson."
"Professor McGonagall, you're our head of house..."
Fred Weasley and George Weasley's eyes shifted about. The two little troublemakers immediately tried to cozy up to their head of house.
If their older brothers knew that they had caused a hundred points to be deducted, Charlie Weasley might feel somewhat regretful, while Percy Weasley would certainly give them a thorough scolding!
Percy had always worshipped the House Cup. He studied tirelessly and was one of Gryffindor's main sources of bonus points. During the holidays, Percy would complain at home about the students who caused Gryffindor to lose points. Who could have imagined that his own brothers would become the main culprits?
Of course, this little matter could be overlooked.
The most important thing was that their housemates would look down on them!
"Because I am Gryffindor's head of house, I must make this decision. I hope you will remember today's lesson."
Professor Minerva McGonagall looked at the two seemingly dejected little troublemakers who clearly had no intention of learning their lesson and continued sternly, "Besides deducting points, I will inform Mr. Hagrid tomorrow and have you patrol the Forbidden Forest with him as punishment."
"..."
The Weasley Twins looked confused.
The two brothers glanced at each other. Then they simultaneously blinked. If they remembered correctly, the Forbidden Forest was also a forbidden area that students were strictly prohibited from approaching!
This didn't seem entirely like a bad thing!
The twins' spirits immediately lifted.
That made Professor Minerva McGonagall feel even worse.
Why did Gryffindor always attract all kinds of strange problem children? Fortunately, that little fellow named Vison Wright had not entered Gryffindor...
Professor Minerva McGonagall couldn't help feeling relieved, yet she also felt a little regretful. That little fellow truly had a great talent for learning Transfiguration.
To make sure they did not sneak away, Professor Minerva McGonagall had the caretaker Filch escort the twins to the Gryffindor dormitory before returning to her office to rest.
The night once again fell silent.
Just as Professor Minerva McGonagall reached out to open the door, she saw a somewhat familiar, short, plump man inside her office.
The short, plump man heard the door open and slowly turned his head. Looking at his former head of house, he stammered, "Pro... Pro... Professor McGonagall... why are you back so soon?"
"Mr. Peter?"
Professor Minerva McGonagall's brows immediately furrowed.
The short, plump man was one of her former students—Peter Pettigrew. He had always followed James Potter and Sirius, the two students who loved causing trouble... Although his friends enjoyed stirring up trouble, Peter Pettigrew himself had rarely caused any problems.
Eight years ago, when news arrived that Peter Pettigrew had been blown to death by Sirius, Professor Minerva McGonagall had felt a little grief for her student...
Wait...
Peter Pettigrew had died long ago!
Professor Minerva McGonagall had no idea that Peter Pettigrew had come back to life. She swiftly drew her wand and pointed it at him. "Who are you really? Why have you appeared here at a time like this?"
"I... I'm your student..."
A fawning smile appeared on Peter Pettigrew's face. His ugly, clawlike hands were spread over his chest as though he were desperately trying to explain himself to the person before him. "Professor McGonagall... Head of house... Don't you remember me?"
"...Answer my question!"
Professor Minerva McGonagall did not dare relax her guard in the slightest.
The respected witch had already noticed that her office had been searched and left in disarray. This meant that the person before her certainly had not come here with good intentions!
"It really is me... Professor..."
Peter Pettigrew's face was full of grievance. He kept waving his hands desperately as he tried to explain, as though he were hurt that his former teacher regarded him as a stranger.
Just as Professor Minerva McGonagall pointed her wand at him while frowning in thought, Peter Pettigrew's expression suddenly tightened!
The next second.
The short, plump man's face had turned utterly cold, making him look frightening and ferocious. "It seems Headmaster Dumbledore hasn't told you about me yet..."
"Dumbledore?"
Professor Minerva McGonagall furrowed her brows and said sternly, "I'll ask him myself. Now tell me who you really are and why you've appeared here!"
"Professor McGonagall, haven't you already recognized me?"
Peter Pettigrew shook his head helplessly and said softly, "Whatever questions you have, you'll naturally believe that what I've said is true after you ask Headmaster Dumbledore. As for why I've appeared here..."
Peter Pettigrew sighed when he reached this point. "The entire Wizarding World has been in an uproar these past few days. A new student pulled out the Gryffindor Sword..."
"Unfortunately, I learned the news a little too late. It turned out that the night I secretly infiltrated this place to retrieve something was the very night the legendary Gryffindor Sword appeared in the world. I was only a hair's breadth away from obtaining it..."
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