In fact.
The news of a first-year student pulling out the Gryffindor Sword was no secret, and many upper-year students had told their parents about what happened at the Sorting Ceremony.
That kind of fact was simply too interesting!
A first-year student capable of pulling out the legendary Gryffindor Sword had actually chosen to join Hufflepuff for the sake of a friend!
The entire Wizarding World was extremely curious about this first-year student, and quite a few people knew that this first-year student was the adopted child of Old Barty Crouch, which also made Old Barty Crouch place a bit of trust in the promise Vinson Wright had made offhand.
Of course.
Wizards were also very curious about the Gryffindor Sword.
Because no one had ever expected that the rumor about the Sorting Ceremony passed down through generations was true, and the wizards studying at Hogwarts back then really had been hanging by a thread...
Yet no one would have ever thought...
That someone would actually sneak into Hogwarts and covet the Gryffindor Sword!
"What a pity."
Peter Pettigrew made no secret of his covetousness for the Gryffindor Sword, spreading his arms and saying regretfully, "If I had known the Gryffindor Sword appeared that night, I definitely wouldn't have just left like that..."
Professor Minerva McGonagall looked at Peter Pettigrew, her voice deep as she questioned, "On the first day of the school term... you sneaked into Hogwarts?"
"Yeah..."
A flash of helplessness crossed Peter Pettigrew's face as he sighed and said, "Perhaps it was because I was too confident, thinking I could control everything, and actually overlooked the fact that our Gryffindor has treasures comparable to other houses..."
When Peter Pettigrew reached this point, his face grew even more regretful: "And by the time I got the news of the Gryffindor Sword, when I wanted to sneak back into the school, all the secret passages had already been fitted with magical traps. They should all be Headmaster Dumbledore's handiwork..."
"..."
Professor Minerva McGonagall's expression instantly turned solemn.
At that moment, she suddenly understood why Dumbledore had set up so many magical traps; it turned out to be to guard against anyone sneaking into the school!
"Fortunately..."
A flicker of relief flashed in Peter Pettigrew's eyes, and the corners of his mouth split into a smile that made it hard to tell whether it was praise or mockery.
"I've been waiting for the chance to sneak into the school again. Fortunately, two red-haired little fellows stepped into a magical trap and made it fail, sparing me from alerting Headmaster Dumbledore before sneaking in..."
When mentioning this matter, Peter Pettigrew even guessed with great interest, "If I'm not mistaken, those two identical little fellows should be children from our Gryffindor, right?"
Peter Pettigrew seemed to get hooked on guessing, continuing with his reasoning: "I'm definitely right, because they have a head of red hair, they must be from the Weasley family. Without exception, every single little wizard from the Weasley family is in Gryffindor..."
By the time he finished speaking, Peter Pettigrew was even praising the two little fellows clicking his tongue: "They really are good kids... If it weren't for the two of them stepping on a trap and helping me open the passage, I couldn't have entered the school so easily."
"..."
Professor Minerva McGonagall's face looked ugly.
Hearing Peter Pettigrew's mockery before her, this Head of Gryffindor now wanted nothing more than to drag the Weasley twins out of the Gryffindor Common Room and teach them another lesson!
If those two misbehaving kids hadn't ruined the trap, how could they have let the fellow before her sneak into Hogwarts? The Weasley twins were simply too capable of causing trouble!
At this very moment.
Professor Minerva McGonagall was thoroughly provoked by Peter Pettigrew's sarcasm, and she had completely made up her mind to properly whip that pair of twin brothers back into shape!
Peter Pettigrew seemed to sense the change in Professor Minerva McGonagall's mood, and he simply brought the topic to a close: "Alright, let's not talk about these little fellows anymore, let's get back to the main point!"
Peter Pettigrew bent over slowly, striking a humble posture: "Professor McGonagall, you are the teacher I respect the most. I will respect you forever, and I don't want to harm a single hair on your head, or even meet your gaze..."
"I don't know what you've been through..."
Professor Minerva McGonagall looked at Peter Pettigrew cautiously, not daring to lower her wand for even a second, fearing that the chubby man before her harbored some scheme.
Pointing her wand at him, Professor Minerva McGonagall continued in a deep voice: "If you really are that boy Peter, tell me everything, and then come with me to see Dumbledore..."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that. Headmaster Dumbledore and I are already enemies."
Peter Pettigrew didn't seem to care about the wand in Minerva's hand either, acting as if that wand was no different from an ordinary wooden stick in front of him: "Headmaster, can you put down your wand first? I don't want to hurt you..."
"Stupefy!"
Professor Minerva McGonagall waved the wand in her hand fiercely, and a Sleeping Charm suddenly flew from the tip of her wand toward Peter Pettigrew!
"Finite Incantatem!"
Peter Pettigrew snapped his fingers casually, directly causing that Sleeping Charm to dissolve into nothingness midway!
Professor Minerva McGonagall seemed to have known long ago that the first spell might fail, and she waved her wand continuously, hurling out spell after spell!
Peter Pettigrew extended a single finger, and every spell flying out from Professor Minerva McGonagall's hands was batted away by his fingernail!
In the span of just over a dozen seconds...
Professor Minerva McGonagall's spells actually caused patches of scorch marks to appear on Peter Pettigrew's fingernails. The late-night intruder had a conflicted look on his face, seemingly struggling and unwilling to make a move against Professor McGonagall!
"Forget it!"
Peter Pettigrew gritted his teeth, as if hating himself for being useless: "It seems I can't possibly find out the whereabouts of the Gryffindor Sword from you either!"
The next moment.
Peter Pettigrew completely gave up on wasting any more time!
The figure of the chubby man twisted instantly, his body shrinking rapidly to turn into a small mouse, bypassing Professor McGonagall directly from the floor and slipping out of the office!
This scene left Professor Minerva McGonagall dumbfounded!
The intruder who had just been suspected of being Peter Pettigrew was actually also an Animagus—this completely exceeded Professor McGonagall's expectations!
Yet did that fellow forget that she, the Head of Gryffindor, was also an Animagus, and even held an advantage over his animal form...
If he thought he could escape from right under her nose just by turning into a small mouse, he was vastly underestimating her as the Head of Gryffindor!
Professor Minerva McGonagall's figure rapidly transformed into a tabby cat, swiftly giving chase along the tracks left behind by the small mouse as it slipped away. A game of cat and mouse unfolded in the dead of night at Hogwarts!
The debt of the Sorting Ceremony shall be settled today!
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