The Truth

Seeing the crazed Scabbers, Ron instinctively retreated to the wall, clutching his chest tightly with one hand, and asked hysterically, "What's going on? Can anyone explain this?"

His pet, which he had raised for several years, could actually use a magic wand! He was completely bewildered and dared not approach Scabbers again.

"That's what we wanted to ask too." Professor Lupin glanced at Black, who was still laughing uncontrollably, and frowned. "How do you know Peter can't turn back?"

Kyle didn't answer immediately, but instead took out his wand.

"Stupefy!"

Peter was striking the wand, immediately fell to the ground.

Kyle then returned Hermione and Professor Lupin's wands to them, explaining, "Because of the tonics I brewed for them."

"A tonic?" Hermione frowned as she took the wand. "But the books never say that a pet tonic can prevent Animagus from returning to human form."

"The usual ones definitely won't work," Kyle said, "But I added a whole dried Mandrake leaf to its tonic...and it was the very top leaf of the root."

"What did you say?" Professor Lupin raised his voice instinctively.

Mandrake are already expensive, costing five Sickle per leaf, while the leaf at the top of the root tuber is even more expensive, almost ten times the price of a regular leaf.

This stuff is so expensive, it's enough for him to live on for a month, and Kyle actually used it to make a tonic for a mouse?

Did Kyle already know that Scabbers was Peter?

But that doesn't make sense... Professor Lupin shook his head. Only a few of them had seen Peter Animagus, and Peter's faked death happened twelve years ago. How old was Kyle then? Two? Or three?

"It's all a coincidence..." Kyle, ignoring Professor Lupin's strange expression, continued, "I originally wanted to make the tonic more effective, but I didn't expect him to be an Animagus."

"But... what does it matter?" Harry blinked, looking bewildered.

"Of course it's related," Kyle said without looking up, conjuring a cage and trapping Peter inside.

He had expected someone to help explain, but no one spoke up until he finished dealing with Peter.

Even Hermione and Lupin looked at him with the same bewildered expression as Harry.

"Don't you ever read herbal books besides textbooks?" Kyle asked instinctively.

Hermione shook her head slightly; of all the books she had ever read, those on herbs were the fewest.

Professor Lupin also turned his head away; his situation was similar to Hermione's.

"Alright..." Kyle sighed, and could only continue, "Mandrake are very good for Fantastic Beasts —they heal wounds, enhance their constitution...they're useful in many ways—but it's different for Animagus. You should know what the first step in learning to Animagus is..."

Kyle's last sentence was addressed to Black.

"Of course I remember." Black, still in mid-air, didn't ask Kyle how he knew he was Animagus. He simply rubbed his slightly sore chin and said, "Holding a Mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month... Honestly, that month was incredibly difficult. I almost gave up several times."

That's it.

Kyle said, "The purpose of the Mandrake is to record all your information as a wizard; it's like another 'you,' or a guiding light..."

"What lighthouse?" Harry was completely confused.

He felt like he was in Trelawney's Divination Class, completely unable to understand a word; the main point was simply to participate.

"Okay, let me put it simply," Kyle sighed, "It's that the Death's-head Hawkmoth Chrysalis can turn you from a human into an animal, while the Mandrake can turn you back..."

"What is a masked hawk moth... Ouch!"

Harry wanted to ask more, but before he could finish speaking, Hermione elbowed him in the lower back, making him wince in pain.

"That's a Potions ingredient." Kyle glanced at him and continued, "So when an Animagus consumes a large amount of Mandrake in animal form, the 'wizard' information within its body will gradually dissipate until it can no longer revert."

"But that's impossible..." Hermione frowned. "Professor McGonagall talked about the Animagus, but she didn't tell us to be careful about it. If it were really as dangerous as you say, the professor would have warned us."

"Because there's no need for that," Kyle said. "Strictly speaking, the information of a 'wizard' is very difficult to disperse unless one consumes it continuously for several years... and once one transforms back into human form, the information will reassemble."

Animagus are already rare, and the probability of someone being an animal for five consecutive years while constantly eating things containing Mandrake leaves is extremely low...

In the entire Wizarding World, only one person has emerged in a thousand years... oh no, now there should be two."

Kyle glanced at Peter in the cage.

Black started laughing again.

Professor Lupin looked at Kyle and suddenly asked, "Did you already know that Scabbers was Peter?"

Kyle turned his head. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I didn't see any surprise in you," Professor Lupin said. "Whether it was me, Harry, Ron, or Hermione, we were all shocked after confirming that Scabbers was Peter. Only you were different; you were very calm."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Kyle.

Ron seemed about to say something, but Hermione stopped him.

"I'm not surprised because this isn't the first time this has happened," Kyle shrugged.

"What?" Professor Lupin was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Kyle to say that.

"Actually, something similar happened when I was in first grade. Another student's pet was also an Animagus, and it was also a mouse."

Kyle chuckled, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Fred and George, or any of the other fourth-graders or higher; they all know."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions incredibly varied.

Harry and the others enrolled a year later Kyle, so naturally they were unaware of this. Professor Lupin was even less aware; he had only arrived this year and had only heard a general outline of what had happened from other professors, and most of it was related to Harry.

He didn't ask any further questions.

After hearing Kyle's explanation, Harry nodded in understanding... To be honest, he wouldn't be surprised if he saw someone with another face on the back of their head right now.

Soon, the room fell silent, with only Black's increasingly hoarse laughter remaining.

Harry felt a little awkward. He hesitated and looked at Professor Lupin, wanting to ask something, but not knowing how to start.

But his expression was all too easy to guess.

"Want to know about Lily and James?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "I just heard you say that you two used to be friends."

"He's my best friend, at least to me," Professor Lupin said.

"Then can you tell me?" Harry asked eagerly, "What exactly happened, and what is this 'Secret Keeper' you were talking about?"

Professor Lupin hesitated for a moment, then nodded...

"Alright, you have the right to know the truth, but I only know the beginning; Sirius will have to tell you the rest..."

Let me think where to begin... I first met James and Lily when I was in school...