Luring the Snake from Its Hole

The next morning, in the Great Hall, Hagrid loudly reported to Dumbledore that he had discovered unidentified individuals illegally hunting on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and that the large amount of blood on the ground indicated that the hunters themselves might have been injured. Upon hearing this, Professor Sprout also stood up and mentioned that several pots of precious Dittany had been stolen from the greenhouse; Dittany is a valuable herb that can treat external injuries.

The students, who were watching the spectacle, were busy discussing and speculating whether the injured hunter was Black. Wizards also need to eat, and besides Magical Creatures, the Forbidden Forest also has wild deer and wild foxes. It's perfectly normal for them to hunt for food. As for the cause of the injury, it's very likely that he was attacked by a dangerous Magical Creatures in the Forbidden Forest during his hunt.

That night, as Sirius Black was sneaking into the greenhouse, he was suddenly attacked by a Black Shadow again. Fortunately, he was prepared this time and rolled over to avoid the green light of the Killing Curse.

The attacker was a bald, short man with gray hair, a rat-like face, and a pointed nose. He was none other than Sirius Black Peter Pettigrew had been longing to avenge.

Sirius Black's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice trembled with rage as he roared, "Traitor, how dare you show your face before me!"

Peter Pettigrew, completely unfazed, sneered, "Sirius Black, who do you think you are? It seems twelve years in prison have made you lose your sense of reality."

Peter Pettigrew's eyes gleamed with a cold light. "I am not the same person I used to be. I have gained new power and no longer need to fear you. Once I kill you, no one in this world will know I exist. I can regain my human form and start a new life, while you will only die bearing the stigma of a traitor..."

Just then, Professor Lupin emerged from his hiding place and stood behind Peter Pettigrew, forming a pincer movement with Sirius Black. He said hatefully, "It really was you! Peter! You weren't satisfied with killing James, now you want to kill Sirius Black too! You despicable scoundrel, I will kill you today!"

Lupin and Sirius Black simultaneously drew their wands (the latter's wand was given to Sirius Black by Lupin), and the two launched a fierce attack on Peter Pettigrew, showing no mercy and unleashing deadly spells that filled the air.

Peter Pettigrew revealed a cold smile. He drew a large circle with his wand, silently releasing a strange, pitch-black vortex. The vortex, like a black hole that devoured everything, swallowed up all their attacks. He said calmly, "Why bother? Remus, I only intended to kill Sirius Black. I didn't expect you to already know the truth. It seems my wand will have to add another soul to its collection today."

Lupin said coldly, "You don't actually think you can handle the two of us just because you've learned a little new magic, do you? Do you think you're the only one who's improved over the years?"

Peter Pettigrew's eyes gleamed with undisguised contempt. "Ignorant! You have no idea how vast the difference in our strength is now!"

After he finished speaking, visible black mist emanated from his body, swirling and dancing around him.

Seeing the unprecedented phenomena appearing on Peter Pettigrew, Lupin and Sirius Black dared not be careless and unleashed their strongest attacks at the same time!

Peter Pettigrew's aura suddenly surged, and he let out a hoarse scream as if his body was enduring some kind of pain. A beam of black light shot out from the end of his wand, breaking Lupin and Sirius Black's spells at the same time. However, the light did not disappear but continued to advance towards the two of them. With a bang, the two were sent flying far away as soon as they made contact.

The black light seemed to possess them consciously, and both of them simultaneously felt their magic power rapidly dissipating, their bodies weakening, leaving them powerless to resist.

Pettigrew sneered, "It's over, my friends. Let me send you on your way!"

Suddenly, a blindingly bright white light flashed. Peter Pettigrew hurriedly raised his wand to block it, took five steps back, and looked warily in the direction from which the white light had come. He said coldly, "I didn't expect even you to come, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore stared at him with a complicated expression and sighed, "Peter, you have fallen. Has your soul become so evil that you would kill your former best friend?"

Although Peter Pettigrew's Dumbledore has greatly increased, he has not changed his timid and cautious nature. As the most powerful wizard of this century, Peter Pettigrew is not so arrogant as to think that he can be his opponent.

He knew that with Dumbledore present, his plans for today had completely failed, and he could only return to a life of escape and hiding. Although this life was tragic and suffocating, at least he could survive first.

Thinking of this, a surge of humiliation and resentment welled up inside him, and he roared somewhat maniacally, "Close friends? They only treat me as a lackey! A errand boy who comes when called and goes when ordered! When have they ever treated me as an equal friend!"

Five eerie green Mars emerged one after another from the end of his wand, unusually noticeable in the darkness.

Sirius Black paused for a moment, his memory instantly returning to that Muggle street twelve years ago. He still remembered the magic, and how Peter Pettigrew, who had been sobbing in front of him, had five green Mars suddenly appear at the end of his wand, which then blew the entire street into ruins.

He shouted, "Danger!" But he and Lupin were both too badly injured to move and could only passively accept their fate. He was not afraid of death, but he was extremely unwilling to accept that he had failed to avenge his friend James and had even dragged another friend Lupin, down with him.

He and Lupin exchanged a glance, and simultaneously revealed a grim smile. They reached out and clasped hands tightly together, intending to face death together.

However, neither of them died. Dumbledore stood before them, blocking Peter Pettigrew's attack with a magical barrier radiating holy white light, but this also gave the latter the opportunity to escape into the Forbidden Forest.

Sirius Black roared in a hoarse voice, "Don't worry about us! He's trying to escape! Once he enters the Forbidden Forest, he can Apparition..."

Dumbledore gave a meaningful look and said, "That's not necessarily true..."

Peter Pettigrew did indeed take the opportunity to escape into the Forbidden Forest, but he did not Apparition and escape as Sirius Black had predicted, not because he was unwilling, but because he was unable to.

The Dark Arts attack he just used was a type of sacrificial magic. Twelve years ago, when he faced Sirius Black, he sacrificed one of his fingers. This time, facing Dumbledore, he dared not be careless. He directly sacrificed his entire right hand. That right hand, missing a finger, had turned into a pile of rotten flesh on the ground, becoming the price for using this Dark Arts.

Now, having exhausted a great deal of magical energy and lost a lot of blood, he is extremely weak. He can no longer cast the profound and complex Apparition.

He planned to hide in the Forbidden Forest for a while until his body recovered a bit before Apparition and leaving. Just as he was stumbling deeper into the Forbidden Forest, a silent and invisible spell suddenly shot out from a dark corner ahead. Even with Peter Pettigrew's caution, he didn't notice the spell approaching him at all, and was inexplicably struck by Full Body-Bind Curse, rendering him unable to move.

Skylar dispelled his invisibility spell and stepped out from the corner, smiling slightly. "Hello, Pettigrew, nice to meet you. I am Skylar Malfoy. You should have heard of me, right?"

(Note: Pettigrew is actually a surname. It should have been translated as Peter Pettigrew or Peter Pettigrew, but People's Publishing House translated it as Peter Pettigrew Black order to correspond with Sirius Black. The author uses "Peter Pettigrew" in the narration and "Pettigrew" or "Peter" in the dialogue. The latter is only used for Lupin and Sirius Black.)

Peter Pettigrew said in a hoarse voice, "I know you, of course I know you. You are the second son of the Malfoy family, and a well-known rising star of Hogwarts. Your father and I are Death Eaters. Please help me, take me away from here, and I will definitely repay you."

Skylar asked with interest, "Sir, how can you expect to get something for nothing from a mere child? Tell me first how you intend to repay me!"

Peter Pettigrew sensed an opportunity and hurriedly said, "I can give you power. I can tell you the secret to how I acquired this power. Once you obtain this power, with your talent, surpassing Dumbledore will be just around the corner."

Skylar nodded and said, "It is indeed very attractive, but unfortunately, I don't need these..."

Peter Pettigrew refused to give up and continued to tempt Skylar, describing the immense power of the force. Seeing that Skylar remained unmoved, he finally relented and asked, "So what do you want?"

Skylar smiled and said, "You know, like all Slytherin, I'm very ambitious. I want your loyalty..."

Peter Pettigrew's mind raced through a few thoughts, then he put on a fawning smile and said, "It is my honor to serve such a talented future powerhouse as you."

"You agreed readily, but I don't trust you. You betrayed the Order of the Phoenix, and then fled and went into hiding after the Mysterious Man lost power. You're not a loyal subordinate."

"No, no, they're not like you. They're too crazy. But you, young master, inherited the Malfoy family's character. You're definitely someone who assesses situations carefully and protects yourself wisely. Following you is absolutely the right choice for me."

"Even so, I still need to be on the safe side," Skylar said, pulling a vial of potion from his pocket. "This is a potion I developed myself. If you dare to betray me after drinking it, you will be tormented to death by the pain of being Myriad Arrows Pierce the Heart. If you drink it all, I will accept your loyalty and send you away from here."

Peter Pettigrew was unwilling, but he had no choice but to drink the potion.

Unexpectedly, Skylar's secret potion was nothing but a fabrication. There was no such potion in the world, and even if there were, Skylar wouldn't know how to use it. It was actually a mind-altering potion. After drinking it, Peter Pettigrew's consciousness began to become hazy, and Skylar took the opportunity to cast Hypnosis Charm on him, extracting the secret of his sudden increase in strength without revealing a single detail.

To Skylar's surprise, Peter Pettigrew did not return to Voldemort's side.

His power comes from a mysterious underground organization called "Shadow of the Magic Dragon," which is full of powerful dark wizards, several of whom are notorious fugitives from the same era as Voldemort.

After leaving Hogwarts, the young Tom Riddle interacted with these people, which is how he learned many secrets about Dark Arts, such as how to modify his body and greatly enhance his magical power. Tom Riddle, as Voldemort in his student days, was very handsome, completely different from the later infamous Dark Lord. His repulsive appearance was due to these Dark Arts.

(Note: In the original book, Dumbledore did mention that the young Riddle "mingled with the most evil guys in the wizarding world, underwent many dangerous magical Transfiguration, and finally reappeared as Voldemort." These guys are portrayed as members of the mysterious organization Shadow of the Magic Dragon in this book.)

Peter Pettigrew didn't know much about this organization either.

All he knew was that they had come for a student at Hogwarts, and that Peter Pettigrew's magical abilities had increased so dramatically after he had been baptized by some kind of dark power.

In exchange for this, Peter Pettigrew made Unbreakable Vow to help them kidnap a student. Peter Pettigrew currently does not know the student's identity. The organization wants Peter Pettigrew Black first eliminate Black, an unstable factor that might interfere with the plan, before revealing the subsequent plans to him.

The Shadow of the Magic Dragon, an organization that never appeared in the original books, why are they at Hogwarts? What are their ulterior motives?