"Wait, Cornelius." Dumbledore finally spoke as Fudge waved to his subordinates, preparing to leave.
Fudge paused, his gaze slightly surprised. In his view, this was a win-win outcome. Dumbledore had clearly prepared in advance to let everyone witness this scene.
Dumbledore looked at Black, whose arms were being held and who had remained silent until now.
"I'm very curious as to why Mr. Black insisted on breaking into Hogwarts, and what his purpose was."
"Could you tell us, Mr. Black?"
Dumbledore's way of addressing Sirius surprised Fudge somewhat. Calling a criminal "Mr." was clearly unusual.
Could it be that Dumbledore's aim wasn't to raise his own reputation further?
Fudge suddenly realized something was wrong. The truth Dumbledore had mentioned earlier might have meant more than that, and his expression shifted slightly.
Indeed, it wasn't. At the back of the crowd, Su Er reached into his pocket, took out a sweet, and popped it into his mouth. There was nothing left for him to do now. He could simply stay quietly in the corner and watch the show.
Black, who had been silent all this time, finally moved. He held out his palm, where a rat lay motionless, whether alive or dead unknown.
"A rat?" Dumbledore said in surprise.
"He's not a rat." Black's voice was hoarse. "He's Peter Pettigrew."
"Impossible." Before Fudge could speak, Amelia, who had been standing in the background all this time, exclaimed in shock, "Everyone knows Pettigrew died twelve years ago, killed by Sirius's spell."
Fudge's expression also shifted slightly. He stared intently at Dumbledore, seemingly watching for changes in his expression.
"Why do you say that, Mr. Black?" But Dumbledore remained composed, calm and unruffled. Even widening his small eyes, Fudge could detect nothing.
"Because Pettigrew is an Animagus." Black's hoarse voice rang out quietly.