"Director, could you please give me back my Scabbers? It's just an ordinary mouse."
Ron hadn't actually planned to approach Director Lorne, but during dinner, he accidentally slipped up while talking about pets with Hermione and Harry, saying he wouldn't abandon his Scabbers. To avoid being laughed at, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the General Affairs Office.
In a sense, it's also Gryffindor.
How could Lorne possibly agree? He was after those dumplings wrapped in vinegar.
"How can you be so sure it's just a rat, and not some new species that hasn't yet been discovered in the encyclopedia of Magical Creatures?"
"Huh?" Ron was a little confused by the question. "But there's nothing special about Scabbers. He's been with me for two years, and he's been with Percy for many years."
"Isn't that what's amazing?" Lorne countered. "How could an ordinary mouse live that long?"
"We've taken good care of it..."
Ron wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Lorne raising his hand, "Everything must be done according to procedure, Ron. Once we've checked it and found there's nothing wrong with it, we'll return it to you without missing a single hair."
After dismissing Ron, who was still arguing, Lorne decided to begin his interrogation process.
According to the plan, Sirius should have already arrived at Hogwarts.
Although Lorne didn't want to expose Peter so soon, it wouldn't hurt to let Sirius collect some interest first, provided that it didn't alert Peter. He wanted Peter to live in constant fear and be unable to escape.
So he first sought out Lupin.
" Professor Lupin," Lorne gestured for Lupin to sit at his desk, "Please sit down. I've called you here to ask for your help in checking the pets that the students brought in, which are not within the scope of Hogwarts regulations, to see if they pose any danger."
Lupin fits all of Lorne's impressions of the new generation of teachers: he is witty, humorous, responsible, and approachable when talking to colleagues.
"Of course," Lupin replied with a smile. "If we had a responsible General Affairs Office when we were in school, there would probably have been far fewer problems."
"You're too kind. Just asking politely, are you proficient in any binding spells, or spells that can restrict the movement of others for an extended period?"
Lupin asked doubtfully, "Is it meant to be used on those Fantastic Beasts? I do carry a magical item with me that can restrict movement."
"This is it," Lupin pulled a small piece of fabric from his pocket, which Lorne even mistook for clothes for cats and dogs, " St. Mungo's's Magical Restraint Bodysuit, specifically designed to restrain patients exhibiting symptoms of madness and violence, preventing them from waving their wands to hurt people or running around, and it can automatically adapt to the patient's body size."
Lorne's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected that Lupin, being Werewolf, would carry a magical item capable of restricting his movements. This must have been something Lupin used on himself before becoming Werewolf; if it could restrain even a Werewolf, then dealing with a little mouse would be a piece of cake.
"Can I borrow it?"
Lupin pondered for a moment, remembering the Wolfsbane Potion Dumbledore had promised him. He figured he wouldn't need it for the time being, so he readily agreed, "Sure, but I need to know who it's for."
You'll find out soon.
Having found a way to trap Peter, Lorne decided not to keep it a secret. He took out his Magic Mobile Phone and sent a message to Sirius, telling him that he could now leave the Shrieking Shack for the General Affairs Office, Peter was in his hands.
The Chamber of Secrets that oversaw those magical creatures was right next to the General Affairs Office; Lorne led Lupin inside.
"We'll be opening the cages soon. To prevent the animals from escaping, Professor Lupin, could you please cast a Locking Spell to lock the windows? We don't need the door for now; someone else is coming."
Lupin was a little puzzled as to how the director of the General Affairs Office, who looked to be in his twenties, could not even know such a basic incantation, but he did not ask any questions and simply followed his instructions.
Not long after the two stood still, a black dog quickly darted into the house.
This time, without Lorne's prompting, Lupin instantly waved his wand to lock the door, simultaneously turning it towards Lorne. The gentle smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold and resolute expression.
" Levicorpus "
Before his voice had even faded, Lorne had already reacted, instantly casting a silent, staffless Levitation Charm and using the planks piled up in the corner to block the attack.
Lupin's expression shifted slightly. He hadn't expected Lorne to be a genius who had mastered silent, Wandless Magic. But he wasn't going to give up. Just as he was about to continue casting the spell, Sirius calmly stood up and took Lupin's wand.
"Calm down, Moony." Sirius stood confidently in front of Lupin, knowing that Lupin wouldn't hurt him.
Lorne remained calmly standing by the door, his eyes not even looking at Lupin who was attacking him, but at the rats jumping around in the cage.
Lupin didn't lower his wand, and demanded, "What is your relationship? I had no idea that Death Eaters would dare to infiltrate Hogwarts right under Dumbledore's nose."
Lorne even had the mind to joke with Sirius: "You know how difficult it was for me to invite you to the shop back then, right? Prejudice in people's hearts is truly a mountain."
Sirius ignored Lorne and gave Lupin a big hug. "You don't believe I would betray James, do you?"
Lupin remained expressionless. "Who else could it be? The Secret Keeper can't be anyone else, and besides, you killed Peter..."
Lupin paused mid-sentence, as he keenly sensed something.
"That's right. I was too clever for my own good and had Peter replaced James's Secret Keeper. I never expected him to betray James and side with Voldemort," Sirius's eyes turned fierce. "I thought I had killed him so he would go to Azkaban to atone for his sins, but I only recently discovered that Peter is still alive."
"What?" Lupin still didn't believe it. "How can you prove what you're saying is true?"
"Guess why we're gathered here." Sirius missed his crazy, eccentric self when he first came out; he felt that suited his current violent nature better.
When he was practicing the Magic Power Matrix, he asked Lorne for a wand. When Lorne took it out, Lupin still couldn't help but raise the wand to protect himself. Sirius just smiled and waved his hand casually. A green beam of light shot straight towards the mouse that was already so scared that it was gnawing on its cage.
" Human Form Restoration Spell!"
When the green light wave hit, the rat in the cage immediately clung to the cage with both hands. The wire cut indentations into its gradually enlarging body, and its yellowish-brown teeth, which had been gnawing on the cage, turned into human buck teeth.
With a loud bang, a short, stout, balding middle-aged man burst through the cage and appeared in front of the three.