Pride and Prejudice!

It wasn't what I had imagined.

The scene William imagined:

Black struggled desperately, attempting a futile resistance.

William beat him into a pulp, then "accidentally" cast Severing Charm, permanently curing him.

This can be considered revenge for being scammed during the summer vacation.

Then, William casually remarked. "Hmm, I already knew the whole truth."

Black's body trembled, and enduring the excruciating pain in his groin, he bowed down in submission.

But before the fight even started, the black dog skipped the beating step and, like a dog, lay motionless in the rain, pretending to be dead.

It feels a lot like this: before the car even starts moving, the old man trying to scam you is already lying under it.

This greatly displeased William.

Starting it is not an option, but not starting it is also a way to run over Black.

However, he did not relax. All the current conclusions are based on speculation about Hermione and lack substantial evidence.

William wasn't really sure Peter was still alive!

Is Black definitely innocent? Not necessarily!

So even without resistance, William still waved his wand.

The Dahei leaped into the air, as if suspended in the center of a spider web, its four paws outstretched, its head fixed in place.

"The capture of the Dahei is complete!"

This line was supposed to be delivered after he had stylishly beaten up Black... but unfortunately, it lacks any real impact now.

The three of them walked through the rain and headed towards the cave.

Once inside the cave, William flicked his wand, sending out a beam of blue-white light.

The black dog immediately twisted and transformed into a man in mid-air.

His filthy, tangled hair hung down to his elbows; if his eyes, hidden in deep, dark sockets, didn't shine, he might have looked like a corpse; his waxy skin clung to the bone structure of his face, making him look like a skull.

He grinned, his yellow teeth bared, his expression a mix of crying and laughing, acting completely erratic.

William and Hermione exchanged a glance, confirming at least their first suspicion: Dahei really was Black.

Although Anne was somewhat prepared, she was still very upset; she had truly been deceived.

Black lay sprawled on the wall like a specimen, his thin chest heaving rapidly as he watched William slowly approach.

The tip of the wand was aimed at Black's heart.

"Are you going to kill me, William?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Of course not, I'm going to hand you over to the Dementor," William said softly.

"If we capture Voldemort's successor— the Death Eaters Black —the three of us might even be able to obtain the Order of Merlin."

This will be my second Order of Merlin.

"I'd be happy to be sent to Azkaban; I should spend my whole life there to atone for my sins," he said calmly.

"But before that, you must know the whole story..."

"The whole story?" William tapped his wand, and the pebbles on the ground transformed into three chairs.

The three sat down, and William waved his wand again, producing a dish of egg yolk pastries and three cups of black tea on the table.

He picked up his cup, took a sip of the steaming hot black tea to warm himself up, and said elegantly:

"Go ahead and tell me. I love hearing stories, and you'd better tell me something I don't know."

Black's throat bobbed, his eyes fixed on the plate of egg yolk pastries.

He pleaded, "Please give me something to eat..."

William picked up a salted egg yolk pastry, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, closed his eyes to enjoy it for a while, and then swallowed it.

"Hungry? After I hear your story, I'll decide whether to give you a piece of egg yolk pastry or reward you with a Dementor's Kiss."

Black glanced at Anne again, and the little girl glared at him, angrily saying, "Speak up! You damn liar!"

Black chuckled, suddenly feeling quite pleased. The three little ones still had that familiar charm.

At least they still considered the feelings from the summer vacation and didn't treat it like a Werewolf game, giving no chance to explain at all.

He hesitated for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice:

"I know it's hard to believe, but Pettigrew Peter... is still alive. He's an illegal Animagus, just like me, a rat."

He was hiding on the Weasley family son, the freckled boy!

Black had expected the three to be shocked, to accuse him of lying, to call him crazy, or even to beat him up... He could understand that.

After all, even he would find it hard to believe such a thing.

Surprisingly, the three remained calm and quiet.

even...

William couldn't help but yawn, as if he hadn't slept well last night;

Anne and Hermione were fighting over a single egg yolk pastry, even though there were seven or eight more right next to them!

It seems the news that "Peter is a mouse" is less important than the egg yolk pastry.

Hey, I went through so much trouble to escape, being a dog, living in a cave, and eating rats...

Can't you guys even react?!

This news,

Aren't you shocked?!

Black was furious. He shouted angrily, "Don't you realize how serious this is?"

"Oh! Merlin's beard, and Scabbers is Peter? That's astonishing!" William exclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

"..."

"How did you know about this?" Hermione snatched the egg yolk pastry and interrogated her sharply.

"You've been locked up in Azkaban, how would you know Scabbers is Peter?"

"The newspaper!" Black gestured to his chest.

William snapped his fingers, and a crumpled piece of paper floated out.

This is a copy of the Daily Prophet from last summer.

The headline is about the Quidditch World Cup.

In the corner, there's a picture of the Weasley family who won the 700 Galleon lottery; Ron has Scabbers on his shoulder.

"How did you get this newspaper? Does Azkaban even provide newspaper services to help you pass the time?"

Is that really so humane? Even William was tempted by what I said.

"Fudge... he brought Malfoy to see me last July..." Black recalled.

"Malfoy?" William raised an eyebrow.

Finally, some unexpected news has emerged.

"He wants Black's fortune!" Black spat dismissively, but weakly, he spat it onto his own clothes.

"When I was sixteen, I broke with my family, and my dear old mother removed me from the family genealogy."

After her death, her only acknowledged son, my brother Regulus Black, also died.

According to her will, I have no right to inherit, but I am the only surviving male in the Black family.

Ancient families have always done this, using bloodline magic to protect their family fortune from being lost.

That magic ensures that even if I am stripped of my title, I will still inherit that damned gold according to my true bloodline.

Malfoy wanted the money, and his wife Narcissa was my cousin!

She came once the year before last, and Malfoy came last year.

He tried to persuade me to transfer my assets to him, saying he would use the money to help me get released.

"You agreed?"

"Agree? He's a Death Eaters, and he thinks he can fool me?"

Besides, I already thought I was supposed to die there. I didn't plan to go out until..."Black's face twisted again.

"Just before they left, I asked for a newspaper..."

"You saw Scabbers, and you know he's still alive?" William asked.

"Yes... Peter... on that boy's shoulder... I recognized him immediately." Black gritted his teeth.

How many times have I seen this?!

Back when he wasn't proficient with Animagus, it was James and I who Transfiguration him.

Although the rat was old, its fur had fallen out, and thirteen years had passed, I still recognized it at a glance.

Black said in a low voice, "Now that I know Peter is alive, I want to catch him. This thought gave me strength and cleared my mind."

That night, the Dementor opened my door to deliver food, and I, as a dog, slipped away from it.

They don't have eyes, so it's harder for them to sense animal emotions because animal emotions are often confused.

I was very thin then, extremely thin... so thin I could slip through the iron bars... I was thinking of swimming away from Azkaban...

"Why didn't you go straight back to the United Kingdom, but instead went to France?" Anne couldn't help but ask, annoyed.

Black's expression was strange; he stammered and refused to speak.

William flipped his right hand, and a small bottle appeared in his hand.

He shook himself and said, "Not being honest... Looks like I'll have to use Veritaserum, just one drop..."

"I'm lost... I'm slightly bad at directions..." Black muttered.

"..."

Is that a minor issue? France and United Kingdom are so different! You're not just directionally challenged, you're an idiot!

"Even if, as you say, Peter is still alive, that doesn't prove your point," William said, raising the most crucial question.

"Everyone knows you're the Potters ' Secret Keeper."

"No!" Black's face looked as if he had been punched.

"I changed things at the last minute and convinced James to let Peter be their Secret Keeper," Black said painfully.

"I thought it was the most perfect plan... a brilliant scheme."

"Why?"

"Because Lily and the Longbottoms were ambushed many times."

We all know there's a traitor among us, and that person even revealed to the You-Know-Who that I was the Secret Keeper.

I knew I had become a target of pursuit, and that's when this idea suddenly came to me.

They'll be so focused on chasing me that they'll overlook the weak and foolish Peter.

Black's voice grew lower and lower.

"James initially disagreed, but I eventually persuaded him."

"Since you changed the Secret Keeper, why didn't you tell anyone else?" Hermione asked astutely.

Even Dumbledore didn't say that.

"Hermione, Dumbledore was very busy back then! Busy fighting the Death Eaters, winning over those wavering forces, and contacting wizards abroad."

All the burdens fall on his shoulders; you can't possibly bother him with every little thing.

And Remus..."

"He's Werewolf, you suspect he's a traitor, you don't trust him, right?" William raised an eyebrow.

Black's lips moved, and he readily admitted, "Yes... you already know he's Werewolf, right?"

His face fell, as if he were ashamed.

"The four of us are best friends, but when I found out there was a traitor among us, I suddenly became suspicious of him."

At that time, most of the Werewolf in the United Kingdom surrendered to Voldemort, who promised Werewolf the best treatment.

In our country, however, Remus are often ostracized and may even be unable to find a job after graduation.

The thought that he was a traitor took root in my heart like a weed, growing wildly.

As it turns out, I was wrong, terribly wrong.

He roared, "Peter is the traitor!"

William sighed.

Pride and prejudice.

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