Chapter 96 The Imperius Curse Reappears

The scene was chaotic, and no one knew what was happening.

They saw Ron hastily entering Evan's body with eyes completely red. Both fell to the ground, hitting each other.

"Stop, stop, Ron!" Hermione shouted forcefully, trying to pull them apart.

Evan still hadn't reacted and received a strong blow to the stomach. He used his knees to restrain Ron, while his right hand instinctively reached for his wand.

A bright red light flashed, and Ron was sent flying.

His body hit the table and fell to the ground, struggling twice to get up and continue running towards Evan. Fred and George quickly restrained him.

"Ron, what do you have against Evan?" exclaimed Fred, surprised.

"Yes, do you really realize what you are doing?" added George.

Ron was panting and staring at Evan with his eyes still red.

Everyone held their breath and gazed at Ron. The entire Common Room was stunned by what had just transpired.

Evan's clothes were all disheveled. His right hand tightly gripped his wand, pointing it at Ron. His left hand gently caressed Hermione's shoulder. She was beside him, uncontrollably sobbing.

"But what the devil are you doing, lads!" Percy exclaimed, making his way through the crowd and looking sternly at Ron. "Ron, I know you're upset about losing the rat, but it wasn't Evan who killed it."

"It was him, it was him!" Ron yelled. "It was him who asked Hermione to buy the cat. If it weren't for that cursed cat, Scabbers wouldn't have died."

"It wasn't Crookshanks who killed Scabbers..." Hermione weakly argued, tears filling her eyes.

"Ron, you're mad! Over a rat..." Ginny whispered, approaching to console Hermione. She turned to Ron and glared at him.

"Rat? Scabbers is my friend!" Ron interjected to Ginny, roaring with anger. "My best friend is dead. Both of you, and that damned cat, killed him. You've been supporting them all along. Has anyone ever thought about my feelings?"

Apart from Ron's roars, no other sound was heard, just a deathly silence in the Common Room.

"In fact, your rat isn't dead at all, and no one touched it!"

Evan let Ginny attend to Hermione and rushed to a corner of the room to retrieve a struggling rat, then tossed it to Ron.

Seeing Scabbers trembling in his hands, Ron fell suddenly silent.

He was astounded. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words. He couldn't explain it to the others. The rat was just the trigger. When he exploded in anger and lunged at Evan, all he could think of was the image of Evan with his arm around Hermione entering the Common Room.

"Well, Ron, things have been cleared up, and your rat isn't actually dead," Percy said firmly. "Apologize to Evan and Hermione immediately."

Ron was upset by Percy's words.

He breathed heavily and looked coldly at Evan and Hermione.

Reason told him he should apologize, but a voice in his heart kept whispering that if anyone needed to apologize, it should be them. It was clear that the fault lay with them.

Suddenly, he remembered what Tom Riddle had told him the previous year. His fists clenched, and his whole body trembled.

If he could choose, he would rather throw himself again and fight with Evan.

"He's saying 'sorry', Ron," Ginny whispered anxiously to remind him.

Ron snapped out of it and saw everyone staring at him. He took a deep breath and vaguely said, "Yes, I'm sorry."

After that, he turned and ran back to his bedroom.

In the dark room, Ron was alone.

He lay on his canopy bed and rested his head on the pillow. Tears welled uncontrollably.

He must have lost his mind a moment earlier. Unexpectedly, he shouted at Hermione and fought with Evan...

Ron couldn't understand why he had wanted to do that; perhaps it was too hard to suddenly lose Scabbers. Maybe Tom Riddle's words from last year played a role, or perhaps it was the feeling he had during the day, a mix of envy, jealousy, and a vile hatred.

In short, the more he looked at Evan, the worse he felt.

Thinking about all they had done to support Evan, Ron felt truly alone.

If it were just the others, he could have easily let it go; but alongside them were Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny. They were all his family. None of them were on his side.

And Hermione... Ron felt even more distressed just thinking about her.

Ron tried not to think about her. He thought about Harry, his best friend. If Harry were here tonight, would he support him?

Ron hesitated. At first, he believed Harry would support him. He did against Malfoy, but that was different. The relationship between Harry and Evan was also very good. Harry could be like the others and support Evan.

He had already lost Hermione, and the thought of losing Harry made Ron feel indescribably distressed.

He had always treated Harry as his best friend, but did Harry feel the same way about him?

Harry was not only a famous savior but also the Seeker of the Quidditch team. Harry had always been surrounded by the elite. Ron, on the other hand, was just an ordinary boy. What would make Harry choose him as his best friend?

Perhaps, in Harry's eyes, he was just a follower.

"I am utterly alone!" murmured Ron. "No one will support me. I am a total loser. Everyone looks down on me."

His body shrank in pain, and after a moment, he felt something trembling in the pocket of his coat. It was Scabbers!

Ron wiped away the tears and stood up to take the rat out.

Scabbers looked terrified, his body trembling, and his little eyes full of fear.

Indeed, Peter Pettigrew was truly frightened. He hid according to his plan. This would surely not deceive Sirius, but it would buy him some time.

However, the plan did not unfold as expected. He seized the opportunity of the Quidditch match when all the students were out and searched Filch's office, but found nothing. The Marauder's Map was not there.

When he graduated, the map was surely confiscated by Filch, and he would have definitely kept it. It shouldn't have been lost. But after all, that was twenty years ago. It's a long time for anything to have happened.

Pettigrew returned to the Gryffindor common room. He wanted to devise a plan to lure Sirius and have the people inside the castle find him.

Since Sirius thought he was near Ron, it was better for him to stay around and wait for an opportunity.

However, Peter Pettigrew did not expect to be found by Evan.

That was impossible. How did he find him?!

When he hid in that crevice, obviously there was no one in the common room.

Logically, the boy shouldn't be able to find him.

Peter Pettigrew was scared, and Evan surely had some unknown method to him. If Sirius Black knew the same method, Peter's life would surely come to an end...

"Peter, you're the only one I have left. Surely you're supporting me, right?" Ron placed the rat on the pillow.

Upon hearing Ron, Peter Pettigrew snapped out of his reverie. He felt that in the plan he had envisioned earlier, there were too many variables. He couldn't face Sirius Black and Evan alone. He needed an ally, someone hidden in the shadows.

"Those individuals perceive me as a lackey, as a mockery!" Ron said bitterly. His countenance was slightly gloomy. "Those who scorn me, I will make them rue it. I want them to pay the price."

"Yes, I shall assist you!" suddenly a resolute voice was heard in the room. "I will ensure that those who belittle us pay the price."

"Imperius!"

A strange light swept through the room, which quickly returned to stillness. Only Ron lay alone in bed with tears. His eyes were filled with confusion and emptiness.