Chapter 88 The Evolving Conspiracy
He knew that if he was to be merely a follower, he must carefully choose his mentor.
Peter Pettigrew had a strange smile on his lips. If all his comrades were murdered by the Dark Lord, who would know that he had betrayed them?
His plan seemed foolproof. He began selling information on the Order of the Phoenix to earn the Dark Lord's trust. Although Dumbledore distrusted him, James, Sirius, and Lupin testified in his favor, even though he was the most humble member of their small group.
Peter Pettigrew knew too much about his three friends. They did not fully believe him, but pride and arrogant blindness prevented them from seeing the truth. Though they did not trust him, they would support him in the face of Dumbledore's interrogation.
As long as he remained a member of this small group, the three would support him unconditionally.
"Foolish Gryffindor. They are providing me with the perfect disguise!"
After learning that Dumbledore was beginning to distrust him, Peter Pettigrew stopped leaking information because he was not sure if it was a trap set by the headmaster. He knew he needed to wait for an opportunity that would allow the Dark Lord to trust him completely.
He remembered that rainy night twelve years ago when Sirius, James, and Lily found themselves in trouble and asked him to be James and Lily's Secret Keeper.
This was based on Sirius' recommendation. Voldemort would surely go after Black, but would not pay attention to a weak and talentless individual like Peter.
That was also what they had always thought of him, a humble, weak, and foolish companion who had never dared to contradict them. They deemed him the most suitable Secret Keeper.
They did not tell anyone about this matter. Not even Lupin and Dumbledore knew. It was a secret between the four of them.
That night, Peter felt both happy and sad at the same time!
He had always waited patiently for his chance, and now he was the Secret Keeper of the Potters! When he realized that Harry, whom Voldemort sought, was in the house, he couldn't wait to inform the Dark Lord.
He knelt and betrayed James and Lily to the Dark Lord. As expected, he gained the trust he had always dreamed of. He also showed the Dark Lord the way to that place, the ancient locket they had found with James, Black, and Lupin in the Forbidden Forest.
There was a strong dark power hidden in that locket. The Dark Lord must have been there during his school days.
It was said to contain a source of solid strength for Voldemort himself, certainly not all, but Peter was not greedy enough to want to become a powerful dark wizard like the Dark Lord.
As always, as long as he had his hidden place in the background, he was content. Back at Hogwarts, he relied on James, Sirius, and Lupin to secure that position. Now, the much more powerful wizard, the Dark Lord, would help him find his place.
That's what Peter Pettigrew thought, but who could have imagined that the Dark Lord would fail and be defeated by a newborn?
For a while, he used to think he was very close to success and could see power and status approaching him. However, this dream crumbled instantly, and he had no choice but to flee.
Peter Pettigrew had no choice. Besides Sirius' relentless fury, he had to avoid the pursuit of other Death Eaters.
The method he chose was to fake his own death. When Sirius' spell hit him, he used a spell to blow up the whole street, leaving only a finger and making everyone believe he was dead.
Sirius Black took his place as the main culprit of the entire incident. As he had imagined, proud Sirius did not explain himself to others. He felt responsible for James and Lily's deaths for recommending Peter as the secret keeper. He wanted to go to Azkaban.
He managed to escape, and his mother lost her son but received Mr. Merlin's first-degree medal, although she should have received much more than that.
Peter Pettigrew saw with his own eyes that his mother had buried this medal and his own finger in his father's grave. Engraved on his tombstone was: A brave and gallant soldier, a deserving Gryffindor, who gave his life against the dark forces of evil, making his parents proud.
Indeed, from his mother's perspective, he had finally become someone like his father, and for such a senseless reason she should be content with her life.
Peter Pettigrew closed his eyes in pain. From now on, he would have to hide in the Weasley's house like a rat. He knew he had to keep in touch with the magical world to be able to learn about the movements of the Dark Lord when he returned.
The previous year, he saw Lord Voldemort again at Hogwarts.
The once mighty wizard Black had become a weak shadow. To be honest, Peter was very disappointed. He did not understand what was happening. If Voldemort was no longer strong enough to inspire fear, what was the meaning of his own betrayal?
He did not immediately reveal himself. He decided to observe Voldemort and see if he remained as strong as before.
Pettigrew was grateful he did. In the following two years, he witnessed two failures of Voldemort.
After seeing Voldemort fail time and again, Peter Pettigrew was horrified. He did not understand why the Dark Lord was failing. He was obviously incredibly powerful. But against a child, he kept failing.
It seemed that the tide had truly turned; perhaps he should switch sides again!
Peter Pettigrew snapped out of his reverie, something was moving outside. He quietly stretched his neck and took a look. It was already 3 in the morning. Outside was the house-elf named Dobby, packing things.
Peter Pettigrew squinted as he felt they were in similar positions.
They were all so humble, so weak. The elf used to be a slave to the Malfoys but was now the servant of the boy Evan Mason.
Perhaps he too could, like Dobby, turn to Harry Potter for refuge with this savior who had defeated Voldemort several times.
This was not impossible. The events of that year were only known by Sirius Black. As long as he dealt with Sirius, he could reappear before the crowd as a hero.
The situation had completely changed. Since Voldemort had lost his power, his followers and the Death Eaters who had not been captured in Azkaban should not pose any problem for him. It was time to return to the magical world.
The only annoyance now was Sirius Black. As long as he was eliminated, no one should know what had happened.
Peter Pettigrew had a strange smile on his lips. He thought about it. He could tell others that he had borne the burden of humiliation for many years. He had guarded his old friend's only legacy and protected Harry from the dark forces.
He could resurface as a tragic hero. He would be the greatest hero who defeated Voldemort. He could even apply to become Harry's only guardian.
Even if Dumbledore and Lupin were skeptical, they had no valid reason to object.
This was truly wonderful. Perhaps the Ministry of Magic would consider rewarding him again with a Merlin Medal. And then, he could reclaim the power source hidden deep in the forest. Those honors, powers, he should reclaim them all.
Peter Pettigrew knew he needed a plan, a plan to completely get rid of Sirius Black.
First and foremost, to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan, he needed to disappear from the crowd.
He wanted to avoid the pursuit of Sirius Black and the cat named Crookshanks, and he could not explain why, but Peter could feel that the boy named Evan Mason seemed to doubt him. He must be cautious. After all, he managed to defeat Voldemort despite his young age. As he knew, Evan did not rely on luck or Dumbledore's help as Harry did. The boy was completely alone and defeated Voldemort with his own strength and wisdom.
This was dreadful. Peter feared that Evan might already know something. He should hide first.
Then he needed a wand.
Certainly, those two things were not too challenging!
The difficult part was that he wanted to know Sirius's whereabouts. If they found Sirius, someone in the castle would be willing to help him deal with him.
Suddenly, Pettigrew remembered that he had once made the Marauder's Map with James, Sirius, and Lupin. This map could help him. He recalled that the Marauder's Map was confiscated by Filch in his seventh year.
If all went well, it should still be there.