Peter Pettigrew discovered! Could Sirius Black be innocent?
The headline in the Daily Prophet brought a wave of excited whispers to the Great Hall the day after school started. Several heads turned more or less discreetly towards the little dark-haired Hufflepuff.
The further the students read the article, the more excited they seemed. Pettigrew hadn't been killed as had been reported years before, he was hiding as an animal in a wizarding family! To preserve their safety, the name of the family had not been revealed but everyone suspected from the wording of the article that they were not accomplices and had been deeply shocked when they learned that the animal that they had hosted for years was actually a wizard in his animagus form.
Did that mean Sirius Black didn't kill all those Muggles? Had he even really betrayed the Potters? The Prophet reported that a trial was scheduled for Pettigrew this week and, if Pettigrew's revelations indicated the need for it, the following week for Black.
At the Hufflepuff table, Ron looked disturbingly pale. Harry took his hand under the table and squeezed it in support.
- Everything's going to be okay, Ron.
- I… Harry… I let Scabbers sleep in my bed at home. And Percy did it too. Who can say what this degenerate did while we were sleeping?
Harry nodded grimly. He was about to respond when someone tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He recognized a student who was, if he remembered correctly (But yes, I'm sure ~ Charlie) in third year. Di… Diag… (Diggory… Seriously Harry, you and names… ~ Gabriel).
- Potter-Peverell, the Headmaster asked me to give you this.
The boy handed him a piece of parchment. After thanking him, Harry opened the parchment and read:
Mr. Potter-Peverell,
Please meet me in my office this morning after breakfast. Professor Sprout will accompany you.
Albus Dumbledore.
Harry looked towards the professorial table and nodded to show the Headmaster that he had received his message. He returned to his conversation with his friend, trying as best he could to cheer him up.
When he finished his breakfast, he looked around for the Herbology professor. She was looking at him, waiting patiently for her student to finish eating. Professor Sprout motioned for him to follow her.
- Mr. Potter-Peverell, Professor Dumbledore has several things he needs to discuss with you. He asked me to accompany you since you don't yet know where his office is.
- Do you know what the Headmaster wants to talk to me about?
- I suppose that must have something to do with the Prophet article this morning, Mr Potter-Peverell.
The two went up several stairs, passed through several corridors. The teacher looked with amusement at the boy whose head was spinning in all directions.
They finally arrived in front of a gargoyle which seemed to fascinate the young man. He made a sign in front of the gargoyle's eyes.
- Amazing. You knew that for Muggles, gargoyles are the guardians of Good, that they ward off the forces of Evil, that's why they put them on their churches. It would also be a creature that Saint Romain would have defeated in Paris, in France in the 7th century. Some French wizards believe that it was in fact a dragon, a Peruvian Vipertooth according to descriptions of the time, which had taken up residence on the banks of the Seine, the river which crosses Paris, and that Saint Romain was in fact a wizard who passed off his magic as miracles.
- I didn't know any of this, Mr. Potter-Peverell. Let's not keep the Headmaster waiting. Chocolate cauldron.
The gargoyle shifted, revealing spiral staircases.
When they arrived at the door, they heard Dumbledore inviting them in. In the Headmaster's office were already the three other heads of house, seated on mismatched armchairs, obviously conjured for the occasion.
- Ah, Mr. Potter-Peverell, Pomona, take a seat. Do you want some tea?
- No thanks, Albus.
- No thank you, sir, I just finished my breakfast.
- Of course, of course. Mr. Potter-Peverell, I'll get to the heart of the matter. Professor McGonagall informed me that it was you who spotted something strange about your classmate's rat, Mr. Weasley?
Harry nodded his agreement. He explained in a few sentences what had happened on the train the day before. Professor Sprout was surprised by the concise report that her student had just made.
- This spell you used intrigues me. I have some experience in magic and have never encountered such a spell. Who taught it to you?
- It was my guardian who taught me that spell. He told me some spells since I was little. He forbade me from learning the ones I was going to learn at Hogwarts, he was afraid I would be bored. But this spell is one of his personal spells so he was sure I wouldn't learn it here.
- I see. Without wanting to appear too curious, could you tell me more about it?
- It is a spell that shows the life expectancy of a living being.
- You want us to believe that you can determine when someone will die? asked the Potions professor, doubtfully.
- Not at all, professor. It is rare that a living being does not die before the end of its life expectancy. For example, if I did it on a baby, it would show a number between 90 and 150, depending on their genetics, their lifestyle and whether they have magic or not. That doesn't mean this baby would live to this age. He could very well have an accident in his childhood like my six friends, or become seriously ill at forty or meet the wrong person in the wrong place in his adolescence.
The adults remained silent for a moment. It was Minerva who broke it.
- Your six friends, Mr. Potter-Peverell?
- Yes. The six children that Uncle Vernon killed, they are still with me now.
- What do you mean?
- Hmm… My guardian told me that I could only talk about it to people who would make a magical Vow not to tell anyone about it without my consent.
Weighing the pros and cons, discussing at length the possible consequences of such an act, the professors agreed one by one, Professor Snape last, to make a Vow. It was only after all the Vows had been made that Harry spoke again.
- When Uncle Vernon drove his car into me, he killed seven children.
- Seven?
- Yes, seven. Cassidy, Gabriel, Susie, Fritz, Charlotte, Jeremy and me.
- YOU? But how… but…
- This is where my guardian comes in. Did you know that the Potters were the last descendants of the Peverell family?
- Yes of course.
- Do you know the history of this family?
- Few things are known, the Peverells were a family that kept their secrets, replied Professor Flitwick. It is believed that the three brothers in the tale of Beedle the Bard were Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverell.
- Oh, that's not just believed, it's a proven fact. The Potters are descendants of Ignotus who obtained the Invisibility Cloak. By the way, Headmaster, I would really like the Cloak back, please.
- Oh! Yes, of course, my boy! I was thinking of giving it to you for Christmas. James had entrusted it to me shortly before… before.
-Albus! Professor Sprout protested. You don't give as a Christmas gift something that already belongs to the recipient!
Shamefully, the Headmaster headed towards his quarters from which he emerged with a magnificent silver cloak as fluid as water.
- Thank you, Harry said before folding the Cloak and putting it in the pocket of his robes. So, I was saying… Ah, yes. So the three brothers were indeed Peverells. Where the story deviates from reality is that Ignotus had become friends with Death. And they decided to bless the family. The Peverells became powerful necromancers, using their gifts to bring peace to those that were suffering and bereaved families. Because necromancy is not harmful as some people want you to believe. It's not resurrecting the dead to make an army or whatever.
- Come to the point, Potter-Peverell, we don't have all day.
- Severus, have a little patience, reprimanded Professor McGonagall.
- Sorry, professor. I know I'm too talkative. So, I died with six other children. As you probably know, seven is a number with great magical power. And since I have the blood of the Peverells, Death managed to ensure that I lived. The problem is that to do this, my soul absorbed those of the other children. I remain the main soul but I always have my six friends with me. We get along very well but they are noisy sometimes, they don't always want to see the same thing at the same time.
- Unbelievable, Dumbledore whispered.
- Oh, by the way, when I absorbed the souls of my friends, my guardian found a parasite on my soul. A tiny piece of soul that had stuck to my body.
- How?
Harry shrugged. His guardian had not explained the presence of this parasite and he had not tried to find out more.
- No idea. Just that it was on my forehead.
The adults turned pale. The implications of this information were terrifying. Because the five adults quickly concluded who this piece of soul belonged to. Dumbledore and Snape exchanged a dark look. They had already discussed the ways Voldemort could have used to ensure his survival.
- Harry, intervened Professor Sprout who wanted to change the subject, can you give us the name of your guardian?
- Oh, he's got loads of them! Yama, Pluto, Hades, Anubis, Mactlantecuhtli…
- Potter, you want us to believe that your guardian is Death itself? the Potions professor accused, irritated.
- That's it. But they took human form to take care of me. Oh, don't worry, they can exist everywhere at once so it doesn't change anything for the natural course of life.
There was a long silence, the adults looking at the child with dismay and disbelief. This time, it was the Charms professor who broke it.
- I'm curious. Could you show us the spell you used on Mr. Weasley's rat?
- My pleasure! What should I cast it on?
- I volunteer, Dumbledore offered.
Harry stood up and took out his wand. He made a wave gesture towards the Headmaster and a white vapor appeared above him. Little by little, the steam took the shape of a two and a four.
- Twenty-four years? Dear Merlin, I admit to being surprised, I didn't think I would be able to live this long. Just out of curiosity, what do you think your spell would reveal if you cast it on Fawkes?
- Fawkes?
Dumbledore pointed to a magnificent red and gold bird whose tail feathers seemed to be moving in a non-existent current of air which was attentively watching the scene from its perch. He sang a soft melody as if to greet the boy.
- Oh, a phoenix! It's stunning! My guardian loves these birds! Did you know that it was Herodotus who was the first to call these birds "phoenixes"? Among the Egyptians, they were called benu and were considered the manifestations of the solar gods.
Fawkes let out a staccato song resembling a laugh, making the humans watching him smile involuntarily.
- I have never tried the spell on a phoenix. Let's see what happens.
Harry waved his wand at the bird. Again, a white vapor appeared above it. However, as soon as it began to take the form of a number, it would become vapor before attempting a new number. After a few tries, the steam disappeared completely.
- Interesting.
- Indeed, my boy. Now I would like to talk to you about something else. As you may have read in the newspaper this morning, Peter Pettigrew's discovery will undoubtedly lead to the trial of Sirius Black.
- I know. Sirius Black is my godfather, according to what my guardian told me. Besides, my guardian likes Black because of his animagus form.
The Transfiguration professor made a sound like a mouse squeaking.
-Animagus? Not only is Peter one but so is Sirius?
- Yes, it's a grim. And my dad was a stag.
- All three? How is it possible?
- I don't know, it was my guardian who told me all that, he didn't tell me more. As for Black, my guard told me that he should never have been locked up in prison but that there was nothing he could do to get him out of there. But it won't change much for me, anyway.
- Harry, Sirius is your godfather. He can ask for your custody if he is released.
- Nope. My guardian officially adopted me when I celebrated my fourth birthday. He is Lord Peverell when there is no man living with that name. He has my custody. Plus, the dementors must have damaged Black's mind. My guardian hates dementors.
- Surprising, it would have seemed to me that Death appreciated these creatures, commented Professor Snape.
- Nah, he says it's super painful to get souls back once they've been through a dementor. Sometimes it takes him a century before he manages to recover one and they are in a bad state.
- Well… My boy, thank you for being willing to speak with us. You have given us food for thought. Maybe we can continue this conversation later, I just saw that lunch time is approaching.
- OK sir. I am so hungry! Goodbye, professors! Goodbye Fawkes!
The adults watched the child leave the office happily.
- Albus… I… This conversation has been… surreal.
- I agree, Minerva. I don't know what to think of first.
- The fact that there are seven souls sharing one body? Filius suggested.
- I think the fact that Lily and Potter's son died at three and a half and then was raised by Death itself?
- How about the surprising fact that he seems relatively sane after what happened to him and despite the fact that six children are constantly in his mind? Is he going to have to live like this his whole life? Pomona worried.
- You are all right. However, what worries me the most is the fact that a piece of Voldemort's soul attached itself to him after he survived the Killing Curse.
- Do you really think it was Voldemort, Albus?
- Who else, Minerva, who else?