With extraordinary comprehension, I built a floating city at Hogwarts.

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In his view, the truth might be the opposite—Peter Pettigrew was the one who blew up the street and killed the Potters, while Sirius Black was the victim.

If Sirius Black was sentenced during Fudge's term...

Therefore, the Minister of Magic would absolutely not agree to overturn the verdict.

But the truth is quite the opposite; the verdict against Sirius Black had nothing to do with Fudge, and the person directly in charge at the time was Barty Crouch the Elder, who was then the Chief of the Enforcement Division.

The reversal of the verdict only slapped him in the face.

Barty Crouch Sr., due to his outstanding contributions during Voldemort's reign of terror, enjoyed considerable prestige within the Ministry of Magic and was once a strong contender for the position of Minister of Magic. However, he lost his chance to become Minister after his son was discovered to be a Death Eater.

Even so, his prestige remained, making him a major political enemy of Fudge.

Now that the deputy director of the enforcement division is preparing to attack the former director, Fouchi naturally wants to go along with it.

"Voldemort, teach me some tricks?" Black burst into laughter at this, even with an Auror pointing a wand at him beside him.

A terrible, joyless laughter filled the space.

When Blake called him by his first name, Little Star flinched as if the other man had lashed him with a whip.

“What? Afraid to hear your former master’s name?” Blake said. “I don’t blame you, Peter. His men didn’t like you much, did they?”

“I don’t know… what are you talking about, Sirius…” Peter Pettigrew muttered, sweating even more profusely, his entire face now glistening with sweat.

“For twelve years, you haven’t been avoiding me,” Black said. “You’ve been avoiding Voldemort’s former supporters. I’ve heard some things in Azkaban.”

His words were gloomy and sent a chill down Peter's spine.

“Peter…they all think you’re dead, or you have to give them an explanation…I heard them screaming in their sleep, saying all sorts of things. It sounds like they think the liar tricked them. Voldemort went to the Potters based on your information…”

At this point, Blake's eyes burned with rage as he looked at Peter.

Snape, standing to the side, also gave the short man a cold look.

"Unfortunately, Voldemort failed there, and that's all your fault. Not all of Voldemort's supporters made it to Azkaban, did they? Many are still here, waiting for their chance, pretending they've realized their mistakes... if they get wind of it, knowing you're still alive, Peter..."

“I don’t know… what are you talking about…” Peter Pettigrew said again, his voice even higher than before.

He wiped his face with his sleeve, looked up at the Aurors, and said, "You won't believe this...this nonsense, will you..."

But the Aurors avoided his gaze and all looked at Tonks.

Although the woman was young, she was the leader of the group.

“I must admit, Peter, I can’t understand why an innocent person would be willing to spend twelve years being a mouse,” Tonks said calmly.

“I am truly innocent, but I am terrified!” Peter Pettigrew screamed. “If Voldemort’s supporters are after me, it’s because I sent one of their most capable men to Azkaban—that traitor, Sirius Black!”

Blake's face contorted with rage.

“How dare you!” he roared, sounding much like the bear-like dog he had transformed into.

"Me, Voldemort's spy? When have I ever fawned over anyone stronger or more powerful than me? And you—I don't understand why I didn't see through you from the start. You've always favored friends stronger than you, so they could take care of you, haven't you? It used to be 'us'... me and Lupin... and James..."

Peter Pettigrew wiped the sweat from his face again; he was almost out of breath.

"Me? A spy? You must be insane... Never... I don't understand how you could say such a thing..."

“Lily and James made you the Secret Service because of my stupid advice,” Black said through gritted teeth, his words so fierce that Peter Pettigrew involuntarily shrank back a little.

"I thought it was the most perfect plan... a brilliant one... Voldemort would surely come after me, never dreaming they would use a weakling like you... The moment you told Voldemort you could hand over the Potters to him must have been the proudest moment of your pathetic life."

Blake was almost consumed by regret, choking back tears and unable to continue.

Professor Snape's face grew increasingly ashen; his hatred for Peter Pettigrew almost surpassed that for Black.

Snape certainly hated Sirius, hated their wicked pranks, hated his arrogance and absurdity, and hated him even more for betraying Lily—but at the same time, he also knew Sirius's pride; he disdained to lie.

The person who knows you best is your opponent.

Sirius Black didn't defend himself or cry foul; instead, he accepted his punishment of being imprisoned in Azkaban. This convinced Snape that Sirius was the culprit—which was very much in line with his character.

But now he finally understood that his confession wasn't out of pride, but rather out of some foolish self-reproach.

His primary target for revenge was someone else entirely.

Peter Pettigrew seemed to want to argue, but Levin was already impatient with their bickering antics.

“Actually, there’s another way that can let us know the truth quickly,” Levin suggested bluntly.

Tonks cast a tender glance at the boy beside her; indeed, only he could uncover the truth of the past.

"Actually, the simplest way is to use magic, either truth serum or memory reading will do - I suggest the latter, because it is more direct."

As he spoke, he took out a small bottle from his pocket, which contained a clump of silvery substance.

The well-informed Auror immediately recognized it as a memory.

“These are Blake’s memories, which he provided voluntarily to gain my trust.” Levin slightly modified his words, without revealing Blake’s foolishness at the time.

Sirius gave him a grateful look.

"Next, we just need to get Peter Pettigrew's and compare them, and the truth will naturally come out."

“The law generally doesn’t recognize evidence that can be tampered with,” Tonks thought for a moment and said, “but this case is an exception. The fact that Little Pettigrew is alive is the biggest piece of evidence.”

“However, there’s a problem,” Levin suddenly said. “He’s not Blake trying to prove his innocence. If he really is the murderer, he might not cooperate, making memory extraction extremely difficult.”

At this point, he added meaningfully, "I feel I need some help."

Then, his hoarse voice, which had been waiting, rang out.

"Perhaps I can offer some help."

Chapter 228 Now in my trap

It was Snape who spoke again.

Thanks to Levin's deliberate arrangement, the effect of the "Tongue Lock Throat Seal" has ended.

The old bat's hoarse and cold voice came, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"If you believe me... I have my own specially prepared powerful truth serum—just three drops are enough to make him reveal the secrets deep within his heart."

Seeing that the other party had spoken as she had expected, Caiwen nodded secretly.

In fact, given his level of psychic abilities, he wouldn't need any truth serum at all to empty Peter Pettigrew's memory.

But he didn't do that, precisely to make Snape feel involved.

This wasn't because he had any pity for Snape or wanted to give him a chance to get revenge—even if Snape was truly a tragic figure, Levin's pity for him had long been worn away by his detestable personality.

His series of actions,

Including the fact that they happened to pass in front of Snape on the way to the Forbidden Forest and lured him over.

This included having Snape listen in the whole time so that he would know the inside story.

And now, Snape is taking the initiative to help, all so that Snape can get involved.

Snape's involvement in Peter's trial directly determined Dumbledore's and the Order of the Phoenix's attitude.

If Sirius Black were to rely on himself alone, Levin couldn't guarantee that.

Because this matter is not simply about clearing Sirius's name.

This also means that the forces led by Jaina Proudmoore are attempting to suppress the forces belonging to Barty Crouch Sr. within the Department of Law Enforcement and establish their own power base.

The current Department of Law Enforcement is roughly divided into three factions.

The first one is the current director, Amelia Borns.

The second one is Barty Crouch Sr.

Although he has now been transferred to the International Department of Magical Cooperation as its director.

However, he did lead the Department of Justice during Voldemort's rampage and participated in the entire fight against Voldemort, so he was quite prestigious.

He still has a considerable number of supporters in the Executive Division.

The third share belongs to Deputy Director Gianna Proudmore.

Although Jaina is excellent, she doesn't have the support of a century-old family like the Crouch or Burns, so her overall power is always a little lacking.

Therefore, the key issue here is not Sirius Black's exoneration.

Instead, it was Sirius who overturned the verdict through Jaina.

If successful, it would mean that Jaina's faction had thoroughly humiliated Barty Crouch, established their prestige, and further enhanced their overall power within the Executive Division.

If Jaina were to accomplish this alone, it would be quite difficult.

But now that Snape has fallen into the trap, and understands everything, he is the one who most wants Peter to pay the price.

Once he gets involved, it means Dumbledore will have to reluctantly join in and help Jaina overcome Crouch's struggle.

This is Levin's design.

Tonks hadn't quite figured it out, but having graduated from Hogwarts a few years ago, she knew Snape's level well. Seeing that Levin didn't object, she immediately said cheerfully, "Professor Snape, it would be great if you were willing to help."

It was as if only then did I see Professor Snape.

Just a moment ago she was treating the person who was tied to the ground as if they didn't exist.

A faint smile, almost imperceptible to others, flickered across Levin's face.

Having been taught by Jaina for so long, his sister had learned some ways of dealing with people.

Professor Snape, his lips pressed tightly together and his face ashen, walked toward Peter Pettigrew.

"Severus! Professor Snape!" Pettigrew shrieked, trying to explain, "If I were an accomplice of Voldemort, why haven't I harmed Harry?"

Seeing that someone seemed to be listening attentively, he raised his voice again.

“I slept in Harry’s dormitory for three years. If I worked for Vader, how come I never tried to hurt Harry?”

“Let me tell you why,” Black said. “I know you well. You won’t do anything for anyone if you don’t think it’s in your best interest. Voldemort has been hiding for twelve years, and they say he’s half-dead. You wouldn’t be right under Dumbledore’s nose, doing something for someone who has lost all his magic and physical strength.”

"A terrible male witch who went and killed people, right?"

Blake's analysis of Peter is incisive:

"Before you return to his side, you need to make sure he's the most powerful figure in the circle, right? Otherwise, why would you find a magical family to live with? That way you can stay informed about new developments, right, Peter? You want to know if it's safe to go back to your former protector if he regains his power."

Peter Pettigrew opened his mouth and then closed it again, several times, as if he had lost the ability to speak.

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