Chapter 230: I Want Him Alive
The young wizards' methods were, in fact, not gentle at all.
Compared to so-called evil Dark wizards, these young wizards' approach was far more elaborate and creative. In Lockhart's words, children possess a strong sense of right and wrong; they categorize people as good or bad, and then they stop treating the 'bad' people as human beings. Therefore, they don't apply the same rules to them.
This was instinctual.
"Did Gilderoy really say such a thing?" Snape was skeptical.
Grindelwald stood on a treetop, smiling as he looked down at the students. "You can't go wrong listening to me!"
Snape's lip twitched slightly as he watched Peter Pettigrew, controlled by the students, floating toward their 'secret base.' He finally nodded. "You are always right!"
It was no surprise that birds of a feather flocked together. What kind of person could be good friends with Lockhart?
When Dumbledore placed his hopes in these rather wild students and entrusted them to the care of these two, there were some things you just couldn't ask for too much.
"Hahahahaha..."
On the way to the secret base, Peter Pettigrew was laughing hysterically, his whole bound body twitching, with tears and snot mixed together, and he even started to retch. This was the 'pre-treatment' done by a few older students, mainly the Weasley twins, who believed that a villain would not reveal secrets without being tortured first.
Before asking, it was best to give him a taste of what was to come.
Jumping Prank Fizzes, an invention of a funny prank candy that made you feel like you were being tickled all over.
Suddenly, the whole victorious team was filled with a joyful, cheerful atmosphere.
But the joy was theirs, not Ron's.
Ron, who had quickly broken free of Hermione's stunning spell, came running back. A terrible low pressure emanated from him. Even Draco, who usually couldn't stand Ron, felt that it was best not to provoke him right now.
To push a textbook Gryffindor to the brink of using an Unforgivable Curse... no one could truly empathize with the dreadful state of mind Ron was in.
Ron stared intently at the laughing Scabbers floating in front of him, and he suddenly understood the words Lockhart had taught him earlier.
At the time, Professor Lockhart was teaching the students how to cast the Scouring Charm more effectively. Later, when he spoke of Dark Magic and the Unforgivable Curses, he said meaningfully, "You can't yet understand what true malice is. When the day comes that you are about to cast a terrifying spell like the Killing Curse on someone, but your heart feels like you're simply casting a Scouring Charm to clean up some trash in a room, that is the most terrible form of malice."
To try and erase a life from this world! To have your own will so utterly firm—this world cannot have him/her. That is the greatest hatred. Even if you know your soul will be stained, tainted, and walk toward darkness, you do it without any hesitation. That is the most powerful offensive magic you are capable of at that moment.
Professor Lockhart hoped that when they truly reached that point, they would calm down and think.
Think about what?
Think about how killing someone doesn't have to be with the Killing Curse! It can be with the Fiendfyre Curse, or with a sword created by a Transfiguration spell that is plunged into the heart. The result of killing a person is the same, but for your own soul, for the judgment of the Ministry's law, for many things, the outcome would be completely different.
That's just the way the world is. A young wizard might not need to understand the profound principles of how magic works, but they absolutely must know how the wizarding society works.
Ron looked up at his twin brothers, surrounded and cheered by everyone. They were loved for their so-called prank inventions, while he had almost cast the Cruciatus Curse, causing many people to quietly distance themselves from him.
Was there really a difference between the Jumping Prank Fizzes and the Cruciatus Curse?
Ron was truly afraid that Scabbers would laugh himself to death, and then he would never get to ask him why he had deceived him and his family for so many years!
He was filled with hatred!
When he had come back, Hermione had warned him that if he had truly cast the Cruciatus Curse, he could forget about ever casting a Patronus Charm again.
Ha!
What a joke!
Ron now had a strong aversion to the Patronus Charm. It was disgusting, absolutely disgusting. He resisted casting it with all his heart, so he didn't care if he could even cast it anymore.
Finally, the students arrived at the Whomping Willow. Following the secret passage, they reached a valley in front of a waterfall. They cast banishing spells to keep the Acromantulas away and finally came to a huge cave in the valley.
They had discovered this place when Harry and his friends were helping Hagrid. It had eventually been developed into a secret base for the members of the Dueling Club. Acromantulas were, after all, magical creatures created by wizards to guard their homes and treasures, so it was perfectly reasonable to create a secret base in their nest.
Perhaps this place would become a symbol for Hogwarts student organizations, passed down from generation to generation.
"What should we do?"
After two of the older students had controlled a huge boulder to block the entrance and someone had cast a spell to light the torches on the walls, they hung Peter Pettigrew on a large pillar. Everyone was excitedly discussing what to do next.
They were the most proactive group of students at Hogwarts, the ones with the most ideas. Without being prompted, some methods were already being used.
Draco and his group were the first to act, pouring a whole bottle of Veritaserum down Peter Pettigrew's throat.
Don't ask why these students would carry such a terrible thing with them. You can only blame Professor Lockhart for teaching them so well.
Hermione's group was against using Veritaserum, not because it was unethical, but because there were many ways to counter it. Sometimes, not only would you not get the truth, but you might even believe some of the other person's lies because of the potion.
Her group believed in the psychological theories taught by Professor Lockhart, and they used the Pus-Cough Curse on Peter Pettigrew. It wasn't the Slug-Vomit Curse, but a curse that made the victim secrete a large amount of thick mucus and phlegm. If the person couldn't cough it up in time, they could even suffocate and die. When in a state between life and death, the mind's defenses would be completely shattered, the subconscious would take over, and you could get an answer to any question you wanted.
But Hermione and Draco clearly did not hold absolute authority in the group, and their methods were not accepted by everyone. So... every possible method was used on Peter Pettigrew.
One moment, there were choking sobs, the next, piercing screams, then crazed laughter, scaring off the Acromantulas that had tried to open the boulder at the cave entrance to attack the students.
Everyone looked excited, discussing the feasibility of their own methods.
Ron, however, was in no mood for discussion. He gripped his wand tightly and walked forward, pushing away the people in his path, one by one. In the silence of the cave, he finally stood before Peter Pettigrew.
Before he could even speak, an older Slytherin student suddenly shouted, "Hey, man, don't kill him!"
Ron turned and looked coldly at the spectator. His gaze was so indifferent and icy that it scared the student into shutting up.
"I only have one question!"
Ron's voice was hoarse. He suppressed the resentment and fury in his heart and finally asked through clenched teeth, "Why did you hide in my house as a rat? What was your purpose?"
He didn't want to ask about himself, because that would cause him to completely lose his mind and kill the man without a second thought. So he had only one question, a question about the family he cared so deeply about.
"Master, I meant no harm!" Peter Pettigrew screamed, his voice full of pleading. "For the sake of our many years together, my master, you must believe me, I truly meant no harm!"
Ron almost broke the wand in his hand, forcing himself to listen to the end, but he still didn't get the answer he wanted. He abruptly waved his wand.
"Accio, firewood!"
This time, his Summoning Charm was so perfect. The scattered pieces of firewood in the corner flew up like a school of deep-sea fish, and with a flick of his wand, they floated and dropped, neatly stacked at Peter Pettigrew's feet.
When he was done, Ron went to the wall, pulled out a torch, and slowly walked back to Peter. He stared at him intently. "Answer me, or die!"
"You can't do this to me, sniffle, master, do you remember that day, I helped you..." Pettigrew still tried to talk about loyalty, the loyalty as he understood it. But unfortunately, the Ron in front of him was completely unfamiliar. He was so indifferent, he just said coldly, "Three!"
The torch in his hand lowered.
"No! Don't!" Pettigrew shrieked in terror. "Master, don't you remember your Patronus Charm? What you did to me..."
"Two!"
"I really meant no harm to the Weasley family. For all those years, did you ever see me do anything?"
"One!"
Ron didn't hesitate. He threw the torch onto the pile of firewood and waved his wand. The flames quickly spread to every piece of wood, instantly surging upward. The physical flames, combined with the power of the Fiendfyre Curse, instantly turned into a terrible monster that lunged upward. Every flame was like the blade of a meat grinder, furiously licking at Peter Pettigrew's legs.
"Aaaahhhh~~~"
Pettigrew screamed miserably. He finally broke free from the lucky illusions of his habitual psychological avoidance and yelled, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Ron stared at him coldly, his cherubic face clenched in unspoken hatred. "Good, talk!"
"First, put out the fire..." Pettigrew shouted, but his words were cut off by a scream as the flames spread upward, reaching his knees.
"You can talk faster and see if you can explain everything before you're completely swallowed by the flames!" Ron's voice was piercingly cold. Hermione and the others tried to say something, but they were forced back and silenced by the fire in his eyes.
"Talk!"
"Why did you hide in my house for so many years? What were you trying to do!"
His voice was so firm, no longer dwelling on his own grievances. His heart was filled with the need to protect his family. Yes, he knew that in this family with so many brothers and a younger sister, his life was not always happy.
But he was willing to love this family, and he truly did love it.
Compared to the disgusting fact of growing up with this awful man, he cared more about any potential harm his family might have faced. Just like Professor Lockhart had told him, "Ron, you are a true Gryffindor. You are a warrior, a warrior who can protect everything!"
Ron accepted this statement. And he held onto this belief!
So he no longer cared that he wasn't as smart as Hermione, nor was he jealous that he wasn't as brave as Harry. He was only committed to protecting everything!
"I'll talk!"
"I'll talk!!!"
Pettigrew screamed, finally breaking down.
In a corner of the cave, where no one had noticed them, Grindelwald and Snape were silently watching everything.
"If I'm not mistaken..." Snape looked at Ron with a hint of surprise. He blinked and turned to Grindelwald. "Is that a 'Soul Bonfire' spell?"
Grindelwald chuckled. "More than that. There's some of the power of the Fiendfyre Curse, and some techniques from Potions."
"Potions?" Snape was stunned. He suddenly found that he couldn't understand what was happening, even though he was an expert in Potions!
"The body is the cauldron, the soul is the main ingredient, and the various messy potions and spells the other students fed him and cast on him are the auxiliary ingredients..." Grindelwald raised an eyebrow. "Gilderoy has taught some truly remarkable people."
Using one's own soul traits as a foundation to explore a magical field that fits them, and then to integrate magical knowledge from all subjects into that field, and finally to experience it all and wait for the magic to naturally bloom—wasn't that Lockhart's greatest characteristic?
"Never underestimate anyone!"
Grindelwald said, then suddenly fell silent, because Peter Pettigrew seemed to be about to say something truly explosive.
"...wahhh... I couldn't..."
"James and Sirius both wanted to go against the Dark Lord. They insisted that I come with them. They never asked me if I wanted to be on the battlefield..."
"The Order of the Phoenix looked down on me... they all treated me like James's sidekick... like their fellow warriors' sidekick... no one cared about me... Dumbledore didn't care about me either..."
"I wanted to run, people like me shouldn't be involved in a war... Sirius pulled me back. He called me a coward and said if I ever dared to be a coward, he would kill me..."
"The Dark Lord wanted to kill me too... he forced me to tell him about the Order of the Phoenix... I never went to him on my own..."
"Do you know how terrifying it is to wake up and see the Dark Lord standing beside your bed... he tortured me with his evil curses..."
"What could I do!"
"I just wanted to live, even as a rat no one cared about. I just wanted to live!"
"I didn't want to be a traitor, but I was scared. I really didn't want to die!"
"I had no choice, don't you understand?!"
Slap!
Grindelwald grabbed Snape, who had been about to lunge forward. His malevolent, mismatched eyes stared coldly at him. "Let the children handle this. Let them have a chance to grow, all right?"
Snape gritted his teeth, his nostrils flaring like an enraged bull. He glared fiercely at Grindelwald. "Let go!"
Grindelwald didn't budge. "No. Peter shouldn't die at your hands!"
Snape's gaze immediately turned icy. "He shouldn't die at my hands, or he shouldn't die at all? Is Dumbledore truly planning to use him as a spy?"
Grindelwald was amused. "Dumbledore wouldn't do such a thing, but I would! That rat is right, he hates war, and coincidentally, so do I. I want Voldemort to die quickly, and if he can help with that, he can live for now. It's that simple."
"You!!!" Snape tried to say something more, but he saw that Grindelwald had, at some point, taken the wand from his pocket. He lightly pressed it against Snape's body, and a stony sheen flashed over him, rendering him completely immobile.
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