6kv Chapter 256 The Truth, Scene 1
Chapter 256 The Truth, Scene 1
Chapter 256 The Truth is Just a Play (4.5K) (2/2)
The invisible pressure suddenly disappeared, but the lingering feeling of confinement and chilling fear in my body did not immediately dissipate.
Sirius was breathing heavily, like a fish out of water, his chest heaving.
He no longer tried to get up, as if the previous action had exhausted all his strength and shattered the shell of anger he had used to defend himself.
Lynch's questions, like the sharpest scalpel, precisely peeled away the scab that had covered his wound for twelve years, a scab that had long since adhered to his flesh. But this time, he did not roar, nor did he use anger to mask the deep-seated pain and regret.
He was slumped in the sofa, his head bowed, his disheveled black hair obscuring his face. Only his clenched fists and white knuckles betrayed the storm raging within him.
The firelight from the fireplace cast a leaping, uneasy shadow on his trembling shoulders.
The living room was deathly silent, save for his heavy breathing and the crackling of burning firewood.
After a long silence, just as Lin Qi was wondering if he would speak, a hoarse voice, as if squeezed from the depths of a torn throat, rang out intermittently: "————The person responsible for keeping secrets————It wasn't me————"
These words were like a dream, so light they were almost swallowed by the sound of flames, yet they cleaved the heavy air in the living room like a bolt of lightning.
Reggie, who was standing behind Lynch, suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with undisguised shock. However, he quickly regained his composure and lowered his gaze again, though his taut jawline betrayed his inner turmoil.
The two battle wizards by the door still stood like statues, but their breathing seemed to pause for a moment, almost imperceptibly.
Lin Qi leaned forward almost imperceptibly, and his eyes, reflecting the firelight, suddenly sharpened, like a hawk locking onto its prey.
"Not you? Then who is the real person keeping the secret?"
Sirius didn't look up. He stared at his trembling hands, as if he saw phantoms of the past reflected in them. His voice was broken and painful: "—It's Peter Pettigrew—"
A knowing glint flashed in Lynch's eyes: "Among you, he's nothing special. Why did James and Lily choose him?"
This question was like salt rubbed into Sirius's bleeding wound.
He took a deep breath, the sound like a broken bellows, filled with desperate self-mockery and pain.
"It was me—it was me who suggested it! I told James—it was too obvious—the Dark Lord would definitely guess it was me—we—we thought Peter—Peter—was inconspicuous, no one would notice him—it was safer—"
"I'm such an idiot! A self-righteous, blindly confident idiot!" He suddenly slammed his fist hard against his thigh, making a dull thud. His voice was trembling with sobs, yet he was too dry to shed a single tear. "I killed them—it was me—it was me who personally pushed Peter—that traitor! That coward! into that position! I trusted him!!"
He finally raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, filled with overwhelming regret and a self-loathing that seemed to consume him.
"That night—October 31st—I had a bad feeling—a bad premonition—I decided to go find Peter to make sure he was safe—I went to his hideout in Muggle London—but he wasn't there! It was empty! There were no signs of a fight, and everything had been packed away!"
His speech quickened, revealing the panic and urgency he felt at the time of the incident.
"I immediately realized something was wrong! I rushed to Godric's Valley like a madman—but—but it was too late—when I got there—the house—the house was already destroyed—James—Lily—"
He choked up, barely able to utter the two names, overwhelmed by grief.
"I saw Hagrid—he pulled Harry out of the rubble—he was alive—James and Lily protected him with their lives—" Sirius's voice was filled with endless sorrow and a hollow bewilderment. "I begged Hagrid to give Harry to me—I am his godfather—but Hagrid said—he had to carry out Dumbledore's orders and take Harry to meet him—"
He took a deep breath, his breath trembling as if carrying the cold air of that night.
"I gave my flying motorcycle to Hagrid—to take Harry away—and then I stood there—watching them disappear—"
The whole world collapsed—and then, the pain that almost tore me apart—instantly became the only clear thought: Peter!
"It's that traitor! He's the one who killed James and Lily!"
His voice suddenly turned cold and hard, filled with a rusty, bloody tone.
"I must catch him myself! With his blood—to avenge James and Lily, and to wash away the sins of my foolishness! I haven't told Hagrid, I haven't told anyone—this is between Peter and me—it must be my wand that ends his life!"
"Based on my knowledge of him—his usual hiding places, the corners he would seek out when he was scared—I found him in the middle of the night. He was hiding in a dark, garbage-strewn Muggle alley, huddled behind a trash can like a frightened mouse, trembling all over."
Sirius's breathing became heavy again, his chest heaving violently, and the mad flames of that night rekindled in his gray eyes.
"When he saw me, all the color drained from his face! He screamed, begging incoherently, 'Sirius, I'm sorry,' 'I can't help it,' 'He's too powerful'—and then he turned and ran! I chased after him! We chased each other through an unfamiliar Muggle neighborhood, I kept casting spells while he desperately dodged and fled—finally, I cornered him in a dead end, where a few Muggles, awakened by the commotion, came out to check the situation—"
His account is filled with details of the hunt and an irrepressible murderous intent.
"He turned to face me, his expression suddenly one of utter despair! He cried out to the Muggles, pointing at me and saying, 'Sirius, how could this happen! Why did you betray James and Lily!' — He actually! He actually dared to say that!"
Sirius clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking as if he were about to crush something.
"I roared and charged at him, ready to tear him to pieces! Just then, while he continued screaming at the Muggles that he was going to kill him and destroy the community, he suddenly pointed his wand at a dead-end alley behind him, filled with junk! He screamed: 'Forgive me, Sirius!' And then—BOOM!'"
He made an extremely drastic gesture, as if the explosion were happening right before his eyes.
"He blew up the whole thing—! A huge explosion—fire shot into the sky—bricks and stones flew—those poor Muggles—instantly—and he, stood at the center of the explosion—"
Sirius's voice here carries an eerie calm that blends vengeful elation with a profound emptiness.
"I saw it—I saw him blown to pieces—I thought he was dead—I finally killed him, avenging James and Lily—though it doesn't change anything—"
His voice lowered again, filled with numbness.
"I stood there—looking at the ruins and corpses before me—with my wand in my hand—the Ministry of Magic arrived quickly—this is what they saw—I offered no explanation—one traitor died, another lived, it's fair—I deserve to go to hell—"
His narration stopped, and he buried his face deeply in his palms, as if the words "I deserve to go to hell" had drained his last bit of strength, leaving only the endless exhaustion and self-exile accumulated from twelve years of wrongful imprisonment.
Silence fell over the living room once again.
Lin Qi listened quietly, his face expressionless, but in his deep eyes, it seemed as if a cold flame was burning silently.
He astutely caught a key and subtle word in Sirius's words.
"You thought?" Lynch repeated the word calmly. "Blake, you used the word 'thought.' Why 'thought'? You thought he wasn't dead?"
This question was like a cold needle, piercing Sirius's almost numb nerve endings.
Sirius suddenly raised his head, a hint of confusion flashing in his crimson eyes. Then, his thoughts drifted away from that night, and he remembered the fundamental reason why he was here today.
His breathing suddenly became rapid, his chest heaved violently, and the blankness in his eyes was quickly replaced by a more turbulent and intense emotion—an undeniable certainty, a raging rage, and the humiliation of being fooled for twelve years!
"Of course he's not dead!" Sirius's voice was hoarse but resolute. He stared intently at Lynch, as if trying to see through him his enemy back at Hogwarts. "Those idiots in the Ministry of Magic! They only found one finger at the explosion site—just one finger!"
They concluded that the damned Peter Pettigrew had been blown to bits!
His tone was full of sarcasm and rage, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"And I—I was blinded by anger and remorse, and I actually believed that conclusion! I thought I had at least avenged James and Lily with my own hands—until—until I saw that damned Daily Prophet in Azkaban!"
His words were like a flood bursting its banks, pouring out hatred that had been suppressed for too long.
"The Weasleys! A picture of them traveling in Egypt! Right there in that boy's arms—that mouse! The mouse with the missing toe!"
Sirius's body leaned forward slightly with excitement, his gray eyes burning with an almost frenzied light.
"That's him! Peter Pediru! I'd recognize him even if he were ashes! We—me, James, and that traitor—all became unregistered Animagus to be with Remus on the night of the full moon! I was the dog, James was the stag, and Peter—he was a rat! A damned rat!"
He practically roared out his last few words, his body trembling violently with excitement, almost leaping off the sofa, his chest heaving as if simply revealing the truth had exhausted all his strength.
"He's hiding right here at Hogwarts! Right under everyone's noses, disguised as a harmless pet! That despicable, filthy traitor!"
The living room was deathly silent, save for the crackling of the fireplace and Sirius's heavy breathing.
This shocking truth exploded like a bomb in the living room, causing a great shock to the people in the room.
Lin Qi's deep gaze was fixed on the excited Sirius Black, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa.
After a moment's hesitation, he spoke in a low voice, as calm as ice: "I believe your story. But we will need evidence, Black. Conclusive evidence that the Ministry of Magic cannot easily deny."
"Evidence?!" Sirius Black seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He jumped up from the sofa, laughing in exasperation, his voice filled with long-suppressed resentment and an almost frantic urgency. "What evidence do we need?! Just catch him! Catch that rat, force him to reveal his true form! And everything will be clear!"
He waved his arms, his gray eyes burning with a desperate flame, as if he would rush out of the room and head straight for Hogwarts if Lynch nodded.
Lynch remained unmoved by his agitation. He didn't even look at Sirius, but instead slightly tilted his head, glancing at Reggie, who stood silently behind him like a shadow. Then, he looked back at Sirius, his tone calm yet carrying immense weight: "If you are innocent, then what we need to do is not just verify the truth." His words echoed clearly in the silent living room, "We also need to clear your name, Black. Publicly and thoroughly, let the entire wizarding world know that they have been wrong for twelve years."
"Once Sirius is caught, my crimes will naturally be cleared!" Sirius practically roared, unable to understand why Lynch would go to such lengths. In his simple logic, once the enemy was brought to justice and the truth came to light, everything should be over.
Lin Qi slowly shook his head. There was no illusion in his deep eyes, only a cold scrutiny of the rules of reality.
"You're too naive, Black." His voice remained calm, yet it struck Sirius's heart like a hammer blow. "Peter Pettigrew, recognized by the Ministry of Magic as a hero for his sacrifice, was posthumously awarded the Order of Merlin. He was one of the heroes celebrated in that war. Even now, the Ministry of Magic solemnly mentions his name and commemorates his sacrifice every year during the war memorial ceremony."
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He leaned forward slightly, the firelight from the fireplace casting deep shadows on his face, his tone sharp and sarcastic: "You're jumping out now, claiming you're innocent, and the real traitor is the hero they mourn every year? You expect those bureaucrats at the Ministry of Magic to admit they've been singing the praises of a despicable Death Eater for twelve years like complete idiots? Do you think they'll readily accept that fact and exonerate you?"
Lynch's words were like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing part of Sirius's raging fury and cooling his feverish mind.
He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute. Born into a pure-blood family, he understood the Ministry of Magic, and he also understood the arrogance and stubbornness of those people.
"They—they will have to—" Sirius's voice trailed off, tinged with uncertainty. He realized the complexity of the problem far exceeded his simple desire for revenge.
"No, they won't have to." Lynch interrupted him, his tone resolute. "They'll question, they'll deny, they'll do everything in their power to maintain their ridiculous official record. They'll call you a liar, a madman, and they'll even try to make you and Peter disappear from the public eye again to maintain the peace they've maintained for twelve years."
He saw the renewed struggle and anger in Sirius's eyes and knew that his words had worked.
"Simple truth is no match for a bureaucratic system; only by turning the truth into an unavoidable public event can all lies be shattered. Therefore, we cannot simply seize upon him."
Lynch stroked his chin, refining his thoughts as he slowly said, "We need a plan, Black. A plan to pry open the Ministry of Magic's tight lips. We need evidence they can't refuse, and a way to present it in a way that forces them to swallow the bitter pill."
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He looked up at Sirius Black, a smile playing on his lips: "We need to put on a show, a grand spectacle that will draw the attention of the entire wizarding world."