Leonard frowned at the mouse standing on the floor, staring at him in a daze.
If it were just an ordinary mouse, Leonard wouldn't have thought much of it. The problem was that once he remembered the creature in front of him was actually a middle-aged, overweight man who hadn't changed his clothes or bathed in over a decade, a wave of nausea rolled up in his stomach.
"Hey, stop pretending. I know you're not a mouse." Leonard fixed his gaze on the creature. When a flash of fear crossed its face, he said firmly, "You're an Animagus!"
Seeing such a distinctly human expression of terror on a mouse's face was oddly amusing.
Especially at the moment Leonard exposed his identity, the rapid changes in the rodent's expression were even more entertaining.
The mouse, however, clearly had no intention of admitting anything. It let out a shrill squeal and tried to bolt.
Leonard snapped his fingers again. Peter Pettigrew, who was just about to dive into a pile of clutter, floated up into the air against his will.
The simplest and most practical control spell: the Levitation Charm. No matter how strong you were or how high your magic resistance, once affected, you floated.
"Looks like you're not planning to change back on your own," Leonard said, watching the mouse struggle helplessly in midair as he slowly drew his wand. "In that case, I'll give you a little help."
Leonard activated Magical Sight. In his vision, the mouse before him dissolved into a mass of peculiar magical energy.
This was the first time Leonard had observed an Animagus in its transformed state using Magical Sight.
He quickly noticed that although Peter Pettigrew had become a mouse, the flow of magic within him was vastly different from that of an ordinary rodent.
The difference was concentrated around the brain.
In a normal mouse, magical flow was little more than a basic internal circulation. For an Animagus, however, that flow revealed how they could retain their original consciousness even after transforming into an animal.
The key lay in the changes to the magic around the brain.
At the location of Peter Pettigrew's brain was an abnormally dense cluster of magic, clearly serving a protective function. Otherwise, the instant the transformation occurred, the wizard's consciousness would have burst the pitifully small brain of a mouse.
In other words, the essence of being an Animagus lay in protecting one's own brain.
So what would happen if, while someone maintained their Animagus form, the magical protection around the brain was forcibly dispersed?
Leonard felt his hand twitch, an urge rising within him to try it out…
"Uh… no. Potions first. Animagus research can wait." Leonard forcibly suppressed his experimental impulse. Glancing at the terrified mouse, he couldn't be bothered to argue further and cast the Untransfiguration Spell directly.
After all this time studying, Leonard was no longer a beginner who needed someone else to take over just to maintain a Levitation Charm. As long as he maintained the proper magical output, he could keep one spell running while freely casting others.
The mouse bound by the Levitation Charm let out a piercing scream, born of panic and fear at having its secret exposed. No matter how violently it struggled, it couldn't escape.
At last, the mouse transformed into a dust-covered, sharp-nosed, gaunt-faced fat man. He flailed his limbs in terror, yet remained firmly restrained.
"See? Wouldn't it have been better to show your true form yourself?" Leonard said, smiling gently as he looked at Peter Pettigrew. "Having someone else help you doesn't feel very nice, does it? Anything you want to say?"
"…Let me go… you little brat!" Having maintained his mouse form for years without speaking a single word, Peter Pettigrew struggled to force out his first sentence, and it came out as a threat. "Do you know who I am?"
As he spoke, his hands were drawn tightly to his chest, as if he still carried the habits of his time as a rat.
Despite this, Peter Pettigrew wasn't truly panicking yet. The kid in front of him looked like a first- or second-year at most. Maybe a bit of bluffing would scare him into letting go.
If he could get his wand back afterward, life would be much easier.
"Of course I know," Leonard replied calmly. "You're Peter Pettigrew, aren't you?"
"Good. Then you should know I'm a recipient of the Order of Merlin! What you've done will get you dragged before the Wizengamot!" Peter Pettigrew shouted, his speech growing smoother as his confidence rose.
"Oh?" Leonard chuckled. "I don't think I'll be the one standing trial, Mr. Peter. A hero who supposedly died protecting his friends and even earned the Order of Merlin, yet turns out to be alive? That sounds like there's quite a story behind it."
Peter Pettigrew's body stiffened. He hadn't expected this child to know so much.
"You… who are you, exactly?" he asked, terror creeping into his voice.
"Who I am isn't important. You'll forget soon enough anyway," Leonard said lightly. "So let's not waste time. Let's begin the experiment."
Leonard turned to the table and picked up a vial of blood-red potion.
"Experiment…? What experiment? Let me go!" Peter Pettigrew screamed in panic, staring at Leonard as he slowly approached, as though a demon were walking toward him.
"Shh. Lower your voice, Mr. Peter," Leonard said darkly. "I imagine you wouldn't want anyone—especially that Mr. Black who's still serving time in Azkaban—to find out you're alive, would you?"
Peter Pettigrew shuddered.
How did this brat even know about that?
"Drink the potion. Tell me how you feel afterward. It'll be better for everyone," Leonard continued calmly. "Otherwise, all I have to do is tell people you're still alive, and you'll be facing a fate far worse than death."
He gently swirled the potion in his hand. "So, what'll it be? Die in disgrace, or try this potion—which might not even be a bad thing—and go on living your current life?"
Peter Pettigrew's lips went pale. If he had a choice, he wanted neither.
But right now, he was completely at someone else's mercy. No matter how unwilling he was, he had to accept one simple truth.
If he didn't choose, something even worse would happen.
"I… I choose… to drink the potion," Peter Pettigrew said in a barely audible voice.
He knew he had no real alternative. A wizard had countless ways to force a potion down someone's throat. This child, young as he looked, was simply toying with him.
His choice didn't matter at all. The other party just wanted to see his confusion and helplessness, like a true demon savoring its prey.
"Tch. I thought you might show a bit more backbone," Leonard said, clicking his tongue, clearly unimpressed. "But then again, someone who betrays his friends was never going to have much spine."
He looked bored.
"Well then… drink up, Mr. Peter."