As October arrived, night fell earlier and earlier. The study was left without candles lit, making it seem quite dim even with light filtering in through the window.
Vid sat in the chair, kicked his foot against the ground, causing the whole chair to tilt at a precarious angle.
He gently rocked the chair while listening to the conversation in the study.
"I'm scared... The Dark Lord is so powerful, the Death Eaters kill people everywhere. What good is it to oppose them... James has provoked the Dark Lord several times, focusing his hatred on us..."
Peter Pettigrew spoke in a somewhat dazed voice:
"It's obvious Dumbledore is the one he's most afraid of, but... but they've been hunting us... He has unimaginable magic power, personally hunting us down..."
"The McKinnons are dead... the Prewett Brothers are dead... the Bones family is dead too..."
"What good comes from opposing him... aside from death..."
"I think... even if I betrayed, Dumbledore wouldn't kill anyone. James... James would forgive me, he knows I'm always timid... Better to be locked in Azkaban than dead..."
"So you betrayed them, did you? Betrayed the Order of Phoenix and James Potter?" someone asked excitedly. "And then? What happened between you and Sirius?"
After a pause, Peter continued:
"The Dark Lord was hunting James and Lily... He was hunting them personally, I was terrified..."
"Dumbledore suggested they use the Fidelius Charm to hide, with him as the Secret Keeper. But... James refused, he wanted Sirius to be the Secret Keeper..."
"Then... at the last moment, Sirius made a foolish suggestion..."
Peter chuckled, even in his dazed state, seemingly savoring the immense surprise and secret ridicule from back then.
"He suggested me as the Secret Keeper... He would attract the Dark Lord's attention, while I... I was just a timid mouse, easy to hide... No one would care about me... No one could find me..."
"But he didn't know... I had already pledged allegiance to the Dark Lord a year earlier... They suspected it was Remus sending news to the Death Eaters, but not me..."
The rocking chair suddenly stopped.
Vid watched Lupin emerge from the living room, watched him bury his face in his hands, and only after a while did he raise his head, his gaze still harboring deep pain.
"Time proves everything," Vid said softly. "They were wrong not to believe you."
Lupin shook his head, "I won't blame James and Sirius for that. Back then... almost all werewolves were soldiers of Voldemort, their suspicion of me... wasn't without reason..."
"But even so, James and Lily never shut me out..."
"And... and for these past ten years, I've never truly believed in Sirius either..."
He sat heavily next to Vid, no longer hiding his pain and remorse.
"Don't want to keep listening?" Vid asked, looking at the bookshelves ahead.
Lupin shook his head, "If I stayed in the living room, I'm afraid I'd lose control and kill him."
In the living room, Peter Pettigrew recounted how, after the Potters died, he was found by Sirius...
How he screamed that Sirius betrayed James and Lily, used an explosive spell to kill more than ten people, then painfully cut off one of his own fingers, pretending he was killed by Sirius too...
He spoke proudly.
Then it was hiding with the Weasley Family... hiding for eleven years...
The days as a rat weren't easy, but he had no choice.
He couldn't return to the side of light, for once he appeared, the lies would be exposed.
Nor could he return to the Death Eaters' side, as they felt he was a traitor. His information led to the Dark Lord's downfall, and the Death Eaters wanted him to pay the price...
His only hope was waiting for the Dark Lord's return... For only the Dark Lord knew he hadn't betrayed...
Lupin listened quietly, grinding his teeth audibly.
The people in the living room were not satisfied, eagerly pressing for more secrets. Peter Pettigrew answered every question without the slightest concealment.
Everyone could tell he had certainly been fed Veritaserum.
But what of it?
They completely didn't care about that; they just wanted a world-shocking piece of news.
When the conversation began to lack substance and drift into privacy, Mr. Machioni also came out of the living room, replaced by Lupin to monitor, lest Peter Pettigrew escape control.
"Thank you, Mr. Machioni," Vid stood up and said, "If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't know where to find so many suitable journalists."
The ones questioning Peter Pettigrew in the living room were journalists from five or six countries including the United Kingdom, each equivalent to Rita Skeeter.
As long as the news was explosive enough, as long as the newspapers sold, they could utterly disregard morality, much less any government—especially when it's other countries' governments.
"They should be thanking you for getting such high-quality news."
Machioni said with a smile, as he sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, then said:
"The Soft Light Badge's sales have completely surpassed the Friendship Book, witches are practically crazy for it. Someone can buy dozens at a time, even though we've emphasized that it only lasts a month."
Vid's gaze lingered on Machioni's collar, where a Soft Light Badge was also pinned.
"Yeah, I'm using it too." Machioni smiled, adjusting the badge on his own collar.
"A good image makes most things smoother. So our second largest customer base is middle-aged and older males."
"In fact, those who do business with me are almost all my customers, the Soft Light Badge being the first topic we discuss, even surpassing the weather."
He gained tremendous profit from both the Friendship Book and the badge, so for Vid's request, even not knowing why, he fulfilled it wholeheartedly without cutting any corners.
"Vid, have you researched anything new lately?"
Machioni leaned closer to Vid, lowering his voice to ask, "Even if it's something you consider trivial, it doesn't matter, I can sell it at the right price... no matter what it is!"
Vid thought for a moment, then said, "There's indeed a new creation but the technology isn't quite mature yet, and the cost will be relatively high."
Machioni's eyes lit up, asking, "Is there a prototype? It doesn't matter if the technology isn't mature, we can improve it once and earn once!"
His enthusiasm for money seemed it could really burn, prompting Vid to lean back a bit.
"Next week then." Vid said, "Next week we'll meet here."
"Alright." Machioni said excitedly, "It's settled then!"