The headmaster's office was heavy with tension.Snowflakes drifted past the tall, moonlit windows, but inside, no one felt the cold.
Harry, still pale from the night's chaos, stood near Dumbledore's desk beside Snape, Sirius, and a visibly shaken Ron.The atmosphere was electric — part anger, part disbelief.
Sirius's voice cracked through the silence.
"You let him escape, Ron!"
"I— I didn't mean to!" Ron shouted back, eyes wide. "He was Scabbers! My pet! You can't just throw him to Azkaban!"
Snape groaned audibly, rubbing his temples.
"Merlin save us from adolescent sentimentality…"
Even Sirius, still shaking from fury and exhaustion, gave a bitter laugh.
"Your pet killed Harry's parents, boy. Maybe next time, name your toad Voldemort and see what happens."
Harry's anger boiled over.
"You let him go! He murdered Mum and Dad — and you helped him escape!"
Ron's mouth opened, but no words came. His face twisted — a storm of confusion and guilt.
Before Dumbledore could speak, a soft voice cut through the noise.
"You're all looking for Peter Pettigrew, I assume?"
They all turned.
At the top of the spiral staircase stood Roy Valvas, calm as ever, hands behind his back.A faint shimmer of invisibility magic rippled off his cloak as he stepped into the room — evidence that he had been there unseen.
Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait leaned forward, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, the young Valvas heir. You do have a sense of timing, boy."
Roy smiled faintly.
"I try."
He walked past Harry and Ron to the center of the room, pulling something small — no bigger than a snuffbox — from his coat pocket.Without a word, he enlarged it with a flick of his wand.
A tiny iron cage shimmered into being — and inside it, a twisted, trembling figure: Peter Pettigrew, his limbs unnaturally bent, eyes wide with terror.
The room went utterly still.
Sirius blinked — and then his jaw dropped.
"Oh Merlin. You found him."
Roy nodded.
"He was running toward the Forbidden Forest. Crookshanks helped me track his scent. I thought it best to keep him… secure."
Snape's eyes darted from the cage to Roy's calm expression.
"His limbs are—"
"Dislocated," Roy said casually, as if discussing a recipe. "He attacked me. I neutralized him. They can be fixed later."
Even Dumbledore — ever unreadable — looked faintly taken aback.
"You… learned medical magic before Hogwarts?"
Roy's voice was matter-of-fact.
"Medicine and swordsmanship. My grandfather insisted that a Valvas should understand both the body and how to defend it."
At that, Phineas Nigellus snorted.
"A true old-fashioned education. Darius Valvas always had a flair for discipline."
Sirius gave Roy a slow, impressed grin.
"Remind me never to fight you hand-to-hand."
Roy knelt, opened the cage, and dragged Pettigrew forward by the scruff of his robes.Peter whimpered as Roy seized his left arm and pulled back the sleeve.
A gasp rippled through the room.On his forearm, burned into the skin, was a black skull and serpent — the unmistakable Dark Mark.
Dumbledore's eyes hardened.
"So it is true."
Harry swallowed hard.
"What is that?"
Sirius answered before Dumbledore could.
"That, Harry, is the mark of a Death Eater — Voldemort's inner circle. Every one of them had it. Pettigrew wasn't just a coward. He was one of them."
Ron stared at the mark in horror, as if seeing his childhood for the lie it was.Snape's voice was flat, cold.
"The Dark Lord's servant. I should have known. They always leave rot behind."
Dumbledore turned to Pettigrew, his tone sharp now.
"Peter Pettigrew. For twelve years, you hid while an innocent man rotted in Azkaban. You betrayed the Potters — and framed your friend."
Peter whimpered, shaking uncontrollably.
"H-He made me! The Dark Lord— I didn't—"
"Enough," Dumbledore said, and his word struck like a spell.
He turned to Roy.
"Young Valvas… you may have just undone twelve years of injustice."
Roy inclined his head.
"It was only a matter of following evidence, Headmaster. I don't believe in leaving things to fate."
Phineas Nigellus chuckled softly from his portrait.
"You're starting to sound like your grandfather."
At that name, Dumbledore's expression softened.
"Darius Valvas was a good friend. It seems his grandson carries that same keen sense for justice — and strategy."
Sirius let out a long, shaky breath.For the first time in over a decade, hope lit his eyes.
"So… this means I can be cleared?"
Roy looked at Dumbledore, then at Snape, who reluctantly nodded.
"With this proof," Dumbledore said quietly, "the Wizengamot will have no choice. The truth will come out."
Sirius smiled — a genuine, raw smile — and looked at Roy.
"I owe you my life, kid."
Roy's tone was even, but his eyes were warm.
"Then live it well. That's payment enough."
After the meeting, when everyone began to leave, Phineas Nigellus leaned toward his portrait frame, muttering under his breath.
"My great-great-granddaughter working with this boy… perhaps the Blacks might rise again after all."
Roy's lips curved faintly.He heard it — and didn't deny it.