As October arrived, the days grew shorter, and darkness fell earlier.
The study remained unlit, and despite the faint light streaming in through the window, it appeared dim and shadowy.
Wade sat in a chair, pushing off the floor with his foot, causing the chair to tilt at a precarious angle.
He let the chair sway slightly as he listened to the conversation taking place in the living room.
"I was so scared… The Dark Lord was so powerful, and the Death Eaters were killing people everywhere. What good would it do to go against them?... Jas provoked the Dark Lord several tis, drawing his wrath upon us…"
Peter Pettigrew spoke in a dazed tone:
"Dumbledore was the one he truly feared, but… but they kept hunting us down… He has powers beyond our imagination, and he was after us personally…"
"The McKinnons are dead… the Prewett brothers are dead… the Bones family is gone too…"
"Standing against him… what does it bring but death…"
"I thought… Even if I betrayed them, Dumbledore wouldn't kill . Jas… Jas would forgive , he always knew I was a coward… At worst, I'd end up in Azkaban, and that's better than being dead…"
"So you betrayed them, didn't you?" soone asked excitedly. "You betrayed the Order of the Phoenix and Jas Potter? And then? What happened between you and Sirius?"
After a pause, Peter continued:
"The Dark Lord was after Jas and Lily… He was hunting them down personally, and I was terrified…"
"Dumbledore suggested they use the Fidelius Charm to hide, with him as the Secret Keeper. But… Jas refused. He wanted Sirius to be the Secret Keeper…"
"Then… at the last mont, Sirius made a foolish suggestion…"
Peter laughed softly. Even in his disoriented state, he seed to savor the mory of his surprise and secret amusent.
"He suggested that I be the Secret Keeper instead… so he could divert the Dark Lord's attention. anwhile, I… I was just a cowardly little rat who could hide easily… No one would care about … no one would find …"
"But he didn't know… I had already joined the Dark Lord a year before… They even suspected Remus of being the one leaking information to the Death Eaters. They never suspected …"
The rocking chair suddenly stopped.
Wade looked up at Lupin, who had erged from the living room, and watched him bury his face in his hands. After a long mont, Lupin raised his head, and his expression was still filled with deep anguish.
"Ti has proven everything," Wade said softly. "It was an absolute mistake that they didn't trust you."
Lupin shook his head. "I won't bla Jas and Sirius for this. At that ti… nearly all werewolves were Voldemort's soldiers. They had reason to suspect …"
"But even so, Jas and Lily never shut out…"
"And… and for all these years, I, too, never trusted Sirius…"
He sat down beside Wade, no longer concealing his pain and regret.
"Not going to listen any longer?" Wade asked, looking toward the bookshelf.
Lupin shook his head. "If I stay in the living room, I might not be able to stop myself from killing him."
From the living room, Peter Pettigrew continued recounting how, after the Potters' deaths, Sirius found him…
How he had scread that Sirius had betrayed Jas and Lily, cast a blasting curse that killed a dozen people, and then cut off his own finger, pretending that Sirius had killed him…
He spoke with pride.
Then he hid with the Weasley family… hiding as a rat for eleven years…
Life as a rat was miserable, but he had no choice.
He couldn't return to the light, as his lies would be exposed the mont he reappeared.
He couldn't go back to the Death Eaters either, as they saw him as a traitor. Because his information had led to the Dark Lord's downfall, the Death Eaters wanted to make him pay…
His only hope was to wait for the Dark Lord's return… because only the Dark Lord knew that he hadn't actually betrayed him…
Lupin listened quietly, his teeth clenched and grinding.
anwhile, the people in the living room pressed for more, eager to uncover further secrets. Peter answered every question without hesitation, making no attempt to hide anything.
It was obvious to everyone that he had been given Veritaserum.
But did it matter?
They didn't care. All they wanted was a news story that would shock the world.
When the conversation began losing substance and delving into private matters, Marchionne stepped out of the living room, allowing Lupin to take over to ensure Pettigrew didn't escape.
"Thank you, Mr. Marchionne," Wade said as he stood up. "Without your help, I wouldn't have known where to find so many suitable reporters."
In the living room, the reporters questioning Peter Pettigrew ca from five or six countries, including the UK—each one as tenacious as Rita Skeeter.
As long as the news was sensational enough and sold papers, they didn't care about ethics, let alone any governnt's stance—especially foreign governnts.
"They should be thanking you for the high-quality story they're getting," Marchionne said with a laugh. He poured himself a cup of tea, downed it in one gulp, and continued:
"Sales of the Soft Light badges have far exceeded the 'Book of friends' product; witches are going crazy over them. So people buy as many as a dozen, even though we clearly state the effect only lasts a month."
Wade noticed the Soft Light badge pinned to Marchionne's collar.
"Yes, I'm using it too," Marchionne said and smiled as he adjusted his badge.
"A good image smooths over most things. That's why our second-largest custor group is middle-aged n."
"In fact, almost everyone I do business with is a custor, and the Soft Light badge is always the first thing we discuss—even more than the weather."
Thanks to the imnse profit he made from the Book of Friends and the Soft Light badges, Marchionne put his full effort into eting Wade's requests, even without knowing the reasons.
"Wade, do you have any new research lately?" Marchionne leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Even if it's sothing you think is trivial, I can sell it for the right price… anything at all!"
Wade thought for a mont and replied, "Actually, I do have a new invention, but the technology isn't refined yet, and the cost would be quite high."
Marchionne's eyes lit up. "Is there a prototype? Technology that isn't fully developed is no problem—we can make improvents and turn a profit each ti!"
His intense enthusiasm for profit was almost tangible, making Wade instinctively lean back a bit.
"Next week," Wade replied. "Let's et here again then."
"Great," Marchionne said excitedly. "It's settled!"
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