Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Chapter 149: Gryffindor’s Test

Peter Pettigrew screamed, tumbling back and forth on the floor.

Evan was surprised to see that Pettigrew started crying. That looked terrible: He looked like an oversized bald baby shivering on the floor.

“Listen to me, Evan! You are a smart kid…” Peter whispered.

He struggled up to Evan, shaking forward, grabbing the edge of his robe.

“You said enough today, Peter Pettigrew!” Evan pulled his robe out of Peter’s clutch; he stepped back and retreated to the office door. “If you have anything more to say, you can wait for a while and tell Dumbledore and the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. I think they will be interested.”

“No, no!” Peter murmured. “It was Sirius Black….”

“Of course, if you are innocent, they will naturally let you go.” Evan looked at him, “But if you are found guilty, you will get what you deserve. The Dementors outside the school are already too impatient. Maybe they will give you a kiss…”

Hearing “the Dementors” and “the Dementors’ kiss”, Peter Pettigrew’s face paled instantly, it was as if it was drained out of blood.

“Let me go, boy!” Peter begged. “You gain nothing out of doing this. Don’t you want to be a powerful wizard? I will help you. I know a secret, that thing with its magical power; it is in the Forbidden Forest. I know how to get it.”

“If you mean the Magical item left by Gryffindor hidden in the Centaur colony,” Evan said slowly. “It’s a shame that Black promised to take me there before you.”

“Without my help, you won’t succeed!” Peter said hurriedly. “Even after a thousand years, the guardian magic that Gryffindor exerted is still active. You must overcome your deepest fears in the depths of your heart and pass the final test to get that thing. The magic is so powerful that no one could succeed. But I know a way, a shortcut. The Dark Lord told me, I can…”

“You can’t just take shortcuts to everything, Pettigrew!” Evan looked at Peter with some pity, and with an incredible confidence in his voice he said: “If that is the test that Gryffindor has left, then I believe I can overcome it.”

“Wait a minute, I have another…”

“We have wasted too much time. After handing you over to the professors, I have to reach for Sirius Black, to save Ron and go to the Great Hall for dinner. So many things are waiting for me to be done; I’ll end this as soon as possible. Let’s see where Professor Dumbledore is. He may have come back! “Evan pointed at the Marauder’s Map with his wand. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

With Evan’s words, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider’s web on the Marauder’s Map.

On the Map, green and black lines, elaborately showed every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. It had tiny ink dots moving around it, each labelled with a name in minuscule writing.

Evan looked at Dumbledore’s office first, and it was empty. He looked down and most of the people who stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas were gathered in the Great Hall. It was time for dinner, but Evan didn’t see Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He quickly moved to the Gryffindor Tower. He scanned it, and found that Harry and Hermione were there, and in front of them was Sirius Black.

As Sirius Black entered the castle, he should take Peter to him right away.

Hold on, where did Ron go?!

Evan looked around the map, but he didn’t see Ron anywhere.

A moment later, in the third floor of Professor Lupin’s office, where he was, he suddenly saw that there was another person besides Pettigrew and himself, standing in front of the door, outside the office…

……………. ……………………..

In the Gryffindor Common room, Evan had just left, and Crookshanks also contacted Sirius Black with the new password.

Now, only Harry and Hermione are still here, they were standing outside the third-year boys’ dormitory.

“Ron? Harry shouted in fear.

No one responded. Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Both of them thought Ron was asleep.

But when he turned back, he found Ron lying on the bed, staring at them with open eyes.

In the dim bedroom, Ron’s appearance was extremely strange and the atmosphere was terrible.

After a while, Hermione said timidly, “You seem to be sick, Ron?!”

“I’m fine!” Ron responded stiffly, and he got out of bed.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other again and saw the worry on each other’s faces.

“No, you look bad. You should go to Madam Pomfrey. She will help you.”

“I don’t need any help. I’ve never been as good as I am now.” Ron came over to them as if he was leaving the room.

“We need to talk to you!” Harry reached out and stopped Ron. He exclaimed. “I have something to tell you about what happened last night.”

Harry’s anger turned to worry after knowing that Ron was being controlled.

The only thing he wanted to do was to awaken Ron. He also remembered Evan saying that the best way to resist the Imperious Curse was a strong will. As long as his willpower is strong enough, he can resist the curse’s invasion.

When a man is a victim of the Imperious charm, he would feel a blank in his mind and become very happy. Then, there will be a voice asking the cursed person to do something. As if hypnotized, the cursed man enters a subconscious state, and he subconsciously obeys the caster’s orders.

But this is not absolute. The cursed person can still receive all the information from the outside world. That information could have an impact on everything he does. If these things seriously touch his heart and make him feel rebellious, then he will take the initiative to resist the Imperious Curse, and weaken its power to a great extent.

“Ron, I know!” Harry gripped Ron’s shoulder with both hands and looked at him in distress, and he shouted, “I know. I know all about it. I don’t blame you for what happened last night. I shouldn’t have punched you by the end. You’re also…”

“What happened last night?!” Ron lowered his head and repeated that slowly, in a monotone voice. “You can understand that was the best thing to do, Harry! Last night, I saved you, I saved Hermione and everyone. Once the werewolf is allowed to enter the castle, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“Professor Lupin is innocent, he will not attack anyone.” said Harry panting. He shook Ron vigorously and sadly wailed “Please, Ron! Just wake up. You shouldn’t be like this.”