Chương 24: Chapter 25 : Hogwarts Express II

The animal looked thoroughly unimpressed with life, its tiny paws tucked beneath its body as it lay limply across Ron's palm.

"This is Scabbers," Ron said, gently setting him down on the seat between them. Tyson's gaze locked onto the rat. Peter Pettigrew. The traitor. The man responsible for betraying James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. It was strange, to be honest. Tyson had seen Peter countless times in films and fan art, but looking at him now felt entirely different. There was nothing remarkable about him. Just a fat, scruffy-looking rat with patchy fur and a sleepy expression.

If Tyson hadn't already known the truth, he would've dismissed him as exactly what he appeared to be. A lazy old pet. That's why he found Animagus transformation so absurd. The wizarding world had several ways to disguise oneself. For instance, Polyjuice Potion could duplicate another person's appearance with incredible accuracy, but it demanded constant doses to maintain the disguise. Miss one, and the transformation unraveled. Worse, anyone paying close attention would eventually notice the repeated drinking.

Human Transfiguration existed as well, but that relied entirely on the caster's mastery of one of the most difficult branches of magic. One mistake could leave obvious imperfections, and maintaining the spell wasn't exactly effortless. Animagus transformation, on the other hand... That bordered on unfair. Tyson strongly suspected that Animagus transformation didn't just change appearance. The caster became another creature altogether in every physical sense.

Their mind remained intact, but every physical aspect became genuinely animal. There was no illusion to dispel, no potion to renew, and seemingly no magical signature that screamed, 'This squirrel is actually a fifty-year-old pervert using magic to peek at girls bathroom.' Peter Pettigrew had proven exactly how effective it was. He had spent twelve years hiding in plain sight, and not just from ordinary witches and wizards, either.

He'd literally lived under Albus Dumbledore's nose, spending years being carried around Hogwarts by Percy and later Ron Weasley. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Even Professor McGonagall—herself an Animagus—had never suspected a thing. Hell, Sirius had escaped Azkaban in his dog form partly because Dementors perceived emotions rather than appearances. Becoming an animal dulled those emotions enough to make slipping past them possible.

The more Tyson considered it, the higher Animagus climbed on his list of priorities. He had to learn it. At all costs.

'It shouldn't even be particularly difficult.' The ritual was admittedly a bit demanding. Keeping a leaf in his mouth for an entire month would annoy the hell out of him, but the end reward was worth every bit of inconvenience. If the Marauders could do it as fifth-years, then he didn't believe he couldn't. Frankly, Tyson didn't hold James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus in nearly the same legendary regard that most of the magical world seemed to. Talented? Probably.

But they were also, by every account he'd seen, a group of wannabe school thugs who spent a good portion of their school years bullying Snape for entertainment. Of course, Snape wasn't some saint either. He provoked them at every opportunity he got. But Tyson had always believed that verbal spats should be settled verbally. He never endorsed violence, even if he excelled at it. For him, Buddha's teachings were paramount. His thoughts finally drifted back to the rat currently cleaning its whiskers.

"What a cute rat," he said, forcing out a smile. He couldn't help wondering whether he should secretly kill Peter during the school year. It would be quite easy once he learned the Disillusionment Charm. The future would change forever. Without Pettigrew, Voldemort might never regain a body. The graveyard ritual couldn't happen without his most loyal servant. One decision here might erase an entire war before it truly began. The temptation lingered for only a heartbeat. Then Tyson quietly dismissed it.

If he did that, he'd be completely screwing Sirius over. Wormtail was the only living witness who could prove Sirius had been framed. Kill the rat now, and Sirius would likely die branded a traitor. Tyson wasn't particularly fond of the man, but damning an innocent person to a lifetime of suffering wasn't something he was willing to do. It would always stay at the back of his mind and he didn't like distractions.

The best course of action would be to let the third-year plot play out as it did in canon and then catch Wormtail before he could escape. But was it really? Would that actually prevent Voldemort's return? What if he found some other method? Tyson wouldn't even have canon as a reference anymore. He would completely lose the advantage of knowing the plot.

'Ah, what a dilemma.' He felt a headache just thinking about it.

"Cute?" Ron echoed, looking at Tyson as though he'd completely lost his mind.

"Scabbers?" He glanced down at the rat, who remained half-asleep despite being the center of attention. With one finger, Ron poked his belly. Scabbers let out a lazy squeak in protest. Ron's lips twitched.

"Well... I suppose he is a little cute." Tyson almost choked on his own saliva. He looked at Ron with a mixture of horror and pity. If he knew he was unknowingly rubbing the belly of a balding, middle-aged man and a murderer who'd sold out his best friends, he probably wouldn't look nearly so affectionate. Truly, perspective had a nasty habit of ruining wholesome moments. Instead, Tyson smiled and steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Harry and I can tell you more about the Muggle world during the term." Ron looked up as he continued.

"Like how we have airplanes, nuclear bombs, sniper rifles..." Tyson spread his hands dramatically.

"By the time we're finished, you'll be a fully certified expert in Ameri—Muggle technology." Ron laughed.

"My dad would absolutely love that." His grin grew noticeably more genuine.

"He'd probably ask you a thousand questions." He looked between Tyson and Harry.

"In exchange, I'll teach you guys everything I know about the wizarding world." Before either of them could answer, the compartment door slid open once more.