146 Chapter 146: Black Arresting Black

"That cat is very smart. It can understand what I'm saying and even express what it has seen."

"Before, it tried countless times to catch Peter, but it never found an opportunity. Then, Peter played dead in front of it and escaped from that boy again. It told me everything and even helped me steal a note with the password to the Gryffindor common room so that I could personally go in and confirm."

"A few days ago, I snuck into the Gryffindor common room again, and Peter was indeed gone. He's no longer with that boy."

Upon hearing Sirius's narration, Sherlock unconsciously furrowed his brow.

"If Peter has escaped, would he still be at Hogwarts?"

"He would! He definitely hasn't left!" Sirius said grimly. "Not only can that cat sense that he's still here, but it wouldn't fit his character to run away like this either. When I was in Azkaban, those other Death Eaters who were locked up with me hated him with a passion. They believed it was because of his information that Voldemort ultimately lost his power, and they got caught."

"Peter clearly knows this himself, and with his cowardly nature, he would definitely leave himself a way out. If Voldemort comes back, he can use Harry to secure his position, without him he'd be screwed. Harry is his lifeline; he won't just let go of him that easily!"

Sirius's analysis made a lot of sense, and Sherlock pondered with his hand on his chin.

"We can try the Marauder's Map. We never thought about Peter being inside the castle before, so we didn't check if his name appeared on the map. But if he's still in the castle, we should be able to find him on the map. If the map doesn't show him, but we can confirm that he's left the castle..."

Sherlock turned his gaze back to the Forbidden Forest, and Sirius and Lupin followed his line of sight.

"Then the most likely place he's hiding is this forest," Lupin said with a deep voice.

Sirius stared at them and asked, "The Marauder's Map? Didn't Filch confiscate that thing decades ago? Not long after we left school if I recall correctly."

Sherlock also looked at Sirius.

"You guys had the map when you were in school?"

Lupin shook his head with a wry smile.

"Sorry, Sherlock, I never had the chance to tell you this, but the Marauder's Map was actually something we created ourselves. After Sirius and the others learned how to become Animagi, there were no secrets in Hogwarts Castle safe from us. We explored all the secret passages and then recorded them on the map, eventually adding tracking magic to it so we could better avoid the professors. In the end, it became the Marauder's Map, named after us - the Marauders."

Sherlock suddenly realized.

"Of course! The names displayed on the map were those of the four creators—Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs - those are your nicknames!"

After Sherlock's epiphany, Lupin stepped in to illuminate the question Sirius had raised. "Once the Marauder's Map fell into the possession of the Weasley twins, who themselves stole it from Filch, it didn't take them long to pass it on to Harry. Just a few days ago, Snape intercepted Harry using the map to venture to the Shrieking Shack. In the process, he stumbled upon the map creators' name, hence bringing me into the picture. I seized this opportunity to reclaim the Marauder's Map."

"Snivellus? What's he doing at Hogwarts?"

"Oh that? Yea he's Head of Slytherin and Professor of Potions.."

"He's what??"

Sirius was clearly taken aback by this, his feelings towards Snape evidently unchanged over the years, a stark contrast to Lupin who appeared to harbor no resentment for the past.

"Well, this isn't the right time to delve into these matters. We have to hurry back to the castle, find Peter on the map and hunt him down."

Lupin suggested this course of action only to have Sirius hesitate, uncertain about returning to the castle alongside Sherlock and the rest. Sherlock seemed to anticipate this and without a word, drew out his wand. "Firstly, revert back to your Animagus form. I will then perform a few alterations, allowing for a seamless entry into the castle."

Sirius complied, morphing back into a giant black dog. With a swift movement of his wand, Sherlock changed the texture of his fur, making it softer and glossier and the color morphed into more of a blend of grey and white. Along with his naturally fierce eyes, he appeared identical to a certain breed of dog popular among muggles. "Now, you are no longer conspicuous as a black dog. Once we have you inside the castle, we'll assert that your canine senses were needed for the pursuit of Black."

Lupin commended Sherlock's ingenious plan. "Brilliant! Employing Sirius Black to capture Sirius Black, nobody would suspect that the dog aiding the search is actually the wanted suspect all along!"

Having finalized their plan, they exited the Forbidden Forest with Sirius, making their way back to the castle. It was just past dawn, and the corridors were deserted as the students hadn't risen yet. Sherlock and his companions quietly slipped into Lupin's office and unfurled the Marauder's Map.

However, even after thoroughly combing through the map, Peter Pettigrew's name was nowhere to be found. "Could Peter have somehow managed to hide his name from the map?" Sherlock pondered aloud, voicing a theory.

Lupin and Sirius simultaneously shook their heads in denial. "Impossible. One's name cannot be eliminated from the map. Even concealed under an invisibility cloak, he would still be visible on the map."

Sherlock responded with a shrug. "Well, I seemed to have achieved it."

Upon hearing this, both Lupin and Sirius noticed that the only names visible in the office on the map were theirs. The absence of Sherlock's name on the map left them stunned. Lupin glanced at Sherlock, bewildered but intrigued. "How did you manage that?"

"Merely a trivial magic trick," revealed Sherlock. He smoothly drew out his wand and gently touched Lupin and Sirius's names on the Marauder's Map. In a fleeting moment, their names started to fade and eventually vanished. "Certainly, the magic involved in the creation of the map is intriguing, albeit rather dated. I realized that by merging a counter-curse with a reversal spell, one could eradicate names from it." He then further explained, "Initially, I stumbled upon this accidentally, but upon trying it out, it proved to be successful."

Sherlock's demonstration revealed that the spells weren't complex and even an ordinary wizard could master them.

The notion of merging these two spells and applying them to the Marauder's Map would be quite foreign to an average wizard. "There's no way Peter of all people could've come up with a way to hide from the map himself, but even if he did he likely wouldn't try it - far too risky for a coward like him. And let's not forget, very few people know that Harry is in possession of the map, he might not even be aware that the map is still in Hogwarts," contemplated Lupin.

"If he's not on the map and he doesn't know how to hide his name from it, then it's safe to assume that he's no longer in the castle. Which means that, just like you, Sirius, he's hiding in the forest," theorized Sherlock, thoughtfully stroking his chin.

"Shouldn't we disclose this to Dumbledore? With his help we would have a far easier time locating Peter in the Forbidden Forest," Sherlock suggested tentatively.

At that moment, Sirius reverted to his human form from his Animagus state. Their prior agreement mandated his maintenance of his animal form upon entering the castle; however, Sherlock's question compelled him to retake his human form to voice his opinion.

"We can't involve Dumbledore!" he uttered, his face drawn and stern. Lupin and Sherlock shared a look; their inclination was to faithfully report these findings to Dumbledore. With his authoritative status at Hogwarts, and his sway within the Ministry of Magic, discovery of Peter's hideout in the Forbidden Forest would be considerably simpler.

"Why can't we involve Dumbledore?" asked Lupin, curiosity piqued. A spark of resentment ignited in Sirius' eyes. "If we divulge all the facts to Dumbledore, even if we apprehend Peter, he'll just turn him over to the Ministry of Magic!" grumbled Sirius, his brow furrowed. Lupin assessed him, a crease forming on his forehead, "Isn't that exactly what you want? It would absolve you and ensure Peter faces justice, just like he deserves."

"That's not enough!" Sirius protested vehemently. "If the Ministry of Magic gets to decide his fate, at best, they'll lock him up in Azkaban! Those Dementors, those abominable creatures, represent living torment for conventional wizards, but for a wizard proficient at the Animagus transformation, they're no different from run-of-the-mill guards! Show me an Animagus and I'll show you a bunch of Dementors who only take interest in human emotions and completely disregard animals! That's precisely why I endured for over ten years, without descending into madness!" Sirius' eyes were bloodshot and wild. "He needs to die! I'll take justice into my own hands!"

Sherlock exhaled tiredly, waving his hand dismissively. "The choice lies with you two. This is primarily your situation. If you elect not to disclose the truth to Dumbledore, I'll maintain your secret."

Lupin regarded Sirius earnestly, "Don't act rashly, Padfoot. If you choose not to surrender Peter to the Ministry, you'll live as a wanted criminal for the rest of your life! The Ministry won't even allow you a chance to consume Veritaserum. If they capture you, they'd impose a dementor's kiss upon you. You'll be destined to hiding and isolation for the rest of your life!"

Sirius gritted his teeth, his left cheek twitching slightly. "I've always been aware of this. I already shoulder guilt. Even if they catch me eventually, I'll embrace it. But Peter must be killed, don't you see!"

Lupin patted Sirius sympathetically on the shoulder and sighed, "Even if you're okay with living like that, you have to think about your family. Do you think I'll be able to live happily knowing that you are out there living like a rat hiding from the Ministry? What about Harry? He's your godson goddammit, he needs you! Think about what James would want you to do - take revenge for him? Or be the godfather to his son that he asked you to be?"