Hogwarts: Harry Potter’s Return from the Witcher World

Sirius glared sharply, his voice brimming with venom: "You're Snape, aren't you? Drank Polyjuice Potion to look like Harry?"

"You filthy scumbag, disgusting little greaseball, a slimy, rat-like creature…"

"You've dared to transform into James's child? Oh, is this because you couldn't win over Lily? Your twisted heart now plans to take it out on Harry?"

"Vile, lowly, despicable…"

The insults flowed out of him like a torrent, his fiery gaze directed at Harry as though it could pierce through him. He struggled against the bindings, hatred burning in his eyes.

"My dear godfather, calm down," Harry said with a shake of his head. "With the relationship you share with Professor Snape, do you really think he'd call you 'godfather'?"

Sirius froze, his tirade cut short.

That… made sense.

"I know what you're trying to do," Harry continued, his tone measured. "You're after Peter Pettigrew, aren't you?"

Sirius blinked dumbly, nodding slowly.

He was astonished.

How did Harry know that?

"Back then, the Secret-Keeper for the Potter house wasn't you, but him, right?" Harry asked.

Again, Sirius nodded mechanically, his movements sluggish.

Harry knew even this?

The fact that Sirius wasn't the Secret-Keeper was a truth that only he and Peter knew—no one alive should have had this knowledge.

"Peter has already been captured by me," Harry said softly, dropping a bombshell.

Sirius instinctively nodded, murmuring an "oh" before the words registered. His head shot up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Peter? Peter Pettigrew?" he croaked, his voice like wind blowing through dead leaves.

Harry nodded again. "Yes—Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew—the one who betrayed my father. He used his Animagus form to hide as the Weasleys' pet for thirteen years."

Sirius's jaw hung open as if it were unhinged.

The boy in front of him resembled James so much—except for his tone of voice and his eyes.

But those two differences made this child feel so unfamiliar.

"Are you really Harry?" Sirius hesitated, voicing the question again.

How could James's son act this way?

Calm, mature, sharp…

And only thirteen?

The child who was just one year old when it all happened—how could he know all this?

Harry rolled his eyes and waved dismissively, cutting off Sirius's spiraling thoughts. "I sent Hermione to notify Uncle Lupin. He'll bring—"

Turning his head mid-sentence, Harry paused and smirked. "Actually, he's already here."

Snow swirled around them.

Sirius squinted toward the distance, but he couldn't see anything. Deciding to trust Harry, he waited quietly.

With a flick of his wand, Harry transfigured a branch into a blanket and draped it over Sirius. "This should help keep you warm."

"Oh… thanks," Sirius muttered, mumbling his gratitude.

This kindness was enough to convince him that this wasn't Snape in disguise. Snape wouldn't have been so considerate.

Harry stayed silent, and soon Lupin arrived, accompanied by Hermione and Ron. Behind them, a large floating sack swayed gently.

"What… what's going on here?" Lupin asked, staring in surprise at Sirius, who was still restrained.

The scene he had imagined—an emotional reunion between godfather and godson—was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, he had intentionally slowed his pace to give them time to bond.

"He wasn't listening, so I had to make him listen," Harry explained succinctly.

Sirius peeked out from under the blanket and pleaded, "Harry, let me down, please. I promise I won't run anymore—really, I won't."

Harry waved his wand, releasing the bindings.

Sirius fell heavily onto the snow but quickly got to his feet.

"Long time no see, Sirius," Lupin greeted warmly.

Sirius, however, stared past him at the sack. "Is Peter in there?"

Lupin nodded and flicked his wand. The sack opened, revealing a limp, unconscious Pettigrew.

"Let me kill him!" Sirius snarled, raising his wand. His eyes blazed with hatred. "That filthy traitor—"

Before he could utter a curse, a snowball smacked him square in the face.

More branches shot out, binding his hands once again.

"Calm down, my dear godfather," Harry said softly. "If there's revenge to be taken, it's mine to exact. Only if I die do you get to step in."

"Don't say such cursed things!" Sirius blurted, his voice panicked.

Harry's expression softened as he looked at him. "Now that you've seen Peter, are you convinced? Or are you still going to accuse me of being Professor Snape under Polyjuice Potion?"

Lupin's eyes widened, and Hermione looked equally incredulous.

"The way you insult people—it's too much like that slimy git," Sirius muttered, turning his head away sheepishly.

Harry shook his head. "I have a question for you."

Sirius hesitated but then met Harry's gaze. "Ask anything, Harry. I'll tell you the truth—I won't hide anything from you."

"Why, for thirteen years, didn't you tell anyone the truth?" Harry asked, his tone neutral.

Sirius lowered his head, sighing deeply. "Harry, I failed you… I failed James and Lily. Their deaths were because of me…"

"Your name," Harry interrupted.

Sirius blinked.

Harry gestured for him to answer. "Your name."

"Sirius Black," Sirius replied instinctively.

Harry nodded. "Good. I was worried you'd forgotten your name and started calling yourself Peter Pettigrew or Tom Riddle instead."

"Tom Riddle?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Voldemort," Harry clarified.

Everyone but Ron shuddered, though Hermione clearly struggled to keep her reaction in check.

"Voldemort killed my parents. Peter betrayed them. Don't take the blame for something you didn't do," Harry said firmly, jabbing his wand lightly against Sirius's chest. "Unless you want to take credit for their crimes."

Sirius's eyes filled with tears, spilling down his cheeks. "But… I suggested James switch to Peter as the Secret-Keeper. If it weren't for me insisting, none of this would've happened."

"Really?" Harry tilted his head, looking at the floating Peter. "But if Peter hadn't betrayed his friends, wouldn't none of this have happened either?"

"Don't dismiss the only good idea you've ever had."

Pettigrew's eyelids twitched.

"Stop pretending to sleep, Peter," Harry said, flicking his wand. A snowball hit Peter squarely on the face.

Peter flinched awake, trembling. He opened his mouth to speak, but Harry quickly silenced him with another spell.

"Now is family reunion time," Harry said coolly. "Unwelcome interruptions aren't allowed."

The phrase "family reunion" struck a nerve in Sirius, who began sobbing uncontrollably. After a while, he choked out, "Harry, can you untie my hands? I need to wipe my tears—they're freezing."

Harry complied with a wave of his wand.

Freed, Sirius brushed the ice crystals from his face.

"Have you ever thought," Harry began, "that if you'd told Dumbledore the truth earlier, Peter would've been dead thirteen years ago?"

Sirius froze, his mind scrambling to recall his reasoning from back then.

Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "Wonderful, my dear godfather. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm starting to agree with Professor Snape."

"No, Harry, you can't possibly—he's pure evil!" Sirius roared indignantly.

Lupin placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Sirius is an exception, Harry. Think of Hermione or Ron—both are brilliant and capable Gryffindors."

Sirius growled lowly, muttering under his breath. Out of all the Gryffindors present, why was he excluded from the compliment?

"What's the plan now?" Lupin asked, steering the conversation back.

"Kill Peter, of course!" Sirius snapped. "That treacherous rat deserves to be torn apart!"

"I meant clearing your name," Lupin clarified patiently.

"That's simple—a memory will suffice," Harry answered calmly, pressing his wand to Peter's temple.

A silver strand of memory was drawn out and stored in a vial.

"What is that?" Ron asked, swallowing nervously.

"Memory extraction," Sirius said, startled. "Harry, how do you know this spell?"

"Professor Snape taught me," Harry replied nonchalantly.

Sirius froze, then scowled. He grabbed a snowball and hurled it at Crookshanks, who narrowly dodged and retaliated with a sharp swipe to Sirius's face, leaving a scratch.

"I knew you weren't a good dog," Crookshanks seemed to say with its glare.

Harry placed the memory vial inside the Sorting Hat. "This should be enough."

"Are you sure?" Lupin asked hesitantly.

Harry's smile was bright and confident. "Of course. A memory, the almost-dead 'hero,' and a godfather ready for Veritaserum at any time."

Sirius hesitated. "Harry, can you drop the 'almost-dead' part?"

"Fine. A godfather ready for Veritaserum," Harry amended with a shrug.

Sirius hung his head. "I guess 'almost-dead' it is."

Lupin's voice softened. "Your smile is just like your mother's."

"Hand me your wand, godfather," Harry instructed.

Sirius complied without hesitation.

Harry released all of Peter's restraints.

Peter collapsed at Harry's feet and immediately groveled. "Harry, I was your father's best friend! You can't kill me—if you must, turn me over to the Ministry instead!"

Harry handed Peter the wand, his voice icy. "Thirteen years. Do you still remember how to cast a spell?"

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Powerstones?

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