Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

“What am I supposed to be like?!” Ron looked at Harry coldly.

Harry was stunned. He didn’t know how to answer him. Tears ran down his cheeks and flowed out of control.

“Ron!” Hermione shouted softly, and crystal tears were swirling in her eyes.

Her memory went back to Ron’s accusation that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers. It was also in the Common Room that afternoon. Ron had also looked terrible back then. He first criticized her and then fought with Evan. Ron was very unusual at the time, but his current expression made Hermione feel stranger than ever.

“I saved you last night. I discovered the vicious werewolf. I’m your hero!” Ron didn’t look at Hermione. He stared at Harry tightly, and revealed an unprecedented resolution in his dull voice.

“Hero?!” Harry and Hermione groaned, wondering why Ron said so.

“Yes, I’m a hero! But you’re telling me now, I shouldn’t be like this?!” Ron didn’t look like he was being controlled by the Imperious Curse; he looked as someone feeling injustice. He shouted angrily “How do you think I should be? Should I innately be a foil to the famous Saviour? A lowly, coward follower, with a dispensable and comical existence?!”

“Ron, I’m not…” said Harry sadly.

“Enough, Harry!” Ron broke away of Harry’s hands. “I don’t have anything to say to you. I know you all look down on me! Who I really am, I will prove it to you with practical actions, I will personally catch Sirius Black, I want to accomplish things that no one else has done.”

“Catch Sirius Black?!” Hermione stepped back half a step, looking scared, a vague feeling rose from the depths of her heart, she panicked and asked, “What do you want to do?”

“To do what a hero should do!”

“I won’t let you leave before you wake up.” Harry grabbed Ron’s robe again. “Sober up, Ron, think about our last three years…”

Harry didn’t finish his words yet, and two sturdy red lights flashed across the Dormitory, hitting Harry and Hermione respectively with a bang! The two fell down and laid motionless on the ground. Seeing Harry and Hermione fainting, Ron seemed hesitant. He moved towards them a little but then stopped immediately.

“Come on, dear child, my merciful Master!” A sharp voice suddenly rang in the room. “It’s time to accomplish what we should do! Both of them just passed out. After we catch Black, they will know your greatness.”

……………………. ……………..

In Professor Lupin’s office, Evan saw from the Marauder’s Map, Ron actually standing on his own behind him. He hurried back, but it was too late. Just as he turned, the office’s door was smashed open, and Ron rushed in clumsily, with strong inertia, and threw himself on him.

The two people fell to the ground, tussled and entangled in everything.

Evan wanted to use magic, but Ron did not give him a chance.

He gripped Evan’s right hand closely, with a terrible force, and completely ignored his own safety.

He seemed more like a sandbag that feels no pain, and Evan couldn’t get rid of him.

His wand emitted a few rays of light outward, shattering the water tank in the corner, and the Grindylow fell on the floor dying.

“Let go, Ron!” Evan exclaimed angrily, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

He saw that Peter Pettigrew, not far away from him, was deforming. Peter’s body quickly shrank into a rat’s shape.

He was getting rid of his magical bondage, and the tightly tied rope began to slide off to one side.

“This is bad!” Evan hurriedly forced Ron away with his knees, and gave him several hard punches with his free hand.

Ron swayed for a while because of the pain, and ducked aside.

Evan took the opportunity to point his wand to him. The light flashed across. Ron flew out and hit the wall behind him.

Before he could turn to look at Pettigrew, a red light had flown from side to side.

With a bang, it slammed into Evan’s hand. His wand drew a parabola in the air and landed at Pettigrew’s feet.

“Dear child, this farce should really end!” Peter picked up Evan’s wand with a dreadful expression on his face. “And at its end, I WIN!”

Evan said nothing. He saw Ron crawling again, his face full of bruises.

“Tut tut, look at your wand.” Pettigrew stroked Evan’s wand, like a child with a new toy, with a cheerful smile on his face. “Well maintained, more beautiful than my little master’s.”

Peter returned the other wand to Ron, and pointed Evan’s at him.

“Evan, I’ll give you another chance. You just have to…”

“You can change your face really fast, Peter!” Evan interrupted, dismissively. “You’ve just been kneeling on the earth, begging me, willing to give everything for a new life, but now it turns out to be like this.”

“Because I am a smart person, smart people can often laugh at the end.” Peter Pettigrew said with a weird smile, “It was fifteen years ago. My three stupid Gryffindor friends, all of whom were brainwashed by Dumbledore, were going to fight against the Dark Lord. What’s the advantage in doing that?”

“So, you betrayed them and became a traitor!”

“Don’t say it so bluntly, I just chose the strong side to lean on.” Peter carried on, “Let me tell you, Evan! For small people, the most important thing is to choose the strong side to get the best benefit. The Dark Lord’s power is something you can never imagine.”

“Strong power?! It sounds like a Slytherin’s tone.” Evan said quietly, “I heard the Sorting Hat saying that you asked for Gryffindor back in the day, and that you were trying to find the courage you didn’t have.”

“That’s what my mother expected out of me. My father was a brave and fearless Gryffindor.”

Peter closed his eyes and it looked like he was remembering.

“But you’ve let your mother down!”

“I don’t think so; I compensated her with the Order of Merlin, first class.” Peter said slowly, “As I grew older, I gradually figured out everything, my mother does not want me to be brave like my father. She needs honour that can make her feel proud.”

“But those honours are not yours, you’ve deceived everyone!”

“Does that make a difference?!” Pettigrew laughed. “As long as I am a hero in other people’s eyes, that’s more than enough!”