HP: In The Magical World As a An Extra [ Chapter 115 ]

"Isn't there anything else you can do?" Andromeda asked worried what would happen if Sirius wasn't cleared.

"At the moment no, Amelia plans to secret Sirius out into an auror safe house in the last hours if she's not convinced we can win the trial out right.”

“She knows as well as I that if Sirius isn't cleared completely the ministry will pull something to save face and have him arrested on some other charges and if that happens we're afraid that something may just happen to him in his cell before the next trial date." Ted said with a grimace.

Andromeda muttered a curse under her breath, "and just what would you need to secure an absolute win in court."

Ted sighed and rubbed his face, “A miracle at this rate, given how long ago this all happened unless we can figure out who really betrayed the Potters and haul their arse in for questioning to clear Sirius, short of that we're in a bind."

The three of them fell into a grim silence at that, neither Andromeda nor Ted could think how to progress and Magnus' eyes were flickering back and forth as if reading something before after several more seconds they seemed to widen.

"That's it," Magnus exclaimed, making both Tonks look at him.

"Have you thought of something." Ted asked as he wiped his face with his hand trying to stay awake.

"Yes, I can't believe I didn't see it before," Magnus said before looking hard at Ted, "Ted what exactly was left over of Peter when Sirius supposedly killed him."

"A finger, that was all, why?" Ted asked not sure where he was going.

"A finger," Magnus nodded before looking at Andromeda, "remember what I read about the Marauders, they were all secret animagi, James Potter was a stag, Sirius a large dog and Peter..."

"A brown rat, yes I remembered you mentioned it." Andromeda said, nodding her head urging him to get to the point.

"Well what if Peter isn't really dead, what if he just faked his death by cutting off his finger and then used his animagus form to disappear in the confusion," Magnus suggested, "and he's been hiding all this time because he is the one who betrayed the Potters."

"It's a theory Magnus," Ted said as he shook his head, "but that's all it is, even if it's plausible we would have no way to find him to confirm this."

"What if I had an idea of where he might be," Magnus asked and both Teds and Andromeda heads turned to him fast.

"What do you mean?" Ted asked as he pushed through his sleep to focus.

"I think Peter is here in the castle, and has been hiding with a magical family all this time to keep his ear out for trouble," Magnus explained.

"It's a possibility but what makes you think so?" Andromeda asked, considering his words.

"I overheard Ronald Weasley talking about his pet, Scabbers, apparently the rat has been passed down from his older brothers, and is over ten years old at this point and is missing a digit on one of its front paws," Magnus explained himself, "ten years, that's way too long for a normal rat to live, so either it's magical or it's…"

"An animagus!" Andromeda finished his sentence for him before the mirror moved to just show her face as she stood up from her chair.

"Ted, get ahold of Amelia again as soon as you can. Get her to send a squad of Aurors to Hogwarts as soon as she can…”

“...If Scabbers is really Peter and he is the traitor then there is every chance he might be planning to avenge his master by killing Harry, we can't take any chance." Andromeda said before the call was cut off.

Ted's mind was racing from how everything had just come full circle and he quickly got to his feet and began to run out of his office, it would seem that sleep was going to have to wait a few more hours.

------

Magnus had to really struggle hard not to grin. Finally, he could go after the rat now that everything had come together, and he had found a way to expose Pettigrew's location. 

Almost as soon as Andromeda had put the mirror back in her desk drawer Magnus was ready to go.

"Hold on a moment Magnus, I need to send a message to Professor McGonagall about this, as it involves one of her house," Andromeda told him before drawing her wand and with a wave of it and a muttering of "Nuntius Patronum" the next second the luminescent form of her patronus burst forth from the tip of her wand.

Magnus could not help but gape in shock as he saw a patronus incantation being used for the first time.

It really was completely different from seeing them in the movies, though he was curious as to why the incantation was different.

Andromeda patronus took the form of a large female cat, a cheetah specifically, lean and fierce looking, its eyes glowing brightly as it looked at him for a moment as it came to a stop before looking to Andromeda.

"Professor McGonagall, new information has just come to light about a possible serious threat towards and involving members of Gryffindor house, please meet us outside the entrance of the first year Gryffindor common room as soon as you can." Andromeda stated quickly before waving her wand and the patronus bounded into the air and took off, disappearing through one of the walls.

Magnus found himself realizing just then what he had witnessed, a messenger patronus.

He had only seen it used once in the last movies when Kingsley had sent a message to the Weasley wedding to warn about the fall of the ministry. 

He didn't know that Andromeda knew how to use it.