will be deducted 
Tom,
Ron and Percy have been arguing fiercely over Scabbers lately.
Percy suspects Ron did something to him and wants to take Scabbers back.
Ron refuses and even asks Scabbers who he wants to stay with.
In the end, Scabbers avoided Percy and wouldn’t leave Ron’s side.
This only made Percy angrier, and he kept nitpicking at Ron.
Scabbers still won’t talk to me. Do you have any good ideas?
I’m afraid if he really starves to death, Percy will hold a grudge against Ron forever...
—Ginny
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Tom received the letter at Luna’s house and wasn’t sure if he should tell Ginny more.
Long before the last school year had ended, he and Dumbledore had already devised a foolproof plan to prevent Peter from escaping out of fear or committing suicide.
Using knowledge from dark magic books, Tom had placed a curse on Scabbers, one of which ensured he wouldn’t starve to death, just like Basilisk.
And Dumbledore, in support of both the "Savior Training Program" and Sirius Black’s name clearing, had agreed to execute Tom’s method.
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While Luna was struggling with her summer assignments, she noticed Tom staring out the window in a daze. Dissatisfied, she said, “Aren’t you supposed to be my tutor? Help me write some of this!”
Tom snapped back to reality and said, “If you don’t want to do it, then don’t bother going back to school. Harry’s father and his friends were no saints. Their grudges have been brewing for over ten years—it’s a life-and-death feud now. Even Ginny is starting to feel uneasy watching it unfold. Sigh… I never wanted to drag you into this, but if you return to school and end up holding Ginny back... I might have better to Obliviate you right ...”
Luna interrupted, “Alright, alright! Stop talking. I’ll write my homework, okay?” Resigned, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a pile of snacks, poured herself a cup of tea, and resumed her struggle with homework.
From across the room, Xenophilius gave Tom a grateful look, to which Tom responded with a smile.
Luna knew she had changed. In the past, she never let anyone threaten her.
After her mother’s death, she had lived entirely to keep her father from grieving.
But after coming to Hogwarts, she started caring more—about Ginny and Tom.
At first, this summer felt unbearably lonely.
She hadn’t received any letters from either Ginny or Tom and had even wondered if her friendships at Hogwarts had been nothing more than a hallucination.
It wasn’t until Tom showed up at her doorstep that she realized just how much she had been holding in.
Sigh... She wondered what had become of last year’s “Ricky.”
Would she end up discarded the same way?
Had Tom truly come to her out of pure friendship?
Or was she simply another irreplaceable piece in their grand scheme?
“Hum…” Luna let out a long breath and thought, I really do have a self-destructive streak, don’t I?
She didn’t even dare to ask.
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Ginny received Tom’s reply:
I’ve changed my name to Rolf Scamander now. Please call me Rolf from now on. Peter won’t starve to death, so don’t worry.
I’m sorry about the tense atmosphere in your family, but remember to wear your protective necklace at all times.
If you’re attacked, it will immediately force Peter to reveal his true form.
So don’t take any risks.
—Rolf
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Ginny fiddled with the delicate gold necklace she had been wearing since before the summer holidays began, feeling thoroughly annoyed.
Tom and Dumbledore’s plans were always vague. They never explained things in advance—only revealing details when pressed.
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"What are you doing?" The twins suddenly appeared behind her.
Startled, Ginny instinctively incinerated the letter using wandless magic.
"Ooooh~" The twins were thoroughly impressed by the display.
George asked mischievously, "A love letter?"
"None of your business," Ginny retorted.
Fred smirked, "Sometimes, I wonder if you’re still possessed."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I remember when you were ten—"
George quickly interrupted, "Shh, shh, shh! The Dark Lord even stole my sister’s memories now!"
"Ahem! What are you all talking about?" Their eldest brother, Bill, arrived to keep the peace.
Fred grinned. "Nothing, nothing! We didn’t say a word."
George stuck out his tongue and dragged Fred away.
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After Fred and George left, they returned to their own room.
"What do you think?" Fred asked.
"She’s Ginny," George replied simply.
"But those letters… they don’t seem ordinary, do they?" Fred pressed.
"Could they be from Harry? Maybe they’re secretly dating?" George speculated.
"And that necklace—it's probably a love token."
George lifted a worn stack of parchment. "Hmm… once we’re back at school, we’ll find out."
Last school year, they had used this very map to follow—and occasionally scare—"Ginny." At the time, the name on the map had still shown "Ginny", proving that it identified physical bodies rather than the more elusive soul.
Sometimes, they had trouble locating "Ginny" and assumed it was just due to the castle’s crowded halls or complex layout. They had never considered the possibility that "Ginny" had actually gone down into the Chamber of Secrets.
"What if… we recognize the wrong person again?" Fred wondered.
"Dumbledore didn’t notice anything, and Bill—who’s a curse-breaker of dark magic—didn’t either. You’re overthinking it," George reassured him.
But Fred still had an uneasy feeling. He stroked his chin and murmured, "I think I saw a name on that letter…"
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"Remus, I… I need to talk to you." Fifth-year Peter stopped him in the hallway.
James and Sirius had gone off to another selective class, giving Peter the chance to get Remus’s support first.
"It’s like this, I…" Peter pulled out a toy gun and explained that he wanted to quit their nighttime escapades.
Remus sighed in relief. "That’s great! I was always afraid I might hurt you. Go ahead and tell them—I’ll back you up!"
That night, in the dormitory, Peter took out the toy gun in front of the others.
Sirius scoffed. "You want us to use this?"
James said, "Let’s at least try it."
Sirius shot him a look. "No. So Peter just gets to sleep soundly in bed while we’re out there risking our lives?"
Remus snapped back, "I never asked you to come. You can all get lost." Peter was touched by his support.
Sirius huffed. "Hmph! Fine. If he doesn’t want to come, I don’t care."
James, however, hesitated. "Wait… Peter is irreplaceable. Especially when it comes to… to…"
Remus frowned. "To what?"
James had been thinking—Peter could help guard the entrance to the Shrieking Shack, especially now that Snape knew about it. He wasn’t sure if Snape would break his promise and secretly tell others…
He and Sirius exchanged a look, both realizing the same thing.
Remus caught the shift in their expressions and turned sharply to Peter. "What aren’t they telling me?"
Peter looked to James for help, but James shook his head. So, he turned to Sirius, then back to Remus, and dared not speak.
Unable to withstand Remus’s piercing gaze, Sirius blurted out, "I told Snape. He knows… that you’re a werewolf."
Remus went pale. "Why?"
Sirius, guilty, only said, "I’m sorry."
Remus’s voice turned icy. "Did he see me?"
Sirius repeated, "I’m sorry."
Remus’s expression darkened. He lowered his voice to a furious growl. "How could you do this to me?!"
He had always seen himself as nothing more than a raging, disgusting beast when transformed. The thought of anyone—especially Snape—knowing made him feel sick. His body trembled uncontrollably.
Peter reached out to him, but Remus grabbed Peter’s wrist and pulled him out of the dormitory.
They went down to the common room, sitting by the fireplace.
By now, it was late—no one else was around.
Peter hesitated, then said, "Snape won’t tell anyone. He’s not that kind of person. James and he made a pact to leave each other alone from now on in exchange."
Remus stared blankly at the fire. "That’s why you wanted to quit the nighttime adventures, isn’t it? You should’ve just told me directly."
Peter admitted, "I don’t want you to leave. Please don’t drop out." He grabbed Remus’s hand.
Remus pulled away. "Don’t touch me."
Peter faltered. "I’m sorry… I can’t do anything to help you, I…"
Even though the secret had been exposed, Peter didn’t want to lose Remus over it.
He had a feeling that by morning, Remus would be marching up to Dumbledore, asking to withdraw from Hogwarts.
Would Dumbledore try to persuade him to stay?
Peter doubted it.
After weighing the risks in his mind, Peter swallowed his resentment toward James and Sirius and forced himself to say, "When you transform… it looks really painful. James and Sirius— they just really wanted to help you."
Remus’s shame broke through, and he began to cry. "I don’t even remember anything when I transform! How could they do this to me?!"
Peter pressed on. "Sirius—he speaks before he thinks. But James… James always finds a way to fix things. We can still be friends."
Remus wasn’t fooled. Peter was just scared of being left alone with those two bullies.
But just because Peter was afraid of being lonely, Remus wavered.
At that moment, James and Sirius came down to apologize.
James said, "We’ve decided—we’re done with nighttime adventures. No more sneaking out."
Sirius nodded, then quietly muttered another apology to both Peter and Remus.
Remus, however, remained cold. "Give me the map."
James looked like he was being asked to cut off a limb but reluctantly handed it over.
Remus stated, "I’m turning it in. No more nonsense."
Peter finally let out a breath of relief.
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But on the next full moon, James and Sirius still got up in the middle of the night.
They shook Peter but he didn’t stir—he had been drugged by them.
James pulled on his Invisibility Cloak, while Sirius transformed into a large black dog.
They left.
The black dog moved like a shadow.
With its keen sense of smell and hearing, it guided the invisible James past all the patrols.
James aimed his toy gun with precision and struck the knot on the Whomping Willow.
They made it to the destination.
Inside the Shrieking Shack, the werewolf was tied to the bed, its mouth gagged.
It thrashed violently, its restraints cutting deep into its limbs. Even the softest ropes had been worn through its skin, staining the sheets deep red.
Seeing the two of them, the werewolf struggled even more, eyes wild, desperate.
Sirius transformed back into a human and turned to James. "Shall we?"
James hesitated, but said, "He's still Remus, even if Remus doesn’t know it."
Sirius nodded. "Then let’s begin."
They untied the werewolf.
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The sky was beginning to lighten, and the moonlight faded into a dull hue.
James and Sirius, drenched in sweat, dragged the unconscious, completely bare Remus back to the Shack.
They used magic to tie him up again, covered him with a blanket, and restored everything to how it was.
They had to rush back to the dorm before Peter woke up, wash up, and pretend nothing had happened.
But halfway through the tunnel, James suddenly stopped.
"Sirius, we should turn ourselves in." James felt awful—Remus was getting stronger.
Sirius, panting, snapped, "Don’t talk nonsense." He shoved James, urging him to keep running.
"I can’t do this anymore," James said. His muscles ached all over, and he had a Quidditch practice today.
Sirius shouted, "Remus needs us! You said that!"
James yelled back, "I know! But we can’t keep this secret forever!"
Deep down, he feared Snape wouldn't keep his promise.
If Snape told Dumbledore the truth, all four of them could be expelled—there wouldn't even be a question of whether they could keep bullying him or not.
Sirius spat, "You shouldn’t have saved him."
James snapped, "Then why did you tell him in the first place?!"
That night, when they made the pact, they hadn’t thought things through at all.
Sirius roared, "Because he accused us of being gay! He said all our code names were innuendos—disgusting sexual jokes!"
James hadn't even considered that. Confused, he muttered, "So, why didn’t you just insult him back? Tell him no one would ever want to touch him, call him a pervy git spying and fantasying on you or something?"
They’d been trading insults with Snape for years—it was practically instinct. Why was Sirius suddenly so sensitive about it?
Sirius took a deep breath, his expression unreadable. He looked at James but hesitated to speak.
James swallowed. "Wait… you… you do like that Ravenclaw girl, do you?"
Sirius exhaled sharply. "I just… I just want to be normal."
James stared at him. "Wait, you mean… you’re…"
Sirius cut him off. "It’s not about Remus! I—never mind. You wouldn’t believe me. I won’t bother coming here with you again."
James watched as Sirius brushed past him, heading toward the exit beneath the Whomping Willow.
He didn’t hate or be afraid of Sirius. He still thought he was so cool.
Besides, the wizarding world didn’t even discriminate against same-sex relationships. What was the big deal?
So James ran after him, grabbing his wrist. "I believe you. But you don’t have to destroy Snape over this. No one’s going to make fun of you on that!"
Sirius shook him off. "No! No! Because the person I like is YOU! It’s always been you, okay?!"
He wasn’t ashamed of being gay. He was ashamed that the one person he loved would never love him back—because to James, he was just a brother.
And he likes James's Parents, so he doesn’t want to lose James's friendship. If he did, he wouldn’t even have a place to go for Christmas or summer break.
James’s mind was spinning. "Since… since when?" Memories flickered through his head.
Did he like Sirius more than he liked Lily?
No—that was a different kind of love at all!
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Sirius laughed bitterly. "Since I couldn’t understand why you were chasing Lily, I realized I was simply jealous of her. Hah, Snape was right all along. He saw through me. And I… I can’t do this anymore."
He didn’t want to love James.
Maybe, deep down, he wanted to be expelled, or for James to hate him—anything to end this miserable.
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James hesitated. "I’m sorry… I…"
He didn’t have the urge to kiss or hold Sirius in that way.
He had no idea how much pain Sirius was in.
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"Can we still be friends?" James didn’t want him to leave.
"As long as you don’t hate me, I’ll always be around." Sirius forced a strong yet desolate smile.
He would never touch James, even if it meant watching him marry Lily one day.
As long as James was happy, that was enough.
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James hesitated before giving him a purely platonic, brotherly hug.
He swore he would take this secret to the grave.
But neither of them knew…
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At the base of the Whomping Willow, hidden in the shadows, there was a tiny rat—completely stunned.
Peter had come to stand guard volunteering for a night.
The truth was, he hadn't been drugged at all. He had transformed into a rat and followed them all night, unnoticed even by Sirius in his dog form.
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"How… how could this be…?" He thought to himself.
At that moment, Peter finally understood why Sirius was always so bitter and aggressive to everyone. But what's more, he had also planned to keep this secret buried in his heart forever.
Until that day…
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