Pov General,
The Forbidden Forest had lost all its former appearance; there were dozens of carriages, pieces of wood scattered everywhere, trees that shouldn't be there, and even some fires still burning.
All of this was because Pettigrew was exceptionally good at running away and had such sharp instincts that he managed to dodge every attack that Evelyn, Marie, and Crookshanks sent his way.
"But it's unstoppable."
"Don't worry, Marie. We've managed to drive him back into the castle; he can no longer escape us."
Evelyn took out the Marauder's Map and used it to track the rat.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
But the problem was that the spells didn't hit their target.
"Lightning Slash!"
A lightning attack from Marie's wand struck part of the castle's floor and some of its walls, leaving further destruction in its wake.
"Let's split up and use the telepathy spell."
"Okay, I promise we'll get him."
Time was slipping away, and yet there was nothing but destruction—no rat captured, despite them using magic from the divine era.
"Fire Wall!"
Even a massive wall of flames couldn't stop the rat from escaping.
"Marie, he's heading for the third floor."
"Understood."
Evelyn's mind was racing, yet no matter what she planned, the rat's escape seemed inevitable.
"You won't escape, Pettigrew!"
"The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers."
"What was that?"
A faint ticking sound, like clockwork, echoed through the corridor.
"His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight…"
Evelyn tried to ignore the voice, but the quieter it became, the stronger her sense of urgency grew.
It felt like the strangest five minutes in the world — as though everything was happening far too quickly.
The ticking sound became almost hypnotic, and Evelyn found it harder and harder to focus.
"...the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master."
"Is this a prophecy?"
"The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before."
"MARIE, HE'S HEADING FOR THE INFIRMARY!"
"Understood."
In the infirmary,
An explosion echoed through the corridors. As Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door to see what was happening, the door was blasted open, and a shadow fell across the far side of the room.
"NOW!"
"Multiple Charm!"
In the corridor, a dozen magic circles formed around Evelyn, their energy converging at the tip of her wand.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
Instead of aiming directly at the rat, Evelyn targeted a spot just behind it. A massive explosion erupted, sending Pettigrew hurtling through the air.
"I think you're a dirty traitor."
A white light shot from Marie's wand, striking the rat and forcing it back into its human form.
"Tonight... before midnight... the servant..."
Marie stepped aside just in time to avoid the debris that went flying past her.
"...will set out..."
She grabbed Pettigrew by the head.
"...to rejoin..."
And slammed the traitor's head onto the ground with unexpected violence.
"...his master..."
She placed her wand against his cheek, her gaze filled with resentment.
"Move once, and I promise you can say goodbye to your head."
Everything had happened so quickly — barely ten seconds — that no one understood what was going on.
"By Merlin's beard, can you explain to me what's going on here?"
Evelyn appeared at the door, completely out of breath and drenched in sweat.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, Minister Fudge. But we wanted to introduce you to someone. Meet Peter Pettigrew, also known as the true Secret Keeper."
She grabbed his arm and pulled back his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark on his forearm.
At that moment, Evelyn's mind finally fell silent — no more deafening ticking or spinning wheels.