Leonard opened the Marauder's Map and showed Lupin and Sirius Peter Pettigrew's name moving around inside Hogwarts, completely dispelling the last of their doubts.
"Who's this Ron Weasley? Why has he been with Peter Pettigrew this whole time?"
Sirius had somehow latched onto a detail that was not exactly the main point.
"He's been disguised as an actual rat and hiding in this Ron Weasley's home. Living and eating with him, more or less," Leonard said.
Lupin and Sirius both recalled what Peter Pettigrew looked like, and their expressions turned extremely complicated.
Just imagining eating and sleeping beside that short, pudgy man, on top of the enemy filter...
No, that was enough to make anyone want to vomit.
"If you want to throw up, go ahead," Leonard said with great understanding. The first time he had imagined that scene himself, he had felt his stomach turn too.
"No need, thanks. We can worry about whether it's disgusting after we catch Peter Pettigrew." Sirius was eager to move. His dizziness was gone now, and he looked ready to execute Peter Pettigrew on the spot.
Leonard gave it some serious thought. Peter Pettigrew had once been his test subject for exploring Horcruxes, after all. Just letting someone take him away like this...
Actually, it did not matter much. Peter Pettigrew was not useful anymore. If they wanted to catch him, they could.
"I'll lead you there when the time comes," Leonard said with a perfectly straight face, then took the Marauder's Map back from Lupin.
Lupin: ...
He had thought the Map might be returned to its rightful owner, but wait, was he not a professor? Should he come up with some excuse later and confiscate the Marauder's Map?
After all, this counted as a dangerous Dark Magic item.
Leonard had no idea Lupin was considering confiscating the Marauder's Map. He put it away and was just thinking about whether to head back when he suddenly heard a familiar voice by his ear.
"Magical Sight."
It was his own voice.
Leonard's expression changed. Without the slightest hesitation, he instinctively activated Magical Sight.
The scene around him changed at once. Everything turned into blocks of magical color. Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks lying on the floor were all warm-colored humanoid shapes.
But behind them, a cold-colored humanoid figure was slowly raising its hand.
Leonard dropped Magical Sight, and with the lingering guidance of those color blocks, he immediately spotted a half-transparent figure not far away. It had raised one hand. The outline of a wand was visible there, and magic was gathering at the tip, just about to form into a fairly powerful spell.
What the hell? A sneak attack?
Leonard moved fast. In one smooth motion, he pulled a pistol from his coat and aimed it at the transparent figure. Everyone present froze at the sight.
Including the figure itself.
"Mr. William, you..." Lupin began in confusion, but before he could finish, Leonard pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot startled everyone, but it also made them notice the uninvited guest.
A wand fell to the floor, and the transparent figure could no longer maintain its invisibility. Its body flickered like a faulty lamp.
And in that flickering light, Lupin recognized the face.
"It's you!"
Raichel clutched the wound in his hand and ignored Lupin, staring at Leonard in surprise instead.
"So... you're Leonard William. Just as I thought. The one I can't see in prophecy. I didn't expect you to be here too." He loosened his grip, and a golden bullet squeezed itself out of the wound and dropped to the floor.
"Interesting weapon, but it means nothing to me." He grinned, baring a bloodthirsty smile.
Leonard raised a brow, said nothing, turned the gun toward Raichel's head, and fired several shots in rapid succession, emptying the magazine.
The force of the bullets made Raichel stagger backward, and bursts of blood mist exploded from his head.
The sheer violence of the scene startled Lupin and Sirius. They exchanged a glance and saw wariness in each other's eyes.
That casual, silent willingness to go straight for the kill...
That was a little frightening.
Was this really a student? What kind of student had killing intent this heavy?
Lupin instantly gave up on the idea of confiscating the Marauder's Map. No reason beyond basic self-preservation.
They were staring at Leonard, but Leonard's gaze never left Raichel.
Blood mist kept bursting from Raichel's face, proving every bullet had hit him squarely, yet he never fell. He only kept moving backward under the bullets' momentum.
At this distance, even a steel plate should have been pierced through, should it not?
Very soon, the magazine was empty. Leonard stared at Raichel, who was still standing there with his face mangled beyond recognition, and fell into thought.
"Why did you stop?" Raichel's ruined face no longer had any recognizable features, yet a voice still came from his throat.
One bullet after another forced its way out and clinked onto the floor. Raichel touched his face as if nothing had happened.
"That's all? Is that your magic? A little disappointing."
"Incendio!" Sirius felt a flicker of fear and immediately tried to cremate Raichel on the spot.
Raichel, whom the bullets had failed to stop, instantly turned into a human-shaped torch, but he did not let out even a single scream.
Instead, his calm voice came from within the flames.
"So this is the so-called heir to ancient magic? You're so weak it's almost pitiful."
The blazing fire combined with that flat, composed voice created an eerie atmosphere that slithered into everyone's hearts like an icy venomous snake.
"Be afraid. Weep. I'm already by your side."
After delivering those final words from inside the flames, the twisted human shape suddenly dissipated. The fire, robbed of its host, died out as well, leaving only scorched black marks on the floor.
Lupin and Sirius both looked grim. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they were both a little shaken.
"What kind of magic was that? Some sort of alchemical device?" Lupin forced himself to stay calm as he looked at the pistol in Leonard's hand.
"It's not magic, and it's not some alchemical device. It's just an ordinary Muggle weapon," Leonard said.
"A Muggle weapon, hm?" Lupin forced out a smile. "Very interesting."
But only interesting. Against Raichel just now, it had been almost useless.
Still, Lupin's real focus was not on Leonard's pistol. He had only grabbed at a random topic to ease the tension in his chest.
He had realized that if Leonard had not noticed Raichel first just now, everyone here would have been finished.
That was even more terrifying than that bird-serpent-like Raichel, because Lupin had no way at all to guard against a sneak attack from him.
"This isn't the time to talk about weapons. We can't stay here. We need to get to Hogwarts. We have to find Dumbledore immediately." Sirius's voice was dry.
That thing was even more terrifying, and more disgusting, than he had imagined.
"He's right." Lupin nodded at once. He had no intention of going head-to-head with a monster when they had no idea how many of it there were.