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"I just praised your cleverness, Remus!"

Remus's aggressive attitude provoked Sirius's stubbornness. Although Remus was holding his wand against Sirius's forehead, Sirius was no longer submissive. He proudly lifted his chin and stared defiantly into Remus's amber eyes, which were glowing in the dark.

"You think that Watson was covering for me, helping me infiltrate the castle. But have you ever thought about why he did that? Huh? Was it to kill Harry, James and Lily's son? Or was he planning to assist me in a massacre inside the castle?" Sirius challenged, his words laced with bitterness and contempt.

"Isn't that your plan, to escape from Azkaban and wait for Voldemort to rise again?" Remus blurted out, but halfway through his sentence, he realized something was wrong. His eyes widened as he remembered something that had been nagging at him for a while.

Two weeks ago, Bryan had learned about their secret hideout from Harry. He knew about the passage under the Whomping Willow, and Sirius had followed Bryan back to Hogwarts that night. 

During the past half month, Bryan had spent most of his time away from the castle. If Sirius and Bryan intended to harm Harry, they would have succeeded long ago and would have already fled.

"Realized something's wrong, huh?" Sirius keenly caught the hesitation in Remus's eyes. He was furious, not because of Remus's attitude towards him, but because of Watson. He suddenly realized that Bryan probably wanted to get rid of him a long time ago, which was why he had asked Remus if he wanted to adopt "Tom" on the day Remus fell ill.

"I can never understand the schemes in your mind, Sirius!" Remus said coldly, trying to shake off his doubts. He couldn't believe that Sirius was innocent, that he had been wronged for so long. 

Suddenly, he took a few steps back and a thin rope shot out from the tip of his wand, swiftly wrapping around Sirius from head to toe, binding him tightly. Sirius gasped as the rope constricted his breathing, but he didn't stop glaring at Remus.

"But I do want to hear your excuses," Lupin said with a cold and stern expression. 

Sirius's withered cheeks turned completely black. On the night when Watson discovered him, he had treated him the same way. 

To be honest, revealing the truth from that year did not align with his plans at all. Since escaping from Azkaban, his goal had been to kill Peter. He had absolute determination, and no one could stop him, even if it meant death. 

But there were indeed some things that Sirius did not want to face. One of them was seeing those familiar faces before avenging James and Lily. It was not just because he, who had put everything on the line, couldn't trust those former friends, but also because he couldn't face the fact that his own stupidity had caused the death of the Potters. This guilt was also the reason he didn't want to face those familiar faces. He could tell them the truth, but at least it would be after avenging them!

However, Bryan Watson, that young Slytherin, ruined everything!

"That traitor wasn't me, Remus. It was Peter who leaked James and Lily's whereabouts!" Sirius finally roared out, his words filled with boundless resentment towards Peter and Bryan Watson. 

Remus's ears were struck by Sirius's words like thunder, leaving him stunned. Unconsciously, he stammered, "That's impossible. Dumbledore said it himself, Sirius, James and Lily didn't want him to be the Secret-Keeper. They chose you. Peter, He's dead, isn't he? He died at your hands, and so many Muggles saw it." 

He remembered the news report, the picture of the street, the bodies of the innocent people. 

The next ten minutes were a time for clarification.

Bound by the rope, Sirius lay on the ground, revealing unknown facts. This time, he had experience. Without waiting for Remus's interrogation, he voluntarily spoke about things like why he willingly stayed in Azkaban for twelve years, why he suddenly escaped from there, how he escaped, and what happened before and after and the events leading up to his capture by Watson. 

As Sirius recounted everything, perhaps because he had already gone through it with Watson, he felt a numbness as he spoke. He felt like he was watching a movie, a movie of his life, a movie of his mistakes. 

"Finally, Watson reluctantly agreed not to hand me over to Dumbledore or you. I can't transform into my animagus form anymore because you would recognize me. So, Watson turned me into a cat and brought me back to Hogwarts–" Sirius said wearily, his voice barely above a whisper.

The ashes floating in the air finally fell to the ground, bursting into a last glimmer of life as they touched the bricks. The room was filled with smoke and dust, making it hard to breathe.

Remus stared intently at Sirius, his eyes searching for any hint of deception or madness. At some point, the hatred in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by confusion. 

How absurd reality was.

Remus thought wearily, feeling a headache coming on. He had held a grudge for twelve years, and now the events of that year had led to such a result.

But it wasn't Sirius who had killed James and Lily; he was innocent. 

But the truth wasn't much better than before, was it? 

It was still a tragedy, a nightmare. 

"This is just your side of the story, Sirius. There is no evidence to prove–" After a long silence, Remus shook his head and said, his voice hoarse and strained. "I can't find any flaws in your story, Sirius, but this is a serious matter. You must provide evidence to prove that what you're saying is not a carefully crafted lie." 

Remus actually believed him now. He just felt helpless and lost. War was cruel, but human hearts were even crueler. 

He didn't know what to do, what to feel. He felt like he had been living in a lie, in a delusion, in a fantasy. 

"If you want to see my memories, then go ahead, Remus–" Sirius lay on the bed, his body devoid of any anger. Of course, he had no right to be angry with Remus. After all, this tragedy originated from his foolish suggestion. He was the one who had convinced James and Lily to switch their Secret-Keeper from him to Peter, thinking that it would be safer.

"You know, Sirius–" Remus rubbed his stiff cheeks with his palm, feeling the stubble on his face. He hadn't shaved in days.

"I'm not as skilled in Legilimency as Bryan. If you don't mind, Snape is currently…" 

Seeing Sirius's sudden change in expression, Lupin changed his words.

"I can write a letter to Albus. He will surely find a way to prove the truth of what you said." Remus said instead, hoping that Sirius would agree. 

"If you insist on doing that, Remus–" Sirius went from lying on his side to lying flat on his back. He stared at the dark brown ceiling, lifeless as he spoke. 

"Then go ahead and call Dumbledore. Maybe Watson was right. I am indeed a hopeless fool. Perhaps it's time to end all of this." Sirius said, his voice hollow and empty.

Upon hearing these words, Remus suddenly softened.

The once spirited and talented prankster seemed to have died. What stood before him now was just a shell driven by hatred.

Remus remembered the old days, the happy days, the golden days.

"Alright–" Remus sighed suddenly, making a decision. Sirius was a proud person, and he could imagine how much torment Sirius had endured in his heart over the years. That was why he was so obsessed with killing Peter. Remus himself wanted to do the same, to kill Peter with his own hands and let this guilt end with the four of them, without letting Peter's dirty soul harm anyone else, including Albus Dumbledore.

"Just don't tell Albus for now–" Remus took a deep breath, feeling a rush of adrenaline. He waved his wand, causing Sirius, who was staring at him in surprise, to fall onto the bed. Then, he rushed to the desk and quickly wrote a letter on a piece of parchment. Two minutes later, Remus folded the parchment, which was filled with elegant handwriting, and put it in an envelope. 

"Sorry, I can't let you go just yet, Sirius. I wrote a letter to Bryan, asking him to come back temporarily and personally confirm what you said. So- STUPEFY!!" Remus said, turning to Sirius, who was still lying on the bed. 

A Stunning Spell knocked Sirius unconscious, and after unbinding the ropes, Remus checked to make sure they were secure. He lifted Sirius's limp body and carried him to the bed, tucking him under the covers. He picked the letter on the bedside table, and grabbed his cloak and wand. Now, He had to go to the owlery and send this letter to Bryan. 

The unlocking spell was cast, and the door creaked open.

Before leaving, Remus's footsteps suddenly paused. He turned his head and looked at Sirius, who was unconscious on the bed. Suddenly, he pursed his lips and revealed a pale smile.

"Anyway… welcome back, Padfoot–"

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