"Tell me, why did you betray James! Why did you betray us!"
Even though Lupin had endured hunger and the pain of being transformed into a werewolf for many years, and his body was so weak that he could hardly stand up, he still swung his fists and punched the black dog in the face again and again!
"Do you know that you are the person he trusts the most!"
Answer me!
The black dog transformed into human form, with messy hair and a haggard appearance.
His face still bore many bruises from the recent beating.
He struggled to squeeze out a sentence.
"I did not betray James..."
"It's... Wormtail... He... He's still alive!"
"What!" Lupin's pupils suddenly contracted.
Then he squeezed his palm even harder!
"You think I'd believe your nonsense? Peter is dead! I saw his fingers in the newspaper!"
"That was just a finger…I saw him…in the Harry news…"
Sirius was panting heavily.
"What does that mean?"
"Let go of me first! If I really had a problem, would I dare to come to you?"
Sirius's intelligence finally kicked in for once, and he explained to Lupin.
Lupin hesitated for a moment, then slowly released his grip.
He pulled his wand from his pocket and aimed it at Sirius.
"Don't try anything funny with me!"
Sirius raised his hand to indicate that he had no weapon, and rummaged through a pile of newspapers on the ground to find the issue he had read years ago.
Hatred flashed in his eyes, but he took a deep breath and concealed it.
Pointing to the rat jumping around in front of Ron's hospital bed in the picture.
"Look closely, who is this rat!"
Seeing that the hatred in Sirius's eyes seemed genuine, Lupin took the newspaper and carefully examined the image of Scabbers, the rat that was constantly moving around.
The expression on his face finally changed.
"It...it really is...it really is it!"
Lupin couldn't believe it.
The truth I've held onto for over a decade, the friend I've hated for over a decade, turns out to be... a misunderstanding!
On the contrary, the person they grieve for is the real mastermind, enjoying the highest glory in the magical world!
They're even secretly lurking around Harry right now!
"What exactly happened back then?!"
Lupin grabbed Sirius's shoulders and shook him violently.
The veins on his fingers were showing due to excessive force.
Mentioning the events of that year stirred up Sirius's emotions, which he had just calmed down.
In a hoarse voice, he recounted how the secret agent was replaced and how Peter Pettigrew faked his death to escape.
"That's how it happened back then... Later, out of guilt, I didn't offer any rebuttal after being captured by the Aurors; I just wanted to stay in Azkaban to atone for my sins..."
"You're such an idiot!"
Lupin wanted nothing more than to punch Sirius again: "You're so easygoing, you went straight to Azkaban!"
"Have you ever thought about Harry?!"
"Huh... Harry?" Sirius was a little confused.
Lupin was usually good-tempered, but when he saw Sirius acting like he only cared about his own peace of mind, he immediately got angry!
"Did a Dementor kiss you in Azkaban and mess up your brain?!"
"Don't forget, you're Harry's godfather! James and Lily aren't here, if we don't take care of him, who will!"
"Are we counting on Lily's sister, whom she's never contacted before?!"
Sirius finally realized what was happening and looked full of guilt.
He lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.
Lupin sighed and said nothing more.
"What are your next plans? Go to St. Mungo's Hospital?"
"Of course! I've already made one mistake, I can't just stand by and watch James's child fall into Peter's hands again! Moony, you'll help me, right?"
"You're a murderer, I'm a werewolf, what do you think we're going to use to get into St. Mungo's Hospital?"
Lupin's mind was clearly much clearer than Sirius's, who had just escaped from prison, and he continued his analysis.
"Judging from your behavior before the prison break, as reported in the newspapers, it seems very much like you were planning to go to St. Mungo's Hospital to kill Harry..."
"I'm not!" Sirius quickly retorted.
"What's the point of explaining this to me?" Lupin had come to believe Sirius's explanation from the bottom of his heart, and after relaxing his body, a feeling of exhaustion washed over him.
He plopped down inside the small wooden shed.
"If I were Director Auror, I would have already made arrangements at St. Mungo's Hospital, waiting for you to come."
"Then what do we do? We can't just stand by and watch Harry fall into Peter's hands!"
"Let's go check around St. Mungo first. Your Animagus hasn't been discovered yet. Even if we can't infiltrate, at least we can keep watch around the hospital." Lupin couldn't think of a good solution for the moment.
He considered whether he should tell Dumbledore the truth and ask for his help.
But getting into Hogwarts is easy; getting into the headmaster's office is impossible!
Without a password, would they dare to force their way in?
Snape must be ecstatic!
"That's the only way for now." Sirius nodded in agreement.
Cluck cluck...
A roar came from Sirius's stomach.
Sirius rubbed his belly and asked Lupin, "Is there anything to eat?"
"I haven't eaten much since I escaped from Azkaban."
"Wait a moment." Lupin took out a few pieces of black bread wrapped in paper from the corner of the wooden shed.
The cheapest kind, even people in the Muggle world might not be willing to eat.
And judging from the appearance, this was his last ration.
"Give!"
Sirius didn't mind and picked it up and wolfed it down.
He finished the bread in just a few bites.
"Is there any more?"
"That's all. I only have a few Knuts left. I'll buy another one tomorrow morning."
"Never mind... there are still many places where we'll need money later."
Sirius realized he seemed to have eaten all of Lupin's last food and looked a little embarrassed.
In the blink of an eye, he was plunged into sorrow again.
He had never worried about money before; his family had more Galleons than they could spend in several lifetimes.
But now, he dared not go home, nor did he dare take the Galleons from Gringotts.
They were terrified of being discovered by the Aurors.
"Let's get some sleep first, and set off tomorrow morning." Lupin leaned against the wooden plank, trying his best to curl up into a ball to ward off the cold ground.
Sirius didn't speak, but transformed back into a black dog and moved closer to Lupin.
He used his body heat to try and warm Lupin up as much as possible.
...
Early the next morning, Argus received the news.
A black dog appeared next to the Diagon Alley werewolf he was monitoring.
A man and a dog left Diagon Alley, their destination unknown.
"The werewolf and the black dog from Diagon Alley?"
"I didn't expect Sirius to go to Lupin first."
Argus was speechless: "But thinking about it, it seems that Lupin is the only one Sirius can trust."
"The two of them left together... It seems that Lupin already knows the truth and that Peter is with Harry."
"Hopefully Allen can make his move soon; the longer it drags on, the fewer opportunities he'll have to act..."