Sirius stared greedily at the rat in Ron's hand. "There'll be only one murder here tonight."
"Why's that?" spat Harry, trying to free himself from the restraining arms of his friends. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew...What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"
"Harry," whimpered Hermione. "Be quiet."
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" roared Harry, and most unexpectedly he attacked Sirius. After a while, Harry's friends came to help him.
Maybe he had lost his fighting skills in Azkaban, or maybe he just couldn't bring himself to hurt them...but within moments Harry had Sirius bleeding at his feet, his wand pointing straight at his heart.
Sirius stared at the kid standing over him, looking so much like James. It was as if James was holding his wand on him, James was staring at him with such fury and hatred in his eyes, James also believing that he had betrayed him...
Then he concentrated on the eyes. They weren't hazel. They were green. It wasn't James.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" whispered Sirius.
"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking.
That wasn't a lie. "I don't deny it," said Sirius, very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story—"
"The whole story? You sold them to Voldemort, that's all I need to know!"
Harry had to understand, thought Sirius desperately. "You've got to listen to me—"
But Harry wouldn't listen. His stubborn streak reminded him so much of James.
Harry kept the wand pointed at him, till footsteps were heard downstairs, and the girl screamed for help. They all looked when the door burst open.
It was Remus, his face white as a sheet. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted, disarming the three children.
Sirius stared at his best friend, seeing him after twelve years, thinking how ironical it would be if Remus was the one to send him back to Azkaban.
Remus' next words stunned him.
"Where is he, Sirius?" Remus' voice shook.
Sirius slowly pointed at the rat.
"But then..." Remus muttered, staring intently at Sirius. "...Why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless—" Remus' eyes widened. "Unless he was the one...unless you switched...without telling me?"
Sirius nodded, hardly able to believe that he had Remus on his side now.
With that single nod, Remus' world righted itself.
He walked to Sirius, who was still sprawled on the floor and pulled him up and hugged him...the dreadfully heavy burden of misery and betrayal that he had carried inside himself for years and years finally having abated.