Truths Revealed.
The dim light from the fire cast long shadows across the small room as Harry sat opposite Sirius, Ron, and Hermione. His eyes flicked between the three of them, cold and calculating, but his thoughts were focused elsewhere. Everything about this moment felt strange—twisted, even. The truth that had been so elusive was finally being unraveled. The grim was no longer a harbinger of doom; instead, it was a figure of the past that haunted their present.
"You’re telling me," Harry’s voice was flat, a sharp edge cutting through the tension in the room, "that you didn’t try to kill Ron?"
Sirius’s tired eyes softened as he let out a heavy breath. He knew what Harry was thinking. "No," he said, his voice quieter now, "I didn’t. I was trying to get to Peter Pettigrew, not you. Ron... Ron just happened to be in the way."
Sirius ran a hand through his hair, the burden of the years weighing heavily on his shoulders. "You see, Harry, the truth is far more complicated than the story you’ve been told. I didn’t betray your parents—Peter Pettigrew did. He’s the one who sold them out to Voldemort."
Ron shifted uncomfortably beside Harry, his eyes darting to the cage that held Scabbers, the rat still squirming, oblivious to the events unfolding around him. Hermione’s gaze was sharp, but there was a glimmer of disbelief in her eyes as she looked at Sirius.
"How can we trust you?" Hermione asked softly, the doubt clear in her voice. "We’ve always heard the story about you being a traitor."
"I know," Sirius replied, his voice almost a growl. "It’s a lie. You have to understand. Peter framed me, and I’ve spent all these years trying to clear my name."
There was a moment of silence, the weight of his words settling in the room. Harry’s mind raced. This was too much. Too much to process, but somewhere deep down, a part of him wanted to believe it. Wanted to believe that Sirius was telling the truth. It made sense—almost.
"You said Peter’s still alive?" Harry asked, his voice colder now. "Where is he?"
Sirius’s expression hardened. "He’s been hiding for years. I’ve been tracking him, waiting for the right moment to expose him for the rat he is."
Harry’s gaze drifted to Scabbers, and then back to Sirius. The pieces were starting to fall into place, but there was still one question that lingered. "So, why did he run? Why’s he still out there?"
Sirius opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, the door to the shack creaked open, and in walked Lupin, his face pale and his eyes wide with surprise.
"Sirius? What’s going on here?" Lupin’s voice was hoarse, and his eyes flicked to the trio standing beside Sirius. "Peter...he's still alive?"
Harry didn’t need to ask. He could tell from the look on Lupin’s face that everything had just shifted. There were no more games, no more half-truths. The truth had arrived.
"It’s true, Lupin," Sirius said quietly. "Peter’s still alive. And he’s hiding."
Lupin glanced at the three of them and then back to Sirius. "We need to talk. All of us."
The room fell into a heavy silence as Lupin and Sirius shared a look—one that spoke volumes. Harry could feel the tension mounting, and for the first time, he realized that the game had just changed. The stakes were higher now, and everything he thought he knew was about to be flipped on its head.
Ron, looking pale, cleared his throat. "You really expect us to just believe all this? That Peter's still alive, and that he betrayed Harry's Parents?"
Sirius’s face softened with a sad smile. "I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. I didn’t kill anyone's parents, Ron. Peter did. And now, we have to stop him before he does any more damage."
The trio exchanged looks—Ron’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at Scabbers, Hermione’s face was a mix of disbelief and fear, and Harry, always the more calculating one, watched the two men before him closely. His trust in them was still fragile, but somewhere deep inside, he knew they were telling the truth.
"We need to end this," Sirius said, his tone resolute. "And we need to do it now."