"It's my responsibility." The office door swung open, and Mad-Eye Moody limped inside, leaning on a thick cane. The magical eye in his socket whirled as it rapidly surveyed the room.
"You asked me to keep an eye on Sirius at school. Clearly, I didn't do a very good job."
Dumbledore pressed his lips together and shook his head. "This isn't the time to figure out who's to blame. I want us to resolve this as quickly as possible."
"We need to find out exactly how much information was leaked and figure out how to mitigate the damage."
Especially...
Severus Snape. If the Death Eaters decided he was a traitor because of this, his position would become extremely dangerous.
Just then, Sirius abruptly raised his head. His bloodshot eyes peered through his disheveled hair at Dumbledore. "Let me go. I'll leave here and live out my days somewhere I can't cause you any trouble."
Dumbledore shook his head again. His wrinkled, aged hands, adorned with strange rings, rested clasped on the desk. Through his half-moon spectacles, he gazed at Sirius with gentle eyes.
"I don't believe running away ever solves anything. What do you think?"
"But..." Sirius stammered, unable to get the words out. In the end, he pounded his thigh, pain contorting his face.
"It's all my fault!"
"It's all my fault!"
He kept muttering it.
Dumbledore's gaze turned distant. He tapped a finger lightly on the desk. "Everything has two sides. When something troubles us, we should also consider how it might help us."
He wasn't bothered by the Two-Way Mirror. After all, those Marauders had been a constant headache since their school days. He was used to worrying about them.
As for the things that had come to light later—the Marauder's Map and the Two-Way Mirror—he wasn't