Sirius's smile vanished the moment he heard Lupin's words.
He began to speak, but his voice was no longer magnetic. Instead, it was full of Distortion, hatred, and murderous intent.
"If it had been James, he would've listened to everything I had to say before making a decision."
Sirius paused, a complicated look flashing through his eyes, then continued.
"If it had been that rat, of course he would've killed me outright to cover everything up!"
"Oh?" Lupin raised an eyebrow.
"I think that, as someone who was involved in what happened, you should know how the Wizarding World sees it."
"But from what you've said, it sounds like there's more to the story."
"I'm giving you this chance to explain. What you say will determine how I treat you from here on."
"Of course." Sirius nodded, then began a detailed account of everything, starting with how he became Secret Keeper.
"...Fudge was probably trying to win political support."
"In any case, he went to Azkaban to visit Pure-blood prisoners whose crimes weren't too serious, or whose families still had members outside the prison."
"House of Black probably had only me left, but Narcissa was still out there, so Fudge put on a show and gave me a newspaper, too."
"Find the papers and look at the front pages of those issues. You'll understand."
Sirius gave him several dates, then finished his account.
Lupin looked at him deeply and nodded. Keeping a close eye on Sirius, he slowly moved to the trunk and dug out the Daily Prophet.
He casually tossed the paper to Sirius. "Find those issues while I watch you."
The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Professor Lupin's mouth twitched, and he waved his wand again, lengthening the chain on Sirius's right