Remus Lupin stood there, his wand clenched tightly in his hand, its faintly glowing tip aimed into the room.
The scholarly air on his face had been replaced by a cold, suppressed rage. Twelve years of pent-up grief and betrayal burned inside him. His eyes were fixed on the great black dog, and his voice was low and dangerous, each word forced through clenched teeth. "Sirius."
The great black dog's body began to twist and stretch, his fur shrinking away as his limbs changed shape.
A few seconds later, an emaciated man with tangled black hair and ragged prison clothes knelt on the floor. Sirius looked up, his face a mixture of urgency, pain, and an almost desperate plea.
He made no attempt to stand.
"Remus," he said, his voice hoarse and awkward from so long without speaking to anyone. "I know what you want to do. You can do it, but before that... hear me out. Please, give me a chance to speak."
Lupin kept his wand trained steadily on him. His hand did not tremble, but the muscles in his face twitched. "Give you a chance?"
His voice rose, edged with incredulous scorn. "Like the chance you gave James and Lily? Like the chance you gave Peter? Twelve years, Sirius! You're a cold-blooded traitor. You got my best friends killed, murdered all those Muggles, and blew Peter apart!"
Lupin's chest heaved, and the light at his wand tip grew brighter. "Do you know how I've lived all these years? Every full moon, every time I thought of them, all I wanted was to..."
"Kill me," Sirius finished calmly. He even leaned forward a little, exposing his gaunt neck. "You can. Right now. Avada Kedavra, or any other spell. I won't resist."
Black drew a deep breath. "But before