Listening to Dumbledore's persuasion, Shawn felt rather amused. He set the birdcage on the desk and said indifferently.
"I only did what a nephew should. The rest doesn't matter. I'm more than enough to shoulder the family's responsibilities on my own."
Dumbledore could see that Shawn had already begun to resent Sirius, and he sighed inwardly.
Even with his extraordinary wisdom, family affairs were difficult to judge.
These two Blacks, one older and one younger, were both arrogant in different ways. Ordinary advice would do no good at all.
Dumbledore gave up for the moment and changed the subject.
"Since you've caught Wormtail, that matter is essentially settled. We can have the Ministry of Magic put him on trial afterward. Let's discuss something else."
Shawn was slightly taken aback. The Old Beekeeper showed no interest at all in how he had caught Wormtail.
But on reflection, that made perfect sense.
He wasn't like Harry, whose temperament was still unsettled and whose worldview was still taking shape, requiring the Old Beekeeper to oversee every little detail.
They were both people who gave orders, accustomed to asking only about the results, not the process.
So getting the Marauder's Map had been a wasted effort. The unfortunate Weasley Twins had simply been caught in the crossfire.
And now Shawn was even less inclined to take the Old Beekeeper's bait. The man was clearly preparing to saddle him with some thankless task.
Seeing that Shawn wouldn't respond, Dumbledore pressed on, looking sheepish despite his scheming intentions.
"Shawn, there's something I'd like to ask of you. Aren't you always teaching Harry that the world is black and white, along with lessons on how to conduct himself? We happen to have an opportunity this time. Would you like to give it a try?"
Shawn refused without