IT TOOK A FEW SECONDS FOR THE ABSURDITY OF THIS STATEMENT TO SINK IN, THEN, RON SPOKE UP.
"You're all mental."
"That's ridiculous!" Hermione added.
"Pettigrew's dead!" Harry protested. "He killed him twelve years ago!" He pointed at Sirius, whose face twitched convulsively.
"I meant to," he responded, a deep growl itched the back of his throat. "But little Peter got the better of me... not this time!" Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Sirius lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled in pain as Sirius' weight fell on his leg.
"Dad, no!" Alena yelled, purple tendrils flowing from her hands and wrapped around his waist, pulling him back. "You can't do it like that — they need to understand like I did — you've got to explain —"
Sirius' eyes softened for a moment as he looked to his daughter. "We can explain afterwards." he told her, one hand still clawing at the air attempting to reach for Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet.
"She's right, Sirius. They've got a right to know." Remus told him, softly.
"Ron's kept him as a pet, and there are parts of it that even Remus and I don't understand," James whispered. "A-And Harry — we owe them the truth, Sirius."
Sirius stopped struggling and the tendrils descended from around his body. His dark eyes remained on Scabbers, who was clamped tightly under Ron's bitten, scratched, and bleeding hands.
"All right, then," he started, not taking his eyes off the rat. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, you all. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..."
"You're nutters, all of you," Ron stated, his voice shaking. "I've had enough of this, I'm off."
He attempted to heave himself onto his good leg, but Alena moved so fast that her movement wasn't visible. A purple energy orb formed in the middle as the mist surrounded her hands.
