Chapter 212: Family or Justice?
The atmosphere inside Professor McGonagall's study on the second floor of Hogwarts was tense and uneasy.
It was one against two—and all eyes were on Harry.
"Is this that... strange inclination they mentioned about Dudley Dursley in the earlier article? Harry, you really didn't know?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Now fully awake and focused, he had finally finished reading the Daily Prophet article that sparked the chaos.
"No! I like girls!" Harry flushed red, flustered. McGonagall, who had thought to give them privacy, suddenly found herself lingering. She should have left, but… gossip was a guilty pleasure.
"Which girl?" Sirius leaned in, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Come on, I was popular in my youth—maybe I can give you some advice."
"I—I haven't thought about that yet," Harry mumbled, scratching his head. Truthfully, he realized with alarm that he hadn't given much thought to girls lately at all.
Wait… no, I'm not like that! Am I?
Ron puffed up slightly, full of confidence. He had once liked Hermione Granger, hadn't he? But lately, all his energy had gone into Quidditch, duels, jokes, and… Harry. Just Harry.
A horrifying realization dawned on him—was Harry the only person in his life outside food and sleep?
Wait… no way. Right?
Ron's posture stiffened, and his expression twisted into confusion.
Only Draco looked unbothered—maybe even smug. He was the most confident among them. He liked Pansy Parkinson. He was mature. He was normal.
Sirius's cheerful expression faltered.
He wasn't blind—he could see the troubled looks on Harry and Ron's faces. Thank Merlin Draco seemed stable. If Malfoy had gone rogue too, Sirius might have lost it entirely.
"We're still just kids," Harry blurted out, sensing Sirius's gaze getting colder.
"Kids, huh? Fair enough," Sirius muttered, clicking his tongue. "So… all that Skeeter article stuff—lies then? Funny. Parts of it sounded suspiciously believable."
His eyes wandered—landing again on the article that McGonagall had explicitly told him not to read.
"I take it back! Rita Skeeter is a menace!"
He continued reading aloud, scowling as each line sunk in.
"Snape, a hero? For Peter Pettigrew's aging mother? Are you kidding me? And James doubted me because of my background?!"
Sirius's voice rose as he skimmed.
"'An anonymous source claimed that Sirius Black's hot-blooded nature and impure ancestry made him unstable, and James Potter had no choice but to turn to Peter Pettigrew...' Tch. That reeks of old hair oil—Snivellus!"
He slammed the paper down. "Cowardly rat. Peter always needed someone stronger to hide behind. First it was me, Lupin, and James. Then it was You-Know-Who."
"I was the one who told them to switch Secret-Keepers. Me! Merlin help me—I thought I was being clever."
"Sirius," McGonagall finally said, interrupting gently but firmly, "why Peter? He had an obvious weakness—his mother."
"He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, wasn't he?" Sirius snapped. "Aren't we supposed to be willing to die for the cause?"
"No!" Ron suddenly stood up. "Family matters too! My mum didn't join the Order so she could watch us get killed!"
Sirius blinked at him.
To be honest, Ron saw himself in Peter Pettigrew. He didn't have the benefit of hindsight. He didn't know Peter's whimpering betrayal in the original timeline:
> "Sirius, Sirius, what could I do? You don't know... He—The Dark Lord... his powers—his magic! I was scared, Sirius. I was never as brave as you, or Lupin, or James..."
That excuse rang hollow to those who heard it. But Ron? He believed he would die for his friends. Still, if someone threatened his family?
He might crack.
But—after the betrayal—he'd choose to die with Harry.
Not run.
Never run.
"You're still a kid," Sirius muttered. But his gaze softened slightly.
"In my case—my brother Regulus—he died. Maybe because of me."
He let the words hang there.
"My stupid brother. Soft, idealistic, and stubborn. He joined the Death Eaters right out of school. Not because he was evil—but because he was weak. He got in too deep, realized what Voldemort really was, and tried to get out."
Sirius paused, eyes clouded.
"You don't just send a resignation letter to Voldemort. You serve him for life—or you die."
For the first time, Ron looked at Sirius with something like admiration. The man who seemed like a loose cannon had a depth he hadn't expected.
"You're insane," Ron said quietly. "He was your brother."
"It was his choice," Sirius replied. "I tried to talk him out of it. But before Voldemort showed his true face, people—good people—believed his ideas. Regulus… my parents… even me, once."
"They thought pure-blood supremacy made sense. They thought getting rid of Muggle-borns would protect wizarding heritage."
"But once they saw what Voldemort really was… they all tried to run."
Sirius let out a bitter laugh.
"My parents probably thought Regulus was a hero for joining the Death Eaters. He was their perfect little son."
"Regulus… was he trying to protect your family?" Harry asked softly. He always tried to see the best in people—he'd even tried with Quirrell. Now he was trying with Regulus.
"Maybe," Sirius said, voice quieter now. "Maybe he was. Doesn't matter anymore. He's gone."
He looked at Harry with pride, then at the others.
"But Peter… Wormtail… he was not a good person."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Even if he was a coward?"
"There's a difference between being scared and being vile," Sirius said firmly.
"And Harry—maybe you'll criticize how I feel about Slytherins—but you didn't grow up during that time. Back then, Slytherins were practically a training ground for Death Eaters. Most of them weren't exactly shy about it."
"I used to torment them," Sirius admitted. "James did it to impress your mum. Lupin did it because he was with us. But Peter? Peter enjoyed it. He liked bullying the weak."
"And when Voldemort offered him real power? He took it—without blinking."
---
(End of Chapter)