Chapter 153
"Sirius?" Hermione cried out.
The man who had just rushed in darted forward immediately and covered her mouth.
"Don't speak!" Sirius looked extremely tense, panic written clearly across his face.
"Remus—close the door. Now!"
He shouted over his shoulder as if something terrifying were chasing him down the corridor.
Even a dragon would not normally frighten him like this.
"Oh my—what are you doing here?" Lupin was just as shocked as Hermione, but he still reacted quickly and shut the wooden door.
"It's a long story." Sirius exhaled in relief once the door was closed and finally calmed down. Only then did he notice that Hermione and Lupin were not alone.
"Harry? What a coincidence!"
His deep eyes softened with emotion as he looked at the boy.
"Sirius… Black?" Harry said hesitantly.
This man looked nothing like the figure from the old Daily Prophet photographs—wild-eyed, blood-stained, and furious.
Now Sirius wore a fitted black suit and a dark red tie. Several medals hung neatly on his chest. His beard was cleanly shaved. Tall and striking, he looked composed and distinguished.
It was hard to imagine anyone recognizing him as the same man.
For a moment, Harry could finally match him with the figure from his parents' wedding photograph.
"Hello," Harry said stiffly.
"Sirius, relationships take time," Lupin said quietly when Sirius instinctively opened his arms. "Don't rush."
Then his expression became serious.
"I think you should explain where you've been."
"Moody didn't tell you the whole truth," Sirius said with a helpless smile. "He tried to help, but real freedom isn't that easy."
"They kept giving you trouble?" Lupin asked, frowning.
"Endless interviews," Sirius sighed. "The Ministry wants me to improve their image in the papers. Days of questioning. I only just managed to come to Hogwarts—and even that's on the condition that I cooperate with their publicity."
Lupin's expression softened with sympathy. Sirius had never been good with formalities. After twelve years in Azkaban, dealing with bureaucracy must have been torture.
"Then what happened just now?" Lupin asked. "What scared you like that?"
"A woman," Sirius said immediately, his face twisting in disgust. "A horrible woman. I never want to see her again."
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "You're afraid of a woman?"
In school, Sirius had been famous for ignoring admirers. At first he rejected letters politely. Later, when they piled up, he simply burned them.
"That woman is unbearable," Sirius groaned. "Loud, intrusive, completely shameless. I don't know why the Daily Prophet chose her. Every time I think I've escaped her, she appears again."
"Rita Skeeter?" Hermione asked weakly.
"Yes! That's her." Sirius slapped his thigh. "Have you seen what she writes? She should be writing cheap novels, not news."
Lupin struggled to keep a straight face.
"What kind of articles?" he asked.
Sirius handed him a crumpled parchment.
Lupin read the headlines:
Azkaban's Redemption — Sirius Black's Secret Prison Life
Forbidden Affection — The Hidden Truth Behind Two Cousins Imprisoned Together
The Last Black — A Scandalous Love History
"She wants exclusive rights to publish this nonsense!" Sirius said angrily. "Even if I refuse, she'll probably invent it anyway."
"…I understand," Lupin admitted.
"So do I," Ron muttered.
"Me too," Harry added quickly.
"Don't mention that woman again," Sirius said firmly, then turned to Lupin.
"But what about you? How's teaching going? You seem to be giving these three special treatment."
Only then did he notice the heavy atmosphere.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all fell silent.
"What happened?" Sirius asked.
Hermione quickly explained everything.
"That boy—Malfoy—I knew he was trouble," Sirius said through clenched teeth. His fists tightened, veins standing out.
"Sirius," Lupin said calmly, "he told the truth. And he's my student. I won't have you causing trouble. I don't want to see you back in Azkaban."
Sirius looked at him for a moment, then sighed.
"You're still too kind, Remus."
"I'm used to it," Lupin replied with a small smile.
After a brief silence, Sirius turned to Harry.
"Enough about unpleasant things. Harry, would you like to hear stories about your father?"
Harry's eyes lit up immediately. "Yes!"
"And let me say this first," Sirius added seriously. "If you ever stay away from Remus because he's a werewolf, I'll deal with you myself."
Then he began talking about the four Marauders.
"Sirius, your storytelling is terrible," Lupin said gently. "Let me explain."
He looked at Harry.
"Do you remember the Whomping Willow?"
Harry nodded quickly.
"It was planted after I came to Hogwarts," Lupin said. "I had been bitten as a child. My parents tried everything to cure me, but nothing worked.
"Dumbledore didn't give up on me. The Shrieking Shack wasn't haunted—that was where I transformed during full moons. The village rumors were encouraged to keep people away."
His voice softened.
"And I made the best friends of my life. Sirius Black… Peter Pettigrew… and your father, James Potter.
"I was afraid they would abandon me. I lied to explain my monthly disappearances. But they found out.
"They didn't leave. They became Animagi so they could stay with me safely."
"My father too?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Lupin said.
Sirius gave a bitter laugh. "Sometimes I wish we hadn't."
He wasn't regretting their friendship—only that Peter had learned the skill that later helped him escape.
"The fool wouldn't have managed it without us," Sirius muttered. "If only he'd died back then."
Lupin continued gently.
"We explored all of Hogwarts together. We even made a map—but it was confiscated before graduation."
"Remus, that's enough," Sirius said suddenly. The mention of the map reminded him of other things he could not discuss.
He hesitated, then turned to the three students.
"Listen to me. Stay away from Draco Malfoy. That's my advice."
"I won't have you teaching my students to hate each other," Lupin said quickly.
"You won't be their teacher much longer," Sirius replied quietly.
Hermione stepped forward immediately.
"In my eyes," she said firmly, "he will always be Professor Lupin—my Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."