Severus watched Sirius's eyes… he had clearly guessed what was going through the black dog's mind at this moment.
But he wasn't nervous, nor did he make any other unnecessary moves. He simply quietly cast a Muffliato charm on Draco with his wand, causing a faint, unidentifiable buzzing to appear in Draco's ears, preventing him from hearing the surrounding sounds.
This proved to be the right move, because the next second, Sirius shouted Harry's name.
"Harry Potter!"
The voice, mournful as a cuckoo's cry, came from the No. 3 radio, leaving Harry utterly bewildered.
Harry clearly didn't understand why this black dog would suddenly call out his name, nor did he know who he was.
"Snape is a scoundrel! He must have deceived you! He must have used his past relationship with your mother to trick you into staying by his side!!"
Sirius had thrown all caution to the wind by now. He knew he was currently a lamb to the slaughter. The only thing he could do before Severus captured him completely was to say everything he could!
Even as he spoke these words, Sirius had already anticipated in his heart how furious Severus would be upon hearing them, how he would regret not silencing him in time to prevent him from speaking.
He didn't expect Harry to believe him outright either. He just wanted to plant a seed of doubt in Harry's heart. One day in the future, Harry would see through the lies himself.
But reality delivered a solid slap to Sirius's face.
His cries not only failed to change Severus's expression but also made Harry look at him with utter bewilderment.
Moreover, even after he had spoken such 'truths' to Harry, Severus showed no intention of immediately attacking him or stopping him from continuing.
Instead, he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching Sirius's performance as if enjoying a play.
In the end, it was Lupin who sighed. He looked calmly at Sirius's currently wretched and miserable state and spoke.
"If you're trying to talk about the past enmity between Severus and James, he already told Harry all about that when he first took him in."
Sirius's face was full of disbelief.
But soon, he glared furiously at Lupin.
"Hear that! What did you call him? Severus? How intimate! Moony... no, I probably don't deserve to call you that anymore, Remus Lupin! Have you forgotten everything? James and Lily's deaths, who this Snivellus used to serve!"
At this point, Sirius suddenly turned sharply to look at Harry.
"Yes! That's right! If Snape told you he was once enemies with your father, then he certainly didn't tell you who he used to serve! The one who killed your parents was his master! He was his most loyal servant! Now, keeping you by his side must be with ill intentions! Think, Harry! Think! You're James's son, you must be able to figure out what deception you're under!"
Sirius hadn't spoken so sincerely from the heart to anyone in many years.
He firmly believed that James's son was not the kind of person who would acknowledge a killer as his Professor. As long as he told the whole truth and made Harry see Snape for who he really was, Harry would surely wake up and make the right choice.
However, faced with Sirius's sincere gaze, Harry seemed... angry.
Yes, he looked genuinely angry.
"I don't know who you are, or what your relationship with my parents was, but do you really think Professor didn't tell me all this from the very beginning?"
Hearing Harry's response, Sirius's eyes became even more helpless and fearful.
His bloodshot eyes fixed intently on Harry. The No. 3 radio once again broadcast his intended words in its radio-announcer voice.
"You... you knew..."
"You knew!!" His voice suddenly rose: "You knew this disgusting Snivellus was indirectly responsible for your parents' death! You knew he was once your father's mortal enemy, and yet you willingly call him 'Professor', and under his tutelage, you serve as a slave to this Malfoy brat!!!"
Draco looked utterly confused.
He had no idea what was happening. It seemed like he had gone deaf, yet he could still vaguely hear sounds, but could only see Lupin and Harry's mouths moving, unable to understand what they were saying.
This frustrated Draco immensely. He tugged at Severus's sleeve, repeatedly exclaiming that he had gone deaf.
It was only when Severus, who had been watching the scene unfold, patted his shoulder and gestured that his ears might be blocked and he should try cleaning them, that Draco quieted down and started foolishly picking at his ears.
As for Sirius making such assumptions, it wasn't surprising at all.
Since things weren't as he had imagined, since Severus had told Harry everything from the start, and Harry showed no signs of being under the Imperius Curse...
Then, in Sirius's view, only one answer remained.
James's son had become a petty person who acknowledged a killer as his Professor! A lackey of a Dark Wizard! A traitor who adhered to pure-blood supremacy!
Just like Lupin, who now kept calling him 'Severus'!
This reality plunged Sirius into even deeper despair.
If Harry had merely been deceived, there was still hope. Hope that Harry would see through Snape's deception and truly recognize the Snivellus for what he was.
But now, Harry wasn't deceived. He knew everything, understood everything, and still chose to stay by Severus's side. Sirius had lost all hope.
His words had gone beyond making Harry angry… they had made him furious.
"I don't know who you are, but you're far too self-righteous! You think Professor told me nothing at first, but he actually told me everything! And he did it in front of me, letting me make the choice myself whether to go with him or not!"
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would forget my parents' death and just follow their murderer around trying to survive?! Professor promised me he would teach me everything he knows! Until the day I am truly capable of pointing a wand at him, I can challenge him to a duel at any time!!"
"I've never forgotten the things you mentioned, and Professor has never hidden them from me. You think everyone is so evil! So malicious! Then what about you! Tell me your great name! Let me hear what kind of honorable gentleman you really are!"
Harry had never been weak in verbal sparring, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to provoke Draco to the point of wanting to throw hands from the very start.
This series of retorts from him now caused Sirius to unconsciously take two steps back.
Being spoken to like this by his own godson, James and Lily's son, Sirius almost blurted out that he was his godfather, the person in the Wizarding World most qualified to teach Harry.
But the words caught in his throat.
Sirius Black.
That name, in everyone's eyes, could never be Harry's guardian or elder!
He was the universally acknowledged traitor! Death Eater! Voldemort's lackey! Escapee from Azkaban!
If he gave his name now, what would Harry think?
But even though Sirius hesitated at this point, too afraid to speak, shrinking back like a frightened, beaten dog, Lupin beside him stared at him and said,
"If he doesn't dare to tell you who he is, then let me tell you, Harry."
"No!" A mournful tenor voice came from the No. 3 radio, but it couldn't stop Lupin from continuing.
"This black dog before you was once your father's and my closest friend. After you were born, he became your godfather. The eldest son of the Black Family, once considered a rebellious traitor by all pure-blood families. A core member of the Order of the Phoenix. The Secret-Keeper for the Potters' hiding place!"
"But later, in a turn of events no one expected, he turned out to still be the Dark Lord's loyal lackey. He deceived everyone… his family, his blood relatives, his friends, his teachers! He played everyone for fools and ultimately told his master everything he knew. He is the one directly responsible for your parents' deaths… Sirius Black!"
After Lupin finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
Sirius couldn't say a word. His body trembled, and his black fur seemed covered in a layer of gray haze, dull and lifeless.
Harry stared in shock at the down-and-out black dog before him, never imagining that this animal, who had just been questioning and slandering Severus from his parents' standpoint, was actually the Sirius Black who had escaped from Azkaban, the one plastered all over every issue of the Daily Prophet!
Lupin's expression remained calm, but his eyes now held undisguised disappointment.
"Sirius, I don't understand. From what position are you questioning Severus, questioning Harry? As James's friend? Harry's godfather? If you truly cared about those roles, then why did you choose to betray us back then and reveal the Potters' location to your master?"
"If you truly valued friendship so much, then why, after James and Lily were killed, did you go mad hunting down Wormtail and finally blow him to pieces with a spell until not a bone remained?"
"I cannot comprehend your actions. What I'm more inclined to believe is that your earlier accusations were merely excuses and justifications you were fabricating for your failed attempt to murder Harry and Severus tonight."
Lupin's words made Sirius completely lower his ears and hang his head.
His eyes were now filled with emptiness and gloom. Before this, he had always thought that he must find Harry and make him see Severus's true colors.
But he had subconsciously overlooked his own current identity.
With the infamy he now bore, despised by thousands, what right did he have, what standing did he have, to accuse others of these things?
As for speaking the truth, telling Lupin and Harry that he was innocent...
Sirius wasn't foolish enough for that.
Not everyone in this world could be like Nicolas Flamel. His bare assertions, without proof, wouldn't be believed by any sane person, especially with someone like Lupin, who had personally experienced those events, present.
"The newspapers said he broke out of prison to kill me and Professor!" Harry reacted now, staring seriously at Sirius, "So, his words just now were an attempt to drive a wedge between me and Professor after he was caught, to create a chance for himself to escape?"
Both Harry and Lupin had clearly arrived at the most logical conclusion.
Meanwhile, Sirius, curled up in the corner, seemed to have lost his soul. He had fallen completely silent, showing no desire to explain or defend himself, no will to resist, just shrinking there, utterly defeated.
"Should we turn him over to the Aurors?" Lupin turned to Severus, who hadn't spoken a single word from the beginning to the end, allowing Sirius to hurl accusations at him, merely listening as Harry spoke up for him.
This situation was, of course, exactly what Severus had wanted to see.
Even someone as stubborn as Ghost Snape had no objections now.
This was precisely why Severus had chosen to lay all his cards on the table with Harry from the very beginning, without concealing his involvement in the plot that led to his parents' deaths.
Such a thing could never be hidden forever, especially with so many people knowing about his past as a loyal follower of Voldemort.
Even if these people didn't know the specifics about him being the one who betrayed the prophecy, the identity of 'Death Eater' alone was enough to mark him as an accomplice in James and Lily's deaths.
And now, the benefit of Severus's initial honesty with Harry became apparent.
Apart from the specific details, he had long ago candidly told Harry about his relationship with Lily, his history with James, and his involvement in the events leading to the Potters' deaths.
Now, no matter what Sirius said, he couldn't change Harry's perception of Severus. In fact, his words only made Harry dislike this godfather he had never met.
At this moment, Sirius had clearly become the ultimate loser. And in reality, Severus hadn't really done anything. From start to finish, he had merely told the truth.
Sirius's current predicament was entirely of his own making.
Even the misunderstandings Harry and Lupin had about him were consequences he himself had created. If only he had done the right thing, none of this should have happened.
Looking at the utterly broken Sirius, in response to Lupin's question, Severus slowly shook his head.
"We can't hand him over to the Aurors just yet."
This surprised both Lupin and Harry.
"Why not?"
"His motives don't quite add up," Severus said calmly, "If he truly broke out of Azkaban to kill Harry, he had plenty of opportunities earlier, but he didn't take them."
"We need to find out what he really wants to do."