the_debt_of_time

Sirius nodded, the movement tight. Remus could see the way his teeth clenched
through the thin, pale skin of his jaw. "Just before he transformed. When I cornered him,
he yelled for the whole street to hear that I had betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I
could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back; killed everyone
within twenty feet of himself. He sped down into the sewer with the other rats, leaving me
sitting there holding his blood-covered robes."
"Scabbers probably lost the toe in a fight with another rat. He's had a rough life,
and this year he's been terrorised by that mad cat!" Ron pointed at the orange kneazle, who
was purring on the nearby bed.
"That cat is the most intelligent creature I've ever encountered," Sirius declared,
walking over and petting the kneazle, who nuzzled his hand affectionately. Harry, Ron, and
Hermione stared at the sight with their jaws dropped.
Ron winced as he experimentally moved a hand closer to Crookshanks who turned
and hissed at him. "Bloody menace."
"He recognised Peter for what he really was," Sirius noted aloud, looking a little
smug that the kneazle was affectionate with him and no one else. "When I was able to
communicate with him, he offered to bring me Peter if he could capture him. He brought
me food from the kitchens and the passwords to the tower."
"Crookshanks brought you food?" Hermione asked.
"Yours?" Sirius inquired, looking at her.
She nodded.
"I'm... I'm very grateful to you, then." He nodded his head to her, his voice
breaking as he spoke.
Remus thought for a long moment and then he turned toward Ron. "There's one
certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."
"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron demanded, voice
taut with tension.
"Force him to show himself," Remus replied. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."
Ron hesitated. Then, at long last, he held out Scabbers, and Remus took him.
Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes
bulging in his head.