[ Their reactions to their dark but averted future—Goldstein's caught breath, Scamander's darkening expression—don't go unnoticed. Remus doesn't apologize, not even a wince, but he does pull his hands in closer to himself and straighten his shoulders, physical restraint to match a mental resolution to not let his mouth run too much further than it already has, while Sirius answers Scamander. Answers and demonstrates, if only to Remus himself, that after everything he is still someone Remus would follow into fiendfyre. ]
The odds have been worse, [ he tags on agreeably. Never mind that over half the people they worked with are dead. Rat bastards excluded, they would have fought to the last man.
Scamander sounds the type too. Goldstein sounds—reasonably concerned about reasonable things. That's a thankless job among Gryffindors, Remus can report from his limited attempts at filling the role, and apparently among select Hufflepuffs as well. His smile, when he looks up at her where she's still standing, is sympathetic. ]
If belief is asking too much, Ms Goldstein, that's... Well, it's understandable.
[ He turns both palms up helplessly. What can they do? Veritaserum, legilimency. Neither is available, as far as he's aware, and even if they were he isn't sure either of them would submit to examination and put all of their secrets on display just to appease these strangers. Casting a corporeal Patronus is only rare for Dark wizards, not impossible enough to prove anything to someone who'd prefer skepticism, and Remus is neither going to send his stupid bloody wolf loping off around the magizoologist nor choose this public moment to find out whether the Dementors have interfered with Sirius' head too much for him to manage one of his own.
Which for the time being leaves nothing but belief, and the lack thereof. His smile goes a bit rueful, tighter and crooked, while he goes back to fidgeting with his empty cup. ]
But we didn't want you to hear it from someone else and think we'd been intentionally keeping something from you.
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The odds have been worse, [ he tags on agreeably. Never mind that over half the people they worked with are dead. Rat bastards excluded, they would have fought to the last man.
Scamander sounds the type too. Goldstein sounds—reasonably concerned about reasonable things. That's a thankless job among Gryffindors, Remus can report from his limited attempts at filling the role, and apparently among select Hufflepuffs as well. His smile, when he looks up at her where she's still standing, is sympathetic. ]
If belief is asking too much, Ms Goldstein, that's... Well, it's understandable.
[ He turns both palms up helplessly. What can they do? Veritaserum, legilimency. Neither is available, as far as he's aware, and even if they were he isn't sure either of them would submit to examination and put all of their secrets on display just to appease these strangers. Casting a corporeal Patronus is only rare for Dark wizards, not impossible enough to prove anything to someone who'd prefer skepticism, and Remus is neither going to send his stupid bloody wolf loping off around the magizoologist nor choose this public moment to find out whether the Dementors have interfered with Sirius' head too much for him to manage one of his own.
Which for the time being leaves nothing but belief, and the lack thereof. His smile goes a bit rueful, tighter and crooked, while he goes back to fidgeting with his empty cup. ]
But we didn't want you to hear it from someone else and think we'd been intentionally keeping something from you.