It's now clear that Sirius has nothing to offer by way of a coherent story and so at this point Sylvia decides it is time to step in. She clears her throat, staring at Sirius rather like a headteacher would regard an unruly child.

"I was at that trial, Mr Black, and you provided no alibi. If what you say is true, you have poor friends. Unfortunately it was not the evidence that condemned you, damning though it was. You condemned yourself. The neighbour who discovered the body was there when you returned to the scene of the crime, and he described how wild you were, the way you threatened him. He felt lucky to escape with his life. His testimony describes how he alerted the Night Council as soon as he discovered the crime. He didn't contact anyone else, so there was no way that you could have found out about it, unless of course you yourself were the murderer. That was our conclusion at the original trial, based on the evidence that was presented to us. If you are going to base your plea on your innocence, I would hope to see some real evidence to the contrary."

A garbled story is convincing to no one, not even Yasmine who is the most naturally sympathetic to Sirius's case. She looks disappointed by what they've heard so far.