Not Guilty


Summary: Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban without trial. What if five years later he finally gets his day in court? What if he finally finds Wormtail? What if he finally gets his godson back? How will life be different for little Harry Potter?


Warning: Mild abuse. Mostly verbal and sometimes physical. There will be some thoughts of suicide. (Mostly by Sirius) Dumbledore/evil/manipulative. Harry/independent. Harry will come across as dark but he will be a in the gray though he will not be practicing the dark arts. There will be no pairings.


A/N I saw a story similar to this but I will tell you now... It will be totally different because this will be darker and of course I have a different writing style and the events will be different. A LOT different. And of course I started off totally different. grins I hope you enjoy the story and please review!
"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Spells

/Parseltongue /


Chapter One: Remus' Turmoil...

Dear Remus,

If you are receiving this then it means I have died. If you are reading this then it means you are not the traitor and I'm sorry we put you through this pain. We, James and I, have given this letter to the goblins to which I hope you will receive right after our deaths. I want to explain some things. Remus... Moony... We switched our Secret Keepers. We thought you were the traitor and well... We thought the dark lord would go after Sirius. Sirius was the one who persuaded us to switch Keepers at the last minute.

If we are dead then that means that Peter was the real traitor. There is no way around this simple fact. I hope for Sirius sake that he is granted a trial and that this letter will make great kindling. We have to get going soon and James is begging to write something.

Hey Moony! I'm sorry my friend. If you have received this then it means I died. Well I hope I went down fighting to protect my family. Please don't feel guilty and if Harry somehow manages to survive... Please watch over him. I know you can't do much but you are Uncle Moony and always will be. I'm sorry we kept this a secret from you. Moony... Take care of yourself.

Love,

James and Lily Potter.

Remus started to cry as he read the letter but then he realized something important. He had been hiding ever since Lily and James had died and Peter had been killed by Sirius. Remus couldn't handle all that heartache. He ran into the woods and had been hiding there for the last five years. Recently he had finally overcome his depression and decided to join the world of the living again. First day he got back he went to visit the bank to see if he had any money left. He needed new clothes and a place to stay.

What he didn't count on was the letter a goblin had given him. He was lead into a private room and after reading it he started to cry. All these years he had hidden in the forest. Living off the land while his best friend suffered for something he didn't do. Did that mean Peter was alive somewhere? Remus decided he had to find out and with a new resolve he went and spoke to a goblin and after getting some money he went and purchased some second hand clothes before heading toward the nearest floo which is in the Leaky Cauldron.

After grabbing some floo powder he called the name of his destination and with a whoosh he was gone in a flash of green flames. When he stepped out of the fireplace in the headmasters office at the school Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry he faced an old man with a bright purple robe on that has little moons and stars all over it. His aged face looked tired and his twinkling blue eyes were looking down at a document of some sort. His half moon glass perched on the end of his nose so he could read.

The old man looked up as Remus dusted himself off with a radiant smile on his lips. Remus hadn't seen the man in years but he didn't look any older then the last time he'd seen him. With the letter still in hand he sat down across from the headmaster and took in the office before turning his attention back to the old man.

"Ah Remus! Its so good to see you again. How are you? Lemon drop?" Albus Dumbledore asked politely.

"Its good to see you too Albus. I've seen better days." Remus had a small smile on his lips as he softly declined the offer of the traditional lemon drop that Albus Dumbledore always seemed to offer all his guests.

"What brings you here?" Albus put aside his document to give Remus his full attention.

Remus didn't say a word as he handed over the letter. With each word that was read Albus' eyes widened a little further. At the end he simply put it down and looked gravely at Remus. He seemed so much older with the frown on his face and the twinkle had left his eyes.

"I see... Are you sure that Sirius didn't write this as a trick?" Albus asked.

"The date is right and the goblins said it was Lily who had given them the letter. I already tested it and everything points to the fact it was written by Lily and James. I've been in the forest these last five years. Never staying in one spot so the owls would have never reached me and I just got back..." Remus looked down as though he were ashamed of himself.

"If what this letter says is true then Sirius is an innocent man. At least in the deaths of Lily and James." Albus muttered.

"I want to speak to him Albus. I want to see Sirius. If he is innocent he will be somewhat sane. I have a feeling Peter is still alive. Did you know Peter has an Animagus form? He's a rat." Remus looked thoughtful.

"A rat you say? Well I will see if I can get you in to see him. It won't be for long but if you succeed in finding out about if Peter is alive then I'll go and speak with Fudge. If everything works out then Sirius could be a free man by the end of the week." Albus had his smile and twinkle back.

"What about Harry?" Remus inquired.

A dark look passed over Albus' face. Remus caught the look but didn't say anything but it did cause him to worry. Was something wrong? Is Harry alright?

"I would prefer that Harry stay with his aunt and uncle. He is 'safe' there." Albus choose his words carefully.

Remus felt his eyes narrow slightly. His aunt and uncle? Didn't they hate magic? Remus felt his stomach drop but he didn't say anything. Once Sirius' name is cleared then he would worry about the boy. He would be six right about now.

"May I visit Harry?" Remus asked.

"Maybe after the trial." Albus looked like he was going to say no but had changed his mind at the last second.

Remus nodded and turned to leave. He muttered a goodbye and headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to get something to eat and to get some sleep. After eating a small supper he went up to his room where he thought over everything he had learned that day.

Something odd was going on. Remus knew that much. Albus didn't even seem all the surprised to find out that Sirius is innocent. Then there is the fact that he wants to keep Harry at his aunts house. Though he knew he couldn't go there now he also knew that he would be visiting there with or without Dumbledore's permission.

His thoughts then turned to his best friend. In what kind of condition will Sirius be in? Is there any hope that he'll be alright? Will he still be sane? With a small smile and a soft chuckle he aloud the tears to come. Sirius sane? That's funny... and yet he hoped that Sirius would be alright. Why had Remus run away from his pain? If he had stayed he could have helped Sirius a whole lot sooner. The tears soon turned into sobs as he cried himself to sleep. Its his fault...


A/N I know this chapter is short but this is where I want to leave it. I promise the chapters WILL be longer in the future. This chapter is just setting everything up. Thank you for reading! Ciao for now.

Karone