~ Chapter 01 ~

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Deep in the realm of Morpheus, what modern science called the "dreamscape", a teenager suffered from yet another in a series of nightmares. This almost 15 year old young man, for that is what he was, had seen things that some people went their whole lives without even suspecting such horrors could even exist. Lucky them.

"Wands out, you reckon?" ... "Kill the spare!" ...

A moment later at the flash of green light Harry Potter screamed as he woke up from his latest nightmare. He never noticed the lone figure that had been observing from the hill overlooking the cemetery.

"He keeps blaming himself.", the figure sighed. "Damn Dumbledore, at this rate, he'll never be ready! This will just not do!" Shaking his head, he turned and faded into nothing as he disappeared.

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Lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating the back yard of Number Four Privot Drive. The following thunder cracked just as the smallest room's only occupant startled awake.

"Bloody nightmare!"

The raven haired youth reached over and picked up his glasses to put them on. Sitting up and looking out the window, he couldn't help but think about how cruel fate was!

If he didn't get out of there soon, he'd destroy his jail cell of a bedroom, along with the rest of Number Four Privet Drive! He just knew it!

Harry stood up and looked out he window as the rain pelted he glass. Another flash of light briefly followed by a resounding crack of thunder.

As the storm continued, He looked over to where a newspaper clipping, dated just over two weeks ago, hung on the wall. The headline read, "SIRUIS BLACK INNOCENT! SAVES BOY-WHO-LIVED!" Harry couldn't help but smile. It was the one good thing that had come out of this whole debacle!

~*~ FLASHBACK ~*~

Mad Eye Moody was escorting him back to the castle carrying on about constant vigilance when just as they passed thru the main doors inside, he was blasted mid rant thru the entrance hall and into a suit of armor.

"Stay away from my God-Son!"

"SIRIUS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Sirius ran over to Harry, helping him up from the floor. "Don't worry Harry that's not Alastor Moody!" Harry looked at him confused. "Mad-Eye would never have taken you from Dumbledore's side! Whoever that is, he's the one who put your name in the Goblet. You alright kiddo?"

"Yeah Siruis, I'll live." His godfather grinned back.

"I'll take it from here." Seeing the doubt in his eyes he replied, "Harry you've gone through and done enough! Now let me do my job. The job your parents tasked me with."

While Sirius talked with Harry, the imposter gathered himself back onto his feet. At this same time, Albus Dumbledore arrived on the scene with the Minister of Magic, unseen by either side.

Fudge took cover behind the doors. Dumbledore could hear him muttering "Sirius Black, he's here."

"The Dark Lord has returned! He has risen!" The fake Moody laughed cruelly and scowled as he raised his wand in turn to do battle. "The Dark Lord shall reward me, putting me above all others as his most faithful servant!" He then turned his attention towards Harry.

"Potter, you just keep turning up like a damn cockroach. Why won't you just die!"

"You'll never get near my Godson again. Just who the hell are you?"

"Sirius Black. Well, well, well. The notorious blood traitor! You could have had it all! Titles, wealth, glory! But you had to betray your family and side with that blood traitor and his mudblood bitch!"

"Don't you dare talk about them that way! You bloody bastard!"

Albus looked down at Fudge and saw the confused look on the politician's face. Meanwhile the other judges, staff, and spectators from the third task started arriving having finally caught up with the headmaster and minister.

Sirius took a defensive stance facing the imposter yelling, "Betray James and Lily? "I'D HAVE RATHER DIED FIRST!"

"Then die blood traitor. ... AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Sirius side stepped the curse pushing Harry out of the way in the process.

"INCARCEROUS!", he fired back.

"Fool! The Dark Lord will have his revenge. What makes you even think you can defeat him?"

Sirius let out his bark of a laugh. "HAH! I DON'T HAVE TO! That will be Harry's job when the time is right ... WHEN HE'S READY!

As for being a traitor, if your such a faithful servant, you must have been one of his Inner Circle. You'd know the actual traitor was Peter!

I SERVED TWELVE YEARS IN HELL BECAUSE OF YOU BASTARDS! HOW LONG DID HE HAVE THAT COWARD SPYING FOR HIM BEFORE GOING AFTER AFTER LILY AND JAMES?!

Sirius had kept shifting keeping Harry behind him. He had seen Dumbledore and the minister, and had maneuvered so that the imposter's back was to them. The imposter had no idea of the witnesses behind him; so focused on killing the two before him. It would be his undoing.

While laughing, the imposter's next words left some looking white as a sheet.

"That sniveling little rat took a whole year to finally bring us something of real value. Imagine my Lord's surprise when Peter came to him saying he had been made the Potter's Secret Keeper ... And at YOUR REQUEST! Clever trick trying to throw us off by switching secret keepers at the last minute. Too bad Pettigrew had more sense than you."

The imposter started firing curse after curse. Sirius went on the defensive, keeping Harry behind him. Harry was able to throw in a couple of shots here and there.

"The Dark Lord knew he had the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one spell. Kill the child who was prophecied to vanquish him, and frame you for the Potter's murders! It was too good of an oppurtunity to let pass!" The imposter then fired ...

"CRUCIO!"

Sirius fell to his knees as he screamed, his nerves burning.

The crowd just stared in shock. Could Sirius Black actually be innocent? Black was clearly defending Harry Potter, and from the sound of what they'd been able to overhear, it appeared to be the case!

Fudge stood frozen as a chill went down his spine. He remembered that Black had never even received a trial. Bartimius Crouch, in his religious fervor for justice, had sent him directly to Azkaban. His decision was based solely upon eyewitness accounts obtained from the bloody aftermath when Black had caught up with Pettigrew.

Dumbledore took the opportunity to seize his attention. "Just as we tried to explain to you last year Cornelius. Sirius Black is an innocent man!" The Minister of Magic continued to stare in disbelief. Potter had been telling the truth all along.

"Albus, what do we do?" Dumbledore then gave Fudge his sternest look, radiating power. "We do everything within our power to do what is right, instead of what is easy." Albus turned around and walked inside.

Meanwhile Harry had entered the fray stringing jinxes, charms, and curses together. Moody had to abruptly end the Unforgivable in order to bring up his strongest shield charm to hold Harry off. Sirius collapsed once the unforgivable curse was broken.

Dumbledore entered the hall incanting "BOMBARDA!" The shield charm shattered under the curse as Harry raised his wand screaming "EXPELLIARMOUS!"

The spell connected, throwing their opponent back and into the wall with a crunch. Dumbledore followed with a spell tying up their captive.

Afterwards he then turned to Harry. "Harry, we'll get Sirius up to the Hospital wing. No one will harm him. Too many people have heard and seen the truth tonight."

It was at this point Madam Pomphrey ran up and conjured a stretcher. "Don't worry Albus, I'll get them sorted out. Just keep that worthless idiot from calling any dementors in the meantime!"

"Woman, I am the Minister of Magic! I will do whatever I damned well please if I feel my personal security is at risk!"

The fool turned around only to notice the crowd that had gathered behind him. Dumbstruck by what they'd just heard. Some of those faces took on a more grim and sinister look. He suddenly realized that his days in office were numbered.

The fake Alastair Moody starting groaning catching everyone's attention. He started changing. After several moments ...

"MERLIN'S BEARD! BARTY CROUCH JR! BUT HE'S SUPPOSED TO DEAD!"

"It would appear that more than one person has returned from the land of the dead tonight Cornelius." Dumbledore stated.

"But Albus, He can't be back, he just can't!"

~*~ End Flashback ~*~

The fall out from that night had been swift. Fudge had immediately promised Sirius a fair and speedy trial to be held as soon as possible, where, he assured them he would be exonerated of all charges with a reinstatement and promotion in the Auror core. He then had Percy go to the Daily Prophet so the story could make the morning edition. Sirius was shortly transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies. After treatment, he was taken into custody to wait for his trial.

Fortunately for Fudge, when the publc found out that Harry Potter had been kidnapped and witnessed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Rebirth, there was an immediate outcry for something to be done. With Dumbledore's guidance he had spent the last 2 weeks shoring up the ministry's defenses! Fudge used this distraction from the fact that he had almost had an innocent man Kissed. Twice.

The Boy Who Lived had suddenly found himself being referred to as "The Chosen One". He didn't know which monicker to hate more.

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