Prologue
"This is ridiculous," Sirius growled. "How am I meant to persuade you of my innocence if you twist everything I say?" He smiled suddenly. "Would you like me to find another way of convincing you?"
"Sirius," Remus said quickly, "I know what you're thinking, and believe me it's not a good idea." Sirius turned to glare at him. Remus gulped, recognising a certain look in his old friend's eyes that said he wasn't entirely... right at the moment. That seemed like a good way of putting it...
Sirius opened his mouth, paused a second then said in a voice that went right down into the subconscious and flipped all the switches; "Give me a trial." Then his mouth closed, he blinked, and he was just Sirius again, albeit a very, very pissed-off Sirius.
Remus let his head sink into his hands; this was all they needed, for Fudge to discover that. If the Ministry found out what Sirius had just done he would be back in Azkaban, no questions, no trial, nothing. He could feel the heat radiating off his friend as Sirius glared at Fudge, and he could smell the power hanging in the air.
The board, meanwhile, were gazing at Sirius with the sort of stunned naivete that would normally be associated with a memory charm. Remus was intrigued to notice that even Dumbledore was blinking dazedly behind his spectacles.
Hrm... so he doesn't really believe Sirius is innocent then... I wonder if he's been talking to Snape? No, he's probably just being cautious...
"Well?" Sirius asked, his eyes darting along the line of people on the other side of the table. There was a succession of blinks and head-shaking as they all slipped back into the present. Remus crossed his fingers under the table. Sirius was out of practice, but then who of his kind wasn't these days?
"Well, given all the evidence -" Fudge made a show of riffling through his notes in an obvious attempt to avoid looking at Sirius' face "- I think... I think that... given the evidence... and the circumstances at the time... it must be said that..." He was having trouble saying this. Remus chanced a glance at Sirius, who was sitting bolt upright his his chair and staring straight at Fudge, obviously putting the other man under enormous strain. "I think... it must be said... uh... eh..."
"Innocent until proven guilty, the law says," Remus offered, feeling somewhat sorry for the Minister. Fudge nodded in relief.
"...yes, and if you were never actually proven guilty, then...Ithinkwecanarrangesomekindoftrialifyou'llpleasestopstaringatme!"
Sirius blinked. Then, he blinked again. Then, he stopped staring. Remus saw the board sag into its chairs as one.
"...So, if you'd care to come to the courtroom while we arrange for some Veritaserum to be brought down, I think-" The entire assembly got to its feet, Remus having to drag Sirius up. He wondered what was wrong; after all, this was what his friend wanted, wasn't it...?
"No."
The entire room froze. Slowly, every head pivoted towards Sirius. Fudge's mouth opened and closed. He swallowed a few times, and eventually said;
"W-what?"
"You heard."
Remus stared, then growled to himself and stalked up to Sirius, grabbing his friend firmly by the shoulders and pulling him down to eye level. "Sirius, are you crazy?" he hissed.
His friend held his gaze for a second, then firmly placed a hand over each of the werewolf's and removed them. "I'm not going into another courtroom as long as I live, Moony, and that's final."
Remus sighed and nodded. He suspected that there was another reason, a slightly more dangerous one, but he wasn't stupid enough to voice it and besides, that strange look was still in Sirius' eyes. Remus didn't have to look twice to know what it was; he'd felt it himself, often enough.
It was bloodlust. But not the same kind of bloodlust as a werewolf's or vampire's; this was the cold, calculated, serene bloodlust of a sorceror who had seen injustice happen.
Remus shivered to himself and turned to look at the board, who had gone into a huddle to discuss this new development. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that right now it didn't matter what anyone said; if they refused him a trial, Sirius would just stalk out, track Peter down tirelessly and stalk back in, most likely dragging a dead body behind him.
And then go back to Azkaban. Remus' heart sank further. Even if Sirius won, sooner or later somebody on the board would realise what he'd done to them to get a trial, and he'd be back where he started. He couldn't win... couldn't win... he couldn't win... he couldn't win! Remus stared at the huddle, then grabbed Sirius by the shoulder and shook him vigorously. His friend bent down to listen.
"It's a trap! They can't have you being declared innocent, just think how embarrassing it'd be! They've already got enough on their plate with Voldemort, they need you in Azkaban so they can say they've caught a Death Eater! Plus," he added as an afterthought, "Just think how much compensation you'd be owed..." Sirius stared at him as realisation dawned, then opened his mouth to say something - just what, Remus never knew, because at that moment the huddle broke apart and Fudge spoke.
"Eh... yes, well, I think in the circumstances there is another option..."
"This is ridiculous," Sirius growled. "How am I meant to persuade you of my innocence if you twist everything I say?" He smiled suddenly. "Would you like me to find another way of convincing you?"
"Sirius," Remus said quickly, "I know what you're thinking, and believe me it's not a good idea." Sirius turned to glare at him. Remus gulped, recognising a certain look in his old friend's eyes that said he wasn't entirely... right at the moment. That seemed like a good way of putting it...
Sirius opened his mouth, paused a second then said in a voice that went right down into the subconscious and flipped all the switches; "Give me a trial." Then his mouth closed, he blinked, and he was just Sirius again, albeit a very, very pissed-off Sirius.
Remus let his head sink into his hands; this was all they needed, for Fudge to discover that. If the Ministry found out what Sirius had just done he would be back in Azkaban, no questions, no trial, nothing. He could feel the heat radiating off his friend as Sirius glared at Fudge, and he could smell the power hanging in the air.
The board, meanwhile, were gazing at Sirius with the sort of stunned naivete that would normally be associated with a memory charm. Remus was intrigued to notice that even Dumbledore was blinking dazedly behind his spectacles.
Hrm... so he doesn't really believe Sirius is innocent then... I wonder if he's been talking to Snape? No, he's probably just being cautious...
"Well?" Sirius asked, his eyes darting along the line of people on the other side of the table. There was a succession of blinks and head-shaking as they all slipped back into the present. Remus crossed his fingers under the table. Sirius was out of practice, but then who of his kind wasn't these days?
"Well, given all the evidence -" Fudge made a show of riffling through his notes in an obvious attempt to avoid looking at Sirius' face "- I think... I think that... given the evidence... and the circumstances at the time... it must be said that..." He was having trouble saying this. Remus chanced a glance at Sirius, who was sitting bolt upright his his chair and staring straight at Fudge, obviously putting the other man under enormous strain. "I think... it must be said... uh... eh..."
"Innocent until proven guilty, the law says," Remus offered, feeling somewhat sorry for the Minister. Fudge nodded in relief.
"...yes, and if you were never actually proven guilty, then...Ithinkwecanarrangesomekindoftrialifyou'llpleasestopstaringatme!"
Sirius blinked. Then, he blinked again. Then, he stopped staring. Remus saw the board sag into its chairs as one.
"...So, if you'd care to come to the courtroom while we arrange for some Veritaserum to be brought down, I think-" The entire assembly got to its feet, Remus having to drag Sirius up. He wondered what was wrong; after all, this was what his friend wanted, wasn't it...?
"No."
The entire room froze. Slowly, every head pivoted towards Sirius. Fudge's mouth opened and closed. He swallowed a few times, and eventually said;
"W-what?"
"You heard."
Remus stared, then growled to himself and stalked up to Sirius, grabbing his friend firmly by the shoulders and pulling him down to eye level. "Sirius, are you crazy?" he hissed.
His friend held his gaze for a second, then firmly placed a hand over each of the werewolf's and removed them. "I'm not going into another courtroom as long as I live, Moony, and that's final."
Remus sighed and nodded. He suspected that there was another reason, a slightly more dangerous one, but he wasn't stupid enough to voice it and besides, that strange look was still in Sirius' eyes. Remus didn't have to look twice to know what it was; he'd felt it himself, often enough.
It was bloodlust. But not the same kind of bloodlust as a werewolf's or vampire's; this was the cold, calculated, serene bloodlust of a sorceror who had seen injustice happen.
Remus shivered to himself and turned to look at the board, who had gone into a huddle to discuss this new development. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that right now it didn't matter what anyone said; if they refused him a trial, Sirius would just stalk out, track Peter down tirelessly and stalk back in, most likely dragging a dead body behind him.
And then go back to Azkaban. Remus' heart sank further. Even if Sirius won, sooner or later somebody on the board would realise what he'd done to them to get a trial, and he'd be back where he started. He couldn't win... couldn't win... he couldn't win... he couldn't win! Remus stared at the huddle, then grabbed Sirius by the shoulder and shook him vigorously. His friend bent down to listen.
"It's a trap! They can't have you being declared innocent, just think how embarrassing it'd be! They've already got enough on their plate with Voldemort, they need you in Azkaban so they can say they've caught a Death Eater! Plus," he added as an afterthought, "Just think how much compensation you'd be owed..." Sirius stared at him as realisation dawned, then opened his mouth to say something - just what, Remus never knew, because at that moment the huddle broke apart and Fudge spoke.
"Eh... yes, well, I think in the circumstances there is another option..."