Case Reviewed
"Amelia, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Minister Fudge asked in exasperation.
"What my predecessor should have done, Minister." She formally answered. "I'm investigating Sirius Black's case."
"I meant letting Harry Potter walk away with using magic in front of a muggle." Fudge explained. "You're not falling for that tale about the muggle being his relative, are you?"
"The Obliviators reported this as the reason to consider unnecessary to obliviate the muggle, Minister." Amelia explained.
"Fine. That much might be truth but I bet Fletcher made up the rest to cover up for Potter." Fudge whined. "I demand veritaserum."
"You do that and several voters will use it as an excuse to demand the same for everyone who pleaded 'Not Guilty on Grounds of the Imperius Curse' to the accusation of being Death Eaters." Amelia stated. She's not really sure of how she felt about that but Sirius Black's case was her priority at the moment. She intentionally used the word 'voters' to cause a bigger impact.
Fearing the reactions his 'campaign contributors' would have if forced to answer questions under veritaserum, Fudge accepted Amelia Bones' point. "Fine, the brat is off the hook. Now, about Sirius Black, how can anyone doubt he's guilty? He confessed! I witnessed that!"
"Vague statements given during moments of insanity are not confessions, Minister." She stated.
"Moments of insanity, Bones?" Fudge asked in confusion.
"When you gave your official statement regarding Sirius Black's case, Minister, you informed my department that he was laughing like crazy, Minister." Amelia reminded him.
"I'm not a certified mind healer, Amelia." Fudge actually had a point. "Only a mind healer can officially discuss people's mental conditions."
"Insane or not, his statement was vague and he should have been asked specific questions like what he did to make those deaths his fault." She explained. "Without this, there's no real confession, Minister."
"With or without a confession, we have enough evidence to prove that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who and later killed Peter Pettigrew and some muggle bystanders with a Blasting Hex." Fudge stated.
"The only thing suggesting that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters is the unproven notion that Sirius Black was their Secret-Keeper, Minister." She contradicted him.
"It's not unproven, Amelia." Fudge was desperate to make her stop. "Albus Dumbledore confirmed this years before he became senile enough to believe that You-Know-Who is back."
"All that he confirmed was that James Potter intended to make Sirius Black the Secret-Keeper, Minister." She argued. "We can't tell from that testimony if Black agreed or not."
"Several witnesses overheard Peter Pettigrew calling Black out on that betrayal." Fudge was really sounding desperate.
"Peter Pettigrew never told any reason to be sure he wasn't mistaken." Amelia explained. "He didn't even give a reason to be sure he really believed."
"Witnesses overheard Pettigrew calling Black out!" Fudge was angry.
"Witnesses whose presence wasn't hidden from Pettigrew." Amelia explained.
"Well, maybe Pettigrew would have explained everything had Black not killed him and several muggles with the previously mentioned Blasting Hex." Fudge maliciously suggested.
"That mass-murder accusation is based on two other unproven notions." Amelia replied. "That Sirius Black was the one to cast the hex and that Peter Pettigrew really died from it. The Aurors didn't even check Black's and Pettigrew's wands as required by procedure rules."
"Amelia, that breach of protocol, no matter how regrettable, was covered up to prevent You-Know-Who's right-hand man from getting away with his crimes." Cornelius Fudge explained.
"That risk is preferable over the risk of convicting an innocent, Minister!" Amelia was exasperated. Auror John Dawlish then entered her office. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Madam, but Severus Snape is here and said you had summoned him for questioning. Are you finally sending him to Azkaban like all Death Eaters deserve?"
"Just bring him in and keep your wand ready in case he tries something, Dawlish." She refused to dignify his question with an answer. "Minister, since you're a witness to the case, I have no choice but ask you to be absent while I collect Professor Snape's testimony."
Professor Snape took a seat while he noticed Madam Bones producing a quill and a piece of parchment. "Professor Snape, this is a Dictation Quill and will be used to take note of your official questioning." She formally stated. After a nod from Snape, she tested it. "This is Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, questioning Hogwarts Potions Master Severus Tobias Snape as a witness to Sirius Orion Black's case." She was glad to see the quill wrote the whole sentence word for word. "Professor Snape, reveal all relevant facts you know from the night Sirius Black supposedly confounded witnesses into seeing Peter Pettigrew alive."
Had Snape been talking to one of his students, he'd be quite clear about his opinion regarding the use of the word 'supposedly'. Fortunately, for him at least, he was aware that the person questioning him had the power to send him to the Dementors and didn't want to know how long it'd take Lucius Malfoy to pull strings to get him out. Snape then gave a truthful description of that night's events, including how he bravely faced Werewolf Lupin to rescue the imprudent Gryffindor students and Minister Fudge considered giving him an Order of Merlin. Madam Bones, however, wasn't satisfied about how little it took to make Fudge sure that the witnesses defending Sirius Black had been confounded. "Professor Snape, have you performed diagnosis charms on the students after they claimed to see Peter Pettigrew?"
"No."
"Have you seen anyone performing those charms on them?"
"No."
"Then what makes you sure those kids were merely confounded?"
"The notion that Peter Pettigrew is alive is ludicrous."
"And…"
"Isn't that enough, Madam Bones?"
"I'm asking the questions here, Professor Snape." She retorted. "Are you saying witnesses to a grave case were dismissed as victims of a confundus charm based on nothing more than a refusal to believe what they claimed to see might have really happened?"
"Yes." Snape stated like it was obvious.
"You're dismissed for now but don't you dare to leave town." She warned him.
After Snape left, Molly and Ronald Weasley entered Amelia Bones' office. Since Ron was a minor, permission from a parent or guardian was required and said parent or guardian was allowed to be there. "Mrs. Weasley, I assume you know why your son has been summoned." Amelia Bones stated.
"It's about Sirius Black being innocent, correct?" Molly Weasley asked. "Innocent or not, I'll never forgive him for biting Ronniekins' leg I hope he's sent back to Azkaban for that!"
"Mum." Ron whined.
"If Sirius Black is found innocent of the crimes he was originally arrested for, the time he spent in Azkaban will count as time served for injuring a minor." Amelia explained.
"Mum, Harry needs his Godfather to stay safe from the Dursleys." Ron pleaded.
"Dursleys?" Amelia asked in confusion and Ron realized he revealed too much about Harry's life to someone who didn't know about it. "Aren't they the relatives who took the Boy-Who-Lived in? Why would he need to be protected from them?"
"Uh, aren't we here to talk about Sirius Black?" Ron meekly asked while trying to diver Harry's case.
Reluctantly, Amelia Bones shifted focus back to Sirius. "Mr. Weasley, how long did you know your former pet rat was an animagus?"
"Ever since Sirius Black and Remus Lupin turned him back into Peter Pettigrew at the end of my third year at Hogwarts." Ron explained.
"I understand that he was originally Percy Weasley's pet not long after Peter Pettigrew was declared dead." Amelia stated. "How come nobody suspected he wasn't just a regular rat?"
"We thought it was because he was being better cared for than most regular rats." Molly explained.
"Was Professor Snape there when Peter Pettigrew was revealed to you?" Amelia asked. Clearing Sirius Black might be a priority but she wouldn't pass on a chance to send Professor Snape to Azkaban.
"Yes." Ron answered.
"Then why would he think you were just confounded into seeing Pettigrew alive?" She asked while secretly hoping Ron would contradict Snape's excuse.
"We had to knock him down because he wouldn't listen." Ron replied with joy. "The git deserved it."
"RONALD WEASLEY, HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR YOUR TEACHERS!" His mother shouted in anger. "I'm sorry for his behavior, Madam Bones."
"Apology accepted, Mrs. Weasley." Amelia Bones replied. After she was done with Ron, she waited for Hermione Granger and her parents. Hermione's testimony was basically the same as Ron's.
Two days after the cancelling of Sirius Black's kiss on sight order, the Daily Prophet published an interview where Amelia Bones declared he'd be allowed a chance to defend himself as it should have been done back when her predecessor headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Because of her reputation, he trusted her.
"Don't take me the wrong way, Mr. Black." Amelia Bones stated. "If it depended solely on me, I'd dismiss you right now but I'm afraid you'll need a trial unless you offer a definite proof of innocence."
"Would Veritaserum do?" Sirius Black maliciously asked.
After a written statement to confirm that Sirius Black willingly subjected himself to Veritaserum in spite of his status as a pureblood wizard protecting him from being forced to, Sirius Black provided the Veritaserum-induced answers needed to clear him. "Congratulations, Mr. Black. You're a free man again albeit I'd wait a couple of days before appearing in public so your innocence will have enough time to be published." Sirius silently agreed. Amelia Bones then drew up a few numbers. "Your punishment for being an unregistered Animagus will cause a mere dent on your compensation for your wrongful imprisonment. Will you agree with these values or will you sue the Ministry over this?"
"I'm satisfied with these numbers, Madam Bones." Sirius stated and eventually signed a waiver. "Now, I'd like to apply for guardianship of my godson Harry Potter as his parents wanted."
"Well, you're his Godfather and your wrongful imprisonment was the only reason you couldn't take him in before." She conceded. "Normally, these reasons alone wouldn't be enough but, with the things I've recently learned about the people Harry Potter grew up with, your chances are quite good. I just have to know your current address. Will you move back to the place where you resided before you were arrested?"
"I don't even know if that place still exists." Sirius sadly stated. "It was probably destroyed by people who hated me for the crimes I was unjustly imprisoned."
"No, Mr. Black." She stated as a matter-of-fact. "For sake of the Statute of Secrecy, the Ministry prevented them before their efforts to take down the protective wards before they attracted unsuspecting muggles."
Sirius snorted but Amelia wasn't done. "However, you'd better have another plan even if as a backup until you check it." She suggested.
"Don't worry, Amelia." Sirius stated. "Harry and I are living at the Black Family's ancestral manor. At least until I get us another place."
Amelia was secretly relieved since she had no idea of where Harry went after leaving the Dursleys. "I'm glad to hear it but I must see Harry with you to be sure you actually took him in."
"We might schedule a meeting after my innocence is well published." Sirius replied.
Two days after the Prophet exposed Peter Pettigrew, Amelia Bones met Harry and Sirius at Sirius' home. Several Order members were there as well for Harry's protection since they couldn't be sure it was really Amelia. "Nice to meet you, Harry. Why're you so nervous?"
"How do I know you're really Amelia Bones?" Harry asked. "Barty Junior spent months pretending to be Alastor Moody."
She was feeling awkward. "Well, I see you're okay so my work here is done. Goodbye."
"Harry, now that Amelia is gone, I insist you return to the Dursleys to restore the wards empowered by your mother's sacrifice." Dumbledore sternly said.
"No, Headmaster. I refuse that so-called 'protection'." Harry replied with an even sterner tone.
"Harry, without that protection, the Dursleys are vulnerable to Death Eater attacks." Dumbledore pleaded.
"Serves them right!" Harry plainly exclaimed, shocking Dumbledore. The Headmaster was afraid Harry became too dark to stop Voldemort.
THE END
If anyone wants to continue from here, fine but tell me first.