Chapter 7: Unsolicited Solicitor

"-. .-"

The portkey deposited them in the large hall with many floo access points (ergo fireplaces) known as the Ministry Atrium, where Amelia and two aurors were waiting for them: John Dawlish and Gawain Robards. Amelia had really brought out the big guns. She wasn't taking any chances with his safety it seemed. Both men gave nearly imperceptible nods in his direction, which Sirius returned without word or other reaction.

There had been a small debate, a couple of days prior, regarding whether they should arrive there or Amelia Bones' office, which was much closer to what used to be Wizengamot Room 1 (now called Grand Tribunal and Primary Wizengamot Meeting Chamber). Amelia suggested her office, but Sirius decided to do the bold thing and take the full stroll, in view of everyone.

His head held high, the convict walked down the corridor leading to the elevator, glad he wasn't manacled or otherwise bound. Amelia was in front with Robards, while Dawlish and Moody brought up the rear. Sirius knew, without looking or sensing, that the paranoid auror was spinning his weird eye everywhere, giving the multitude of people goosebumps. The Ministry was less packed than Sirius expected, or maybe everyone had already gone where he was headed.

Nevertheless, there were plenty of people around, which was why it was so odd that no one paid them any mind until they reached halfway down the hall of the Atrium, where the Fountain of Magical Brethren was located. Sirius figured he didn't look at all like he did in that horrible photo taken when he was convicted. The way he strolled, with both hands behind his back and in his best impression of a pureblood lord, further dissociated him from the criminal.

So when the whispers and pointing started, most onlookers were surprised or bemused. Those that looked disgusted or fearful were rather few. Sirius outwardly ignored them, but inside he was laughing at their expressions. At least he had that much to distract him from thoughts of his godson, and the fact that the next day was going to be his birthday.

Eventually, they reached the elevator. No one came in with them, so Amelia pressed the button for level two. The lift doors opened and the whole thing started ascending slowly, the chains holding it rattling.

"Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club and Ludicrous Patents Office." No one had to go out of the lift, but the doors did open to an untidy-looking corridor, with various posters of Quidditch teams tacked lopsidedly on the walls. A short, bald wizard almost shuffled in before he saw just who was inside. When Sirius' eyes and his met, the man did a double take. "Er... I'll wait for the next one..."

The doors closed and the lift started up again.

Sirius snorted.

"Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparition Test Center." This time, a tall, spindly witch walked in without batting an eye, as did some paper planes. Inter-department memos.

"Level Five, Department of International Magical Co -operation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats." Two men hustled in when the doors opened. Sirius suspected they were going the same way he was.

Two of the memos zoomed out before the doors closed again too.

"Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau." The remaining memos left the elevator.

"Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee." Sirius had to force himself not to glare when the doors slid open to reveal none other than Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. The plump man, who wore his uniform and a lime-green bowler hat, looked like he was about to choke on something when he recognized the passengers inside.

"Cornelius," Amelia said severely. Sirius could only imagine how her eye looked through that huge monocle of hers, as she frowned at the man. "Shouldn't you already be in the courtroom? You're a witness. Well come on now, get in!"

"Er... yes, quite!" Fudge's bluster was so obviously faked that Sirius had to look away in order to conceal his amusement. Coincidentally, that made his and Moody's eyes meet (such as they were). The long-suffering expression on the grizzled auror almost made him crack. At least it helped him push down the disdain he had for the man who played such a big part in his incarceration.

"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services."

This was it.

While the spindly witch and two unknown wizards maintained their cool, Fudge only barely managed not to run as he left the lift and made his way to the side-room that witnesses were supposed to congregate in. Sirius didn't bother restraining his disgusted scoff at the portly wizard. "Cream of the crop that one."

"You're laughing now," Moody grunted as he limped along with the rest. "But plenty of people expect him to become the next Minister for Magic in a couple of years."

"You have got to be joking!" That thought didn't bear contemplation.

Moody didn't seem to care about the heads that turned at the raised voice. "Afraid not, lad. Bagnold has already made it clear she isn't signing on for another term. And with Dumbledore refusing the position and Crouch out of the running because of that mess with his son turning out to be a Death eater back in '81, there aren't many other candidates."

"Dear Merlin," Sirius lamented. "We're doomed, aren't we? Maybe I'll just emigrate to Guyana or someplace. Hey, Amelia, fancy joining me? Hell, you're all invited!"

Amelia bones was too dignified to roll her eyes. Sirius knew that, which is why he was more than satisfied with her barely audible chuckle.

Sadly, the upbeat atmosphere faded the closer they got to the huge double doors that led to the hall which was their destination. They were wide open, and aurors and members of the magical law enforcement patrol were doing their best to keep the crowd outside. There was a line of people on the left, but Sirius didn't pay attention to it. He didn't pay attention to much of anything really, since Amelia was handling their entry. Doing his best to drown out the noise of the crowd, he examined his new surroundings.

The room was immense. Sirius didn't think there was such a hall before his incarceration. It had probably been enlarged just for this special occasion. There was the huge, tridecagonal pyramid on the vaulted ceiling, made of mirrors. It must have been part of the same mechanism as the translucent globe located on the marble pedestal in the center of the chamber. Sirius stared at it intently as he was led through the entrance. It was covered in runes, as was the stand. It was a pensieve shaped like a fishbowl.

He didn't comment on it, because he wasn't supposed to know about them. Yet he'd seen them before. The idea of projecting pensieve memories in the air was an old one, but not a project that got that much funding or researchers, simply because there was no pressing need for it. The Unspeakables must have diverted most of their time to make it work. It was astounding they'd done it on such a scale, and in just two months.

A hand grabbed him by the arm, thought not too roughly. "Over there, Black," Dawlish said.

Sirius looked in the direction he was being pointed. His eyebrows rose in surprise. The accused's chair, which was supposed to be where the pedestal was now, had been moved to the right side of the room. Just next to it was a much more comfortable-looking armchair and a desk with a chrome plate that read "Defense." A silver briefcase was next to the comfy seat, and a kettle of tea was on the desk itself, along with a cup, steaming. Sirius almost asked aloud what it was all about. He hadn't been told he'd have representation!

On the left of the chamber was the press stand, with several rows of benches. It was packed with reporters and photographers. The cameras started flashing as soon as the reporters caught sight of him. The rest of the room, save for the round area where the memory viewing device was installed, had lots of other bench rows, each one higher than the last. The room was a genuine amphitheater. The biggest Sirius had ever been in.

Right across the room from the door was a raised dais on which a resolute desk was located. Amelia broke off from the group to join Millicent Bagnold and Senior Undersecretary Emma Stone as interrogators. The convict would have been surprised at the fact that Dumbledore wasn't part of the prosecution, but he'd been told that Lord Black had made it abundantly clear, in private, that he did not want Dumbledore anywhere near the proceedings except as a witness, citing Conflicts of Interest.

The many benches behind the dais were divided into two main sections. One had about fifty people wearing plum covered robes and an elaborately worked silver W on the left-hand side of the chest. The Wizengamot was in full session. It made Sirius frown minutely. Was this a trial or a Wizengamot gathering?

The other half of the room was for spectators, and it was packed full, unlike the Wizengamot part that was more than half empty. There had to be several hundred people there alone. The whispering, pointing and murmuring mixed with lots of individual conversations, filling the hall with a dull roar.

Finally, the witness stand was to the right of the section that the Wizengamot members had commandeered. Sirius could see Barty Crouch Senior, Dumbledore and Fudge there, on the front row, along with a woman wearing black healers' robes, as well as a man similarly attired. The woman he remembered. It was the one that helped Lily give birth. Sirius had been the first to hold Harry and hand him over to a nearly panicking James, who then gave him to Lily when she was settled well enough to ask for him.

Albus looked his age when he caught his eye. He was too far away, so it was unclear if his eyes had that damnable twinkle or not. The old man didn't know everything that was happening, especially not that people were in the know about Harry's situation. Naturally Dumbledore had come to talk to Amelia when the whole matter reached the press. Amelia had told him point blank that the new Lord Black wanted the Supreme Mugwump to stay out and away from the proceedings because there was enough circumstantial evidence to suggest he could have deliberately sent Sirius to Azkaban despite being innocent, because of whatever interest he had in Harry Potter.

Neither Sirius nor Amelia believed that was the case, and Albus agreed to the conditions without much opposition after he was so bluntly informed of his blame in Sirius spending 7 years in Hell. That was a point for him at least, but Sirius couldn't exactly empathize. Not after he learned that the esteemed headmaster had dumped Harry with those people. Sirius just couldn't fathom the idea that Albus didn't stay informed of the situation, he was too thorough for that, which meant he was passively endorsing the abuse for whatever reason.

A cursory glance revealed the Tonks family (they were definitely a surprise) and Michael Joust (a Hit Wizard that was part of the team that was with him in France when the event happened). Then he spotted Remus, and he stopped in his tracks. The werewolf spotted him too, and they shared a look. Moony looked better than Sirius feared, which was a relief, but the shame that passed over him for a moment didn't help Sirius' spirits any. "Come on Black," Robards said softly.

Sirius followed and, at long last, fell in the ugly, rigid stone chair... only to be taken aback by the surprisingly high level of comfort. Someone had cast a cushioning charm on it, there was no other explanation, but neither of the Aurors had done it. While their wands were definitely out, they'd not been used at all.

The chains sprung up and manacled his wrists and ankles. Robards and Dawlish went to join the other aurors and law enforcement squad members keeping order, or trying to. It was then that Sirius noticed Moody had not come inside the auditorium. Before he could wonder why, a loud BANG startled the room. Then a second one silenced it and a third finally made people realize that no attack was taking place. It was just Minister Bagnold bringing the chamber to order.

Sirius saw that two men had joined the three women on the dais. One was none other than Bertie Croaker, the leader of the Unspeakables. Unusually, he had his hood down, showing his white hair and wrinkled face. He saw Sirius and winked. Oh, good old Croaker.

The other was a short, thin man. He must have been the scribe. "Very well." Bagnold's voice carried everywhere because of the Sonorus charm. "The accused being present, let us begin." The quiet of everyone else was eerie in such a large room. "Are you ready, court scribe?"

"Yes." An auto-dicta quill sprung to life, and the man made sure to pick up another, in case he needed to make special annotations.

"Preliminary Hearing of the thirtieth of July, 1988 into offenses committed under the Bill of Wizarding Rights and the International Statute of Secrecy by Sirius Orion Black. Interrogators; Millicent Helena Bagnold, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Emma Jane Stone, Senior Undersecretary for the Minister; Court Scribe, Ewan Arnold Lonebridge." She paused and looked at the accused, looking decidedly neutral. Sirius noticed she didn't mention Croaker. "Sirius Orion Black, who shall lead your defense?"

Sirius blinked at being put on the spot like that. There was the desk of the defense and everything... why were the tea set and the briefcase even there if he was going to represent himself?

But before he could open his mouth, a disillusionment fell right next to him and a grey-haired but well-groomed older man appeared in the cozy chair of the solicitor. He wore a perfect business suit, colored white with silver trimming, under a long, midnight-black cloak made of velvet. He pressed a button on the desk and his voice carried everywhere. "Counselor for the Defense, Marius Cygnus Black."

A hush descended over everyone, and Sirius could only stare at the great-uncle he'd almost never seen in person. The disillusionment had been perfect. Wasn't he supposed to be a squib?

Marius Black was amused and clearly pleased by the mixed reactions in the hall. His voice was back to normal. "Worry not, son." Sirius was taken aback by how reassuring the man seemed when he looked at him. "You'll be a free man before the day is out."

He almost dared believe it.

"Very well," the minister interceded. "Then the charges are as follows-"

"Point of order!"

Everyone in the room looked at one Albert Avery as he stood up from his front row seat in the Wizengamot booth.

Millicent was somewhere between bemused and amused. "Point of order, Lord Avery?"

Avery produced his best not-quite-condescending stare. "Yes, point of order. I wish to point out that, under the Bill of Legal Counsel, family members are not allowed as legal representation."

"Hmm," Millicent raised an eyebrow.

"Madam Minister," Marius cut in. "May I speak?"

"Please," she said graciously.

Marius Black did not bother standing up, but he somehow managed to look down on Avery even though the latter was several levels higher. "Am I correct in assuming that a point of order is an objection raised for a perceived fault during the proceedings of a Wizengamot gathering?"

"That is correct," Bagnold answered.

"Then I would ask Lord Avery why he thought he would accomplish anything by it. Not just because the Chief Warlock is not here in his capacity as Chief Warlock," he gestured to Dumbledore in the witness stand. "But, last I heard, this was not a Wizengamot gathering but a very belated legal hearing for my client."

Murmurs swept over the hall. Journalists were frantically taking notes, just like the court scribe.

"Then I am raising it as an objection!" Avery tried again.

"In what capacity?" Marius asked coolly. "You are not here as prosecutor or other type of legal representative, nor are you a witness, who lack the authority to make such objections regardless. You are here at the grace of the court, because it was decided to make this travesty of a legal process public. You have no voice in these proceedings. You are a spectator, nothing more."

The silence that fell after that was so deep that no one would believe there were so many people in that auditorium.

Between being talked back and the fact that the one talking down to him was a squib, Avery's temper began to slip. "How dare you-?"

"Madame Justice!" Marius cut him again, addressing Amelia Bones. Sirius couldn't help but be in awe of his nerve. "Is it the court's policy to allow such unlawful interruptions?"

"No it is not," Amelia Bones rather pointedly looked at the black-haired man.

"And am I correct in assuming that I would have more than enough grounds to claim a mistrial if this goes on much further?"

"You are."

Albert Avery glared but kept silent. The Undersecretary spoke though. "Your warning is noted, but claiming a mistrial would only mean your client would have to return to Azkaban while you try to arrange another hearing."

Avery looked quite smug. Sirius wondered if the woman was in his pocket. Probably not, though he wasn't sure about Lucius'. Though he tried to appear mildly interested, Sirius could tell Lucius would have done something himself. Sirius found himself lamenting the fact that Malfoy had enough political acumen to keep his mouth shut. He'd have loved to see him put in his place by Marius.

"I am afraid you are mistaken," Marius said evenly. "My client was never charged with anything. His file has no accusation documents. Not even his rights were read. There was no trial. Even the arrest was never followed up on. Sirius Orion Black simply found himself in Azkaban, at the Dementors' tender mercies, within a day of being found on Tottenham Court Road. Somehow." The chamber started murmuring again. "So truly, I would not mind a mistrial at all," he taunted, sipping his tea with absolute serenity. "I already have the lawsuit against the Ministry prepared for conspiracy to perform and cover up the kidnapping and imprisonment of my client, the Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black!" That definitely started a roar through the hall. "And I will definitely take it up with the ICW if I am not satisfied with how Britain deals with this matter."

Excitement mixed with confusion and the ire of the more stubborn people in the room. Avery sent Marius a look of pure loathing before sitting back on his chair. Lucius was a bit more circumspect, but his dislike was clear as well.

Sirius stared at Marius Black in open-mouthed shock.

And Amelia Bones had to create some blasts with her wand to get order restored. "Order! I will say this only ONCE! Interrupt the proceedings without cause and the Aurors will escort you out!"

"Madame Justice, if I may?" Marius said again. "While Lord Avery was wrong to assume he had a voice in these proceedings, he nonetheless brought up a valid concern. I would just like to alleviate whatever worries may have been raised, even though none of his words are to go on record."

"Please do."

"While it is true that family members are not allowed as legal representatives because of assumed bias, that only goes for everyone up to first cousin. And even if I were more closely related, that particular law would not apply to me." Marius made a dismissing wave at that, as if what he said next was just an unimportant footnote on a boring tome. "After all, I was officially disowned by the House of Black decades ago. Alas."

Scattered laughter pierced the murmuring.

Sirius' mouth snapped shut. The former Hit Wizard wondered if his Uncle Alphard would feel betrayed if he chose Marius Black as his new hero.

Once the court settled, Bagnold pulled out a sheet of parchment. "So then, the charges are as follows: That the accused, Sirius Orion Black knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, joined the ranks of the Death Eaters that followed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; that he engaged in espionage for You-Kow-Who; that he collaborated with the vigilante known as Black Phantom; that he betrayed the location of Lord James Charlus Potter, Lady Lily Elizabeth Potter, and their son Harry James Potter, to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, resulting in the murders of the Lord and Lady; and finally, that he hunted down and killed the Potter family friend and posthumous Order of Merlin holder, Peter Pettigrew, along with 12 muggles."

She paused to allow reporters to take notes, and the dicta quills of the scribe to finish transcribing.

"Sirius Orion Black, how do you plead?"

He'd been prepared for this. That was to say, Marius had just whispered in his ear how to respond. "Not guilty to all but one of the charges."

There was a mixture of disbelieving sputters and angry exclamations from everywhere, but Amelia blasted the court into silence again. "Which charge?"

Marius took over for him. He was clearly enjoying this. Sirius wondered if he felt smug at having his voice broadcasted all over the world via the Wizarding Wireless Network while he verbally kicked the ass of everyone who dared talk back to him. "That would be the one about collaborating with the Black Phantom, though I do have to wonder why you would group it as a crime? The man is a hero."

Milicent had to raise her voice to speak over the muttering crowd, even with the sonorus on. "Among this hearing's purposes is to ascertain whether the one known as Black Phantom was truly a fighter for the light or just a very skilled double agent or spy."

"So it's guilty until proven innocent now?" Sirius' solicitor was not impressed. "Regardless of the outcome of this hearing, the fact that Sirius Orion Black spent seven years in hell without being given the chance to defend himself is a crime! I was hoping THAT would have been the only criminally negligent slip-up of this Administration." He let those words hang. "And yet now you brand the wizard YOU all lauded and dubbed the Black Phantom a villain? The only person, besides Albus Dumbledore -and this all is public knowledge- that managed to face the self-styled Lord Voldemort-" there was a general flinch in the room "-alone? And who severely impaired his ability to wage war? Need I go on?"

"Your argument has been noted," Bagnold said, then addressed the scribe. "Remove the charge from the list."

"Yes, Madam Minister." He did so.

Emma Stone spoke up. "Apologies but... I feel I must inform the court that I find the... fervor... behind that argument a bit suspicious. It is almost as if you have taken it personally, Mister Black."

Marius scoffed. "Well you would be outraged too if a person who provided you with evidence got treated this way."

It took a few seconds for his words to register.

Then it was pandemonium. People shouted, some stood up, the journalists in the press section looked like they wanted to jump over each other and run to ask Marius questions. "You've been contacted by the Black Phantom?" "You've been in contact with-" "Is it true he was a Death Eater?" "Is it true he's an Unspeakable?" "Do you know who he is?"

Not just Amelia but Milicent too produced loud blasts with their wands. "Aurors!" Amelia barked. "Feel free to escort out whoever you deem deserving after that display."

A half dozen witches and wizards were bodily removed amidst heavy protests.

"Now," Bagnold said, glaring at everyone left in the press booth. "The questioning may begin."

"Since this is a matter of high security and the defendant is not expected to be forthcoming in his testimony," Amelia picked up, composure totally intact. "The Wizengamot decided in favor of using Veritaserum on the accused."

"Objection!" Marius shouted, standing up and startling Sirius. "When was this decision taken and why was I not summoned to represent the interests of my client, as would have been the legal course of action?"

Millicent answered, looking decidedly apologetic and confused at the same time. "It was during an emergency session called earlier today, and a summons was most definitely sent."

"Well I certainly did not receive it," Marius responded. "And everyone of relevance to this case knew well I was already in the building!" After a while, it was clear no one had anything to say about that. "Who called the emergency session?"

"Lord Lucius Malfoy of the Noble House of Malfoy."

"I see." Marius coolly met the eyes of the platinum blond wizard before facing the three interrogators again. And grinned. "Excellent!" There was an awkward pause. "At least now I don't have to make the request myself! And I don't have to spend an hour demolishing the arguments of whoever would try to suggest Veritaserum is unreliable!"

Sirius could barely keep up with what was happening, but the look on Malfoy's face was priceless.

"However!" Marius shouted. "However. There is still the matter of the decision being taken without my being there. As such, since I was denied the chance to defend my client's rights, I move to be allowed to do so now. I demand the right to Interrogate my client myself."

Millicent, Amelia and Emma made a show of debating the issue amongst themselves behind a sound-dampening spell, but Sirius was fairly certain all of this had somehow been planned from the start. "Request granted," the minister finally said.

Auror Dawlish broke off from the rest and approached Sirius' chair. He pulled a vial of clear liquid from a pocket in his robes.

"Hold," Marius said, again standing. "Who brewed the serum?"

"Um... not sure. This came from the Auror stores."

"Hmmm," Marius scratched his clean-shaven chin. "Then I won't consent to its use on my client until it is tested in my presence, or examined by a potions expert of my choosing."

"Mister Black, I assure you it is the genuine article," Amelia Bones spoke from across the room.

"Yes, just as the whole Wizarding World was assured my client betrayed those he called family to murder!"

Sirius was taken aback by how biting Marius Black made that remark. This wasn't just a ploy, not just an act. The man was well and truly outraged on his behalf. He could only wonder why. Marius Black was basically a stranger to him.

In the tense silence that followed that statement, Dawlish raised his hand as though he were still in school. "I'll do it." Amelia and Marius both snapped out of their staredown to look at him. "As long as it's in a privacy bubble."

"Well, if you're certain..." Bagnold acquiesced.

Over the next few minutes, Sirius watched the three interrogators, Marius (who'd divested himself of his cloak and was all white now, even his dress shoes) and Dawlish speak amongst themselves without anyone hearing what they were doing. Amelia administered three drops of the serum to the Auror and asked a question, then let Millicent and Marius do the same. Then they gave him the antidote and took down the sound barrier.

Marius strode back to his seat in a rather solemn fashion. Sirius wondered if he was laying it so thick on purpose, and if all solicitors were the same. The man didn't sit down. Instead, he drained the last of the tea in his cup and walked around, behind the accused's chair, until he was standing on Sirius' right. "How are you feeling, son?"

Sirius looked at him like he was mad to ask. "Confused? Awestruck? Gobsmacked?" Seriously, what kind of question was that after... after... "Absolutely flabbergasted? Take your pick...uh... great-uncle..." He finished rather lamely and he knew it.

"That's alright," Marius softly pat him on the shoulder, but his good cheer vanished. "I'm sorry we didn't do this sooner."

"We?"

Before anyone could answer, Amelia cleared her throat to get the hall to quiet down. "Auror, administer the serum now."

Sirius obligingly opened his mouth and tipped his head backwards. Dawlish let three drops of the potion fall before stepping away.

A haze descended over Sirius' awareness. He felt it was fine to answer truthfully to any question people might ask. It was a strange feeling, like everything was fine but not worth reacting to in any other fashion. In theory, an Occlumens could convince himself something was true, in which case the serum could be fooled, but Sirius didn't need to bother.

Marius stepped in front of his chair but somewhat to the side, so that everyone had a clear view of him. "What is your full name?"

"Sirius Orion Black."

"What is your age?"

"29."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"No.

"Were you ever?"

"No."

"Aurors, please pull both of my client's sleeves up to elbow-level. Feel free to cast whatever glamour-revealing charms you wish." Dawlish and Robards did so, revealing smooth, unmarked skin. After each cast half a dozen spells, nothing changed. No dark marks on either forearm. "You really have to wonder why no one bothered checking for the Dark Mark back in '81." He shook his head and addressed Sirius again. "Is it true that the Potters went into hiding a little over one year before that fateful night of All Hallows' Eve, 1981?"

"Yes."

"Did they use the Fidelius Charm from the beginning?"

"No."

"But they did use it at some point?"

"Yes."

Marius picked up some papers he'd spread on his desk. "The Fidelius Charm hides the secret of a location inside the soul of a single person. Once the spell is cast, the knowledge of the location disappears from everyone in the world, and no one can come upon the place, not even by accident, unless the Secret Keeper willingly discloses the location, either through verbal transmission or a written note. To the best of your knowledge, is this an accurate description?"

"Yes."

"According to my findings, the Fidelius Charm was cast on October 25, 1981. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"Who cast it? Full name please."

"Lily Elizabeth Potter nee Evans."

"And who was present when it happened?"

"Me, James, Lily and Peter."

"Peter? As in Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes."

Marius smirked. "What was his role?"

"To become the Secret Keeper."

Absolute silence filled the auditorium.

"Did he become Secret Keeper?"

"Yes."

Cries of disbelief and shock erupted and collided with each other. A good portion of the people in the hall were on their feet, others were sitting down, motionless. The press was having a field day, eager to spin the story in a way that would draw the most readers, while others were horrified of the injustice that they were witnessing.

This time, Amelia, Millicent and two aurors sent sparks and made loud bangs with their wands. "Order!" Amelia yelled, glaring at everyone. "Order or this trial will adjourn and resume at a later date, without public access!"

That got everyone to quiet down soon enough.

"So you were never the secret keeper then?"

"No." Sirius would have shouted the answer. Yelled from the rooftops, but the Veritaserum kept him detached from all feeling.

Marius nodded in satisfaction and looked up at the so-called interrogators. "Madam Justice, in light of this, and because it is tedious to only get short and concise answers, I move to have the rest of his testimony be done without the effects of veritaserum. My client will provide the rest of his testimony under the same conditions as the rest of the witnesses that have yet to be called."

The three women again made a show of debating the matter before agreeing. "Very well," Amelia said. "Aurors, apply the antidote and cast Veritus Repperio on the defendant."

Veritus Repperio was a spell that caused people to glow red when they were being untruthful. It was automatically applied to everyone seated in the witness booth, but not on the accused, who were usually considered hostile witnesses and normally needed veritaserum or lots of dementor exposure to loosen their tongues.

After Dawlish cast the spell on him (which felt like ants crawled around his chest, forehead and navel for a few moments), Marius addressed him again. "Answer falsely my next question. What is your name?"

"Bob the Wizard." Sirius glowed red amidst chuckles.

"Now the truth."

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Okay," Marius leaned against the defense desk. "So explain to the court why everyone came to believe you were the secret keeper of the Potters."

"James wanted me to be the secret keeper." Now the Occlumency really started to be used. "I was more than willing, but I thought it was too risky. The previous year I was specifically targeted as a means to find James and Lily. And Harry. I almost got captured by Death Eaters, and I didn't want the secret to be in danger in case they tried again and succeeded. So I suggested they use Peter, but told everyone it was me in order to throw people off. No one would suspect Peter, I said. I suppose that the implication he was weaker than the rest of us helped him turn in the end."

"Pardon," Marius interrupted him. "The incident you are referring to, would it be the one that marked the first public appearance of the, at the time unnamed, Black Phantom? And the immediate... disappearance of Lord Potter, his wife and his son?"

"Yes. I actually got the idea to act as a decoy from him." He smiled sadly in remembrance. "The guy pretended to kidnap James and Lily just so Voldemort wasted resources, time and neurons on trying to find and torture the information out of him. Instead, James and Lily took Harry to Girffon's Eye and lived in relative security while I pretended to be obliviated after being 'found' in a ditch across the country. It worked beautifully for a whole year."

"No need to go further." Marius waved, smiling himself. "The story will be revealed when we view the memories you and the Black Phantom provided us with. What I am more interested in is why none of your close friends and acquaintances knew of the secret keeper switch."

Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Deciding against exposing the Order of the Phoenix, he chose a different truth. "We had strong reason to believe there was a spy in the Marauders."

"Marauders?"

"School joke," Sirius shrugged, rattling the chains. "James, Peter, myself and Remus Lupin were rather famous pranksters during our Hogwarts years. We called ourselves the Marauders. We saw each other like brothers. I guess that's why it was so hard to believe either one of us could be a spy for Voldemort." Sirius didn't care about the reactions caused by speaking the name. He was far away, in more than one way. "But in the year after Harry was born... there were too many signs that said one of us must have been a spy. In my hypocrisy, I suspected Remus, because he was a werewolf. Which is why I convinced James not to tell him about the switch right away. Remus was abroad at the time of the casting, so it worked fine. As for everyone else... I suppose we didn't get around to it. Voldemort came and... and killed James and Lily less than a week after the Fidelius was cast... It all came so fast..."

Marius was pacing in front of the accused' chair, not that Sirius could register it. "What happened that night?"

The voice was just soothing enough to get him to speak again. "I was in France, just across the channel. My team and I-"

"Team?"

"Hit Wizards," Sirius explained. "We were following an anonymous tip from our contact in the French ministry. We came upon a Death Eater attack in progress and worked in tandem with French Auror forces to stop the raid. Even captured a few... But I almost died because mid-way through the operation I felt... I felt James die and got distracted, getting hit by a reductor, right in my chest."

That brought all quills to a stop. No red light meant he was telling the truth.

"You 'felt' James Potter die?" Bagnold asked.

Sirius nodded slowly. "I didn't even know family magic worked that way."

"Wait, family magic?" Amelia intervened. She seemed genuinely surprised at the revelation. "But that would mean..."

"That I am subject to the family magic of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter?" Sirius knew his tone was a bit snide, but he didn't care. "Does it sound so impossible? I was offered sanctuary with House Potter when I was sixteen! I was adopted in the house when I finished my final year at Hogwarts. Too bad no one bothered checking the official records! It's not like it was a secret! Old man Charlus even got grandfather Arcturus to agree somehow. I don't know how, so don't ask."

"I.. I see," Bagnold said, sounding faint.

Sirius sighed and sagged in his chair, but squared his shoulders soon enough. "My apologies. It is a sensitive subject for me."

Marius got things back on track. "So after the raid, what happened?"

"As soon as I was well enough, which took precious hours, I passed responsibility on to Michael Joust, since I was leader." He gestured in the direction of the witness stand. "He's right over there. As against procedure as it was -and I suppose that contributed to my expedited imprisonment- I told him to take care of the rest and apparated straight to Godric's Hollow."

"From across the sea?"

"I didn't care about the distance, or the sea at the time. I just had to get there, and what I found..."

"That's okay," Marius stopped him. "We'll see it in the memories."

Sirius blinked. "But I didn't-"

"Not yours."

That shut him up. Then his eyes widened. "You mean the Black Phantom was there?"

Marius nodded, fully aware of how riveted everyone's attention was on them. "I believe he reached the house a short time after you disapparated. In pursuit, I assume, of Peter Pettigrew."

"Yes, I went after Peter." Sirius didn't even try to conceal the hatred he had for the rat. "I checked his house, but he wasn't there, so I started checking everywhere I knew he hung out, and places I knew he didn't because I couldn't just sit tight and do nothing. I found him late the next day, in a muggle restaurant. He tried to run, but I followed him, and when he saw he couldn't get away, he lured me into a crowded street, shouted for everyone to hear that I betrayed James and Lily, then cut off his finger and blew up the street, killing all those people. I think he hit a gas line. The crater wouldn't have been so large otherwise."

"And then you killed him?"

Sirius shook his head. "No." and he didn't even hide his disappointment. "He turned into his animagus form -a rat, unregistered- and escaped through the sewers."

"And what do you remember after that?"

"I... not much. I think I went into shock. The explosion knocked me around, maybe I even got concussed. And the blood of those people... parts of them fell on me... and the blood was suddenly James' and Lily's and I could only think that my idea to switch secret keepers got them killed..." He shuddered and shook himself. There weren't Dementors here, as healer Ted would say. There are no Dementors here. "I honestly don't know what else happened. I just, vaguely, remember being grabbed... then waking up in Azkaban. After that I just focused on the thought I was innocent, to at least keep my sanity because I'd lost everything else..."

"And the Dementors couldn't take it away? Wasn't it a happy thought?"

"No," Sirius growled. "The thought was that I was innocent but somehow still ended up in that hell, and no one bothered getting my side of the story. Not even the great Chief Warlock placed inquiries, even though he'd have easily been able to force a trial, no matter what Bagnold or Crouch said." Sirius sought Dumbledore's gaze, and when he found it he only got angrier. Now the man felt remorse. "He didn't even come to tell me how disappointed he was. He was too busy -and I only learned of this last month- dumping my godson on a muggle doorstep in the middle of a chilly autumn night."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed in brief panic, but Sirius suddenly didn't care. So when Marius asked. "What godson?"

He answered clearly. "Harry Potter." It was eerie how many gasps of shock could be heard that day. Sirius kept looking at the old Headmaster as he spoke. "Even now I believe that if Dumbledore hadn't sent Hagrid to take Harry away on the day after that Halloween, I'd have taken him and not gone after Peter, and none of this would have happened. When I got there, almost a day after the murder, Hagrid had just beaten me to Harry, but how do you argue with a man his size when all he can say 'It's Dumbledore's Orders! Dumbledore's Orders!' He already had Harry, so I couldn't just shoot spells at him. And in my grief I wanted revenge, so I gave into the impulse to go on the hunt. I gave Hagrid my flying motorcycle and went on my way. The idea was that I'd retrieve Harry a few days later... but I suppose we don't always get what we want."

Not long after he finished talking, it became clear that the bomb he'd dropped about the Boy-Who-Lived wasn't going to allow for the trial to progress further, not in that chaos, so Minister Bagnold called a 15 minute recess.

"-. .-"

Though he was allowed to drink some tea, Sirius wasn't permitted to move from his chair during the recess, and most people didn't leave their posts either. Curiously, no one from the witness booth stepped out, though Dumbledore had to endure some rather pointed questions from the few journalists that did sneak over to demand answers. Millicent and Amelia did eventually have the reporters chased off, but it seemed to Sirius they took their time "conferring" with Marius before they did that.

When the recess was called to an end, everyone scurried back to where they were supposed to be. Sirius half-expected Avery or others from the Death Eater contingent to quietly leave, but that didn't happen. They must have been as eager to watch the memory projection as everyone else was.

Marius didn't hurry to grant their wish though. "Next I would like to interrogate the other witnesses. Free format if permitted."

"You have the witnesses, mister Black."

Sirius watched as Marius Black approached the witness booth. The man in white paced a couple of times, as if trying to decide who and what to ask first. Sirius almost believed it was real indecision. Almost.

"Mister Remus Lupin. Can you corroborate my client's testimony? At least the parts you knew of or were present for."

Sirius made sure to look intently at Remus, though the latter didn't see. "Yes."

"And yet you believed him to be the traitor."

Remus seemed to diminish. "Yes, I did."

"Was it only because of the secret keeper switch? Or was it something more?"

"More." Remus crossed his arms and looked at a random spot ahead of him. "Since all four of us knew there was a spy in our midst, I suspected Sirius. I suppose that just like he suspected me for being a werewolf... I suspected him because of how his cousins and brother turned out. Basically because he was a Black." He grimaced, remembering who he was talking to. "No offense."

Sirius felt horrible, but he figured he deserved no better. He suspected Remus for an equally asinine reason.

Marius continued. He asked Joust what he thought of Sirius' conduct, to which the man responded that he was a good leader and that it was odd that he made that mistake during that operation. Joust admitted he considered the possibility of Sirius trying to throw the mission, but he also said it doesn't make sense because they'd already gained the definite upper hand when Sirius faltered.

Ted and Andromeda Tonks were asked about Sirius' character (good guy, deliberately immature when the situation needs lightening up, completely devoted to his friends, ready to die for them if need be). The healer that helped Lily give birth only had good things to say about Sirius' conduct during her labor (Lily had demanded that he be allowed in the room because she didn't trust James not to pass out from panic without Sirius to distract him).

Then Marius made a trip to his desk, opened his briefcase, took a folder and rounded on Crouch. A stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp black suit and tie. The parting in his short grey hair was almost unnaturally straight and his narrow toothbrush moustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide-rule. His shoes were probably very highly polished. Sirius still thought Marius looked better, but he supposed he was biased. "Mister Bathermius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Is it true you were the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time of my client's unlawful imprisonment."

"Whether or not it was unlawful has yet to be ruled upon," Crouch said shortly. "But to answer your question, yes."

"Actually, imprisonment without charges being filed is unlawful," Marius shot back. "But in the interests of avoiding a lengthy debate, I shall set the subject aside for now. So tell the court, mister Crouch, why did you see fit to toss my client in Azkaban without due process?"

Crouch scowled at Marius' behavior but answered. "He-Who-Must-not-be-Named had just fallen. People had taken to the streets. It was the largest breach of the statute of secrecy of the past few decades. We were stretched thin trying to make sure Death Eaters didn't panic and strike out at everyone who was celebrating. When we received the reports about the Potters and Black, and with they themselves making sure everyone knew Black was the secret keeper, everything seemed to fit."

"What reports? According to the dossier I retrieved from the hall of records, there was just the short report made by the Hit Wizards and the statement taken from Mister Cornelius Fudge here. The Hit Wizard report is the standard type, for forensics purposes, and has only dry yet ambivalent assessments. Yes, there is an Auror report as well, but it is very short, since as you said they were stretched thin at the time. Oddly, the Hit Wizards were dispatched without the obligatory Auror leader, and when a suitable person finally arrived on the scene, the witnesses had already been mostly obliviated. Those that weren't didn't have anything useful to say. That means you used Cornelius Fudge's statement as the only piece of actual evidence."

Crouch was making a perfect impression of a person suffocating. "Don't think you can pass judgment! I doubt you even were affected by the war going on at the time. No one outside the Auror department really knew how things were then! By that point, little mattered more than getting Death Eaters behind bars or six feet under. No one had a free hour, all that we knew was the next assignment."

"And yet you never looked back. Even if you did, preliminarily, store my client in that hellhole, despite there being enough ministry cells for it, you couldn't be bothered to go back to his file and give him his due process a week or two after things settled down? Why didn't you even bother?"

Crouch looked away. "Other things happened."

"Yes," Marius said mercilessly. "The attack on the Longbottoms by Bellatrix Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange and a certain Barthemius Crouch Junior. The outing of your son as a Death Eater. Did it teach you nothing?"

"How dare you!"

Marius glared at him. "If you were so horribly wrong about him, you didn't even think to consider that you may have been wrong about other things as well?" Marius paused and stared at the man as though he was some sort of weird animal. "You didn't even bother pressing actual charges on paper, or reading my client his rights? He should have been sent to St. Mungos and treated, then read his rights and questioned! A calming draught would have fixed everything. There would not even have been a trial! Hardly any extra work on your part. This would not even have been a choice between what is right and what is easy!"

Sirius clearly saw Albus Dumbledore shut his eyes as thought he'd felt something painful.

"But since hindsight is always 20/20, let's ask those that did choose what was easy over what was right." Marius spun on his heel and stopped, the sole of his shoe clapping against the stone floor. "Cornelius Fudge, you say here, in your statement, that you arrived on the scene and found Sirius Black laughing maniacally in front of the crater, with bodies strewn all around him. Then you called for a team of Hit Wizards and, once they arrived, told them of it and set about erasing the memory of the muggles that were still around." Marius stooped and looked at the portly man for a long moment. "Now, maybe I am mistaken, but aren't operatives from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes instructed in proper criminal procedure?"

"Now see here! Of course they are!" Fudge blustered. "I'm not sure I appreciate your insinuations!"

"You don't say," Marius drawled. "Then perhaps you can explain why you miraculously forgot the difference between Aurors and Hit Wizards."

Fudge blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Allow me to explain for the benefit of our audience!" Sirius couldn't help but feel awed at how totally enraptured the public was. He wondered if Marius was feeling underwhelmed by not having an actual, solicitor opponent to have battles of wit against. "Aurors are our Special Services division, trained extensively in ways to apprehend dark wizards, and taught how to carry out investigations, all the while avoiding the breaking of the statute of secrecy." He turned to look at Fudge again. "Hit Wizards, on the other hand, have a shorter training cycle because they are more of a strike team, a necessity during times of war, with little emphasis on forensics and surveillance, or stealth. That is why only Aurors may carry an Investigation. Why only Aurors can actually make arrests and accurately judge a situation like the one you encountered that day. So tell me, mister Fudge... why did you obliviate most of the muggle witnesses before one of the Aurors on duty apparated on the scene?"

Fudge opened his mouth and closed it, then repeated the motion several times, never actually coming up with an answer.

"But let's assume you were shaken by the experience, so shaken that you forgot procedure... Let us set aside how you somehow maintained the mental acuity to cast two dozen memory charms perfectly in the span of ten minutes, in spite of being so shaken..." Marius stopped as though he only just realized what he said. "No, actually, let's not assume that... Never mind, this really doesn't make any sense to me."

Sirius's shoulders shook as he did his best to hide how hilarious he found everything to be. How hilarious it was to see the impeccably-groomed lawyer shake his head in bemusement.

"And finally," Marius pronounced ominously, turning to stare at the old headmaster. "Mister Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Sirius wanted to warn him not to hold his gaze, that the man was a Legilimens and could read everything about him, and even implant suggestions...

But Marius instantly turned away and began pacing. "You are the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and held that position at the time when this all happened. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"So you could have made sure my client, with whom you were regularly in contact, could have escaped having his rights so thoroughly trampled."

Dumbledore sighed. "In theory, and if I had been informed of the situaton, yes."

Marius stopped but didn't look at the old man. "Why didn't you?"

"I suppose it was because I was convinced by the evidence... just as Crouch and minister Bagnold were."

"What evidence?" Marius snapped. "We just established there was none, except lots of circumstantial conjecture. Did you even look over it?"

"I fear you must have formed a flawed opinion of a Chief Warlock's duties. While I do hold the post of grand judge, I do not actually spend all my time combing through all arrest reports. That is the job of the DMLE."

Marius scoffed. "Your attempt at sounding patronizing is noted, but unnecessary. You just admitted you had a relationship of acquaintance, if not friendship, with my client. That alone removes any excuse you might have had to not even bother checking to see if this administration did right by him. Do you deny it?"

Dumbledore hesitated. Sirius thought he must have remembered that he was under Veritus Repperio. "No."

"So I ask again. Why didn't you even bother?"

"I assure you it was not because I was lazy." Dumbledore somehow managed to sound calm. "It was just that so many things were happening at the time."

"Yes, let's talk about those things." Marius strode to the desk of the defense again, removed yet another folder from his briefcase and made his way back to the witness booth. "You are the one that reported the deaths of the Potters and the vanquishing of Voldemort to the Aurors, were you not?"

"That is true."

"When did you learn of the event?"

"Almost as soon as it happened. With James and Lily's permission, I'd set some alarm charms in place. Alas, I was too late to prevent their deaths. By the time I arrived, Voldemort had already been vanquished by their baby boy."

"Hmm..." Marius kept his nose in the file. "And strangely... it says here that while you notified the aurors immediately, their intervention did not come until the evening of the following day." A wave of murmurs swept over the now silent gathering. "It says here that James and Lily Potter had been left in the states Voldemort had left them in... for a whole day..."

"That is because the Fidelius hadn't yet fallen, and I was not the secret keeper. The charm only collapsed the evening of November 1st. I notified the aurors of that occurrence as well."

"And that's just the thing," Marius tapped the papers against each other. "Since Pettigrew or Black was the secret keeper, and neither was dead, you could not have passed on the secret unless the keeper died, thus turning all those who know the secret into secret keepers. Yet the confrontation between my client and Peter Pettigrew did not take place until the night of November 1st. After the charm fell. Which means the secret became invalid when your envoy, Hagrid, took young Harry James Potter away. Illegally, I might add. It was basically kidnapping of the Heir to a Noble and Ancient House." Marius risked a glance at Dumbledore, but switched to a casual study of the rest of the chamber. "I would ask why in the world you left a 15 month-old baby in that smoking, blasted open house for a whole day, near the lifeless body of his mother. I would ask what you did with him that was so important that you needed the concealment of a Fidelius to carry it out. Sadly, this is not your trial, so I would be out of bounds interrogating you on that."

Dumbledore hid his relief. He hid it, but Sirius still saw it.

"That said, I still have to ask... You said that you didn't catch on to the injustice being inflicted on my client because, and I quote, 'It was just that so many things were happening at the time.' Would those things be... casting illegal blood wards on Harry James Potter and dumping him on a muggle doorstep in chilly November?" This time, it wasn't just a murmur. "Would those things be leaving him in a basket on the porch, in the middle of the night, and disapparating before the wards took hold? Leaving him completely vulnerable for hours?"

Dumbledore frowned and refused to answer. "I believe it is you that said I was not the one being tried. I dare say you are reneging on that acknowledgement, so forgive me if I point out your behavior paints you as rather... hypocritical." The murmurs grew louder before settling again. "Should the courts see it fit to charge me with anything, I will, of course, answer all question. However, I will not be harassed without, how did you call it? Due process I believe the phrase was"

Marius shook his head. "Sadly, mister Dumbledore, your attempts at outmaneuvering a lawyer are misplaced, because I am fully in the rights to ask you those things. Because Harry Potter is my client's godson. Because the Will of James and Lily Potter clearly named him guardian before you sealed it for whatever reason."

Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat. "The will was sealed for the boy's safety. That has always been my concern. If I didn't, and it came out that all those named in the will were unavailable or unsuitable, the ensuing custody battle was likely to land the boy in the hands of someone more interested in using his status as the Boy-Who-Lived than raising him properly."

"That argument would have worked only if the Longbottoms were already incapacitated at the time!" Marius actually raised his voice. "Which they were not! And even then, Andromeda and ted Tonks would have been more than suitable! Minerva McGonagall would have been more than suitable! They are here today! At this point, I am wondering if you should be included in the category of people you said you wanted to protect Harry Potter from. It is ironic that if you hadn't sealed the will, you wouldn't have had to land in this situation at all!"

Albus was given pause. "I do not understand what you mean by that last statement. "

Marius scoffed. "Simple! This isn't just about the fact that because you sent your strongman Hagrid to take away Harry Potter, you indirectly deprived my client of the sure thing that would have prevented this disaster from happening. This isn't just about how ridiculous it is for you to claim you were always concerned about Harry Potter's safety but couldn't be bothered to move him from his wrecked house and his parents' bodies. That you couldn't be bothered to do anything about the bodies of his Parents, or to ensure his godfather's rights were defended! This isn't even about you circumventing the system and thinking it was a good idea to have someone who was expelled from Hogwarts and banned from using magic retrieve this world's greatest natural treasure!"

Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

"This is about the fact that the reason this hearing is happening is because the new Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black found out what kind of home you left the Boy-Who-Lived with!" Dumbledore paled. "The kind of home you knowingly placed him in, and kept him in. Lord Black started all this because while he was appalled at the treatment he received, and is fully willing to kidnap him if things get any worse, he wanted to remove the boy from there legally. Imagine his surprise when he learned the Heir of his House was sent to Azkaban without a trial. And that he was the godfather and the one named as guardian of Harry Potter in his parents' will. Add to that that Harry's grandmother was Dorea Black before she became Potter." Marius let his disdain show. "My sister if you recall." Half the people in the hall gasped. "Harry is a member of the House of Black by virtue of that alone." The solicitor snapped the folder shut. "The only reason Lord Black hasn't sued you yet is because you weren't named as witness in the will and he is still debating whether or not he should go for more than criminal negligence."

Dumbledore said nothing but seemed to become older with each word.

Marius finally looked him right in the eye. "You always talk about redemption and how everyone deserves a second chance. You were so incredibly quick to vouch for Severus Snape, a marked Death Eater. And you couldn't be bothered to say two words about my client, with whom you've had at least as much contact? How is it that everyone deserved a second chance except him?" Marius whirled around and walked to his desk. "If we meet again in court, I'll make sure to ask if Sirius Black was too much of a nuisance or just wasn't useful enough for you to bother. For now, no further questions."

Bagnold, Amelia and Emma Stone were forced to call for another 15-minute recess when they saw the hall was about to go crazy again.