Chapter 9: Freewill
""Sirius Black is innocent," Piccolo repeated, "and he's escaped prison to prove it."
It didn't surprise Gohan that Piccolo was being blunt, so offhandedly casual about whatever he said; that was Piccolo being Piccolo. What did disturb him, however, was what Piccolo was talking about. Sirius Black innocent? How is that possible?
"But – but that's crazy!" he said, looking around to make sure they weren't overheard. They weren't: everyone else was still having fun. "Black has to be guilty – I mean everyone knows he was Voldemort's most loyal follower—"
"Just like everyone knows that Hercule's the strongest person on the planet?" Piccolo grimaced. "You know how gullible people can be, Gohan, especially when they're frenzied. The wizards and witches 'discovered' he was Voldemort's servant after he was sent off to Azkaban."
"But this is the Wizarding World!" Gohan exclaimed. "They have magic! How could they put the wrong guy away? I read they have a Truth Serum that's full-proof with three drops, and something called a Pensieve that lets you see someone's memories!"
"There was a war going on, Gohan," the Namekian said. "Voldemort was defeated only a few hours before they found Sirius, and their way of life was close to falling apart. Do you think they'd waste time fact checking? Sirius was carted off without a trial; they didn't know who were civilians and who the Death Eaters – Voldemort's henchmen – were, so they never questioned the dying declaration of Peter Pettigrew."
"But why would Peter Pettigrew betray his friends? Why serve Voldemort and kill all those innocent people?"
"Pettigrew was a coward," Piccolo said. "He must have thought Voldemort's side was winning, or maybe the Dark Lord threatened to kill him. Either way, he broke the Fidelius Charm and told Voldemort where the Potters were. I don't know why he was Sorted into Gryffindor: maybe the Hat saw he wasn't all that smart or loyal or cunning, but brave enough to betray his only friends."
"But killing those people in London wasn't cowardice, it was planned," he continued. "Somehow he learned that Sirius Black knew the truth, and Pettigrew set a trap for him. He rambled on about how Sirius betrayed the Potters, probably knowing any bystanders would be interviewed by wizards. He killed those thirteen people around him to make everyone think Sirius was a dark wizard and one of Voldemort's servants."
"So Peter Pettigrew killed himself?" Gohan asked.
"I don't know," Piccolo admitted. "Maybe he couldn't see a way out, and took Sirius Black down with him so he'd come out as a martyr. But I think it was an accident: Pettigrew was weak, even by wizard standards. I think he just underestimated the strength of his Blasting Curse, or lost control and blew himself up along with everyone else."
The rapid-paced conversation ceased, and silence filled the room. Gohan was incredulous, overwhelmed and shocked by the amount of information he learned in less than five minutes. Piccolo stared at Gohan emotionlessly, searching the boy's face for any sort of reaction.
"How long have you known this?" He spoke so quietly Piccolo might have thought Gohan formed the question in his head.
"Since the Ministry asked us for our help a few months ago." Piccolo ignored Gohan's sharp inhalation. "You can't understand the complications this knowledge carries. Guardians aren't supposed to get involved with events on Earth because passing their knowledge onto others may upset the natural order: things could be made better, but they could become even worse than before. This isn't usually a problem because Guardians don't have ties on Earth to become conflicted." Piccolo smirked. "But then your dad sought out Kami to restore the Dragon Balls. And here we are."
Gohan's face had shifted from shock to intrigue, to intrigue to betrayal, and then back to shock in the last few minutes. A single bead of sweat betrayed Piccolo's calm demeanor as Gohan's bewildered expression subsided.
"Why are you telling me this?" Gohan's head tilted to the side, curiosity obliterating whatever else he may have been feeling. His eyes were wide, reminding Piccolo of the small frightened child he trained years ago.
Piccolo chuckled softly. "Because Guardians don't wait and watch from the clouds, hoping things turn out alright: they give it their all to protect Earth and its people."
Gohan smiled. How long had Dende been pestering Piccolo before the older Namekian finally broke down?
"But I must warn you, Gohan," Piccolo added sternly, "knowing Sirius Black is innocent creates more problems than solutions for his freedom."
Gohan frowned. "But you just said we should use this information—"
"What proof could we possibly provide to prove his innocence? Pettigrew and the Potters are dead, and they and Sirius never told anyone that James and Lily Potter changed Secret Keepers. Sirius Black is considered an escaped mass-murderer; no one will believe anything he says, let alone before they have the dementors kill him."
"Kill him?" Gohan cried out. "I thought they were only going to take him back to Azkaban?"
"He's already escaped Azkaban once," Piccolo replied grimly, "something they thought impossible. There's no way the Ministry of Magic will let Azkaban's first and only escapee, their most notorious Death Eater, live after such embarrassment."
"You can tell the Ministry the truth!" Gohan said fiercely. "We'll both tell them the truth about Sirius Black. They have to believe us if we explain everything—"
"Cornelius Fudge won't take our word at face value! He's skeptical and inept. Fudge wants Dende and me as his constituents, so we're slowly getting him to fully trust us, but if we just throw Black's innocence in his face he'll shut us out."
"So let's find Sirius Black, take him to the Lookout, and explain we know everything. He's looking for proof he was set up, so maybe if he tells us we could find it for him."
"Great idea," Piccolo snorted, "if we could find him before the wizards."
"I thought you were trying to find him with the Ministry?"
"I told them I would help, but I can't pick Sirius Black out from the dozens of witches and wizards near Hogwarts. I have no idea what his ki's like, and it isn't strong enough to spike above everyone else's."
"But why say Sirius Black's hiding from you if you can't sense him in the first place?" Gohan asked.
"Does it matter?" Piccolo said irritably. "I only told them Sirius was blocking me so they wouldn't think I want to help him. The Wizarding World has no real concept of sensing, Gohan. Magic isn't ki: wizards and witches can't hide or suppress their magic; it's like a residue constantly pouring from their bodies, but only truly powerful wizards and witches emit enough to be sensed by other wizards."
"Does anyone else know?" Gohan asked.
Piccolo's lips quirked up. "You mean Dumbledore? No: other than Dende, Mr. Popo and you, no one else knows of Sirius Black's innocence, and I'd prefer it's kept that way for the most part. I want to sit on this news until I have concrete evidence to show Dumbledore and the Ministry."
Gohan felt a knot form in his stomach and his anger stir within him.
"So what do we do? Wait for him to pop up, and then try to catch Sirius Black before the Ministry and dementors can kill him?"
Piccolo chuckled. It seemed more hollow than sincere. He walked away from Gohan and opened the door to the festivities in the next room; Chi-Chi and Bulma were screaming at Vegeta for trying to provoke Trunks and Goten into fighting each other.
He walked through the doorway and paused on the other side. The Namekian turned to Gohan, smiling at the Saiyan's irritated expression.
"Don't be so worried about finding Sirius Black before the Ministry does. I'd advise you to think about if you should tell your friends Harry's godfather is innocent."
"Come on, boy!" Vegeta taunted. "It's only 257x Earth's gravity; a Full-Power Super Saiyan should have already hit me by now!"
Gohan grimaced. Vegeta hadn't forced him to spar as often as he believed over the winter break, but it was still chaotic. Today was the last day of Gohan's break, and the first intense training session he'd had. It was the day after New Year, and everyone away for the holidays was already at Hogwarts by now. Due to the time zones being so far apart, it would be nighttime at the castle once Gohan left home and arrived there. Dumbledore assured him that, because of this, Gohan would not need to leave home early in the morning just to arrive at the same time as everyone else.
Vegeta's cocky grin pulled him from his thoughts, and Gohan would have rolled his eyes if he had enough energy to waste.
Sweat poured from his body as he attempted to break through Vegeta's defense. The bulkier, aura blazing Saiyan sneered at him as he blocked Gohan's assault, deflecting the hybrid's fists and catching an occasional kick to his midsection.
If a certain Ascended Super Saiyan hadn't lived in the Gravity Room for the last year, he'd be a lot easier to hit, Gohan thought bitterly.
After the Cell Games, Vegeta began working on becoming a Full-Power Super Saiyan. A Full-Power Super Saiyan has mastered the original Super Saiyan form. They desensitize their bodies to the massive ki consumption to remain a Super Saiyan, as well as the adverse emotional effects. Since they use much less (if any) energy to remain transformed, a Full-Power Super Saiyan can pour more energy into their attacks, allowing for greater outputs of speed, strength, and power.
The Ascended Super Saiyan form is a variation of a Super Saiyan, a middle-ground between the Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 transformations. By increasing muscle mass and the energy expenditure to maintain the form, a Super Saiyan's strength and power and aggressiveness greatly increase. But increasing their power and muscle mass too much causes a significant loss of speed and mobility, as well as using more ki to keep their stamina and strength up (as Trunks painfully learned).
Eventually, to Gohan's surprise, Vegeta decided he was fine with the form he'd been using. He'd acquired greater control as a Super Saiyan than he ever did, but nowhere near the mastery Goku and Gohan achieved. He resolved to make due with his Ascended Super Saiyan form until he could transform into a Super Saiyan 2. Vegeta relied heavily on being an Ascended Super Saiyan since he first discovered it, training in it for the remaining ten months within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and on his second trip. He believed that, while not as efficient as mastering the original form, the Ascended Super Saiyan transformation could be similarly honed and usable, at least until he finally became a Super Saiyan 2.
And of course he was right. Vegeta used more ki to maintain his transformation than Gohan, but his mastery of the Ascended Super Saiyan form was obvious: Vegeta didn't waste as much energy becoming "Super Vegeta" (as he smugly referred to it) as he did during the Cell Games. His ki consumption was almost halved, allowing the Saiyan whole new reservoirs of energy to pour into his strength and power. His speed didn't get a significant boost being an Ascended Super Saiyan, but training in this form and perfecting it allowed Vegeta to adapt to this limitation and be almost on par with Gohan.
His body being constantly subjected to over 200x Earth's gravity for years was probably also a factor.
Gohan abruptly ended his attack, somersaulting backwards away from Vegeta. The young Super Saiyan breathed heavily, eyeing his opponent warily: there was no way Gohan could keep up with Vegeta in this situation. Gohan was faster when they were on equal footing, but the Prince of Saiyans had a clear environmental advantage. Gohan trained in high gravity sometimes, but Vegeta spent twelve hours daily training in gravity levels beyond anything Gohan had done. It didn't slow him down, not significantly at least, but Gohan's movements were sluggish, not as fluid or precise as he was used to.
Gohan tensed when he saw Vegeta drop into a fighting stance. A smirk appeared on Vegeta's face. Gohan realized Vegeta was flying toward him only after Vegeta's fist connected with his face.
It was painfully obvious that Vegeta had no problem with fluidity or precision.
Gohan dodged Vegeta's next attacks hurriedly, still surprised at the speed (but not the ferocity) of his sparring partner's assault. He sidestepped and contorted his body away from Vegeta's fists, never allowing himself to block them or launch his own attack.
The smirk on Vegeta's face vanished in place of a frown. Gohan was barely avoiding his attacks, but avoiding them nonetheless. Vegeta could see the boy was making an effort not to physically block his assault, conserving energy for when he went on the offensive.
But far more interesting was that, unbeknownst to the demi-Saiyan, Vegeta wasn't as willing to – how did the Earthlings phrase it? – "pull his punches." He was holding back, true enough, but not as much as they agreed on. Vegeta saw no need to just spar against the only person stronger than him.
And it still isn't enough, Vegeta noted bitterly. Gohan hadn't summoned a blazing aura of ki; when powering up, the Z-Fighters summon the latent energy within their bodies to the surface, creating fiery auras. As a Full-Power Super Saiyan, Gohan didn't need an aura to maintain his power, unlike Vegeta. But powering up would still summon much more of his seemingly depthless power.
Which meant Gohan didn't want to increase his speed or strength to fight Vegeta. Not even transforming into a Super Saiyan 2, Gohan was more concerned about repressing his power than 'Super Vegeta' was.
They were both sparring, but Gohan wasn't taking it seriously.
"Enough of this!" Vegeta threw himself away from Gohan, floating toward a computer pad on the opposite wall and pressed several buttons. Gohan felt the artificial gravity stop pushing down on his body.
"Gravity levels returned to 1x Earth's gravity," A computerized female voice rang out. "Please allow the airlock doors to open." The doors hissed as they opened, retreating into the walls. Powering down, a black-haired Vegeta stormed out of the room.
"Wait, Vegeta!" Gohan powered down as he ran out of the room, catching up to the Saiyan briskly walking through the corridor. "What's wrong?"
Vegeta stopped. Any Capsule Corp. scientists or employees remaining in the hallway took note of his stiff posture. They scattered, deterring any who tried walking through away from the soon-to-be-scene.
He turned around, and Gohan gulped at the sight of Vegeta's glare.
"I am not the Namekian, boy," Vegeta said coldly, "nor any of the humans. You insult me by not fighting more forcefully."
Gohan blinked. "What?"
"We agreed to set limitations, but when the situation called for it you never increased your ki to combat me; you kept your power level close to mine the entire battle."
"Well, I thought it would be more of a challenge if—"
"We're not playing a game, we're training! When your father and the Namek trained with you to fight the androids they never hurt you, but they fought to win so you'd learn. That's how you got stronger: you never played around and neither did they."
There was a pause, thankfully, and Gohan took note of Vegeta's stance. His arms were crossed, and his face gravely serious.
"Clearly spending all your time around those wand-waving fools has softened you," Vegeta continued. "This is what I was worried about, spending all your time amongst books and quills. But we can uproot the problem now, before it settles in."
"What problem?"
"You are unable to distinguish how much power to use against an opponent."
"I don't want to hurt anyone," Gohan protested. "I know to go all out when it's serious, but it's different when there's no Frieza or Cell. I use as much force as I need to."
"Wrong, brat. You use as little power as you can afford, hoping it won't escalate so your enemy won't get hurt, when you should use the maximum amount necessary so the fight will end as soon as possible. If you had done that I'd have gotten a decent workout, instead of you trying to not hurt me. Me!"
"But my dad would—"
"Your father was a poor excuse of a Saiyan," Vegeta sneered, "but he never lowered himself to simply match his opponent's skill level. By not giving his all –or at least trying to win– Kakarot never would have improved, and only impede his success in future fights. That is your problem. You not only endanger others by lowering your fervor, but yourself. If you don't truly exercise your power, you will get weaker and it will degenerate, as would any muscle in your body."
Gohan stood there, astonished at how quickly the conversation flipped from acidic reprimanding to reflective lesson. From Vegeta of all people! Had Gohan really been atrophying his power? Or was it just a pompous Saiyan Prince's overreactions? In all honestly, probably the former: as nasty as Vegeta could get, he was unbelievably honest and serious when it came to fighting and battle tactics. But what could Gohan do? It wasn't as if there was anyone at Hogwarts strong enough to be a decent training partner. Did he even need a training partner? Would it be enough to just not slack off and flex his power now and again?
"It's half past noon," Vegeta spoke, shaking Gohan from his thoughts. The Prince gave a sharp nod of acknowledgment and turned around to resume walking. "If you don't want to see your dorky pals any later, I suggest you say goodbye to your mother and leave for the castle soon."
Everyone had returned to Capsule Corporation that day to see Gohan off. He found them all in his spare room, which was connected to the Floo Network. His mother was talking animatedly with Bulma and Eighteen. All their children babbled seamlessly to each other as they attempted to wriggle out of their mothers' holds. It took an hour to leave, after giving heartfelt goodbyes (promising to return in the spring) and packing up his gifts, but it was a half past nine in the evening when he arrived at Hogwarts.
"I trust your holiday reprieve was enjoyable?" Dumbledore chuckled softly as Gohan picked himself up from the floor with a groan.
Gohan grinned. "What a way to end it. I never thought being home for the holidays would be so fulfilling."
He bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you once again for letting me use your fireplace, sir. I know it must be against the rules to treat a student so uniquely, and that you'd probably get in trouble if anyone found out."
"Should a position be created that supersedes the authority of the Headmaster, I'm sure I would be," Dumbledore said. "Thankfully, I don't think the Board of Governors has ever sought such an action. And considering the circumstances, it's justifiable to assist a student plagued by dementor attacks in visiting his family for the holidays."
"Well, I can't thank you enough, sir. Seeing my mom and brother, and everyone else back home, it was… nice."
Dumbledore simply smiled.
"Dinner was served some time ago," he said lightly, "but I'm sure you deduced as much. Will you survive the night without food? Or did you eat before you arrived?"
"I made sure to overcompensate with breakfast and lunch," Gohan replied. He sighed. "But if I do get hungry, I could always eat a Senzu bean. Not that it'll be tasty."
"Then off to your Common Room with you! Your friends are likely the only ones up, waiting to greet you."
Gohan bade farewell to Professor Dumbledore and left. The halls were empty, but that was expected this late in the evening. As he passed the Great Hall, Gohan stopped to admire how wonderfully decorated it was for the holidays. He didn't need to worry about getting in trouble wandering out of bed so late; he sensed no one on his path toward the dormitory, and Filch was all the way on the other side of the castle. Peeves might be a problem if he showed up, but it wasn't as if Gohan couldn't just 'run' away.
Thankfully that wasn't the case, and Gohan made it to Sir Cadogan's portrait without any trouble.
"Oh! You're — hic — back." Sir Cadogan seemed to have a Merry Christmas. "Password?"
"Scurvy cur."
"Same to you, young squire!" said Sir Cadogan as his portrait swung open. Gohan rolled his eyes amusedly as he entered the Gryffindor Common Room.
Despite how late it was, and Professor Dumbledore's words, Gohan was surprised at how empty the Common Room was. Exhausted from reuniting with friends and classmates after the holidays, students likely went to sleep to prepping to wake up early for classes.
Good. If everyone else was asleep, Gohan and his friends would have the privacy needed for tonight's revelations.
Before he could contemplate further, Gohan was the victim of a vice-like hug that rivaled his mother's.
"You could have mentioned what time you'd actually get here!" Hermione cried out.
"I didn't think it would have mattered," Gohan said sheepishly. "Because the time zones are so far apart I didn't expect you to wait up so late for me."
Hermione gave him a pointed stare, and Gohan got the gist of her message. We're your friends; of course we'd wait for you.
"Course we'd be up!" Ron's voiced loudly. "We're all friends. It's not like we'd let you get carried off by Filch… or McGonagall."
Hermione blushed furiously and glanced over her shoulder. Gohan followed her gaze and saw Ron and Harry sitting by the fireplace. A sneer that might have earned praise from Snape was plastered on Ron's face, aimed at Hermione. Harry's expression was neutral, carefully guarded, but Gohan could see irritation when his eyes landed on Hermione.
Gohan looked back to Hermione and noticed a chair sitting some feet away from the portrait entrance. It was facing away from Ron and Harry.
"Happy New Year, guys," Gohan said, glancing warily from Ron and Harry to Hermione.
"And a Happy Christmas," Ron replied dryly. He snorted. "Happy Christmas."
Gohan began to make his way over to him and Harry, but stopped when he noticed Hermione hadn't moved from her spot. She was now glaring at the two wizards. Gohan grabbed Hermione's hand and gently urged her forward with him. She relented, but sank into a couch opposite – and away from – Harry and Ron.
The tension in the room was palpable.
"What's going on, guys?" Gohan smiled hesitantly. "Crookshanks hasn't cornered Scabbers again, has he?"
If anything, this only fueled Ron's animosity.
"Not yet," he spat. "He's on my pillow in the dorm: I finally got him to fall asleep without freaking out every five minutes looking for that cat." Ron looked from Gohan to Hermione. "Hermione got Harry's Firebolt taken away and stripped down."
Gohan asked "What's a Firebolt?" just as Hermione shouted "I did it to help Harry!"
"How does getting our Seeker's new broom – the best broom in the world – confiscated help Harry?"
"It wouldn't be of much use to Harry if he dies riding it."
"You don't know it's from Black—"
"How can you be so thick in the head—?"
"Hey!" Hermione and Ron stopped arguing and turned to Gohan. "What is a Firebolt?"
"New racing broom," Harry spoke. "Best there is right now; it makes my old Nimbus 2000 look like a Shooting Star."
Gohan's eyes widened. "Wow! Who gave it to you?"
"No idea. There was no name or message." Harry turned to Hermione, a glint of sadness exposed on his face. "Hermione told McGonagall it might be from Sirius Black, so she took it away for who-knows-what kinds of tests for jinxes and curses and junk."
"I told you I'm sorry," Hermione said, "but who anonymously sends gifts like that?"
"Dumbledore," Harry snapped. "He gave me my Invisibility Cloak."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "If Professor Dumbledore sent you the broom he'd have told Professor McGonagall so she'd give it back. And he gave you a note with your Cloak."
"… Fine, so it wasn't Dumbledore. But it could be Lupin—"
"Another teacher, who'd have come forward once he knew your broom was taken."
"Keep 'em coming, Hermione," Ron said sarcastically. "You're redeeming yourself right now, you know that?"
It was at this point Gohan tuned out, ignoring the jabs Ron made at Hermione and her now kindling argument with Harry; if there was ever a time to bring up Sirius Black's innocence, it was now. For Gohan it was never a question whether he was going to tell his friends about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew: Harry deserved to know the truth about his parents, and hiding such a thing from their best friends was tantamount to spitting in their faces.
The real question, however, was if he could convince them to keep it a secret. Piccolo seemed to know, and accept, that Harry and Ron and Hermione would learn the truth; he only didn't want to tell anyone who might ruin bringing the truth to light and Sirius Black his freedom. To Gohan, that meant Piccolo was sure Harry and the others wouldn't pose a problem. Gohan didn't know why Piccolo was so driven to help Sirius Black, but he did know that Piccolo trusted him. Piccolo trusted his friends too keep the knowledge a secret, and he trusted Gohan to convince them to keep it a secret.
There were less than a handful of people Piccolo put his complete trust in, people who he respected enough that he knew he could count on them for anything. Whether the Namekian ever voiced it aloud or not, Gohan knew he was one of them.
Gohan wouldn't let his mentor down.
"—yond me how you could suggest Professor Snape sent Harry the Firebolt."
"Why? Sending Harry the greatest broom ever to use against his House in Quidditch, only to rip it from his hands? Sounds exactly like something he'd do. I bet Snape feeds off Harry's anguish and—"
"Um…guys?" It wasn't Gohan interruption's that silenced them, but the soft and apprehensive tone he used. "You need promise not to interrupt me or anything, okay?"
"I… you see…" Gohan laughed nervously. He looked around the Common Room for onlookers, despite not sensing anyone else. "I have some good news and bad news. The good news is… well… the good news is that if Sirius Black did send Harry the Firebolt, it probably isn't jinxed."
For twenty minutes Gohan talked. He talked about how Piccolo told him Sirius Black was innocent. He talked about how Sirius Black was not Harry's parents' Secret Keeper, who was actually another of their closest friends. He talked about how Sirius Black hunted down Peter Pettigrew for his betrayal, until Pettigrew framed Black and killed himself and those thirteen other people, for which Sirius Black was also framed. He finished by telling them Sirius Black escaped not to kill Harry, but to secure proof of his innocence.
"—and Piccolo's trying to find Sirius before the Ministry does, so that they can work out a plan to prove he's innocent. Piccolo told me the Ministry intends to kill him once he's caught, so they won't even listen unless there's proof. Once there's evidence proving Sirius Black is innocent, Piccolo believes the Ministry will be reasonable and free him."
Hermione was stunned, at a loss for words, a sight Gohan would have normally gawked at. Ron stared at Gohan wide-eyed, his mouth open and lower lip trembling. Harry, unsurprisingly, was the most shocked of all. His face was blank (unsurprisingly) but his jaw was clenched tightly, likely to not interrupt Gohan until he was finished.
"… If Sirius Black wasn't the Secret Keeper," Hermione began, "why does everyone say he is?"
"He was a decoy," Gohan said. "Piccolo thinks Sirius Black and Harry's parents knew everyone would assume he was their Secret Keeper, so they made use of that and appointed their friend Peter Pettigrew at the last minute. I guess Sirius never told anyone the truth so Voldemort would believe he was the Secret Keeper and pursue him. Harry's parents were already under the Fidelius Charm so they couldn't tell anyone, and Pettigrew… well, he told one person."
His three friends continued to just stare at him.
Gohan smiled wearily. "I know it's a lot to take in, especially after we just found out the truth – which is actually not the truth – a little while ago. You think it's impossible, that Piccolo's wrong. You have no idea why Piccolo knows this or if you can trust his word, which I guess is understandable—"
"I believe you."
Now Gohan was surprised. That one of them believed him so quickly was shocking. That it was Harry… that was unimaginable.
"I don't understand," Gohan admitted. "Why? I thought you'd be – you should be angry at me, thinking I'm crazy or something."
"Well..." Harry seemed uncomfortable, struggling for the right words. "It makes sense, I guess. McGonagall and the others acted like learning Sirius Black was a traitor was preposterous and unbelievable: maybe it really is. He was best mates with my dad; I can't imagine turning any of you over to Voldemort or anyone else."
"There was no proper trial, either," Hermione agreed. Gohan was even more relieved, now that someone else thought he was telling the true. "I researched Sirius Black when you told us he was after you, Harry. There wasn't much, but there was a blurb about how he was incarcerated almost immediately after his capture, to 'ease our citizens in the aftermath of a war that brought great loss and despair.' Sirius Black wouldn't have had a fair trial if they imprisoned him too soon to effectively question him."
"If he even got a trial," Ron added darkly. "Dad complains about some of the characters who work at the Ministry. He says some of them were You-Know-Who's supporters that claimed to be bewitched, like Malfoy's dad. Maybe some of his lot got Black thrown in Azkaban for the fun of it. Think about it: Malfoy would know if Sirius Black wasn't really for You-Know-Who, since he was in the Inner Circle."
"Piccolo was a Guardian of Earth, right?" Hermione asked. "Your friend Dende knows bits about us he shouldn't know, and we never met him before. Why shouldn't Piccolo know things about other people that they don't know he knows?"
Gohan nearly laughed; Hermione deducing Sirius Black's innocence with cold logic and Ron blaming a Malfoy. It seemed too right to feel wrong.
Then Gohan turned to Harry, who withdrew himself from the conversation entirely. He sat back watching Hermione and Ron speak, his lips curling up ever so slightly.
"Harry?" Gohan asked. Harry looked up to him. "I'm sorry you had to find out about this – any of this – this way. I understand if you're still really upset…"
Harry took in a deep breath. He exhaled. "This… is overwhelming, you're right. I'm exhausted, sad, shocked, but I'm not all that angry. Not really. Maybe believing my godfather betrayed my parents took all my anger out of me. Now that I know he's innocent, and that someone else did it, it sort of makes this easier to deal with. It's a relief, I suppose… a very strange relief, that my parents' best friend isn't the bad guy."
"You've never lied to us, Gohan," Harry said, emerald eyes meeting onyx. "Being half-alien and saving the world and stuff, you didn't want to tell anyone your secrets: they were no one's business, and now I know you never had to say anything. But when it's between us, between friends, you're always genuine and truthful. You're not a great liar, Gohan, but that's because you feel really guilty if you're dishonest."
He looked to Ron and Hermione. They both nodded solemnly.
"You don't like lying," Harry concluded. "Not to us and definitely not about something like this. You wouldn't. I believe you, Gohan, because I know you. Because you're my friend."
Gohan was speechless. Speechless and touched.
"Besides," Ron said, "that Pettigrew sounds a bit dodgy. A lot sharper than everyone thought he was, eh? I mean, the teachers made him sound a bit like Neville back at the Three Broomsticks. Can you imagine Neville doing what he did? There'd have been a lot more than just a finger, like blood and guts everywhere—"
"RON!" Hermione punched his shoulder, red-faced and fuming at the redhead. Ron grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
Harry and Gohan laughed uproariously, falling into snickers as Hermione turned her glare onto them.
It meant a lot to Gohan that they had that much faith in him, that they were certain what he said was true. He'd hoped that his friends wouldn't be as skeptic as Piccolo seemed to think most of the Wizarding World would be, and thankfully he was right.
Gohan quickly sobered up. Now came the hard part.
"Thank you. It's great you've taken the news so well. Now, I mentioned before that Piccolo wants to find Sirius Black, or proof that he's innocent, before he talks to the Ministry, right? Well, here's the thing: we can't tell anyone the truth about Sirius Black, not until Piccolo says it's okay. Everyone's been so sure he's guilty for twelve years nobody will take us seriously."
"We could tell Dumbledore!" Harry said fiercely. "I sure he'd believe us. If Sirius didn't side with Voldemort than he was with Dumbledore; he'd definitely want to help. Him and Piccolo are friends, aren't they?"
"Piccolo thinks if Dumbledore knows Sirius is innocent, he's going to barge into the Ministry and tell Minister Fudge or someone," Gohan answered. "It's technically their fault an innocent man's been in Azkaban for over ten years; unless there's definitive proof he's innocent, Fudge is just going to deny it and make it harder to free Sirius when we do find proof."
"We can't mention it to other professors, either" he added, seeing Harry open his to protest. "They'll tell Dumbledore because he's the Headmaster."
"I suppose students are out of the question as well," Hermione noted. "This isn't exactly something we can just tell anyone in school."
"Exactly. Any kids we tell will have heard months of talk about Sirius Black the escaped mass-murderer. Even if they believe us – very unlikely – they won't be able to keep this kind of news to themselves! We can't say anything about this unless we're alone."
"We can't even speak in code?" Ron joked.
"Piccolo made me promise we wouldn't jeopardize helping Sirius Black," Gohan said sternly. "I don't want to take chances." Gohan turned to Harry. "I know you want to help him. You don't know him, but he's your godfather; I know how important that is. He could be legally free with his name cleared… you might even be able to live with him." Harry's eyes widened. "But only if we think this through and not do anything rash. Promise me we'll keep this Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew situation between the four of us, okay? Please?"
Silence permeated the room as Gohan's three friends sat thoughtfully.
Finally, Harry grunted.
"Alright," he relented, rolling his eyes tiredly. "I get your point, you're right. You were right to tell us, but we shouldn't risk Sirius getting imprisoned again."
Gohan sighed. This was turning out way better than he thought!
"But what if he comes back?" Hermione asked. "Sirius Black managed to get to the Fat Lady and tore up her portrait: he wouldn't have done that unless he really wanted to get through."
"That's great!"
Hermione, Harry, and Gohan stared blankly at Ron.
"If he wants into the Common Room," Ron explained, "it isn't to kill anyone, now that we know he isn't really a murderer. He either thinks there's proof he's innocent here, or he wants to talk to Harry. If he does come back, we'll tell him what we know and send word to that Piccolo fellow where he is."
"That's… that's brilliant, Ron! You're brilliant!" Ron blushed as red as his hair, smiling shyly at Hermione's praise.
"Yeah," Harry agreed, "great idea, Ron! Let's look around the Common Room and the boy's dorm tomorrow; if we don't find anything, we'll just do nothing unless he returns."
. Gohan smiled brightly. "Awesome! This is perfect!"
"But… one more thing, Gohan," Harry spoke. He looked at the Saiyan curiously. "You said all this was the good news: what was the bad news?"
Gohan couldn't fight the grin creeping onto his face.
"Well… since Sirius Black is innocent… and isn't out to kill you… your broom's fine and… and Professor McGonagall took it away for nothing."
The pleased look on Ron's face melted, turning into a firm frown as his gaze fell onto Hermione. She groaned and threw her own glower at Gohan.
"…And we can't tell her how we know it isn't jinxed," Gohan finished lamely. He chuckled nervously.
"So…" Professor Lupin glanced down at Gohan and Harry, holding his wand aloft. "The spell I am going to try and teach you both is highly advanced – well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."
The first day of classes went by uneventfully. Hagrid brought salamanders to class and showed them how to kindle a fire to ensure their survival, proving to be very enjoyable. Much less fun was Professor Trelawney teaching the class palmistry. Defense Against the Dark Arts was fun and instructive, as usual, and after class Harry convinced Lupin to begin his and Gohan's anti-dementor lessons.
It was Thursday evening at eight o'clock, and Lupin and Gohan and Harry were currently in the History of Magic classroom. Professor Lupin managed to find another Boggart to practice on, which was shaking the large packing case it was locked in.
"How does it work?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Well," Lupin replied, "when done correctly it conjures up a Patronus, which is a kind of anti-dementor – a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor. The Patronus is a positive force of everything the dementors feed off of – hope, happiness, the desire to survive – but unlike humans can't feel despair, so dementors can't hurt it."
Professor Lupin cautioned them that although he would teach them the Patronus Charm, he wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't accomplish it; it is very advanced magic that many qualified and powerful wizards have trouble with, and two thirteen year-old boys would likely find it difficult.
"I wonder what a Patronus looks like," Gohan mused. "Is it like a giant shield or wall blocking the dementors from coming through?"
"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it," Lupin said, "but a true Patronus is in the form of a creature. Incorrect, but still effective, Patronuses may take the shape of domed shields or cloud-like mists. True Patronuses, however, are able to repel and harm dementors, as opposed to simply keeping them at bay."
"How do you summon it?"
"With an incantation, but it will work only if you were concentrating hard enough on a single, very happy, memory."
Harry tilted his head in thought, attempting to pick a happy memory.
"Right," he said finally.
Gohan cringed. He had many happy memories, but just as many bad ones or sad memories associated with the good ones. But to conjure a Patronus, he'd need a happy memory. A very happy memory.
The first thing that came to mind was Vegeta scolding him yesterday, and how he mentioned Piccolo and Gohan's dad training him against the androids. The first day they began their training was the day his father had returned, thought lost in the universe by his family and friends. Gohan's father and his mentor, alive and unharmed, spending time with Gohan. Having a great time together, with no threats to interrupt them except for the one they knew about three years ahead of time.
Gohan beamed, embracing the glee and joy he remembered experiencing. That was definitely a happy memory.
He nodded. "Me too."
"The incantation is this:" Lupin said, "expecto patronum!"
"Expecto patronum," Gohan muttered. "Expecto patronum." He could hear Harry reciting the chant as well, falling over some of Gohan's words as he fell over Harry's.
Nothing seemed to be happening yet. Perhaps it wasn't a strong enough memory?
"Concentrating hard on your happy memories?" Lupin asked them.
Gohan turned to Harry, who appeared to have as difficult time as he was. The other boy stopped his attempts and met Gohan's gaze. It was clear there non-unison attempts were only distracting each other.
Gohan held up a single finger, and then a second one. Harry grinned, nodding in agreement.
When he raised a third finger, Harry and Gohan both raised their wands.
"Expecto patronum!" the boys shouted. Silvery mist erupted out of their wands.
"Wicked!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Did you see that?" Harry eagerly asked Lupin. He turned to Gohan. "Something happened!"
"Very good," Lupin agreed. "Right, you both ready to try it on a dementor?"
"Yes," they said.
"Alright then. We'll take turns, only because it will be easier for me to observe you both one at a time. Harry first, and then Gohan. Gohan, you'll be standing behind Harry when you go, so the boggart will not change its form. Harry, when Gohan gives it a try you'll still be in the line of fire, so I'll conjure my own Patronus to shield you."
"Okay," Harry said nervously. He moved into the middle of the empty classroom and held his wand in front of him, grasping the handle tightly.
Gohan moved to a corner of the room stood while Harry attempted the Patronus Charm. Professor Lupin pulled open the case, and a familiar chill greeted him as a dementor rose from within the case.
It took Harry three attempts. The first two were more-or-less the same: Harry shouted expecto patronum repeatedly at the dementor to no avail, while it moved forward until Harry passed out. Professor Lupin would yell riddikulus and shoo the boggart back, which would transform into the moon. Lupin would wake Harry up and hand him some chocolate. Lupin would attempt to dissuade Harry from continuing, and Harry would stubbornly convince him otherwise.
All in all, Gohan was anticipating trouble when it was his turn.
On the third try, however, Harry managed it. A gigantic silver cloud burst from his wand and forced itself between Harry and the dementor. It wasn't an animal, not even having a solid shape, but it appeared effective regardless. Harry was shaking, his legs looking as if they might give out, but he was still standing.
"Excellent!" Lupin said, walking over to Harry after forcing the boggart back into the packing case. "Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!"
He handed Harry another bar of Honeydukes' chocolate. He moved to a nearby desk and grabbed a chair, placing it next to Harry.
"I'd feel more comfortable if you're sitting down this round," Lupin told him. "A dementor will still be the boggart's form if you aren't standing. I'll summon my Patronus the second I unveil the boggart."
Lupin turned to Gohan.
"Are you ready, Gohan?" he asked.
"Yes," Gohan replied. He moved behind Harry. Harry whispered "good luck" to him, and Gohan smiled and gave a thumb's up.
Gohan raised his wand as Professor Lupin opened the container. This time, however, it was Gohan who would combat the dementor.
As soon as the cloaked form began to rise up, Professor Lupin shouted "Expecto Patronum!" A glowing silver wolf manifested in the air and landed softly on the ground, running to Harry's side. The wolf growled protectively as Harry and Gohan looked on in astonishment.
An icy barb stabbed at Gohan's senses: unlike Harry, the wolf Patronus was not protecting him, and was just far enough to cloak Harry without embracing Gohan in its (probable) warmth. This reminded the Saiyan of the dementor now moving towards him.
Gohan steadied himself as the sickeningly familiar abilities of a dementor washed over him, and a sharp chill began to engulf him. Luckily, what Piccolo said back in the Great Hall months ago was true; the effects of dementors were not as overwhelming as they once were. He was lucid and not lost in his thoughts. Perhaps being surrounded and emotionally violated by dozens of the dark creatures all at once upped his tolerance.
But he was still vulnerable to them, and he couldn't stop the painful images from flooding his thoughts.
"You're pretty fast, aren't you?" Cell sneered. Gohan floated in the air silently, after having dodged Cell's assault." What do you say we kick things up a notch or two?"
A sharp pain overcame Gohan as he was head-butted by Cell. He never even saw Cell move!
Gohan cried out in pain and staggered backward, but was immediately lifted up by his shirt by Cell. Smirking sadistically, Cell brought back his fist and slammed it into Gohan's face repeatedly. Gohan couldn't even manage a scream as Cell would land another punch before the Saiyan could get the cry out. How many times had Cell hit him already? A dozen? A dozen dozen?
Finally, Cell got bored. He let go of Gohan, whose body slowly began to fall, as if hoping gravity might take pity on the near-unconscious boy.
Cell frowned. He brought up his leg and, with a baritone roar, thrust it into Gohan's stomach, sending him careening into the ground hundreds of feet below.
Gohan growled and shoved the scene from his mind, summoning in its place the memory of training with Piccolo and his dad. He allowed the warmth of the sun that day and the elation of that moment fill his heart, pumping that past exhilaration throughout his body.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Like a gunshot it burst from his wand. A brilliant silver mist appeared, gathering densely in-between Gohan and the dementor. As the shinning shadow loomed in front of him, the chill from the dementor began to subside, as well as the gnawing sadness that festered within him. The Patronus acted as a barrier between Gohan and the dementor, like Harry's, not running it down and repelling it as a correct Patronus would.
"Riddikulus!" Lupin shouted. The dementor changed back into the moon, and the wolf Patronus howled as it disappeared. The boggart was driven once again into the packing case by Professor Lupin.
Professor Lupin walked over to Gohan, and handed him his own bar of chocolate. Too polite to request for more, Gohan thanked him and greedily ate his chocolate.
"Very impressive," Lupin said, "and on your first attempt no less! You should be very proud of yourself Gohan; you worked up quite a sweat."
It was true: despite not losing himself to the painful memory, Gohan was tired, sweating profusely, and breathing heavily. He was also shaking, but they were small tremors; unlike Harry, who hadn't the benefit of any mental training or repeated dementor exposures, Gohan was still quite refreshed.
"That was amazing, Gohan!" Harry said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I can't believe you were able to summon a Patronus on your first try!"
"Not a true Patronus," Gohan corrected. He blushed, too modest to be pleased by the compliment. "Besides, I've got the benefit of dealing with more dementors than you have, so I'm more resilient now. But you summoned one on your third try, without all my benefits. That's amazing."
Actually, Gohan's brow furrowed, it was.
It wasn't fair, looking at Harry's smiling, exhausted face. Gohan had gone up against the boggart once, achieving victory on his first attempt, while Harry went through the ringer and fainted twice before getting it done. He may have better grades than Harry in nearly every class they had, but in Defense Harry was amazing. It was as if they were flying – at about an even pace – but Harry was soaring against the wind, while Gohan flew with it. Gohan worked for his skills, but he was still a natural, and Harry worked himself over – added with his skill in Defense – to match him. Very few could do that. If Gohan's raw ability and retention were combined with Harry's obvious talent and drive…
Gohan needed to get as decent a workout as Harry did: he needed to deserve these lessons like Harry did.
"I'd like to go one more time," Gohan suddenly announced. "I want to see if I can do it again."
Professor Lupin looked at him warily. "That's not necessary, Gohan. You summoned a Patronus on your very first attempt, there's no need to continue today. We don't want to drain you of anymore—"
"I'm fine," Gohan insisted. "The dementor didn't faze me too badly, and my Patronus didn't take a whole lot out of me. Just one more try, please, Professor Lupin."
Professor Lupin stared at him, and then turned to Harry. "It's up to you, Harry. Are you fine enough to let the boggart become a dementor again?"
Harry nodded. "I didn't feel a thing or have any fits before; your Patronus was really helpful. I can do it again."
The Professor sighed." If you insist. Remember to keep your happy memory at the front of your mind, Gohan."
Secretly, though, Gohan had one other reason he wanted to try again. He wanted to use a different, stronger memory for the Patronus Charm. Watching Harry's attempts and hearing Professor Lupin's words of advice struck a chord in the Saiyan wizard: it wasn't the memory but the feelings it evoked that produced a Patronus, and the more positive and stronger the feelings, the stronger the Patronus summoned would be.
It was a memory Gohan coveted, cherished preciously for the last few years. It was his birthday, his 11th Birthday, the birthday just before the Cell Games. His mother threw a small birthday party for Gohan, celebrated with only her, his dad, his grandpa, and of course himself. Gohan remembered looking at them warmly, each of them staring fondly and happily at him as he began to blow out his candles. It was a family moment, one of the only complete family moments Gohan had ever experienced.
Gohan basked in the loving memory's gentle comforting presence, certain it would produce just as strong – maybe even stronger – a Patronus as before.
With everyone positioned where they should be, Lupin threw open the case. As the dementor loomed overhead Gohan, this time, ignored Lupin's wolf Patronus appearance. As a reward for his concentration Gohan was pinned down by icy prickles seeping through his skin, and more memories grating against the inside of his skull.
"Gohan." Cell smiled. "Let's see if we can give your engine a jump start."
Still smirking, he brought forward his right arm and flexed his pointy finger at Gohan.
Gohan's eyes widened, bending backwards half a second before a sleek pink beam of ki pierced the air where his torso had been not even a moment ago, piercing a small, but deep, hole into the boulder behind him.
The android gave the Super Saiyan little time to recuperate, sending another beam at the boy. Gohan powered up and flew sideways to avoid the blast. Suddenly he was engulfed in a bear hug by Cell, who had anticipated and intercepted his flight path.
Cell tightened his hold on Gohan, laughing as Gohan screamed, his body was crushed mercilessly.
"Think about it," Cell said casually, "a wretched way to die. And no one can stop me, except for you Gohan. Except for you!"
He struggled helplessly, incoherently shouting in pain as his muscles and veins were squeezed against his skeleton. Gohan could hear the minute pops his bones made, scrapping against each other.
"Come on!" Cell growled. "I know this hurts you. What are you waiting for?"
"I can feel your bones beginning to crack," he whispered into Gohan's ear, "so if you're going to act I'd do it now."
Gohan's voice was hoarse, but he continued crying out in pain.
"That's it," Cell told him, "scream out! Get angry!"
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Gohan thundered, throwing aside the bad memory and embracing his 11th birthday party. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Bright silver bolted from Gohan's wand and filled the entire classroom, enveloping with piercing silver light. Through the brightness Gohan could see another cloud-like shape of silver, except — except this one exuded much more light, pouring off it in luminous waves. Its shape was formless, still misty, but — sturdier, much more solid looking than Gohan's previous Patronus.
The silver light bathing the room increased, Gohan's Patronus emitting larger amounts of light, coating everything in the classroom silver. Gohan thought he heard a roar, strong and reassuring, faintly in the background amongst the rushing air and the sound of his blood pumping through his ears. The Patronus shone magnificently and, at its momentary climax, shone so intensely that everyone's senses were ensnared by pulsing luminous silver. The dementor was pummeled backward by the strength of the Patronus, knocking it into the wall behind it.
"Riddikulus!" Lupin called out, banishing the boggart quickly back into the case.
Gohan sank to the ground, falling on his knees to the ground. He gulped down breaths of air, breathing hard and heavily. Gohan's face was drenched in sweat, his robes feeling slightly damp against his skin. He felt sapped of energy, almost too weak to move, but his ki was fine; maybe it was this 'magical core' he'd heard a few older students mutter about it in the Common Room. His mind felt as if it were stretched and pulled various ways, his thoughts slightly disheveled and jarring.
This is how draining a Patronus should have been. Gohan grinned tiredly.
Gohan was vaguely aware of the surprised look on Professor Lupin's face, a strange mixture of befuddlement and awe. The child-like astonishment on Harry's was even more pleasing. Gohan could barely register Harry's excited words, his brain not catching up with his body, resulting from summoning the Patronus and the knowledge that he'd driven the dementor back.
"I think that's enough for tonight," Lupin faintly voiced.
…..…..…
