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The sun rose slowly the next morning, as if it was contemplating skipping the day, to hide behind the clouds to avoid the confrontation that daytime brings. Harry, laying in a bed in the Gryffindor dormitories, felt exactly the same way. As he drearily pulled on a set of robes left by the house elves he could barely see through the thick fog of sleep that had built up in his eyes, and he gingerly wished that he hadn't hit the strong stuff quite so hard the night before. But then again, as images of Sirius' sunken face swam hazily into his mind, he reasoned that perhaps he needed it. Although it was evident that an eleven year old body felt the poison in his veins ever so slightly more than a twenty year old one did, despite magic working furiously to counteract it.
His parents had opted to spend the night together in a staff bedroom, whereas Harry was eager to see his old common room again, and relive the nostalgic memories that even the smell brought to him as he entered early in the hours of the morning. Whilst Harry was on the run, Hogwarts had been infiltrated, and most certainly changed to the oppressing doctrine of the Death Eater forces. The student population quickly dwindled to only those of the purest blood who were deemed fit to study the noble art of Magic; the alleged muggle-born 'stealers' of this magic were hunted and imprisoned, forced to perform mundane tasks within the ministry without any magic, and taunted as they did so. The outright supporters of muggle borns were silenced quickly. In particular Arthur Weasley, whose department was quickly transformed from Muggle Relations to Muggle-Born Tracking, was dismissed and tracked himself for being a well known supporter of Harry Potter. It was only the secret interactions between Harry, Ron and Hermione and the Weasley family that kept them alive for so long. If it wasn't for me maybe they wouldn't have had to have died at all.
As it was, it wasn't long before the reports of the mysterious disappearances of Hogwarts Professors were noted, those who didn't conform to the teaching of the Dark Arts or hinted at any form of sympathy with the movement of the light was quickly vanquished. It had been hoped among the Order that they had simply left of their own accord, scared for their safety and left before things went too far. This hope was eradicated when Voldemort himself visited the school, bringing with him a herd of Inferi, bearing the faces of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Vector- lightning bolt scars carved mockingly into the rotting flesh, pulled along limply by a rope. Anyone who looked closely enough would have seen Headmaster Snape's throat clench tightly as he swallowed the bile that rose at the sight of his colleagues, or the brief flicker in his eye as he stared at his Lord, regretting the life he had chosen. And as he glanced at the children who remained under his wing, he feared for what kind of life, a life of bloodshed lay ahead for them before they even left the school.
But as the summer sun shone the clouds, the red that stained the floor of the Lion's common room was due to the crest stained into the window, and not due to the blood that was shed from that of a muggle born. And the screams that filled the room as Harry descended the stairs came from a kettle hissing on the lit fireplace, and not from the terrified form of a First Year who had just witnessed the life leave the eyes of her best friend. It would take a long time before Harry could get used to this world, so untainted by the webs of darkness that were building right now in the shadows, as Voldemort remained a mere ghost of a threat to the lives of these people who could not comprehend what was to come.
"Morning Son."
Harry glanced to the sofa where his parents sat, James' arm around the slender form of his wife, a newspaper resting on his lap.
"Funny newspapers they have going on now Harry, an article here about Muggles and their fancy contraptions - they have made this thing called an Internest! All this information stored on one nest that they can get to all over the world, instantly, just by using a Connuter!" James' eyes lit with excitement at the revelation whilst Lily looked on fondly, amused that her husband found the muggle world so simply fascinating. She squeezed his knee gently before rising towards the fireplace, conjuring three mugs and getting to work making her family some tea.
"How many sugars Harry?" She asked over her shoulder.
"Oh, just the one thanks" Harry responded, eager to get a small hit of caffeine to ebb away the growing headache that was forming. Lily responded eagerly, apparently grasping on to any small pieces of information she could store away about her baby boy. Harry noted ironically that in his timeline he did the exact same; eagerly lapping up any information about his parents that he could find in order to make them alive inside his head. He knew that James favoured treacle tart as an evening dessert, just like him, and that his mum hated ice cubes in her drinks as it hurt her teeth, as it was traits that they shared. Although perhaps after hearing these facts about his parents he melded them into his personality, desperate for even the smallest of links to them, just through his dietary preferences.
They ate and drank in silence, the school elves providing a small feast in the common room for the guests, happy to be given tasks in the empty school. Harry chewed automatically, the toast and bacon adopting a cardboard like taste and texture in his mouth that sunk as heavy as a brick into his stomach as they all thought about the trial that lay ahead that day. This silence was not breached until they walked slowly towards the headmaster's office where they were to meet briefly before travelling together to the Ministry. Dumbledore as head of the Wizengamot was required to arrive earlier than the rest of the public who were expected to arrive in their droves to the trial of a century.
"In your old life, did you and Sirius have a good relationship?" James asked, as they walked side by side along the familiar route to the headmaster's office.
"He lived on the run for so long, I think he forgot a part of himself when he came back, even with Moony there to help him. All he saw when he looked into my face was yours Dad, after all the time he spent reliving his memories in Azkaban I think he wanted nothing more than to make it up to you - even though he hadn't done anything wrong." Harry sighed. "We were more friends than anything else, I'd have given anything to have lived with him, but as he was on the run from the Ministry until after he died it just couldn't be done. I regret not having gotten to know him more than I did."
James squeezed his arm, smiling wistfully, knowing that at the very least Harry had gotten to know his best friend.
"You were his world Harry, you know. I don't know if anyone told you much of when you were a baby, but that old dog melted the second he laid eyes on you. Almost got kicked out of the hospital when he had to transform into Padfoot to sneak in to the delivery room and his tail knocked over every potion and instrument on the table, Healer Rogers chased him out of the room with her own shoe!"
"Oh Merlin James I had completely forgotten about that!" Lily laughed. "And do you remember what happened after? He'd only happened to have knocked over the hair removal cream that they use on the witches before they give birth, when he came back into the room five minutes later he hadn't a hair on his body! Not even his eyebrows!"
His parents melted with laughter, and Harry found his own mouth peaking at the edges in mirth as he learnt about the circumstances of his birth. Sirius had certainly avoided telling him about that one! The laughter followed them all the way up the revolving stairs to Dumbledore's office, and faded as they looked into his stoic face, and remembered the circumstances of their day.
"Ah perfect timing, I was just conversing with Professor Snape and requested a few items for today." Dumbledore levitated some flasks onto the table and split a dark red liquid into three tumblers. "First a small relief for any-ah-lasting effects from the beverages consumed last night."
Harry sighed gratefully, and gulping the foul tasting liquid instantaneously vanquished the pounding behind his eyes and removed the lasting sickness in his stomach, allowing his breakfast to stop churning so dangerously. This caused Dumbledore to chuckle, as the two Potter elders followed in suit, their years of alcohol abstinence hit hard the previous night even with only a few drinks.
"And Harry, I believe, and I hope you agree, that your sudden appearance in the wizarding world would cause quite a lot of questions to arise. Particularly in the coming weeks as we embark on our quests for the horcruxes. Forgive me if you disagree, but I have requested a temporary ageing potion from Severus in order for you to appear, for lack of better wording, more distinguished."
Harry eyed the sickening yellow coloured potion questioningly, knowing who the brewer was, and Harry could feel James agree in this sentiment beside him as his muscles tensed at the mention of his old nemesis. But Harry understood the need for anonymity in both the trial, and his Horcrux quest that he wanted to be over with much sooner rather than later.
"I agree Albus. Just what are the effects?" Harry asked.
"The growth effects of the potion would last no longer than a month, and subsequent dosages can be provided if necessary - although we can only hope that with your knowledge and skills that our task can be undertaken as quickly as this dose will last. As for your appearance, we can alter that once you have taken this, if you wish to remain hidden." Dumbledore answered.
Harry grabbed the potion, before waving his wand to enlarge his robes before ingesting the potion. Merlin forbid his robes split in front of none other than his mother. To an onlooker, they would have imagined that the young boy had just taken a Polyjuice Potion, as his skin bubbled and melded before their very eyes. And when the transformation was complete, and Harry placed his glasses back onto his face, even Lily Potter questioned whether or not her husband had been cloned in the millisecond that her eyes were shut in a blink. Only for the slight curve in her son's nose and the distinct differences in the eyes would she have even have been able to tell the difference between the two.
"Good morning Professor Dumbledore, Lils, James and err- James again?" Remus Lupin questioned, looking suitably peakier than he had the evening before after his stay in the Hospital Wing, as he entered the room, slightly later than planned as Madame Pomfrey had requested a check-up that morning before the outing.
Harry's laugh rumbled deep in his chest, all traces of his pre-pubescent voice lost as he took on the tones of the body he had sorely missed these last couple of days of being stuck as a scrawny child. He stared down at himself and adjusted his clothes to fit more closely to his body.
"A little on the lanky side I must admit, but I'll do." Harry joked, and turned to face his father. "Sirius was right, I am the spitting image of you at his age Dad. Perhaps a few charms would suffice Dumbledore, the press will love having one James Potter back let alone two."
By 11am the inhabitants of the room stood ready to floo to the Ministry, among the Potters stood a young man with dusty brown hair and piercing blue eyes - resembling, if anything, a relative of the werewolf rather than the young couple. As Dumbledore vanished in a blinding flame of phoenix magic, the other four followed quickly in successive flashes of green, spinning towards the courtroom, eyes squeezed tightly in preparation to see Sirius once more.
"Get up Black, we're going in now."
Sirius' eyes flashed open, the bright white walls of the Ministry holding cells he'd been in since early that morning seemed way too bright compared to the grey prison he'd lived in for so long. The refraction of light burned so deeply into his pupils that he had to blink several times to locate the source of the voice. It took his feeble brain moments to recognise the face of Kingsley standing before him. He glanced down at the rags he was still dressed in and wished that he could have looked a little more presentable for the trial.
He saw Kingsley glance over his shoulder, before quickly freshening up Sirius' clothes and washing the grime from his skin, if only from the very surface, revealing the pale whiteness underneath. As he was lead to the courtroom it took all of his strength not to thank the man, who squeezed his shoulder almost undetectably as he was pushed into one of two chained chairs in the centre of the stone room, his eyes drifting shut as he was placed under the Stasis enchantment until the proceedings were ready to begin.
Slowly the room filled, with the seats of the Wizengamot filled first, followed by the places of the Ministry officials and finally the witnesses and public who took every last seat in the towering room. The mutterings of each seated filled the space with a buzz, as the heads of Black and Pettigrew lulled against their restraints. Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat, the anxious discussions grinding to a quick halt, as all eyes focused on the front.
"All present for the proceeding of August 3rd 1991 - the trial of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew for the charge of willingly acting under the command of Lord Voldemort, the betrayal of the Potter's and the death of 13 muggles of the year 1981. Minister Fudge are you ready to begin?"
"Go ahead Dumbledore. But make it quick." Fudge responded, seated next to a middle-aged woman, whose face screwed in a familiar toad-like fashion as she watched Dumbledore speak. "Wake the prisoners."
The two men shot into awareness, both resisting their bindings until they remembered where they were. Sirius relaxed and looked around the room, registering the faces he knew and those he didn't, before carefully looking up at the jury above him. Pettigrew fidgeted nervously against his ropes, until a stale stench of urine leaked from underneath him as he squealed. Auror Dawlish sighed as he vanished the mess, but left Wormtail sitting in his wet clothes rather than drying them too.
"In light of recent events we have decided to administer the use of Veritaserum to the both of you, do you both understand and agree to this?" Dumbledore asked.
Sirius nodded in approval, inwardly gleeful at the final use of the liquid in order to get the truth from his old friend. Pettigrew, who could do nothing but sob, was ignored by the headmaster who continued to speak.
"Auror Shackleboat, could you kindly administer the potion to Mr Pettigrew."
The wizard moved forward, tilting the small glass bottle back so that two small drops could fall into the struggling mouth of the weedy man who stopped moving as soon as the solution hit his tongue. Dumbledore spoke.
"Could you confirm your full name and date of birth to the room?"
"Peter Pettigrew. 4Th August 1960."
"Excellent. Now Mr Pettigrew, were you ever in league with Lord Voldemort?"
The gasp around the room at the second mention of the name masked Pettigrew's slight resistance to the pull of the potion.
"Yes."
The gasp intensified.
"And who was the secret keeper to the Potters, who handed them over to the dark forces?"
"Sirius was the original secret keeper, they chose him, but then he convinced them to take me instead. Nobody would ever suspect me to be trusted with this secret. I told the Dark Lord as soon as the charm was in place - they never suspected that I could rise above them and outsmart them. They thought that they were so much smarter than me, but they were wrong."
"And who, Mr Pettigrew, was responsible for the deaths of the muggles that was attributed to Mr Black?"
The laugh that escaped Wormtail's mouth cut through the silenced courtroom, as everyone listened eagerly to what the man had to say.
"Bet you never thought I had it in me Dumbledore. One curse and I sliced the throats of the lot of them, not even a single scream. I transformed and ran through the gutters, and found a wizarding family to stay with. I needed to keep up to date with the news."
Gone was the small boy that Albus had watched grow into a young man, ever following in the powerful shadows of his three best friends that protected and taught him things he would never have learned alone. The cackling man throwing himself against the chains below was a prime example of a weak man that had gone too far in the quest for power. He shook his head in disgust.
"We have heard enough. Auror Shacklebolt, if you would, please administer the same to Mr Black."
Kingsley approached more gently this time, and Sirius complied eagerly, not daring to show any emotion as he scanned the room for James, Lily and Remus. Surely they would be here.
"Mr Black, could you confirm your name and date of birth for us all please?"
"Sirius Orion Black. 12th October 1959"
"And to confirm, who was the secret keeper for the Potter family?"
Sirius' eyes glazed, as his mouth moved without instruction from his brain.
"I intended to be the secret keeper, but we decided at the last minute that nobody would suspect Peter. It was the perfect plan - I was the dummy who would divert the Death Eaters from getting to them. I thought that Remus was the spy, we all did, but it turned out Peter was hiding so much under all our noses."
"And have you had, at any point, any affiliation with the Death Eaters or Voldemort?"
"Never. I left my family at age 16 to move in with the Potters and despite my family supporting Him, I have never associated with them."
The Wizengamot glanced at one enough, and the talking in the room picked up slightly, shocked at the revelations that had come to light. It was in this moment that Dumbledore really understood how much pain could have been avoided if he had just arranged for a trial all those years ago, how different not only Sirius' life could have been, but Harry's too.
"We've heard enough Dumbledore. I think it's quite clear that a mistake has been made, but nonetheless the witnesses must make their stand. Witnesses number one and two, you may enter!" Fudge bellowed, evidently fuming at the confessions, wishing that he had refused this public trial to that meddlesome fool.
Dumbledore smirked slightly, and sat down, nodding briefly at Sirius who had just been administered the reversal potion. He knew that he could take the Minister's position at the blink of an eye, but at moments like this, when the fate of somebody's freedom rested in his hands at the head of the Wizengamot, he knew that he wouldn't be anywhere else.
"Impossible!" Shouted one witch.
"It can't be!" Claimed another wizard.
Lily Potter and her husband walked calmly into the room, their hands clasped in comfort and their eyes fixated solely on the dark haired man tied up in front of them. Their eyes glistened slightly at the sight of his frame, as they took to the small booth to the side of Fudge's stand, their wands held high in order to make the Oath to the room in unison.
"I swear on my magic that I will tell the truth, and nothing but the truth." They chanted, white magic encasing the pair before sinking into their skins as they turned to face the Wizarding elders seated above them.
The silence that filled the room was deafening, not a single person moved. Then all at once, a million questions were thrown to the couple, to Dumbledore and to Fudge, nobody quite understanding what they were seeing - they were under the impression that the Potters would be living the rest of their lives out at the Long Term ward at St Mungo's after their run in with You-Know-Who. It wasn't until Dumbledore commanded silence that they stopped to listen.
"I understand that there is a great deal of confusion right now. You must appreciate that the Potters do not wish to be bombarded with questions about their current health and so, to quell any rumours that may be circulating, it is with great advancements within brain injury curses that allowed the Potters to be here today after months of treatment."
The Potters nodded in confirmation, having agreed with Albus to stick to a general story about their wellbeing in order to remove Harry's circumstances from the limelight altogether. And with the development in magical medicine of recent times it was entirely plausible for recovery to have been achieved. Of course under the eyes of the public, with everything that had been revealed of late, it was the most believable revelation brought to light so far.
"Mr and Mrs Potter, if you will, your testimony" Dumbledore requested.
"Of course" Lily began. "My husband James and I, decided to put a Fidelus charm on our cottage after reports that Voldemort was after us, and for the protection of our newly born son, we decided that the safest option was to erect a protection that allowed only ourselves and our most trusted friends to know where we were"
"I, of course, wanted my best friend Sirius to undertake the role of Secret Keeper knowing that he would rather die than reveal our secret, but he convinced me that using Peter would be for the best, the most ingenious diversion against Voldemort. We never for a second guessed that Peter was in league with Voldemort, he was nothing more than, supposedly, one of our best friends. It was the worst mistake I have ever made. Sirius is not the man who should have been imprisoned, he never did anything wrong other than to trust the wrong man - and I am just as guilty as him." James continued, his eyes filling with unshed tears as he saw his best friend shake with guilt before him.
"Peter was our secret keeper. He betrayed me, my wife and our son Harry. He is the reason for this mess, not Sirius. I swear on everything I have." James croaked, his voice finally giving in to the emotion in his throat.
"I've heard enough. If there are no more witnesses then I leave it to you Dumbledore, and the rest of the jury, to decide. We will reconvene in an hour" Fudge declared, rising from his ornate chair and making his way towards the exit, apparently eager to leave to avoid the press.
Harry, sitting among the crowd anonymously beside Lupin, was stationed high into the rafters after being sidetracked making their way towards level ten this morning by Lucius Malfoy who had one too many words to say about Sirius when he happened upon them in the lift. He wanted nothing more than to jump over the nattering witches and wizards to reach his Godfather and embrace him, taking back all the events of his Fifth Year. It took everything within him to stay in character, not even being able to turn to Lupin beside him and discuss the happenings of the day. And to Harry, an hour had never dragged by so slowly. He was almost ready to curse the gossiping witch before him that claimed that James and another witch were together on the side which is why Lily seemed so angry whilst testifying. He was pretty sure that his fingerprints were etched intrinsically within the Holly wood of his wand with the pressure he was holding it at.
Dumbledore rose to his position on the podium, all discussions within the Old House family representatives had taken place, and they were ready to vote. There were 94 houses on the board, with 87 present today for the trial, the remaining 7 vetoing their positions with prior commitments due to the late nature of the trial announcement.
"We are ready to vote." He announced. "Raise your hands, all those present who believe that Sirius Black is innocent of all crimes held against him?"
The rise of hands echoed slowly. One by one almost every single hand in the jury rose, the faces of Malfoy and Nott notably remaining passive, their hands held by their sides. Dumbledore nodded in approval.
"And those who find Sirius Black guilty?"
He waited for a moment to calculate the results, smiling to himself and nodding to the Potters who had taken a seat within the crowd during the Recess.
"In favour of 69 votes to 18, Sirius Black has been dismissed of all charges. Peter Pettigrew has been sentenced to a life sentence in Azkaban, for the murder of 13 muggles, the association with Lord Voldemort and the co-operation of the attempted murder of the Potter Family."
The chains that once imprisoned Sirius melted in a flash, the metal choker that held his head into place falling to the floor with a loud clatter. In only a moment later when he felt familiar arms wrapping around his chest, holding him close into the embrace and muttering into his ear.
"Oh Pads I forgive you, I forgive you." James murmured, holding his best friend in his arms once more, wincing slightly at the bones that dug deep into his side.
It was all that Sirius could do but cry, sobbing deeply into first the arms of James Potter, and then his Lils, and finally Remus, who he had only accused for crimes unimaginable to himself now. But he was forgiven, and despite failing them and everything he had promised to do, he was now free. He barely noticed the tall man in the background looking on fondly with ocean blue eyes piercing into the scene, wishing that he could be wrapped around the man too.
The crowd cleared slowly, each waiting to see the plumper man dragged away unceremoniously by Aurors towards the dungeons with a hoard of Dementors in toe, hungry for their latest soul to feed upon. They could not believe the trial that they had just witnessed, and as Mad Eye Moody ushered every last soul from the room, they couldn't wait to discuss everything that had just happened.
"He's been in the shower for the last hour" James mentioned, the rest of the family sitting around the table at the Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow where this mess all began. "I think he's trying to wash away every single follicle of skin he owns by the look of it."
The group had returned quickly to the small house, its charms reinforced and the Secret Keeper quickly reinstated in the form of Dumbledore. Sirius had immediately retreated to the shower, eager to wash off years of grime that seemed to have seeped in to his skin, infiltrating the membranes of every single cell. Maybe the time in the shower was spent removing each piece of dirt - or maybe Sirius enjoyed the first flow of warmth over his aching skin in over a decade, unwilling to part with the distraction before facing his demons once more.
As he switched off the tap, feeling the last flow of warm water fall onto his protruding hip bones, Sirius almost cringed with fear. He dressed into the jeans and a muggle T-Shirt that James had left upon the toilet seat, which fell from his waist that showed the years of starvation that he had to endure whilst holed up within the prison. As his hand reached towards the handle, he realised that he was shaking - from what? He couldn't decipher the feeling that was wracking his stomach right now. Fear? Apprehension? Regret? He could not tell. As he pushed the door open he saw the eyes of the blue eyed stranger that had followed them from the Ministry back to the Potter household, without saying a single word, he held his hand forward in greeting, looking almost apologetic in his proposal.
"Sorry I couldn't introduce myself back there, I'm Harry." Harry said, shaking his Godfather's hand, not willing to disclose the entirety of his secret in the landing of his childhood home. "James and Remus are desperate to see you."
The two men made their way down the crooked stairs, cleared of the debris that followed the attack of Voldemort. The elders had made their way around the wooden table, food flowing from every inch, as Lily kept herself busy making every one of Sirius' favourite meals. Their eyes all trailed towards the freshly washed and shaven man that had entered, not knowing who exactly to look at first, as he wearily followed the stranger.
"Ah Pad, see you've met Harry, not quite the babe you left behind." James quipped.
"Harry? Merlin's beard. At least you haven't inherited the nose of your old man, bloody atrocious before he let me at it with a reshaping charm in fourth year. No wonder Lily-flower didn't bat an eyelid until after then." Sirius responded. "Wait shouldn't you just be a kid? Excuse me being away from the times but you're looking like a rather large pre-teen Prongslet."
Harry laughed, reversing the charms with a flick of his wand, his hair sprouting back to its natural black shading and his eyes bleeding bright green, an almost James Potter reappearing where the stranger once stood, but his height not affected from the potion that would take much longer to wear off.
"Oh Sirius, words can't explain how much I've missed you." Harry said, his arms reaching now around the shoulders his Godfather, eyes brimming with tears as he embraced the man that he had missed since his fifth year. "It's so good to have you back."
"I've missed you too Haribo." Sirius responded.
Over a third of the terrain in Albania held host to forestry, ancient trees occupied thousands of kilometres of land in the European country, masking the secrets within. One of these secrets wandered the spirit of Lord Voldemort, acting as a parasite upon a spectrum on animals within the wilderness in order to retain any semblance of life. Until that is, three days prior, in which a dark force had interacted with his body, battling to force its way within the soul of Tom Riddle. Although there wasn't really much soul left to offer to this entity, it had finally won.
And in the matter of seconds that the two entities melded was all that was needed for the pair to merge into one another, as every experience and ounce of knowledge was understood between them, and a common goal was echoed in each mind.
"I'm coming for you, Harry Potter."