"Ah Minister" the first man – who Harry and Draco assumed was the head of the counsel, spoke.
"Shamus" Amelia said, then spotted Harry and Draco. "Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy! What in the name of Merlin are the two of you doing here?"
"They are trying to plead the case of one Sirius Orion Black" the woman that reminded Harry of Mrs Weasley said.
"What?" Amelia said surprised.
"Sirius is not guilty of the charges Fudge convicted him of" Harry said.
"Mr Potter, you of all people, I never-" Amelia began, but Harry cut her off.
"Exactly" Harry said. "Why would I be defending Sirius if he had done this."
"Sirius was never given a trial" Draco piped up, and this caught Amelia's attention.
"What?" she asked.
"Fudge just sentenced him to life in Azkaban" Harry said. "They assumed because he was a Black that he must be guilty."
Amelia looked as if she was about to agree with that when Draco spoke, "that's like accusing me that I'm my father, Minister."
This stopped her though, for she knew Draco wasn't his father, a blind person could see that. "Then who?" she asked "Who killed all those people?"
"Peter Pettigrew" Harry said.
She shook her head. "Black killed him, all we found was a finger."
"No" Harry said, "He didn't, Peter is an Animagi, a rat, he cut off his finger and killed the muggles before making it look like Sirius did it."
"What proof do you have?" she asked.
"I saw him" Harry said. "He was who Sirius was coming after when he escaped; Pettigrew was pretending to be my friends pet rat, hiding out. Sirius didn't want to kill me" Harry said. "Then when I was there during the Triwizard Tournament" Harry said "He killed Cedric Diggory" he said quietly.
Amelia listened to what Harry said but then she realised something. "Even if you are telling the truth, it won't make a difference" she spoke gently. "You will just be clearing his name, you can't bring him back."
"Sirius was never given a trial, he was never convicted" Draco said. "Therefore he should not be dead, but in limbo."
Amelia looked up at the ghost "Is he right?" she asked, the man named Shamus nodded.
"If he is telling the truth, then he should not be dead" he said.
Amelia was quietly thinking for a few moments before she spoke. "So if he is not guilty he should come back, and if he is, he will not?" she asked.
"Yes" Shamus said.
"See if you can find him Shamus" she said. The ghost nodded and flew into the Veil. Both Harry and Draco held there breath, praying they were right.
After nearly two minutes Shamus reappeared, but not alone, Sirius Black walked out behind him. "Sirius!" Harry said running and hugging his godfather tightly.
Sirius returned the hug just as tight "Oh Merlin Harry" he sighed.
Amelia stood in shock watching this. Never had she heard of something like his happening. She let them be for a moment before clearing her throat, bringing Harry and Sirius back. Fear flashed through Sirius' eyes when he saw her.
"Please Minister" Harry said standing in front of Sirius like a shield, "This proves Sirius is innocent." He looked at the ghost, then the Minister.
Amelia looked at the ghost as well. "He is right Minister" Shamus said. "Sirius Black is innocent of the charges placed against him."
"I know" Amelia said, and then looked at Sirius. "As Minister of Magic I find Sirius Orion Black, cleared of all charges and a free man."
Those words washed over Sirius and all he could do was hug Harry tightly. "All your possessions and estates will be returned to you within the next few days" Amelia said.
"Thank you" Sirius spoke hoarsely.
"I'm sorry this could not have been resolved earlier" Amelia said sadly, "But you have nothing to worry about Mr Black." Sirius nodded and Amelia went to talk with the ghost while Sirius looked Harry over.
"Good Merlin Harry, look at you" he said "You've grown so much and you look so much healthier."
Harry chuckled "You, Professor Snape's been keeping us fed" he said.
Sirius frowned "Snape?" Harry bit his lip. He hadn't thought about how Sirius would react to Harry living with Snape for the last month. "Why would he make sure you've been fed?"
"I've been staying with him since the end of term" Harry said quietly. "But Sirius, you need to understand a lot of things have changed in the last two months."
Sirius didn't say anything, just looked at Harry. The only thing he could think, was that Severus had put his hatred for James behind him and helped Harry. "He has" Harry said, Sirius looked surprised.
"Been practicing have we?" Sirius asked. Harry smiled and nodded, then Sirius noticed Draco "Hello Draco" he said calmly.
"Hello Sirius" Draco said "It's good to see you again."
Sirius smiled "I'm assuming you've disowned your father's ways and went back to the old Malfoy ways."
"You knew?" Harry asked.
Sirius nodded "Your grandfather told me and your father when we were kids."
Just then Amelia walked back over to them. "Well come along" she said, "I'm sure Albus is wondering where the two of you are by now." And they walked out of the rooms.
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Severus cursed to himself as he apparated into Dumbledore Manor. The meeting with Voldemort had been very painful and pointless.
"Ah Severus" Albus greeted when he walked into the room. Severus just shook his head to indicate nothing new.
"How are the boys?" Sophia asked her brother.
Severus frowned "How would I know I just got here" he said.
"Yeah but they were in the Manor" Sophia said.
"No they-" he cut himself off and closed his eyes "I'm gonna kill them."
"Well that's not a very nice thing to say Uncle Sev." Everyone turned to look at the doorway where Harry and Draco stood in front of none other then Minister Bones, who had a hand on each of there shoulders.
"Hi" Harry and Draco said sheepishly.
"In our defence, we left a note" Draco said as his godfather glared at him.
Harry nodded "Yep and we told Betsy we were going out and we'd be back soon." Amelia cleared her throat, and for the first time people seemed to realise she was there.
"Minister" Albus said standing.
"We can explain this" Moody said.
"What's to explain?" she asked, "All I see is a group of people sitting and drink tea" she said, a slight smile on her face. "I was simply dropping these three off before they got into any trouble."
"Three?" Remus asked frowning.
"Should you tell them or should I?" Amelia asked Harry and Draco.
"I vote he should" the two boys said.
"Who?" Remus asked. He was now standing near the boys, but before anyone could answer a big black blur ran through Harry's legs and pounced on Remus, knocking him to the ground and began barking happily at him.
After a moment of barking the big black dog changed into Sirius. "Look Moony, I'm not dead! Look Moony I'm not dead" he said happily and smiled at his best-friends shocked look.
"How…what…where…" Remus stuttered. "This isn't possible!" he finally yelled and pushed Sirius off him "I saw you die!"
"Correction you saw him fall through the Veil" Amelia said. "As Mr's Potter and Malfoy pointed out to me this evening, one who has not been convicted or committed an act which is due the punishment of death, does not die if he or she falls through the Veil, but simply falls to limbo."
"Which might I just point out" Sirius said "Is not fun."
"I don't understand" Remus said shaking his head.
"The Veil was originally created in the time of the Founders of Hogwarts" Harry explained. "But back then it was used as a trial more then a death Veil. If the person who was put through the Veil did not die, then they would be brought back."
"But because most of the books containing information on the Veil were lost years ago, people just assumed you just through them in and they died" Draco said.
"Wait!" Sirius said waving his hands in the air. "Then how in the name of Merlin did two sixteen year olds figure out something that no adult would have even thought about?"
"There were a couple of books in the Hogwarts vault that explained it" Harry said. "And then a few more in my own."
There was silence for a moment before Remus spoke up again. "Ok, so this is Sirius and he is alive and sane?"
"Yes it's Sirius, he is alive but I don't think he was ever really sane" Harry said, which caused the room to chuckled slightly.
"Hey!" Sirius said getting up and then helped Remus up, "I'm back" he said smiling. Remus nodded and hugged him tightly.
"And you really need a shower" Remus said pulling away.
"Really?" he asked turning to Harry and Draco.
"We weren't going to say anything" they said together.
"And that is beginning to freak me out" Sirius said frowning, then turned to Remus and asked quietly. "How long have they been doing that Moony?"
Remus chuckled "A while now, it's actually quite funny, sometimes they can be as good as the twins at it."
"Ok" Sirius just said nodding, then turned to the others. "So…what have I missed?" he asked as if normal.
Amelia tightened her grip on the boy's shoulders "Good work and good evening" she said quietly.
"Thank you Minister, and good evening" they said quietly back to her before she turned and left the room.
Harry noticed Severus and Sophia talking quietly to each other in the far corner. She was fidgeting slightly and he looked a little worried before she turned away from him and walked towards Harry and Draco.
"Sophia?" Harry asked but she didn't say anything, just walked past. He shot a worried look at Draco before glaring at Severus. "What did you say to her?" he asked.
"Nothing" Severus said, then looked towards Sirius who had his back to them talking to others, before guiding the two teens out into the entrance hall. "I didn't say anything to upset her" Severus said before Harry could say anything. "She's worried about how Black will react to seeing her."
"I'm pretty sure from what Remus told me, he'd be happy to see her" Harry said, then he saw something in Severus eyes. "There's something I don't know."
"Yes, and before you ask, it is not my place to tell you so do not ask" Severus said. Just then Sirius walked out, and to both Harry and Draco's surprise the two adults did not glare or sneer at each other.
"Where is she?" Sirius asked gently.
"She went home" Severus said.
Sirius was about to ask where when Harry stepped in "I'll take you" he said, then looked at Severus for promotion, after a short contemplation he nodded.
"Do not push her Black" Severus said, "She's been through enough over the years."
"I would never hurt Sophia purposely, you know that Severus" Sirius said. Severus just nodded before turning and walking back into the dining room.
"Padfoot" Harry said. Sirius smiled gently at Harry and Draco, and Harry put a hand on Sirius' arm and apparated them away.
When they landed in the Manor, Harry and Draco led the way up to Sophia's room which was on the other end of the corridors from Severus' on the second floor.
When they reached the door Harry knocked, "Sophia" Harry called gently. When he didn't get a reply he opened the door slightly and saw the light on in the bathroom and heard the shower running.
Sirius changed into his canine form and walked over to the door quietly, while Harry and Draco left the room and shut the door behind them.
Sirius slowly and hesitantly nudged the door open with his nose, the steam hit him. It only took him a moment to see Sophia curled up on the floor of the shower crying. He padded over to her and under the spray of water, and let out a low whine of pain at seeing her crying.
"I'm sorry" she whispered. Tears slipping down her cheeks "I'm so sorry Sirius."
He changed back and engulfed her in a tight hug. "Please Sophia, don't be sorry for something you couldn't have changed" Sirius begged, "You have nothing to be sorry for." He hugged her tightly and let her cry, the two just sat under the water for how long, neither knew.
It wasn't till Sirius saw she was asleep did he move. He turned off the water and grabbed a towel and wrapping it around her. Drying her off gently enough not to wake her and then carrying her and placing her in the large king-size bed, he pulled the large duvet over her and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
Only when he shivered, did he realise he was soaking wet. Shivering again he walked back into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Striping from his wet cloths, he jumped in under the warm spray and soaked it in, having missed it.
He spent a good twenty minutes under the warm water. Wrapping the fluffy towel around his waist, he walked over to where his cloths had been only to find them gone.
"Master Severus asked Betsy to wash Mr Black's cloths sir" a small voice said from behind him, causing Sirius to jump and turn sharply, "Betsy is sorry sir" she squeaked.
"That's fine, Betsy was it?" she nodded. "I just didn't expect to see you, and I'm sorry for frightening you."
The little elf nodded. "Master Severus also asked Betsy to give sir these." She handed him a small pile of cloths and a shaver. "Master Severus added that Mr Black needed a shave sir."
Sirius chuckled knowing Severus no-doubt didn't say it in such nice terms. "Thank you Betsy" the little elf bowed and disappeared.
Sirius shaved and dressed before going back into the bedroom, where Sophia lay on the bed facing him just looking at him. "I should have come back last year" she said to him after a moment.
"I understand why you didn't" Sirius said, walking over and sitting on the bed next to her. "I never should have left you that night" he said looking at his hands. "I should have stayed with you, and then none of this would have happened. We could have raised Harry and our-" he cut himself off, squeezing his eyes shut as pain flooded through his heart.
Sophia sat up holding the covers to her and wrapped her arms around Sirius neck. "You knew something was wrong" she whispered. "I told you to go Sirius; I don't blame you for what happened at all."
She gently pulled out of the embrace and looked him in the eyes, before gently tugging his hand and pulled the covers back so he could climb in with her, and he did just that.
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Severus walked out of his sisters' room after checking on her. He had heard Sirius in the shower and saw Sophia asleep in the bed. As he walked down to the next landing to check on the boys, he could hear voices from Harry's room. He stopped just outside the slightly open door and listened.
"I'm worried about how this may turn out" Harry said. "Padfoot and Severus never got along, not from what I've seen or been told anyway."
"Same here" Draco said, "But we did it, why can't they?" he asked. "What's the point in dwelling in the past when there's a future to live."
Harry snorted, "Try telling them that" he said.
Severus stepped back from the door, thinking about what they had said. When he walked into his bedroom, Ro who was sitting on his bed dressed for bed looked up at him and saw the thoughtful look on his face, "Everything ok?" she asked.
Severus shook himself "Just thinking" he said.
"I could see that" Ro said smiling at him, he sat down next to her. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I'm worried about Sophia" he said after a moment.
"You know Sirius would never hurt her Severus" Ro said. "Just the look on his face when someone mentioned Sophia this evening, proved that to me."
"Look?" Severus asked.
"Umhum" Ro nodded, "It's the same look Remus gets when Tonks is mentioned."
"I never knew you for such a romantic" Severus teased.
"Hah!" Ro said throwing her head back. "I never knew you to have a heart under that vampire cloak, but you proved me wrong this summer."
"Well we're all full of surprises this summer aren't we then?" Severus teased before kissing her, which she responded to willingly.
TBC…