Lucius's Revenge
Harry woke up and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Sirius's trial was at one that afternoon, and he was extremely nervous. He had never been to an actual trial although he's seen many pictures of them. Humming to himself softly as he fried some eggs, he felt his anxiety drain away as he placed all his energy into his hobby.
"Good morning, Harry," Lupin said tiredly as he descended the stairs.
"Good morning, Professor." Harry smiled as he pushed some eggs, sausages, and hash browns onto a plate. "Here you go, Sir."
"Harry, you make me feel as if you're my butler," Lupin said, feeling extremely awkward but taking the offered plate. "Since this is your house, you can address me as just 'Remus,' you know." He set his plate on the counter so that he could eat while talking to Harry. Despite being at Potter Manor for less than a day, Lupin already felt at home. It was like living as part of a happy family. There was no worry about a rent; there was no fear of prejudice. There was only simple acceptance.
"But you're my teacher, Professor, no matter where you are!" Harry protested as he began to make a plate for Sirius.
Sirius came in as he said that and said happily, "Breakfast!" Of course, the first thing Sirius would think about when he wakes up in the morning was breakfast, particularly one made by his godson. Who cared if he was going to have a trial that would determine his fate later that day?
Lupin shook his head. "Shameless you are."
Sirius paused for a second in wolfing down his food. "What? He likes to cook, and I like to eat what he cooks. It all works out."
Harry grinned before frying some eggs for himself. Despite living in luxury, Harry had never taken to gluttony. Of course, watching his cousin stuffing his mouth every day for several years might have been a reason for that. "See, Professor, nothing to worry about!" Harry glanced at his watch before saying, "I have to go to Diagon Alley today for some more potion bottles, and I need to stock up on parchment." He carefully lifted the unbroken yolk and dropped the entire thing into his mouth. He felt as if the yolk exploded in his mouth as he bit into it.
Lupin noticed his strange way of eating fried eggs but made no comment.
Sirius, on the other hand, didn't even blink. "I might as well go with you since the trial's in three hours anyway."
"You're really calm about this, aren't you?" Lupin asked.
"Of course," Sirius said. "After all, I'm about to be cleared. No use denying it – the evidence is overwhelming, thanks to you." He grinned at Harry, who ducked his head bashfully. He laughed before asking, "So when are we leaving?"
"Whenever you're done," Harry said, placing his plate in the sink.
Sirius gawked. "How did you finish so fast?"
"Practice," Harry replied cheekily. He waited patiently for Sirius to finish before clearing his and Lupin's plates. Then he and Sirius went into the living room and Harry handed Sirius an ornate glass bowl filled three-fourths of the way with floo powder. He took a pinch for himself before stepping into the fireplace.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Stingy about floo powder much? Didn't you say you have several floo plants in the garden?"
Harry shrugged. "Floo powder is a commodity. Besides, why would you want to use more? The more you use, the rougher your ride's going to be. I tested it. A pinch is enough, and you'll just appear on the other end, still on your feet. Perhaps a bit dusty but what do you expect from travelling through a fireplace?" He threw the floo powder onto the floor and cried out, "Diagon Alley!" With that, he disappeared in green flames.
Sirius followed him, transforming immediately into his Animagus form after he stated his destination. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the floor of a fireplace in some shop in Diagon Alley. Shaking the ash off of himself, he saw that Harry had already cleaned himself with his wand.
"I told you. Come on, Sirius," Harry laughed, leading Sirius out of the shop. "I need to go to Potages first to get some potion bottles." With that, Harry led Sirius on a shopping spree, buying several large crystalline and glass potion bottles as well as some small vials. Then they bought numerous rolls of parchment and bottles of ink. Seeing as they still had some time, Harry went off into Madam Malkin's, where he bought some Muggle clothing as well as wizarding wear. To Harry's (and Sirius's) displeasure, Narcissa and her son Draco were there as well.
"Hey, Potter, heard you're going to defend the criminal, Black?" Draco drawled.
"That's right. I thought you would have been more informed because I was pretty sure the entire school knew that several weeks ago. A bit slow there, no?" Harry said coolly.
"Really, Potter, I thought you were the Gryffindor Golden Boy. Isn't defending a criminal who's supposed to be your parents' murderer an insult to their memory? I mean, if I were you, I'd want revenge."
"Well, first of all, you are not me, and I never asked you what you would do if you were. I'm still curious as to what makes your opinions so grand and important that you have to share them with everyone in the vicinity. Second of all, Sirius was framed. I suggest you check your news sources." Seeing Madam Malkin getting nervous watching them, Harry hurriedly led Sirius out of the shop before either of them lose their cool and start a brawl. It would not be good…at all.
Carrying large packages of merchandise towards the fireplace, Harry left them at Potter Manor before heading off to Whitehall to go to the Ministry with Sirius. Entering a telephone box, Harry entered the number 62442 and put his ear to the phone. Passes were issued for both him and Sirius, who morphed into his human form.
"Are you sure that's wise, Sirius? Everyone might scream and run away from you," Harry said innocently even though his heart was thumping wildly in nervousness.
Sirius snorted. "It'll make it easier to reach the lifts. With so many people working in the Ministry, it would take forever for us to get one. Besides, no one will stop us. They all know I have a trial today."
When they stopped on the eighth floor, the Atrium, they both stepped into the Ministry, and Harry, amazed at the architecture despite his nervousness, said to Sirius, "You know, Sirius, we should make a Marauder's Map of the Ministry. It might come in useful one day."
"Exactly what I'm thinking," Sirius said, winking.
For a second, Harry was confused as to why no one in the crowded Atrium was screaming yet until he realized that Sirius was almost unrecognizable from his Azkaban prisoner picture, which depicted him as a sinister, malevolent, maniacal being in prison rags. Stepping into the Ministry, Sirius was handsome, elegant, calm, young-looking. He was cleanly shaven, his dark hair in soft layered spikes that reached slightly below his jaw, and his grey eyes shone with life. He wore a dark shirt with a light black jacket and dark blue jeans, and he was even wearing a simple ear stud. If one didn't know their relationship, they would've thought that Sirius was Harry's older brother.
"Okay, I know that since we're about to be at the mercy of the Ministry, I shouldn't jinx it, but really, if you can walk around in broad daylight and no one cares even though we're in Ministry headquarters…" Harry began.
"You have a very good point. And they kept saying that they're close to catching me." Sirius shrugged. "And here I am, just waiting to be captured by Aurors who appear to be absent."
They walked towards the golden gates on the far end of the hall where there were twenty or so lifts transporting people to different levels in the Ministry. As they passed the Fountain of Magical Brethren, Harry had the crazy urge to laugh at the unrealistic scene. Golden statues of a house elf, a goblin, and a centaur looked up with adoration and awe at two statues of a noble-looking wizard and a beautiful witch. If any centaur or goblin saw this, they would have thrown a fit! Harry shook his head. He never had much respect for the Ministry anyway, at least most of it.
As they approached the lifts, waiting for their turn, Harry felt his earlier feelings of nervousness seeping in again. However, this time, there was also a feeling of…dread? "Sirius, why do I feel…as if something bad is going to happen at the trial?"
Sirius turned to him and placed an arm around his shoulders. "To be completely honest, Harry, I would not have gone to this trial had Dumbledore was not in on this. The Ministry, as far as I can tell, was not after me mainly because of justice, or any good reason for that matter. They were certainly factors, but they were not the true reasons. They were after me more because they were worried about their reputation." Smiling, he squeezed Harry's shoulder. "However, at this trial, Harry, I feel quite safe."
"This is really weird," Harry muttered as they entered a lift. "You're less worried about this trial than I am."
"You just worry too much, Harry." However, when Harry looked up into Sirius's eyes, not only was there some nervousness in them, but a stronger emotion – resentfulness – was also shown.
Harry thought that it was understandable. Spending eleven years in Azkaban without ever receiving a trial would make it difficult for a person to forgive and forget. Harry himself resented the Ministry for that, and he hadn't been the one rotting in prison. As they reached the tenth level where the courtroom for the Wizengamot was, Sirius squeezed Harry's hand tightly before stepping into the courtroom.
Harry also stepped into the room and felt rather sick. Maybe he should have gone without breakfast. Throwing up in the middle of the courtroom would not be a good idea. Above them were fifty or so witches and wizards, most of whom were in plum-colored robes. All were staring down their noses at him and Sirius. Many were whispering with each other. Obviously, they never even expected Sirius to come to the trial.
"It seems as though Dumbledore was removed from his position as Chief Warlock for this one trial," Sirius whispered to Harry, anxiously eyeing the chair in the middle of the classroom. "Probably due to conflicts of interest…"
"Don't worry. He'll come in with Pettigrew," Harry said, although he glanced at the door anxiously. Where was Dumbledore?
"Will the one by the name of Sirius Orion Black please step forward and take a seat?" Fudge said.
Harry knew how Sirius must be feeling. He had seen people chained to that chair, and it was designed to make the accused feel like prisoners. No doubt they would want to do that to Sirius, an accused 'murderer.' However, Sirius walked calmly to the chair and sat down. Chains immediately sprung to life and held him in place, and he flinched but, besides that, gave no indication that he was intimidated in the slightest.
"The accusations against you were that you betrayed Lily and James Potter to You-Know-Who twelve years ago and later murdered Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles," Fudge stated. "Do you answer to these accusations?"
"No" was Sirius's cold, plain reply.
Immediately whispering could be heard throughout the courtroom before Amelia Bones banged her gavel. "Does the accused have evidence as to suggest his innocence?"
"He does."
All heads turned to the door where just a few minutes ago, Harry and Sirius had entered. Albus Dumbledore strolled in, his blue robes trailing slightly behind him. Both his hair and his long beard were tied with two ribbons. With one arm behind his back and the other hand holding a cage with a panicking rat inside, he appeared very presentable and calm (except for the part where he was holding a cage with a screaming rat in it). "My apologies, Harry, for my lateness. Mr. Malfoy had been persistent in having a very enlightening conversation with me in which he quite amazingly predicted the future for this trial to end badly. For professional purposes, I will pretend to ignore his wisdom."
Harry couldn't help but grin at the tone of Dumbledore's voice, noticing that Sirius was also about to pull on his chains in laughter. Harry felt his nervousness drain away.
Dumbledore placed the cage on the floor in front of Sirius and stepped back, pointing his wand at the cage. In a flash of bright light, the cage collapsed and the rat disappeared. In its place was Peter Pettigrew. Sirius nearly lunged out of his chair at him, except the chains held him in place.
Harry looked up at the Wizengamot to see, to his satisfaction, many of them shocked. "This is Peter Pettigrew if clarification is needed." With that statement, the courtroom burst into whispers.
"Sir, state your name!" Madam Bones said in a loud, authoritative voice to Pettigrew.
"P-Peter Pettigrew," the sniveling man muttered, eyeing the Wizengamot fearfully. Then he burst out, crying, "Please don't send me to the Dementors! Have mercy! He was the one who betrayed them!" He pointed at Sirius, who looked as if he was about to murder him there and then. "They're blackmailing me into this! I swear it!"
"Silencio!" Harry said, pointing his wand at Peter, whose mouth continued to open and close but no sound came out. Harry looked away from him, who turned to Harry in horror. "Anyway, er," Harry began, aware that the entire court was giving him its fullest attention and feeling nervous because of that. "That wasn't really our evidence. If I could make an appeal for Veritaserum…"
"Excuse me, Mr. Potter, but you do know that Veritaserum can be fallible, yes?" a toadlike woman next to Fudge simpered. Her eyes stared at him maliciously.
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yes…"
"So that wouldn't work in proving Black's innocence?" she asked triumphantly.
"Couldn't you hold your bloody flapping tongue for about two minutes so that my godson can get more than two words in?" Sirius said out loud, annoyed. "He may be young, but I'm sure he has far cleverer things to say than asking if Veritaserum can be fallible. Thank you for asking and pointing out the obvious." He smirked at the woman's obvious anger. He sat back with a smug expression on his face.
"How dare you? Do you know who I am?" the woman hissed.
"Miss Umbridge," Amelia Bones interrupted loudly, "the court is only concerned with evidence and the truth. We do not bring claims of reputation and rank in here. If you are so inclined to, then please leave!"
Although the woman looked as though she wanted to murder the entire court, she took a deep, shaking breath and said nothing, only fuming. Clearly, she had never been dismissed like that before.
"Now, Mr. Potter, what is it that you requested? And please make your reasoning clear to the rest of us," Amelia Bones said, turning her attention towards Harry.
Grateful and with burning cheeks, Harry made his request clear. "If I could make an appeal for Veritaserum, I could administer it to Pettigrew so that he would be telling the truth rather than lying. Yes, Veritaserum is fallible but only if the victim is good at Occlumency, or if he has the antidote to the serum. It could also be fallible due to the fact that what the victim says is what he believes to be the truth, not what the truth is."
As Harry talked, his confidence began to grow, knowing that he had the court's full consideration now – both because Sirius spoke on his behalf and because he demonstrated his knowledge of Veritaserum. It was obvious that Harry knew what he was talking about – he wasn't just an underage wizard. He had never been so grateful that Snape had him read up on Veritaserum so that he could brew the antidote to it. "I wasn't planning on administering the potion to Sirius, because I knew you would use those excuses," he said, speaking directly to the toadlike woman, who looked as if she was about to explode in anger. "I was planning on giving it to Pettigrew, because it would have sidestepped all those obstacles. Even though you can make an argument that one can dodge the power of Veritaserum when one claims to be innocent, how can you say the same thing, if the person is confessing to be guilty? It wouldn't make sense. As to why Pettigrew is still alive today, it's because that night, Sirius didn't attack him." Harry then waited for the response from the Wizengamot.
"Good argument, Harry," Sirius whispered to his godson.
Harry grinned, noticing that Dumbledore also gave him a nod of approval.
"Request granted," Madam Bones announced the decision of the court. "The method is reasonable and logical. If Pettigrew confessed to his crime, it will attest to Black's innocence." After Peter was administered Veritaserum, Madam Bones asked him, "Is your name Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes" came the dull reply. Pettigrew's eyes were completely clouded over.
"Give the full account of the incident between you and Sirius Black twelve years ago when you two confronted each other after the murders of Lily and James Potter."
"I knew he was after me, knowing that I betrayed them to the Dark Lord. They had made me their secret-keeper, switching from Black to me. So I confronted him instead, asking him why he betrayed them. Doing this would attest to my assumed innocence. Then I fired a Blasting Curse behind my back and bit off my finger to make it seemed as though Black did it all. Then I transformed into my Animagus form, a rat, and escaped down the sewers, arriving at the home of the Weasleys to be their pet rat for eleven years." There was a silence after his confession.
"We await your decision," Harry said and stepped to Sirius's side.
Then Amelia Bones finally said, "Very well. Let's hear the verdict…"
"If I may, Madam Bones, I would like to bring some concerns regarding Black." Lucius Malfoy stepped into the courtroom, surprising all.
Staring at Lucius suspiciously, Madam Bones nevertheless replied in her booming voice, "Very well. What are those concerns?"
"My concern is that since Black was so powerful as to escape from Azkaban, perhaps he would be better off living as a Muggle. That way, he would pose no threat to Wizarding society. It is true that in this case, he was innocent, but it was a very close call."
"That's a bit illogical, isn't it, Mr. Malfoy?" Madam Bones asked uncertainly. "That's just like saying that every powerful wizard should be stripped of his magical powers because it is possible that he could be a threat to society. That's just like saying we should take away Professor Dumbledore's wand simply because he's too powerful."
Lucius shook his head with fake benevolence. "Madam Bones, you misunderstood me. No one can doubt Albus Dumbledore's goodness and benevolence. For years, he has been faithful to the Wizarding world. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. However, Black here has had many associations with Pettigrew in his youth."
"Don't you dare make connections between me and that rat," growled Sirius, who was clenching his hands.
"Perhaps…some of Pettigrew's darker characteristics rubbed off on Black. We don't know. And with such power…I cannot even begin to describe the consequences. We should quash evil in its earliest form, my friends, or else, the Ministry will only have more trouble later on. Simply living like a Muggle will do him no harm, and it could also prevent further threats along the line. I leave it to the conscience of my fellow witches and wizards to decide the fate of the Wizarding world."
Harry knew Lucius was playing on the fears of the Ministry. If a wizard has the power to escape Azkaban and the potential to be evil (or a greater potential than most because of their past)…that would definitely scare the Ministry.
Amelia Bones still seemed unconvinced. "Very well…If no one has any objections…we will go on with the verdict."
"I do." Harry's soft voice seemed loud in his own ears. He knew there will be consequences for him if he confessed, but he couldn't allow Sirius to be stripped of his wizard's powers – it was the most terrible thing for any wizard.
Sirius, realizing what Harry was about to do, struggled against his chains. "Damn it all, Harry! Forget it! Don't do it!"
"On my visit to his cell in Azkaban, I lent him my wand so that he could escape. He didn't do it because of his own powers. He was able to escape because I helped him." The entire courtroom was quiet.
Lucius looked as if his birthday had arrived early. "My fellow wizards, this is even a greater threat to the Wizarding world. This boy helped an accused mass murderer escape from Azkaban! The sentence for that is thirty years in Azkaban and his wand snapped…"
Dumbledore, who appeared shocked before, now addressed the Wizengamot, interrupting Lucius, "If I may interrupt Mr. Malfoy here, we must take into consideration that Mr. Potter must've known Black was innocent or else he would not have lent him his wand."
"You mean he must've have thought he knew. How was he to know for certain?" Lucius asked slyly.
Dumbledore glanced at Harry. "He must have his reasons because he had no reasons to trust Black, who was accused of both betrayal and murder. Therefore, we can conclude that he has much more reliable sources than the Daily Prophet!"
"Very well then. What are these sources, Potter?" Lucius sneered.
Harry shifted uncomfortably but remained silent.
"My fellow magical brethren, as you can clearly see, he is a threat to the Wizarding community. We should be glad that Black is not an actual murderer, or else half of us would have been dead by today!"
Dumbledore entered again. "The result here has shown us today that Harry had done the right thing. He saved an innocent man from suffering in prison. Surely, the Ministry would not discourage such actions." Even Dumbledore was now taking advantage of the Ministry's fear for their reputation.
Suddenly, an old wizard of Wizengamot stood up and suggested, "I propose a compromise." He clasped his hands behind his back before continuing, "It is quite clear that Mr. Potter must've known that Black was innocent. He did do the right thing, at least in his own mind and in the long run, and the Ministry should not try to discourage that. In addition, his age is also a delicate issue. However…it was wrong for him to take action as he did, taking matters into his own hands. Perhaps Black had been wrongly accused and sentenced to Azkaban without a trial, but that is not for Mr. Potter to decide. What happens if Black really was a murderer? What if things were more complicated than just the switching of Secret-Keepers? It matters not now that we have the full confession, but before the capture of Pettigrew, the fate of society would have been up for chance. Therefore, I propose that we lighten the punishment for him – perhaps a week in Azkaban will suffice and his wand will not be broken. That will discourage such illegal actions from happening again." He slowly sat down as silence permeated the courtroom.
"Please…"
All eyes turned towards Sirius, who was trembling in his chains.
"Please don't send him there. He's young…I'll do anything. Just don't send him there," Sirius said softly.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Black," Madam Bones said, "that is up to the decision of the Wizengamot." For the first time since the beginning of the trial, her voice was soft and quiet, almost regretful. "We cannot bend the rules as such."
"But he's just a boy," Dumbledore suddenly spoke, his voice soft. "Perhaps not Azkaban…"
"And it was a serious crime he committed," the toadlike woman simpered again. "He could have put the entire Wizarding world in jeopardy. Making an example of him will ensure such actions won't happen again."
Madam Bones banged her gavel. "Is there any other factor to consider?" Seeing no more interruptions, she said in her booming voice, although it lacked the power it had before, "All in favor of Arginald's proposal?"
It was definitely a majority. Harry lowered his head. He had come here, thinking the trial was going to go so well…He felt numb, still in shock. He was going to spend a week, reliving the memories of his greatest torments…Trembling, he turned to see Sirius frozen in his seat even though the chains had retreated away from him. Dumbledore himself appeared speechless.
Fudge seemed hesitant, but he announced, "Very well. When would you like to start your sentence, Mr. Potter?"
"Tomorrow morning," Harry replied dully. The earlier he gets this over with, the better. He saw Sirius sprang to his feet, and realizing what he was about to do, Harry grabbed him from behind. Due to his size, he didn't have much momentum, but he was still able to stop Sirius from tackling Lucius.
"You scumbag!" Sirius growled.
"Sirius, you just got cleared! Don't…" Harry grunted as he used all his strength to pull Sirius back.
"The boy got the right idea, Black. At least he has some sense in him," Lucius taunted. Then he swept out of the courtroom.
Harry saw the look he gave him and realization hit him – Lucius had finally had his revenge on him.
…
"Damn that bastard!" Sirius cursed for the tenth time as they got out of the fireplace in Potter Manor. "DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!" he roared as he rammed his fist into the wall. Pain shot up his arm, but he didn't care.
Lupin came down the stairs, reading a book, and said calmly, "Sirius, what's going on? I can hear you from my room…"
"Harry's been sentenced to Azkaban, Lupin," Sirius breathed out, panting slightly.
Lupin's book dropped to the floor. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock. "What?" he asked in disbelief.
"HARRY'S BEEN SENTENCED TO AZKABAN!" Sirius roared. "Damn the Wizengamot! Damn the Ministry! And damn that scumbag Malfoy!"
Harry meanwhile had been extremely quiet. Finally he said softly, "Sirius, i-it's okay. It's only a week, and…"
"A week? You don't understand, Harry. It's living hell there," Sirius panted. "A WEEK IS ENOUGH TO MAKE SOME MEN MAD!" he roared. "Our trial," he growled, turning to Lupin, "was going fine. It was going exactly the way we wanted it to go…UNTIL THAT SON OF A WHORE CAME! THE NEXT TIME I SEE THAT BASTARD, I WILL MAKE SURE HE ROT IN HELL!"
Lupin turned to Harry, his eyes wide in panic. "Harry…Dumbledore couldn't do anything about it?"
"He lightened the sentence," Harry muttered. "It was the best he could do. Originally, it was thirty years in Azkaban and my wand would've been snapped."
Lupin slumped into an armchair, hunching over, his elbow on his knee as he rubbed his forehead. He never looked older and more tired than he did then. "Harry, you have no idea how bad this is," he said slowly, his voice shaking.
Harry was quiet. Then, without a word, he slowly walked away. He opened the kitchen door and went outside.
…
It was his last night before his stay in Azkaban. Harry was walking around the gardens, trying to calm himself. However, it was futile. He had felt the effects of Dementors – and that was only for a few minutes. He finally slumped down against a tree, shaking. His mind couldn't rest. Lupin was wrong when he said Harry didn't know how bad it was. Harry knew – he knew better than anyone else. Not only was he going to be spending a week of torture in the wizard prison, but afterwards…the rest of his life would become affected. No one would even consider giving a former Azkaban prisoner a job. No one would hear his side of the story either. They'll just assume he helped a prisoner escape.
Tears ran down Harry's face, mixing with sweat which not only drenched his hair but also trickled down his forehead and temple. He thought he was safe from the Dursleys in the Wizarding World. No…not anymore.
Hearing the grass rustling to his left, Harry's head jerked up in panic. He couldn't let Sirius or Lupin see him like this…
"Harry?"
Harry closed his eyes. It was a small relief, but a relief nonetheless. It was Hermione.
"Professor Lupin told me I might find you here," she said quietly. She slowly, almost uncertainly, approached him before sitting down next to him. Then, gently, she pulled him into a hug. She was the only one who knew. Harry broke down and sobbed into her shoulder, knowing that she would understand.
"I'm so scared, Hermione," he sobbed.
Hermione didn't reply. She had never seen Harry so…vulnerable. "Let it out, Harry," she said gently. "It will be okay. It will always be in the end. Trust me." She smiled sadly. She knew Azkaban will be torture, and she would comfort her friend in any way she can before his ordeal.
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