A/N: This chapter hasn't been betaread yet.
Chapter 25 – Lord Black
Wizard unfairly convicted has sentence revoked and titles restored after ten years in Azkaban
By Alexia White, Special Reporter
In this last Wednesday, during an extraordinary session, the Wizengamot corrected a judicial error committed ten years ago. Sirius Orion Black, thirty-one years old, was erroneously condemned to life imprisonment under the accusations of association with Death Eaters and mass murder in October 1981.
Bartemius Crouch, Head of the DMLE at the time, signed the order of imprisonment, and Black was sent to Azkaban without a trial. The Wizengamot never contested the order of imprisonment.
The case was reviewed by the current head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones, due to the recent events occurred in June in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which culminated in the imprisonment of Peter Pettigrew, the real perpetrator of the crimes that Black had been sentenced.
Pettigrew was judged last Saturday and his testimony was obtained under the influence of Veritaserum, the truth serum. According to the fundamental directives of the Wizengamot signed in 1789, the obtainment of testimonials with magical coercion (potions and spells) can only happen in special cases with the approval of the Chief Warlock and sixty and five percent of the court members. Pettigrew fitted the directive due to the heinous nature of his actions.
Black's trials last only twenty minutes even though it happened with a delay of ten years. Black saw all his accusations being revoked. He will receive an indemnity of five thousand galleons for each year spent in prison, and will have his titles restored. The Black Family is one of the twenty-seven Noble Houses that have a seat in the Wizengamot. Lord Sirius Orion Black is the firstborn of the family and the heir of all titles and goods. Black will also be awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class, this Friday.
Black was tranquil and lucid during the whole session, impressing everyone there, who were expecting an instable behaviour due to the long exposition to the Dementors. After the trial, when questioned about what he will do now that he is free, Sirius Black answered: 'Now, I'll take care of my godson; I've ten years of his childhood to make up for.'
Sirius Black is the godfather of Harry Potter and the legal guardian set in the will of the parents of the child. At the interview's moment, Black was informed about the health status of the youngster, and this reporter vows he will recover soon so that Harry Potter and Sirius Black can make up for the lost time.
'You should eat something.'
Molly Weasley's voice took Sirius out of his thoughts. He sat in a chair beside the large bed, where Harry and Ginny rested in coma.
'I'm not hungry.' He replied.
'You should eat nevertheless.' She said. 'You've been sitting here for hours. Trust me, dying from malnutrition won't help them. I've tried it.'
'They can wake up…' He sighed.
'Yes, they can. That's the only hope that it has stopped me from falling apart in these last three weeks, but I doubt that will happen in the next twenty minutes…'
He sighed. She was right, but the truth was hard to accept. Ten years lost. Ten years away from Harry, and, when life finally gave him a chance to correct the mistakes of the past, the fate kicked his arse again. After spending ten years of his life in hell, Sirius discovered that the only person with whom he really cared might not be there anymore.
He didn't feel as he had accepted the reality. In Azkaban, Sirius had been living in the limbo, lost between past and present, living more in his nightmares and memories than in the real world. The real world wasn't pretty and running away from it was the best way he had found to remain sane.
When a squad led by Kingsley Shacklebolt had come to escort him to his trial, Sirius had thought it was a joke or maybe they had finally decided to give him the Dementor's Kiss and they needed him to officialise the paperwork. They took him to a changing room, which was probably to the prison's employees, where he had a chance to bathe, to shave, and to cut his hair. They gave him appropriate clothing and then they took him to the Ministry of Magic. It was obvious to Sirius that he was still a prisoner and the possibility of public execution was becoming realer and realer to him. In a room in the courts, they gave him a meal with real food instead of what was served in prison, and then Sirius realised that was his last meal.
It hadn't been, Sirius thought as we walked towards the castle's kitchens. To know that Pettigrew had been captured, judged, and condemned was a shock. He thought he had really killed the freaking rat. When he discovered the circumstances that surrounded Pettigrew's capture, Harry's kidnapping, Ginny's torture, and, because of that, the two children were stuck in an unexplainable medical condition… trying to kill Pettigrew seemed like a good idea. That homicide feeling was still there, but Sirius pushed it to the deep of his mind. The moment would come, but not now. Harry was more important.
Sirius could be many things, but he wasn't naïve. He knew the Ministry hadn't willingly freed him, restoring his freedom and titles. The Ministry was cursing itself. Sirius Orion Black was a powerful man, especially now that he had the public's support. With a seat in the Wizengamot, an Order of Merlin and a vault filled with gold, he could hard the life of some people. Harry and Sirius' story touched all wizarding Europe. If the truth relating to Ginny and Harry's kidnapping hadn't come out, he doubted the Ministry would have been so generous to him. Fudge hadn't had a choice, but to give in to the public pressure and Dumbledore had been stopped to manipulate too much the cases. Sirius should be thankful to Minerva McGonagall, because of her honesty, and to Amelia Bones, because of her sense of justice. Those two women didn't let his case to be forgotten without legal measures taken.
Consequently, Dumbledore lost his position as Headmaster. Risking the safety of hundreds of children to protect the Philosopher's Stone wasn't well seen by the Board of Governors. Dumbledore was suspended by unanimous vote. The school year ended early and the students would receive their exams results in their houses.
At the moment, Sirius and the Weasleys were guests of the newest Headmistress until further notice. Everybody at Hogwarts waited anxiously and worriedly for any change in Ginny and Harry's condition. Sirius, as everyone else, was impressed with the mystery surrounding the two children. He was told about the curse, which destroyed partially Harry's magical core, and how that affected his godson's health, he had come close to dying.
Two nights later, Madam Pomfrey found Ginny sleeping beside Harry and both were shining mysteriously. Later, the healers discovered that the two children were exchanging magical energy in a way never seen before. Ginny never woke up, but Harry's health stabilized. Curiously, they couldn't be separated. Their magic wouldn't let the physical contact to be broken. Madam Pomfrey suffered a severe burn in her hands when she had attempted to separate them. The solution was to keep them together in the same bed. Now, they were sleeping, holding hands.
The healers still didn't understand what was going on, but their theory was that Ginny donated her own magic to heal Harry's magical core. That had never been seen before. They supposed that caused a magical connection between them and that the health of one of them depended on the other's health. If that's so, Ginny would only wake up in the moment Harry would wake up and only merlin knew the consequences that could bring to them.
Sirius stopped in front of the portrait of a fruit bowl. He was feeling nostalgic, to be there reminded him of those happy and unworried times of his youth when it seemed nothing could affect them. He tickled the peat and entered. The kitchens were more silent and quieter than what it would be any moment during the school year, yet the sound of a soft conversation came to him.
Remus and Andromeda were quietly talking, sitting at a table, holding cups of tea. Remus saw him and smiled. Remus and Andromeda were the only people from his old life, who he fully trusted. Both had been waiting for him when the trial ended, ready to welcoming him back and to help him understanding the wizarding world, which had changed a lot. Now, they were with him, helping overcoming all those hard things with Harry.
'Molly convinced you?' His old friend asked him. 'I'm glad.'
Sirius shrugged and sat with them. 'I'm really not hungry.'
'You should eat anyway.' Remus told him, calling a house-elf to serve Sirius.
'I don't understand why everyone keeps telling me that.'
'You need to feed yourself properly, cousin.' Andromeda opined. 'You still have a long way to fully restore your health. The potions won't do a miracle if you don't eat.'
'Yes, I need a miracle, but not for me.'
'Harry will be fine, Sirius. Have some faith.' She requested. 'However, you need to be at your best to take care of him.'
'Since when do you use so many religious references in your talks?' Sirius joked.
'Since the day I've married a Muggle-born with a very traditional family.'
'And here I was thinking the Blacks were the ones to valorise traditions…' He said ironically.
'The Muggles also have their traditions.' She commented. 'And usually their traditions are more pleasant than ours.'
The conversation went on lightly and quietly. A house-elf brought a pleasant meal to Sirius, who ate it mostly in silence. After his meal, he was drinking his tea when the door was opened with a bang. It was the Weasley's youngster boy, Ron. He was red and breathless as if he had run a marathon. When he spoke, the words made Sirius' heart to do a somersault in his chest.
'Mr Black, they woke up.'
A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been quite busy. Anyway, here's chapter 25 and I'm sorry for any mistakes on it. The next chapter is entitled The Union.
See you in the next chapter and happy carnival!
Inês
scrappy8: thank you! Yes, it is great. I hope you're fine.
Guest: I'm so sorry it took me so long. Sorry!