Author's Note: THIS IS A DOUBLE POST! READ CHAPTER 43 FIRST, THEN THIS ONE! Canon doesn't tell us (as far as I could tell) when exactly Madam Bones was killed. I know it happens over the course of this summer but, for now, I'm borrowing her for Sirius' trial on July 15.
Thanks, Worthfull1
P.S. I own nothing, anything recognizable belongs to the lovely Ms. Rowling.
Chapter 44: Justice
"Sirius, are you now or have you ever been a member of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters?" Dumbledore asked.
"No," was the immediate response, bringing gasps from a few judges.
"At the time of James and Lily Potter's deaths, were you their Secret Keeper?"
"No." More gasps.
"Who was?" an older witch with greying brown hair asked from the Wizengamot benches.
"Peter Pettigrew," Sirius answered, turning his head to look her in the eye.
"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew?" she asked.
"No."
The silence was deafening. Even the secretary witch who was supposed to be writing everything down was frozen in shock. Rufus Scrimgeour had vouched for the truth potion that was currently running through Sirius' system, so there was no doubt that he was being honest, which could only mean one thing: that he was innocent.
"Who is that woman?" Jeannie whispered to Remus.
"Madam Bones," he whispered back.
Apologizing quickly to Dumbledore for interrupting him - to which Dumbledore replied with a dismissive wave of his good hand, inviting her to go on - Madam Bones continued asking Sirius questions, and he continued answering them, each revelation more astonishing than the next. The witches and wizards in charge of passing judgement on Sirius were quickly becoming very uncomfortable. The anonymously-sent issue of The Quibbler they'd all received that morning had made for an interesting read, but none of them had actually put any stock in what Rita Skeeter wrote. Why would they? She was known for her outlandish gossip. Now, however, not only had the seeds of doubt been sown, they had been watered and were sprouting rather quickly.
One by one, the charges against Sirius were knocked down, if not by his answers, then by the logical conclusions to his answers. If Peter Pettigrew was the Secret keeper, then Pettigrew sold out the Potters. If Pettigrew sold out the Potters, then Pettigrew was the spy. If Pettigrew was the spy, then Pettigrew had been the one feeding information to the Dark side, not Sirius... and so on...
"Minister," Dumbledore began after the questions stopped for a moment. "At this time, I'd like to call Lucius Malfoy to testify under Veritaserum."
"Lucius Malfoy?" asked Scrimgeour. "Why Lord Malfoy?"
"Because he was one of the Death Eaters arrested during the commotion here in the Department of Mysteries just a few weeks ago, and I believe he would corroborate, possibly unwillingly - hence the request for Veritaserum, some of the statements Mr. Black has made," Dumbledore explained.
Scrimgeour nodded. "Auror Shacklebolt, please retrieve Lord Malfoy from Azkaban prison."
"There is no need for that, Minister," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "I took the liberty of having the Aurors fetch him earlier. Lord Malfoy is, I believe, waiting just outside the door."
Scrimgeour's eyes narrowed. "Fine," he said, his voice clipped. "Auror Shacklebolt, please retrieve Lord Malfoy from just outside the door," he ground out.
"Yes, Minister," said Kingsley, with a hint of amusement in his tone. He walked over to the doors of the chamber, unsealed them, and opened them to find a very disheveled and unhappy - but still arrogant - Lucius Malfoy flanked by Aurors Dawlish and Proudfoot. The three escorted Malfoy to the center of the room where a chair identical to Sirius' had appeared and strapped him in. Jeannie took several deep breaths to calm herself down, grateful for Remus' hand on her knee as he noticed her breathing change. She was still uncomfortable with the fact that Lucius Malfoy existed.
The two accused men glared at each other with pure loathing as Kingsley approached Lucius with the truth serum.
"Absolutely not!" Lucius shouted upon seeing the vial. "I do not consent to being questioned under Veritaserum!"
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Lord Malfoy," Scrimgeour said, clearly offended by being spoken to like that by a prisoner. "You have been convicted of a very serious crime and, right now, are at the mercy and discretion of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You will receive the Veritaserum voluntarily or not."
Lucius turned murderous eyes on Scrimgeour before starting violently when Moody moved towards him, his wooden leg clunking ominously on the marble floor. Jeannie couldn't hear anything, but she did see Mad-Eye's lips move ever so slightly and Malfoy pale at whatever was said. Finally, the blond opened his mouth and accepted three drops of truth serum from Kingsley, looking supremely agitated about it.
"Thank you, Aurors Moody and Shacklebolt," said Dumbledore, proceeding with his case. "Now, Lord Malfoy, we were just talking to Sirius about Peter Pettigrew. Do you know this wizard?"
"Yes," Lucius said through gritted teeth as he tried, unsuccessfully, to fight the Veritaserum.
"Good, good. Tell me, when did you see Peter Pettigrew last?"
"The night before the battle at the Department of Mysteries." Jeannie could see beads of sweat forming on Lucius' brow as the members of the Wizengamot leaned forward in their seats.
"And was Peter Pettigrew alive when you saw him last?"
"Yes." The Malfoy sneer was on full display as the Wizengamot shifted uncomfortably in their seats. It was finally sinking in that Sirius Black had been wronged and it was up to them to fix it.
"Was Peter Pettigrew ever dead, to the best of your knowledge?" Veritaserum was a truth potion, but it did not make the drinker a seer, and Dumbledore didn't want any of the Wizengamot challenging his line of questioning.
"No."
"Where was he all these years? If you know, of course."
"He was hiding. Living as a pet rat to the Weasley family," Lucius said, his lip curling in amusement.
"A pet rat?" Dumbledore asked. "Then Peter Pettigrew is an animagus?"
"Yes. A rat."
"One more thing," Dumbledore said. "Is Peter Pettigrew branded with the Dark Mark?"
"Yes."
"So, to summarize - Peter Pettigrew is a Death Eater, acted as a double agent during the first war, sold out the Potters, framed Sirius Black for their deaths, faked his own death while killing twelve Muggles in the process and spent the next twelve years living in his animagus form and generally hiding from everyone. Is this correct? To the best of your knowledge?"
"Yes," Lucius hissed angrily, casting hateful looks at everyone he could see, his hands curled into fists and straining at the bindings.
"Thank you, Lord Malfoy," said Dumbledore. "You've been very helpful."
Dawlish and Proudfoot released Malfoy from the chair and escorted the dirty, unshaven blond wizard with his nose stuck in the air back out of the room and, presumably, back to prison.
"Now," said Dumbledore after Malfoy was gone. "I ask you, my esteemed colleagues, do you have any more questions for Mr. Black?"
There was silence for a moment until Madam Bones raised her hand. "Just one more thing," she said. "Mr. Black, I hope you do not take offense at this because I mean none, but may I see your left forearm?"
Sirius raised an eyebrow, then looked pointedly at his shackles. Moody stepped forward and tapped the back of the accused's chair, allowing Sirius' bindings to release him. Sirius stood and walked slowly up to the Wizengamot benches while Madam Bones, who had been sitting in the top row, walked down to meet him. Undoing his cuff, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal bare skin. Sirius had many tattoos littering his torso, arms and even his hands, but he had - purposely - never marked his left forearm. He'd made that decision when it became clear to him that his parents expected him to follow Voldemort like so many of his family members.
Madam Bones pulled out her wand and Sirius couldn't contain his slight flinch. "May I?" she asked. Sirius looked at her warily, then flicked his eyes over to Dumbledore, who nodded, so Sirius, in turn, nodded to her. She waved her wand over his forearm and he recognized a series of variations on Revelio. It seemed she was merely checking to make sure that the Dark Mark wasn't hidden somehow. Finally, she was satisfied and looked him in the eye. "Thank you, Mr. Black and, again, I meant no offense."
Sirius turned and walked back to the chair, straightening his sleeve as he went. Sitting down, Moody tapped the chair again and the bindings returned. Sirius sighed and wondered when this was all going to be over.
"Honorable Witches and Warlocks of the Wizengamot," Dumbledore began, starting his closing statements. "We have heard testimony from Sirius Black himself, under the influence of Veritaserum, as well as testimony from Lucius Malfoy, also under the influence of Veritaserum. Today we have answers to questions that should have been asked nearly fifteen years ago. You now have a task. To continue perpetrating the injustices that have been forced on Sirius Black or to give him the ruling he deserved all those years ago: acquittal. Please be fair and just in your decision."
"Thank you, Chief Warlock," said Scrimgeour. "We will now erect a barrier and carry out our deliberations." Waving his wand, Scrimgeour created a mist that hovered in front of the Wizengamot benches. Jeannie thought it looked rather like trying to see through frosted glass. Blurry shapes could be seen behind it, but there was no way to see any detail or definition. They were just blurs. Dumbledore clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing back and forth in front of Sirius, humming to himself and occasionally making a comment that Sirius ignored.
The deliberations went on for nearly an hour and everyone was going a bit crazy. Molly was whispering urgently to her husband who tried, in vain, to calm her down while the rest of her children exchanged looks. Remus was paler and more drawn than usual and Jeannie couldn't stop her leg from bouncing up and down with nervous energy. Harry was transfixed by the mist separating the Wizengamot from the rest of the room and Hermione and Andromeda wore equal worried frowns. The Aurors in the room were the only ones apart from Dumbledore who appeared calm, but they had been trained to mask their emotions. Jeannie knew for certain that Tonks' hair had dimmed at least three shades since the trial began.
Finally, finally, the barrier was taken down and the Wizengamot became visible once again. A few members appeared to be settling back into their seats, but Scrimgeour, apparently, was ready to hand down the ruling.
"The accused shall rise to hear the sentence." The shackles unwound themselves once again and Sirius stood. "Sirius Orion Black," Scrimgeour began, "we, the Wizengamot of Great Britain on this day, the fifteenth of July, 1996, hereby find you guilty - "
All the air left Sirius' lungs and his knees shook as his worst fear was realized. No, it can't be! he thought.
" - of resisting arrest and eluding capture. However, we feel that twelve years of wrongful imprisonment has more than made up for the punishments required for those crimes, and hope that you will accept our sincerest apologies for the way you were treated in 1981." Scrimgeour looked Sirius in the eye. "You are hereby cleared of all charges, your record will be expunged and you are free to go. Dismissed." And, with that, Minister Scrimgeour stood and walked out of the room, the rest of the Wizengamot following suit.
Sirius turned to Dumbledore to find him beaming, his blue eyes twinkling like mad, but his gaze didn't linger on the Headmaster because he suddenly saw a scrawny teenage boy with unruly black hair launch himself over the bench and sprint towards him. Sirius braced himself for impact, and not a moment too soon as Harry collided with him, knocking him back a few feet and throwing his arms around Sirius' neck. The newly-freed wizard held his godson to him tightly, burying his face in the messy mop and pressing kisses to the boy's head.
Reluctantly letting go of Harry, Sirius spread the love to everyone else as well and, last but not least, shared a manly hug with Remus who, as usual, had stood at the back of the crowd, patiently waiting his turn. After releasing his childhood friend, Sirius took a moment to let it sink in. Cleared... Cleared... Cleared... The word kept playing over and over in his head like a song on repeat, piercing through the rushing in his ears, and suddenly it was his favourite word of all time.
"Come, Sirius," said Dumbledore, breaking into his thoughts. "We will need to pick up your sentencing papers and leave. The press will be all over the place soon, if they're not already."
"Right, right," Sirius replied distractedly. "Whatever. Lead on." He'd already forgotten what the old man said, but it didn't matter, because he'd been cleared!
Dazedly, Sirius followed Dumbledore out of the Wizengamot Chamber with Andromeda hooked on his left arm and Harry on his right, the rest bringing up the rear. The first stop was the secretary witch's office to pick up the document that said - with an official Ministry seal and the signature of the Minister for Magic - that he'd been cleared of all charges. Sirius signed the document himself to make it official and watched as the ink glowed blue for a few seconds, then tucked it into the breast pocket of his robe, determined to never leave the house without it for the next couple of years or so.
After exiting the secretary witch's office, the group made their way back to the Atrium. They knew there were probably loads of reporters still hanging about, but the Atrium floo was the quickest way out of the Ministry. Sirius heard Dumbledore say now that he had his sentencing papers, everything else could wait, and it would be best to leave as quickly as possible. As they neared the Atrium, the level of noise made it clear that Minister Scrimgeour was holding a press conference and the group decided to sprint to the floos.
"Where are we flooing to?" asked Remus.
"Where do you want to go?" Andromeda asked Sirius.
Sirius thought about it. "Three Broomsticks," he said, grinning. It had been far too long since he'd made Madam Rosmerta threaten to throw him out of the Hogsmeade pub.
Remus grinned, knowing his friend still had some feelings for the voluptuous barmaid, the woman who was every Hogwarts boy's first crush. "Right, so - on three?"
"Hang on!" Tonks cried suddenly. "Kingsley, can I have the rest of the afternoon off?"
Kingsley snorted. "Might as well, since you'd leave whether or not I gave my permission." Everyone laughed as they knew it was true. "Sirius," he said, turning to the animagus. "Congratulations, my friend." He held out his hand and Sirius took it.
"Thanks, Kings," Sirius said solemnly.
"Well, you all go have some fun," Dumbledore said. "I will see about getting your things from evidence lock-up, Sirius, and we shall see each other soon." Sirius and Dumbledore shook hands and the old man and Kinsley stepped into the Atrium, deliberately moving towards the other end to get the attention of the reporters and give Sirius and company time to escape.
"Okay, everybody," Tonks said. "One, two, three - GO!" she shouted, and they all ran towards the fireplaces, grabbing floo powder and leaping into the flames.
Rosmerta looked up from the bar when she heard the floo activate but, instead of the usual one customer, there were fifteen people struggling to untangle themselves from each other as they fell out of the fireplace together. Cries of "Ow!" and "Gerroff me!" filled the mostly empty pub while the wriggling mass on the hearth separated. Being the excellent barmaid that she was, Rosmerta recognized everyone there, but one in particular stood out.
She'd read that morning's edition of The Quibbler after one of her customers left it behind, and she couldn't help but remember the boy who'd tried to charm her into giving him and his mates Firewhiskey. The boy who'd made her laugh regaling her with tales of the group's misdeeds, the young man who'd stared shamelessly at her breasts while she was talking to him and ogled her arse when she walked away. There was something terribly endearing about Sirius Black and Rosmerta had been as heartbroken as everyone else when he'd been arrested. She walked over to the group and put her hands on her hips.
"Sirius Black," she said to the now-kneeling man. He froze and looked up at her warily. She smirked. "Am I to assume you've been cleared?"
"Cleared of all charges, Rosie. I'm innocent," he said quietly.
Rosmerta laughed. "Oh, Sirius, you've never been innocent," she said, reaching for him. Sirius barked a laugh and stood, wrapping his arms around her, lifting her and twirling her before setting her down again. "I always knew you didn't do it," she told him.
"Thanks, Rosie," he said seriously. "Now - I'm starved. Is there any food around?" His appetite had returned with a vengeance in the last few minutes and Sirius suddenly found himself ravenous.
"Of course! Go pick a table and I'll bring you all some Butterbeers, yeah?" she said, looking around at everyone.
The group thanked her and went over to the long dining table in the corner of the pub. Within moments, Rosmerta was back, levitating several trays of Butterbeer to the table and pulling out her order pad. When everyone had placed their order, she left and the group let out a collective sigh. It was really over. They'd won. The reality probably wouldn't sink in for a day or two, or at least until Sirius went out in public a few times and nobody called the Aurors on him, but it felt good. It felt right. Despite the almost insurmountable odds, they had prevailed and justice had won out.
The war was bound to heat up quickly now that Voldemort had revealed himself. Lines were being drawn and loyalties questioned. The time for sitting on the fence or sticking one's head in the sand were over but, for right now, it was a lovely July day. The sun was bright and warm, the Butterbeer cold, the company good and Sirius was free!
Author's Note: I've clearly been watching way too much Law & Order ;P Things do heat up in the next chapter!
Thanks, Worthfull1
