Chapter 22: Get Us Through This

Returning to the Ministry was harder than either Cedric or Harry expected; even with Remus and Amos there offering steady, unspoken support. Harry couldn't be sure-their fingers were so tightly laced together-if it was Cedric's or his hand shaking. Maybe it was both.

The walls of this building were horribly familiar, and Harry found he could not look around without remembering flashes of the nightmare they had endured. He almost had a panic attack in the Atrium. Conversation was worn thin as they made their way down to the chamber; talk was limited to the bare minimum.

Remus kept his emotions, words, and expression forcibly stoic, but Harry could almost feel the tension bubbling off the older wizard underneath that shield. It didn't seem he had slept any better than Cedric and Harry the night before, and Harry understood why. Sirius was Remus' oldest living friend, his soulmate.

It was hard enough facing the trial of his godfather; Harry had no idea how he would handle it if he was facing Cedric's trial.

We can't focus on what might go wrong in the future, Harry thought, tightening his grip on Cedric's hand and remembering what he had told his boyfriend the day before. All we can do is try to get through the present moment.

Harry could not suppress a shudder as they walked into the large chamber, filing into the lower benches below the Wizengamot. This was the place he had visited in Dumbledore's pensieve last year-the place where he had watched the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. It was the same room that had held his disciplinary hearing at the beginning of the year. And now it would hold the trial of his godfather.

It seemed to take an eternity for the minutes to tick by. The press trickled in; the nature of this case was intrinsically linked to issues about Voldemort's return, the hottest issue on the press at the moment. People, like Fudge, were scared. People wanted stories from their papers that made sense, that gave them some reassurance that someone was doing something .

Harry scowled. Fudge wasn't doing anything, not really. The information sheets printed in The Prophet hadn't stopped the mass revolt of Dementors from Azkaban, and they wouldn't stop the attacks that were surely coming. Voldemort was done hiding in the shadows now.

With a wave of depressing heaviness, Harry found himself thinking of the youngest members of the D.A. Third Years, Second Years, First Years...just kids. Here the Ministry was, wasting time trying to convict an innocent man, while the world turned into a place where eleven-year-olds needed to learn how to save a life.

The Aurors that dragged Sirius in-chained like a criminal-were unfamiliar to Harry. No one from the Order had managed to get close enough to talk to him in the last week. Dumbledore had said vaguely that he tried to get Tonks and Shacklebolt assigned to guarding Sirius but that Fudge had blocked his interference at every turn.

Harry felt a storm of resentment overtake him the moment he looked upon his godfather's face; that simply wasn't a good enough excuse. Sirius looked horrible. Not knowing better, just from the haunted light in his eyes, Harry would have assumed they had him in custody for years, not days. In the time he had been held, Sirius clearly hadn't eaten, slept, or washed properly.

The moment he entered the room, Sirius' gaze began to scan the lower benches of the chamber, scanning the rows of viewers. He looked about desperately even as the Aurors chained him to the chair at the center of the room. Finally, Sirius turned to Harry, Cedric, Amos, and Remus . A visible wave of relief overtook Sirius-Harry wanted to scream and punch someone for letting Sirius wonder about his soulmate's safety for so long.

"Criminal trial of the twenty-ninth of June," Harry felt him blink in surprise as Dumbledore's voice rang out across the room. Part of him, he realized, had expected Fudge to be presiding over the trial, but he remembered vaguely Hermione had said something about Dumbledore's reinstatement as Chief Warlock.

A powerful emotion had risen in Harry's chest at Dumbledore's voice, a fortified, hopeful feeling. Fudge did not look as confident as Harry assumed he would, if anything he looked quite flustered as Dumbledore commanded the attention of the chamber.

Sirius had still been staring at Remus, almost as if he had forgotten the world around him existed. Only Dumbledore's words had torn his attention.

"Interrogators: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock; Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley-" Harry grimaced, remembering the pain Percy had caused his family, "-Witnesses for the Defense: Harry James Potter and Remus John Lupin."

"Objection," Fudge interjected snidely, "Mr. Potter cannot be called to testify unless absolutely necessary; he is not of age!"

But you were okay with putting me in that chair, Harry thought bitterly. A steely resolve was entering him; Remus had been over what he would say when they asked him to take the stand, and he was ready.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has reviewed the request to allow Mr. Potter to testify and approved it," Madam Bones said sharply. "He has witnessed events relevant to this trial." Fudge grumbled but did not object further.

"The charges against the accused are as follows;" Dumbledore began evenly, "That he willingly leaked the hidden location of James and Lily Potter, leading to their murders and the attempted murder of their son, Harry Potter, on the thirty-first of October 1981, at the hand of Voldemort." A susurration of mutterings and shocked gasps rippled through the chamber, the press writing furiously. Harry realized grimly that the public return of Voldemort had only increased the fear of his name. "And that he murdered thirteen people at his own hand on the first of November 1981, twelve Muggles and the Wizard known as Peter Pettigrew. The accused was previously found guilty for these crimes and sentenced to a life in Azkaban. A decision of innocence here today voids him of responsibility for the offences of escaping and evading the Department of Magical Law Enforcement over the past two years. You are Sirius Orion Black, of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black?"

"Yes," Sirius said, his voice rough.

"And how do you plead to these charges?"

In the space, the silence, before Sirius spoke again, the chamber seemed to hold its breath. The press seemed to lean forward eagerly, quills in hand; Fudge stared out grimly from his pudgy face. Sirius' words-the words of a man so many had seen as nothing but a raving mass-murderer for so long-almost seemed to hit them with a physical force.

"Not guilty," he said flatly.

"The evidence overwhelmingly-" Fudge began, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Were you the Secret Keeper for James and Lily Potter?"

"No," Sirius' voice was growing with confidence now. "I was originally made out to be the Secret Keeper, that much is true. They were hiding because there were rumors Death Eaters were searching for the Potters, and I would have done anything to protect their family." He paused, turning to look at Harry, "I still would. But we believed there was a spy and...James and I decided to switch Secret Keepers at the last moment. I was the obvious choice so we asked Pettigrew," Sirius spoke the name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. The press was writing furiously. "And he agreed. He betrayed them."

"His testimony cannot be trusted!" Fudge shrieked, his voice thin. "He was at the Ministry the night He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked! He was clearly hel-"

"I was defending my godson!" Sirius snapped, and though he had not quite shouted, his words rang like a thunderclap in the chamber. A moment later Sirius took a deep breath, steeling himself, "I was defending my godson and Cedric Diggory, who has been taken under the protection of House Black."

"Ah, a lie!" Fudge declared triumphantly, "Sirius Black, you do not have the authority to take anyone under the protection of your house, you were disowned!"

"I suspect the Ministry records have taken my criminal status into account when determining this," Sirius said evenly. "As far as the Black Family magic is concerned, I am the head of my family. My capacity has been limited without Ministry recognition, but not entirely."

"This line of questioning is irrelevant to the case at hand," Madam Bones said dismissively. "The particulars of the legal status do not influence the innocence or guilt of the accused for these crimes. Please explain the events that led up to the incident on the first of November, 1981."

Harry forced himself to stay awake and attentive as the questioning continued. Fudge tried several more times to derail the questioning to talk about the more recent past; he clearly wanted to associate Sirius with the Death Eaters that had attacked the Ministry. Between Dumbledore and Madam Bones, who seemed inclined to at least actually listen to Sirius, however, the testimony remained on the crimes Sirius was actually accused of.

Sirius' composure finally began to waver as he described the scene he had found on the night Harry's parents died. Harry's eyes were wet with tears by the time Sirius began to explain going after Pettigrew; Cedric's hand found his and held on tightly.

"Pettigrew vanished ?" Fudge asked, repeating what Sirius had just said, his voice straining to sound triumphant. "How convenient for you."

"He's an Animagus," Sirius said, staring directly at the Minister. "A rat, unregistered."

"Are you actually saying," Madam Bones said slowly, "That the man you are accused of murdering is alive?"

"Yes."

"How is it that this was not brought up in your first trial?" Madam Bones asked.

Sirius' bark of laughter was horribly bitter, "I didn't have one." Again, the chamber reacted with shock.

"According to Ministry records," Dumbledore said, "That is the truth. We now call Harry James Potter and Remus John Lupin to testify on the events of June 1994, following the escape of the accused from Azkaban Prison."

"Objection," Fudge said, his voice desperately excited, as if leaping on a last hope. "Mr. Black is clearly wearing a soulmark covering. In matters of criminal cases, soulmates are forbidden from testifying in the defense of each other as they cannot be trusted to put the truth above their devotion. Mr. Lupin is also clearly wearing a similar covering."

Harry looked to Madam Bones and Dumbledore, desperately hoping they would come to their defense. "...That is Magical Law," Madam Bones said finally. "Mr. Lupin cannot be permitted to testify without removing the covering on his wrist to verify a soulbond does not exist between him and Mr. Black."

Harry was distantly aware his hand had begun to shake, though if it was from anger or fear he could not say. Part of him longed to hex the Minister, or at least jump up and punch him. Another part was terrified at the prospect of taking the stand alone.

"That will not be necessary," Dumbledore said grimly. "The defence calls Harry James Potter to the stand to testify on events that took place June 1994 on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, Wizardry and Wixenry, and Hogsmeade village."

It didn't look like any of them were getting a choice in the matter though. Remus helped him get shakily to his feet, gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, but the walk to the stand that had appeared in front of his godfather on the chamber floor was one he had to make on his own. Harry found himself wanting very much to go to Sirius and give him a hug-he looked like he needed it-but he couldn't.

The story Harry told the Wizengamot did not include the Time-Turner or the fact that Hermione and he had been the ones to free Sirius. He told them about the encounter in the Shrieking Shack, how Sirius, like on many occasions, had been only trying to protect him. There was little point in trying to conceal Remus' condition in the story, after Third Year The Prophet had had a blast dragging his name through the dirt.

Harry confirmed that he had seen Pettigrew alive, that Pettigrew was an Animagus, and that he had seen Pettigrew again the night Voldemort came back. At this point a statement from Gringotts saying that the account associated with Pettigrew had never updated it's records to indicate the death of its owner was presented. The assembled witches and wizards were, in a word, shocked.

"And was Sirius Black there the night He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was supposedly resurrected?" Fudge asked, his voice desperate as he grasped at straws.

"No," Harry spat, scowling. "At least, he had nothing to do with Voldemort's return. He was there for me though, after-when no one believed the truth. He's...my godfather," he said, his voice growing with confidence. "He's a good man-a man innocent of the crimes he was convicted for. He would die before following Voldemort."

Fudge was glaring daggers at Harry, and Harry found he did not care in the slightest. Fudge's position in the Ministry was precarious at best and they all knew it-Hermione said he would be lucky to last the month. And for once Harry was glad of his fame, with the public support swayed in his favor, with the presence of the press, his words held a weight to them.

"I believe all relevant information to the charges of the accused have been presented," Madam Bones said, giving Fudge a sideways glance. "Mr. Potter, you may return to your seat while the Wizengamot confers."

Harry did, Sirius giving him a shaky attempt at a smile, and was left to sit anxiously silent next to Cedric as notes and conversations passed behind layers of silencing spells. Several arguments broke out, but it was impossible to tell what they favored for a verdict from their angry faces. Once the Wizengamot had seemingly reached a consensus, Dumbledore spoke and his voice filled the chamber.

"It is time to reach a verdict," Dumbledore announced. "All those in favor of clearing Sirius Orion Black of the crimes for which he was convicted of and sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban Prison?"

Harry head jerked around to survey the upper benches. There were hands in the air, many of them, clearly more than half! Relief so intense struck him that he was momentarily afraid he might pass out. Breathing very fast, he attempted to count, but before he could finish Dumbledore had said, "And those in favor of affirming the past conviction?"

Fudge raised his hand, he was one of only a handful to do so.

"Cleared of all charges," Dumbledore spoke, and as he did the chains on Sirius released their hold. Two Aurors approached, and this time Harry recognized Shacklebolt.

"Come on Harry," Remus said, pulling at his arm. "They're taking him to a hall away from the press, we can see him there." Harry didn't miss the eagerness in his guardian's voice, or the relief, or the simple...happiness.

Remus and Sirius had almost lost each other again. Harry could only hope they finally saw fear wasn't a good enough reason to deny themselves the love they clearly felt for each other. Life was too fragile, time too precious, to not pull each other close.

The path to the hall the Ministry worker took them to avoided the crowded hallways and Atrium, which were clearly crawling with press. When they arrived, Sirius was already there, anxiously rubbing his hands where the shackles had bruised the skin, looking around. His eyes landed on Harry just as Harry took off at a sprint.

Harry knew he was crying as his godfather wrapped him firmly in his embrace, but found he did not care. There were far too many painful reasons to cry in his life to feel ashamed when there was a positive one. For a few, wonderful, perfect moments, safe in Sirius' warmth, something was finally right and just in the world.

Moments later Harry and Sirius broke apart, Harry turned, following Sirius' gaze to see who he was looking at. Remus was standing at the edge of the hall with Cedric and Amos, his hands stuffed in his pockets, smiling but not moving. He looked uncertain, hesitant.

"Go to him," Harry said quietly, "you two need each other."

Sirius did just that, running to Remus like his legs could never carry him fast enough. The two men embraced, whispering words no one else could hear, or was meant to hear. They only broke apart to crash back together, their lips locking together in a kiss that had been building for years.

"I'm happy for them," Cedric said, walking over to Harry and looping an arm around his shoulders.

"Me too," Harry said, leaning into Cedric's shoulder. "I was...so scared up on that stand Cedric. Once I started talking I couldn't stop and it was alright, but walking up there alone...it was hard."

"You did good," Cedric said softly, pressing a kiss against Harry's hair, "my brave, brave Gryffindor."

A smile twitched at Harry's lips and he reached up to kiss his boyfriend on the cheek. "My heroic Hufflepuff."

Back at Grimmauld Place, Sirius requested that the four of them sit down in the parlour with him and give him an opportunity to talk. Harry felt strangely nervous facing the conversation, but they were home now, he was surrounded by the people that could only be described as his family, and that made it easier. Maybe that was part of family, difficult conversations.

"First off," Sirius began, taking a steadying breath, "I have an apology to make to you specifically, Harry. I've been...I've been struggling with losing your parents for fourteen years. Not a day goes by that it gets any easier. You are...the best of your parents, and for a while I think that was all I, desperate for them to not really be gone, saw. You are so much more than that, and I am so proud of you. I love you Harry, and not because you're my best friends' son, simply because you're you."

Harry was left at a loss for words. He felt as though someone had removed a hot metal thorn from his skull that had been there for so long he had grown used to living with; only in its absence could he realize how much it had pained him. From the constant reminders that he was the spitting image of his parents, to the constant stories lauding their bravery, Harry felt pressure to follow in his parents' footsteps.

Around Sirius, that had not disappeared. He couldn't help but feel Sirius looked at him and saw James Potter, his best friend, and feel he had an obligation to live up to that. There was a reason Sirius' words earlier that term, "The risk would've made it fun for James," had stung so badly. But now...the pressure wasn't entirely gone, but it was rapidly receding. Something that had hung heavily unspoken between them, an issue they had skirted around, had been vocalized.

And somehow that made the problem so much easier to deal with.

"Second, to all of you," Sirius continued, "nearly getting thrown back in prison, nearly losing Remus, all of you, losing...losing Thea, has made me realize a lot of things. I lost sight of the importance in my life, and because of that I lost sight of all of you, because you give my life importance. And Cedric, Amos, that absolutely includes you. You are, and Thea was, every bit family to me. I swear to all of you that I'm going to do better. I swear I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get us through this."