Sirius entered the forest. Enlightened by his wand, he followed the instructions given to him by the teenager and continued to walk along the path. He walked for about twenty minutes, taking every possible precaution to advance silently through the woods, with his ears outstretched, on the lookout for the slightest unusual noise. The trees became denser and denser, and soon Sirius could no longer see the stars above his head. The moon had disappeared; he could only rely on the glow of his wand for light. Suddenly the man saw rabbits and other rodents running in the opposite direction before leaving the path. Sirius stood still, trying to see where he was, but the surroundings became shrouded in the thick darkness that his wand could not dispel. The place reminded him of Hogwarts' forbidden forest, but he had never ventured so far into the woods, even on full moon nights... Eventually, Sirius started walking again, continuing along the path described earlier before coming to a standstill a second time when Sirius felt a slight vibration against his cheeks. He waved his wand slightly, whispering -Revelio- and a few seconds later, a screen of golden light, as thin as a silk veil could be, appeared before him.
« A ward... It seems to be on the verge of vanishing,» Sirius whispered to himself.
He took a moment to ponder, weighing up the potential danger. Some wards could cause irreversible damage to whoever tried to cross them without proper clearance, and he had to arrive at his destination intact to face whoever was responsible for the whole affair. The girl who was here earlier certainly had to cross this barrier twice, once on the outward journey, and once on the return journey...If the initial purpose of this ward was to remove or keep someone prisoner, it was no longer fulfilling its intended purpose, as she was able to escape unharmed. He took a long breath and stepped forward, simultaneously reaching the other side. He exhaled, inspecting his whole body; he was still whole. Sirius had barely felt a slight shiver, hardly noticeable. From now on, he should be more careful; he had undoubtedly entered enemy territory. He considered continuing his progression in dog form but pushed-away the idea from his head. If indeed a dog could be more stealthy than a human, it would also be unable to defend itself effectively without a wand. He suddenly got alarmed when he heard the sound of footsteps crushing a twig behind him. He turned around in a flash, his wand raised, ready to start the fight when he recognized his followers, who had raised their arms in the air.
« What the hell are you doing here? Didn't I told you to stay home?" Sirius scolded the two girls.
« I could not! Staying there waiting for news was killing me! So I figured you could use some help, but I told this one to stay…" Answered Alexa, putting down her hands.
"As if I was going to let you go alone…" Said Rhéa giving an annoyed look to Alexa.
"OK…Now go back home! Both of you! I am serious, Alexa, this is not for kids." Said, Sirius.
"No way! Dad is maybe there. Otherwise, he and mom would have arrived home just after you left!" Said Alexa, arms crossed.
"Janna and Yuna are there! Janna is maybe hurt! I am going there to bring them back, whatever you agree or not…Murderer!" Added Rhéa.
"If it was James or Lily, would you just stay quietly at home, waiting?" Asked Alexa.
"OK…" Said Sirius, exaspéré, rubbing his eyes before asking. "How are you going to do that? Alexa, you are barely twelve, and you fourteen.."
"Fifteen!" Corrected Rhéa.
"Wonderful…So, how are you going to do that? Alexa, your mom, leaves the lights on at night in the hallway so you won't be afraid to go to the bathroom…" Said Sirius.
"THAT is NOT TRUE!" shooted Alexa with a furtive glance at Rhéa, who chuckled.
"Don't you dare laugh, trollop, it mainly because of you!" Sirius threw at Rhéa with a disgusted look before turning back toward Alexa." Alexa … Leave this to me. I have already seen and survived a lot. I know what I am doing. You are not ready for this. You are going to die!"
"Yes, we are not…But you are neither!" Said, Alexa. "Don't you at least want to know what is there?" She asked seriously.
Sirius stared at her poker face, trying to evaluate if she was bluffing or not, then heavily sighted before asking. "You know what is there?"
"99 % sure…Rhéa told me everything saw, and I deduced the rest… I will tell you if let me come; I do not care about her," Answered Alexa, nodding her head toward the other girl.
"So if I disagree, you will let me go there, blindfolded? "Asked Sirius.
"If you want to be stubborn and play the hero instead of listening to reason…Yes. However, If you listen to what I have to say, you will be the one to ask us to come back you up." She said.
"I will maybe let you come… Maybe…If you both swear to me that you will obey my commands, help from a safe distance, and run if anything goes wrong." Conceded Sirius.
"Deal!" The girls said in unison.
"Deal then…" Said, Sirius." Now tell me what is there."
"A gorgon." Said, Alexa.
Sirius sighed, eyes closed.
"What is the problem?" Alexa Asked, rolling her eyes.
"They are extinct… They went extinct thousands of years ago! Médusa and Perseus' story? Rings a bell? Anyway, if it's not, it's in Scamander's book; it means it does not exist!"
"Remember when you told me to stop thinking like a muggle and to start to think like a witch?" Asked Alexa.
"Yes…"
"Now, it is your turn."
"Meaning ?" Asked Sirius, frowning.
"When the ministry emissary told my parents and me about the magic world and my powers, it shook up my life and every single thing I used to believe...I do not know how to explain it…But, what I want you to understand is that it is not because "They said…", "Everybody knows that…", "Nobody has before…", that it is impossible! "She said, looking him straight in the eyes.
Sirius gauged her silently for a moment before answering. "I am not going to win this, am I?"
"You should listen to her, she…is smart…." Answered Rhéa, avoiding Alexa's eyes.
Sirius nodded. "Allright…Tell me more…"
"Janna and I were hanging out in the woods, then we argued about something, and Janna ran away…I ran after her, and I cached up with her in a clearing. There we found many statues, disposed around an Archway… A creepy Archway…" Rhéa start retailing.
"An Archway?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, it looked ancient, made of stone with a torn veil hanging and floating inside." Rhéa filled.
"That is very curious…Are you sure?" Sirius asked her.
"Absolutely...It scared Janna, so we did not get too close."
"You did well…If it is what I am thinking of, you would be dead by now." Said, Sirius.
"You know what it is?" Rhéa Asked.
"It is a passage from our world and the world of the dead." Answered Alexa, surprising the others.
"How do you know that?" Rhéa asked her, eyes wide.
"The headmaster told me once…But he also said that it was a legend."
"Well, it is not. I saw it as I see you now…" Rhéa replied.
"Allright…That's good to know…Alhough I am surprised to hear that the one in London is not the only one…" Sirius said.
"There is one…" Alexa started before Sirius interrupted.
"Tell me more about the statues."
"They are extremely realistic…People of all ages and period…They all look surprised or choked. Magic is involved, and I do not know any spell that could change a human to stone…And it had to be done very fast to explain to surprised expressions. It is also a creature or beast that must be responsible…Janna would never have been that frightened if it was a wizard of witch…" Said Rhéa.
"So if it can turn someone very fast to stone and if it is not a wizard or a witch, by deduction…The only creature that could de that is a gorgon," Alexa said.
Sirius leaned back against a tree, looking thoughtful. "I wish Remus was here; the magical beast had always have been his poison… A figure of speech and literally speaking…" he said with a low voice. "As I said before, gorgons went extinct thousands of years ago… The only ones who have ever been registered are sisters. Stheno, Euryale, and the most famous of the three, Medusa, the three of them got killed by Perseus, even if only one of the stories is wild spread…This is the only solid historical fact we got. We don't how they look or if they can change their appearances… The same goes for their powers. We only know that they could petrify living beings."
Sirius closed his eyes, stayed silent, trying to weigh in the possibility that they could be right. Perhaps it was not such a bad idea to let follow him after all.
"OK…I have a plan. We are going to walk there…Alexa, you are going to climb on a tree, you will watch my back from up there."
"You got it!" Said, Alexa.
"And you, Roberta..."
"Rhéa…"
"You are going to step in the clearing first…We do not know exactly how her powers work…Maybe she needs some time to reload before petrifying someone else, we could use that…. We are going to use you as a bait; as soon that you are turned to stone, I will attack," Sirius explained to the girls.
"How about fuck you?" Rhéa replied angrily.
"Works for me!" Said Alexa nodding at Sirius's words.
"Shut up, midget!" Rhéa shouted at Alexa.
Sirius sighed, shaking his hair. "Ok…Alexa will watch from a tree, you and I are going there together… I hope there is some truth in the greek mythology because otherwise, we are screwed… They have to look at you to turn you; we could hide behind the statues, sneak behind her back and fire all we got at her…Do not try anything stupid, stun her, or if you have something stronger, do not think twice." Sirius told Rhéa.
"what do you think I am going to do? Hug her?" Rhéa said, rolling her eyes." Anyway, I think it is not enough if she sees you. Janna said that she spotted her, but she did not turn to stone…I believe that you have to look her in the eyes or something like that."
"Why did you wait to tell me this? It changes EVERYTHING." Sirius scolded her.
"Back off, asshole!"
"What does it change?" Asked Alexa, ignoring the other.
"If she needs to look at us in the eyes to get us, all we have to do is maintain a safe distance with her and keep an eye on her feet to locate her…We could surround her," Sirius said.
"OK...However, let us hurry, please, dad…" Alexa implored them.
"We are very close…" Said Rhéa, pointing her index to their left.
Sirius nodded. "Draw your wands" before leading the way.
Less than five minutes after, they arrived at the clearing. The group stopped where the trees ended. There Sirius gave a leg up to Alexa, helping her reach a tree branch where she sat and gave him a thumb up.
"Do as we said, stay here and keep your eyes open! Light your wand two times if you see any danger, three if it's the Aurors, they must have received my Patronus by now…" Sirius instructed her.
"Got it! Good luck, Sirius! You too, Rhéa…" Said Alexa to them.
They nodded their heads; Sirius tapped his foot before entering the clearing. Rhéa was trailing him, breathing heavily, glancing furtively around her. Sirius stopped to face her, put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know that you are afraid. I am too… You can still go and stay with Alexa. I will take care of this." Sirius said to her softly.
"No…Im fine, I…The only friends I have….Since I am five years old are here, this where I have to be."
"I know that feeling…But, since we are probably going to die here…Is there something else you want to relieve yourself from?" He asked her.
She lowered her head and stared at her trainers before saying, ashamed." I regret everything. I swear that if we make it home, I will fix everything…"
"She does not need your apologies anymore, or you, magically becoming nice to her. She's worth more than the four of you combined. If you are going to do anything, do it for yourself. It is your soul that needs saving, not hers." Said Sirius kindly, before kneeling and digging the point of his wand in the ground, whispered "Horribilis revelio", then a light blue circle appeared around before expanding, traveling far away.
Sirius stood up, looking around, then patted Rhéa's arm." It is clear; we're alone for the moment, let's get your friends and look for Mr. Acker and get away from this place."
"Yuna is there," said Rhéa pointing to where the Archway stood and another direction near where Alexa was hidden." The last time I saw Janna, it was there."
"Let's split, you find Janna, and I get Yuna… Levitate her statue to where Alexa is; I will bring Yuna' s…Can you apparate?" He asked.
"No… I am too young,"
"Right…Sorry, my friends and I self-taught when we were your age… OK, when you got it, wait for me there, and be careful not to break the statue."
"OK… I will better go now." She said before heading to where Janna was supposed to be.
Sirius looked at her rushing in the opposite directions, and then turned to face the Archway, he walked toward it, his wand raised by precaution. He found his way through the statues, all these people…For how many years people disappeared in this place? Why did the German ministry never come to investigate? They must have ways to detect wards like the one he crossed earlier, after all. He arrived near the Archway, where he found a broken stele, and the statue of Yuna, like all the others, she was displaying a surprised expression, mixed with fear. Examining the teenage girl closely, he heard a whisper that startled him. He turned back; his wand pointed forward, "Lumos." The whisper intensified; he identified the source of it. It came from the Archway… He glanced at the three where Alexa was and saw that Rhéa had found Janna and was already waiting for him. He hesitated briefly and stepped closer to the Alcove. His eyes widened when he identified the words whispered…
"Sirius…" Said a young man voice.
"Who is that ?" Sirius asked, getting closer to the veil.
"STAY AWAY!" A woman screamed at him, freezing him in the spot, he recognized that voice…
"Lily?"
"Sirius…Locket…Kreacher…" Said the man's voice,
"Reg? Is that you?" Asked Sirius.
"WATCH OUT, IDIOT!" shouted at him another man's voice.
"SIRIUS BEHIND YOU!" Alexa's voice, even from far, echoed in his ears. His legs moved instinctively, and he dove to hide behind a statue, a second before he heard another statue break in pieces. He looked at what attacked him and found it standing in the exact spot he was a second before, searching for him.
It was definitely not a woman, or anything close to what he had seen before. The lower half of the body was a snake; the upper looked like it belonged to a troll; all the beast's body was covered by yellow and black scales, two smalls bat wings on its back, six skinny arms, and sharp claws. Instead of hair, its head was covered by hissing snakes, biting and eating each other's, making blood flowing on its back; as soon as the snake seemed to have died, another popped up, attacking the closest one. Sirius slipped backward between the statues, taking care not to take his eyes off the back of the watch, which was looking for him. To face it was madness; he had to go back to the girls and let the Aurors take care of it. Sirius was going to side-apparate them home before it sees them. It was the best thing to do, only, as if the beast could read his mind, it suddenly turned back, looking the exact place he was. Sirius lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze; he kept fixing its breasts; his wand pointed at the monster and shot a stunner at it hitting it right in where the heart should be, assuming it had one when the gorgon start crawling in his direction. The stunner stopped the beast for a moment, that Sirius took advantage of, running away to join the girls who were both on the ground, strafing stunners at the gorgon. Sirius could see the horror on their faces; he then understood that the spells had no effect on it and approached too fast. They were too far; Sirius was not going to reach them… He could now feel the smell of the monster and its screams; it was too close. He took a last look at Alexa, who was crying, begging Rhéa, who had wrapped her arms around her waist dragging away, to let go of her so she could help. His blood started to boil; he turned toward his pursuer in a sudden leap, eyes closed. Sirius, with a fast wand move, screamed:
"EXPULSO," and the monster that was close enough to rip him apart got, absorbed to entire explosion than blasted from Sirius's wand before getting thrown away, crushing a whole range of statues behind.
The gorgon soon got up again, shaking her head, the snakes hissing louder, clapping their jaws, spreading venom around.
Sirius was ready; he aimed at the gorgon's face, "OPPUGNO," transfiguring a cloud of crows that attacked the monster's head, furiously pecking out its eyes. The gorgon screamed in pain; two dark wholes appeared where a moment before its eyes were. The snakes on its head retaliate against the crows, killing them; the venom they spread melted the crows until they all vanished. However, it was well played; he did not risk getting petrified anymore; Sirius could end this fast if he made the right moves. The key was to keep the distance; do not be touched by that venom. He was ready to strike again when the gorgon started screaming again, this time not because of the pain, but as if she was calling someone or something. His guess was right; the statues surrounding him started to move, came to life, taking him as a target. A man on his right tried to grab his arm, but Sirius quickly blasted him with a –Bombarda. He was surrounded, all the statues around him wanted to get hold of him, he kept swinging his wand destroying them until he got outnumbered, the gorgon moving in his direction, attracted by the sound of the explosions provoked by the spells Sirius was shooting and the statues crashing. He turned to his german Shepard and escaped, slalomed between the statutes, he ran until he snuck behind the gorgons back and regained his human form, wand raised ready to end it.
"AVADA KEDA…" He started, only the gorgons must have smelt him, she turned to him and surprised him when her arm lengthened so fast, Sirius could not duck, and her hand closed on his neck, forcing him to drop his wand to try to release himself from her hold.
The gorgon started to drag him in her direction, her mouth wide open, showing him her teeth shaped like daggers. He closer to his death second after second, suffocating, until he saw a silvery glow shape landing on the monster's arm, cutting it and freeing Sirius at the same time. The gorgons screamed in pain, pressing her bleeding arm against her. Sirius looked at his right to find Alexa, face pale, holding a long silver sword with both hands, encrusted with rubies and emeralds. She handed it to him; he grabbed the sword for her and ran toward the gorgon that was not paying attention. With a sword swing, he cut the gorgons belly horizontally, making her fall on her knees. Sirius ducked to avoid the snakes who tried to bite him and attacked a second time aiming at the gorgons neck, giving her the coup de grâce, making her head roll on the ground away from the rest of the body.
Sirius fell on his knees, breathing heavily, his hands shaking like never before while the sword was fading. It was over.
He looked at Alexa, whose eyes were traveling between the gorgons head and body that was emptying itself from its blood, then she fell on her knees, throwing up. Sirius stood up and joined her, patting her back, helping her to get on her feet.
"Alexa, that sword…"
"I do not know; it just appeared in front of me…" She said, breathing deeply.
"Ok…Anyway, you did very well! You saved me! I thought she was going to break my neck." He whispered.
"You're welcome…See, it was good you did not come here alone…" She told him, cleaning her mouth.
"Yeah… Where is Rhéa?" Sirius asked.
"Here!" Said Rhéa, who was running toward them, a big smile on her face, holding another girl's hand.
They reached them; Janna leaned on her friend, who passed an arm around her shoulders. She gave them a weak smile before her eyes found the corps of the gorgon. Unfortunately, around them, all the statues did not react the same way. All the statues crumbled, then hundreds of ghostlike forms rose from the wreckage, the faces of all the ones whose life ceased due to the work of the monster smiled at them before being sucked into the Archway. Three individuals were standing amid the debris, gazing around in amazement, and Sirius soon found himself alone with the dead gorgon as an only company when the three girls started running toward them. Watching, Alexa jumping in her dad's arms, Janna and Rhéa hugging, in tears, the two girls who have been missing for months made Sirius happier than he ever before. Since the day he took the Hogwart's Express, he has been blessed to leave so many beautiful moments than he could count; however, what made this one such particular is that he contributed, so others do not lose their loved ones. That Alexa wasn't yet going to experience that hurt. This is something worth dying for, not fame or gold. Alexa let go of her father and smiled at him, waving at him to come closer to meet her dad. He headed toward them; Alexa met him halfway, took his hand, and dragged him to where her father hat sat.
"Dad! Meet Sirius! Or human form Sirius! Sirius, you already know my dad, Benjamin Acker." Said Alexa, waving a and between them.
Benjamin shook Siriu's hand vigorously, smiling at him. "I guess you are the magic dog ?"
"Your guess is right, sir," answered Sirius.
"Call me Ben please…Thank you…For saving me, my daughter…For everything. I don't know how all this happened; I remember slowing down due to a punctured rear tire, stopping to fix it, then nothing until I woke up five minutes ago. "
"To be honest, I am the grateful one… I learned more from your family and your daughter than I could have imagined." Said Sirius, resting a hand on Alexa's head." Can we talk?" He asked her.
"I will leave you alone!" Said to them, Mr. Acker stood up before heading to check on the other girls, leaving them.
Alexa pointed at the destroyed statues. "Why didn't they come back to normal?"
"I don't know know…They must have been turned a long time ago…I guess that those girls." He said, pointing at Kaia and Yuna." Survived thanks to the magic flowing in them. It protected them to a certain point…They would have probably died if they have stayed longer…On the other hand, your dad has been petrified for a few hours only."
"I see…Poor people…At least we managed to bring back the ones we came for…And it is dead, it will not hurt anyone anymore."
"You are right…" said Sirius looking at the Archway, thoughtful.
"What is it? You have seen how it sucked all the ghosts?"
"Yes, but it is not that…I heard voices coming from it, I heard James, Lily and my brother…" Sirius answered.
Alexa looked at the Archway silently, the headmaster said it was a gate to the world of the dead, and the events of the evening proved him right.
"Do you think they are on the other side? That they can see us?" She asked him.
"Yes, I am positive. It was them. Anyway, it is not what I wanted to talk to you about…"
"What is it then?"
Sirius glanced at Mr. Acker and the teenagers chatting; he passed an arm around her shoulders and led her away from the Archway and the group.
"It is time for me to leave…But before I do, I want to tell something, in case we never see each other again." He said to her.
"Sirius, do you really have…"
"Yes, I do not have a choice, when the ministry is going to find out about this place, you can be sure that this village is not going to remain the calm place far from the world…Anyway, what did you learn from all of this?"
She looked at the girls laughing at her father's jokes. "I have learned that people can change as long as we give them a reason to…"
"And about yourself?"
She looked at him straight in the eyes." That I can do more than I think I can." She said firmly
"Never forget that." Said Sirius, smiling at her.
"How about you? What did you learn?" She asked him.
Sirius raised his eyes toward the sky, sprinkled with stars. "The grief, the pain that follows, I believed that it was going to change me…To make me take a path where only more pain was waiting for me at the end. That I will have to keep running away, curled in myself, unable to show my face to the world. The time I spent with you, watching your family, made remember how to smile, love, and the time of hiding was done. I will do what I must do to survive when I am ready. I will go find Peter wherever he's hiding; I will track Voldemort himself if I have to…But, I swear that I will prove my innocence and go find Harry."
Alexa hugged him tightly. "I swear that I will make sure that everyone knows what you did here! You will always have me on your side!"
"I know… I am your hero, after all!"
"You had to ruin the moment, and I SAVED YOU!" She said, laughing, wiping a tear from her eye.
Suddenly, what seemed like several gunshots sounded around them, then a light dome started to take form in the sky above them.
"Must be the Aurors! If I leave right now, perhaps I can break through their ward!" he said to her. He hugged her strongly against him, took a last look at her before transforming to a dog and running toward the threes and disappearing in the darkness of the woods.
On the top floor of a skyscraper, Leonard Leopolz was kneeling on the parquet floor. In front of him were the five men standing on top of the world in a private lounge. All of them looked as they were in the prime of their lives, although they were way much older than they seemed to be. If all the wizards and witches in the world would join forces to face even one member of this council, they would not even be able to scratch him. If respect was due to them, Leopolz was not kneeling only to show his respect; the magical pressure that irradiates from them barely allowed him to breathe. Their very existence was unknown to the world, yet nothing happens in the magical or Muggle world without their consent. Everything was part of a plan they only knew about. Their origins were a mystery, even to those who had dedicated their lives to the last order. Leopolz, after fifty years under their command, only knew their names. Each one of them represented a continent.
Gabriel Gago, Douglas Bradley, Assimi Ndaw, Konstantin Sourorov, and Kenzo Endo.
"We are ready to hear your report Leopolz," Lord Gago declared.
"My lords…As expected, the wards around the Archway weakened, and we could approach it."
"Were you the first to get there or Black and two teenagers?." Lord Bradley interrupted.
"No…I was not my lord," answered Leopolz.
"Is not guarding the place your duty? I believe that was the main reason we allowed that school to be built near that location …"
"We did, my lord! For more than two hundred years, we kept watching, waiting for the day the wards were going to broke…"
"According to our source, the wards started to weakened months ago…Two of your students disappeared, and you did not even inform us." Lord Ndaw said sharply.
"Your predecessor's and yourself had only one task, when the time comes, to deal with the abomination that Slytherin placed there and retrieve the stele." Added Lord Gago.
"Instead, you allowed Black and two kids to sneak under your nose, and the German ministry to discover that place." Said Lord Bradley.
"What about the stele? Did they find it?" Asked Lord Sourorov.
"Yes, my lord…It was broken. However, I managed to steal and retrieve the pieces." Said Leopolz.
"What did it say?" asked Lord Gago.
"Nothing we did not already know, my lord…Slytherin left both the stone and the sword before crossing; the rest is related to the Potter kid…"
"Did he let any clue about what he and Gryffindor were up to?"
"No, nothing."
"How about that Auror, Elsig, did he find anything?"
"No. I killed the man in Berlin, my Lord, no long after he came to my office; I made it look like an accident, no one suspected anything."
The men looked at each other, visibly relieved and satisfied; the night's event did not have any impact on their plans. Keno Endo, the fifth member of the council and the only one still have not said a word, finally spoke.
"Thank you, Leopolz; we will not need you anymore." He said, snapping his fingers, and then a second later, Leonard Leopolz screamed in pain as his body burst into flame, burning until only ashes remained of him.
"Such a waste of time…" Said Bradley sighting.
"I do not agree; we are now sure that Slytherin did not know the truth."
"We still have not located the chamber of secrets; he may have left another stele there, on which he could have revealed more." Said Lord Ndaw.
"I do not believe he did. Otherwise, Riddle would have found it; the snake would have told him," Said Lord Endo.
"We can now confirm that the resurrection stone has been passed to his daughter, but which one? He had five daughters…" Said Lord Sourorov.
"The stone does not matter, it was lost centuries ago, and even if someone happened to find it someway, he would only be led to madness if he does not use it for the purpose it was created in the first place." Said Lord Endo.
"I agree with Lord Endo. Nevertheless, more urgent, I would like to know your thoughts about Sirius Black." Said Lord Gago." If I remember well, the last time our path crossed a Black, we came close to be exposed."
"Indeed, we could have ended it, if it was not because of than man, we could have done it more than ten centuries ago," Said Lord Ndaw.
"One thousand and five hundred years ago precisely, and we made sure to erase him from history. He died at seventeen years old and left no child behind. Sirius Black is related to him but descends from the family line of his elder brother. I believe that his presence there tonight was a pure coincidence. I have been watching over House Black for centuries, they had no clue, and Sirius Black is not the one we were warned about. I must admit that I was afraid when he and James Potter teamed up, but in the end, they were only stupid kids that meant no danger for our order." Said Lord Bradley.
"Although, there is still a Potter alive. We know that this one is definitely intended to a great destiny." Said Lord Gago.
"No, we know that he will someday have to face Riddle; nothing is said about his potential." Said, lord Endo.
"We already discussed this topic, Harry Potter and Tom Riddle will face each other one day, we will recruit the victorious, or kill him." Said Lord Nourorov.
"As for the Black family, it will soon not be a problem anymore, Regulus Black is dead, and Sirius Black nothing more than a stray dog hunted by all the European Aurors, he will soon join his brother to the grave, ending the line." Said Lord Endo.
"We gave too much credit to that prophecy…A danger coming from a Black/Potter alliance is unlikely, each time a Black and a Potter married, we raised our swords, and each time nothing came, only average wizards and squibs." Lord Ndaw said.
"We are going to keep an eye on Harry Potter when he starts attending Hogwarts, in any case. I do not want another surprise like Riddle was." Said Lord Nouronov yawning. "What do you say, Lord Bradley?" he asked the man who was now facing the large bay window that gave an outstanding view of Manhattans panorama.
"I say that I hate those towers." Lord Bradley said the same moment when the telephone rang.
One week later,
The dungeons of the Ministry of Magic were crowded. Journalists came from all over Europe to attend the event. All the members of the wizengamot had been summoned for the trial; Cornelius Fudge, the newly elected Minister of Magic, made a point of publicizing the trial aiming at asserting his power, hoping to silence all those who did not consider him up to the job, preferring Crouch, or even a hamster. Kingsley, as well as all the others, had been summoned to attend the trial. He painfully freed his way through the crowd, who chatted loudly, commenting on the news or even on the possible verdict. He saw Dawlish leaning against the wall and joined him.
"I still cannot believe it, even if I was the first to arrive there…" Said Kingsley, leaning against the wall next to Dawlish.
"Me neither, mate…"
"I cannot believe a kid got him before us! A twelve years old girl!" Said Kingsley.
"I know! Savage told me that when they arrived there, he was already stunned and tied! She made fun of them…"
"I would have too…"
"Did she stun him, or her dad beat the crap out of him?"
"Both!" answered Kingsley, smirking. "He has been locked up in a cell here since; I was there when he woke up! Moody too! Imagine waking up in an interrogation room, and the first thing you see is Moody's face. I swear he looked like his soul was going to leave his body…"
"Speak of the devil…" Said Dawlish nodding his head in the direction from where Moody was coming.
He passed them without a word and opened the court room's door, then quietly all the people waiting entered the room and headed toward the seats that were previously assigned to them. Dawlish elbowed him, nodding at the couple who sat a few seats from them. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy were also present; they headed toward their places, ignoring the couple that briefly tried to step toward them to greet them.
"What is Malfoy doing here?" Dawlish asked him.
"It is not him that matters… It is his wife, Narcissa Malfoy Black…The department of magical Law must have insisted, After all, they are the only remaining relatives of Sirius Black." Answered Kingsley." That is Andromeda Tonks Black, Narcissa's sister, and her husband. Ted Tonks, great lad, he works here…"
"Right…I have seen before…whatever, they seem to have summoned all great Britain, even Weasly and his wife are here, she looks furious…" said Dawlish.
"You would be too if you had to see the guy who murdered your brothers." Said Kingsley, ironically.
"He would not have survived long enough to get a tr…"
"SHUT IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Alastor Moody, whom they did not notice sit next to them, barked at them. "It is about to begin."
Indeed, Albus Dumbledore, Bartemius Crouch, and Amelia Bones, who recently was elected to succeed Crouch, entered the courtroom. All the attendance stood up and waited for them to get to their chairs, and only then they sat back.
The two men whispered between each other for a few minutes, underlining some notes before Bartemius Crouch used his gavel to silence the room and announce the beginning of the trial. He stood up, the rest of the wizengamot imitated him, cleared his throat, and addressed himself to the Auror office's new head, Rufus
Scrimgeour, posted near the door, waiting for instructions.
"The court is ready; bring him in" Crouch, ordered.
Scrimgeour left the courtroom and returned a few minutes after, with the prisoner armed and feet heavily chained, tears running down his face, his eyes reflecting his terror. Two Aurors escorted the man. As soon as he stepped inside the room, a barrage of flashes from the journalists' cameras strafed him. They dragged him, under the disgusted glares of the attendance, the noise made by the flashes amplified by all the people who did not refrain from cursing him. Kingsley was astonished by the scene of Lady Longbottom standing up, her face deformed by rage, wand raised before his former transfiguration professor stopped and calmed her down, dragging her to sit next to her, wrapping her arms around her. One of the Aurors punched the prisoner violently in the abdomen, forcing him to get inside a cage installed in front of the wizengamot and the rest of the attendance, earning multiple applauses among the people.
Crouch used his gavel again, and the room went silent. He stood up, looked down at the cage where the prisoner was restrained, then spoke with a stern voice that blared in their ears.
"The department of magical Law and justice along with the Auror Office has decided to charge you with the following crimes:
- Working alongside the dark lord, self-proclaimed "Lord Voldemort."
- Providing crucial information to the same wizard in his attempt to murder Harry Potter.
- Revealing the secret location of James Potter I and Lily J Potter to the dark wizard, leading to their murder.
- The murder of thirteen muggles, including two minors.
- Accused of being a fugitive of the ministry of magic, the department of magical law, and justice.
- Conspiracy against the ministry of magic and the British magical community.
- Accused of taking part in the murder of Fabian and Gideon Prewett.
- Accused of failing to register as an animagus and taking advantage of it to hide from this court and avoid justice.
How do you plead? Peter Pettigrew."