The victorious smirk that lit up Lucius's face as he handed the orb to him five minutes later was something else,
"I confess I had doubted your usefulness Potter, but it seems that The Dark Lord's trust in you is not misplaced. He shall be very pleased indeed today."
Before Harry could inquire about the significance of the orb, the door opened and the twins stepped out,
"The hearing is about to start, Harry."
He buried his burning curiosity for the time being and stepped into the courtroom with Lucius. Harry gasped; he could not help himself. The large dungeon he had entered was horribly familiar. He had not only seen it before, he had been here before. This was the place he had visited inside Dumbledore's Pensieve, the place where he had watched the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. The walls were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches. Empty benches rose on either side of him, but ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy figures. They had been talking in low voices, but as the heavy door swung closed behind Harry an ominous silence fell.
He saw Sirius and Mr. Weasley seated in the middle of the courtroom and couldn't help the nauseating anxiety that threatened to engulf him as Lucius pushed him down to take a seat on one of the benches. He looked up at the people seated at the bench above. There were about fifty of them, all, as far as he could see, wearing plum coloured robes with an elaborately worked silver 'W' on the left-hand side of the chest and all staring down their noses at him, some with very austere expressions, others' looks of frank curiosity.
In the very middle of the front row sat Dumbledore. A broad, square-jawed witch with very short grey hair sat on Fudge's left; she wore a monocle and looked forbidding. On Dumbledore's right was another witch, but she was sitting so far back on the bench that her face was in shadow.
Harry felt the bitter taste of betrayal fill his mouth at the sight of him. He wanted to scream out everything the twins had told him and it seemed Lucius had picked up on his impulse because he felt his vice like grip on his wrist and heard him murmur,
"Do not ruin this, Potter."
Harry drew in a deep breath and struggled to calm himself as the hearing started. Every time Dumbledore talked, Harry felt venom pumping through his blood. Every time he came close to losing control over his tongue, the thought of Sirius being kissed by a Dementor forced him to halt.
When the decision was announced, Harry couldn't help but sag back in his seat as the emotional exhaustion finally took its toll on him. Lucius's departing whispered words were barely audible but Harry still managed to hear them,
"Do not fret, Potter. Dumbledore will get what he rightfully deserves. The Dark Lord shall see to that very soon. In the meantime, play nice."
When he was gone, he raised himself on his feet and walked to the center of the court where Mr Weasley was being embraced by his children. He'd been acquitted of all charges and was free to go. Sirius was still chained to the seat and Harry could almost see the fear in his eyes as he looked at him,
"Sirius…"
Sirius closed his eyes and bowed his head,
"Harry… You should go before they come to take me."
Harry felt his heart exploding with pain at the sight of utter despair on Sirius's face. He knew why Sirius was afraid… He knew so well…He rested his hands on Sirius's shoulders and spoke softly,
"You have to be strong for me, Sirius… You need to be strong for me because it will be okay."
Sirius shook his head,
"Harry, this time I fear I won't be able to escape."
Harry covered Sirius's bound hands with his,
"You won't have to… This time you won't have to escape, Sirius… Just trust me when I say that I will see you very soon."
Sirius finally looked up at him and met his gaze,
"How are you so sure about that?"
Harry sighed,
"I can't say right now but all I can tell you is that when an opportunity presents itself, don't let your principles get in the way… There is no dark or light anymore, Sirius… There's just no good or bad."
Something like understanding shone in Sirius's eyes and he was about to speak when he closed his mouth abruptly and his gaze zeroed in on a spot behind him. Harry turned around to find Dumbledore striding towards them with that sombre expression that he had begun to resent and detest with all his heart,
"I wish it did not have to be this way… I have tried my very best not to allow any harm to come to you, but I know that you shall understand that I have taken this decision for the greater good."
It took him everything he had in him to keep his face as neutral as possible when he spoke,
"I understand, Professor."
Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder gently and Harry felt his blood boil at the touch. He couldn't stand it…. He couldn't stand Dumbledore's feigned goodness…Not when he'd finally seen what he was capable of.
His self-restraint was almost at its breaking point when the Aurors made their way to Sirius and spoke,
"Chief Warlock, may we have permission to move the prisoner to Azkaban?"
Dumbledore nodded silently and Harry felt his eyes burning up with tears. Sirius looked at him despairingly and Harry spoke,
"It will be fine, Sirius…It will be alright."
Sirius just nodded and Harry took a step back as the chains vanished from around Sirius's wrists and the Aurors hauled him up from the chair and began leading him out. He knew Tom would make good on his word but that did nothing to lessen the pain of watching Sirius go.
He wasn't aware of his surroundings as his tears finally slipped free and the world around him blurred. Everything just seemed so hopeless and heavy and he felt so weak. The strength vanished from his legs and he collapsed on his knees as silent sobs racked his body.
How was he ever going to get through this?