Chapter Twenty-Six, Trials
The day has come for the Trial and Raiden was nervous as hell, he didn't want to lose Sirius only after just reuniting with him.
"Everything is going to be okay, Rai." Sirius said, pulling his Godson into his arms and kissing the top of his head. "No matter what happens I want you to know that no matter where I go, there is no place that will keep my love from you, and I will always be with you. In here." Sirius said, placing his hand on Raiden's chest, trying to be strong for his upset Godson. But he knew Jasper could feel how he was breaking inside.
"But I want you here." Raiden said heart brokenly, he was trying to be strong but it was hard. Yet again someone was trying to take his family away from him.
"And I will try my hardest to make it so." Sirius promised. "As Amelia is in charge and I've requested Veritaserum it goes in my favour. Now, why don't you go get dressed."
Arriving at the Ministry they immediately filed into the golden lifts and headed down to the Department of Mysteries where the Cullen's were seated in the viewing box, Raiden and Remus in the witness box, Jasper was not happy to be separated from his mate but he knew he was safe with Remus. While Sirius was led to the chair in the middle of the room, thankfully the chains did not bind him as Amelia was running the court, leaving a very unhappy Minister Fudge and Umbridge in the stands.
"Auror Shacklebolt, please administer the Veritaserum to Lord Sirius Black." Madam Bones requested officially. Kingsley nodded his head and stepped back once the three drops had been administered.
"Is your name Sirius Orion Black the third?" Madam Bones asked.
"Yes." Sirius answered devoid of emotion, showing the Truth Serum.
"We're you the Secret Keeper to the Potters?" Madam Bones asked.
"I was but we switched to Peter Pettigrew." Sirius replied.
"What do you mean by that? Who was aware of this switch?" Madam Bones asked sharply.
"Professor Dumbledore was aware as he cast the spell." Sirius stated, causing whispered to spread amongst the Wizengamot.
"Silence!" Madam Bones ordered, her hand held up as she peered at Sirius. "Please continue."
"I thought I was an obvious choice and convinced James to use Pettigrew as the Secret Keeper and I would be the decoy." Sirius stated.
"So you did not betray Lily and James Potter to You-Know-Who? You did not kill Petter Pettigrew, nor did you kill thirteen Muggles by blowing up a street in Muggle London?" Madam Bones enquired seriously.
"No, I had a bad feeling the night Lily and James were murdered so I went to check on Pettigrew but he wasn't at his place, there was no sign of a struggle and all his clothes were missing. I rushed over to Godric's Hollow only to find the door hanging oh it's hinges, burn marks were everywhere from errant spells, James lay dead on the stairs his wand besides him. I cried over my brother when I heard Raiden crying, hope filled my chest and I raced upstairs to his nursery.
The door was broken in and there was a large hole in the ceiling that looked like it was going to fully cave in, Lily lay in front of the cot and Raiden was screaming in his cot with a bubble around him. Accidental Magic, I thought, he was always doing things, I picked him up shielding him from the sight of his mother and calmed him down cleaning the cut on his forehead, when Hagrid took him away from me. Took him to Lily's sister even though it was stayed in their Wills he was never to go to them. Took him on Dumbledore's orders. I knew it must be a set up but I wanted revenge for my brother and sister-in-law, for my sweet Godson, and for myself. I finally cornered Pettigrew in Muggle London he started screaming I'd betrayed them, as if I could, James and I are blood brothers. We couldn't harm each other and I'm Raiden's sworn Godfather. But he, idiotic and bumbling Pettigrew got the jump on me.
He can't spell at the gas main blowing up the street, cut off his finger and transformed into a rat and escaped into the sewers, and all I could do was laugh. It was that or cry, and that was how the Aurors found me and threw me into Azkaban for twelve years without a thought and without a trial." Sirius explained, the Veritaserum slowly wearing off.
"Thank you Lord Black. Those in favour of conviction?" Madam Bones asked, looking around her only Fudge, Umbridge and a handful of others raised their hands. "Those in favour to be be cleared of all charges?" Madam Bones asked, herself and the rest of the Wizengamot raised their hands (minus the handful who voted for Sirius to be convicted).
"The Wizengamot has decided that Lord Sirius Black will be cleared of all the charges he was wrongfully convicted of in the first place. It has been noted that he has given his testimony under Veritaserum, that a Potion Master, I picked myself brewed. Raiden Lupin is no longer needed for his testimony as it is proven that Pettigrew is alive and You-Know-Who has indeed risen again by his and Mr Diggory's first hand accounts and the latter also tested under the Truth Serum. Lord Black, I apologise for my forebears lack judgement and oversight in your case and I will personally look into why this happened and test even Dumbledore under the Truth Serum if I have to.
That said I shall offer you 12,000 Galleons as compensation for the years you were wrongfully locked in Azkaban and the Ministry will also pay for your treatment with a Mind Healer at St Mungo's Hospital in a private ward. Aurors I want you to turn your attention to the immediate capture of one Peter Pettigrew, you start now. I want him captured." Madam Bones said, banging her gavel signalling the end to the trial and ignoring Fudge's and Umbridge's protests.
"Thank you Madam Bones." Sirius said, standing up and bowing his head to his old friend just as Raiden barrelled into his arms hugging him tightly. Madam Bones smiled as she made her way over to the family who gathered around Sirius with happy smiles.
"Look after him Sirius." Madam Bones said gravely, after throwing up a privacy ward and a notice-me-not ward. "There are those, Fudge and Umbridge, who wish to claim he is corrupted as he has grown up with vampires. Vegetarian ones or not. He wants to start a war with vampires and werewolves to wipe them out, claiming it's been their plan all along to join forces and corrupt Raiden." She whispered hurriedly.
"But Carlisle and Esme legally adopted him in the Muggle World and took his relatives to court and got them sentenced to prison for abusing Rai. Then I legally adopted him last year. The Potter name was changed to Lupin and I look after his seats on the Wizengamot until he's seventeen." Remus ranted.
"I know Remus," Madam Bones placated, "but you know how Fudge and Umbridge are. I and others are doing all I can to fight this but I had to warn you just in case. Now that I've declared that You-Know-Who has indeed risen it'll be in the evening Prophet so there will be nothing they can do about that. Not that they didn't try." Madam Bones scoffed.
"Thank you." Remus and Sirius said gratefully. "Take care of yourself and Susan."
Madam Bones smiled ruefully at them. "I think it's best we all pray to Merlin that we somehow survive this war." She said, bidding them goodbye she took down the Wards and left for her office to get things rolling up capture Pettigrew before the war really kicked off.
"What do you want to do, pup?" Sirius asked, spinning Raiden around making him laugh.
"I've cream?" Raiden asked.
"You read my mind." Sirius grinned, wrapping his arm around Raiden's shoulder. "Oh, there's also flavours that vampires can have to and taste just what you liked when you were human." Sirius added to Jasper and the Cullen's.
"Wicked!" Emmett shouted excitedly. "I love magic!" He exclaimed, urging his family to hurry up and leave the Ministry so he can get some amazing magical ice cream even if they didn't want any. They just rolled their eyes at him but obliged, far too used to Emmett's erratic, excitable behaviour to be bothered too much by it.
————————————————————————
Authors note: there will be a time skip to the final battle as nothing much really changes in the next few years, apart from Sirius surviving thanks to Alice's visions. The next chapter will be the final battle.