A Sirius Beginning.
After the news at Breakfast put me in a rather cheerful mood, I made my way up to check on Astra, only to see her meet me halfway when coming up the stairs. We almost ran headlong into each other.
"You're actually out early?" I asked her.
"Well, there was no reason for me to wait," Astra told me. "So, what are you telling them about me?"
"Not much," I told her. "It's up to you what you want to do from here. I'd like it if we could stick together, but asking you to attend Hogwarts with me is asking a lot. Given everything you've been through."
"Well, I'd like to stay with you, but I'm not sure if I could tolerate this place as much as you can," Astra said. "I don't suppose they would just let me crash here for no good reason."
"Don't know, haven't asked," I said. "We'll cross that bridge after Sirius's trial."
"Oh, right, you're supposed to get him out and get custody of him."
Astra looked off into the distance for a second.
"Can't help but this is meant to be a gift," Astra said. "A second chance to have the rest of our childhoods together. It just feels like a burden, knowing what awaits us later. And until our bodies mature…"
"You'll be a beautiful young woman again, soon enough," I told her.
Astra smiled in spite of herself.
"I know you're frustrated as much as I am. But, thanks."
"Any time, Honey Badger."
Astra's smile was a little less forced as I put my arm around her. The two of us enjoyed a moment for later. I can tell something was bugging Astra, and the same thing was bugging me. If we went back into our past bodies, there might have been others.
"We're just going to have to see if we run into any old friends," I said. "Or fiends."
We stopped our conversation as we heard footsteps coming up the steps. Any conversation about the future and what laid ahead would wait because someone, or rather two someones came up the step.
"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter. Just the man we were looking for, eh, Fred?"
"Damn, straight, George."
Hey, Fred and George, I haven't talked to you two, since well I have not spoken to you yet on this go around. I supposed me being in Ravenclaw and you still being the bane of the Gryffindor house factored into it a little bit.
"Well, if it isn't the infamous Weasley Twins," I said.
"Well, infamous, that's actually a pretty good word to describe us," George said.
"I would have preferred dashing and daring, and dynamite, and a few other Ds, but we'll settle for infamous," Fred said. "And you're pretty infamous yourself, young man."
"Oh, and how am I infamous?" I asked.
Fred and George exchanged shocked faces.
"Come on, man!" George said. "You can't be serious. The first night here, you stood up and questioned Dumbledore."
"You've got some stones for a firstie," Fred continued. "And made some good points."
"No one wants to make those points, but you did," George said. "And there was the incident with Quirrell."
"Oh, complete accident we know," Fred interjected. "But, people talk and pretty soon, they'll be talking about how Harry Potter can set teachers ablaze with his mind."
I smiled, as much as I enjoyed their banter, I did want to tget to the point.
"Gentlemen," I said.
Fred and George looked around before they settled down.
"Oh, he means us," George said. "Listen, we want to apologize on behalf of Percy. He's too stubborn and has his head up his own…well you know."
"I do know," I said.
"Well the point is, he should have not tried to throw his weight around," Fred said. "McGonagall was practically fuming. I don't think she likes getting lectured by a former Death Eater that much."
"To be fair, she might be crazy, but Lestrange has some good points," George said. "And he lost us a hundred points. And he's on probation, one more slip up like that and it's bye-bye to his Prefect badge."
"Wouldn't be surprised if Mum sends him a howler," Fred said, shuddering.
Note to self, invest in earplugs.
"Well, if Percy ever gives you any trouble, we'll have to sort him out for you,' George said.
"Thank you," I said. "But, I don't think Percy will be giving me any more trouble."
"Oh, he won't," Astra said.
Fred and George turned to Astra, noticing her for the first time.
"Well, I don't remember seeing you at the sorting," George said.
"I'm Astra, and I'm Harry's…"
"Twin sister," I said.
Astra blinked and stared at me. I just smirked and Fred and George looked at me, with my dark hair, lighter complexion, and green eyes, and then to Astra, with her brown curly hair, dark skin, and brown eyes. Our expressions matched, as if daring Fred and George to contradict what they said.
"Well, I guess I can see the resemblance," George said.
"Really, I can," Fred said. "Didn't know Harry Potter had a twin sister but I'm not going to argue, am I?"
"No, sir, we most certainly are not," George said.
Best decision you two could have ever made.
"Good boys," Astra said. "Also that's an interesting piece of paper you two have."
"Oh, this, well we…it's just something we picked up," George said.
"It's a map of the school," Fred said. "Look at it here."
Oh, Astra, good eye, I had almost forgotten about the Marauder's Map. Fred and George showed us the map and how it worked. Granted, the Map was not perfect, but it's framework set the stage for several other useful items I and others invented in the future.
"Well, this is some map," I said. "I want it."
"You would?" George asked.
"You are willing to cut a deal with us, like you did for Ron and his rat?" Fred asked.
"He told you about that."
"Think you're kind of bonkers paying one hundred and fifty galleons for a pet rat," George said.
"I got the money from betting Draco Malfoy that he would be in Hufflepuff," I said.
And considering this is the first time Astra heard this story, she looked extremely amused.
"I'm willing to fund any business ventures you two would undertake in the future," I said. "And I will make you your own copy of the map."
"Well, Fred and I wanted to open a joke shop after Hogwarts," George said.
"Mum doesn't approve of us, and she's badgering us about being more serious in our studies," Fred said. "She wants both of us to be prefects."
"She does realize you can't both be, prefects, right?" I asked. "Hogwarts bylaws state that there must be one male and one female prefect chosen for each group."
Fred and George shrugged. Obviously, they did not consider that. Likely because, they had no intention of being prefects in the first place.
"And she should appreciate the sons she has," I said.
"Do you think you could tell her that, mate?" George asked.
"Maybe, I will," I said. "If you give me the map, I will give you a copy, fund your business ventures, and tell off your mother, on your behalf. But only this once."
Fred and George looked absolutely giddy at the prospect. The incident involving me telling off Dumbledore had achieved legendary status, even though I personally feel it is mild.
"Brother mine, I think we should reconsider the joke shop thing," Fred said.
George nearly bugged his eyes out. I had been curious to see where Fred was going with this.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Well, some service where we get Harry to tell off people might be very lucrative," Fred said. "But, we have a deal, don't we?"
I shook hands with the twins, and they passed me the Marauders Map. I held in my hand a real piece of history. It was primitive compared to what was developed in the future, but it held certain sentimental value. The twins moved off, talking amongst themselves.
"Twin sister?" Astra asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Mmm hmm."
"And somehow not the kinkiest thing we've roleplayed."
Crouch's credibility being tanked and Dumbledore being incapacitated at St. Mungos made me feel really good about today and Sirius's trial. Nothing was assured until Sirius had been judged innocent and was a free man.
I, along with Astra, walked in the Ministry of Magic, where Amelia had been waiting for us. And I noticed Andromeda Tonks walking up behind her.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Amelia said.
"Busy day?" I asked her.
"Well, finding out a senior Ministry employee has been keeping his son underneath the Imperius Curse and hiding him underneath the Imperius Curse for years on the eve of the biggest trial in magical history, means I'll be busy for at least the next few weeks," Amelia said. "This is Andromeda Tonks…"
"The eldest Black sister," I said.
And oh, don't "actually" me, about the ages of the three Black sisters. Andromeda is the oldest, Bellatrix is the middle child(and how), and Narcissa is the youngest. It makes more sense this way, than whatever a certain author said.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter," she said to me. "And this is…"
"Astra Logue," Astra said.
"Natalie's daughter?" Andromeda asked.
"You knew my mother, did you?" Astra asked.
Andromeda closed her eyes and looked sad.
"I was helping Natalie try and legally get custody for Harry, until the accident," Andromeda said. "And Dumbledore sealed all the records away and blocked any further questions about your custody. And Minister Bagnold passed an act, barring anyone from the magical world from having any contact with you prior to your Hogwarts letters."
Yeah, imagine that. I literally cut Dumbledore too much slack when I first came back.
"It's worse than that," Amelia said. "As far as the Magical or Muggle world knows, Ms. Logue doesn't exist anymore and never did."
"I know," I said. "Dumbledore did it to protect me from the truth."
Amelia likely had questions, but I cut her off. We were going to be spending too much time going over a very tangled and extremely muddy situation otherwise.
"Madam Bones, today is about Sirius Black," I reminded her.
"Worry about me, later," Astra said. "Thanks for all of your help, Mrs. Tonks."
"I wish I could take this case, but given I'm a Black by birth, conflict of interest," Andromeda said. "But, Miranda will take it and she's been looking to sink her teeth into a case like this for a long time."
"Yes, I have," a short, very attractive, Latina woman said in her early twenties. "Miranda Brocklehurst, at your service."
"Any relations to Mandy Brocklehurst?" I asked her.
"Baby sister," Miranda informed me. "Youngest of five sisters, Mandy is. I understand if you want someone more experienced, but…"
"If Andromeda vouches for you, then I trust you'll do everything necessary" I said to her.
She looked a bit nervous. I hoped she could handle it. But, given she also had something to prove, I had confidence she would come through for Sirius in the end. It was not going to be an easy row.
"Mandy told me all about you," Miranda said. "But, you're not like any eleven year old that I've ever met. No offense."
"Trust me, I had to grow up quickly," I told her.
Astra stood beside me, and looked surly, at what she knew for a fact I had to go through.
"I've consulted Mum and Dad on this," Miranda said. "I won't let them down, or you down. We got a pretty good case here."
"She does," Andromeda confirmed.
It was time to head down to the courtroom.
"The official account given by the Ministry of Magic is that Sirius Black betrayed Lily and James Potter to Lord Voldemort…"
Half of the courtroom flinched. Miranda had been brazen enough to say the name, without shivering. I like her a lot already.
"Steel yourself, because his name is part of the story," Miranda said. "Sirius Black betrayed Lily and James Potter to Voldemort. And then a mutual friend of Black and Potter, Peter Pettigrew, went after the Potters. The end result was catastrophic, with twelve Muggles and one wizard, Pettigrew, dead. Several others were injured. Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban prison without a trial. And the case was closed, until very recently. I ask you, if Sirius Black did commit these crimes, would you want to know why? Would you want to know beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Sirius Black, who was responsible for one of the largest and most horrific atrocities in our magical community? Today, I will prove before the Wizeganmot, Sirius Black is innocent of all crimes, and the guilty party lived a comfortable life for ten years until he was uncovered. And he was only imprisoned on the word of Albus Dumbledore, who's credibility comes into question now more than ever, and by Bartemius Crouch, a man who has his own credibility issues over the past day."
The Wizengamot had listened rather well. The lawyer representing the Ministry stood, and would you believe it was one of the Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban by crying Imperius? Corban Yaxley stood and looked around, looking down at his nose at me and Astra, before he turned around.
"As ambitious as Ms. Brocklehurst is, to make a name for herself, to live up to the legacy of her parents, I feel we should stick to the facts of this case," Yaxley said. "Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban due to his brutal slaughtering of twelve Muggles. And even if by some miracle, Peter Pettigrew survived, he was justified in his fear of living in hiding for all of those years. And the only reason we are even entertaining this case, is because some rabble rousing brat has decided to ask too many questions. Well, let him ask, and let me prove to you, that Sirius Black not only belongs in Azkaban, but should have received the Dementor's Kiss for his crimes."
Yeah, I don't think there is a mineshaft deep enough for me to drop this smug bastard down.
"Very, well," Amelia said. "Let's call Sirius Black to the court to allow me to give his side of the story, which he should have given ten years ago."
Sirius, in chains still, had been led out. Miranda stood in front of him.
"Mr. Black, were you the Secret Keeper of Lily and James Potter?" Miranda asked.
"No," Sirius said. "It was our intention, and Albus Dumbledore believed me to be the Secret Keeper, but we decided to bluff everyone. We pulled a fast one by allowing Peter to be our Secret Keeper…"
"And by Peter you mean…"
"Peter Pettigrew, an old friend of myself and James from Hogwarts," Sirius clarified. "I regret that I made the suggestion to switch. Because, not even a week later, the event of that Halloween night happened."
Sirius looked rather somber, giving the entire story. I heard this one before, about how he tracked down Peter and how Peter turned the tables.
"I was put in Azkaban without a trial, something which no one questioned, until ten years later," Sirius said.
"Mr. Black," Yaxley said. "If you were so innocent, then why did Albus Dumbledore not even speak on your behalf?"
"You would have to ask Dumbledore about that," Sirius said.
I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Yaxley was not incompetent and had done his homework for this one. Not going to make this one easy, are you?
"Albus Dumbledore is the all loving leader of the light," Yaxley said. "He gives people second chances, and yet, he did not give you a second chance. Or maybe you already had a second chance and you broke Dumbledore's trust. Is there some dirty secret that Sirius Black wishes to share with the court about why Albus Dumbledore did not trust his word and work to give him a trial…"
"Objection," Miranda said. "This isn't relevant to the facts of the case."
"Stay on topic, Mr. Yaxley," Amelia said.
"Of course, Madam Bones," Yaxley said. "Well, who performed the Fidelius Charm if not Dumbledore?"
"Lily did," Sirius said. "Dumbledore trusted she could do so."
"And you didn't trust Dumbledore, did you?" Yaxley asked. "Much like many followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you did not trust Dumbledore."
"That's not…we wanted as few people as possible to know," Sirius said.
This looked rather bad, and Yaxley pounced on an unfortunate hole I was now seeing . As much as I distrusted Dumbledore, many still regarded him as the pinnacle of all things holy and great.
"But, surely, you should have informed Dumbledore, in case something went wrong," Yaxley said. "And given, Lily Potter is dead, we have your word on the matter."
"It's the truth," Sirius said.
"Oh, of course, Lily could have performed the charm," Yaxley said. "But, even by some sliver Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper, you were caught at the scene of the crime. Laughing like a mad man. You had to be restrained and hauled off. And you were muttering about how it was your fault that they were dead. Do you deny that Sirius…"
"No, I can't..but you see…"
"Let the record state that Sirius Black claimed he was responsible for their deaths," Yaxley said. "And Dumbledore would not give him a chance to prove himself. Dumbledore gives chances out like candy."
"I said I was responsible, because I made a mistake and trusted the wrong person," Sirius said. "And for that, I'm sorry. I can't tell you why Dumbledore would not give me a chance."
"No further questions are needed," Yaxley said. "Well, Ms. Brocklehurst, that was illuminating. Perhaps you would like to call your next witness."
Sirius looked a bit nervous, and I could not blame him. Dumbledore was still respected and loved by many and Yaxley unfortunately brought up a good point. Dumbledore refused to give Sirius a chance, when he gave so many. I had my ideas, I'm sure Sirius had his, but that was hearsay. And Sirius's own guilt implicated him just a little bit.
"Well, Ms. Brocklehurst?" Amelia asked.
Miranda was a bit nervous, and I hoped she could pull through. Yet, she recovered quickly. She had to.
"Bellatrix Lestrange."
Well, business has picked up.
Bellatrix cleaned up about as nicely as possible. The entire Wizengamot watched one of the most notorious witches in all of Britain step into position. I hoped Miranda could recover this one. Astra reached over and grabbed my hand gently from where we were seated.
"It will be okay, Green-Eyes," she whispered in my ear.
"I know, Honey Badger."
"State your name, for the record," Miranda said.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Bellatrix told the court. "I know many of you have heard of me. I've done many horrific things, murdered many blood traitors, half-bloods, and Mudbloods in the name of the Dark Lord. And I pride myself in being the Dark Lord's most notorious follower. A title which was falsely given to my pathetic blood traitor of a cousin, because you are too ignorant to do any work."
"Are you telling us that Sirius Black never followed Voldemort?"
"I'm telling you precisely that," Bellatrix said. "And just this morning, I swore an Unbreakable Vow, telling the entire court that I would tell the truth and nothing but the truth. And the truth is, that Sirius Black is not only innocent of being the Dark Lord's most notorious followers, but he was never a Death Eater. I was a member of a select few that the Dark Lord trusted, and he told me of a spy in the ranks."
"And who was that spy?"
"Peter Pettigrew," Bellatrix said. "And I saw him with my own eyes. The pride in his eyes, finally being worth something. His life had value, because he delivered the Potters to the Dark Lord. He was so giddy, when he told the Dark Lord, that the Potters chose him, on Sirius's suggestion. Dumbledore did not even know, which made the Dark Lord even more pleased. Lily Evans must have cast the Fidelius Charm, clever little Mudblood she is."
Several members of the court cringed at Bellatrix's statement.
"So, did Pettigrew inform Voldemort that Lily cast the Fidelius Charm?"
"Yes, that's what the little rat claimed," Bellatrix said. "Dumbledore trusted her to do so, due to being a prodigy in Charms. It led my master to his unfortunate setback that night. Someday though, he will return."
"Sirius Black never was a Death Eater? Never the Secret Keeper? Never the Dark Lord's most notorious and faithful follower?"
Bellatrix's expression grew ugly.
"Never on all three, and double never on that last one," Bellatrix said. "I was the Dark Lord's most faithful and most trusted servant. And he will reward me when he returns. And will punish the spineless vermin who cried Imperius Curse when the heat was on him. I braved Azkaban for him unlike others who wil remain nameless.
Bellatrix flashed a smile in the direction of Yaxley, who lost his smug demeanor for a second. Unfortunately, only the most observant noticed him.
"I swear on my life and on my magic, that Sirius Black was never a Death Eater," Bellatrix said. "And the fact you continue to speak these lies, proves that the Ministry is full of cowards who would go with the most convenient explanation and rather engage in any critical thinking."
It never is fun being called out on your bullshit by someone like Bellatrix, is it?
"Thank you, Mrs. Lestrange," Miranda said.
Yaxley walked up to face Bellatrix.
"Mrs. Lestrange."
"Spineless twit," Bellatrix said. "Been a long time, hasn't it?"
Yaxley remained stoic. I hoped Bellatrix could rattle him.
"Yes, it's been a long time since your master held me and several pillars of society underneath the Imperius Curse," Yaxley spat. "And I feel like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named may have chosen to withhold information from you…"
"Oh, for a man who was underneath the Imperius Curse, you seem to have a lot of insight into what the Dark Lord thinks," Bellatrix said.
"Black is your cousin," Yaxley said. "Therefore, you would stick up for him."
"If Sirius Black actually was a Death Eater, I would sing his praises from the top of the highest mountain peaks, about how he finally saw the light," Bellatrix said. "But, I swore an Unbreakable Vow, and there's really no way to circumvent it."
"And yet, you were unwilling to take Veritaserum in a court of law," Yaxley said.
"Because, you idiot, Veritserum can be counteracted," Bellatrix said. "Due to strict Ministry guidelines, you have to get the consent of the person you are administering it to. And if you get a person's consent, a person knows what's coming. Therefore, a well-prepared witch or wizard can prepare for it. That is why it's not admissible in a court of law."
True, very true. Veritserum was much like Polygraph tests were in a Muggle Court. Just too many ways around them, and too many false positives or negatives.
"Can you say you only agreed to defend Black because you felt threatened by the fact he might have been more valuable to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named than you were?" Yaxley asked.
"I swore an Unbreakable Vow," Bellatrix repeated. "Are you willing to do the same and repeat the claim about how you were under the Imperius Curse?"
"That's irrelevant!" Yaxley snapped.
"Oh, I say it's very relevant," Bellatrix said.
"Minister, I want this woman held for contempt of court!" Yaxley yelled.
"Oooh, Minister, the big bad Bellatrix is being mean to me with the twooth," Bellatrix cooed in her baby talk voice.
"Mrs. Lestrange, compose yourself with dignity," Fudge said. "Or I will have to ask you to leave."
"Oh, you trusted me with the students of Hogwarts, but you can't trust me here?" Bellatrix asked. "Remember, how you made me the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I remember that."
Fudge looked like he was regretting that choice right about now.
"This woman is unhinged, and I think her statements should be disregarded by this court," Yaxley said. "Lets not forget what she did to the Longbottoms."
"Oh, I'm sorry, but I thought Sirius Black was on trial, not me, because you already gave me my trial!" Bellatrix yelled. "And oh, it's always the Longbottoms. I swear they looked pretty lucid when I left them. But that was before Barty Crouch's Gestapo curbstopped me into the ground…"
"You aren't an innocent party in this…"
"Let me…"
"ENOUGH!" Amelia snapped. "This is a courtroom and not a circus."
Damn it Amelia, it was getting good. But, I suppose she had a point.
"He started it," Bellatrix said.
"Just more proof that her word cannot be trusted," Yaxley said.
"And yet, you're willing to trust her as a teacher at Hogwarts," Miranda said. "With the future witches and wizards who will one day be the backbone which our magical world runs on."
"We..she's..we had no choice," Fudge stammered. "Dumbledore thought it was the best idea and I agreed. Plus, it looked good that we were giving this woman a second chance."
"So, Dumbledore, mmm?" Miranda asked. "So, Mr. Yaxley, tell me something? You said that Albus Dumbledore's word should be trusted regarding Sirius Black?
"Objection, I don't see how this is relevant…"
"Overuled," Amelia said.
"Madam Bones, this is…" Fudge started to whine.
"Relevant to the case," Amelia said. "Answer, Mr. Yaxley."
"Yes, I said that," Yaxley said.
"So, you think Dumbledore might be mistaken with giving Bellatrix Lestrange the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
Yaxley paused for a long second and nodded. I was happy Miranda pounced on that one.
"He could have," Yaxley admitted.
"So,could he have not made a mistake in not hearing Sirius Black out?" Miranda asked. "You said we should trust Dumbledore's word, and yet you're going back on what you said earlier"
"Ms. Brocklehurst, surely you can't be saying that Dumbledore was wrong here?" one of the elders on the court asked.
"I'm saying that Professor Dumbledore is a human being and prone to lapses in judgement, emotionally speaking," Miranda said. "He lost two people who were close to him. Therefore, he might have let his emotions get the better of him and allowed Sirius Black to be imprisoned without a trial. People were screaming for justice, weren't they?"
Yaxley folded his arms.
"I have nothing else to say," Yaxley said. "Next witness."
Okay, we saved that one a little bit. Although, there was still a lot of convincing to do on this court.
"Mrs. Weasley, would you identify this rat?"
Molly Weasley appeared at the court in front of us. I noticed she brought Ginny along, who was giving me googly eyes. And Astra was giving Ginny "murder eyes" in return.
A situation we're going to have to deal with later. I do not blame Ginny with her infatuation with me, or rather the Boy-Who-Lived. Those stories were fed to her by Mummy Molly at a young age. She got over it once, and she could get over it again. It just was annoying until she came to certain realizations in her life.
Molly looked at a photograph of the rat in question.
"Well, it's a rat that my son Percy named Scabbers," Molly said. "He was rescued from our garden ten years ago. November of 1981."
"A week after the alleged murder of Peter Pettigrew?" Miranda asked.
"Yes," Molly said fretfully. "We just thought he was a lucky rat. He had been very beaten up when we found him. And Percy, he took good care of Scabbers. When I learned from Doctor Chang the truth, I was horrified. This man had lived here. Scabbers…Pettigrew…he lived amongst myself and my children for ten years."
Molly broke down on the stand. Miranda handed her a box of tissues and she blew her nose on one.
"I'm sorry, it's just, I should have figured something was odd about that rat," Molly said. "Year after year, he was still kicking. He didn't look like he would last the winter when I found him. And to think, that rat was really just a man, living with my children, my family."
Molly blew her nose again.
"Scabbers was a man?" Ginny asked from her seat. "But…all of the times I caught him in my room."
Oh, damn, I really could not say anything about that. Molly blew her nose again, and was shaken.
"Mrs. Weasley," Yaxley said. "For ten years, you housed this supposed rat in your house. And you never suspected anything. "
"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO EVEN KNOW THAT MY CHILDREN BROUGHT AN ILLEGAL ANIMAGUS INTO MY HOUSE?"
Damn it woman, that was my good ear! Thanks a lot, Molly!
"Calm down," Yaxley said. "How did the rat look when you found him? Was he terrified?"
"He looked pretty skittish," Molly recalled.
"Yes, much like a man who narrowly escaped murder," Yaxley said. "Murder from one of the most notorious followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He ran for sanctuary and you gave it to him."
"Well, I guess he could have," Molly admitted.
"Yes, he was terrified, and he went to a loving home," Yaxley said. "A home which was full of a family who could protect him, in case Black ever came for him again. He could not have known that Black would be sent to Azkaban, now could he?"
"I don't think he could have," Molly said. "I…did we do the right thing? That poor man, he could have been terrified. No, maybe I should have…but I don't know."
"There you have it, that poor man could have been terrified," Yaxley said. "A mother always knows these things, ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot. Do any of you think that Molly Weasley's nurturing and motherly instincts kicking in might have been a sign that Peter Pettigrew was fleeing in terror from Sirius Black? And she recognized that."
Oh, Yaxley, you are a bastard. Well, you want to play dirty, then I can get down and play dirty with you.
"I just hope he's doing well,' Molly said. "The poor dear, he looked so scared when we found him. Always so scared. I must have had nightmares about that awful Sirius Black."
The looks on my face, Astra's face, and Ginny's face oddly matched each other.
"Mum, he was being creepy!" Ginny yelled. "He was in my room! At least once a week every summer!"
"Now, young lady, you're getting overexcited," Yaxley said. "I know it's too much to hear your beloved family pet was really a wizard on the run from a murderer. Why don't you escort her out of here, get her a calming draught?"
Ginny started to protest and Molly had also been led out of the court, along with her daughter.
I caught Miranda's eyes and pointed to myself. She looked at me for a long second as if asking me if I was sure. I nodded vigorously.
"I call Harry Potter to the stand."
Naturally, I had a plan.
"I had been researching about my life, after Mr. Hagrid told me I was a wizard," I said. "You see, I lived with my aunt, and she hated magic. Jealous of my mother, who was a witch. And her husband, who was just an awful man in general. But, yet, I was told it was the safest place. Despite the fact I lived in a cupboard underneath the stairs…"
"Objection, this isn't relevant!" Yaxley snapped.
A few members of the court shifted in an uncomfortable manner as I looked at Yaxley.
"Mr. Potter, stick to the facts of how you came to learn about Sirius Black," Amelia told me.
"Just giving a reason why I wanted to research my past," I told the court. "But, I wanted to learn as much as possible. Due to the fact that the relatives that Dumbledore placed me with did not want to inform me about my past. And one thing that came up was Sirius Black. I wanted to know more about him, so I owled a request asking for the trial transcripts. I wanted to know why the man did what he did, and why."
"Did you receive those transcripts?" Miranda asked me.
"No, because Sirius Black never had a trial. I don't understand why. We would want to know his motivation. Why did he betray his best friends? What drove him to Voldemort? I wanted to know all of these things. Little did I know that I was about to learn."
I launched into the entire story about finding out about Scabbers being Pettigrew and everything leading up to this moment, which brought us here.
"Innocent or guilty, I want Sirius Black to have a fair trial," I concluded. "After all, if we don't have faith in the Ministry to put the right men and women in prison, then how can we have faith they can protect us against those who would do us harm?"
I left this question hanging. It was one of those uncomfortable questions that no one wanted to answer.
Yaxley walked over to me to do his cross-examination.
"Mr. Potter."
"Mr. Yaxley," I said.
"You live with Muggles, don't you?" Yaxley asked.
"Yes, my Aunt and Uncle, but you know that, don't you?" I responded.
"And they mistreated you, didn't they?" Yaxley asked.
"They did not treat me with respect, because they hated magic and resented anything different from them," I replied.
"So, you must resent Muggles due to how they treated you?" Yaxley asked. "Much like Sirius Black resented Muggles, which turned him to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. So, maybe you heard of Black's case and sympathized with him, because you have similar views on Muggles?"
Oh, bless your heart Yaxley. I knew you were going to go here. I was lined up to ding Dumbledore's credibility yet again, but you just handed me the chance to torpedo yours.
"Mr. Yaxley, Muggles are much like witches and wizards, different, some, good, and some bad," I told him. "They're not a monolith, they are different. To say they are all bad, because of a select view would be like saying that all purebloods willingly followed Voldemort because of a few did."
Everyone cringed and I just smiled.
"Naturally, you didn't, did you, Mr. Yaxley?" I asked. "You were under…this Imperius Curse thing, wasn't it? Not sure what that is."
Everyone looked uncomfortable. Obviously not something they wanted to have to explain to an eleven year old child.
"It is one of the Unforgivable Curses, Mr. Potter," Amelia said. "It gives the user total control of the victim. They are pretty much a puppet on a string to the whims of the caster. You would get life in Azkaban for performing one."
"That sounds awful," I gasped. "So, are you saying, Mr. Yaxley, you were put under a curse where Voldemort forced you to do things you did not want to do? You poor man, you must have been terrified."
"We're getting off of the subject…"
"No, I'm getting there," I said. "So, Voldemort used this curse on people. Is it something that people can throw off or counter, maybe?"
"Oh, only the strong-willed can break the Imperius Curse," Bellatrix piped up.
I looked at Yaxley and a small smile tugged on the corner of my face.
"So, Mr. Yaxley was weak-willed, then," I said. "It's fine. Although kind of scary. A powerful wizard could put many people under this Imperius Curse at any time. Make them do anything! Anything! And it's already happened to Mr. Yaxley before. Who is to say it wouldn't happen again? Who is to say it isn't happening right now?"
"I'm not under the Imperius Curse. I have no further questions, take him off the…"
I blew in front of Yaxley before anyone else could remove me.
"Well, that sounds just like someone who was underneath the Imperius Curse would be instructed to say. And I'm very concerned by the possibility that poor, weak-willed Mr. Yaxley has been put under this curse again. Do you even have any way to know that someone was underneath the Imperius Curse right now?"
The members of the court all looked at each other nervously, some of them shrugging.
"You don't know?" I asked.
Miranda flashed me a smile. It was a shame we could not coordinate this better before the trial.
"Certiainly, there must be a way to determine whether or not someone is underneath the Imperius Curse or not," Miranda said. "I would hope that the Ministry did not take their word for it, when they claimed to be underneath the Curse."
"Objection, this is not relevant to the matter of Sirius Black," Yaxley said.
Oh, his nostrils were flaring.
"Don't we have a right to know our beloved public servants are not impaired, though?" Miranda asked. "I mean, if Mr. Yaxley was put underneath the Imperius Curse again, then he could be serving some invisible master and being forced to work towards his agenda."
"I agree with Ms. Brocklehurst," I said. "I'm not sure if I trust someone who has been proven to be vulnerable to the Imperius Curse in the past to be an effective defender of the Ministry of Magic and their actions regarding Mr. Black"
I looked around to the Wizengamot. I took some time to make eye contact with all of them and made sure their attention was on me.
"Unless of course, Mr. Yaxley was lying about being under the Imperius Curse in the first place. Either he's lying or weak-willed. Not a good look either way, is it?"
I punched the right button.
"Potter, you like to cause trouble wherever you go," Yaxley said. "Let us not forget, he touched Professor Quirrell during his first week of Hogwarts, and the man burst into flames."
Miranda was about to jump in with an objection, but I cut her off.
"I tried to help Quirrell up, but he got hot and burst into flames," I said to him. "And later, I found out that Voldemort was on the back of his head…"
"Lies! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is dead! Quirrell spontaneously combusted. It was a freak accident!"
I was wondering when you would hop into things, Dolores. Thank you for your unwitting assistance in this matter.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" I asked.
"The reason why the Ban on Experimental Breeding of 1965 was enacted," Bellatrix quipped from her position on the side.
Good one, Bella. And very accurate to be honest.
"I'm Dolores Jane Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
"Well, Ms. Umbridge," I said to her. "Since Quirrell's death was an accident, that means I couldn't have made him burst into flames, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said through gritted teeth. "It was an accident. A freak accident."
"Yet, Mr. Yaxley tried to attack my character, claiming that it was murder," I said. "Hopefully no one told him to do that. Perhaps under a certain curse?"
That attack to Yaxley's credibility may have swayed a few minds. But, I was not going to count my Basilisks before they hatched just yet.
"Potter, you've made your point," Yaxley said. "Leave the stand."
I graciously decided to depart. There was a lot of chatting between the members of the court. I caught Sirius's eye and he smiled, although we both knew we were not at the woods just yet. There were still a few more people to give testimony about the matter both for and against Sirius before the Wizengamot would vote on the matter.
"Tempers are getting high," a nervous Fudge said. "Might we break for lunch, Madam Bones?"
"That sounds like it would be for the best," Amelia said. "Everyone should return within the next ninety minutes."
I smiled. Lunch sounded good. Yaxley looked very much like he would have liked to strangle me. I get that look a lot.
Astra rejoined me, and we both caught Umbridge looking at us with great scorn. I get that look a lot too.
"I liked her better when she was a dartboard," Astra said.
"Really? I liked her better when she was a pile of ash."
To Be Continued.