As always, I'm only playing with JK Rowling's toys. All credit goes to JK Rowling, her publisher and all the other people involved in bringing her work to life.
#
Ted's head snapped to the right so fast that the vertebrae in his neck clicked, the courtroom gave a collective gasp before the commotion began, the sound of loud whispers echoed around the room. Madam Marchbanks glared at Richard before she picked up her gavel and wrapped it three times against the block.
'Order in the court' she called out.
No-one would test her authority, every mouth closed.
'Mr Wattle, I am in no mood to indulge your games, explain yourself to the court' Madam Marchbanks demanded.
'My Lady, on my magic, I swear we are playing no games. My team have exhausted all available evidence. We have spent countless hours going over the defendant's many case reports, arrest reports, we have even spoken to every criminal and Auror that he has ever interacted with and I can say that Sirius Orion Black is innocent of all the charges that have been brought against him.' said Richard
Ted Tonks sat back in his chair considering what he had just heard from his learned friend; he looked at Sirius who sat impassively like a statue. He stood and addressed the court.
'My Lady, I have known Prosecutor Wattle for many years, and I have found him to be honest and honourable. If he says that his team were unable to find any evidence, then I will take him at his word. That being said if it pleases the court, I would like to present our case in the hope that we can fill in some of the blanks in the Ministry archives.'
Madam Marchbanks looked to her senior advisors before she addressed Ted 'Mr Tonks, I will confer with my advisors before I answer your request.'
Griselda cast a secrecy charm that blocked her and her advisors from the rest of the court.
Albus Dumbledore, Noah Locks, Carmella Beetle, Rory Button, Kerry Dovetail, and Blaze Elms considered the request. Griselda asked 'what do we gain by not hearing the defence's case?'
'I would personally like to ask Black some questions about that night, too many things don't add up for my liking' said Noah.
'In the interests of public safety, I cannot advise the case for the defence should be heard. Sirius has spent a considerable period isolated from his family and peers. I fear his testimony would be divisive and accusatory' explained Albus, Carmella nodded in agreement.
In the end, Griselda asked for a vote on the matter.
With a majority of four to two, her advisors agreed to hear the defence's case.
Madam Marchbanks cancelled the charms and banged her gavel to bring the court to order.
'My advisors have taken a vote, and we shall hear the testimony of the defendant. Mr Tonks, I must remind you that I will not tolerate your usual showmanship' said Griselda.
'My Lady, the stakes are too high for such tomfoolery. I wish only that my client be allowed to tell his story of that fateful night.' replied Ted
'In that case' said Griselda 'Call your first witness.'
'The defence calls Sirius Orion Black' said Ted clearly.
Sirius stood and made his way to the witness box; he quickly scanned the assembly before looking at Harry and giving a small nod, which Harry returned.
'Sirius Black, do you understand the charges that have been brought against you?' asked Griselda
'Yes Ma'am, I do.' he replied
'In a moment, we will administer three drops of Veritaserum, and you will be asked questions concerning the charges. We will then administer the antidote, and one of my advisors will ask follow up questions about your previous answers. Do you understand?' Griselda asked
'Yes Ma'am, I do.' he replied.
Richard and his team were as eager to hear what he had to say, the same as everyone else in the courtroom.
A court-appointed healer made her way to Sirius, out of the corner his eye he saw a subtle movement that instantly put him on alert that something was wrong.
Harry and Remus noticed the slight narrowing of Sirius's eyes and franticly looked around the room.
Ever the seeker, Harry saw the flash of something sliver emerge from thin air and rush towards Sirius. His magic flared, and everyone in front of him was blown off their feet; the silver rune engraved knife flew past where Sirius had been standing and buried its self in the wood panelling just below the Advisors.
The enabled Justice Field also locked down the courtroom, preventing anyone from leaving or entering without the express permission of the presiding officer. The assailant was now trapped in a room with several Aurors; a pissed-off werewolf and Harry Potter; to say that they were more than a little scared would be an underestimation of epic proportions.
Harry made his way to the aisle where the knife came from; he could sense that the person was still there.
'Remove the cloak, and you have my word no harm will come to you.' he said
'Really? A half-trained fourteen-year-old wizard will protect me?' said a disembodied voice that sounded very familiar.
'Trust me, Unspeakable Bode; I'm the one you need to be worried about. Come out now or...' said Harry
'Or what, you'll throw a tickling charm at me?' said Bode
Harry whispered 'Dobby, can you contain this guy for me?'
Harry saw the telltale sign of elf magic being done and walked over the where the unspeakable was and threw a right cross at what appeared to be thin air, the resounding thud of Bode being punched resonated off the walls.
No one in the courtroom moved, no one spoke, and barely anyone blinked. In the space of a few moments, there had been an attempted assassination, stopped by the-boy-who-lived and he had named and captured the assailant.
When Kingsley lifted the now crumpled invisibility cloak and found Broderick Bode, unconscious and bloody lying on the floor, his eyes widened in wonder and fear at the fourteen-year-old boy shaking his right hand.
'Remind me never to piss you off Mr Potter.' said Kingsley with a smile
'As long as you give me my wand back, you'll be fine.' replied Harry with a cheeky wink.
'ORDER, ORDER' called out Madam Marchbanks
Everyone that Harry had knocked over when his magic flared had regained their seats, some a little more dishevelled than others.
'My Lady, given the recent attempt on the defendant's life, might I ask for a short recess? I think that we could all benefit from a break' asked Richard
'No!' exclaimed Sirius to the surprise of everyone.
'I've waited for thirteen years for this day, I will not allows some arsehole to take it from me' said Sirius.
'Mr Black I will not allow the use of such language in my courtroom, it is both willful and malicious' rebuked Griselda
'I'm sorry, My lady, did you just accuse me of being skilful and delicious? Guilty as Charge!' said Sirius with a wry smile and a rakish wink towards the Presiding officer.
Madam Marchbanks laughed and said 'Ah, there is the Sirius Black we all know. Trust me, young man, if I were many years younger we might put your claim to the test. However, that being said, I am happy to allow you to have your moment in court. Healer, please administer the Veritaserum.'
Sirius opened his mouth and allowed the healer to place three drops of the potion on his tongue, he closed his mouth and swallowed. The effect was almost instant, he stared into the middle distance, and his eyes glazed over.
'Healer, please ask the control questions.' instructed Madam Marchbanks.
'Is your name Sirius Orion Black?' asked the healer
'It is' came the monotone reply from Sirius
'Which house where you sorted into when you started Hogwarts?' asked the healer
'I asked the sorting hat to put me in Gryffindor; I wanted something more than Slytherin' replied Sirius
'Was Severus Snape your first friend?' asked the healer
'Snivellus has never been my friend; he stands for everything I hate.' Replied Sirius
'My Lady, he is fully under the effects of the Veritaserum. It should last for ten minutes before he becomes lucid' explained the healer before returning to her seat.
'Mr Tonks, your witness, is ready' said Griselda
'Sirius Black, please tell us why The Potters ended up in Godric's Hollow' asked Ted
'Word got to Albus that there was a real and credible threat to the Potters and the Longbottoms. Albus decided to put both families into safe houses, under the Fidelius charm, without consulting either family. When Augusta found out what he had planned for Frank, Alice and young Neville, he had his mind changed for him.' said Sirius
'What about the Potters?' asked Ted
'James's parents had died; there was no one to stand up to Albus for them. I tried, Remus tried, but Albus would not be swayed. I should have fought harder for them.' Sirius's voice remained level, emotionless but from his eyes, tears fell freely.
'Who cast the Fidelius charm at Godric's Hollow?' asked Ted
'Albus Dumbledore, cast the charm and locked Peter Pettigrew in as their secret keeper.' came the reply from Sirius.
The crowd erupted in outrage. Various shouts of 'Liar', 'It can't be true, Albus would never...', and 'Murderer' could be heard.
Madam Marchbanks rapped her gavel on the block several times before the noise abated.
'Let me be clear; I will not tolerate any further outbursts in my court, this is the only warning you shall receive' she explained in no uncertain terms.
'My Lady Marchbanks, I must protest at this sham. Are we expected to believe that the esteemed Chief Warlock is guilty of having the Potters killed?' asked Lucius Malfoy in his nasally clipped tone.
'Auror Shacklebolt, please detain Mr Malfoy and remove him from the court.' said Griselda
'What? You can't do that, I am the patriarch of a noble house, and a member of the Wizengamot' declared Lucius defiantly.
'I can, and I have. You are in contempt of this court and will serve thirty days in the Ministry holding cells. When I sit in this chair, the authority given to me by Our Lady Magic will not be challenged by you or anyone else. Auror, stun him and remove him from the court.' said Lady Marchbanks
Lucius had no time to react as he was stunned and levitated out of the crowd and floated through a side door, while Narcissa sat motionless.
'Let this be a timely reminder that in this courtroom, my word will be obeyed. Mr Tonks, please continue' she said.
'Can you tell us why everyone thought you were the secret keeper?' asked Ted
'I was the obvious choice; James and I were best friends and partners. We did almost everything together. We decided that the best way to protect them and Peter was to employ some misdirection; little did we know that we had a rat in our midst.' said Sirius
'Tell the court of how you came to be in Azkaban, ' said Ted as he looked at his watch.
'When James and Lily moved in, we agreed to carve warning runes throughout the house. These would alert me if there was something wrong and I could get there via the floo, or I could Apparate directly into the living room. I had the same set up in my flat; the alarm went off, and I made my way there. I was too late; James had fallen to give Lily time to get Harry away. My brother in all but blood lay at the foot of the stairs. I made my way up and saw that the roof over the nursery was gone. At the foot of Harry's cot lay Lily, her eyes were opened but staring blankly at the night sky; Harry was sitting in his cot trying to wake his mum. I picked him up and carried him down the stairs; it was no place for a toddler' said, Sirius, his voice was slowly beginning to regain some of its usual tones.
'Madam Marchbanks, it would appear that the serum is wearing off. With your permission, I would like to take a moment to see to my client. This cannot have been easy for him' said Ted
Griselda nodded and said 'We shall take a short recess.'
'How are you holding up?' Ted asked
Sirius sniffed and wiped his eyes, and said 'that was one of the hardest things I have ever done, I don't know if I can keep going, Ted.'
'It's almost over, mate. Just remember you get Harry at the end of all this, you get Amy, and you get your freedom. Then you get to make James proud, not only by taking care of his son but pulling one of the best pranks the Marauders have ever pulled.' said Ted with a smile.
Sirius looked at his lawyer and nodded a sad little nod before searching out Harry with his eyes. Harry watched the interaction with Ted, and while his own heart ached for the loss of parents he barely knew, he knew that for Sirius it was like losing them all over again. The heartbreak was on his face as clear as day for everyone to see.
##
'I DEMAND TO BE RELEASED' shouted Lucius Malfoy as he hammered his fists against the door to his holding cell.
The wizened gaoler opened the hatch and peered in and said 'Ah, Mr Malfoy. I have been praying to the gods that you would be a guest in my cells. It's only taken thirteen years, now pipe down death eater scum before I come in there and make you wish that you had killed me alongside my wife' said Mr Hawkings.
'I have no idea what you are talking about, I have never met you before.' sneered Malfoy
'You would say that, but there wasn't any other scum that had long white locks or carried a snake-headed wand.' said Mr Hawkings
'I was-' stuttered Malfoy before the gaoler cut in.
'I got you bang to rights, Mr Malfoy. Don't worry, you'll have your day in front of Our Lady Magic, and when your sentence comes down, then my wife will be avenged, and my prayers answered. Keep it down please, we have other guests that need their peace.' said Mr Hawkings softly.
The gaoler closed the hatch and wandered over the cell of the unspeakable.
Mr Hawkings looked through the hatch and saw Bode sitting on the bed, Bode looked up and nodded his head at the gaoler before leaning back against the wall.
This was a particular cell that was designed for holding the most powerful prisoners. When Bode closed his eyes, he attempted to phase through the wall. The rune sequence engraved across the walls flared a little and used the magic that Bode used to power the containment matrix. Nothing magical was getting or out of the room without the express wishes of the court, Lady Magic or the stubborn old gaoler.
'Nice try Mr Bode, I'll give you that, but please stop. The next time you might not like the reaction that you get, I'm only telling you this because you seem like a nice man that has been caught up in something a bit stupid.' said Mr Hawkings.
Unspeakable Bode nodded his acceptance before laying down; he knew that had been beaten.
##
Hogwarts seemed a little less vibrant for Hermione when Harry wasn't there; it felt that apart of her was missing. Due to the ongoing trial and Professor McGonagall being Harry's new regent, transfiguration had been cancelled for the day. She had a hole in her schedule, Neville and Hannah offered to go to the library with her, but she waved away their insistences, she needed to be on her own for a while.
As she walked through the corridors of the school, she got a nagging feeling that something wasn't right. The more she tried to pinpoint what it was, the more it eluded her, so she let it go out of her mind for the time being. As she walked along a deserted corridor, she heard a soft shuffling that was on the very edge of her hearing. She kept walking, her steps never faltering.
Within the space of a few heartbeats, her wand was in her hand, she spun on the spot, and she had cast a wordless shield charm around her. An underpowered stunner deflected harmlessly off her shield, while two other stunners ricocheted off her shield behind her.
'You are a clever little witch Granger, you've got some fight in you too by the look of it.' sneered McLaggan.
'Is that the best you three halfwits have got?' she asked innocently
'We're just warming up darling, and by the time we're through with you, mudblood will be the least of the names you'll be called.' said Adrian Pucey; a sixth Year Slytherin
From the shadow of a doorway stepped Cho Chang, her soft Asian features contorted into a sneer, 'by the time these two have used you up, Harry won't touch you with Weasley's, leaving him for me, all you'll know is that you begged for it and they willingly accommodated' said Cho
'Got it all worked out have you? An almost flawless plan.' laughed Hermione
'So where is the flaw in our plan then, Granger?' asked McLaggan
'I've faced bigger and better than you three and came out unscathed; I'm not some shrinking violet, I can certainly handle anything you three throw at me.' Hermione said with a slight roll of her neck, causing the joints to crunch. 'C'mon then, one at a time or all together, it's all the same to me.' taunted Hermione.
As a contest it was over before it began, Chang and Pucey were propelled against the wall and were rendered unconscious. McLaggan was saved simply by ducking and rolling out of the way, in his haste to avoid the pulse of magic that Hermione fired at them; he dropped his wand. Hermione looked around and saw that it was just him and her.
McLaggan had a predatory grin on his face as he raised his wand arm to cast a stunner at the fourth-year girl standing before him.
'What exactly do you propose to do with that?' she asked him
He looked at his hand and realised that his wand was missing.
'Tell you what, I'll put my wand away and make it a fair contest shall I' she said as she made a show of putting her wand away.
'I'm gonna enjoy pounding you Granger.' said McLaggan.
'Only in your dreams.' Hermione said before launching herself at the older boy.
He expected her fist and leaned backwards to avoid it; what he didn't expect was the follow up from her right foot connecting with the inside of his right knee. The pain exploded as the tendons and ligaments in his knee ripped, he dropped to the floor and screamed in pain.
The anger at the years of bullying and vicious taunts about her hair, her teeth, and her intelligence that she had bottled up erupted.
Hermione Granger was usually a very calm and logical person that would try to avoid physical conflicts if she could but no more. Finding out that her husband had beaten her to death had really pissed her off.
She rained blow upon blow on the helpless McLaggan, sounds of his pained screams draw a crowd who stood in awe at the sight of the beating that Granger was delivering on her housemate, and yet no one was inclined to intervene on his behalf.
For the second time, Cormack's nose was broken, but this was the least of his concerns at the moment. Hermione had him by the hair, and her right hand seemed like a piston as she drove it against his face time and time again. Blood sprayed everywhere; his eyes had begun to swell.
Hermione let go of his hair and proceeded to deliver kick after vicious kick to his upper body and stomach. 'Yeah Cormack you'll pound me, will you? You worthless piece of shit. Just wait till Harry get his hands on you, this will seem like a fucking walk in the park, you disgusting cunt.' She screamed.
Hermione walked away from the beaten and broken body of her would-be attacker and paced the hall. The crowd of onlookers stood silent, students and professors alike. This was something that would become legend within the school.
Chang and Pucey were still stuck to the wall and witnessed the entire beating; the fact that they had both lost control of the bladders was not lost on either of them. They stared in silent fear at what they saw happen next and thanked whatever god there was watching over them.
Cormack had rolled on to his back and was breathing erratically.
'Whe...when my...my father-' he started to say
Hemione had stopped pacing and stood before the prone, bloodied figure 'When your father finds out that you tried to gang-rape a student, he'll what?' she asked coldly.
Hermione walked over to him and delivered a strong had kick to his nether regions, which caused every male watching to wince in sympathy. His high pitched squeal was a sound that would haunt many who heard it for years to come. Hermione said 'when you see your father, tell him that the mudblood Hermione Granger was the one that ended his bloodline' before delivering two more vicious kicks and ending the assault by stamping on Cormack's balls with all her might.
Neville and Hannah eventually managed to push through the crowd and saw the carnage that Hermione had left in her wake.
'We need to get you to the hospital wing' said Hannah as the approached Cormack
'Him?' asked Neville
'what? no, I was meaning Hermione. He can bleed out for all I care, the rapey bastard.' said Hannah.
'Ms Abbot, I do not care for your language; however given the severity of the accusation that Ms Granger has made, I think that in this instance I will let you off with a simple caution. Please do not make me regret this decision.' said the voice of Professor Snape as he strode from the crowd.
'Please leave this mess to me, make sure that Madam Pomfrey is aware that Mr McLaggan will be with her when I am finished with him and his cohorts.'
Neville and Hannah led the still furious Hermione to the hospital wing, once in the doors, Madam Pomfrey rushed over and saw the bloodied Hermione and said 'what on earth happened to this poor girl.'
'Cormack McLaggan, Aiden Pucey, and Cho Chang ambushed her.' said Neville
'What did they do to her?' asked the mediwitch
'Nothing, Madam Pomfrey, this is the side effects of what our Hermione did to them. Professor Snape said that McLaggan would be with you shortly.' said Hannah
'Is it indeed, well, let me have a look at her. Please take her behind that curtain and leave her with me. I promise she will be in the best of hands,' said the mediwitch.
Hannah guided Hermione to the bed behind the curtain, the realisation of what she had done was beginning to dawn of the Gryffindor fourth year 'Oh my God, What Have I done?' she asked with a hint of panic in her voice.
'Something long overdue, every girl in the school owes you a debt, Hermione. That lecherous prick has been hounding girls since his voice broke.' Explained Hannah
'But what will Harry think?' asked Hermione tearfully
'He will be so proud that you stood up for yourself and all the other girls in the school, I can tell you if anyone one of those three had laid a finger on you, Harry would have torn our world apart to find them. You are in shock but don't feel bad about this. Even Snape was impressed, and that is just about impossible for your house to do' said Hannah
Madam Pomfrey came behind the curtain and said 'Let me take a look at you, my dear.'
##
Madam Marchbanks rapped her gavel on the block bringing the recess to an end; this got Ted to his feet. 'Madam Marchbanks, my client has given testimony under Veritaserum. He is now prepared to answer some questions from your senior advisers' said Ted.
Albus Dumbledore, Noah Locks, Carmella Beetle, Rory Button, Kerry Dovetail, and Blaze Elms conferred with each other and decided on a few questions that should be asked.
'My Lady Marchbanks, if it pleases the court I would like to ask the accused about his actions that night.' said Carmella Beetle
Sirius stood and replied 'I believe that I covered that during my testimony, I will not repeat it.'
'I'm sorry, Mr Black; I meant once you had taken Harry down the stairs, can you tell us what happened then?' asked Carmella.
Sirius sighed and said 'When I got down the stairs I found Hagrid there, he had moved James from the foot of the stairs, he was distraught. He said that Dumbledore had sent him to collect Harry and to take him to Hogwarts. We argued for a few minutes and against my better judgment, I put Harry in his arms.'
Noah Locks then asked 'How did Hagrid get from Godric's Hollow to Hogwarts if he can't use magic?'
'I had left my Triumph Bonneville with James so that they could use it to get away, he took Harry, and I set out to find the traitor. I won't lie, if I had caught him that night I would have killed him.' said Sirius
'Sirius, my dear boy, surely you don't mean such a thing?' asked Dumbledore
'You dare to speak to me? You should be the one sitting here you conniving, deceitful old bastard.' said Sirius
'Madam Marchbanks, The Defence rests' said Ted and he pulled a clearly agitated Sirius from the witness stand
'Sirius Orion Black; I have listened to your testimony given freely under veritaserum, something that must have been harrowing for you to have to relive. This court will be in recess for an hour, my advisors and I deliberate over the facts of this case.' She said before banging her gavel.