The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was in disarray. There was a lot of loud voices, yelling, heated arguments and sheer disbelief reflected on the Aurors' faces. The events concerning the dead muggles and Peter Pettigrew's 'remains', shook up the whole Wizarding World, but the real chaos was in Amelia Bones' heart and mind.
It wasn't known to anyone, except the recently departed Potters, that Amelia was engaged to be married to Lord Black.
The pale witch refused to believe that her fiancé, – the man who loved her more than anyone ever had in her life –, was a cold-blooded murderer. She was aware of Sirius' impulsive nature, and that he had a temper, but after the way he rejected and ran away from his family's affinity to the darkness, she was certain that this had to be a mistake.
Sirius Black was a cuddly puppy, not a Death Eater.
She took a deep breath, ran her shaking fingertips through her soft auburn hair, and focused on the matter at hand. Amelia Susan Bones was a professional. She couldn't let her job falter because of her emotional entanglements. She needed to get over this stack of paperwork, and then she would eventually get to the case she wanted to get her hands on. As the Head of the Aurors, she was aware that this case couldn't be closed , until she signed for it, unless it went over her head.
Little did she know, that is exactly what was being discussed at this very moment.
Cornelius Fudge was a proud man, but his opinions were easily swayed, especially by powerful people, and currently he was being cornered. He felt like a caged tiger, who was being circled by a bunch of venomous snakes.
It was a fitting metaphor, although he was surprised to find these master manipulators in the company of each other.
"Cornelius, someone as dangerous and demented as Black, should not be allowed a trial!" A smooth, silky voice drawled.
"B-but. It's basic citizen law. No matter the crime, the accused is warranted a fair trial." The bulky wizard argued hesitantly, and decided to be bold. "If anyone, you of all people, should understand this, Lucius!" He gazed at the blonde wizard's statuesque features.
Lucius Malfoy's eyes hardened. He was a no nonsense man, who always got what he wanted, and this weak-minded wizard, whom he manipulated into power, would not be able to stop him.
He was one of Voldemort's most trusted subjects, but when he was caught under suspicious acts, he pleaded that he was under the effects of the Imperius Curse, which forces the victim to obey the caster's commands, thus he was cleared of all charges.
Many of known Death Eathers have pleaded the same, and literally got away with murder. It helped that most of these purebloods were filthy rich, and they enjoyed bribing Ministry Officials and sweet talking their way into innocence.
"Surely, being forced into horrible acts and being found in the middle of twelve dead muggles are extremely different." He said softly, although there was a sharp edge in his words, that held an underlying warning. "Just think about those innocent non-magical families that were robbed of happiness!" He played on the older wizard's compassion.
Cornelius sighed and leaned against the fluffy cushion of his arm-chair. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation at all, or any conversations with Malfoy for that matter, because it all ended the same. With the Minister of Magic bending over backwards to support the alleged Death Eather.
There was a third wizard in the Minister's Quarters, whom up until this point, was a silent observer. Albus Dumbledore decided to visit his old friend, – after he heard the news about the Marauder –, because he needed him to remain locked away for good.
Sirius Black was another obstacle in his quest to bring Harry Potter under his control, and that just wouldn't do.
He didn't count on Malfoy's presence, but it was a delightful surprise. Even though he was aware that they were on opposing sides of the blood conflict, he could use him to his advantage, after all they both wanted Black out of the way, – for different reasons –, but it did not really matter. The end result was the important element.
"I agree with Mr. Malfoy, my friend." Albus said with a twinkle in his eyes and felt the blonde man's stare. He didn't need to actually look at him to know he was surprised. "The evidence is pretty damning by itself, Cornelius. Twelve dead muggles! He killed one of his own best friends, for Merlin's sake..." He pressed on with a sigh. "I am afraid that he succumbed to the darkness, and sometimes there is no way back from that." He explained, his voice small and full of regret.
Albus Dumbledore was a master at acting and manipulating situations and words to his own purpose. He was aware that Black was not the Potter's Secret Keeper, and it was one of the reasons that he wished to seal the Potter will. He was almost certain that Lily and James have named the friend they trusted with that role, and he was afraid that Harry Potter would slip from his grasp and firm control, if that came to light.
It simply could not be allowed.
Fudge frowned, seeing no way out from this, but he still tried one more time to salvage the situation. "Albus, you know as well as I, that the law is clear and holding a trial is very much a part of that law." He sighed. "We have ways to have the accused tell the absolute truth, so there should be no problems condemning him to Azkaban for life, if he is guilty."
"Veritaserum can be easily countered, if you are well-versed in the depths of Potion brewing, and Sirius inherited his father's talents." Dumbledore said firmly, using his knowledge of the Black family's known skills to his benefit.
Lucius Malfoy smirked. He loathed the silver haired Headmaster, but he was playing into his hands very nicely, and that pleased him.
"I agree with the Headmaster, Cornelius." He said smoothly and flipped his long blonde hair over his shoulder. "The Black family members are all very talented in that area of expertise. My wife, Narcissa, who was also a Black, is very skilled with Potion brewing herself." He shared and stared down the Minister.
He knew the wizard was breaking, and it wouldn't take too long for him to sign the papers for Black's permanent stay in the wizarding prison. Perhaps he could push Fudge to administer him the Dementor's Kiss. It was certainly worth a try.
"Considering his atrocious crimes, Black deserves not only to stay in Azkaban, but no one would blink an eye, if you tossed his soul to the Dementors." He suggested casually.
The Minister of Magic went rigid, and his breath was heavy. It was one thing to put someone away without a trial, but he wouldn't sign off on murder, even if he was pushed towards that. He had enough spine to draw a line somewhere, and this was it.
He supported his weight on his desk, leaning on his hands and stood up, his eyes narrowing at Malfoy.
"That is not something I will sign my name to, Lucius. I will not allow that course of action without a trial." He said firmly. "If you want to see him kissed by the Dementors, I suggest that you start supporting the idea of a trial, because without it, that is not going to happen!" He was shaking. He knew he was pushing his luck, because his opponents were powerful, and they could destory him in a heartbeat, but his sense of right and wrong was sending warning signs all over his body about this.
Malfoy was not satisfied with this turn of events. He was not prepared for the possibility of Cornelius Fudge showing any backbone, but he did. No matter. He would still achieve his previous goal of having Black out of his way, ready to claim the Black fortune and title for his son.
"Very well." He said, and for the rest of the meeting, he stayed quiet, letting the Headmaster finish their undertaking.
"Sirius Black deserves to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban for his crimes, Cornelius, and I can see that you agree to some extent." Dumbledore said and gazed at Malfoy, then back to the Minister. "While I cannot condone the course of action Mr. Malfoy suggested, I believe it would please all of us and the public, to have Black stay in Azkaban, and never see sunlight again." He nodded with an air of finality in his words.
Cornelius Fudge knew when he was defeated, so he signed the official documents that condemned Sirius Black to a permanent stay in Azkaban.
These powerful men better pray to whomever they believed in, to be as far from Madame Bones, as they would physically able to be, because whenever she learnt about this, she would be a woman on a mission to make their life absolute hell.
A/N: I know this is a shorter chapter than usual, but I wanted this part to stand on it's own, without cluttering it up with anything else.
Also, I wanted to take my time to copy-paste a Guest review and address it, before I say anything else:
"Guest chapter 3 . Jun 28
Long winded author's notes that do not advance the plot really are not very interesting. The story is. Can you please spend less time writing notes and more time writing the story. Thank you."
First of all, thank you for finding the story interesting, I appreciate that. Secondly and to the point, the purpose of these notes are not solely advancing the plot, the story is supposed to do that on it's own, whether it's slow or fast paced. This is my way to sum up my feelings about the chapter, and it's also how I can interact with my readers and thank them for their support, not to mention it's my only way to respond to Guest reviews, much like yours. Furthermore, my notes are clearly divided off the chapter and anyone, including yourself, is able to skip them. You are not obligated to read this section, if you only have interest in the chapter. I don't mind if anyone ignores my thoughts I include at the end of my chapter, but I would appreciate it, if you did not try to influence the way I express myself, because it is offensive, no matter how politely you try to word it. I do not tell you what to write in your review, or how long your review is supposed to be, or even what it's contents should relate to, so I would appreciate if you paid me the same courtesy. Thank you.
With that out of the way, I would like to emphasize the fact that you guys are entitled to skip my Author's Notes, as much as I am entitled to write them. Every Author has a right to write their chapter the way they desire, and if they want to write long notes to accompany that chapter, that should be acceptable.
Moving on, I would like to reply to other Guest reviews:
Guest Review #1: Dumbledore is certainly a colourful character that you can write in a lot of ways. I enjoy writing him as a puppet master, it's actually a lot of fun, but I also enjoy reading about a Dumbledore that is supportive. I am glad you are happy that there will be a Harry-Hermione romance in the future, because that pairing is very dear to my heart. I hope you will continue to enjoy the future chapters. Thank you for your support!
Linda: Thank you!
Guest Review: #2: The PM function is working well, but I cannot Private Message non-registered reviewers, which is why I am replying this way.
Thank you for all the favourites, follows and reviews to my story. It really makes my day that you guys are enjoying this process as much, as I am enjoying writing it.
The next chapter should be about the will, because I feel like I've built the base enough for it, and even though there are a lot of uncharted areas I could write about, before I address that issue, I don't want to bore you too much with laying groundwork until Chapter 20. or so, that I very easily could, so it will happen in Chapter 6. Thank you for being patient with me!
