Chapter 12
September 17th, 1989- Courtroom 10, Level 10, Ministry of Magic Headquarters, Whitehall, London, England
The courtroom was chaotic when Sirius was brought in. There was plenty of arguing going in and several people were out of their seats, punctuating their points with frantic gestures. In the middle of it all he spotted Remus slumped against one wall with a pretty brunette witch holding him up. His friend waved at him and he waved back as much as he could with his arms restrained. Remus looked like he'd either gotten no sleep since Sirius was removed from Azkaban or had gone through a full moon two nights ago.
"Keep movin'." the guard escorting Sirius grunted, prodding him with the tip of his wand. Sirius's eyes snapped forward and he didn't dare look around again until he was safely chained up in the chair facing the current Minster for Magic, Millicent Bagnold.
"Order!" Amelia Bones shouted. No one heard her so she raised her wand and set off the sound of cannon fire. The courtroom went silent. "Be seated!" Everyone who was standing found their seat, most of them tripping over someone else in the process. "Where is the prisoner?" Sirius would have raised his hand if his arms hadn't been bound to the chair.
"He's being brought down now, mam." the witch with Remus called.
"Madam Bones, why is your secretary in the courtroom?" a fat wizard with a limp handlebar mustache shouted furiously. The people seated near him raised their wands to deflect the spittle flying from his mouth.
"Ms. Greene is accompanying Mr. Lupin, who has a personal interest in this trial." The entire Wizengamot turned to look at Minister Bagnold. "She is therefore quite welcome here." For Sirius that had to be the strangest thought for the entire week. Not that he was out of Azkaban when he'd fully expected to die there, not that he was finally getting a trial, that Moony had a lady friend.
The door to the courtroom creaked open and Sirius turned with the Wizengamot to see who was entering. A red haze clouded his vision and he nearly dislocated all the joints in his arms trying to run to the door. "WORMTAIL!" His guards forced him back into his seat. "Let me at him! You traitor! Traitor!"
"Sirius," Though he spoke softly, Remus's voice carried across the courtroom. "Calm down." Sirius stopped struggling and fell back with a sob. One of his guards, not the one who'd nearly punctured his lung with his wand, patted him on the shoulder, receiving a cold look from his partner for his kindness.
Pettigrew was seated in the second chair that rose from the floor. The clinking of the chains binding him to the chair could barely be heard over his blubbering.
"Let the court come to order." The Minister neatened the stack of parchment in front of her. The thunking of the sheets on the table echoed around the room. "Trial on the seventeenth of September, 1989, of Sirius Orion Black and Peter Timothy Pettigrew, both accused of the same crime of the killing of twelve muggles on the first of November, 1981 and of the release of sensitive information resulting in the deaths of James and Lilly Potter on the thirty-first of October, 1981." Bagnold paused to take a sip of water. "Obviously they can't both be guilty." Pettigrew's chin dropped to his chest as he sobbed louder.
"Oh shut up, you miserable little coward." Sirius muttered. After getting permission, Madam Bones fired a silencing spell at Pettigrew.
"Mr. Black, what do you plea?"
"Not guilty."
"And Mr. Pettigrew?" Pettigrew looked up and mouthed the words "not guilty". "Madam Bones, please present your evidence." Amelia Bones stood up.
"On September thirteenth Peter Pettigrew was apprehended by two of my Aurors in Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." This statement sent everyone in the room into a frenzy. "What was he doing there?!" was the most common question , thought it wasn't always worded that nicely. Hey, wake a bunch of wizards up on Sunday morning for a trial that should have happened years ago and see what kind of reception you get.
"Order!" Bagnold shouted. "Madam Bones, please continue." Amelia nodded her thanks and went on to describe how Pettigrew had been captured by the Arurors after a tip-off from a Hogwarts student and was then questioned under Veritaserum by her. "And what did he said?" He had said that he had been the Potters' Secret Keeper and that he'd faked his own death to frame Mr. Black. "How did he accomplish that?" He was an unregistered Animagus. He'd just blown up the whole street and escaped in the form of a rat. Sirius managed not to nod in agreement during the story. If he had he would have looked like a Muggle bobblehead toy.
Bagnold looked at Sirius, who was looking between her and Madam Bones and blinking every few seconds. "The Wizengamot will now question Sirius Black." She looked over the top of her glasses at the chained man. "Mr. Black, were you the Secret Keeper for James and Lilly Potter when they went under the Fidelius Charm?"
"No, Minister. I was not." The only reason there weren't any gasps was that everyone wanted to hear what Black had to say. "I was supposed to be the Secret Keeper but I… I suggested they change to Pettigrew because he'd be the last person anyone would suspect." Bagnold gave a barely perceivable nod.
"Did you ever purposefully give information of any kind to the man known as 'Lord Voldemort'?" This time Sirius had to wait to respond so that everyone could get out their gasps from the Minister using You-Know-Who's name.
"I did not."
"Were you ever a Death Eater?"
"No, Minister. Just check my arm if you don't believe me." One of the younger members of the Wizengamot raised his hand. He stood shakily when the Minister gave him permission to speak.
"May I suggest that Peter Pettigrew be checked for the Dark Mark?"
"You may." Bagnold looked towards one of the guards who had escorted Pettigrew. "Mr. Wilson, if you would?" Wilson grabbed Pettigrew's left wrist and shoved the sleeve of his ratty shirt under the enchanted chains binding him. The grey skull-and-snake Mark stood out starkly on Pettigrew's pale skin even though it was more faded than any Dark Mark anyone in the room had ever seen. Bagnold pressed her lips together and for a moment she looked just like Professor McGonagall when she was about to hand out a punishment.
"Thank you, Mr. Wilson." Wilson nodded and went back to standing at attention beside Pettigrew. "Madame Bones, please remove your silencing spell." Amelia did so with a brisk wave of her wand. "Mr. Pettigrew, I will not mince words, are you responsible for the deaths of Lilly and James Potter?" Pettigrew opened and closed his mouth. He looked at Sirius, who was pointedly looking away. He looked at Remus, who was looking at Sirius. He swallowed. "Today, Mr. Pettigrew."
"The Dark Lord killed them." he squeaked.
"Did you tell Voldemort where they were?"
"I…I…" Pettigrew broke down crying, again. "He made me tell him! The Dark Lord had more power than any other wizard, it was impossible to keep anything from him! He would have killed me!"
"Then you should have died!" Everyone looked to the back of the room where Charlotte Greene was holding Remus back so he wouldn't go charging to the floor to strangle Pettigrew only to pass out before he made it halfway. "You should have died rather than betray your friends! We would have died for you!" He abruptly stopped fighting and slumped against the wall, a tear running down his cheek. "We would have died for you."
Letter from Remus Lupin to Patricia Stimpson, dated September 17th, 1989
Dear Patricia,
Peter Pettigrew has been sentenced to life in Azkaban. Sirius Black has been cleared of all charges and will be receiving compensation and a formal apology from the Ministry of Magic. As you can imagine he's very happy about being out of Azkaban but he's started joking that the worse thing about the place was the food. When I told him about you and the boys being the reason that he's free he decided that he wanted to meet all of you and thank you in person. Ask the boys what they think about meeting a convicted mass murderer and I promise that I'll have him checked out at St. Mungo's before Christmas.
Aside from saving the life of an innocent man, how has school been so far? You've only written one letter. I want to hear all about your lessons. Has your class blown up any cauldrons yet?
Love from,
Uncle Remus
Letter from Patricia Stimpson to Remus Lupin, dated September 19th, 1989
Dear Uncle Remus,
Fred and George are a bit too excited about meeting a convicted mass murderer. Everyone saw the Prophet yesterday and they came and asked about Mr. Black before Benvolio could even give me your letter. Lee says he has to ask his parents first but he thinks they'll be okay with it.
We haven't blown anything up in Potions yet. The Gryffindor/Slytherin class has had three cauldrons explode though. One of them was Towler's and Lee had to take him to the Hospital Wing because his eyes turned back to front.
Defense is my favourite class. Professor Darrow has us working on Shield Charms and he taught us some spells to test them with. Nothing really dangerous, just the Jelly-Jegs Jinx and the Tickling Charm. We haven't all been able to get them but he says we're doing well. We've got an essay to hand in tomorrow on the difference between jinxes and counter-jinxes… (The letter continues for two feet of parchment).
See you in December.
Love,
Patricia
October 31st, 1989- The first floor girl's lavatory, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Somewhere in Scotland
The Hallowe'en feast was in full swing in the Great Hall. All the students were enjoying themselves. Laughter and squeals echoed through the corridors. "Why are you crying?" Patricia hastily wiped the tears from her face.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know anyone was in here." She looked up and wasn't even surprised when she saw the head of a ghost girl sticking through the cubical door.
"Was someone making fun of you?" the ghost girl asked. "That's why I'm here."
"Who are you?" Patricia asked. She hadn't seen any ghost children in the school before. The girl looked surprised, like she'd never had anyone ask her name before.
"I'm Myrtle. Myrtle Warren." She looked down at Patricia's robes. "I was a Ravenclaw to."
"I'm Patricia." She tilted her head. She had asked Nick, and the Fat Friar. They had been quite happy to talk. She could ask Myrtle. "Myrtle, if you don't mind talking about it, how did you die?" Myrtle's face brightened. She straightened up, her body split in half by the door.
"Ohh, it was awful. It happened right in that cubical." She pointed through the wall to her right. "I was in there, crying because Olive Hornby had been teasing me about my glasses, and I heard someone speaking. It was a boy. I opened the door to tell him to use his own washroom and then…I died."
"Just like that?"
"Well, I saw some snaky yellow eyes first and my body sort of seized up."
"Did it hurt?"
"Oh no, it was just like going to sleep. I was just floating…but then I came back. I wanted to make Olive Hornby pay. She was sorry that she ever teased me."
"That's good." Myrtle grinned.
"Yes, it is. What are you doing here?" Patricia scrubbed her face again.
"My parents were killed on Hallowe'en. This is the first year I haven't visited their grave." Myrtle looked at her and for a moment Patricia felt embarrassed. She was talking to a girl who had been dead for years. Myrtle wouldn't see anything upsetting in her parents being dead.
"Nick and the Baron are having a duel in the seventh-floor corridor." Myrtle said at last. "Do you want to come watch with me?"
"Ghosts can duel?"
"Of course we can." Myrtle pulled a ghostly wand out of her sleeve. "We can still do spells if we die with our wands, they just don't affect livers." Patricia giggled.
"Is that what you call people who're alive, 'livers'?" Myrtle shrugged.
"That's what I call them." She turned around and floated through the door. Patricia left the cubical just in time to see the ghost girl coming back through the wall by the sinks. "Are you coming?"
Patricia looked around the washroom. She wished that she could be at the cemetery with her parents, but spending Hallowe'en in the company of a different sort of dead people didn't sound like a bad thing. And a ghost duel was definitely something that one didn't often get the chance to see.
"I'm coming."