Prologue part V

The Wizengamot was the high Wizard court of law; it was made up of around fifty members. Aside from the judges and the Head Warlock, a Court Scribe recorded the proceedings while the Wizengamot was in session. The Minister for Magic, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were known to attend significant trials and hearings. A British Youth Representative, who had to be no more than 17 years old, could be present at times, usually Hogwarts' head boy or head girl. Chief Warlock, a position held by Albus Dumbledor, is the title given to the wizard that presides over the Wizengamot, overseeing court procedures and acts as an impartial executive figure.

Trials such as the one about to start were brief and concise due to the Auror office's evidence. The accused could present witnesses to be questioned by the Wizengamot, and a third-party with legal knowledge could speak on behalf of the defendant. However, the practice of having a spokesperson on behalf of the accused was rare, as it was commonly associated with "having something to hide." The accused is magically bound to a chair in the centre of the room. A jury sits on the prosecutor's right, states the case against the accused, and eventually asks for a verdict. The courtrooms are located on the tenth level of the Ministry of Magic and for high profile criminals, guarded by dementors. The members of the Wizengamot, of which there are about fifty, wear plum-covered robes with elaborate silver initials on them (the letter 'W').

As part of the team that had proceeded to the capture of Antonin Dolohov, Kingsley was invited to attend the trial in the company of Alastor Moody and John Dawlish, who was still lunching guilty looks from the corner of his eyes toward the two other Auros. He felt ashamed of himself after the way Dolohov had neutralized him in less than a second. Moody was whispering with Dumbledore, who was sitting next to him, and Kingsley's eyes were locked on Dolohov, who was still unconscious, chained in a chair in the centre of the room, a dementor behind him. Kingsley was forced to admit that bringing a suspected directly to trial and convoking all the members of the wizengamot was very unusual, Crouch had insisted, and Kingsley could understand. Antonin Dolohov wasn't accused of only intercepting an official document but also of resisting arrest and using one of the unforgivable curses, nearly killing another wizard, an Auror, nonetheless. Then Kingsley watched Dolohov waking up, slowly opening his eyes, blinking for a moment before the rest of the people present noticed him and the room when silent, Looking at Crouch, who stood up. Crouch looked a few seconds moment in the direction where Dumbledore and Moody were sitting and nodded to each other's before he brought back his attention to Dolohov, who didn't seem impressed. Quite the opposite, he seemed very confident and sure of himself and comfortably seated on his chair as if he wasn't chained or there the dementor behind him was no more than a cloaked figure.

"Antonin Dolohov," said Crouch with a curt voice." You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law because you are suspected of being part of lord Voldermort's followers. A verified source has identified you as…"

He couldn't finish before Dolohov started laughing at him… Before talking, looking directly at Crouch.

"So, daddy's boy has cracked his panties in Azkaban and spill the beans? … I knew he wasn't worthy of joining our noble cause…Or is it someone else? was it Karkaroff?" Dolohov asked.

Kinglsey frowned at that; what was he talking about? Crouch Jr got arrested with the Lestrange's and died shortly after in Azkaban…And who is this Karkaroff?... Kingsley noticed that the wizards and witched attending the trial all looked confused and were looking at each other, whispering before Crouch cleared his throat, and the room went silent again.

"So, Antonin Dolohov…You admit that under the orders of the one whom ..." Crouch continued speaking slowly before Dolohov jumped in again, laughing at Crouch and the crowd looking at him.

"Yeah, I admit! Probably my biggest achievement …The dark lord was quite proud went we went back to him! It took five of us, but we did it…They pulled a big fight, I won't lie…But, we outnumbered them, and BAM! Fabian and Gideon Prewett were dead. The end of the blood traitors' line," he finished with a bright smile on his face.

Kingsley couldn't believe his ears; anger flowed through his veins, making him want to jump at Dolohov and dismember him; Fabian and Gideon Prewett were his friends at Hogwarts; Kingsley even spent some days during summer holidays at their home. Kingsley suspected the twins were actively fighting the dark lord and his followers before they were found dead, the dark mark floating above them, but the killers were never found. The attendance shared his feelings; the sound of wizards and witches shouting curse words to Dolohov filled the room; one wizard suggested that the dementor kisses him immediately…However, Dolohov was smiling at them, moving his head slowly, eyes closed, as if has vibing to his favourite symphony. Crouch hit hard a few times his wooden console, calling for silence.

"You admit the murder of Fabian and Gideon Prewett?" Crouch asked calmly.

"Yes, I just did! Are you deaf, grandpa?" Dolohov answered.

Crouch nodded at a wich at is correct before continuing:

"Well, do you confirm that Sirius Black was part of it? Who else was there?" Asked Crouch.

The big smile on Dolohov's face disappeared for a moment and looked severe as if he was thinking very fast.

"Siriu…Yes! Of course! Sirius Black was part of it! He was the raid leader. He was also spying on Dumbledore and his close allies for the dark lord" he said. "However, I can't tell who else was there for sure, we were five, but four of us were masked; the dark lord forced us to keep our faces concealed…He was wise, right?... Sirius Black took his mask off before finishing Fabian, so he could let him know how they were fooled since the beginning...Very cruel, our Wormtail!"Then he stopped talking, smiling again

"Wormtail…?" Crouch asked.

"Yeah, Wormtail was his nickname," Dolohov added.

"Noted…Do you want to add anything to your confession, Dolohov? Do you know where Sirius Black could be hidden?" Crouch asked.

Dolohov moved his head from right to left." Nothing more, I would love to tell you, just to see a little more the stupid faces you are making right now, especially you professor Dumb-Dumb " he said, winking at Dumbledore.

"Fine..." Crouch said, signing a document, "Yes, very fine…Now, the court would like to interrogate you concerning the motive a team of Aurors went to visit you earlier this morning."

"I just told you… Yes, I killed the Prewetts," Dolohov said rolling his eyes.

"No, we had absolutely no idea about your implication nor the role you played in the vile murder of the Prewetts, Dolohov…There was no trial scheduled for today until you picked a fight with three Aurors and nearly killed one of them. They were just asked to kindly escort you to my office. With Sirius Black escape, we thought you would be safe with us here" Crouch said

" Wh…what?" Dolohov asked with a shaky voice.

"You see, a few months ago, The Auror Kingsley Shackelbolt, here present," pointing at Kingsley, who stood up and nodded his head respectfully to the court. "Brought to my office a report, but due to my absence, that morning it was trusted to you…However, I never received that document, and we couldn't find any trace of it in our department nor in the archives. And you know, as you work there, that every single piece of paper with ink on it, the department receives is carefully copied and archived. Would you like to enlighten us on this matter, Dolohov?" Crouch asked.

Dolohov looked like Crouch's' words had slapped him in the face. He stayed silent for a moment, closed his eyes, and said with a small voice:

"You must be kidding me…Me and my bloody mouth…I swear..." He looked back at the court, smiling. "Well, I would have applauded if I wasn't chained…Ok…Yes, if you want to know, one of the tasks my master assigned me was to infiltrate the department of magical law and justice and provide him with valuable information…I intercepted your Auror's report and destroyed it to give Sirius Black a chance to bail…What wouldn't do for friends, right?" He explained with an annoyed voice.

Crouch cleaned his gasses and put them back on his nose. Looked a moment at Dolohov, disgusted. Then, he looked at Dumbledore, who nodded at him, cleared his throat, and spoke with a firm voice.

"The court has heard the confessions of the accused. The accused confessed the crimes of being a follower of the dark lord, commonly known as death eaters, and the murder of both Fabian and Gideon Prewett under the dark lord's orders and the lead of Sirius Black. The accused also confessed to being an infiltrated agent inside the ministry of magic and giving valuable information to the dark lord. I now ask the jury to raise their hands if they believe that these crimes deserve a life sentence to Azkaban." Asked Crouch raising his hand.

All the witches and wizards in the room raised their hands simultaneously, giving a profound look of disgust at Dolohov. Then Crouch spoke:

"Antonin Dolohov, you have been found guilty of the crimes of murder, belonging to the death eaters ranks, conspiration, spying and using an unforgivable curse, in this case, the killing curse on another wizard. For your crime, this court sentences you to a life sentence in Azkaban. You will be escorted by two dementors immediately to Azkaban's fortress, where you are to spend all your remaining days. "Crouch announced under general applause, nodded to the dementor behind Dolohov who screamed at the crowed while being taken out of the dungeon:

"YOU GOT THIS WIN …ONLY THIS ONE…THE DARK LORD WILL COME BACK…YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT…. HE'S THE ONE WHO DEFEATED DEATH …MUD BLOODS…ALL OF YOU!"

The doors of the courtroom slammed closed after the dementor took away Dolohov with him, leaving the winzengamot members shakings hands, celebrating sending another death eater to prison, a satisfied Kingsley who was patting Dawlish on the back grinning at him, and a silent Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore was lost in his thoughts; it wasn't the first time he heard someone prophetize the return of Lord Voldemort, not the first time; a few months ago, Bellatrix Lestrange said a very similar word. Words that now are going to hunt him. The war wasn't over; it was just half-time.

Remus Lupin was patiently waiting, sitting on a chair in the corridor near the entrance of the Aurors office. He was nervous; the last time he visited the ministry of magic was a long ago when he was only a little boy, a thrilled little boy. Before tragedy hit him and destroyed his childhood and made the life of his family a living hell.

His father worked at the Ministry of Magic and encountered the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who was on trial for killing two children. Lyall was the only one at court to realize that Greyback was a werewolf, as Greyback pretended to be a Muggle tramp. Outraged when Greyback was released, he voiced the opinion that Greyback deserved Nothing but death. This opinion cost the Lupin family dearly, as Greyback decided to revenge himself upon Lyall by targeting his son. As the nearly five-year-old Remus slept peacefully in his bed, Greyback forced his way in through the window. Though Lyall could get there in time to drive Greyback off with powerful spells, he could not prevent him from completing his evil goal. Remus became infected with lycanthropy, and he became a werewolf himself. His parents took him to various healers and tried their best to make him an ordinary boy, but there was no cure for his condition.

However, thanks to the headmaster, he had the chance to attend Hogwarts and get an education. At Hogwarts, Remus didn't just find what was the closest that he could ever dream of an ordinary life; he also made friends with three other boys of his house. Friends who not just accepted him but broke all the laws for him and gave him the kind of love that only family could provide, unconditional love. For seven years, they had each other's; those were the happiest years of his life.

Then everything started to change; with the war raging in the country, the four joined the battle. But the war brought him the opportunity to show to the people who believed in him his true value, how much he loved them back, and grateful he was for having met them on that train when he was eleven years old. So, he accepted to make his curse at the service of Dumbledore and went straight to the north to conduct missions that lasted for months. For months he was far away from his friends; he barely had the opportunity to attend one of his best friends' weddings, but not to meet his son when he was born. He remembered the night before leaving for his last mission when James hugged him, and Lily kissed his cheek, tears in her eyes. He didn't know then he was going to be away for an entire year, that the next time he would hear any news about James and Lily, it would be when a phoenix would drop, in a spark of golden flames, a letter on his hands with the information that will break his heart…A loud voice stole him from his thought:

"REMUS! Here!"

Remus raised his head and looked at where the voice was coming from and recognized the man; he stood up and walked towards him to shake his hand.

"Good morning, Kingsley," Remus said.

"Good morning, Remus, it's been a while; I think that I haven't seen you since we graduated, am I right," Said Kingsley smiling at him."How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you …Yeah, we all been busy these last years," said Remus smiling back to Kingsley- "Congratulations" he added, pointing at the silver badge on Kingsley's chest.

"Yeah, thank you …please come inside," said Kingsley leading him to his box, showing him a chair before sitting himself. " You see, I always thought that you would be an Auror yourself; you aced your NEWTs if I remember …Or at least you would be working here in the ministry."

"Well…Thank you for the compliment, Kingsley… Indeed, I thought about it for a long time, but you know, with all that was happening during the war…" said Remus with a small smile.

"Yeah, I get it… It was hard to see through it," Kingsley said.

"Exactly…Those were dark times," Remus said, making Kingsley laugh and earn a glare from another Auror, who loudly cleared his throat.

"Sorry, Savage… yeah, you still got it, Remus!" Kingsley said-"You just remembered me the time where you, James, and the other pulled all those pranks…"

"We were kids; I was prefect anyway; I think Professor Dumbledore intentions were to make me try calming them down," said Remus.

"Mission failed then, the school only got peaceful went you guys bailed, a year after I was out too."

"I am very sorry," Remus said.

"Apologies accepted." Said Kingsley. - "So, did you keep in touch with them?"

"I don't know where Black is hidden, nor how he did to escape from Azkaban, and if he tries to contact me, I'll locate him and end his life," Remus said sharply.

"I wasn't talking about h…"

"James and Peter are dead; who else could that be?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, sorry, Remus, I have been assigned the mission of tracking him and bringing him back to Azkaban. Or even kill him…I had to ask you, it's the procedure," Kingsley said.

Remus sighed and smiled at Kingsley. "Sorry, Kingsley, but after what he did…Of course, how can I help you?"

"Don't worry, we were all shocked when we heard, but the evidence against him is solid." Said Kingsley." Listen, do you know how far his magical abilities extend? I mean, you are probably the last person alive who personally knew him for a long time."

"What do you mean by Magical abilities?" Remus asked suspiciously

"Well…Like special abilities…if he is a Metamorphmagus, for example, there have been many cases in his family..." Kingsley said.

"No, he wasn't one; he wouldn't have stopped bragging about it…Especially in front of his brother and cousins…You know, the first Black to be sorted to Gryffindor and the first Metamorphmagus in generations. However, as far as I know, that would never have been enough to foul dementors."

"Hmmm…" said Kingsley, scratching his chin- " What if he took a non-human form? Would that be possible then? "Kingsley asked.

"I…I beg your pardon?" Remus asked, who was afraid of where this discussion was potentially going to head.

"I mean... If he could transform into an animal…If, he was an animagus…If, he could transform into a Rat." Kingsley asked him, eyes locked in his.

Remus felt his heart racing but managed to calm down before answering.

"You think that he can transform into a rat?"

Kingsley looked behind him and leaned toward Remus and talked to him with a low voice.

"Listen, Remus, I have evidence that Sirius is an animagus, a rat…It is classified, so keep it between us…A few months ago, the same night James and Lily died, he killed a muggle in chesterfield. I have a tape, a muggle thing that can record a scene, where we can see a rat transforming into Sirius and killing a muggle who was near his motorbike."

Remus looked at Kingsley, shocked (Peter? ). He leaned back in his seat, looking at his knees. He took a deep breath before looking back at Kingsley. Was this the moment to come clean? Should he tell him now? He would have to confess to him that he wasn't registered? Was all this a trap?... He stayed silent for a moment, thinking…He could tell the entire story now to Kingsley, or he could tell him the truth without telling the whole truth.

"Kingsley, I can assure you that Sirius Black isn't the man on that tape."

"How can you be sure? Is there something you know?" He asked him.

"Listen, the process to become an animagus is a very complicated one, it consists in perfectly follow and succeed in many steps that are conditioned by a lot of random factors, like weather, for example…The potions have to be perfectly brewed, and if not, it could be poisonous. In case you follow all the steps perfectly, the transformation itself takes years of practice. Until mastered, the first transformations occur randomly and happen mostly when one is sleeping, so it's just impossible that, if he was able to transform into a rat, non of us who shared his dorm for seven years have not noticed a rat sleeping in his bed …" He said trying not to laugh remembering memory the morning in the fifth year he woke up to find a German Shepard and a huge stag sleeping in his dorm. "Are you sure of what you saw in that tape?"

"Right…" said Kingsley-" How about polyjuice?"

"Impossible…If you polyjuice to take someone's appearance, the effects of the potion would fade if you transform into an animal." Said Remus.

They stayed silent, looking at each other; Remus was fighting the urge to stupefy Kingsley and run away. Kingsley didn't believe him; he was never good at this…he felt his bottom slightly take off from his sit when Kingsley spoke:

"Yeah... I think I should review my notes again and go watch that tape closely again; the quality is terrible so I could perfectly have made a mistake…Honestly, I just assumed it was Sirius because of the Bike and also for what moody said…We have a guy here…Weasly, he should know how to fix it… Thank you for your help, Remus…I won't keep you here any longer but feel free to Owl from time to time!"

They both stood up and shook hands before Remus left the Auror Headquarters and the minister of magic. He stood quietly beside the telephone cabin used at the visitors' entrance, thinking about what he learned from his meeting with Kingsley. So, to sum up, there is a videotape that shows Peter killing a muggle. The same night, maybe the same time Voldemort was in Godric's Hollow. So why was Sirius motorbike there? Why? Did Peter kill the man mistaken him for Sirius? But why would he? For vengeance? James and Lily were about to be killed, but they weren't dead yet, so how did he know that Sirius was a traitor if Nothing had been done yet?

Remus filled his lungs with the cold air of November; he let a long sight, looking at the clouded sky. The fool moon was in one week; what a pain in the ass.

Many miles far away from London… Sirius was frozen, soaked; his eyes reddened as he coughed loudly to spit the salty seawater that filled his lungs; he had nearly drowned. His vision was blurred; he collapsed on his chest, breathing heavily as he slowly fainted on the sand. Every inch of his body hurt him. He was exhausted, but his journey was just about to begin.

END OF THE PROLOGUE

Hello everyone, the five first chapters were an introduction to the story. Please read and review! Thank you!