The trial room was crowded with reporters, ministry officials and
spectators.
It was a cool day in London and the coldness was heightened once the Dementors entered the room.
The Ministry had designed a safe spot for onlookers where the effects of the Dementors would be minimized, so as to not cause any disruptions in the trial. In the center of the room, chained to a chair, was Sirius Black. If he looked worn before it was nothing compared to how Harry saw him now.
He was thin and pale. His skin seemed to just barely stretch over his cheeks, which were sunken in. An added effect of the Dementors, it seemed.
Harry sadly gazed around at the crowd. Dumbledore was seated a few rows ahead, looking gravely at the scene below. Fudge was judging and Harry knew he wouldn't give a fair trial, he'd probably just send Sirius straight away to the Dementors again. After all Sirius was the one who had made him look like a fool years before. Harry prayed Dumbledore had come up with some way to get Sirius set free.
"Silence!" Fudge called from behind his podium.
"Court hearings will now proceed. Mr. Black. You are charged with betraying the deceased Lily and James Potter by breaking the bond of the Fidelius charm and handing them over to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. As well as the murder of Peter Pettigrew and thirteen other people, both magical and not. You are further charged with becoming a Death eater and turning on the Wizarding community. Do you understand these convictions?"
Sirius nodded. "Yes."
"Due to the high profile of this case I have allowed the use of Veritaserum during this trial. Mr. Black, you have been subjected to this potion correct?
"Yes."
"What is your name?"
"Sirius Black."
"How old are you?"
"35 years old."
"Did you break the bond of the Fidelius Charm placed on James and Lily Potter?"
"No."
"Who did?"
"Peter Pettigrew." There was a slight uproar at the comment causing Fudge to send out several showers of sparks from his wand to gain order again.
"Are you, or have you ever been, a Death Eater?"
"No." Fudge looked quite purple in the face right now. His whole case was being throw out of the window. He'd be the laughing stock or kicked out of office for this.
"Mr. Black. Did you kill Mr. Pettigrew?"
"No." The uproar at this statement was phenomenal. Spectators were either angry, which, most were, or extremely excited as in Harry's case. A loud 'Bang' echoed through the room.
"SILENCE! Sirius Black. The Veritaserum we administered must have been defective as hundreds of people clearly saw you kill Mr. Pettigrew. Therefore you must have tampered in some way with the Potion. My final ruling is guilty and you are to be subjected to the Dementors Kiss at daybreak tomorrow morning. Harry looked around, panicked. What was he going to do? Couldn't Dumbledore stop them?
Harry gazed at Dumbledore for a moment, before something caught his eye. In the back few rows, Professor Snape, the Hogwart's potion teacher was seated. Snape nudged the people who were seated beside him, and the three of them discreetly rose and went over to a darkened corner. The rest of the courtroom was too absorbed in the case to see what happened next. It was the strangest sight. It was almost as if their bodies were melting into different ones. In an instant, 3 different people were standing where Snape and the others had been. They seemed oddly familiar.
However, Harry didn't have much a chance to recognize them, because suddenly their faces contorted into demonic ones. Fierce cat-like eyes shone out from under dragon-like brows, and gleaming, inhuman fangs glittered in the light.
They were Vampires.
The one that Snape had turned into grinned evilly as a silver crossbow materialized. He took careful aim and shot it towards the courtroom floor and sprang into action, fighting off Dementors and dodging curses, while the tall, dark skinned man, ripped open Sirius's chains. Harry watched, mesmerized with the scene when there was a light tugging at his arm. Harry looked up to see Dumbledore staring at him. He quickly followed him out of the courtroom and into the hallway. As Harry was dragged outside, he saw a wizard rip on the curtains and the light shone directly on the female vampire as if in slow motion the two others ran, full tilt, and pushed the girl out of the way.
"Sir. What just happened there?" Harry asked.
"Harry, those three you just saw were Vampires. Friends of mine. They agreed to cause a disruption if anything should go wrong at the trial." Dumbledore explained.
Harry decided not to mention that he had seen Snape. "But sir, the girl... W-will she be okay? I saw the window open and-"
"Cassidy will be fine, Harry. She has been caught in the sunlight before."
Before Harry could respond one of the vampires came running out dragging Sirius. "Here Albus, we've got things under control here, you should take Sirius and the boy out of here before Fudge leaves the building. Hurry."
"Slate. Remember, there are to be no casualties, I do not want to have to deal with the Ministry on this." Slate nodded.
"Hurry sir!" There was a tone of urgency in his voice that made Harry want to comply. He, Sirius, and Dumbledore were soon running towards the nearest fireplace.
"Here Harry." Dumbledore said and handed him some Floo powder. Dumbledore threw in a fist full and yelled, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before disappearing with Sirius, who was still slightly shaken from the Dementors. Harry followed and was soon tumbling out of the grate and into Dumbledores office.
"Harry I think that for now we should send you back to the Dursleys. We don't want to arouse suspicion by having you stay here." Harry nodded and looked at Sirius sadly.
"Sirius will be fine. I've arranged a portkey for you. I'll see you at the beginning of term. Sirius will stay in here until I can figure something else out." Harry nodded and waved to Sirius before the familiar jerk of the portkey whisked him away and towards 3 more long weeks of scrubbing floors.
It was a cool day in London and the coldness was heightened once the Dementors entered the room.
The Ministry had designed a safe spot for onlookers where the effects of the Dementors would be minimized, so as to not cause any disruptions in the trial. In the center of the room, chained to a chair, was Sirius Black. If he looked worn before it was nothing compared to how Harry saw him now.
He was thin and pale. His skin seemed to just barely stretch over his cheeks, which were sunken in. An added effect of the Dementors, it seemed.
Harry sadly gazed around at the crowd. Dumbledore was seated a few rows ahead, looking gravely at the scene below. Fudge was judging and Harry knew he wouldn't give a fair trial, he'd probably just send Sirius straight away to the Dementors again. After all Sirius was the one who had made him look like a fool years before. Harry prayed Dumbledore had come up with some way to get Sirius set free.
"Silence!" Fudge called from behind his podium.
"Court hearings will now proceed. Mr. Black. You are charged with betraying the deceased Lily and James Potter by breaking the bond of the Fidelius charm and handing them over to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. As well as the murder of Peter Pettigrew and thirteen other people, both magical and not. You are further charged with becoming a Death eater and turning on the Wizarding community. Do you understand these convictions?"
Sirius nodded. "Yes."
"Due to the high profile of this case I have allowed the use of Veritaserum during this trial. Mr. Black, you have been subjected to this potion correct?
"Yes."
"What is your name?"
"Sirius Black."
"How old are you?"
"35 years old."
"Did you break the bond of the Fidelius Charm placed on James and Lily Potter?"
"No."
"Who did?"
"Peter Pettigrew." There was a slight uproar at the comment causing Fudge to send out several showers of sparks from his wand to gain order again.
"Are you, or have you ever been, a Death Eater?"
"No." Fudge looked quite purple in the face right now. His whole case was being throw out of the window. He'd be the laughing stock or kicked out of office for this.
"Mr. Black. Did you kill Mr. Pettigrew?"
"No." The uproar at this statement was phenomenal. Spectators were either angry, which, most were, or extremely excited as in Harry's case. A loud 'Bang' echoed through the room.
"SILENCE! Sirius Black. The Veritaserum we administered must have been defective as hundreds of people clearly saw you kill Mr. Pettigrew. Therefore you must have tampered in some way with the Potion. My final ruling is guilty and you are to be subjected to the Dementors Kiss at daybreak tomorrow morning. Harry looked around, panicked. What was he going to do? Couldn't Dumbledore stop them?
Harry gazed at Dumbledore for a moment, before something caught his eye. In the back few rows, Professor Snape, the Hogwart's potion teacher was seated. Snape nudged the people who were seated beside him, and the three of them discreetly rose and went over to a darkened corner. The rest of the courtroom was too absorbed in the case to see what happened next. It was the strangest sight. It was almost as if their bodies were melting into different ones. In an instant, 3 different people were standing where Snape and the others had been. They seemed oddly familiar.
However, Harry didn't have much a chance to recognize them, because suddenly their faces contorted into demonic ones. Fierce cat-like eyes shone out from under dragon-like brows, and gleaming, inhuman fangs glittered in the light.
They were Vampires.
The one that Snape had turned into grinned evilly as a silver crossbow materialized. He took careful aim and shot it towards the courtroom floor and sprang into action, fighting off Dementors and dodging curses, while the tall, dark skinned man, ripped open Sirius's chains. Harry watched, mesmerized with the scene when there was a light tugging at his arm. Harry looked up to see Dumbledore staring at him. He quickly followed him out of the courtroom and into the hallway. As Harry was dragged outside, he saw a wizard rip on the curtains and the light shone directly on the female vampire as if in slow motion the two others ran, full tilt, and pushed the girl out of the way.
"Sir. What just happened there?" Harry asked.
"Harry, those three you just saw were Vampires. Friends of mine. They agreed to cause a disruption if anything should go wrong at the trial." Dumbledore explained.
Harry decided not to mention that he had seen Snape. "But sir, the girl... W-will she be okay? I saw the window open and-"
"Cassidy will be fine, Harry. She has been caught in the sunlight before."
Before Harry could respond one of the vampires came running out dragging Sirius. "Here Albus, we've got things under control here, you should take Sirius and the boy out of here before Fudge leaves the building. Hurry."
"Slate. Remember, there are to be no casualties, I do not want to have to deal with the Ministry on this." Slate nodded.
"Hurry sir!" There was a tone of urgency in his voice that made Harry want to comply. He, Sirius, and Dumbledore were soon running towards the nearest fireplace.
"Here Harry." Dumbledore said and handed him some Floo powder. Dumbledore threw in a fist full and yelled, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before disappearing with Sirius, who was still slightly shaken from the Dementors. Harry followed and was soon tumbling out of the grate and into Dumbledores office.
"Harry I think that for now we should send you back to the Dursleys. We don't want to arouse suspicion by having you stay here." Harry nodded and looked at Sirius sadly.
"Sirius will be fine. I've arranged a portkey for you. I'll see you at the beginning of term. Sirius will stay in here until I can figure something else out." Harry nodded and waved to Sirius before the familiar jerk of the portkey whisked him away and towards 3 more long weeks of scrubbing floors.
