"Before I ask you any questions, I will administer you the potion
veritiseum. Are you aware that this potion will allow you to only tell the
truth?" Anya asked slowly, making sure the judge and gallery heard her
every word.
"Yes," Sirius looked nervous as he was handed the sparling, pale liquid, but he gulped it back anyway. A medical witch stood off to the side.
"The potion will take full in effect in 3....2...1," the witch motioned to Anya to begin questioning.
"Mr Black, I'll start with easy question. Do you admit to having played numerous pranks on Severus Snape during your time at Hogwarts?" Sirius's face twisted as if he was trying to form a word, but eventually he quietly gave his answer.
"Yes," he yelped quietly, looking cranky at himself. Anya looked triumphant.
"So, you and Prof. Snape were never particularly friendly?"
"No,"
"So he would have no reason to lie for you?"
"None at all!" Sirius was adamant, shaking his head vehemently.
Anya turned to face the judge.
"Now judge, I know that I am not allowed to ask outright whether Sirius Black committed the crime, but I may ask questions concerning the incident in question, can't I?" Anya was fully aware of the answer, she just wanted to rub the judge's nose in what she was about to do.
"Yes you may," the judge said dejectedly, knowing that whatever happened would fully cement Anya's evidence. Anya smiled, almost cheerily. "Mr Black, would you ever want harm to come to either Lily or James Potter?"
"Definitely not!" Sirius exclaimed.
"How about Harry?"
"If anyone laid a finger on my godson, I swear I would...." Anya coughed covering Sirius's words, they would surely be damning against him.
"Mr Black, have you ever killed someone?" Anya said bluntly.
"Does a vampire count as someone?"
The judge interrupted Anya before she had even opened her mouth.
"Yes a vampire does count as a being!" he said almost gleefully.
"So you have killed a person!" the opposing lawyer didn't even try to keep the happiness out of his voice. If he could prove that Sirius was dangerous, he wouldn't be allowed out.
Anya bit her lip, this was going all wrong. She'd forgotten about Sirius's time as an auror. Of course he would have killed some things. 'How stupid of me!' she thought, mentally slapping her head. She started looking lost and worried, and Harry noticed this.
" Ahhh, Mr Black, have you ever killed anything using the Avada Kedavra curse?" Anya asked, silently pleading to the heavens.
"No," Sirius answered firmly, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Have you ever killed a fellow witch or wizard?" Anya asked, voice quivering.
"NO," Sirius's voice was resonant, and Anya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you Mr Black. Your witness Mr Redgrace," Anya said to the opposing lawyer. "Thank you," Redgrace said smirking in her direction. He then turned to the medical witch, still by Sirius's side.
"How much longer will this potion last?" he asked.
"You still have another hour," the witch answered. Redgrace nodded sharply.
"So you have killed another being?" he asked Sirius.
"Yes, a vampire," Sirius shot back at him. "Would you rather I let it live?" he added sarcastically.
The judge tried hard not to smile, but he didn't succeed. Anya shot Sirius a warning lot, before breaking into a wry smile as well.
"Well, no of course, it needed to be killed," Redgrace spluttered, deciding to change tactics.
"You were a good student, isn't that so Mr Black?"
"Yes, I suppose I was," Sirius was weary of where this was going.
"Did it make you mad that some uhhh, muggle born witches and wizards were smarter than you?"
"No," Sirius said in a slow voice, like he was talking to a child. Redgrace could tell he was fighting a losing battle.
"Fine, no more questions!" he was exasperated, and just wanted to get home. Due to all the facts that had come out over the case, nobody really believed Sirius to be guilty any more.
"Is that all you both have to offer?" the judge asked in a tired voice.
"Yes," both lawyers answered at the same time. "Right, let's hear your closing's then!" the judge demanded. Anya got up and took a deep breath.
"Your honour, it is impossible for any wizard to lie while under the influence of veritiseum. Therefore Sirius Black as told the complete truth. He is completely innocent!"
"Mr Redgrace, do you have a rebuttal?" the judge asked. Redgrace just shook his head, before lightly banging his head on the table in front of him.
"Well then, there is no other choice but for me to find in favour of the defendant. Mr Black, you have been found innocent on appeal of a heinous crime committed almost 16 years ago. You will be compensated by the Ministry, and you are now free to go. Have a good life!" the judge gave a sort of forced smile, then exited, muttering about how easy it would have been to just use veritiseum in the beginning. The binds around Sirius broke away, and he stood up slowly, inspecting his hands as if he had never seen them before. He looked up at where Anya, Remus, Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting.
Racing over, he picked Anya up in a massive bear hug, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around.
"You saved my life!" he whispered.
"Yes," Sirius looked nervous as he was handed the sparling, pale liquid, but he gulped it back anyway. A medical witch stood off to the side.
"The potion will take full in effect in 3....2...1," the witch motioned to Anya to begin questioning.
"Mr Black, I'll start with easy question. Do you admit to having played numerous pranks on Severus Snape during your time at Hogwarts?" Sirius's face twisted as if he was trying to form a word, but eventually he quietly gave his answer.
"Yes," he yelped quietly, looking cranky at himself. Anya looked triumphant.
"So, you and Prof. Snape were never particularly friendly?"
"No,"
"So he would have no reason to lie for you?"
"None at all!" Sirius was adamant, shaking his head vehemently.
Anya turned to face the judge.
"Now judge, I know that I am not allowed to ask outright whether Sirius Black committed the crime, but I may ask questions concerning the incident in question, can't I?" Anya was fully aware of the answer, she just wanted to rub the judge's nose in what she was about to do.
"Yes you may," the judge said dejectedly, knowing that whatever happened would fully cement Anya's evidence. Anya smiled, almost cheerily. "Mr Black, would you ever want harm to come to either Lily or James Potter?"
"Definitely not!" Sirius exclaimed.
"How about Harry?"
"If anyone laid a finger on my godson, I swear I would...." Anya coughed covering Sirius's words, they would surely be damning against him.
"Mr Black, have you ever killed someone?" Anya said bluntly.
"Does a vampire count as someone?"
The judge interrupted Anya before she had even opened her mouth.
"Yes a vampire does count as a being!" he said almost gleefully.
"So you have killed a person!" the opposing lawyer didn't even try to keep the happiness out of his voice. If he could prove that Sirius was dangerous, he wouldn't be allowed out.
Anya bit her lip, this was going all wrong. She'd forgotten about Sirius's time as an auror. Of course he would have killed some things. 'How stupid of me!' she thought, mentally slapping her head. She started looking lost and worried, and Harry noticed this.
" Ahhh, Mr Black, have you ever killed anything using the Avada Kedavra curse?" Anya asked, silently pleading to the heavens.
"No," Sirius answered firmly, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Have you ever killed a fellow witch or wizard?" Anya asked, voice quivering.
"NO," Sirius's voice was resonant, and Anya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you Mr Black. Your witness Mr Redgrace," Anya said to the opposing lawyer. "Thank you," Redgrace said smirking in her direction. He then turned to the medical witch, still by Sirius's side.
"How much longer will this potion last?" he asked.
"You still have another hour," the witch answered. Redgrace nodded sharply.
"So you have killed another being?" he asked Sirius.
"Yes, a vampire," Sirius shot back at him. "Would you rather I let it live?" he added sarcastically.
The judge tried hard not to smile, but he didn't succeed. Anya shot Sirius a warning lot, before breaking into a wry smile as well.
"Well, no of course, it needed to be killed," Redgrace spluttered, deciding to change tactics.
"You were a good student, isn't that so Mr Black?"
"Yes, I suppose I was," Sirius was weary of where this was going.
"Did it make you mad that some uhhh, muggle born witches and wizards were smarter than you?"
"No," Sirius said in a slow voice, like he was talking to a child. Redgrace could tell he was fighting a losing battle.
"Fine, no more questions!" he was exasperated, and just wanted to get home. Due to all the facts that had come out over the case, nobody really believed Sirius to be guilty any more.
"Is that all you both have to offer?" the judge asked in a tired voice.
"Yes," both lawyers answered at the same time. "Right, let's hear your closing's then!" the judge demanded. Anya got up and took a deep breath.
"Your honour, it is impossible for any wizard to lie while under the influence of veritiseum. Therefore Sirius Black as told the complete truth. He is completely innocent!"
"Mr Redgrace, do you have a rebuttal?" the judge asked. Redgrace just shook his head, before lightly banging his head on the table in front of him.
"Well then, there is no other choice but for me to find in favour of the defendant. Mr Black, you have been found innocent on appeal of a heinous crime committed almost 16 years ago. You will be compensated by the Ministry, and you are now free to go. Have a good life!" the judge gave a sort of forced smile, then exited, muttering about how easy it would have been to just use veritiseum in the beginning. The binds around Sirius broke away, and he stood up slowly, inspecting his hands as if he had never seen them before. He looked up at where Anya, Remus, Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting.
Racing over, he picked Anya up in a massive bear hug, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around.
"You saved my life!" he whispered.