Disclaimer: Just about everything you recognize belongs to Ms Rowling and her publishers. Just about the rest is mine.
CHAPTER 3
INDEED, VERY SHOCKING REVELATIONS
"Yes, it's true," Mr. Weasley assured them, clearly enjoying the attention he was getting from this controversial declaration.
He went on to speak of Crouch's confession, the capture of Peter Pettigrew and his confessions, under the inducement of Veritaserum, as well as Albus Dumbledore's vote of confidence for Sirius Black.
"While all this may not be much," he admitted, "the Board has decided that it is sufficient evidence for Black to be released, until further incriminating evidence be produced against him, or in the event of any misconduct on his part. That is to say, he is released, but he will be watched closely. More investigations will be conducted in the next few days - more Veritaserum may have to be used than is preferred - and if all goes well and the explanations tally, the press conference will be held within the week."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Ginny was the first to regain her wits.
"Wasn't Peter Pettigrew supposed to be dead? I thought...I thought Sirius Black had killed him?"
"Yeah, and so did everyone else," said Harry, softly, "Peter Pettigrew was also known as Scabbers. Most who knew him would agree that he was timid and weak and would be incapable of any evil. Yet...it was this weakness he possessed that made it so easy, so easy for the Dark Lord to lay his claim over him. He was the one who killed those people, rapidly changing his form, disappearing as a rat, laying all the blame on Sirius. Sirius' lack of guilt helped him survive those long years in Azkaban. Yes...Pettigrew must have gotten complacent, to get caught after all these years...all these years when everyone thought he was dead..." His voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and held a special quality to it, that kept his audience riveted.
"And a good thing too," remarked Mr. Weasley suddenly, startling those around him. "His truth serum-induced confession has proved to be very useful to us, confirming a claim Harry made some months ago, that You-Know-Who has, in fact, been resurrected. Yes...it confirms just about everything Harry told Cornelius Fudge then - Pettigrew's confession has snapped him into his senses and he is now working very hard to find evidence to prove several claims which both you, Harry, and Pettigrew have made. As I have said, investigations will be carried out in the next few days, and if the various accounts - Crouch's, Pettigrew's, Lupin's, Black's, Dumbledore's, and yours, Harry - if they all tally, then in the press conference, the detention of Pettigrew, the release of Black (your godfather, is he not, Harry?), and the return of the Dark Lord will all be announced."
Such a torrent of information, shocking, to say the least, has been unsettling towards most of the audience present. For some moments, they were rendered incapable of speech and movement; indeed, it was only when a rumble of thunder was heard overhead that Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, "Well. Well. That was...interesting...wasn't it?" she ventured, faltering. "Come now, it's about to rain, help me get all these things inside."
As the children helped her, still dazed, you could hear Percy mumble, "Mr. Crouch? But surely not...there must be some kind of mistake...yes...surely that's what it is..."
* * *
The morning brought a semblance of normality back into the Burrow. Perhaps they had mulled over the revelations over the night and come to terms with it, perhaps they had worked hard to suppress all the night from memory, to pretend they had never heard such things, but in any case, the Weasley kitchen was noisy as ever. However, they did sound more strained with the effort it took to create the delusion that nothing largely opinion-altering had happened the night before.
They duly had breakfast, and then came the flurry of preparations for the trip to Diagon Alley. Cloaks were put on, Hogwarts letters were searched for, much scrambling ensued. At long last, everyone was gathered in front of the fireplace, ready as ever for the trip.
While Harry had never quite acquired the taste for traveling by Floo since his second year in Hogwarts, he was pleased by the fact that this time, he ended up in the right place, without injuring himself.
He did, however, land on his face. And not only that, but he landed on his face before someone's feet.
The feet, he saw, were bound by a pair of leather shoes. Leather shoes with an 'M' for the buckle. Rather expensive leather shoes, by the looks of it.
A feeling of dread encompassed him suddenly. With some trepidation, he looked up. What he saw confirmed his suspicions.
An all-too-familiar face, framed with pale blond hair, smirk firmly in place, complete with aristocratic nose and cold grey eyes stared down at him.
"Well, would you look at this!" the mouth, formerly twisted in a smirk, untwisted momentarily to utter this sentence. "Harry Potter, The Git Who Lived, prostrated at my feet! Someone, quick! Take a picture for posterity!"
Indeed, the face he was met with belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy.
-TO BE CONTINUED-
A/N: like it? hope it wasn't too confusing for you..please review.
"Yes, it's true," Mr. Weasley assured them, clearly enjoying the attention he was getting from this controversial declaration.
He went on to speak of Crouch's confession, the capture of Peter Pettigrew and his confessions, under the inducement of Veritaserum, as well as Albus Dumbledore's vote of confidence for Sirius Black.
"While all this may not be much," he admitted, "the Board has decided that it is sufficient evidence for Black to be released, until further incriminating evidence be produced against him, or in the event of any misconduct on his part. That is to say, he is released, but he will be watched closely. More investigations will be conducted in the next few days - more Veritaserum may have to be used than is preferred - and if all goes well and the explanations tally, the press conference will be held within the week."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Ginny was the first to regain her wits.
"Wasn't Peter Pettigrew supposed to be dead? I thought...I thought Sirius Black had killed him?"
"Yeah, and so did everyone else," said Harry, softly, "Peter Pettigrew was also known as Scabbers. Most who knew him would agree that he was timid and weak and would be incapable of any evil. Yet...it was this weakness he possessed that made it so easy, so easy for the Dark Lord to lay his claim over him. He was the one who killed those people, rapidly changing his form, disappearing as a rat, laying all the blame on Sirius. Sirius' lack of guilt helped him survive those long years in Azkaban. Yes...Pettigrew must have gotten complacent, to get caught after all these years...all these years when everyone thought he was dead..." His voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and held a special quality to it, that kept his audience riveted.
"And a good thing too," remarked Mr. Weasley suddenly, startling those around him. "His truth serum-induced confession has proved to be very useful to us, confirming a claim Harry made some months ago, that You-Know-Who has, in fact, been resurrected. Yes...it confirms just about everything Harry told Cornelius Fudge then - Pettigrew's confession has snapped him into his senses and he is now working very hard to find evidence to prove several claims which both you, Harry, and Pettigrew have made. As I have said, investigations will be carried out in the next few days, and if the various accounts - Crouch's, Pettigrew's, Lupin's, Black's, Dumbledore's, and yours, Harry - if they all tally, then in the press conference, the detention of Pettigrew, the release of Black (your godfather, is he not, Harry?), and the return of the Dark Lord will all be announced."
Such a torrent of information, shocking, to say the least, has been unsettling towards most of the audience present. For some moments, they were rendered incapable of speech and movement; indeed, it was only when a rumble of thunder was heard overhead that Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, "Well. Well. That was...interesting...wasn't it?" she ventured, faltering. "Come now, it's about to rain, help me get all these things inside."
As the children helped her, still dazed, you could hear Percy mumble, "Mr. Crouch? But surely not...there must be some kind of mistake...yes...surely that's what it is..."
The morning brought a semblance of normality back into the Burrow. Perhaps they had mulled over the revelations over the night and come to terms with it, perhaps they had worked hard to suppress all the night from memory, to pretend they had never heard such things, but in any case, the Weasley kitchen was noisy as ever. However, they did sound more strained with the effort it took to create the delusion that nothing largely opinion-altering had happened the night before.
They duly had breakfast, and then came the flurry of preparations for the trip to Diagon Alley. Cloaks were put on, Hogwarts letters were searched for, much scrambling ensued. At long last, everyone was gathered in front of the fireplace, ready as ever for the trip.
While Harry had never quite acquired the taste for traveling by Floo since his second year in Hogwarts, he was pleased by the fact that this time, he ended up in the right place, without injuring himself.
He did, however, land on his face. And not only that, but he landed on his face before someone's feet.
The feet, he saw, were bound by a pair of leather shoes. Leather shoes with an 'M' for the buckle. Rather expensive leather shoes, by the looks of it.
A feeling of dread encompassed him suddenly. With some trepidation, he looked up. What he saw confirmed his suspicions.
An all-too-familiar face, framed with pale blond hair, smirk firmly in place, complete with aristocratic nose and cold grey eyes stared down at him.
"Well, would you look at this!" the mouth, formerly twisted in a smirk, untwisted momentarily to utter this sentence. "Harry Potter, The Git Who Lived, prostrated at my feet! Someone, quick! Take a picture for posterity!"
Indeed, the face he was met with belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy.
A/N: like it? hope it wasn't too confusing for you..please review.