I'm Not Running
By little gin blossom
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K.
[ ] means author's note
Summary: What if Harry Potter ran away during the Third Task? How did he escape? Who will take him in? What's it like to be in a family where you're just a normal kid?
Chapter 2- The Trial of a Supposed Dead Guy (a.k.a. Peter Pettigrew)
~^~~~^~
The courtroom was dank and dreary. Perfect for intimidating the defense. Among the crowd of people watching the trial were Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, the rest of the Weasleys, and Remus Lupin. Two dementors dragged in Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. Sirius, from what Ron and Hermione could see had a far-off look in his eyes, as if he didn't even note the dementors' presence, while Peter had a look of absolute horror on his face. The room was abuzz with whispers when the surly-looking judge entered. He rapped his gavel for silence, then said, "Case number 117, Sirius Black versus Peter Pettigrew, will now begin. Prosecution, please make your opening statements." Sirius' lawyer, who turned out to be Albus Dumbledore, stood up. "I would like to start by saying that my client was wrongfully imprisoned. He didn't betray Lily and James Potter; Peter did. He didn't kill twelve Muggles; Peter did. He didn't try to kill Harry Potter; Peter did. He is not a death eater, but Peter is. He was framed for all this, and he is more than willing to say this under veritaserum." At this the audience was silent in disbelief. The judge then called Peter up to the stand.[He couldn't get a lawyer. Don't ask me why.] "How do you plead?" "Well . . . Not guilty. I-I-I never did any of that. I'm innocent. S- s-sirius must've really gone mad in Azkaban. Sirius was Lily and James' secret keeper, not me." "That's a lie!" Ron yelled from the audience. "Silence!" The judge rapped his gavel again.
Hermione pulled Ron back into his seat and muttered some things to him to calm him down. [Nothing sick, I assure you.] "Mr. Petteigrew, is that all you have to say?" Peter nodded. "Then we'll let the prosecution start the questioning. "I'd like to call Sirius Black as my first witness." (Collective gasp from the audience.) The bailiff administered the Veritaserum and Dumbledore began the questioning. "What is your full name?" [This is to be sure that the potion is working.] "Sirius Odd [That is an actual name.] Black" "Who was the Potters' secret keeper?" "Peter Pettigrew. He and I switched right before the Fidelius Charm was cast as a bluff." That earned another gasp from the audience. "Who killed the twelve Muggles?" "Peter Pettigrew." "How did Peter Pettigrew escape and stay hidden?" " He is an illegal animagus."(gasp) "What form is his animagus form?" "A rat." "Where was he hiding during the twelve years you were in Azkaban?" "He was pretending to be Ron Weasley's pet rat."(gasp) "How did you figure out he was a pet rat?" "Fudge gave me a newspaper with Peter sitting on Ron's shoulder." Ron's face was turning beet red now that he was being mentioned. "Did anyone know of your innocence before today beside myself and Mr. Pettigrew?" "Yes." "Who?" "Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter." (GASP) "Oh, yes, and, were you ever a death eater?" "No." "Thank you. No further questions," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Black you may step down," the judge said. "You may call your next witness, Mr. Dumbledore." "For my next witness I call Peter Pettigrew to the stand." The fear was evident on his face as Peter shakily sat down and was administered the truth potion. "What is your full name?" "Peter Paki Pettigrew." [Again, it's a real name.] "Was everything that Sirius true?" "Yes." "Who is the death eater that was at Hogwarts this year? "Barty Crouch, Jr., he entered Harry Potter in the Tri-Wizard Tournament as the fourth champion. He also turned the cup into a portkey." "Tell us what happened when Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory took the Tri-Wizard cup." "The cup transported them to the Little Hangleton graveyard. I tried to kill Cedric, but Harry pushed him out of the way before the curse hit. The Dark Lord then told me to stun the spare. I tied Harry to Tom Riddle's gravestone. I put Tom Riddle's bone, my hand, and Harry's blood into a potion that resurrected the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord called the death eaters to him. Then he dueled with Harry. This gold bead of light touched the Dark Lord's arm and slowly started to kill him. The dark Lord died, and Harry stunned me, and I assume he made Cedric and me touch the portkey. "Well then, I see no point in further questioning him, your honor." "Very well," the judge nodded, "You may step down Mr. Pettigrew. This court will recess and return at two o'clock. Bailiff, bring Barty Crouch to the court." The gavel pounded again. As everyone watching the trial exited the room, Ron and Hermione ran excitedly up to Sirius. Sirius, however, was looking thoroughly depressed. "Why the long face, Sirius?" Hermione inquired. "Huh?" Sirius asked, breaking from his reverie. "Oh, I was just thinking that even if I do get pardoned, I can't be Harry's guardian. Harry was the only reason I had for wanting to escape from Azkaban. The one thing that compensates for Voldemort killing Harry was finding the sadistic bastard's dead body. [Everyone thinks Voldemort killed Harry and vice versa, 'cept the death eaters, who are smart enough know if they tell anyone that they saw Harry run, they'll raise suspicious questions.] Harry was too young to die. I should have protected him." Ron and Hermione's happiness dissipated. They tried their best to console him, but to no avail. When two o'clock rolled around, they returned to their seats. The judge banged the gavel and told Dumbledore to continue. "My next witness will be Bartemius Crouch, Jr." Barty was brought to the stand and the questioning began. "What is you name?" "Bartemius Hunter Crouch, Jr." "How did you get out of Azkaban. You were in there after driving the Longbottoms to the point of insanity, weren't you?" "My mother and I took Polyjuice Potion to look like the other so I could escape. My mother was dying, so she didn't mind dying in Azkaban if she could save me." "How did you get associated with the Dark Lord again?" "He and Pettigrew showed up at my father's house one night and allowed me to join the Dark Lord again." "How did you get to Hogwarts?" "My master made a Polyjuice potion and kidnapped the Mad-Eye Moody so that I could become him. I entered Potter in the tournament and helped him out along the way, like Master told me to." "Do you know what happened to your father the night Harry Potter claims that he spoke with him?" "I murdered him and transfigured him into some bone, then buried him." "No further questions." "For my next witness, I call Ron Weasley to the stand." Ron took the potion and let the questions begin. "What's your full name?" "Ronald Thaddeus Weasley." "When did you first meet Sirius? "In third year, when he dragged me into the Shrieking Shack." "Why did he drag you into the shack?"
"To get Pettigrew, I guess." "Did anyone follow you into the shack." "Yes, Harry and Hermione. Later Professor Lupin came in." "How did you find out that your rat was really a man? "Sirius and Professor Lupin did a spell on him and made him change into a man." "Did Peter admit to betraying the Potters' to Voldemort?" "Yes." "Thank you. No further questions." Then the judge asked, "Next witness?" "Hermione Granger." Hermione was given the veritaserum and then questioned. "What is your full name?" [This is getting kinda tedious.] "Hermione Anne Granger." "How did you find out that Sirius Black was innocent?" "The same way Ron did." "How did you and Harry Potter save Sirius from the dementors?" "We used my time-turner to go back in time and rescue Buckbeak and let Sirius fly away on the hippogriff." "Is there anything else you would like to tell us?" "No, sir." "You may step down." "I have one more witness, Your Honor. Remus Lupin." Remus came to the bench and blah blah blah, you get the picture. "Your full name?" "Remus Jay Lupin." "Were you and Sirius friends before Halloween 1981?" "Yes. But then I thought that he was the traitor for twelve years before I found out the truth." "And what was the truth?" "Peter betrayed Lily and James. He deserves life in Azkaban." "Thank you Remus. You may step down." "Mr. Pettigrew, do you have any witnesses?" The judge inquired. "No, sir." "We'll recess again and give the jury time to reach its verdict. Meet back here at four o'clock." Remus went up to talk to Sirius. "Hey, Padfoot, you're bound to get pardoned and The Rat will go to Azkaban for life. Cheer up." Sirius didn't reply. They just sat in silence 'til it was time to resume the trial. The judge came in and asked the jury about their decision. [I don't know what the legal mumbo-jumbo is.] The head juror stated: "We find Peter Pettigrew and Bartemius Crouch to be guilty and Sirius Black not guilty." "Sirius Black will receive a full pardon and 2500 galleons for his troubles; Peter Pettigrew will receive life in Azkaban for being a death eater, being associated with the murder of Lily and James Potter, the attempted murder of the late Harry Potter, and the murder of twelve Muggles; and Bartemius Crouch, Jr. will receive life in Azkaban for being a death eater, kidnapping Alastor Moody, and the attempted murder of Harry Potter. This court is adjourned." The gavel pounded one last time. Peter had a look of pure horror on his face. The dementors swooped in and took Peter and Barty to their new 'home.' "Do cheer up, Sirius." Sirius looked up at the face of his former headmaster. "Thank you for being my attorney, Albus. But I can't cheer up. Not when Harry's gone." "We're all sad, but we must move on. It's not healthy to live in the past. Please try to be a little happier." "I'll try, Albus."
~^~~~^~
Well, sorry about that wait. Thank you to all my reviewers. No, I wasn't waiting to reach a certain number of reviews; I just didn't have time to write. When you review for this chapter, I'll need you to answer a question; should Harry go to an orphanage or find a family right off the bat? And I'd like to say sorry if the paragraphing is messed up, that's ff.net's fault, not mine. I revised it thanks to Nicky. I know this sounds like a lame excuse, but I had a fever when I wrote most of this, and the fever is just starting to go away. I hope I fixed all the mistakes. Thanks again to my reviewers: ~ SailorGurl: I'm very much obliged that you reviewed. I hope this chapter was acceptable. ~ Kanashimi: I'll try to write faster. I'm glad you think it's interesting. ~ insaneandproudofit: Thank you for your review. Also, thanks for not saying the story sucks. ~ Shaunda (): Thank you. I hoped it would be good. ~ Illusoire (): I am definitely going to continue this. Here's the new chapter. ~ Nicky: Thank you for pointing out my mistakes. I hope I fixed them well enough.
~~~little gin blossom
By little gin blossom
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K.
[ ] means author's note
Summary: What if Harry Potter ran away during the Third Task? How did he escape? Who will take him in? What's it like to be in a family where you're just a normal kid?
Chapter 2- The Trial of a Supposed Dead Guy (a.k.a. Peter Pettigrew)
~^~~~^~
The courtroom was dank and dreary. Perfect for intimidating the defense. Among the crowd of people watching the trial were Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, the rest of the Weasleys, and Remus Lupin. Two dementors dragged in Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. Sirius, from what Ron and Hermione could see had a far-off look in his eyes, as if he didn't even note the dementors' presence, while Peter had a look of absolute horror on his face. The room was abuzz with whispers when the surly-looking judge entered. He rapped his gavel for silence, then said, "Case number 117, Sirius Black versus Peter Pettigrew, will now begin. Prosecution, please make your opening statements." Sirius' lawyer, who turned out to be Albus Dumbledore, stood up. "I would like to start by saying that my client was wrongfully imprisoned. He didn't betray Lily and James Potter; Peter did. He didn't kill twelve Muggles; Peter did. He didn't try to kill Harry Potter; Peter did. He is not a death eater, but Peter is. He was framed for all this, and he is more than willing to say this under veritaserum." At this the audience was silent in disbelief. The judge then called Peter up to the stand.[He couldn't get a lawyer. Don't ask me why.] "How do you plead?" "Well . . . Not guilty. I-I-I never did any of that. I'm innocent. S- s-sirius must've really gone mad in Azkaban. Sirius was Lily and James' secret keeper, not me." "That's a lie!" Ron yelled from the audience. "Silence!" The judge rapped his gavel again.
Hermione pulled Ron back into his seat and muttered some things to him to calm him down. [Nothing sick, I assure you.] "Mr. Petteigrew, is that all you have to say?" Peter nodded. "Then we'll let the prosecution start the questioning. "I'd like to call Sirius Black as my first witness." (Collective gasp from the audience.) The bailiff administered the Veritaserum and Dumbledore began the questioning. "What is your full name?" [This is to be sure that the potion is working.] "Sirius Odd [That is an actual name.] Black" "Who was the Potters' secret keeper?" "Peter Pettigrew. He and I switched right before the Fidelius Charm was cast as a bluff." That earned another gasp from the audience. "Who killed the twelve Muggles?" "Peter Pettigrew." "How did Peter Pettigrew escape and stay hidden?" " He is an illegal animagus."(gasp) "What form is his animagus form?" "A rat." "Where was he hiding during the twelve years you were in Azkaban?" "He was pretending to be Ron Weasley's pet rat."(gasp) "How did you figure out he was a pet rat?" "Fudge gave me a newspaper with Peter sitting on Ron's shoulder." Ron's face was turning beet red now that he was being mentioned. "Did anyone know of your innocence before today beside myself and Mr. Pettigrew?" "Yes." "Who?" "Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter." (GASP) "Oh, yes, and, were you ever a death eater?" "No." "Thank you. No further questions," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Black you may step down," the judge said. "You may call your next witness, Mr. Dumbledore." "For my next witness I call Peter Pettigrew to the stand." The fear was evident on his face as Peter shakily sat down and was administered the truth potion. "What is your full name?" "Peter Paki Pettigrew." [Again, it's a real name.] "Was everything that Sirius true?" "Yes." "Who is the death eater that was at Hogwarts this year? "Barty Crouch, Jr., he entered Harry Potter in the Tri-Wizard Tournament as the fourth champion. He also turned the cup into a portkey." "Tell us what happened when Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory took the Tri-Wizard cup." "The cup transported them to the Little Hangleton graveyard. I tried to kill Cedric, but Harry pushed him out of the way before the curse hit. The Dark Lord then told me to stun the spare. I tied Harry to Tom Riddle's gravestone. I put Tom Riddle's bone, my hand, and Harry's blood into a potion that resurrected the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord called the death eaters to him. Then he dueled with Harry. This gold bead of light touched the Dark Lord's arm and slowly started to kill him. The dark Lord died, and Harry stunned me, and I assume he made Cedric and me touch the portkey. "Well then, I see no point in further questioning him, your honor." "Very well," the judge nodded, "You may step down Mr. Pettigrew. This court will recess and return at two o'clock. Bailiff, bring Barty Crouch to the court." The gavel pounded again. As everyone watching the trial exited the room, Ron and Hermione ran excitedly up to Sirius. Sirius, however, was looking thoroughly depressed. "Why the long face, Sirius?" Hermione inquired. "Huh?" Sirius asked, breaking from his reverie. "Oh, I was just thinking that even if I do get pardoned, I can't be Harry's guardian. Harry was the only reason I had for wanting to escape from Azkaban. The one thing that compensates for Voldemort killing Harry was finding the sadistic bastard's dead body. [Everyone thinks Voldemort killed Harry and vice versa, 'cept the death eaters, who are smart enough know if they tell anyone that they saw Harry run, they'll raise suspicious questions.] Harry was too young to die. I should have protected him." Ron and Hermione's happiness dissipated. They tried their best to console him, but to no avail. When two o'clock rolled around, they returned to their seats. The judge banged the gavel and told Dumbledore to continue. "My next witness will be Bartemius Crouch, Jr." Barty was brought to the stand and the questioning began. "What is you name?" "Bartemius Hunter Crouch, Jr." "How did you get out of Azkaban. You were in there after driving the Longbottoms to the point of insanity, weren't you?" "My mother and I took Polyjuice Potion to look like the other so I could escape. My mother was dying, so she didn't mind dying in Azkaban if she could save me." "How did you get associated with the Dark Lord again?" "He and Pettigrew showed up at my father's house one night and allowed me to join the Dark Lord again." "How did you get to Hogwarts?" "My master made a Polyjuice potion and kidnapped the Mad-Eye Moody so that I could become him. I entered Potter in the tournament and helped him out along the way, like Master told me to." "Do you know what happened to your father the night Harry Potter claims that he spoke with him?" "I murdered him and transfigured him into some bone, then buried him." "No further questions." "For my next witness, I call Ron Weasley to the stand." Ron took the potion and let the questions begin. "What's your full name?" "Ronald Thaddeus Weasley." "When did you first meet Sirius? "In third year, when he dragged me into the Shrieking Shack." "Why did he drag you into the shack?"
"To get Pettigrew, I guess." "Did anyone follow you into the shack." "Yes, Harry and Hermione. Later Professor Lupin came in." "How did you find out that your rat was really a man? "Sirius and Professor Lupin did a spell on him and made him change into a man." "Did Peter admit to betraying the Potters' to Voldemort?" "Yes." "Thank you. No further questions." Then the judge asked, "Next witness?" "Hermione Granger." Hermione was given the veritaserum and then questioned. "What is your full name?" [This is getting kinda tedious.] "Hermione Anne Granger." "How did you find out that Sirius Black was innocent?" "The same way Ron did." "How did you and Harry Potter save Sirius from the dementors?" "We used my time-turner to go back in time and rescue Buckbeak and let Sirius fly away on the hippogriff." "Is there anything else you would like to tell us?" "No, sir." "You may step down." "I have one more witness, Your Honor. Remus Lupin." Remus came to the bench and blah blah blah, you get the picture. "Your full name?" "Remus Jay Lupin." "Were you and Sirius friends before Halloween 1981?" "Yes. But then I thought that he was the traitor for twelve years before I found out the truth." "And what was the truth?" "Peter betrayed Lily and James. He deserves life in Azkaban." "Thank you Remus. You may step down." "Mr. Pettigrew, do you have any witnesses?" The judge inquired. "No, sir." "We'll recess again and give the jury time to reach its verdict. Meet back here at four o'clock." Remus went up to talk to Sirius. "Hey, Padfoot, you're bound to get pardoned and The Rat will go to Azkaban for life. Cheer up." Sirius didn't reply. They just sat in silence 'til it was time to resume the trial. The judge came in and asked the jury about their decision. [I don't know what the legal mumbo-jumbo is.] The head juror stated: "We find Peter Pettigrew and Bartemius Crouch to be guilty and Sirius Black not guilty." "Sirius Black will receive a full pardon and 2500 galleons for his troubles; Peter Pettigrew will receive life in Azkaban for being a death eater, being associated with the murder of Lily and James Potter, the attempted murder of the late Harry Potter, and the murder of twelve Muggles; and Bartemius Crouch, Jr. will receive life in Azkaban for being a death eater, kidnapping Alastor Moody, and the attempted murder of Harry Potter. This court is adjourned." The gavel pounded one last time. Peter had a look of pure horror on his face. The dementors swooped in and took Peter and Barty to their new 'home.' "Do cheer up, Sirius." Sirius looked up at the face of his former headmaster. "Thank you for being my attorney, Albus. But I can't cheer up. Not when Harry's gone." "We're all sad, but we must move on. It's not healthy to live in the past. Please try to be a little happier." "I'll try, Albus."
~^~~~^~
Well, sorry about that wait. Thank you to all my reviewers. No, I wasn't waiting to reach a certain number of reviews; I just didn't have time to write. When you review for this chapter, I'll need you to answer a question; should Harry go to an orphanage or find a family right off the bat? And I'd like to say sorry if the paragraphing is messed up, that's ff.net's fault, not mine. I revised it thanks to Nicky. I know this sounds like a lame excuse, but I had a fever when I wrote most of this, and the fever is just starting to go away. I hope I fixed all the mistakes. Thanks again to my reviewers: ~ SailorGurl: I'm very much obliged that you reviewed. I hope this chapter was acceptable. ~ Kanashimi: I'll try to write faster. I'm glad you think it's interesting. ~ insaneandproudofit: Thank you for your review. Also, thanks for not saying the story sucks. ~ Shaunda (): Thank you. I hoped it would be good. ~ Illusoire (): I am definitely going to continue this. Here's the new chapter. ~ Nicky: Thank you for pointing out my mistakes. I hope I fixed them well enough.
~~~little gin blossom