Disclaimer: Two reasons I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with it-1) would I really be writing fanfiction if I owned the original story? And 2) Since the author and owner of Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling, and seeing that I'm not J.K. Rowling, then I'm not the author and I don't own Harry Potter!
And...I couldn't make a profit off of any of my fanfiction stories, even if I wanted to!
A/N: I'm baaaack! Woohoo! I had an awesome time in New Hampshire! Did ya miss me?
Unfortunately, I didn't get to write the twelfth chapter while I was there, so I had to write it when I got home. I was really busy, and by the second week of being on vacation I needed to refresh my memory and read the eleventh chapter again before starting on this one-which I wasn't able to do, seeing that I didn't have my computer with me. Also, there was something else that I neglected to do while I was there... "coughcoughhomeworkcough* I have to get it all done by Thursday-no, Wednesday, because school starts on Thursday...I'm starting my freshman year of high school! Which reminds me-until I told you right now, how old did you lot think I was? I'm just wondering...I know, I ask strange and random questions...
Well, I hope this chapter ties up some loose ends for you guys! I have started using the asterisk (or however you spell it) sign thingy * to show when there are italics, because the whole no-Italics things is really annoying me, to say the least.
Oh...and just so you know, "Villons" is French and pronounced "Vill-yon." Also, I'm in my singing mood right now, and that always makes me feel somewhat giddy, so I thought I'd give you guys a little preview of this chapter before you read it. So, two words: Enter-Remus.
Chapter Twelve-On the Road to Success
Colette Villons and Albus Dumbledore were sitting in a small table in very back of the Leaky Cauldron, having just finished their lunch. Colette was-once again-very impatient because her lunch partner had avoided talking about the reason that she was there the whole meal, and instead had been making casual, friendly, and normal chatter. Colette, knowing that Albus Dumbledore was not one that you press for questions, had restrained herself from yelling at him to, "Spit it out already!", and just sat there instead, peering at him keenly and warily over her cup of coffee. At that moment, their waiter came by and Dumbledore ordered a cup of coffee as well. Then, quite suddenly, he turned to Colette.
"Well, it is high time we talk about your reason for being here," Dumbledore said, looking at the younger woman carefully. Colette sat up straight, placing her mug on the table and pricking up her ears. She felt as though Dumbledore might be able to sense her impatience, and he continued to speak.
"I need your help in a professional area," He said carefully. "It concerns matters that I wouldn't approach a good many people with, but I trust you, and you're the best link that I have into the both the high members of the Ministry and the law."
Colette watched him, still a little wary, and she bit back the urge to hiss, "Tell me something I don't already know!" Although they weren't especially good friends and some people may not have guessed it from watching the two of them together, but Colette was very fond of Albus Dumbledore...though at times it seemed to her impatient spirit that this man could be a bit exhausting, when it came down to it.
Instead, she gave a strained smile, and said, a bit forcefully, "Please, Albus, just do get on with it." He looked at her and smiled, his eyes twinkling, and this time she was sure that he could sense how she was feeling. She marveled over how perceptive he could be at times, and it wasn't the first time she had thought that about him.
"To not beat around the bush, so to speak..." Dumbledore said, and the former twinkle was gone as his eyes turned very serious. He motioned for her to lean in closer to the table as he did the same, and despite everything she felt as if they were two children conspiring and making silly, ridiculous plans together. Impatience was clouding her thoughts now, and she so strongly felt that she wanted so badly to know what it is he wanted that she could taste it.
"I am going to say this very bluntly-this matter involves Sirius Black," Dumbledore finished, looking at her with a trace of expectance in his eyes. However, she neither said anything nor showed any emotion in her face to show him what she was feeling, but she simply stared at him.
Sirius Black? Of all the things that he could have said, this is what she had least expected. She knew, of course, as did most members of the Ministry, that Dumbledore was trying very hard to convince Cornelius Fudge to give Black a trial. Still a little stunned by Dumbledore's words, she tried to remember what her thoughts were on the matter of Sirius Black.
Back when the question about him getting a trial or not had arisen, she had decided to not get involved in it. She had enough to deal with these days with all these strange happenings in the wizarding world, and she didn't feel like dealing with issues that the Minister didn't approach her with. She had also known Black as an acquaintance, and she didn't like to mix professional matters with her social life. There was another reason, however, that she hadn't wanted to get involved in the matter.
She was one of the few people that were undecided about whether Black should be given a trial or not, because from where she stood in the situation she could easily see the two sides of the problem.
For years Colette had believed Black to be guilty of the crimes that he had been sentenced to Azkaban for, just like the rest of the magical community. She agreed with Fudge in the aspect that he had already been convicted, so why convict him again?
But then again...then another side of her conscious would protest. Colette was a great believer in justice being done, and although she had been only a teenager at the time, she had never thought it was very fair that Black-along with other Dark wizards that were arrested at the time-hadn't been given an opportunity to defend themselves. Like others, of course, she believed them to be guilty-mainly because there was solid evidence and not many people-if anyone at all-who was willing to vouch for their innocence. But she still felt that it was unfair, and what would happen-theoretically, of course-if one of the people accused happened to be innocent and was sent to Azkaban for no good reason? She shuddered to think about it.
Plus, there was also the small-yet determined-group of people who were fighting for Black's right to a trial. This was what most tore her in two-because none of the other Dark wizards had had people trying to fight for them. It was also confusing for her, though-because she couldn't help wonder why these people had not come out to defend Black when he was accused, almost fourteen years ago? That friend of Black's, that werewolf-why hadn't he come out sooner? Granted, she had to give the defenders some slack, because at the time three of Black's defenders had been babies...but that confused her even more. How could they be defending him now if they were so young in the very beginning, what could they know now? Colette had a vague knowledge of the night that Black had escaped from Hogwarts-something involving Severus Snape, Black's friend, Harry Potter and his two friends, and a hippogriff.
Harry Potter. Putting the Boy-Who-Lived into this situation made Colette-if at all possible-more confused than ever. Unlike Fudge, Colette didn't know about the supposed Secret Keeper pact between Black and the Potters, and only knew of Black's supposed murders of twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew...and that Black was Harry's godfather. Therefore, she hadn't the slightest clue to what Harry Potter had to do with the situation besides him defending Black's innocence at Hogwarts.
Colette's head swam as she collected her thoughts and slipped back into the present-which now consisted of a certain Albus Dumbledore watching her very carefully.
"Albus..." Colette said, looking at him in suppressed confusion as she attempted to return his careful gaze. "Does this have anything to do with Black receiving a trial or not?"
"Indeed it does," Dumbledore said calmly. Colette waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she sighed in frustration, thinking over what he was presenting her with. Although he hadn't yet said specifically what he wanted her to do, she wasn't totally at a loss to what was going on. True, the whole case with Black did involve her department, but not her directly-the minister had mostly kept this issue to himself, and Colette was content to keep it that way. But, all the same...she wasn't going to refuse Dumbledore's request for help. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of her, but she tried to ignore it and kept her face neutral.
"You want me to help you defend Black's innocence, Albus?" She asked, careful to keep her voice impassive.
"No," Dumbledore answered quietly. Startled by this unexpected response, her cool manner quickly evaporated as she looked at him in surprise. Meeting her glance, Dumbledore held it, as he looked hard into her eyes.
"I want you to hear Black's-and mine's-side of the story, and then you can decide what to do." He stopped, waiting for her answer.
Colette studied him for a moment, then decided to give it a go. Listening to the story couldn't do her any harm, and she could always back out of it and say that she couldn't help him. If truth be told, she was curious to know what Black's story actually was. Finally, she nodded.
Dumbledore nodded too, with a tone of finality, and leaned back in his chair. She did the same. Then he began to tell her the real story from the beginning, which had its origins in the lives of four young students at Hogwarts, three of which were to become some of the most famous men in the world. Suddenly filled with an interest and desire to know the truth, Colette listened with amazement to the incredible story that was being told that was unfolding before her eyes.
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*One hour and a half later*
A very unusual man indeed was sitting in a small, shabby house in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside. If an unsuspecting Muggle would happen to look into his kitchen window right then, he or she would probably back away, and then promptly call a mental institution. For, to the untrained eye, the man sitting in the kitchen would appear to be having an animate and engrossing conversation with his fireplace. But if a wizard were to look into his kitchen window, he or she would think nothing of it, and they-unlike a Muggle-would not be surprised to see the head of a man with long white hair, a long white beard, blue eyes, and half moon spectacles sitting among the flames.
"...and so Colette Villons is going to help us." Said the head in the fireplace. The head belonged to a man named Albus Dumbledore.
"Colette Villons?" Repeated the other man in quiet surprise. This man's name was Remus Lupin, and he stared at Dumbledore, his tired eyes widening. "*Colette Villons?*"
"Yes," Dumbledore said calmly. "She is the best link we have to the law, and she has a high enough position in the Ministry to have an influence on Cornelius Fudge."
"Colette Villons..." Remus breathed, leaning back in the chair that he was sitting in and rubbing his forehead wearily. "I haven't talked to her in years."
"Well, you will talk to her shortly," Dumbledore said briskly. "Seeing that she is going to be a great help in our efforts to help Sirius, she and other people with a high position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are going to interview you, me, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione."
There was a moment of silence, in which Remus stared at his hands until looking up and saying, "That was very clever of you, Albus, to ask her to help us. Not only is she among the few whom are undecided about Sirius, but she also isn't prejudiced against werewolves. She and Arthur Weasley are part of a small group of gems in the Ministry these days," he added, truthfully stating in words what Dumbledore already knew. "Most of the others seem to be blindly following either Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy."
"Unfortunate, but true," Dumbledore agreed sadly. He had noticed, too, that in recent years Fudge and the Malfoys seemed to be gaining people to follow them, no questions asked. Although Dumbledore had always made an effort to be civil to the Malfoys, he knew that they were most likely threatening Ministry members, but he had no way of proving it. And as for Fudge...Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh as he thought about the Minister of Magic.
Fudge was a pompous and blustering man, and, although essentially good-natured, he had turned a blind eye to a good many things: He adored the Malfoys and downright refused to believe Death Eaters caused any of the recent attacks. He only listened to his small group of advisors, of which Dumbledore used to be a part of until earlier that summer. He was honestly unsure about Fudge's capabilities to run the British magical world, and couldn't help worrying every once in a while about Fudge's successor.
"Albus?" Remus was saying softly. "Do you think she'll be of any help to us?"
"If she really wants to help us, she will," Dumbledore slowly, choosing his words carefully. "And we could have great results. But if she doesn't..." He thought it best to leave the sentence unfinished.
Remus nodded. Then he asked casually, almost brightly, "So, what did she think of our story?"
"She says that it's very believable, in her eyes," Dumbledore answered, his eyes twinkling as he watched a look of relief crossed the younger man's face. "She said that it certainly made some things a lot clearer for her, and she's going to investigate into our claims."
Remus looked into the fireplace warily, wondering what she was planning to do. "Investigate? How so?"
"She is going to interview Sirius."
"Are sure that she can do that?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow and frowning at the same time.
"She is the head of one of the most important departments in the Ministry, Remus, she can do it, I assure you. Besides, she has her ways," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "As I know you already know."
Remus grinned. Colette was a surprisingly good actress, and often used her stunning looks and acting abilities to get herself places that
other people might not normally be able to get to-providing it was all legal, of course. He nodded.
*It's no use worrying, * he told himself. *Albus is right. If anyone can do it, it's her. *
"Well, I'd better be leaving now," Dumbledore said, smiling at Remus. "Arthur has been looking for me, and I need to get back to him. I'll keep in touch as soon as I hear anything." And with *pop*, he was gone.
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Harry spent most of the rest of his day at Sirius's bedside, either talking with Sirius, watching him sleep, or often dozing off himself. In one conversation, Harry talked about how his life had been going since Sirius had left the night of the third task. (In which Sirius had said, "Hey, I did promise I would see you again soon, didn't I? And-ha! Lo and behold! Here I am, talking to you! I can foretell the future! But don't go comparing me to Trelawny, kid," he had added as he grinned at his godson with a twinkle in his eye. "Because I'm an Animagus, and she doesn't need to be able to change her shape to look like a dragonfly.")
In another conversation, Harry showed him one of "Gred and Forge's" trick wands, which he loved. In yet another, he was inspired by the previous conversation to launch into the story of Dudley and the Ton Toungue Toffees. Sirius loved this one especially. But in none of the conversations did Harry tell his godfather about the dream that he had had, the one about Southampton-the one that had turned out to be true. Both of them had been carefully avoiding the topic of the trial-even though they knew they had to address it eventually-and talking about normal, non-stressful things. *Sirius already had a lot to worry about, * Harry had thought. *Why worry him with something else? *
In the conversation that was occurring in present times, Harry was telling Sirius something that he would never even dream about telling Ron: the feelings he was beginning have about Ginny.
As Harry had explained-with a bit of a blush in his face-how he was feeling, Sirius grinned at him as he listened. When Harry was done, he told him, "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised, because I'm not."
"You're...not?" Harry asked, watching Sirius warily as he wondered what he was up to.
"Nope," Sirius said, looking at Harry with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I knew it was just a matter of time before you began to notice her."
"You...did?" This startling bit of information seemed to have left Harry with the inability to say sentences that consisted of more than two words. Sirius laughed.
"Yep," Sirius said, still grinning, and leaned forward so that he was closer to Harry. Harry moved closer to the bed. "You see, Harry, the Potter men have a...er...thing for redheads."
"We...do?" Harry said, staring blankly at Sirius.
"Eureka, I think he's got it!" Sirius said. Then he smiled, leaned back, closed his eyes, and let out an enormous (and enormously fake) snore.
"Sirius!" Harry laughed. Quickly snapping out of his two-words-per-sentence curse, he nudged Sirius in the shoulder. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Sirius gave another snore.
Harry waited patiently for Sirius to "wake up" with his chin resting in his hand. After a couple of minutes and several more fake snores, Sirius opened a single eye and directed it to Harry. Smiling even wider than before, he opened both of his eyes and sat up.
"Harry..." He said slowly, still smiling. "The Potter men *love* redheads. Your mother was a redhead. Your grandmother was a redhead. And, unless I'm mistaken, I seem to remember your father saying something about your great grandmother being a redhead."
Harry stared at him. "Are you serious? You're not joking? Really?"
Sirius nodded, his expression very grave and serious. After a moment of staring at each other in that way, both of them burst out laughing at the same time.
"I can't believe that!" Harry said after their laughing began to subside. "No wonder you weren't surprised-that's really strange!"
"Well, your family is very strange, Harry, no denying it, and you and your father are no exceptions," Sirius said teasingly. Harry laughed again and then sighed. Despite the situation, he found that he was feeling very content with the world.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Harry looked at Sirius curiously. Sirius gave Harry a quick nod, frowning slightly, and so Harry called out, "Er...come in."
The door opened, and in walked one of the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen. For a second there he was sure that she must be a veela, for her long blonde hair, ice blue eyes, pale skin and tall stature all seemed very familiar. His conversation with Sirius about Ginny that had occurred only minutes before almost forgotten, he stared up at her for a moment with his mouth slightly open, not sure of what to do when an alarmingly beautiful women walked into your godfather's hospital room. Then, something very unexpected happened.
"C-Colette?" Sirius said in amazement, staring at the women in the doorway. "What...what..."
"Hello, Sirius," This woman named Colette said smoothly, smiling in a way that Harry was sure would make Ron positively melt. "And you..." She turned to Harry, who remembered that his mouth was still open and quickly shut it with a snap. "You must be Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you."
Now that he had come to his senses, Harry felt confused. "Um...hi," He said awkwardly, then looked back at Sirius. "What...?"
"My name is Colette Villons," She said, answering the unspoken question and moving swiftly across the room to sit in the chair next to Harry. "I'm the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sirius, I am assuming you remember me?"
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? Harry's head was swimming. He wanted to ask Sirius what was going on, but instead Sirius was talking to Colette.
"Yes, I remember you," He said slowly while looking at her carefully. He was obviously as confused as Harry was. "But...what are you doing here?"
"I listened to your story from Albus Dumbledore earlier this afternoon, Sirius. It seems very believable to me, but I would like to ask you and others some questions first. But, if everything goes as I expect it to, I am prepared to be completely behind you the whole way when it comes to receiving your trial or not."
Harry's mouth dropped open again. Just like that? She was going to defend him...just like that?
"I would like to get on with the interviewing process as quickly as possible. So...if you wouldn't mind stepping out for a bit, Harry..."
"Oh!" Harry said, and he felt himself blushing a little. "Of course. Right." Harry hurried out of the room with a final glance at Sirius. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Maybe...just maybe, with Colette's help...maybe everything could be okay.
Harry ran off to find Hermione and the Weasleys.
A/N: This is by far the most complicated story I have ever written. There are so many things going on in it! I mean, I'll be almost done writing a chapter, then I'll remember another bit of the plotline and realize that I forgot to put that in the chapter! Oy...well, everything's going more or less smoothly, so far.
I wrote this whole chapter-all almost eight pages of it-in less than a day, and let me tell you, I am very tired of sitting at the computer. I wanted to get this out as quickly as possible, though, because I know you guys have been waiting two weeks for this chapter. I don't think I'm going to be able to get chapter 13 out before school starts-I have so many things to do-and then we'll just have to wait and see. I doubt that I'll get a lot of homework in the first couple of days at school, but I'll probably get an idea of how much work I'll be receiving over the year, so then I can hopefully say how often updates will come. They won't come as often as they did in the summer, obviously, and how often they come all depends on how much free time I'll have on my hands. Because it's not just schoolwork I'm thinking about, but also other stuff: I'm doing this stuff with my Hebrew school-Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings-I'm probably joining this teen theater thingy, and there's all this other extra stuff at my new school. Plus, there are so many things that I WANT to do, but probably won't-join a soccer team, re-take up piano lessons, and tons of other stuff. Hehe...if you haven't already noticed, I'm very ambitious. And now I need to start thinking about all this new stuff-like what'll impress colleges-ah! I don't know whether you readers are older or younger than I am, but if your older: You probably know what I'm talking about. If your younger...Godspeed. :)
Hmm...I really did get off subject there, didn't I? I do that a lot...well, back to reality: How did you guys all like my Remus? Think I'm doing him sort of well? Or no? Criticism, please! I know I didn't really portray him very much in this chapter, but oh, well...
I've been having a lot of fun developing Colette. In case you guys haven't guessed already, she's going to play an important part in the story. Did her reflections after Dumbledore told her that he needed help with Sirius's case seem too long? I just felt like it needed some explaining behind it, her take on things.
Did Sirius's and Harry's conversation in this chapter seem a bit too cheesy-ish? Like, fake or corny? I don't know...
Wellduh...: Yeah, I knew that you would like this chapter! Thanks a lot! I'm glad that you liked it, I wasn't sure if it was bit too rushed.
Celestial princess: Actually, I think 521 just sort of came into my head, but I was probably connecting it semi-consciously to that...er...incident. I actually like that idea about Fudge! I think I'll use that somewhere! Lol thanks Dena!
Gloriaklompen: Haha it's alright...I review your story when I get around to it, which will be soon, hopefully. Thanks...yeah, Dena really does like that line!
Yuffie-Girl: I liked this chapter a lot too, you think it's one of my best? That's so cool! It was a heck of a chapter to write, I can tell you that much. I'm glad that you liked my Sirius...when I started writing that chapter, I wasn't sure how well he was going to go, but I kind of just fell into portraying him that way, very naturally-sort of like an instinct, you know?
Lady Gabriella of Queenscove: Yeah, Fudge is a jerk in my story, I hate him more than Snape as well, probably. I mean, Snape at least doesn't turn all these ridiculous blind eyes, and he knows reality. Malfoy...I still haven't totally decided what I think of him yet...
Gengi: Yikes I hope your computer problems work out! Harry's dream...very metaphorical and has a lot of symbolism, you know what I mean? It's one of those things where you need to "read between the lines," so to speak. I did have a happy, fun, and safe trip! Yay!
And...I couldn't make a profit off of any of my fanfiction stories, even if I wanted to!
A/N: I'm baaaack! Woohoo! I had an awesome time in New Hampshire! Did ya miss me?
Unfortunately, I didn't get to write the twelfth chapter while I was there, so I had to write it when I got home. I was really busy, and by the second week of being on vacation I needed to refresh my memory and read the eleventh chapter again before starting on this one-which I wasn't able to do, seeing that I didn't have my computer with me. Also, there was something else that I neglected to do while I was there... "coughcoughhomeworkcough* I have to get it all done by Thursday-no, Wednesday, because school starts on Thursday...I'm starting my freshman year of high school! Which reminds me-until I told you right now, how old did you lot think I was? I'm just wondering...I know, I ask strange and random questions...
Well, I hope this chapter ties up some loose ends for you guys! I have started using the asterisk (or however you spell it) sign thingy * to show when there are italics, because the whole no-Italics things is really annoying me, to say the least.
Oh...and just so you know, "Villons" is French and pronounced "Vill-yon." Also, I'm in my singing mood right now, and that always makes me feel somewhat giddy, so I thought I'd give you guys a little preview of this chapter before you read it. So, two words: Enter-Remus.
Chapter Twelve-On the Road to Success
Colette Villons and Albus Dumbledore were sitting in a small table in very back of the Leaky Cauldron, having just finished their lunch. Colette was-once again-very impatient because her lunch partner had avoided talking about the reason that she was there the whole meal, and instead had been making casual, friendly, and normal chatter. Colette, knowing that Albus Dumbledore was not one that you press for questions, had restrained herself from yelling at him to, "Spit it out already!", and just sat there instead, peering at him keenly and warily over her cup of coffee. At that moment, their waiter came by and Dumbledore ordered a cup of coffee as well. Then, quite suddenly, he turned to Colette.
"Well, it is high time we talk about your reason for being here," Dumbledore said, looking at the younger woman carefully. Colette sat up straight, placing her mug on the table and pricking up her ears. She felt as though Dumbledore might be able to sense her impatience, and he continued to speak.
"I need your help in a professional area," He said carefully. "It concerns matters that I wouldn't approach a good many people with, but I trust you, and you're the best link that I have into the both the high members of the Ministry and the law."
Colette watched him, still a little wary, and she bit back the urge to hiss, "Tell me something I don't already know!" Although they weren't especially good friends and some people may not have guessed it from watching the two of them together, but Colette was very fond of Albus Dumbledore...though at times it seemed to her impatient spirit that this man could be a bit exhausting, when it came down to it.
Instead, she gave a strained smile, and said, a bit forcefully, "Please, Albus, just do get on with it." He looked at her and smiled, his eyes twinkling, and this time she was sure that he could sense how she was feeling. She marveled over how perceptive he could be at times, and it wasn't the first time she had thought that about him.
"To not beat around the bush, so to speak..." Dumbledore said, and the former twinkle was gone as his eyes turned very serious. He motioned for her to lean in closer to the table as he did the same, and despite everything she felt as if they were two children conspiring and making silly, ridiculous plans together. Impatience was clouding her thoughts now, and she so strongly felt that she wanted so badly to know what it is he wanted that she could taste it.
"I am going to say this very bluntly-this matter involves Sirius Black," Dumbledore finished, looking at her with a trace of expectance in his eyes. However, she neither said anything nor showed any emotion in her face to show him what she was feeling, but she simply stared at him.
Sirius Black? Of all the things that he could have said, this is what she had least expected. She knew, of course, as did most members of the Ministry, that Dumbledore was trying very hard to convince Cornelius Fudge to give Black a trial. Still a little stunned by Dumbledore's words, she tried to remember what her thoughts were on the matter of Sirius Black.
Back when the question about him getting a trial or not had arisen, she had decided to not get involved in it. She had enough to deal with these days with all these strange happenings in the wizarding world, and she didn't feel like dealing with issues that the Minister didn't approach her with. She had also known Black as an acquaintance, and she didn't like to mix professional matters with her social life. There was another reason, however, that she hadn't wanted to get involved in the matter.
She was one of the few people that were undecided about whether Black should be given a trial or not, because from where she stood in the situation she could easily see the two sides of the problem.
For years Colette had believed Black to be guilty of the crimes that he had been sentenced to Azkaban for, just like the rest of the magical community. She agreed with Fudge in the aspect that he had already been convicted, so why convict him again?
But then again...then another side of her conscious would protest. Colette was a great believer in justice being done, and although she had been only a teenager at the time, she had never thought it was very fair that Black-along with other Dark wizards that were arrested at the time-hadn't been given an opportunity to defend themselves. Like others, of course, she believed them to be guilty-mainly because there was solid evidence and not many people-if anyone at all-who was willing to vouch for their innocence. But she still felt that it was unfair, and what would happen-theoretically, of course-if one of the people accused happened to be innocent and was sent to Azkaban for no good reason? She shuddered to think about it.
Plus, there was also the small-yet determined-group of people who were fighting for Black's right to a trial. This was what most tore her in two-because none of the other Dark wizards had had people trying to fight for them. It was also confusing for her, though-because she couldn't help wonder why these people had not come out to defend Black when he was accused, almost fourteen years ago? That friend of Black's, that werewolf-why hadn't he come out sooner? Granted, she had to give the defenders some slack, because at the time three of Black's defenders had been babies...but that confused her even more. How could they be defending him now if they were so young in the very beginning, what could they know now? Colette had a vague knowledge of the night that Black had escaped from Hogwarts-something involving Severus Snape, Black's friend, Harry Potter and his two friends, and a hippogriff.
Harry Potter. Putting the Boy-Who-Lived into this situation made Colette-if at all possible-more confused than ever. Unlike Fudge, Colette didn't know about the supposed Secret Keeper pact between Black and the Potters, and only knew of Black's supposed murders of twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew...and that Black was Harry's godfather. Therefore, she hadn't the slightest clue to what Harry Potter had to do with the situation besides him defending Black's innocence at Hogwarts.
Colette's head swam as she collected her thoughts and slipped back into the present-which now consisted of a certain Albus Dumbledore watching her very carefully.
"Albus..." Colette said, looking at him in suppressed confusion as she attempted to return his careful gaze. "Does this have anything to do with Black receiving a trial or not?"
"Indeed it does," Dumbledore said calmly. Colette waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she sighed in frustration, thinking over what he was presenting her with. Although he hadn't yet said specifically what he wanted her to do, she wasn't totally at a loss to what was going on. True, the whole case with Black did involve her department, but not her directly-the minister had mostly kept this issue to himself, and Colette was content to keep it that way. But, all the same...she wasn't going to refuse Dumbledore's request for help. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of her, but she tried to ignore it and kept her face neutral.
"You want me to help you defend Black's innocence, Albus?" She asked, careful to keep her voice impassive.
"No," Dumbledore answered quietly. Startled by this unexpected response, her cool manner quickly evaporated as she looked at him in surprise. Meeting her glance, Dumbledore held it, as he looked hard into her eyes.
"I want you to hear Black's-and mine's-side of the story, and then you can decide what to do." He stopped, waiting for her answer.
Colette studied him for a moment, then decided to give it a go. Listening to the story couldn't do her any harm, and she could always back out of it and say that she couldn't help him. If truth be told, she was curious to know what Black's story actually was. Finally, she nodded.
Dumbledore nodded too, with a tone of finality, and leaned back in his chair. She did the same. Then he began to tell her the real story from the beginning, which had its origins in the lives of four young students at Hogwarts, three of which were to become some of the most famous men in the world. Suddenly filled with an interest and desire to know the truth, Colette listened with amazement to the incredible story that was being told that was unfolding before her eyes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*One hour and a half later*
A very unusual man indeed was sitting in a small, shabby house in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside. If an unsuspecting Muggle would happen to look into his kitchen window right then, he or she would probably back away, and then promptly call a mental institution. For, to the untrained eye, the man sitting in the kitchen would appear to be having an animate and engrossing conversation with his fireplace. But if a wizard were to look into his kitchen window, he or she would think nothing of it, and they-unlike a Muggle-would not be surprised to see the head of a man with long white hair, a long white beard, blue eyes, and half moon spectacles sitting among the flames.
"...and so Colette Villons is going to help us." Said the head in the fireplace. The head belonged to a man named Albus Dumbledore.
"Colette Villons?" Repeated the other man in quiet surprise. This man's name was Remus Lupin, and he stared at Dumbledore, his tired eyes widening. "*Colette Villons?*"
"Yes," Dumbledore said calmly. "She is the best link we have to the law, and she has a high enough position in the Ministry to have an influence on Cornelius Fudge."
"Colette Villons..." Remus breathed, leaning back in the chair that he was sitting in and rubbing his forehead wearily. "I haven't talked to her in years."
"Well, you will talk to her shortly," Dumbledore said briskly. "Seeing that she is going to be a great help in our efforts to help Sirius, she and other people with a high position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are going to interview you, me, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione."
There was a moment of silence, in which Remus stared at his hands until looking up and saying, "That was very clever of you, Albus, to ask her to help us. Not only is she among the few whom are undecided about Sirius, but she also isn't prejudiced against werewolves. She and Arthur Weasley are part of a small group of gems in the Ministry these days," he added, truthfully stating in words what Dumbledore already knew. "Most of the others seem to be blindly following either Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy."
"Unfortunate, but true," Dumbledore agreed sadly. He had noticed, too, that in recent years Fudge and the Malfoys seemed to be gaining people to follow them, no questions asked. Although Dumbledore had always made an effort to be civil to the Malfoys, he knew that they were most likely threatening Ministry members, but he had no way of proving it. And as for Fudge...Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh as he thought about the Minister of Magic.
Fudge was a pompous and blustering man, and, although essentially good-natured, he had turned a blind eye to a good many things: He adored the Malfoys and downright refused to believe Death Eaters caused any of the recent attacks. He only listened to his small group of advisors, of which Dumbledore used to be a part of until earlier that summer. He was honestly unsure about Fudge's capabilities to run the British magical world, and couldn't help worrying every once in a while about Fudge's successor.
"Albus?" Remus was saying softly. "Do you think she'll be of any help to us?"
"If she really wants to help us, she will," Dumbledore slowly, choosing his words carefully. "And we could have great results. But if she doesn't..." He thought it best to leave the sentence unfinished.
Remus nodded. Then he asked casually, almost brightly, "So, what did she think of our story?"
"She says that it's very believable, in her eyes," Dumbledore answered, his eyes twinkling as he watched a look of relief crossed the younger man's face. "She said that it certainly made some things a lot clearer for her, and she's going to investigate into our claims."
Remus looked into the fireplace warily, wondering what she was planning to do. "Investigate? How so?"
"She is going to interview Sirius."
"Are sure that she can do that?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow and frowning at the same time.
"She is the head of one of the most important departments in the Ministry, Remus, she can do it, I assure you. Besides, she has her ways," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "As I know you already know."
Remus grinned. Colette was a surprisingly good actress, and often used her stunning looks and acting abilities to get herself places that
other people might not normally be able to get to-providing it was all legal, of course. He nodded.
*It's no use worrying, * he told himself. *Albus is right. If anyone can do it, it's her. *
"Well, I'd better be leaving now," Dumbledore said, smiling at Remus. "Arthur has been looking for me, and I need to get back to him. I'll keep in touch as soon as I hear anything." And with *pop*, he was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry spent most of the rest of his day at Sirius's bedside, either talking with Sirius, watching him sleep, or often dozing off himself. In one conversation, Harry talked about how his life had been going since Sirius had left the night of the third task. (In which Sirius had said, "Hey, I did promise I would see you again soon, didn't I? And-ha! Lo and behold! Here I am, talking to you! I can foretell the future! But don't go comparing me to Trelawny, kid," he had added as he grinned at his godson with a twinkle in his eye. "Because I'm an Animagus, and she doesn't need to be able to change her shape to look like a dragonfly.")
In another conversation, Harry showed him one of "Gred and Forge's" trick wands, which he loved. In yet another, he was inspired by the previous conversation to launch into the story of Dudley and the Ton Toungue Toffees. Sirius loved this one especially. But in none of the conversations did Harry tell his godfather about the dream that he had had, the one about Southampton-the one that had turned out to be true. Both of them had been carefully avoiding the topic of the trial-even though they knew they had to address it eventually-and talking about normal, non-stressful things. *Sirius already had a lot to worry about, * Harry had thought. *Why worry him with something else? *
In the conversation that was occurring in present times, Harry was telling Sirius something that he would never even dream about telling Ron: the feelings he was beginning have about Ginny.
As Harry had explained-with a bit of a blush in his face-how he was feeling, Sirius grinned at him as he listened. When Harry was done, he told him, "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised, because I'm not."
"You're...not?" Harry asked, watching Sirius warily as he wondered what he was up to.
"Nope," Sirius said, looking at Harry with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I knew it was just a matter of time before you began to notice her."
"You...did?" This startling bit of information seemed to have left Harry with the inability to say sentences that consisted of more than two words. Sirius laughed.
"Yep," Sirius said, still grinning, and leaned forward so that he was closer to Harry. Harry moved closer to the bed. "You see, Harry, the Potter men have a...er...thing for redheads."
"We...do?" Harry said, staring blankly at Sirius.
"Eureka, I think he's got it!" Sirius said. Then he smiled, leaned back, closed his eyes, and let out an enormous (and enormously fake) snore.
"Sirius!" Harry laughed. Quickly snapping out of his two-words-per-sentence curse, he nudged Sirius in the shoulder. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Sirius gave another snore.
Harry waited patiently for Sirius to "wake up" with his chin resting in his hand. After a couple of minutes and several more fake snores, Sirius opened a single eye and directed it to Harry. Smiling even wider than before, he opened both of his eyes and sat up.
"Harry..." He said slowly, still smiling. "The Potter men *love* redheads. Your mother was a redhead. Your grandmother was a redhead. And, unless I'm mistaken, I seem to remember your father saying something about your great grandmother being a redhead."
Harry stared at him. "Are you serious? You're not joking? Really?"
Sirius nodded, his expression very grave and serious. After a moment of staring at each other in that way, both of them burst out laughing at the same time.
"I can't believe that!" Harry said after their laughing began to subside. "No wonder you weren't surprised-that's really strange!"
"Well, your family is very strange, Harry, no denying it, and you and your father are no exceptions," Sirius said teasingly. Harry laughed again and then sighed. Despite the situation, he found that he was feeling very content with the world.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Harry looked at Sirius curiously. Sirius gave Harry a quick nod, frowning slightly, and so Harry called out, "Er...come in."
The door opened, and in walked one of the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen. For a second there he was sure that she must be a veela, for her long blonde hair, ice blue eyes, pale skin and tall stature all seemed very familiar. His conversation with Sirius about Ginny that had occurred only minutes before almost forgotten, he stared up at her for a moment with his mouth slightly open, not sure of what to do when an alarmingly beautiful women walked into your godfather's hospital room. Then, something very unexpected happened.
"C-Colette?" Sirius said in amazement, staring at the women in the doorway. "What...what..."
"Hello, Sirius," This woman named Colette said smoothly, smiling in a way that Harry was sure would make Ron positively melt. "And you..." She turned to Harry, who remembered that his mouth was still open and quickly shut it with a snap. "You must be Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you."
Now that he had come to his senses, Harry felt confused. "Um...hi," He said awkwardly, then looked back at Sirius. "What...?"
"My name is Colette Villons," She said, answering the unspoken question and moving swiftly across the room to sit in the chair next to Harry. "I'm the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sirius, I am assuming you remember me?"
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? Harry's head was swimming. He wanted to ask Sirius what was going on, but instead Sirius was talking to Colette.
"Yes, I remember you," He said slowly while looking at her carefully. He was obviously as confused as Harry was. "But...what are you doing here?"
"I listened to your story from Albus Dumbledore earlier this afternoon, Sirius. It seems very believable to me, but I would like to ask you and others some questions first. But, if everything goes as I expect it to, I am prepared to be completely behind you the whole way when it comes to receiving your trial or not."
Harry's mouth dropped open again. Just like that? She was going to defend him...just like that?
"I would like to get on with the interviewing process as quickly as possible. So...if you wouldn't mind stepping out for a bit, Harry..."
"Oh!" Harry said, and he felt himself blushing a little. "Of course. Right." Harry hurried out of the room with a final glance at Sirius. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Maybe...just maybe, with Colette's help...maybe everything could be okay.
Harry ran off to find Hermione and the Weasleys.
A/N: This is by far the most complicated story I have ever written. There are so many things going on in it! I mean, I'll be almost done writing a chapter, then I'll remember another bit of the plotline and realize that I forgot to put that in the chapter! Oy...well, everything's going more or less smoothly, so far.
I wrote this whole chapter-all almost eight pages of it-in less than a day, and let me tell you, I am very tired of sitting at the computer. I wanted to get this out as quickly as possible, though, because I know you guys have been waiting two weeks for this chapter. I don't think I'm going to be able to get chapter 13 out before school starts-I have so many things to do-and then we'll just have to wait and see. I doubt that I'll get a lot of homework in the first couple of days at school, but I'll probably get an idea of how much work I'll be receiving over the year, so then I can hopefully say how often updates will come. They won't come as often as they did in the summer, obviously, and how often they come all depends on how much free time I'll have on my hands. Because it's not just schoolwork I'm thinking about, but also other stuff: I'm doing this stuff with my Hebrew school-Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings-I'm probably joining this teen theater thingy, and there's all this other extra stuff at my new school. Plus, there are so many things that I WANT to do, but probably won't-join a soccer team, re-take up piano lessons, and tons of other stuff. Hehe...if you haven't already noticed, I'm very ambitious. And now I need to start thinking about all this new stuff-like what'll impress colleges-ah! I don't know whether you readers are older or younger than I am, but if your older: You probably know what I'm talking about. If your younger...Godspeed. :)
Hmm...I really did get off subject there, didn't I? I do that a lot...well, back to reality: How did you guys all like my Remus? Think I'm doing him sort of well? Or no? Criticism, please! I know I didn't really portray him very much in this chapter, but oh, well...
I've been having a lot of fun developing Colette. In case you guys haven't guessed already, she's going to play an important part in the story. Did her reflections after Dumbledore told her that he needed help with Sirius's case seem too long? I just felt like it needed some explaining behind it, her take on things.
Did Sirius's and Harry's conversation in this chapter seem a bit too cheesy-ish? Like, fake or corny? I don't know...
Wellduh...: Yeah, I knew that you would like this chapter! Thanks a lot! I'm glad that you liked it, I wasn't sure if it was bit too rushed.
Celestial princess: Actually, I think 521 just sort of came into my head, but I was probably connecting it semi-consciously to that...er...incident. I actually like that idea about Fudge! I think I'll use that somewhere! Lol thanks Dena!
Gloriaklompen: Haha it's alright...I review your story when I get around to it, which will be soon, hopefully. Thanks...yeah, Dena really does like that line!
Yuffie-Girl: I liked this chapter a lot too, you think it's one of my best? That's so cool! It was a heck of a chapter to write, I can tell you that much. I'm glad that you liked my Sirius...when I started writing that chapter, I wasn't sure how well he was going to go, but I kind of just fell into portraying him that way, very naturally-sort of like an instinct, you know?
Lady Gabriella of Queenscove: Yeah, Fudge is a jerk in my story, I hate him more than Snape as well, probably. I mean, Snape at least doesn't turn all these ridiculous blind eyes, and he knows reality. Malfoy...I still haven't totally decided what I think of him yet...
Gengi: Yikes I hope your computer problems work out! Harry's dream...very metaphorical and has a lot of symbolism, you know what I mean? It's one of those things where you need to "read between the lines," so to speak. I did have a happy, fun, and safe trip! Yay!
