Harry and Hermione went to the Great Hall, where food and drink were waiting for them. Harry helped himself to roast beef and mashed potatoes, but he didn't have much of an appetite. Hermione, on the other hand, tucked into a Yorkshire pudding.

"Nervous?" she asked.

Harry blushed. "A little."

"Harry, that's nothing to be embarrassed over. Of course you're nervous, Sirius is the first real family you've had."

Harry sighed. "I just wish Ron were here."

A while later, witches and wizards began to trickle into the Great Hall. They were all dressed in the same plum colored robes Dumbledore had changed into, and they took their seats at what had been the Head Table. It had been changed into a series of tiered benches.

"Do you think they're going to give Sirius a fair shake?" Harry asked.

She shrugged. "They're treating him better than they treated Hagrid last year, that's for sure. Probably because Sirius comes from a rich, powerful family and isn't half giant." The last sentence was said with some bitterness as she speared a roasted potato with her fork.

The massive doors at the rear of the Great Hall swung open. Harry and Hermione turned, expecting to see more members of the Wizengamot, but the woman who was there could not have been more unlike one of them. Her hair was set into elaborate curls, and she wore glasses studded with rhinestones. Her robes were acid green, and she carried a crocodile skin handbag. As she drew closer, Harry could see that her fingernails were painted a violent shade of red; they almost seemed to be dripping blood.

"Ugh." said Hermione. "That's Rita Skeeter." Upon seeing Harry's blank expression, she continued. "She writes a gossip column for The Daily Prophet. Awful woman - she wrote a horrible article about Professor Dumbledore last month. Oh, and she's heading this way."

Rita had scanned the room and her gaze had ended up on their table. She crossed the room with purposeful strides, her high heeled shoes beating a staccato rhythm on the stone floor.

"Harry Potter!" she said with a sigh and a smile. "Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet." She reached out to shake his hand, and Harry was reminded of an owl swooping down on a mouse.

"I know who you are." Harry said, ignoring her outstretched hand.

Rita's smile didn't diminish one iota. She withdrew her hand with a chuckle and sat down across from Harry without being invited.

"Ah! Well, everyone knows who you are, so we can skip the introductions! Lovely!"

From her purse she removed a roll of parchment and a quill whose tip matched the color of her robes. She moistened the quill by dabbing it on her tongue several times. Then she spread the parchment on the table and placed the quill on top of it. The quill stood on its own, and began to scratch out words.

"Now, how about giving me an exclusive scoop on the incredible events that have unfolded here tonight?" she said.

"Didn't Professor Dumbledore send the Prophet an owl?" Harry said.

A brief expression of annoyance flickered across her face before she answered, "Well yes, but I'm looking to get your view of things, Harry. You were there when Sirius Black and the man who alleges to be Peter Pettigrew-"

"He is Peter Pettigrew." Harry said.

"Ah! So you believe your godfather, then? Or do you think the two of them were in it together? I-"

Hermione grabbed the parchment.

"Excuse me, whoever you are, but that is the property of The Daily Prophet!" Rita shouted, standing up and turning to face Hermione. Hermione stood up as well and began backing away from Rita as her eyes scanned the parchment. Harry goggled at Hermione's audacity; clearly petrifying Snape had emboldened her.

Hermione began to read:

"Harry Potter sits in the Great Hall, conversing in low tones with a plain-looking girl his age; could it be The Boy Who Lived has a girlfriend? Or is he just consoling a fellow student who is shaken by the events that have unfolded at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this fateful evening?"

"Give that back, you silly girl!" Rita snarled, advancing on Hermione.

Hermione continued, holding one arm out to keep Rita at bay.

"Ever humble, Harry initially declined to comment on last night's happenings, instead referring me to the missive sent to the Prophet by Albus Dumbledore, who my faithful readers will recall was temporarily removed from his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts last year when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. But he was quick to parrot Dumbledore's belief that it was indeed Peter Pettigrew who was found at Hogwarts last evening."

"But are these his own ideas, or has he been lured into the cult of personality that surrounds Professor Dumbledore?"

Rita shrugged. "Keep it." she said. "I'll just make another copy." She winked at Harry and walked away.

"She can't print that, can she?" Harry asked Hermione.

Hermione crumpled up the parchment and threw it on the ground. "Technically, there's nothing in it that's not true."

They both sat back down, fuming. The Great Hall was now buzzing with murmured conversations as the members of the Wizengamot conferred amongst themselves. Dumbledore entered and took his place at the front of the assembled group, and the noise slowly died away.

"This meeting of the Wizengamot will come to order." Dumbledore said in a stately tone. "We are here this evening to determine the guilt of Sirius Black, accused of twelve counts of murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of breaking and entering, one count of escape from Azkaban, and one count of being an unregistered Animagus."

Sirius shuffled into the great hall in chains, flanked by two imposing wizards who had their wands trained on him.

There was an uproar in the Great Hall. Many of the Wizengamot leapt to their feet, hands going for their wands. Both of Sirius' guards stepped in front of him.

"Order! I will have order!" Dumbledore said. He rapped his wand on the Head Table several times; it made a sound like a gavel.

"Dumbledore, what is the meaning of this?" said Fudge.

"I'm afraid I do not understand the question, Minister." Dumbledore said.

A stout, middle aged woman sitting on Fudge's left hand stood and cleared her throat. She was dressed head to toe in pink. Her dress, her cardigan, even her shoes were pink. The barrage was offset only by a black bow perched on the top of her head. Harry was reminded of a dyspeptic toad.

"Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore." she said in a high pitched, simpering tone. The smile on her face was the most insincere one Harry had ever seen, with the possible exception of Aunt Petunia's.

The woman continued.

"I believe the Minister - and the rest of my fellow esteemed members of the Wizengamot - are confused as to why there are no Dementors present."

"Ah! Thank you, Undersecretary Umbridge." Dumbledore said. "However, I must confess that your explanation has done little to alleviate my confusion."

There was an awkward silence. The smile on Umbridge's face dimmed, but only slightly.

"We would feel safer if Dementors were present, Professor." Umbridge said finally.

"Ah! The highly skilled Aurors on either side of Mr. Black - who has no wand - as well as the presence of nearly fifty other witches and wizards, are not enough to alleviate your fears of him?" Dumbledore said. "You require the presence of Dark creatures who feed off of human suffering and misery?"

Umbridge pressed her lips together.

"It is protocol to have Dementors present when prisoners of Azkaban - escaped or otherwise - are on trial."

"Ah, there I must disagree with you, Undersecretary Umbridge. It is tradition, not protocol. Protocol must be observed. Tradition can be dispensed with at a whim - in this case, my whim. You see, it is my protocol never to have a Dementor cross the threshold of Hogwarts as long as I am Headmaster."

"The Minister of Magic is present," said Umbridge. "He must be protected."

"Of course." said Dumbledore. He turned to Fudge. "Minister, do you require the presence of Dementors to alleviate your fear of Sirius Black, or are the precautions I have in place sufficient?"

Fudge squirmed in his chair. "I, erm, I am not afraid of Sirius Black, Professor Dumbledore. I—-"

"Excellent! Then there is no need for the Dementors. Let us continue—-"

"Hem hem." Umbridge cleared her throat again.

"Yes, Undersecretary Umbridge?"

"I make a motion to move this trial to Courtroom Ten in the Ministry of Magic, where there are no restrictions regarding Dementors. All in favor?"

Many of the Wizengamot raised their hands.

"Very well." Dumbledore said. "It is a simple matter for me to allow Apparition between this room and Courtroom Ten.

"Professor, can't they give him Veritaserum?" Harry asked as Dumbledore approached them.

"I am afraid not." Dumbledore replied. "There are many ways to resist Veritaserum, so testimony given while under its influence is not admissible in a trial. Now, if you and Miss Granger would each take my by one of my hands, you can Apparate with me."

Apparition proved to be a singularly unpleasant experience. Harry felt like he was being compressed into a ball and squeezed through a garden hose. He tried to draw breath and failed; this did nothing to lessen his anxiety. When they reappeared after what felt like an eternity, the first breath he took was a deep gasp, and it was quite possibly the most blissful experience of his life to date.

"Are you alright?" Dumbledore said.

Harry indulged in the sweet decadence of breathing for another moment before nodding. Hermione looked to be in about the same condition.

He took stock of his surroundings. Courtroom Ten was a large indoor amphitheater with no windows. In the center of the room stood a podium with about fifty seats behind it. In front of the podium was an old wooden chair with manacles attached to its arms and legs.

Many of the Wizengamot had already arrived; more arrived each moment with a loud popping sound.

"Where's Sirius?" he asked, when he was unable to spot him in the crowd.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." said Hermione.

Her comment did little to calm Harry, who was regretting letting Sirius (and Pettigrew) out of sight for even a moment. He took a seat on one of the tiered rows of benches that lined the room and slumped over, his head in his hands. What did it matter, really? The Ministry of Magic would just make a cockup out of everything - again - and Harry would again be left without a family. Without Veritaserum, Sirius didn't have a chance.

He shivered, and was shocked to see his breath turn into a small puff of steam. How could it be so cold here, unless-

Two Dementors glided into the room and took up position on either side of the manacled chair. The mood in the room changed instantly: the Wizengamot members, who had been scattered over the central area of the room conversing in small groups, began to shuffle toward the chairs behind the podium. None of them looked at the Dementors.

The two Aurors appeared with another large pop. Between them was Sirius and Pettigrew. Upon seeing the Dementors, Sirius shrunk back in fear, his legs buckling underneath him.

The cold seeped into Harry's bones, threatening to paralyze him. He had to do something, he had only moments before he relived the death of his parents again. With clumsy fingers he reached for his wand.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed in a low voice. "What are you doing?"

"P—Patronus" Harry murmured through half numb lips.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "There's no magic allowed during a trial!"

How long was the trial going to last? He had never been In the presence of one of these foul creatures for more than a few minutes! He might have to give testimony, which he couldn't very well do if he was unconscious!

His head began to swim. It wouldn't be long now.

"Lily it's him! Take Harry and go!"

No. He didn't have time for this.

Dementors feasted on happy thoughts. Very well, then he would present himself as a very poor meal. It wasn't as though he had any shortage of bad memories, after all. He forced himself to relive his life with the Dursleys - every insult, every cruelty, every night locked in his cupboard with no company except for the spiders. He banished thoughts of Hogwarts, Hagrid, and any possibility of a life with Sirius.

Insanely, he felt a bit better. Not good, precisely, but it would do. He took a deep breath, and his head cleared somewhat.

"Bring forward the accused." said Umbridge.

The Aurors brought Sirius forward to stand in front of the podium.

"Sirius Black-" said Dumbledore. "-you stand accused of the murder of twelve Muggles, conspiracy to murder James, Lily, and Harold Potter, the attempted murder of Peter Pettigrew, and being an unregistered Animagus. What do you have to say in your defense?"

For a moment Sirius said nothing. Then his head snapped up.

"I was no longer the Secret Keeper for the Potters at that time. It was this man—-" Here Sirius pointed at Pettigrew. "—-who sold them out. Then he faked his own death."

Dumbledore turned to Pettigrew.

"Are you Peter Pettigrew?" he asked.

"Y-y—yes." he answered, quivering.

Harry was shocked. What was the man playing at? Surely he wasn't going to tell the truth? A spark of hope surged within him, but he tried to ignore it. No need to draw the attention of the Dementors.

"How do you answer the charges made against you?"

Peter licked his lips. "It's true that I faked my death. It's because I was terrified of Black! He was the Secret Keeper! I...I would have rather died than betrayed the Potters!" He broke into wracking sobs.

"Then why did you spend twelve years living as a rat?" spat Sirius. "I was in Azkaban, surely you would have been safe."

"I had no way of knowing that!"

"Didn't think to crawl over to a newspaper?"

"I...I… it's not that simple!" He turned to face the Wizengamot. "It's also true that I am an unregistered Animagus. When you're in animal form...you don't think the same way you do when you're a human! Your thoughts are more...primitive. I was concerned only with survival! I wasn't even aware of the passage of time in the same way - I was shocked when I found out twelve years had passed!"

"A clever story." croaked Sirius. He turned to face the Wizengamot. "But he's leaving out the part where he confessed everything to me tonight. If you put my memories in a Pensieve-"

"Memories can be falsified and are inadmissible." said Umbridge, cutting him off.

"Then I call Harold James Potter as a witness." said Sirius. "He will corroborate my testimony."

Harry stood up, but was a bit unsteady on his feet due to the Dementors. Umbridge looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Come forward, Mr. Potter." she said.

Harry approached the podium. As he did, the effect of the Dementors intensified. His vision began to blur again.

"Stand aside, you silly girl!"

He forced himself to look at Pettigrew, one of the men responsible for his parent's death, and again he was able to shake off the Dementors a bit.

"Are you quite alright, Mr. Potter?" Umbridge asked.

"Yes." said Harry. His voice was a croak not all that dissimilar from Sirius'.

"Please state your name."

"Harry James Potter."

"What is your relationship to the defendant?"

"He's my godfather."

Umbridge regarded him with a penetrating stare.

"I must say, Mr. Potter, you look terrified. Did Mr. Black threaten you or your friends in order to secure your testimony?"

"No!" said Harry. "No, it's the Dementors."

"Due to the tragic death of his parents," said Professor Dumbledore. "Mr. Potter is unusually sensitive to Dementors. Madam Bones, if you would consent to having them removed during his testimony-"

"Of course." said a square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle.

"Excuse me, Madam Bones!" said Umbridge, whipping around. "Protocol forbids removing the Dementors, for the protection of all present! Section 2a stroke b of the-"

"Of the bylaws of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." finished Madam Bones. "Thank you for reminding me of the bylaws of my own Department, which also state that the Dementors may be temporarily removed if they interfere with the testimony of a witness. Section 2a stroke c."

Umbridge had nothing to say to this. The two men guarding Sirius ushered the Dementors out of the room.

Harry started as a large bar of chocolate appeared hovering in the air before him. Madam Bones nodded at him.

"Have some, Mr. Potter, it will make you feel better."

Umbridge huffed. "It is inappropriate to show favoritism toward a witness-"

Madam Bones, who Harry was liking more and more by the moment, dismissed Umbridge's concern with a wave of her hand.

Harry choked down several bites and felt almost normal. He took a deep breath.

"Thank you very much, Madam Bones." he said, nodding toward her in what he hoped was a mature fashion.

"If everyone is quite finished-" said Umbridge "-perhaps I could question Mr. Potter?"

When there were no objections, she turned to Harry.

"Now, Mr. Potter, do you support Mr. Black's claim that Mr. Pettigrew confessed to betraying your parents?"

"I do." said Harry.

"And Mr. Black did not coerce your testimony in any way?"

"No, he didn't." said Harry, annoyed.

"Yes, he did!" shouted Pettigrew. "I heard him, he said he'd-"

"YOU'RE A BLOODY LIAR!" yelled Harry. The stress of the night was finally catching up to him. He longed for rest, for a reprieve from all of this. He was in a right state, and at the moment, even summer with the Dursleys didn't seem half bad.

"Mr. Potter!" said Umbridge. "You will control yourself, or I will have you removed! Now, I will remind my fellow Wizengamot members that Mr. Potter has a criminal record. Last year, he performed a Hover Charm in a Muggle home. Mr. Pettigrew, on the other hand, has no such record, and has received the Order of Merlin."

It took every ounce of Harry's last shred of self control to avoid telling Umbridge where to get off. He could tell the woman wanted Sirius back in Azkaban - probably because it would make the Ministry look bad if it came out that he had been wrongfully imprisoned.

"He received the Order of Merlin for the very events that are being disputed tonight, Dolores." said Madam Bones. "And as for the Hover Charm, I daresay Mr. Pettigrew probably performed some magic outside of school in his day, as we all did."

A soft chuckle came from some of the Wizengamot, but Umbridge turned purple. Madam Bones seemed quite unperturbed.

"My friends were in the Shrieking Shack with me." said Harry. "Hermione Granger is here. She'll give the same testimony."

"Yes, I'm sure she will." said Umbridge with a smirk.

"I call Professor Severus Snape." Sirius said.

Harry groaned inwardly as Snape rose from his seat and approached the Wizengamot. What was Sirius thinking? Why hadn't he called Professor Lupin? Then he remembered - Professor Lupin was probably in werewolf form by now. Thanks to the Wolfsbane potion, he would not be a danger to anyone, but he would not be able to testify either.

"I would remind my colleagues that as a former Death Eater and follower of You Know Who, anything Severus Snape has to say is suspect at best." said Umbridge, looking at Snape as if he were a piece of garbage.

Harry's jaw dropped. Even he had never suspected this of Snape, though he couldn't say he was surprised.

"And I would remind my esteemed colleagues-" said Professor Dumbledore, "-that Professor Snape renounced the Death Eaters before Voldemort's downfall and served as a double agent at great risk to his own life."

Harry looked over at Hermione, who looked shocked as well. They both turned to stare at Professor Snape, who was studiously avoiding looking at them.

"Professor Snape." said Sirius. "Tonight, in the Shrieking Shack, did you hear Peter Pettigrew confess to taking on the role of Secret Keeper for the Potter family, and betraying them to You Know Who?"

Snape was silent for a long moment. Harry could barely breathe. If Snape lied, all was lost.

"I did." he said finally.

"Lies!" shouted Pettigrew. "Snape has always hated me, since our days at Hogwarts!"

"Is this true?" said Umbridge.

"Quite." said Snape. "But I hate Black much more. I confess I was disappointed I could not turn him over to the Dementors myself."

Sirius gave a laugh that sounded like a bark. "You see?" he said to the Wizengamot. "Even my enemy knows I'm innocent!"

"All we have are conflicting stories." said Umbridge. "Without hard evidence-"

The door to the courtroom opened.

"Ah!" said Professor Dumbledore. "I thought you might say something to that effect, Undersecretary Umbridge. Therefore I invited someone else to testify."

Someone shuffled through the crowd toward the Wizengamot; Harry could not see who it was.

"As head of the Wizengamot, you cannot procure witnesses for the defense!" Umbridge said.

"Not a witness, simply someone who can provide expert testimony." said Dumbledore. "Come forward, Mr. Ollivander."