Truths
By Neurotica
Twenty-Eight
It was three days after the fierce battle in Little Hangleton. The wizarding world hadn't woken to a bigger shock in their lives the morning after. The Daily Prophet was full of articles about Death Eaters who had been captured, among them Avery, MacNair, and Nott. Unfortunately, the rest had Disapparated before authorities could bring them in.
Apparently, according to the Prophet, the whole thing centered around the Boy-Who-Lived. Though details were quite sketchy, one fact was for certain: Harry Potter, the savior of their world, was kidnapped by Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black, famed ex-prisoner of Azkaban, led a small team to rescue him. Some were injured, but there were no casualties.
That is, unless you listened to Rita Skeeter's version of events in which three Aurors died tragically to save the little boy from the clutches of Sirius Black. Black, according to Skeeter, was actually a Death Eater and "fooled us all in his valiant attempts to raise young Harry Potter." Not one single person believed her, however, and Sirius Black remained a hero in all eyes.
Black, unfortunately for reporters, had been unavailable for comment since the battle—not that he would have spoken to them anyway. He hadn't left the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital since his arrival late on the afternoon after the events. Many thought him to be injured, but this was not the case; Black's injuries were quite minor and had been fixed with a single wave of a Healer's wand.
Sirius Black was in the hospital for a completely different reason. What was that reason you might ask? To sit with his best friend (or in Sirius' own words, "brother"), Remus Lupin, during his own recovery.
Remus hadn't woken once since he had been hit by an unknown curse during the battle. Healers claimed to have never seen a curse like it, and could not begin to heal him until he woke and was able to tell them what exactly had happened.
Sirius sat in a squashy armchair he had transfigured from another uncomfortable wooden one that had been in the room originally. He was seated between two large hospital beds. The one to his right contained Remus, pale as a sheet, but thankfully, breathing steadily. The large gash he had suffered on his cheek had been healed, and was now just a tiny, faint scar that that would heal fully in a few days.
To Sirius' left was his godson. Harry's bones had been mended expertly. His leg was still quite sore and stiff, and he had some bruises, but all in all, the Healers were pleased with his recovery. The silencing charm that had been placed on him during his capture had done something to his voice, and Harry had trouble talking, but the Healers assured Sirius that it would clear up on its own. The deep cut just above the crook of Harry's elbow had been healed as well, and there was now no evidence it had ever been there.
The hospital door opened and a medi-witch entered balancing two trays of food with her wand. Sirius watched tiredly as she deposited the food on two conjured tables and placed one next to Harry's bed, the other just in front of Sirius. "Make sure Harry eats all of his when he wakes; he's going to need all the strength he can get," the woman whispered.
Sirius nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thought you could use something to eat, too. Haven't seen you leave this room once in two days," she said in an accusing tone that reminded Sirius of Madam Pomfrey.
"Thank you," Sirius said quietly with a small smile.
Harry hadn't been sleeping well since they brought him back; nightmares plagued him endlessly. But once they got some Dreamless Sleep Potion in him a few hours ago, he had finally dropped off to sleep, and Sirius didn't want to disturb him anytime soon.
Sirius pulled the table before him closer and slowly began to eat. The Healer's aid did a few tests on Remus, testing his heartbeat and a number of other medical things that Sirius couldn't begin to understand.
"How is he?" Sirius asked, swallowing a sip of juice.
"He'll be fine once he wakes and can tell us what happened," she said confidently. "But if you want to know my personal opinion, he's just using this as an excuse to get a bit of shut eye," she added jokingly.
Sirius chuckled. "You know, I wouldn't put it past him."
The witch finished her tests, winked at Sirius reassuringly, and left the room, closing the door quietly. Sirius finished his meal—which he had to admit wasn't too horrible by hospital standards—and began working on the Daily Prophet crossword. Seven letter word for blood thirsty creature. Sirius thought for a moment, scratching his chin with the end of his quill, and finally smirked to himself.
S-E-V-E-R-U-S.
The hatred between Sirius and Snape hadn't changed one little bit after the battle. Yes, Snape had told Sirius where to find Harry, and while Sirius was grateful, it still didn't change the fact that Snape was a greasy-haired git too wrapped up in the Dark Arts and Potions for anyone's good. Some things would never change, no matter what, and Sirius would have it no other way.
The Auror looked around at Harry's bed at the sound of rustling sheets. Harry turned a bit, snored once, and continued to sleep. Sirius watched him thoughtfully for a moment, and went back to his puzzle.
Another hour passed. Sirius had finished his crossword and leaned back in his chair, letting the footrest out to get more comfortable, ready for a few hours of sleep himself. Just as he closed his eyes, a groan from his right made his eyes snap open and stand up.
"Remus?" he whispered, leaning closer to his friend.
Remus moved around in the bed to get more comfortable. Finally, he opened his eyes a bit and spotted Sirius' smiling face too close to his own.
"Morning, sunshine," Sirius said happily.
Remus groaned again. "Yeah, you are not who I want to open my eyes to, Padfoot," he said hoarsely.
Sirius chuckled and sat back down. "I could call Madam Rosmerta if you prefer."
"Shut up, Sirius," Remus muttered, turning a bit red. He looked around confused for a moment. "Where are we?"
"St. Mungo's," Sirius said, his joking tone fading a bit. "You've been out for three days. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up."
"Sorry, mate, but you're not getting rid of me that easily." Remus began coughing. Sirius got up and retrieved a glass and a jar of ice cold water, and helped Remus drink it. "Thanks," Remus said, wiping his chin of the bit of water that'd dripped from his mouth. "Where's Harry?"
Sirius sat back down and leaned back revealing Harry curled up on his side, clutching his stuffed stag.
"Is he all right?"
"Yeah, he's fine. He had a broken arm, obviously. The Healers conjured a picture of the bones. It was broken in at least six places. Bloody Malfoy dragging him down those stairs made it worse than it would have been," Sirius said angrily. "His leg was nasty, too, Remus. Once I got a good look at it, the bone was sticking out. Took the Healers nearly two hours to set it right. He had a few broken ribs, slight concussion, scratches, bruises, and a nice sized cut on his arm, but he'll be fine. What I'm worried about is the nightmares he's been having," he finished.
Remus watched Harry for a bit and looked back at Sirius. "What happened after I was knocked out?"
Sirius grinned humorlessly. "Well, the Aurors finally showed up. I got a, er, tip that Wormtail took Harry out to the local graveyard, so I headed out there once Dumbledore had a hold of things. Wormtail had set up a cauldron, biggest one I've ever seen. I think he performed that blood, flesh, and bone thing you were telling us about. But it's okay," Sirius added as Remus looked on the verge of panicking. "I blew the cauldron up with a Reductor curse before anything could be completed. Wormtail was a bleeding mess—literally—when I found him. Cut off his own hand. And if my memory serves me right—which it usually does—it was the same dagger he used when he cut off his finger."
Remus shook his head, but was relieved with Sirius' strange fixation of the Reductor curse. "Was anyone else hurt?"
Sirius sighed. "Not too badly. Kingsley and Moody got out with nothing but a few scratches. Some Aurors had to be brought in, and Dung woke up a few hours after they brought him in. But he kept complaining of pain, so they kept him here till yesterday. I think he just wanted to take of advantage of the free food and room."
Remus chuckled a little. "What about Wormtail?"
Sirius scowled. "Azkaban," he said. "I took him myself, but I would have highly preferred just have killed him on the spot, after a bit of torturing first, of course. But that's where he is until next week. They're holding a trial for him for some damned reason to figure out what to do with him. They want both of us to testify. They wanted Harry, too, but I—er—politely—asked them to leave him out of it."
Remus grinned. "You told them to sod off, didn't you?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"And the Death Eaters?" Remus asked, his grin fading at the look on Sirius' face.
"Most of them got away before anyone could do an Anti-Apparition jinx. Malfoy included," he said bitterly. "And we don't have any proof on any of them because they were all masked. But Malfoy took off. His wife and kid have been on vacation in Italy, so we'll question them when they get back. They've got everyone on the case. And there's a full page in the Prophet about him. I saved you the papers from the past few days, in case you want to read any of it. Skeeter's got a nice little article about my loyalty that I want framed and put on my wall."
"Lovely," Remus said, referring to Malfoy's escape. "And Voldemort?"
Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but a tired voice cut him off. "Remus?" Harry said, sitting up.
Remus smiled broadly, leaning up to see Harry better. "Hey, Harry, how are you feeling?"
Harry climbed from his bed to Sirius' lap to better talk to Remus. "Good," he answered once he was settled.
"Good," Remus repeated, ruffling Harry's hair slightly.
Harry smiled and looked up to Sirius. "When can we go home?"
"Just as soon as the Healer's figure out what happened to Remus. Speaking of which, did you happen to hear what you were hit with?" Sirius added to Remus.
Remus frowned in thought. "It was some sort of electrocution spell, I think…"
Sirius nodded. "Get some rest. It's nearly midnight. I'm going to go get a Healer so they can fix you and we can get the hell out of here soon. I hate hospitals."
Remus chuckled while Sirius stood, placed Harry back into the armchair, and left the room. Remus looked at Harry. His surrogate godson's current expression was one of anxiousness and slight fear.
Remus frowned. "What's wrong Harry?" he asked gently.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
"Sorry? What have you got to be sorry for?" Remus asked, perplexed.
"If I didn't go outside on the full moon for Prongs, you wouldn't be in here," Harry mumbled, looking into his lap.
Remus sighed; he had been expecting something like this. "Harry, look at me," he said quietly. Harry's wet green eyes met his own. "One thing I have learned over the course of my life is to expect the unexpected. And this certainly was unexpected. There was no way you could have known what would have happened if you went outside. And while you shouldn't have gone in the first place, it wasn't your fault. None of this is your fault. The only ones we can blame are Voldemort and Wormtail." Remus left out what he was really thinking: If Voldemort really wanted Harry, he would not have rested until he achieved his goal. He would have found some way to get into the castle, and would have perhaps taken Harry right from under Sirius' and Dumbledore's noses, then killed the other two wizards just for good measure. "All that matters now," Remus continued, "is that we found you and that you're safe."
Harry sniffed. "That man said you weren't coming for me," he said sadly.
"What man?" Remus asked, already knowing the answer.
"The fat, bald one."
Remus gritted his teeth. I wonder if Sirius knew that before he handed Wormtail to the dementors... Probably not, or Wormtail wouldn't be alive to have a bloody trial. "Harry, the moment we realized what had happened, we were planning the best way to find you. It took a while, and I couldn't be any sorrier about anything in my life, but we did find you..."
Harry only nodded.
Sirius returned a few moments later, accompanied by two Healers and Albus Dumbledore. Remus wondered vaguely if Sirius had forgiven the headmaster for his hesitancy back at the Riddle house to save Harry... He doubted it very much.
The Healers listened to Remus' version of events, asked him what was bothering him, and waved their wands around, healing anything that could have been damaged by the curses he had been hit with. Finally, they proclaimed Remus fit enough to leave in the morning with the reservation of much rest. Once they had left, Dumbledore approached Remus' bed.
"Er, I'm going to take Harry upstairs; they've got some coloring books up there," Sirius said, taking Harry's hand, leading him to the door.
Remus nodded in slight confusion, but figured Dumbledore wanted to speak with him without Harry present. After Sirius and Harry left the room, Dumbledore sat in Sirius' chair and smiled at Remus. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Not too bad, sir. A little sore, but not bad," Remus replied.
"Good, good," the Headmaster said. They sat in silence for a moment before Dumbledore's expression grew grave. "I am sure you are curious as to what happened to Voldemort." It was more of a statement than anything.
Remus nodded. "Among other things, yes," he said honestly.
"Sirius told you he caused the cauldron containing the remains of Voldemort to explode, did he not?" Remus nodded. "While it was a genius thought and action, it did not have the result I think Sirius, and the rest of us, sorely desired. Voldemort was not destroyed in the blast. Somehow, while Sirius waited for the smoke to clear so he could find Harry, Voldemort fled. How, I do not know. I believe it was the same way he was able to escape the night he murdered Lily and James."
Remus sighed heavily, leaning back into his pillow. "So he can still come back?" he asked.
"Yes. And he will. Of that, I have no doubt. It is now only a question of when and how," Dumbledore replied, looking tired.
Remus nodded. "But how could that explosion not have killed him?" His question was met with silence. It was as if Dumbledore wanted Remus to come to the conclusion on his own. And after a minute of thinking, it did. Remus remembered the day Dumbledore spoke to him of the prophecy pertaining to Harry and Voldemort. "...And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..." The only way Voldemort could be destroyed completely and forever was for Harry to destroy him... There was no way around it... If anybody else had been in that cauldron, they would have died a painful, brutal death, but Lord Voldemort was not just anybody... Deciding to come back to that issue a bit later, Remus asked the question he was sure Sirius had asked the minute he was alone with Dumbledore. "Why did you hesitate at the Riddle House?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes met Remus' and the two wizards stayed that way for a long minute. "There are reasons behind that even I do not understand, let alone am I able to explain. I know this is not the answer you wish to hear; Sirius was none too happy either. But I assure you, Remus, I could not have known what was to happen."
Remus reluctantly nodded. He trusted Dumbledore with everything he had—it had been that way since Remus had first met the man when he was ten, going on eleven. He was far from satisfied with the old wizard's answer, but there was not much he could do about it. There was finality in his tone that told Remus to drop it for the time being.
"Now, I must unfortunately return to the school. I just thought I would sneak out and see how you were coming along." Dumbledore smiled. "I will see you next week at the trial. Take care of yourself, Remus."
"Thank you, sir. See you next week," Remus said quietly, contemplating things over in his mind as Dumbledore left the room.
Dumbledore's answers were vague at best. He hadn't really answered any questions about why he hesitated, in Remus' opinion. But there were reasons for everything Dumbledore had ever done in his life. And being the greatest wizard of their time, he could not always be expected to explain things to the world.
Some things are better left unsaid, anyway, Remus thought.
Sirius and Harry came back some time later. Both were weighed down with armfuls of snacks and sweets bought in the hospital gift shop.
"Thought you could use some sugar," Sirius said, sucking on a licorice wand.
Remus chuckled. Harry climbed up on his bed and sat next to Remus while Sirius dumped the contents of his arms on the table containing his empty plate. Harry's meal lay forgotten as the three talked and joked as if the past few days had never happened at all.
A week later, Sirius and Remus walked together in their best robes to the lowest level in the Ministry of Magic building. Today was the day of Wormtail's trial, and Sirius and Remus would be lying if they said they weren't more than a little anxious to finally see some justice being done.
In the lift, Sirius hit the level one button and they listened to the female voice call out the different floors as they ascended. A few witches and wizards stepped in and out of the lift, some exchanging casual conversation with Sirius.
"So, Black, the Pettigrew trial... 'Bout time, eh?" said one old wizard.
"You have no idea," Sirius replied, exchanging a meaningful look with Remus.
The lift cleared after a few floors, leaving Sirius and Remus alone in silence. Neither wizard could think of how to explain their thoughts to the other.
On the one hand, the man responsible for five years of grief on all parts was about to get what he deserved. Wormtail had ruined friendships and lives over the years, and had only been discovered to be at the center of it all a few months ago. The one who had deceived them for years... the spy... the murderer... the traitor...
But on the other hand, Sirius and Remus had both (yes, both) found themselves thinking back to their time in school. The pranks, the fun, the laughs, the full moon adventures. Wormtail had been decent then, not bright, not popular, but he had been what they all thought to be a good—loyal—friend. They were wrong, obviously, and whenever they thought these things, they remembered Lily and James and Harry.
"Department of Mysteries..." the voice in the lift said, snapping Sirius and Remus out of their thoughts. The lift grilles slid open and the two friends stepped out.
"What courtroom is it?" Remus asked.
"Ten," Sirius replied, leading the way down the corridors.
They turned a few corners and spotted a large group standing just in front of courtroom ten.
"There's Dumbledore," Remus pointed out unnecessarily; Sirius could spot that silver hair from a mile away.
He was standing with Kingsley, Moody, the Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, and to Sirius' slight surprise, Arthur Weasley. They had left Harry with Molly for the afternoon, but she had seemed frazzled about something the twins had done and hadn't had the time to talk.
"Good morning, boys," Dumbledore greeted them as they walked closer.
Sirius snorted to himself. He had a feeling that no matter how many years passed, no matter how old he and Remus grew, Dumbledore would still call them "boys." He heard Remus chuckle quietly at the same thought.
"Good morning, sir," Sirius said. "Good morning, Minister Bones," he added, shaking hands with the Minister.
"Good morning, Black. Are you ready?" Bones asked, smiling at the two younger men.
"I've been ready for years, ma'am," Sirius stated.
Bones nodded. "Good. Well, Albus, perhaps we should get inside; they're about to begin, I think."
Dumbledore held the door open. "After you, Amelia."
Moody turned to Sirius and Remus just after Dumbledore and Bones went into the courtroom. "You two'll go in with us. Normally, they don't allow testifying witnesses to watch, but Dumbledore talked them into it. Thought you'd want to see it," he said.
"Good of him to think of us," Sirius muttered, entering the room after Moody and the others.
They quickly made their way up the stone benches. Sirius and Remus sat on the end. The others were next to them. To Sirius' disgust, Rita Skeeter had situated herself just two benches below them. She kept glancing back hopefully to Sirius, obviously wanting an interview, but didn't have the chance when Minister Bones called for silence.
"Good afternoon," Bones said to the room. "You are here today to witness the trial of Peter Bartholomew Pettigrew. The charges will be read once the accused has entered the courtroom. Witnesses will be called forth, one by one, to give testimony for or against the accused."
"Does she really think someone's here for that bastard?" Sirius asked Remus.
Remus shook his head. "No, it's required they say that. So someone can't come back and say he didn't get a fair, unbiased trial."
"At least he gets a trial. I don't know why they're bothering..." Sirius muttered.
Remus silently agreed.
"Bring in the accused!" Bones called.
Sirius tensed as two dementors led Wormtail into the courtroom. Whether it was from the dementors' presence that caused this reaction or Wormtail, Remus didn't know. Most likely a mixture of both. The dementors glided along the floor, and sat Wormtail forcefully into the metal chair in the center. The chains around the arms and legs glowed golden and fastened themselves tightly around Wormtail.
"Peter Pettigrew, you are charged with being a Death Eater and follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In addition, you are charged with passing secrets to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter, the brutal murders of twelve innocent Muggles, and the kidnapping of Harry Potter. Do you deny these charges?" Bones spoke loudly and clearly.
Wormtail had lost weight in the ten days he had spent in Azkaban. He was now a pale and quivering heap. His stump of an arm hung lifelessly in the chains. "He-he forced me! P-please have mercy!"
A few people laughed coldly, but most remained quiet.
"Since you have claimed innocence, we shall call forward the witnesses." Bones looked down at a sheet of parchment before her. "Remus Lupin!" she called.
Remus jumped a bit; he had been watching Wormtail's actions with disgust. Quickly, he stood and made his way to the ground floor. As he passed, he heard the scratching of a quill in Rita Skeeter's direction.
Bones signaled for Remus to sit in a chair next to the Wizengamot's stands.
"Please state your name for the court," Bones said.
Remus cleared his throat. "Remus John Lupin."
"How long have you known the accused, Mr. Lupin?"
"Since we met on the Hogwarts Express, about fifteen years ago," Remus answered.
"And during the time you knew the accused, did you ever believe his loyalty to have wavered to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
"No, not once. Until a few months ago, I believed him to be dead," Remus said.
Questions were asked about Wormtail's loyalty and Remus' knowledge of his actions before he was free to go back to his seat.
"R-Remus! P-Please! It's me! It's Wormtail, your friend!" Wormtail gasped as Remus passed his chair.
Remus stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turned around, and looked at Wormtail. "You are not my friend," he said, much calmer than he felt. "I don't know that you ever have been my friend."
Wormtail began to cry and moan louder as Remus silently took his seat next to Sirius, looking anywhere but at the thing he had once considered a friend.
"Sirius Black!"
"Here we go," Sirius muttered, making his way forward. He sat on the chair, facing Wormtail who was now looking at him with watery, pleading eyes.
"State your name for the court, please."
"Sirius Orion Black," Sirius said, glaring at Wormtail. If only looks could kill...
"Mr. Black, could you please tell the court the events leading to Halloween of 1981 through the following day," Bones requested.
Sirius took a deep breath and began retelling the story of how Lily and James had named Wormtail their Secret-Keeper at his request, not knowing what Wormtail was. How, on Halloween night, he, Sirius, had gone to check on Wormtail, but found his hiding place deserted. He explained, in detail, arriving at Godric's Hollow and finding Lily's and James' bodies, finding Harry, and handing his godson over to Hagrid. He told them about how he left for London and found Wormtail. He explained about the explosion that killed the twelve Muggles, how Wormtail cut off his own finger and transformed into the rat, taking refuge in the sewers.
By the end of Sirius' testimony, the only noises in the courtroom were that of Wormtail, who was now whimpering and crying freely. Not one witch or wizard present had any bit of sympathy for him.
Arthur Weasley was called forward and told the court, in great disgust, about the pet rat his son had discovered in their garden. How he mysteriously disappeared just days before the news about Sirius and Wormtail had broken.
A few others spoke as well, including Dumbledore and Moody. Dumbledore spoke of how he knew Wormtail during his school years, and never believed he would be capable of such heinous crimes. Moody spoke just after Dumbledore of the battle between them and the Death Eaters in Little Hangleton.
After many hours of testimony, the Wizengamot called for a recess to discuss Wormtail's fate. They silently made for a small chamber on the side of the courtroom. Once the door had closed, the room burst with chatter.
During the break, which lasted nearly thirty minutes, Rita Skeeter attempted yet another interview with Sirius. "How do you feel about seeing your former best friend in these conditions? Do you think James and Lily Potter would approve of giving Pettigrew the Dementor's Kiss?"
Instead of answering her questions, Sirius explained to dear Rita the best way to ingest her quill, snatched said quill from her hand, and snapped it in half before giving it back to her.
Rita glared at Sirius while Remus sniggered behind his hand, turning it into a cough at the last minute. The reporter finally went back to her seat where she opened her crocodile skin handbag, withdrew another quill, and directed it to zoom across the parchment before her so fast Remus could have sworn he saw smoke.
At long last, the Wizengamot reentered the courtroom. The chatter died as Minister Bones called for silence.
"We have reached a decision," she said to the courtroom. Sirius and Remus sat anxiously on the edge of their seats.
"Peter Pettigrew, you are hereby sentenced to one month in the prison of Azkaban. Once this time has been completed," Bones said over the outraged cries, "You will receive the Dementor's Kiss. The crimes you have committed deserve no less. Take him away."
Bones' last three words may have well not have been spoken at all with the explosion of noise of the witches and wizards cheering the decision. Wormtail's increased cries couldn't even be heard over the noise.
The dementors entered the courtroom once more, released Wormtail from the chair's binds, and dragged him kicking and screaming out the door, back to Azkaban. By the time they were gone, Wormtail's struggles were subdued.
Remus and Sirius didn't join in on the celebrations. Both knew Wormtail had gotten what he so dearly deserved, but all either of them could think of was getting home to Kent and starting quiet, normal lives. They were able to sneak out of the courtroom—Dumbledore kept Skeeter at bay—and headed up to the Atrium where they Apparated to the Burrow to retrieve Harry.