2. Free!
After being released from the Headmaster's office, Ron had difficulties not to run back up to the Gryffindor tower. By the time he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, he panted heavily and gave her the password, still panting.
"You seem to be in a hurry, young man, what happened to you, dear?" she asked.
"Saw something incredible. Will you let me in now?"
"But of course."
The door swung open and he entered the common room. As he expected, Hermione and Harry were still there. He looked at the time. It was shortly before dinnertime. His friends ran up to him.
"What was that all about, did they give you any explanation? And where is Scabbers?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, they did, but let's not talk about it here, let's go down to Myrtle's bathroom! No one's supposed to hear."
"Okay."
They all left the common room as if they wanted to go down to the Great Hall early. But on the second floor they took a turn and went into the girl's lavatory. Hermione spell locked the door and looked back at Ron.
"Tell us!" she said.
"Well, we got to Dumbledore's office, he told us to sit down and then he called Snape into the office. When Snape was there, Lupin used some kind of an incantation on Scabbers, and then Scabbers turned out to be a man! He's an Animagus, can you believe it? He is Peter Pettigrew."
"What? But isn't that the name of the man that Sirius Black supposedly killed!" said Hermione.
"It is that man. He's not dead. Turned out that Sirius Black didn't kill him after all, and he also didn't kill all the Muggles. They let an innocent man rot in Azkaban, that's what they did! They don't think he's after you anymore, Harry. They now think he's been after Pettigrew the whole time. The way I understood this, Lupin is an old friend of your father's and of Black's as well. Pettigrew also knew Snape, called him by his first name even. Lupin promised to take us by the side once this is all over and to give us a more thorough explanation. – Oh, and Snape went to check his left forearm and Dumbledore asked him whether he had the mark. Neither Lupin nor I understood, but Snape confirmed this. Then he showed Lupin his own left forearm. They called it the Dark Mark, and it seems that all Death Eaters had it on their arms. Snape had been one, no surprise there, but Dumbledore told Lupin, that Snape had returned to the Light Side and became a spy long before You-Know-Who went down."
"What's a Death Eater?" Hermione asked.
"You-Know-Who's followers were called that."
Harry listened to all this and wasn't able to say one word. After a while he found his speech again and asked:
"So Black's after Pettigrew to finish him off or what?"
"Well, he must be wanting revenge. Pettigrew framed him after all."
"Can you imagine what it must be like to have those Dementors around you day in day out? It must be hell. I quite understand his thirst for revenge," whispered Hermione.
"Yes, must be! Well, I'm bloody glad, he isn't after me. Maybe that will make my life a bit easier here," said Harry.
"I'm sure it will."
"Maybe they'll even let you come to Hogsmeade the next time, Harry! Who knows?" said Ron.
"Yeah, who knows… I still don't have permission from my guardians though."
"True. But they kept you back because you were in danger, remember?" Ron insisted.
"Yes, that's true, too. Well, if that's it, let's go down to dinner, I'm hungry."
-
Once Ron had left, Remus said:
"I'll find him. I have an idea about where to start. I'll get him here alone."
"Shouldn't I come along?" Severus asked.
"No, I don't think that's wise. You'd only get him agitated anyway. And I have nothing to fear. Albus can show you Sirius' letter I got this morning. Albus, will you contact the ministry?"
"I will do that, but I think there's no hurry for that yet. We'll have to find a secure place to hold Peter in. His Animagus form makes it quite difficult, actually."
"Bare stone walls should not be too bad," Severus suggested, "magically sealed of course."
"Yes, I quite agree with you, Severus, and best stun him again," Remus said and turned to go for his quest.
He went straight to the secret stash hiding place. It was clear to him at once that Sirius had been hauling the box out of its earthen hiding spot. All Remus needed to do now was follow the scent. He couldn't move as fast as on four paws, but he got to where Sirius was quick enough. It took him the better part of the early evening and it was getting late now, but he knew he was close.
"Sirius! Sirius, where are you?" Remus called in intervals.
"We've got the rat and he confessed! Come on out, Siri! Please!"
Remus reached the place where Sirius hid up in the tree. He looked up and sure enough, Sirius jumped down. Remus broke out in a grin and threw his arms around Sirius.
"Oh god, Siri! How can we – how can I ever apologise for what I have done!"
"Don't, Remus, you couldn't have known and they cut me off from everything so completely there was no way I could have let you know. Up until I found that article I didn't even know for sure that Pettigrew had survived his own attack."
"Come back to the castle. We have questioned Pettigrew, first without and when he lied, with Veritaserum. Severus had some on hand."
"Severus? As in Severus Snape?" Sirius asked, most astonished.
"Yes. He's the potions master."
"But, but he's been a Death Eater!"
"Yes, I know, he showed me his mark. After I had forced Pettigrew's transformation, he went straight to him and checked his arm. Saw the mark and looked appalled. Apparently Snape didn't know Pettigrew was a Death Eater as well."
"Well possible, because Voldemort never let them reveal themselves to all, especially his spies. As far as we found out there were small groups who knew about each other, but not everyone knew who everyone else was. Good tactic to keep them from giving away their secrets."
"Anyway, then Albus told me, Snape had come back to our side almost a year before Voldemort fell. And he became the spy. It was thanks to him we even knew James and Lily were targets."
"That's why Albus never wanted to reveal that source…" Sirius said.
"I'd suppose so."
All of a sudden, Remus embraced Sirius with a fierce hug and almost cried into the crook of Sirius' neck. Sirius put his arms around his old friend.
"I love you, Sirius, I never stopped loving you! My reason told me the facts speak against you, but there was always a tiny bit of doubt. I so wanted to hear your version of it all, but they wouldn't grant me a visitor's permit to Azkaban. And I've tried to get in so many times! Thank you for telling me in your letter you still love me!"
"I had to add it, Remus. It's been hell and back and then hell again, but I never forgot you. Thanks to Padfoot I survived with my magic and most of my mind and soul intact. When it all got too much I transformed in my cell and they thought I was as mad as the others, since my emotions were like an animal's to them and they couldn't grasp them. I only allowed myself to think of you when I was in dog form. And I'm glad you never set one foot inside there."
"I don't even want to think about what you went through!"
"You probably went through equally difficult times…" Sirius remarked.
"Oh they can't have been nearly so bad! Hard to find jobs, but I made it through."
"And now you're a teacher, I hear! I'm so proud of you, love!"
Remus stopped. How he had longed to hear this endearment out of Sirius' mouth again and how he had been afraid he would lose his mate completely. He looked up into the beloved face for the first time in twelve years. He smiled weakly, but Sirius started to grin and the horrible mask of the ex-prisoner was the face of a man ten years younger instantly. Sirius closed the distance between them and their lips met for a first tentative kiss. Remus felt the same sparks he had felt back then and all the graveness of the situation was blown away. They deepened the kiss and held on to each other more tightly. For a long while they stood and kissed. Remus finally ended the kiss and said:
"Well, we'd better get back to the castle. I need at least a few hours of sleep before classes…"
"Ever the good one. You may have to cancel them tomorrow after all… we still have quite a bit of a way there."
"I know."
While they walked on, they joined their hands and talked about what was going on. Sirius asked:
"How much does Harry know about all of this?"
"I think he knows almost nothing. He does know it was Voldemort who killed James and Lily, but he knows nothing about us and the Fidelius charm. He'll have to be told as tenderly as we can, Sirius! He still believes you to be a mass murderer, though Ron might have told him a few bits of what he heard yesterday. And he doesn't know of the connection between you and James and Lily."
Sirius sighed.
"I've seen him playing Quidditch…" he said.
"Yes, he's quite the flyer, isn't he? He's been made seeker for Gryffindor in his first year, Siri."
"In his FIRST year? No one gets to play for the team that young!"
"Oh, but he did. And they never lost a match until this last one. And that's because Harry had to detect the Dementors. He has to relive Lily's death, Sirius! He hears her screaming and pleading for his life. And he gets to hear Voldemort's cruel laughing and then casually killing her. If he stands his ground even that far before fainting. He asked me to help him defend himself against the Dementors."
"The Patronus? Do you think he'll manage that?"
"I can only try to teach him. But I suppose the Dementors will be taken away immediately, they will have to pardon you! I think, I'll still teach him though."
"What do you do at the full moon, Remus? I was watching out for you to come to the shack, but never got to see you…"
"I don't need to. Remember the potion my father researched? He finished it six years ago."
"A cure?" Sirius asked hopefully.
"No, not a cure, but it helps me to keep my own mind during the transformation and holds the wolf at bay. I can transform in my own quarters."
"That's closest to a cure you can get then, eh? How does it feel?"
"Well, I'm able to stay calm enough to just roll up in front of the fire and sleep. But now that Padfoot is back, who knows, it might be fun to go out and run now and again…" Remus said with a shy smile.
"I'd love that, Moony!"
The shy smile became a genuine one.
It was a long way back to the castle and they had to walk for several hours. It gave them time to talk things through, to set things right and to rebuild their bond. When they got to the edge of the forest, Remus said:
"Change, Sirius. You don't want to be seen by just anyone yet."
"You're right."
A moment later, Remus guided the big black dog through the castle. He took him to his chambers. As soon as the door closed behind them, Remus magically closed the curtains of his living room windows and said:
"Come back, love!"
Remus ignited the candles. He looked at the clock on the wall, which said half past five in the morning, groaned, and told Sirius:
"I'm going to tell Albus that I found you. You sit down and I'll get you some food from the kitchen first, you must be starved! The house-elves are still as discreet as ever."
"Thank you!"
Remus went to get some fresh clothes on, then called up a house-elf and told him to bring up a rich breakfast for his guest. Then he went to talk to Albus. He had to wake him up, but Albus came down to meet Sirius right away. They entered Remus' quarters only twenty minutes later. Sirius sat on the sofa enjoying his first warm and good meal in twelve years. When he noticed Albus and Remus enter, he put the tray on the coffee table and stood up.
"Albus…"
"Sirius! I'm so glad, Remus found you! Thank you for your letter! There is no way I can even express how sorry I am and how bad I feel. If I had only the slightest information about the switch I would have fought for you. As it was, all I knew was that you were their secret keeper. And it does sadden me to no end, that this was the main statement that put you into prison," Albus said.
He took Sirius' hands, and told him to sit down again and finish his meal. He noticed the school robes and smiled. Sirius and Remus noticed his glance and Remus explained:
"When we left school we buried our first wands and some other things in a box near the Shrieking Shack. There were school robes from each of us in that box."
"Ah, I see. So you do have a wand, Sirius?"
"Yes," Sirius confirmed.
"Good. Does it still work satisfactorily?"
"Yes, it does. As well as it did back then. I bonded with it again immediately."
"Good. I have sent an owl to Fudge. He's an old dunderhead, but he will be here in the early morning, first thing, I'm sure, and I'll make him see the protocol of our questioning Pettigrew first, then I'll take him to see Pettigrew and question him as well, before I tell him that we actually have you here. You're not taking one step out of this flat until we call you up, is that clear?"
"Absolutely, Albus. I have a life to lose…"
"Very well. I suggest we all get some sleep. I'll have Minerva tell your students that your classes today are cancelled, Remus."
"Thank you, Albus."
Dumbledore left them alone. Sirius finished his meal and beamed.
"I had totally forgotten how warm food tasted! I'm still a bit hungry, but I guess I can always get something later on. May I use your bathroom, Remus?"
"No need to ask. We'll need to give your hair a trim."
"I've been able to shave magically, but I couldn't do the hair. I'll probably just have to cut it all completely… it must be ruined."
"Well, let me just cut off the worst, down here, and then we'll see, Sirius. Go and bathe first!"
Remus showed Sirius the bath. He wanted to leave him his privacy, but Sirius looked back at him and asked:
"Stay with me?"
"If you want that…"
"Yes, I do!"
"Okay, just let me collect a pair of scissors…"
Remus accioed the scissors and then he watched Sirius undress. Sirius lifted the robes over his head and Remus was shocked when he saw Sirius had not worn anything underneath apart from his boots.
"Sirius! How did you manage not to freeze to death out there in the forest?"
"Padfoot," Sirius replied with a shrug, "and warming charms."
"Oh. My. God. – Love, this is awful, I'll get you some underwear and a pair of trousers and some sweaters immediately. Once I slept out I'll be off to Hogsmeade!"
"It's okay, Remus, stop worrying, I'm inside here now, and I've never had it so warm for twelve years!"
Sirius climbed into the bath and Remus sat down on the edge. He waited until Sirius had soaked his hair in the warm water, then he picked up the scissors.
"Well, I'll just make it a clean straight cut underneath your shoulder blades, then we'll see if we can untangle the mess, okay?" Remus suggested.
"Fine with me."
Remus took the scissors and started to cut through to the other side. He collected the hair he cut off and dropped it into the wastebasket. Once he got through, he picked up the shampoo and said:
"I'll wash it for you…"
"Thanks, love!"
"I'm glad I can do it, love."
He had to wash and rinse four times, before he had the feeling it was really clean. He took out a comb and started to untangle the hair, working through strand for strand. He had to pick up his wand to undo some of the knots, but finally he got through it.
"Well, it's not that bad, I think, if I cut off maybe another inch to even it out, then it should be fine, Siri."
"Okay, go ahead."
This time Remus was able to use his wand to get an even cut. He smiled. He'd have this wonderful mane to bury his hands inside again. Sirius picked up a washcloth and some soap and cleaned himself from all the dirt that a soak in the cold stream had not been able to remove.
A knock on the door startled them both. Remus left the bathroom and closed the door. He went to answer his caller who turned out to be Poppy Pomfrey.
"Good morning, Remus. Albus told me everything. He asked me to check Sirius up. Is he here?" she asked cheerfully.
"Good morning, Poppy. Yes, he's taking a bath. Won't you sit down, he'll surely be out of there soon, he has just finished bathing."
"Okay."
Remus returned to the bathroom and closed the door.
"Who was it? A student?"
"No, they don't get here. It's Poppy. Albus told her about you and she wants to check you through."
"Oh."
Sirius got up and rinsed himself from all the soap and remaining dirt. Remus had brought him a soft towel to wrap around himself. He offered him a bathrobe. Then Sirius drained the tub. He looked down and saw what was left behind.
"Ewww…"
Remus laughed and said, shrugging his shoulder:
"House-elves are quite adept in taking care of something like this. They do have their good sides, don't they?"
Sirius grinned. Remus dried his hair with a spell, while he towelled himself dry. He got dressed in the offered bathrobe. Then they left the bathroom. Poppy jumped up and gave Sirius a once over from far.
"Hello, Poppy," Sirius said lightly.
"It's good to see you again, Sirius! I'm so glad you're not the one!" she replied.
"Thank you."
"Well, take off that robe, Sirius, I want to check you up."
Sirius sighed, but accepted and took the robe off again. Poppy gasped. Every single rib was clearly showing through the pale skin and the same went for most other bones in his body. He seemed to be only skin over bones anymore. His whole body was covered with scars. She breathed in hard and said:
"Well, we'll have some work to do. You'll have to take this tonic in addition to extra solid meals five times a day. And you'll have to train so your muscles will build up again. How much were you able to move at all during your time in Azkaban?"
"Practically zero. I could move a bit in my dog form, but not much more than as a human."
"In your dog form? What do you mean, in your dog form?"
"I thought, Remus said that Albus had told you about me?"
"Only that he has proof you're innocent."
"Oh. I would say that this calls for an explanation then."
Sirius and Remus told her about the three Animagi. She gasped and then looked at Sirius and said:
"Well, I always knew you were a very talented boy, Sirius! May I see your dog form?"
Sirius transformed. She stared at him and then smiled. Then she gave him a little scratch behind the ears.
"You're a beautiful dog, Sirius!"
He transformed back. Then he told her:
"That's what helped me survive Azkaban."
"Oh, I'm so glad you did! It must have been hell!"
"It was, Poppy, but I'm out now, and it looks like I'm not going back in there. I think before they'd be able to get me in there again I'd kill myself."
She grabbed his hands and turned them to look again at the inside of his wrists. The many scars visible there told her more than enough.
"You've tried to do that already, haven't you?"
"Yes, I did. During the first few years anyway. They always found me in time and healed me. I think they smell it. And then they observed me even more strictly."
"Oh Merlin! That's so painful to hear!"
For a moment they were silent, then Poppy looked up and saw his teeth.
"Let me do something about those teeth of yours, Sirius. You'll have a lovely smile again once I'm done."
She lifted her wand, pointed it at his teeth and said a few incantations. Remus watched how the teeth turned white again and then Sirius went over them with his tongue and smiled.
"If it looks as good as it feels, then you've done an outstanding job, Poppy."
"It does, Sirius! Except for the thin frame and your long hair you're not to recognise anymore!" Remus said, sounding pleased.
"Well, that's all I can do right now, Sirius. Your health seems to be stable, all we really have to do is see that you are getting some flesh onto your bones. You should go to sleep now, you must have been up all night."
"We were, in fact," Remus confirmed.
Poppy took her leave and Remus led Sirius to the bedroom. In the cosy room, a huge four poster stood in the middle of the wall to the bathroom. Remus undressed and both crawled under the blankets. Sirius turned to face Remus and warned him:
"I might have to transform to be able to sleep, Remus. I've had nightmares I couldn't stand anymore when I tried to sleep in my human form…"
Remus nodded.
"I'm warned then. But let me hold you and try at least, okay?"
"Yes."
Remus closed up to Sirius and pulled him into his arms. Then he kissed him on the forehead and said:
"Sleep well, my love!"
"Good night, Remus."
The morning dawned, but they fell asleep quickly. Not long afterwards Sirius started to dream, but Remus held on tightly and the dreams were painful, but didn't get through to his consciousness. He slept through them and when they woke up several hours later, Sirius had had the first good undisturbed sleep for a long time. He woke up before Remus, but he noticed that he was still in his lover's arms. No one had disturbed them until now. Sirius turned on his back and looked around, taking in the details of the room. He smiled when he looked at Remus, who was still asleep.
'He always looks so sweet, when he's asleep, even now, with the greying hair and those lines. What did you have to go through, my love? I know, you won't tell me. You always say what's in the past is in the past and that we should let it be,' Sirius thought.
He contemplated waking Remus with a kiss, then glanced at the clock on the wall, which said close to noon. His stomach growled. He had learned to disregard that in the past few months on the run when food was very scarce. He wriggled out of Remus' arms and sat up, pulling up his knees and resting his chin on them. He looked down on Remus. Remus turned onto his back in his sleep, and then woke up with a start. He saw Sirius sitting next to him and relaxed. He reached up to stroke Sirius over the back, then said:
"Good morning, Siri!"
"Good morning, Moony!"
"How I longed to hear you call me that again! I've missed you so much, Padfoot."
"I've missed you, too, Moony. Now it's only us two left over, eh?"
"Looks like it. It's still unfamiliar to think Peter was the one. Snape was almost happy, when I questioned him, because I took him apart with my questions."
"Well done, then. If I don't have to, I don't even want to see him anymore. I think I couldn't hold back from killing him. With my bare hands if I must."
"Well, I'm sure they'll question you both. Albus will suggest that they question you without and after that with Veritaserum, if your answers cover, then they only need to question Pettigrew. If your wand can be found, it can be checked over with Prior Incantatem. Should also tell them a lot. Peter didn't have a wand anymore, it must have been lost in the explosion."
"Didn't they snap my wand?"
"I don't know."
"Did you keep my Gringotts key?"
"Yes, I did. As I kept everything out of the flat."
"Good. I hope you made use of the vault!"
Remus didn't reply. He hadn't touched Sirius' vault in the years since his imprisonment. It felt wrong and once he had been convinced Sirius to be guilty he didn't want any of the money.
"The key's at Sheridan Place, I'll have to ask Papa to find it, if you want it."
"No hurry. – You didn't answer my question."
"And I won't. It's in the past."
'As I thought you wouldn't,' Sirius thought.
Sirius turned around, so he faced Remus. He started to caress him slowly. Remus caught his hand and kissed it tenderly.
"Is there something on your mind, Padfoot?"
"You know there is, Moony! Is it on yours, too?"
"I think so…"
Remus sat up and wrapped his arms around Sirius. He felt Sirius' arms close around his shoulders, too, then they met for a kiss. The kiss soon led to more caressing, which soon led to Sirius rolling on top of Remus. They kissed hungrily and their hands flew over their bodies. Sirius was almost startled when he felt his cock stiffen. It hadn't happened since the second day in Azkaban, when the thought of Remus had been too overwhelming. Remus felt it, too, and it pleased him to no end. He smiled into the kiss and pulled his hand from Sirius' back to curl around his cock. Two, three strokes over it and Sirius came. Sirius was totally shocked by his sudden and quick response.
"I'm so sorry, Remus…"
"That's okay, Sirius, I suppose you didn't exactly get sexually trained in that hellhole. It's quite normal actually, after such a long abstinence."
"But that fast… on the other hand, I was astonished that I even got it up."
"Sirius, you're only 33, you're going to get this right again soon. All you need is some training!"
"You're right, I suppose. But it's frustrating!"
"I believe you."
-
Another knock on their door fetched them from the bed. Remus pulled his bathrobe on and went to answer the knock. Dumbledore was outside and said:
"We'll be ready to have Sirius questioned in my office at two o'clock, Remus. Did you get some sleep?"
"Thank you, Albus, we did. Poppy came by, too, and checked Sirius up."
"Good. Then get some lunch and come to my office. Fudge is here as is Ashley Grover, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who has taken over the investigation. They were both quite convinced already that Sirius must be pardoned, but they do need Sirius' own statements."
"That lets me hope for a good ending, Albus. Thank you!"
Sirius and Remus went up to Albus' office shortly before two. Sirius had once again transformed until they were safely inside of Albus' office. Albus was still alone and beckoned them in.
"I trust, you told Sirius already about the opinions of Fudge and Grover, Remus?"
"Yes, of course."
"I'll have to say that it's mainly Ashley who's convinced, but he's the judge, not Fudge. Fudge actually made an impression of complete shock and disbelief."
"That would be because it was Fudge who arrested me, Albus. He didn't exactly treat me by the law, either."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, he did try to use the Imperius curse on me and before the rest of the Aurors turned up after him, he did put me under Cruciatus."
"He did WHAT? I thought they were only allowed to use Avada Kedavra in case of absolute need!" Remus exclaimed.
"Have Grover ask me about my arrest under the truth serum then."
"I will, Sirius, I will," Albus promised.
Then they heard other people coming up the staircase. Fudge was in front, looking almost sick, he was closely followed by Grover and Snape came last, bringing the truth serum. They greeted Remus and Sirius shortly and everyone took their seats. Grover set up a roll of parchment and enchanted a self-loading quill to record the conversation. Then he proceeded to question Sirius, first without the Veritaserum.
"Mr Black, I'm going to ask you a few short questions. I'm already quite convinced you are not at fault, as I have questioned Peter Pettigrew intensively this morning and I have found enough evidence in his replies that he had been the Potter's secret keeper and he had killed the twelve Muggles. So please tell me your version."
Sirius related his version of the evening of the 31st October 1981, then proceeded right to the next day and the show down between himself and Peter. Grover nodded several times and then declared:
"That covers Pettigrew's version almost literally. I don't think I'll even need to question you under Veritaserum. You will receive your documents of acquittal within two days, Mr Black. I would like to recommend you should press charges for compensation from the ministry. Is there anything you would like to add?"
"I think, Mr Black would like to be questioned under Veritaserum, as a matter of fact, Ashley, and he would like you to ask him about his arrest," Dumbledore said softly.
Fudge paled.
"Does this really call for Veritaserum, Albus? Were there any illegitimate actions during your arrest, Mr Black? I know there wasn't a trial, which in itself is illegitimate, and we'll have an investigation, if you wish."
"How illegitimate would you describe the use of Imperius and Cruciatus, Mr Grover?" Sirius asked quietly, looking down on his hands folded in his lap.
"Most illegitimate. I know that Aurors were allowed to kill a suspect if there was no other way, and in an extreme case, they were permitted to use Imperius to bring in a suspect, but they were not under any circumstances allowed to use Cruciatus. Do you want to tell me, that both curses had been used on you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. The person in question was not even an Auror and he used Imperius first and since I can throw that off he put me under Cruciatus until the other Aurors arrived. After that I was not allowed to speak up for myself. I was, in fact, not even questioned. After I regained consciousness I woke up in my cell in Azkaban."
Grover gasped. Even though Sirius did not mention a name, Grover knew from a look inside the scarce documents in Sirius' files, that Fudge had been the first on the spot. He turned around and looked at Fudge. Fudge's face was deathly pale. Everyone in the room, including Snape, now looked at him. They all knew.
"I am sorry, Cornelius, but I will have to put you under arrest," said Grover.
"I am the Minister of Magic, you can't just arrest me!" Fudge screeched in protest.
"You know what the use of an Unforgivable Curse means, Cornelius. I'm sorry, but in this case you cannot claim political immunity. And you know as well that Unforgivable curses are not under limitation."
"Do you tell me, you believe what a deranged criminal says without even so much as asking me if that was correct?"
"Cornelius, he did not even mention your name, but we all know you were the first on site. And if I give him Veritaserum now and ASK him for the name, he will. He offered. Do you want that? And by now we have established that he is no criminal."
Dumbledore gave Snape the quiet order to stand by the door. He prepared the dose of Veritaserum for Sirius and handed the goblet to him. Sirius looked at Fudge, then at Grover and swallowed the contents immediately. While they were waiting, Grover stood up and floo called two Aurors into the office.
Then he asked Sirius:
"Who arrested you, Mr Black?"
"At first, Cornelius Fudge. Shortly after his arrival there were several other Aurors, I remember Justine McGonagall, my sister Polaris, Frank Longbottom, Charles Haversham, and some others whose names should be in the files at the ministry."
"When were you put under the Unforgivable Curses?"
"Right before the Auror squad arrived. I suppose they were used to hold me down until they arrived."
"Who was the first to arrive there?"
"Cornelius Fudge. He was from the Department of Magical Catastrophes."
"He was not an Auror?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Who put you under the Unforgivable Curses?"
"Cornelius Fudge."
"Mr Black, you have been an Auror before you were arrested, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Was anyone besides Aurors authorised to use Imperius or Avada Kedavra?"
"No. Not even all Aurors were authorised."
"Very good. Your statement will be used in the investigation. We'll have to bring light into your arrest. It could well be that you weren't allowed to speak up for your own defence, because of Fudge's use of the Unforgivables. He probably wanted to cover this up."
The two Aurors arrived through the Floo. Grover asked them:
"You will have to arrest Mr Cornelius Fudge."
"This is a rebellion, Dumbledore!" Fudge roared.
He had turned very red in the face, but the Aurors were used to follow orders. They moved closer to Fudge who now drew his wand. But Remus, who had been standing close to Fudge, just reached out from behind and plucked it from his hand. He passed it to the Aurors immediately.
"Sorry, Minister," Remus said, not looking sorry at all.
Fudge had to follow the Aurors. They went back to the Ministry by floo. Grover remained behind for a moment.
"Mr Black, I know it is only a shallow apology. I wish I could change the decisions and the very sloppy investigation of that early November 1981, but I can't. All I can offer is a public statement, which will be coming through the WWN several times today and tomorrow and of course will also be published in the Daily Prophet. You will receive your papers in the next two days."
"Thank you, Mr Grover. May I ask you to check into the matter of my guardianship of Harry Potter? We will have to talk to the boy tonight and if he decides to accept me as his guardian I would like to contact you for the papers to be written as soon as possible."
"I will go through the papers that were found in the wreckage. Did you know about the Potter's wills?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I was with them when they wrote and sealed them. I know I was named as one of the guardians and that Mr Remus Lupin was named as the second guardian," Sirius said.
"I haven't seen the documents myself, but I know they were preserved. They will be found and we'll see into the matter. In the meantime I suggest you inform Harry about the situation."
"Thank you, sir. As for the compensation – who would I have to contact?"
"Myself. I would like to see you at my office next week sometime, so we can go over everything. The Ministry can't be stingy on that issue. Twelve years in Azkaban is hardly ever to compensate. It's a miracle you survived and seem well."
"I still don't really know how I did it, but my Animagus form certainly helped. Could I ask another favour? Could you wait with public statements until the day after tomorrow, so I have time to speak to Harry and he'll have time to think over everything?"
"Yes, of course, I haven't thought of that; he shouldn't read it in the paper or hear it on the wireless. So the day after tomorrow, that would be Sunday, will be okay?"
"I think so."
"Good. Shall I send you an owl for an appointment next week?"
"Yes, please. Thank you, Mr Grover."
"I'm glad I was able to set this straight. I'll bid goodbye then. Albus, so good to see you again. I'll have to go back to the Ministry and see to it that we will get an interim minister as soon as possible."
The two shook hands, then Grover said goodbye to Remus and Sirius and the two of them quietly embraced as soon as Grover had left the office.
"It's over, Moony! I can't believe it, I thought this nightmare would never end!" Sirius whispered.
"Yes, love, it's over. I'll never let anyone hurt you again!"
There was a sharp knock on the door and when Albus opened it, Minerva McGonagall came in and asked:
"Albus, there's a rumour that Sirius Black is in the castle – surely that can't be, can it?"
"Minerva, where have you been all day? Not only is Sirius really here – all you have to do is turn around to see him – so were Peter Pettigrew, Cornelius Fudge and Ashley Grover."
Minerva didn't know what to do first, to cry out that Peter Pettigrew was dead or to turn around and see Sirius Black. She decided to do both at the same time:
"But Pettigrew is dead, Al…. – SIRIUS BLACK! What the heck is going on here?"
"No, unfortunately Pettigrew is still alive, Sirius didn't kill him. He didn't kill the Muggles, either. Sirius wasn't even the Potter's secret keeper, Minerva, Pettigrew was. And we were able to see this morning, that Pettigrew was the spy. He has the Dark Mark!"
Minerva looked back and forth and finally took in the fact, that Sirius was in Remus' arms. She turned to them, looked at Sirius and her frown changed to one of her rare smiles.
"It may sound cruel to Pettigrew, but Sirius, I'm certainly glad, he turned out to be the villain after all and not you! Welcome back!"
"Hello, Professor!" Sirius said.
"Does this mean you're officially pardoned?" Minerva asked.
"Yes, I am. I'll get my papers in a few days," Sirius replied.
"I suggest, you and Remus go and gather Harry and take him to your flat to explain everything to him, Sirius! Tonight I shall expect you to come to dinner at the Great Hall and I'll announce it to the rest of the school, so you don't need to walk around in dog form anymore," said Albus.
"Dog form?" Minerva asked.
"Dog form. Sirius is an Animagus. Has been since fifth year in fact. Would you believe it?" Albus asked.
Now she stood in front of Sirius and put up her stern face again.
"Sirius Black! Are you aware of everything that could have gone wrong? What made you do something so foolish? Just one thought of what your parents would have done to us if it HAD gone wrong! If this weren't so many years ago I'd have to still deduct points from Gryffindor…"
Sirius took the tirade with grace and the most angelic smile he was able to put on his face. He knew she would be unable to resist that and he was right.
"Professor, James, Peter and I were all Animagi. James transformed into a stag, Peter into a rat and I into a big black dog. We did it so we could help Remus during full moon nights."
"What? You mean you stayed with Remus at the shack?"
"We did. Being animals he could bite us all he wanted, it did not turn us into werewolves. So we could play and prevent him from hurting himself."
"Oh, this is so sweet! I always knew you were brilliant, Sirius, but you've also got a big heart, which is just so nice! Now let me see that dog of yours, before you go!"
"Here you are!"
Sirius transformed and Minerva looked at him in awe. Remus smiled. He scratched Padfoot behind his ears and said:
"Meet Padfoot, Minerva."
"Oh, THAT's where this ridiculous nickname came from."
"Yes, that's where it's from – James was Prongs and Peter was Wormtail."
"Makes everything understandable then. Now go on! Harry is in Herbology. You have my permission to get him from there and he can skip his last class."