Engaging

A Make-Believe Trial

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they belong to J. K. Rowling. Except for Sara Sweets, she belongs to me . Author's note: This is based upon what I have taken from the Harry Potter stories, and is totally in my head. And I seriously believe that Voldemort is either in love with Lily or is her half-brother, so that is in this story. If you are easily offended by vulgar language or sexual content you should not read this fanficiton. Please review.

Sirius sat in the chair before the members of the council, his head hung down in shame. They were blaming Sara for something that she had not done. They were blaming him for a crime that he had not committed.

He looked up when the others appeared, two wizards with a hold of Sara. Her head too was down, fresh blood on her forehead from the death that had covered the street, though he thought that the blood on the scar over her chest was her own, it seemed that she had overdone it, stressed herself out so much that blood seemed to be breaking free once more to soak her shirt.

Sirius wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to forever beg her for forgiveness, for he had turned from her when she needed him most, he had called her a liar when all she had done was tell him the truth. He very much needed to hold her in his arms right now, to pray that she would never leave, to tell her that everything would be all right, to simply hold her.

But he couldn't.

"Sirius Black." A man's voice called.

Sirius looked into the crowd of Ministry members, the council here to judge him for the wrongs he had never done. The man himself was unfamiliar to Sirius, though Sara knew him well. They had once been friends, long ago in her third year, he had been in his sixth. Then she had fought him in battle, for he had been a death eater for nearly four months. He hat actually hit her once. She had seen tears in his eyes and hatred on his face. Neither seemed appropriate. She had never meant to fight her friends. But a war was a war, and he was the enemy. Oh how she hated that word.

"You were brought here for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and the Muggles that you killed when you went for him. You were found at the scene seconds after, your wand aimed at where Pettigrew was standing. You are also being charged with turning the Potters over to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, and to these we will vote." The man said as if reading some invisible script, he then turned to the other Ministry members, "All who believe this man innocent, please stand."

Only one person in the entire room stood. It was Dumbledore. "I would like to make it known to all who are here that I put my full trust in Sirius Black and I do not believe that he killed one of his best friends nor did he turn over his others to Voldemort." Dumbledore's voice rang out over the heads of all the others who were there, and though Sirius looked the part of a murderer, Albus stood beside him knowing full well that there was no way that he could have committed these crimes.

The man snarled a little but he recovered his cool, he would like very much to see these two people in Azkaban. And when all was said and done he much preferred Dumbledore himself dead. "Does anyone else stand in the guilty one's defense?" he asked.

"He didn't do it!" Sara shouted through her tears as she fought the two men who held her back, her mind quickly thinking of any way possible to help Sirius, to save him from this cold fate that these monsters would submit him to in that awful hellish prison of theirs. "I swear he is innocent!" she cried.

The man sneered at her, "You have no say. Just hold your tongue and wait. Your trial will soon be here."

"Trial?" Sirius asked, then smiled evilly at the man, "But you already have your murderer. Why take the pawn when you have the king?" He asked, a drawl in his voice that made him seem insane.

Sara stared at him, what was he doing? Was he stupid? Or was he trying to make them find him guilty? The realization hit her hard, he was trying to take all of the blame and thoughts off of her and on to himself. He was condemning himself so that she could be free.

The man gave a smirk, "I do believe that you are more the queen," he said coldly, "Your Lord and king seems to have been outmatched by a mere babe."

"Don't you mean your Lord?" Sara asked, her eyes burning into the man's, "For you have fought for him many times."

"What are you talking about?" the man snapped.

Then Sara remembered the curse she had put on herself. The Forgotten curse. She would never be remembered as a part of the war or the Order by any who didn't really know her. Sure, the majority of the Order would remember her, and probably Voldemort himself, but no mere death-eater would remember that they ever crossed wands with her.

"Sirius Black, you are found guilty of murder and being the follower of You-Know-Who. You are hereby sentenced to a lifelong term at Azkaban prison." The man said, but he did not call for the dementors. Instead he motioned that they bring Sara onto the floor and have her seated before them so that Sirius could watch her trial.

"Sara Sweets," the man said.

"Sugar," Sara said, giving him a very fake smile.

He glared at her but made the correction, "Sara Sugar Sweets. You are brought here for"

"For what?" Sara cut him off, "For running in the street? For breathing? Or was it for moving? If it is any of those, for those were the only crimes that I could have committed when you brutally took me into custody at the scene of a make-believe crime where evidence and witnesses were not collected nor was the scene even taken into consideration when you all rashly and foolishly took the man to my right into custody as well for a sin that he did not do, for a crime he had not committed, though you blame him still without a second thought? Which is it?"

The man took a step back for her quick tongue and her heated gaze, her hair flickering about.

"It is true that she had been doing nothing illegal at the crime," Dumbledore mused simply, his finger at his chin as he thought about it.

"You are charged with the crime of conspiracy to murder." The man said.

Sara rose one light red eyebrow, "Oh really? Where's your proof of this evil and dark scheme? For I have certainly not heard of it."

"You cannot send someone to Azkaban for a possible innocent state," someone in the council said, a few murmurs breaking about.

The man didn't miss a beat, "Sara, you are hereby banished."

Sara shook her head, "Banished? What the hell for?"

He smiled, "Simply for the act of separating the two of you. Everyone in this room knows that you would instantly trade your life for his, though bewitched you must be. This means that to assure that he does not mysteriously escape we must send you away."

Sara's lips parted, her brow furrowed as she digested his words, "How dare you!" she shouted, "I have done nothing wrong!" Though she couldn't help but admit that if she had the chance she would get Sirius out of that hell.

"All of those in favor of this stand now," the man called.

Most of the council stood, though the few with morals stayed seated, none of which seemed too pleased, least of all her uncle.

"Sara!" Sirius called as the dementors pulled him away.

"Sirius!" she called as the two wizards who had brought her here pulled her in the opposite direction, taking her to some unknown place as Sirius was dragged into the inferno of Azkaban.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized that she might never see Sirius again, yet never seemed a very long time.

She swore to herself then and there that someday he would get free, that someday he would be free.

Someday they could be free.