STORY ARC 3
Albus stepped into his office only to come face-to-face with the ghost of James Potter.
"Albus Fucking Dumbledore! Thank you for almost killing my son! You ignored everything Lily and I told you we wanted for Harry if we died and sent him to live with PETUNIA! The bitch!"
"Now James, I needed to continue Lily's protection of Harry and the only way was to put him with a blood relation. Petunia was it."
"No, she wasn't. You could have put him with Andromeda and Ted Tonks. They're blood-related through my grandmother Dorea. Petunia is Lily's ADOPTED sister! Her parents thought they'd never conceive and so they adopted Petunia. Then Lily came along. There's no blood relationship there at all. So, what is powering the wards at Privet Drive, hmmm? I'll tell you. HARRY is powering those wards."
Albus paled. Harry alone powering those wards was like a huge siphon from his magic. By all rights, the boy should be a squib!
"I see you've figured it out. And now throw in all the other charms and blocks you have on him; he should have died long before he ever reached Hogwarts the way the Dursleys treated him. I want your sworn oath right now that Harry will never set foot in the Dursley house again."
Albus paled even further, "James, be reasonable. An oath for something like that. Surely you can trust me to find a suitable place for him. The Weasleys will be more than happy to host Harry for the summer."
"Your. Oath. Albus. NOW! Then we can worry about exactly where he will go for the summer," growled James.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, James. When Voldemort returns, he's going to need the safety of those wards to protect him from the Death Eaters."
"Then you are going down with the rest of the scum. Now, I believe you are going to floo Amelia and get her here. By all means, don't let me stop you."
Albus didn't know what prank James Potter may have up his sleeve, but it didn't bode well for him, whatever it was. He went to the floo and called Amelia Bones' office at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The severe witch answered quickly, "What can I do for you, Albus?"
"Amelia, we have a bit of a situation here at Hogwarts that requires your attention. Could you and Alastor Moody join me in my office at your earliest convenience? I assure you that it's quite urgent and quite necessary to limit those involved."
"You aren't giving me much to go on, Albus," the witch said.
"I will explain in detail after you arrive. I promise you your time will not be wasted. I will leave my floo open for the next fifteen minutes to allow you time to find Alastor."
"We'll be there in five," she said and closed her floo.
James applauded, "See, now that wasn't so hard, was it? See how easy it is to do the right thing?"
"If I'd known Sirius was innocent …"
"You never let him defend himself! Don't play the innocent here, Albus, because you aren't."
"Well if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to freshen up before Amelia gets here," and then disappeared up the steps to his quarters. He returned wearing clean robes just as the fire flared and Amelia Bones and Alastor Moody stepped out of the fireplace.
"Now, Albus, what's so important that you need to drag us both here with no clue why?" asked Amelia.
"Please sit, both of you. This may be a long explanation. Let me start by saying that I, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, have given Sirius Black sanctuary until such time as a trial can be held for him."
"You WHAT?" exclaimed Amelia and Alastor both.
"Sirius Black is innocent of the crimes he was accused of. The real criminal is Peter Pettigrew."
"Pettigrew's dead, Albus. You know that!" said Moody.
"Alas, I was also under that illusion until last night. Peter was the Potter's secret keeper; not Black. When Black confronted him in front of those muggles, Peter yelled to distract anyone else from noticing what he was doing. He then cut off his pinky finger, sent a blasting curse to the street, then turned into his animagus form of a common brown rat and escaped into the sewers. Peter later took up with a wizarding family and has been hiding out all of these years as their pet rat," Albus explained.
"And you know this how?" asked Amelia.
"Peter Pettigrew was caught and confessed last night. Those present were Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. While Severus Snape was also present, I'm told that he was unconscious during the confession."
"Where's Pettigrew now?" asked Alastor.
"Unfortunately, he got away as he was being brought to the castle to turn over to you. The dementors swarmed the group, but were driven away by Harry Potter's patronus."
"You're telling me a thirteen-year-old can cast a patronus? Not even all of my Aurors can do that!"
"I assure you it did happen. Harry Potter's patronus is a stag – the same as his father's animagus form. However, when Harry found out that Cornelius was going to administer the dementor's kiss to his sworn godfather, Sirius Black, he assisted in Black's escape."
"You're telling me both Pettigrew and Black are missing again?" asked the head of the DMLE.
"No, Sirius is currently sitting in the Infirmary keeping watch over his godson."
"What's wrong with him," asked Moody.
Albus seemed to glance behind the two law enforcement officers before replying, "For that answer, I must ask for your oath that the information will go no further than those already in the know."
"Albus, you can't be serious!" exclaimed Madam Bones.
Another voice popped up, "Do it, Ami! Or you won't speak to Harry at all."
Both Aurors were on their feet with their wands aimed at where they thought the voice was coming from only to see the ghost of James Potter.
"Put your wands down! You can't do any more damage than has already been done. I ask that you swear that the information about Harry's current medical condition is kept in strict confidence for now. I promise you it will make sense."
Both Amelia and Alastor swore that they would not divulge any information regarding Harry Potter's current medical condition until such time as they were given leave by Sirius Black to do so. They looked expectantly at James.
James paused, "My son was brought into the Infirmary suffering magical exhaustion after defending his group from the dementors. When he found out that the Minister was going to have Sirius Kissed, he and one of his friends went back in time and rescued him. Sirius left the castle. Harry then separated from his friend and attempted to kill himself. Lucky for us, he was unsuccessful. It was then brought to light about his treatment at the hands of his muggle relatives. It is a miracle he is alive, let alone producing a patronus that can drive away a massive horde of dementors."
"Thank you for the explanation. We'll get back to the part about his treatment with his relatives later, I assure you. I think our priority is to interview Mr. Black and see if what you have told us is correct, then we can make further plans," responded Amelia.
"I'll meet you at the Infirmary then," said James.
Albus, Amelia, and Alastor walked to the hospital wing. They walked over to where Sirius was keeping vigil over his godson. Albus cleared his throat, "Sirius, they're here."
Sirius looked up and smiled, "Ami! Alastor! Long time no see! Are you here to find the truth or to act as Fudge's toadies and haul me back to Azkaban?"
Amelia shook her head, remembering the Sirius Black she knew before, "We're here to find the truth. Where can we have some private space? I'm sure Madam Pomfrey wouldn't want us conducting an interview in the middle of her Infirmary if we don't have to."
Albus pointed to a door to the side, "There is a private room for ill staff members that we can use. I've summoned Severus to bring some Veritaserum."
"But he's a Pureblood," stated Moody.
"I don't care about that stupid law. I'm more than willing to take a few drops of Veritaserum to be a free man. I know Fudge will try to block it, but if I willingly agree, he can't say anything about it."
"You are entitled to representation by a solicitor at this interview, Mr. Black. Would you like for us to call one?" asked Amelia.
"Nope! My testimony won't change regardless of who is here. You and Moody I trust; the rest of the Ministry can go hang themselves. Can you ask Remus to come sit with Harry while I'm gone? I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up. Poppy seems to think it will be soon."
Albus sent another patronus out just as Severus walked in, "I understand you wish for some Veritaserum and the antidote. I have just completed a fresh batch that was going to the Ministry today. I will let you choose your bottle from the lot." He pulled out a box with two dozen small bottles of clear liquid. All had the red seal certifying they were properly brewed and registered. Amelia reached in and plucked a bottle from the third slot on the fourth row.
"Thank you, Potions Master Snape. Your service is duly noted," replied Amelia. He then handed her a bottle of antidote. It wasn't quite as regulated as the Veritaserum was.
As Severus departed, Remus returned with a book and took the seat vacated by Sirius next to Harry's bed.
"Are you OK, Padfoot?" the werewolf asked.
"No, but I will be. Let's get this over with, Amelia," said Sirius.
Sirius, Amelia, and Alastor headed to the designated room. When Albus tried to join them, he was stopped. "We've got to do this by the book, Albus. No spectators, even if it is the Chief Warlock. You'll be provided a transcript of the interview at the trial."
"As you wish. If you require refreshments, please summon a house elf. I'll be in my office getting these dementors removed," said the Headmaster.
Once the three got settled into the room, Amelia pulled out a case and removed an official Dicta-Quill, and set it up.
"Testing, testing. Today is the tenth of June, 1994. Interviewers are Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Alastor Moody, Master Auror. Subject is identified as Sirius Black. Mr. Black, do you consent to the use of Veritaserum for your testimony?"
Sirius replied, "I do."
Alastor moved over and stated, "I have an unopened vial of Veritaserum from Potions Master Severus Snape. The batch number is 940609 and the vial number is 22." Alastor opened the vial and dropped 3 drops of the clear liquid into Sirius' mouth. They waited two minutes while the potion took effect.
Amelia: Please state your name for the record.
Sirius: Sirius Orion Black.
Amelia: What was your Hogwarts house?
Sirius: Gryffindor.
Amelia. The potion appears to be working. Mr. Black, are you now, or were you ever a supporter of the Dark Lord known as Voldemort?
Sirius: Never!
Amelia: Were you the secret keeper for the Potters?
Sirius: No.
Amelia: Who was their secret keeper?
Sirius: Peter Pettigrew.
Amelia: Please describe the events of October 31 and Nov 1, 1981.
Sirius: I'd been out most of the day, but something didn't feel right. I went to check on Peter and found he was not at his flat. I checked his usual haunts like the Leaky Cauldron but didn't find him. I took my bike to the Potter's house only to see it in ruins. I found James in the sitting room on the floor. I went upstairs to the nursery and saw Lily on the floor as well. She was also dead. Harry was standing up in his crib crying and asking for his mama. He had a cut on his forehead which was bleeding heavily. I cast a spell to close it, then to remove the blood. I took him downstairs. When I got downstairs, I saw Hagrid. He said Dumbledore had sent him to get Harry. I told him that it was my responsibility as his godfather to look after him. Hagrid said it was Dumbledore's orders that he take Harry. Thinking that Hagrid would take him back to Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey could look at his cut to make sure I'd healed it right, I handed him over to Hagrid. Since Hagrid couldn't apparate, I let him have my motorbike to get there faster. Once they left, I started casting spells to see if I could pick up Peter. I caught a faint apparition trail and started following it just like we were taught at the Auror Academy. I finally found him in this muggle village. He started yelling that I'd killed James and Lily and that it was all my fault. Just as I cast a stunner at him, he had his wand behind him and cast a blasting curse at the street. He must have hit a gas line or something, but the whole street blew up. The next thing I saw, he'd transformed into his rat animagus form and scampered down the sewer drain. The next thing I knew, Aurors were there and I was hauled to the Ministry. The next I remembered I was in Azkaban. I stayed there until I escaped.
Amelia: How did you escape Azkaban?
Sirius: I'm a dog animagus. I was skinny enough to slip through the bars and then I swam to shore.
Amelia: Why did you wait until now to escape?
Sirius: Because I knew Peter was at Hogwarts and Harry was at Hogwarts. I didn't want Harry to be around that killer.
Amelia: How did you know Pettigrew was at Hogwarts?
Sirius: When Fudge was making his annual tour of Azkaban, he had a copy of the Daily Prophet with him. I asked if I could have it because I liked the crosswords. On the front page was Peter in his animagus form. (Sirius reached into his robes and handed the paper to Amelia)
Amelia: Did you ever tell anyone you hadn't had a trial?
Sirius: Many times. The guards just laughed at me.
Amelia: Where is Pettigrew now?
Sirius: We had him cornered and tied up. We forgot it was the full moon. In trying to get away from Moony, we took our eyes off of him long enough for him to transform back into his animagus form. He could be anywhere by now.
Amelia: I think I've heard enough. Alastor, do you have any questions?
Alastor: No. Too bad we don't have the rat.
Amelia: Who was with you tonight to corroborate your story?
Sirius: Harry James Potter, Hermione, Ron Weasley, and Remus Lupin. Oh, and Severus Snape was there for part of it, but he was out cold when we questioned Peter.
Amelia: Please administer the antidote.
Alastor administered the antidote and they gave it a few minutes to act. Amelia asked a Hogwarts elf for some tea.
After taking a sip of her tea, Amelia asked, "When did Fudge get into all of this?"
"From what I've been told, after the dementor swarm," Sirius said.
"How were you able to get away from them?" asked Amelia.
"I honestly don't know. From what I've been told, Harry cast this powerful patronus and drove them all away. I passed out and so did Harry. The next thing I know, I'm locked up in Flitwick's office waiting on a dementor for a little snogging session."
"I'm sure we can get the kids' statements. Lupin's credibility will be nil. Snape would give up his mother if he thought it would save his hide," said Moody.
"Snape wouldn't do anything to help me. He was thoroughly enjoying the idea of a dementor kissing me. Surely, they'll believe Harry, though."
"We can try," said Amelia, "Sirius, why don't you go sit with Harry and send Mr. Lupin in?"
Sirius did so and Remus had his opportunity to tell his story. Since werewolves were virtually immune to Veritaserum, he swore an oath to tell the truth. His story pretty much paralleled Sirius' once he got to the Shrieking Shack. He also included the part about forgetting to take his Wolfsbane potion. While Amelia could have filed charges against him for endangering the students, she decided that it would serve no useful purpose and only give more ammunition to people like Dolores Umbridge who wanted to restrict werewolves even further. Remus was very relieved.
While Remus was giving his statement, Harry started to wake up. He gave a slight shiver and then opened his eyes.
"Harry, it's me, Sirius. How are you feeling?"
When the words registered, Harry shot up in the bed looking frantically at his godfather, "Sirius! You can't be here! What if Fudge comes back? He'll have the dementors Kiss you!"
"Easy there, Harry. Everything's going to be OK. I just finished giving my statement to Amelia Bones, who's the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Alastor Moody; he's a Master Auror. They believe me. They're going to make sure I get a trial. Until then, Dumbledore's offered me sanctuary at Hogwarts. It's going to work out, I promise you," said Sirius.
Harry relaxed back into the bed and his hand moved to rub his scar, or, what used to be his scar. It was now just a thin line with a circle in it where the basilisk fang had penetrated.
"How's your head?" asked Sirius.
"Oh, it's OK. It just itches a little bit," Harry replied.
"I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey to check you out. You've been through a very long night."
A couple of minutes later Madam Pomfrey came over and waved her wand over him. She tutted at one reading but otherwise seemed satisfied with the results.
"Well, Mr. Potter. You are lucky to be alive. The basilisk fang punctured the area of dark magic behind your scar and killed it rather than yourself. You are still suffering from magical exhaustion so you will remain here until your magic levels are back to normal. That could be several days. And I don't want to hear one peep out of you complaining! While you are here, I will be repairing some of the damage done by your so-called relatives and you will be speaking with a mind healer. I don't see you leaving here for, oh, at least two more weeks."
"But the train leaves in a week!" Harry exclaimed.
"Yes, it does. But you won't be on it. You are under a healer's care. Your choice is to stay here under my care, and where you can see your godfather daily, or go to Saint Mungo's."
Harry sat back with a huff, "I guess I'd better get comfortable then."
Poppy smiled, "Good choice, young man. Now, Sirius said your head was itching?"
"Just a little bit around the scar," Harry admitted.
"I'm afraid I don't have anything that will neutralize basilisk venom, so I'll give you some cream to rub on it that will hopefully stop the itching. Are you hurting anywhere else?"
"No ma'am."
"I'll have a house elf bring up a tray for both of you. There will be potions for both of you to take after you eat," she said looking at both Harry and Sirius. Both nodded their heads in agreement that they'd take them.
Harry and Sirius ate in companionable silence. Just as they finished, the door to the other room opened and Remus came out. Sirius introduced Harry to Madam Amelia Bones and Master Auror Moody.
"Harry," Amelia said, "I do want to talk to you on the record, but I will wait until you have recovered a bit more. Perhaps on Monday you'll feel more up to talking with me?"
"Sure, Ma'am. Whenever is best for you. I don't think I'm going anywhere soon."
"Good Lad. Please let your friends know that I'll want to speak with them as well."
Harry nodded his understanding. Before they left, Sirius asked for a moment of their time, "We need to get the Potter wills unsealed as soon as possible. I need to know who besides myself and the Longbottoms was supposed to get custody of Harry and we need that taken care of before the school year is over. Under no circumstances is he to go back to the Dursleys!"
"I'll talk to Albus on the way out. He's the one who sealed them," said Amelia, then they left the Infirmary.
Sirius rejoined Harry. He didn't know how to broach the subject so he just jumped right on in, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Harry looked down, "Not really. It was pretty dumb, wasn't it?"
"I don't know if I'd call it dumb. I'd like to help."
"I think I need some time to sort it all out."
"OK, but I'll be here for you when you're ready."
Harry nodded in understanding. He yawned widely and decided it was a good time to take another nap.