Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


Chapter 37 – The Stag and Doe


"It was the paper you gave me, Minister." Sirius said calmly, reaching into the pocket of his ratty coat – with no wands being raised at his movement – and pulled out a newspaper clipping. Harry recognized it immediately and Ginny gasped beside him. It was the photo of her family, the one that had appeared in the Daily Prophet when her father had won the draw. "I couldn't believe my eyes. There, on the front page, was Pettigrew. No one knew it was him, of course, but I had seen him transformed too many times, had spent twelve years picturing every detail of the rat not to recognize him. The article said that that the five youngest would be returning to Hogwarts and the rat was being held by the youngest boy. Not only did I now know where Pettigrew was, but I knew he was close to Harry. Pettigrew was at Hogwarts with him, who knew if he'd already tried to kill Harry? I had failed my godson before, but I would be damned if I failed again." Harry's eyes widened as something he'd overheard at the Three Broomsticks came to mind.

" 'He's at Hogwarts.' " He muttered. Everyone turned to look at him. " 'He's at Hogwarts.' That's what you said Black kept muttering in the days before he escaped, right?" He looked to his guardian who answered truthfully.

"Yes."

"He knew Pettigrew was here. He wasn't muttering about me being here. He didn't escape to try and kill me, it was Pettigrew he was after." Harry looked back to Sirius. "He escaped to protect me." Sirius gave a small smile and nodded.

"But how did you escape?" One of the Wizengamot members demanded, and many voiced the same question.

"I held on to the fact that I was innocent." He said. "It wasn't exactly a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't take it from me. It kept me sane. It helped too that I could transform into-" He cut off as Harry subtly shook his head, his eyes frantically trying to convey not to tell about his animagus form, knowing that with the Veritaserum having worn off that he could withhold that bit of information. Somehow Sirius got the message and coughed before backtracking. "Rather, that I had transformed into an entirely different person from who I once was. Even if the dementors didn't affect me as they did the others, they didn't have no effect." If anyone thought he was originally going to say something different they didn't call him on it, nor did they even look as if they didn't believe him. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "On the day I escaped I was standing by the bars of my cell and realized that they were wider than I thought, or that I was skinner than I thought, in either case, I fit through the bars. As formidable a fortress as Azkaban is, its main security is the dementors. You rely heavily on them rendering the inmates insane and incapable of even the thought of escape, so when faced with someone the dementors didn't affect as badly the other security measures didn't stand up. I snuck out and jumped into the sea and swam ashore before making my way here." There were mutterings among the Wizengamot, some voicing that such an escape was impossible, while others voiced the exact opposite, knowing just how heavily the Ministry did rely on the dementors to keep Azkaban secure, and unable to deny that the man before them didn't seem like a person controlled by those walking terrors.

"And how did you break into Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked his first question and Harry took pleasure in seeing that the Headmaster really had no idea. Dumbledore was fond of saying that Hogwarts was the safest place to be, and though Harry's first two years proved that to be untrue, it was Voldemort himself that had made it unsafe, and as there were few who could stand up to the dark wizard there was some relief in the fact that it took someone as powerful as him to make Hogwarts unsafe. Of course, now a mere man, who while he had a terrifying reputation didn't actually possess any extraordinary magical talent, had now broken in, proving that it wasn't just dark lords that could gain access to the castle.

"Ah, yes, that…" Sirius looked a bid sheepish. "It may not surprise you, Professor, to learn that during our time as students my friends and I learned a great deal about the castle's layout."

"You mean during one of the many times we were forced to hide from Filch or McGonagall because you and James decided to charm the suits of armour to make farting noises every time a teacher walked past, or transfigure objects into the house mascots and release them in the Great Hall at dinner?" Remus asked, not looking at all impressed.

"That was you?!" McGonagall growled dangerously.

"Thanks, Moony." Sirius growled as well.

"I thought it wasn't possible. James was Head Boy. Lily had been an excellent influence on him, on all of you, and there hadn't been a single incident since Christmas your sixth year. The lot of you had grown up, or so I had thought, so I figured it was one of the younger students."

"Well, part of the fun is not getting caught, Professor." Sirius defended. "And we had to do something before we graduated. Couldn't leave without reminding everyone we were the best pranksters the school had ever seen." McGonagall merely glared. "Anyways…during our time as students we may have discovered a secret passage into the school. It's behind that gilded mirror on the fourth floor, leads out into the forest. That's how I got in."

"But that passageway is collapsed." Remus protested. "I checked it when I arrived at Hogwarts to make sure you couldn't use it and it's completely caved in. Not to mention it lets out not far from an acromantula nest. I knew you were mad, Sirius, but you'd have to be completely mad to go anywhere near there, that's why we never used it as students."

"And that was why it was perfect. I knew you'd think that even the Sirius Black you thought I was wouldn't be stupid enough to go near an acromantula nest." He said, looking quite proud of himself. "The cave in was just an added measure to make sure you wouldn't sound the alarm and have it watched, but I left a way for me to get through." Remus shook his head and Harry could see Dumbledore filing that bit of information about the secret passage away for later.

"And the passwords to Gryffindor tower?" McGonagall then asked. "Mr. Longbottom swears he left them on his bedside table, so how did you get those?"

"In that I had help." Sirius looked down at the cat still in his lap. Crookshanks had settled there when he first sat down and hadn't moved since, though he hadn't fallen asleep like most cats would, he'd been clearly watching everything that was going on. "This cat is the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Pettigrew for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I wasn't what I seemed either. It was a while before he trusted me, but finally I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me. He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't, so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me. Hell, he's even brought me food, can't tell you how thankful I was for that." Crookshanks began to purr loudly under his praise, and the hand that began stroking his back.

"So that's why Crookshanks seemed to have it out for Scabbers." Harry muttered. With the whole tale seemingly done the members of the Wizengamot began to talk amongst themselves, debating everything they had heard and voicing whether or not they believed the story. Harry did the same thing, though he was almost certain he'd already made up his mind. Pettigrew's story and Black's were the same, which suggested it were true, while Remus' reaction, or rather Moony's lack of reaction, help to confirm it as well. He remembered how the werewolf part of Remus had come forward unbidden upon seeing Pettigrew and how it had been able to sense a lie based on the minute changes, such as heart rate and smell, that were too subtle for a human to pick up on, but that Moony could easily detect with his enhanced senses, and he had not made an appearance here. His own instincts were also telling him to believe Sirius, and a squeeze from Ginny's hand, which still hadn't left his, let him know that she believed it too. Needing one final confirmation though, Harry turned to look at Snape. There was clearly much animosity between him and Black, and between that and the trust Harry had in his teacher he knew that if Snape believed the story, then there was no reason Harry shouldn't. It didn't take long for Snape to feel eyes on him and took an even shorter time for him to meet Harry's eyes. As if knowing what he was asking, Snape's mouth twisted into a scowl, but he offered a single nod that had Harry breathing a sigh of relief.

Sirius during this time had been sitting there silently, listening intently to what was being said, but more importantly had never taken his eyes off Harry. He saw the war of emotions that plagued his godson, saw the comfort the girl next to him brought, and saw also the exchange between Harry and the greasy git. Before he could ask himself why Harry seemed to trust Snape though, Dumbledore called the Wizengamot back to order.

"We shall vote now." He said "A simple raise of hands will do. Those in favour of conviction?" A smattering of hands raised, though not even nearly half of those present, and Sirius held his breath, realizing what this meant. "And those in favour of clearing of all charges?" At least three quarters of the Wizengamot raised their hands, including the Minister and Dumbledore, but it was the one hand raised that didn't actually get a vote that brought tears to his eyes: Harry believed his innocence. "Let the record show that the accused is hereby cleared of all charges." It was done with a lot less ceremony than the Wizengamot usually operated with, but it made the ruling no less official, and Sirius couldn't help but break down crying. Remus was by his side in an instant, holding his friend close and not caring how it looked for two grown men to bawl their eyes out in each other's arms. They weren't left alone for long though, as the members of the Wizengamot spilled out of the pavilion, all wanting to shake Sirius' hand, some with apologies for what he'd gone through, while others tried to say that they'd never believed him guilty in the first place. Those people earned a dark scowl that had them cowering and showed that even though the truth was now known his image as a mass-murderer was still strong in people's minds. His joy though, and the overall feeling of joy from the assembly, was too strong for any dark thoughts to remain.

It was then that the physical embodiment of dark thoughts, made their appearance. At Dumbledore's request, though it had really been an order, the dementors still stationed around the school were to be sent back to Azkaban the moment an innocent verdict was given, should one be given, of course. As such, one of the aurors had gone to give the departure order as soon as the words 'cleared of all charges' were said. The dementors, though, were of a different mind. Someone had escaped them. They'd been livid when Black had slipped through their bony, scabbed, fingers, and they had been promised they'd get him back, only to now be told they wouldn't. Between their anger at what they saw as being cheated out of a soul, and the great feelings of joy in the air, especially from the one they thought of as theirs, it was no wonder that they couldn't resist. Sirius was the first one to notice the cold. The others had come from a heated pavilion, but they themselves did not have warming charms on them, so were already feeling the cold. Sirius, for the first time in twelve years, was actually feeling toasty warm when the cold began to seep in. It wasn't a gradual cold either, which would indicate the spell was wearing off, but rather it came on quick, and after so many years Sirius knew the feel of a dementor's cold intimately.

"Dementors!" He cried, pointed upwards as the black terrors, well over a hundred of them, came over the trees. Sirius felt fear at the sight of them, his mind taking him back to Azkaban, but one thought was stronger. "Harry!" Pushing his way past everyone he ran as fast as he could towards his godson, determined to protect him. He wasn't the only one though. Racing right alongside him was the Minister of Magic himself, his wand out and a white mist keeping the dementors at bay. The aurors had cast their own patronuses, some with better success than others, while the members of the Wizengamot were in chaos. Those that could cast a patronus did so, while the others cowered behind the silver animals or mist, depending on the witch or wizard's skill with the spell. Sirius and Cornelius reached Harry and Ginny in seconds, both ushering the children into a protective circle as Remus, McGonagall and Snape joined them, along with Kingsley, Dawlish, and another auror who had raced to protect the Minister. Sirius felt useless without a wand and was about to demand the use of Harry's, knowing that after being freed today he could cast one hell of a patronus, but the wand was already in use. Sirius was shocked to see both Harry and his girlfriend – Sirius hadn't missed that they'd held hands the entire time, nor that they were still holding hands now – had both cast the Patronus charm. They weren't fully corporeal, but for two people of their age to even master this much was unheard of.

"Expecto Patronum!" The brightest patronus yet joined the others, Dumbledore having gotten over his momentary shock at the dementors' appearance, being replaced with nothing but anger that these foul creatures had dared enter the school grounds. His brilliant silver phoenix flew towards them, pushing the dementors back. His was one of the few though, most of the others, whether corporeal or not, being only so powerful as to protect the castor and those nearest them, not to go on the attack. Sirius could also spot Remus' wolf, along with a doe, cat, lynx and a rather large rabbit moving about the dementors, knocking them back one by one. Six active patronuses though, were not a match for the dozens of dementors, even if one was Dumbledore's. For each dementor they sent away, three more took its place with those that had been repelled rejoining the horde after not too long. Dementors were also not mindless, though many thought they were. They saw quickly that if they spread out it was harder for the six attacking silver creatures to get them all. Several dementors got through the perimeter they tried to set up and attacked the others, who were quickly fading. Streams of silver mist disappeared, while those corporeal patronuses that had merely stood there protecting their castors began to flicker, many going out. The Patronus Charm was not meant to be used this way. It was meant for a quick assault, or short-term protection should one not actually want to send a dementor away, such as when the Minister made his yearly visit to Azkaban. Usually the Patronus Charm was enough that the dementors caught up in it didn't think it worthwhile to continue attacking, so a few seconds was all it took to repel them, but this was not a usual circumstance. Their anger at being denied the one who had escaped them, combined with their great numbers meant that they saw no reason not to keep coming back, and so the Patronus Charm had to be maintained for far longer than most witches and wizards could manage.

Of their group, Dawlish was the first to fall, followed by the third auror, the one with the jack rabbit patronus. Miraculously Harry and his girlfriend still maintained the white mist, though both were visibly shaking. McGonagall and Remus were the next to fall, though they managed to stay awake where the aurors had passed out. The Minister, Sirius could see, was not faring much better than Harry, though he could see a determination in him as he stood protectively in front of his ward. Finally, after what felt like hours, though was probably no more than ten minutes, the attack ended, though not in a way anyone thought possible. The redheaded girl with Harry fell to her knees, clutching her head. Harry knelt with her, his arm going around her as she begged someone named Tom to stop and let her go. None of this made sense to Sirius and he was once again about to ask Harry to use his wand, but he drew up short as the air around him grew thick with magic. Harry had stopped shaking, his hand tightening on his wand, and Sirius could see the fire in his eyes as he turned his gaze skyward.

"Expecto Patronum!" Sirius expected the same silver mist he had seen before, but instead a fully formed stag burst from Harry's wand. It was brighter than even Dumbledore's and it wasn't only Sirius who watched in awe as it charged the nearest dementor. The screech it made when the light of the patronus touched it was inhuman, a screech none of the dementors had made when touched by any of the other patronuses. The dementor flew off and the stag began galloping towards the next cloaked terror who let the same inhuman screech. The other dementors paused at the sound their fellows were making, their hesitation, and the brightness of the stag, pushing the cold back enough for some, like McGonagall and Remus, to regain themselves enough to cast their patronuses once more, though a new one joined them.

"Expecto Patronum!" Sirius hadn't expected the shouted spell to come from the redhead who, mere moments ago, was cowering on the ground. Now she was pointing her wand at the dementors, one arm holding Harry as tightly as his held her, with the same fire in her eyes, even though the tears had not yet dried on her face. A doe, the second he'd seen tonight, burst forth and took out three dementors before running to the stag's side. The two seemed to work together to thin out the remaining dementors, both clearly more of a deterrent then the less powerful patronuses cast by supposedly more powerful, and fully grown, witches and wizards. As the final dementors fled a great cheer went up as people realized they had survived such an attack. Sirius' own joy left him as quickly as it had come, as he turned towards Harry and his friend, both of whom were swaying precariously.

"Harry!" He cried, lunging forward in time to catch the two before their heads hit the ground.


A/N - Review please!