BLACK'S TRIAL TO TAKE PLACE TODAY! CLOSED SESSION FOR THE WIZENGAMOT!
Eva struggled to control her grin as she read the morning paper. It was Monday, 17th October, and she had settled into her 'new' life at Hogwarts. Her classes were simple - when you'd completed seventh year, first year seemed like a piece of cake. She'd tried to 'dumb-down' her answers, but there was a level of understanding in them that had her shooting to the top of each class.
Eva had seen the annoyance in Hermione's gaze, but it was far weaker than it had been originally. Her Hermione had already began to change, becoming more self-assured, less reliant on other's acceptance. It had been amazing to watch.
Something that she wanted to watch was Sirius Black's trial. She'd agonised over and over whether it was something she needed to see. Sure, she knew what happened. She remembered that night in the Shrieking Shack as clear as crystal, but she didn't know every detail.
Could she cope with knowing every detail?
As it happened, the choice was made for her. Professor Snape summoned her at the end of breakfast, dragging her down the corridors and out into the castle grounds. Eva held back a small smirk when she saw Minister Fudge standing waiting, his lime green bowler cap reflecting the autumn sun.
"Ah, Lady Potter, a pleasure to meet you at last."
"Minister Fudge, the pleasure is all mine. What brings you to Hogwarts on such a fine day?"
"Well... something rather less pleasant, I'm afraid." sighed Fudge. "Walk with me a moment, Lady Potter."
Eyeing Snape warily, her Head of House sent her a reassuring nod, and Eva followed Minister Fudge down the steps and out across the castle grounds. She absent mindedly noticed they were heading towards the castle gates.
"I'm sure that you have read this morning's Prophet." asked Fudge, and Eva nodded. "Then you'll be aware that Sirius Black's trial is to take place this morning. Whilst it is a closed trial, your name has been brought up in the proceedings."
Eva felt her blood freeze in her veins. Surely they hadn't discovered her involvement, had they? She'd been so careful, she'd taken all of the necessary steps.
"As the Head of House Potter, he is being accused of a slight against your house. Being the Head, you are required to attend the trial."
"I see..." nodded Eva, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Now, many, including Professor Dumbledore, argued that you are a child and should be kept away from such matters. However, our laws stand. You do have the right to refuse attendance."
"No," spoke Eva, shaking her head. "I want to go. I want to hear what he says."
"Do not take this decision lightly, Lady Potter. You will see things, hear things, that are bound to be disturbing. To hear them at such a young age…"
"If I may, Minister," interrupted Eva politely. "Without being crass, regardless of the culprit, Lily and James Potter are dead. That fact will not change. However, I would rather find out who is responsible first hand, rather than through tomorrow morning's newspaper."
Fudge looked torn for a moment. Eva could understand his apprehension - despite their traditional laws, taking an eleven year old to the trial of her parents' murder was somewhat barbaric. However, Eva was not an eleven year old; not really, anyway.
"Very well." nodded Fudge, adjusting his bowler hat. "You will apparate with me to the Ministry, and I will lead you to the courtroom."
"If I may, sir, would I be allowed to take someone with me?"
"Lady Potter, getting the parental consent would take days, let alone the risks of taking another student…"
"Oh, forgive me, Minister, I don't wish to take another student. I would like Professor Snape to accompany me, as my Head of House. He is what you would consider an adult that I trust."
"Well, I'm sure that the Wizengamot wouldn't kick up too much of a fuss over Severus." shrugged Fudge. "Let me talk with him a moment."
Fudge, it seemed, was not a conspicuous speaker. Eva watched as he strode over to Snape and began the explanation. She saw Snape's expression darken at the mention of Sirius, and abruptly shift into a brief flicker of confusion when Fudge discussed her request.
Snape didn't know that Eva had a plan, of course. Evangelina Potter always had a plan. One of her main regrets, in her previous timeline, had been her treatment of Severus. Sure, he was a cantankerous old sod, but he was a good man, one that had been ruthlessly bullied by Sirius for the majority of his life.
That was going to change. Eva was older, more mature, and she was going to make damn sure that Sirius matured too. Severus witnessing true justice was the first step towards that.
After a moment of deliberation, Fudge beckoned Eva over, and she smiled warmly at the two men.
"Professor Snape had agreed to accompany us, Lady Potter. As such, he will apparate you to the Ministry and show you to the courtroom. The trial begins in thirty minutes." Fudge tipped his hat to Eva when he finished speaking. "Good day, Lady Potter, Severus."
Severus watched the Minister head towards the edge of the grounds, and once he was out of sight, turned to Eva with an accusing gaze, his eyes dark.
"It is most curious, Potter, why you have decided that myself, of all people, should be the one to accompany you."
"Who else would you have recommended, Professor?" asked Eva politely.
"Perhaps the Headmaster, or Professor McGonagall?"
"With all due respect, I don't think that they are the right choice for me, Professor." answered Eva politely.
"Pray tell, Potter, why would that be? If so much as a sliver of a lie leaves your lips, you shall regret it."
"How honest would you like me to be, sir?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Com…plete…ley." drawled Snape, glaring at Evangelina.
"There are very few adults who I can trust, Professor. Many adults in my life have either abused me, or lied to me repeatedly. You are one of the few who have done neither in abundance."
Snape, for once in his life, looked utterly unsure of what to say. Eva could almost see the gears of his mind turning, searching for a scathing remark, but it seemed that he could think of none. Eventually, he swallowed nervously and nodded once.
"Very well. Come, Potter." announced Snape curtly. "We have a trial to attend."
The walk to the edge of the grounds was completed in silence. Eva was surprised by how utterly comfortable it was, however. There were no glares directed her way, no cutting remarks.
Eva was tempted to use legillimency on him, however, she probably wouldn't break through his shields, and she certainly couldn't do it without detection, tempting as it may be.
Side-along apparition, it turned out, was every bit as unpleasant as she remembered it to be. Suddenly, the six years until she was seventeen - again - seemed a long way off.
Lost in thoughts of her previous life, Eva did not notice how far they had descended into the Ministry until Snape stopped abruptly, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder.
"Potter - you need not do this, if you have changed your mind. Greater witches and wizards would struggle with such information."
Eva found herself taken aback by Snape's rare show of kindness. Whilst his tone was still dry and somewhat mocking, she understood the sentiment behind it. He was giving her an out, should she want it.
"No," said Eva firmly. "I want to do this, sir. I need to."
"Very well."
The Wizengamot was not something that Eva was greatly knowledgeable about. She had seen a trial once, via Dumbledore's pensive, and of course, there had been the farce of her own trial for the dementors.
From her understanding, the Wizengamot was a mixture of the Muggle Courts and Parliament, passing judgement on criminals and creating laws.
There was around fifty members. 28 of the members, or seats as they were referred to, were set aside for The Most Ancient and Noble Houses. One of those seats would be hers, when she was not directly involved with the trial.
Officially, she would choose a proxy to vote on matters whilst she was in education, and would sit on the Wizengamot during the holidays. She had yet to choose a proxy, with the previous holder being none other than Albus Dumbledore; obviously, that needed to change.
The other 12 seats were made up of Department Heads (the most 'important' departments, anyway), the Minister of Magic, and a select few Order of Merlin winners.
The Chief Warlock sat at the highest point in the room, on an almost regal throne. Eva nodded briefly to Albus Dumbledore, out of politeness rather than respect. There was no point burning bridges yet.
To Dumbledore's left sat Cornelius Fudge, in his assigned Ministerial chair. He would allowed to vote, as well as provide evidence if necessary, though it rarely happened.
To Dumbledore's left sat the Court Scribe, currently a young man by the name of Archibald Jenkins. Eva had never encountered him in her previous life, but his role was of little significance to her today.
Opposite the three were several rows of chairs, slightly less regal though still considerably over the top. Under each chair was a nameplate, with a name and role carved into it.
Severus led Eva to the second row of chairs, nodding once to Lady Longbottom before coming to a stop in front of an empty chair.
Eva crouched slightly to read the nameplate. Sure enough, it read "Lady Evangelina Potter, Head of House Potter".
Grinning, she took a seat, nodding as a small golden glow emanated from the chair, signalling that she had been accepted.
She turned to Snape, who had taken a seat directly beside her - apparently meant for guests or guardians - with a questioning glance.
"It is an ancient security measure," explained Snape. "Polyjuice and other deceptions will not work. Either you are destined to take the seat, or you are not."
"Good to know." murmured Eva, nodding.
She couldn't help but wonder why Snape had never taken his family seat. The Prince family was certainly Ancient and Noble, though currently remained empty. Would he ever take up the role?
Evangelina was brought out of her thoughts by the banging of a gavel, and saw that Dumbledore was beginning the proceedings.
She watched avidly as he stood, pressing his wand to his throat to magnify his voice.
"Beginning the trial on the 17th October, 1991. This trial will look into the offences pertaining to the Wizardcide Act of 1734 by one Sirius Orion Black, currently residing in Azkaban Prison. Bring forth the accused."
The courtroom fell silent as Sirius Black emerged from the side entrance. He wore the striped, tattered robes of a prisoner, his face gaunt and his long hair matted. The bags under his eyes hinted at distress, but the grin he wore was almost feral.
"Interrogators, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic." spoke Fudge.
"Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." added another voice.
Eva turned to see Amelia Bones stand. The older woman's red hair was pulled into a tight bun, her expressions formidable but her eyes glinting with excitement.
Sirius, meanwhile, was moved into the defendant's truth circle. Severus had explained the procedure during their journey; Sirius would stand in the truth circle, and explain his actions. If he were proved not guilty, Pettigrew would be brought in, and face the same judgement.
It was supposedly impossible to lie whilst in the truth circle, and was visibly painful to attempt to do so.
"The charges against the accused are as follows: that you did knowingly, willingly, and with full awareness of your actions, followed You-Know-Who as his servant. You betrayed the Potters' location and proceeded to murder both Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles on the night of October 31st, 1981." explained Fudge.
"How do you plead, defendant?" spoke Amelia.
"Not guilty!" rasped Sirius, his voice hoarse from years of disuse.
"Very well. Let the trial proceed."
Amelia moved down to the lower circle of the courtroom, stopping several feet away from Sirius, her sharp gaze directed towards him.
"Your full name, please, Mr Black." asked Amelia.
Severus had explained that this was to test the truth circle, and to ensure that there was no foul play involved.
"Sirius Orion Black." answered Sirius.
"Up until his fall in October 1981, were you, or had you ever been, a follower or supporter of Lord Voldemort?"
Amelia ignored the gasps that echoed throughout the courtroom at the use of the name; she refused to use that ridiculous moniker.
"No. I would never follow him." answered Sirius.
The truth circle did not activate, and Sirius appeared to be in no immediate pain - whispers echoed throughout the courtroom, at the news that Black had definitively not served Voldemort.
"In October 1981, were you, or were you not, the secret keeper for the Potters?"
"No. I was never their secret keeper," sighed Sirius. "In the original plan, I was going to be. We'd planned it out, and decided that I'd be the best choice. At the last minute, we decided that there was a better candidate - I was the obvious choice."
"Are you saying that you did not betray the Potters, Mr Black? For clarification?" persisted Amelia.
"No! I would never betray them! They were my family!" shouted Sirius, trembling in his cuffs. "James - he was my brother. I would… I would rather have died."
The truth circle remained dormant once more. Eva felt her heart clench at the sight of Sirius, so weak her so defiant. He deserved so much better, and she was going to make sure that he got it.
"If not you, as just established, then who was the secret keeper for the Potters?"
"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius spat the name, as if it physically pained him. Once more, the truth circle did not activate.
The hushed conversations between Wizengamot members grew once more, and Dumbledore eventually had to call for order in the room, allowing the trial to proceed again.
"Thank you, Mr Black. To address your other crimes." Amelia paused, allowing Sirius a moment to regain his composure. "Did you, or did you not, chase down Peter Pettigrew and murder him on the night of October 31st, 1981?"
"Yes. No." muttered Sirius, shaking his head. "I chased him down, I mean - I didn't kill him. I would have. I went to Godric's Hollow, saw Evangelina crying in her crib, and realised what had happened. Once Hagrid turned up-"
"Rubeus Hagrid?" interrupted Amelia.
"Yes. He was acting on Dumbledore's orders. Anyway, I thought that she would be safe with him. Stupidly; I went after Peter. I realised that he had betrayed them, and I wanted revenge."
"What happened next, Mr Black?" asked Amelia, waiting for a hush to fall upon the room once more.
"I caught up to him in Muggle London. I was delirious - I couldn't believe that James and Lily were dead. I didn't want to believe that Peter had betrayed them, even though I knew it to be true."
"And?" prompted Fudge, when Sirius fell silent.
"I confronted him. But the sneaky bastard had a plan. Started screaming about how I'd betrayed them. How I'd sent them off to their deaths. Then the traitor pulled out his wand, set off an explosion in the street."
"The explosion that killed 12 muggles?" clarified Amelia.
"I suppose it was, yeah. He cut off his own finger. He transformed - he's an illegal animagus, as you know - and ran off into a sewer grate. You know the rest."
Sirius was sobbing by this point, apparently unable to continue, but it seemed to matter little. The truth circle had not activated once, meaning one thing - Sirius was innocent of his accused crimes.
A fifteen minute break was called whilst Sirius was calmed and transferred to a different area of the courtroom. Meanwhile, they would be preparing and bringing in Pettigrew.
Eva imagined that Pettigrew's trial would be quicker than Sirius' - after all, it was merely the same story with a few added pieces of information.
During the break, Severus had dragged Eva from her chair and out of the courtroom, leaving her for a moment and reappearing with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. He wordlessly handed the mug to her.
"Potter, I…"
"You don't need to say anything, Professor." muttered Eva. "Nothing will change what happened ten years ago."
"Very well," sighed Snape. "Drink that. I will not have you struggling under my care. Professor McGonagall would have me strung up by my ankles."
Eva smiled slightly at the image. Indeed, she would. The two returned to the courtroom with a minute to spare, and Eva settled into her chair, sipping the hot chocolate and feeling the warmth rush to her toes, relaxing her slightly.
She watched with disgust as Peter Pettigrew shuffled into the room, shackled at the wrists and ankles. He looked every bit as rodent-like as she remembered.
He stepped forth into the truth circle, and so his trial began. Following the name test, his trial proceeded rather quickly.
"Were you, or have you ever been, a supporter or follower of Lord Voldemort?" asked Amelia.
"N-N-N-" Peter visibly struggled against the magic of the truth circle, gasping as he began to sweat. Eventually, he rather miserably answered, "Yes."
"Were you a marked follower of Lord Voldemort?"
"Y-Y-Yes."
"Were you responsible for the deaths of the Potters? Did you willingly break the secret of their location?"
"Yes. But you have to understand - the fear! He could make you do anything. It was me or them - you would have done the same! I would have died!"
"Then you should have died!" roared Sirius, from across the courtroom. "You should have died, rather than give them up!"
"Mr Black, please refrain from interfering with the trial." sighed Amelia, though she certainly understood his frustration.
"I wasn't strong enough to fight him," mumbled Pettigrew pathetically. "We're not all strong like you, Sirius."
"Mr Pettigrew, did you or did you not, on October 31st 1981, create an explosion that killed twelve muggles?" pressed Amelia.
"You don't understand - Sirius was going to kill me!"
"Mr Pettigrew - answer the question!" demanded Bones.
"Yes," whimpered Pettigrew. "Yes, alright, I killed them! I saw an opportunity to frame Sirius and escape, so I took it."
"And what was this opportunity? Please inform the Wizengamot."
"I knew that it was only a matter of time until Sirius tracked me down. I positioned myself in a busy Muggle street. I waited until Sirius turned up, and then shouted that he had killed the Potters. Then, I sent a reducto curse at a nearby gas pipeline. I blew up the muggles, and cut off my own finger before transforming. I escaped through a sewer grate and have been hiding ever since"
The courtroom exploded into outraged shouts. Many members were considerably angered that such a thing had happened under their noses, and for ten years. Eva noted that several of the traditionally darker seats had remained silent though out the testimony - no doubt terrified of what Pettigrew would reveal next.
Eva was not concerned. She had a plan for cleansing the Ministry, but it was not the time. The death eaters that has survived, those that had claimed Imperius such as Malfoy, would soon get their true justice.
The trial wrapped up quickly following Pettigrew's declaration. Amelia had asked a few summarising questions, before turning the vote to the floor.
As it was a matter personally concerning her house, Eva would not be allowed to vote, however she was curious how the different members would vote.
"On the judgement of Sirius Orion Black, please raise your paddles should you wish to vote "Not Guilty".
Eva watched nervously as paddles began to raise into the air, and soon, the vast majority of the house had voted in Sirius' favour. In fact, only three seats had voter for his guilt - Malfoy, Selwynn and Travers.
Pettigrew's vote came next. In a mathematical impossibility, every member of the house had decided that Pettigrew was guilty. Eva frowned - how could Sirius be guilty if Pettigrew was - but figured that the likes of Malfoy simply refused to side with Black.
"On the trial of Sirius Orion Black, dated 17th October 1991, the Wizengamot has decided that the defendant is cleared of all charges. Mr Black, you are free to go."
Sirius let out a loud cheer, and Eva had to hold back a grin as she saw her godfather celebrate. This is only the beginning, Sirius.
"On the trial of Peter Simon Pettigrew, dated 17th October 1991, the Wizengamot had decided that the defendant is guilty of the murder of twelve muggles, and directly responsible for the murder of two members of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter."
The Wizengamot let out nods and a few murmurs of agreement. This was not a cause for celebration, but the course of justice had been carried out.
"Lady Potter, as this transgression has caused significant harm to your house, your opinion on sentencing will be taken into account." stated Bones.
"As this is a new experience for you, I will explain the most common paths justice may take. You may vote for a life sentence in Azkaban, with no chance of parole. You may, however, vote for the kiss to be administered. The choice is yours, Lady Potter. You may also abstain."
Eva was momentarily thrown, but quickly pulled herself together. Years ago, when presented with a similar choice, she had made the mistake of letting Pettigrew go. She was older, more experienced, less naive now. She would not make that mistake again.
"I vote for the kiss, Minister." spoke Eva decisively.
"My dear girl, surely you should abstain - the weight of such a decision on your shoulders is not one to be taken lightly." interjected Dumbledore, frowning.
"With all due respect, Chief Warlock, I have made my decision. This man is part of the reason why I will never remember my mother's voice, or my father's humour. I vote for the kiss."
"Very well. We will take the House of Potter's wishes into consideration. Session adjourned!"