I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. A new chapter already? I am spoiling you guys. Well, I thought it would only be fair, to post this chapter, the day after the previous one went up, as this was originally part of the previous chapter, but I decided to make its own thing. This chapter will see the trial of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew and nothing else. This whole chapter is set in the Ministry Courtroom chambers. Will everything go well? Well, the only thing you can do is read and enjoy. I will see you at the end.
Chapter 39
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
Harry sat in one of the stands, inside the Courtroom he had witnessed the Dursleys imprisonment. Being back here again gave him a weird feeling inside, though he couldn't explain what. The trial for Sirius and Pettigrew was set up rather quickly. It was Sunday after noon and he was sat with James and Lupin, as they too were witnesses to the event. Harry couldn't help but feel just a little bit guilty. He held a wand to Sirius, his Godfather, with the full intention of killing him, to then find out he may be innocent. It's a good thing Lupin stopped him when he did. Harry snapped out of his thoughts, when he saw Susan sit next to him.
"Hey Harry" She said
"Hey Susan" Harry replied "What are you doing here?"
"Auntie brought me" Susan smiled "She informed me about what happened and I immediatley asked to be here, to give you support"
"Thanks Susan" Harry said, smiling back at her "I appreciate that"
"How are you feeling about everything?" She asked
"I…I don't know" Harry replied "Guilty at least…I wanted to kill Sirius…but he is apparently innocent…I just haven't figured out what to make of everything just yet"
"Well just remember, me and the others are here for you" Susan smiled, placing a gentle hand on his for a second.
Harry smiled, though he kept his gaze on her, when she turned her gaze and attention to the rest of the Courtroom. He sat there, his eyes taking in every detail of her face. He wasn't sure what it was but, there seemed to be something different about her. Maybe it was the copper red of her hair, done up in a loose ponytail? Or maybe it was the small touch of makeup she put on today? He didn't know. Whatever it was, it made him feel something it couldn't explain. The loud banging of gavel, made Harry jump, as he was brought, once more, out of his thoughts.
"I'd like to thank you all for being here this afternoon" Fudge spoke "I would like to take a moment to explain that this case…isn't something that has happened in this courtroom before, to my knowledge…today, we are here to uncover the truth and see if the wrong man had been imprisoned for the last 12 years…bring in the prisoners, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew!"
Gasps and murmurs rung across the Courtroom, as the door opened, where Sirius and Pettigrew were brought in, restrained. It seemed they had been given the opportunity to freshen up. Sirius especially. Though he didn't look great, he at least looked better then he had in the Hogwarts classroom. His hair looked cleaner, his face was washed and he was dressed in fresh clothes. The room was silent, as the two were placed into chairs in the center of the Court, where chains magically wrapped around them, to stop any potential escapes. What was interesting to the Court, was that Pettigrew seemed to be a quivering mess, whereas Sirius looked calm and confident.
"As all of you may know, Sirius was placed in Azkaban, as he betrayed the Potters and killed Pettigrew" Fudge spoke "Yet, Pettigrew sits before us, alive…this had raised questions on just what happened when the Potters were killed…Aurors, have you checked for anything that may prevent the effects of Veritaserum?"
"Yes" One of the Aurors nodded "We checked all possibilities and found nothing"
"Good, administer the Veritaserum" Fudge said "Start with Sirius, three drops should do it"
Sirius put up no fight and willingly opened his mouth, allowing the three drops to be poured. Within seconds, he went slump, his eyes glazing over. Before anything else happened, the Aurors also placed a silencing charm, on Pettigrew.
"What is your name?" Fudge asked
"Sirius Orion Black" Sirius replied in a monotone voice
"When were you born?"
"November 3rd 1959"
"Did you attend Hogwarts in 1971?"
"Yes"
Happy that he was under the effects, Fudge began the questioning.
"Were you the Secret Keeper for the Potters in 1981?" He asked
"No" Sirius replied "James and Lily wanted me to be the Secret Keeper but I refused, as I believed I would be the obvious choice, so they made Peter the Secret Keeper, whilst I was a decoy"
"In that case, did you betray the Potters to You-Know-Who?"
"No, I would never do that! They were like family to me…I went to their house, to find it destroyed, figuring out what must of happened, I went into a rage, I gave Harry to Hagrid, informing him I'll return for him later and went out to look for Peter, when I found him, he began yelling at me, asking me why I did what I did…before I could do anything, he fired a blasting curse, killing some Muggles and knocking me unconscious, though before I blacked out, I saw him cut of his finger, before turning into a rat before he disappeared"
"Ah, yes, we were told you were Animagi" Fudge said "Is this true?"
"Yes, me, James and Peter became Animagi in our fifth year" Sirius replied "I was a dog, James a stag and Peter a rat…we remained unregistered, as we believed they will prove useful for the war, though me and James planned to register after the war was over, as Lily wanted us to set a good example for Harry"
"I think we have heard all we needed to from Sirius" Fudge spoke "Stun him, and give Pettigrew the Veritaserum…we are going to need both sides of the story, before we do anything else"
Unlike Sirius, Pettigrew put up more of a struggle, when they tried to give him the Veritaserum, which didn't give the Court any good impressions. Pettigrew tried to fight the serum, but his attempts were unsuccessful and his eyes glazed over.
"What is your name?" Fudge asked
"Peter Theodore Pettigrew" Pettigrew replied
"When were you born?"
"9th September 1959"
"Did you attend Hogwarts in 1971?"
"Yes"
"Were you Secret Keeper to the Potters in 1981?"
"Yes" Pettigrew replied "I agreed, after Sirius gave them the idea, to have him as a decoy…I was reluctant at first, but the plan worked"
"Did you betray the Potters to You-Know-Who?"
"Yes"
Though everyone had their suspicions, hearing Pettigrew say the words out loud, caused yells of outrage, with many calling for his death. The Potters were loved by many of those currently sat in the stands of the Courtroom. It took several minutes for Cornelius to get everyone to calm down and be quiet, though he was barely controlling his own rage, as he continued the questioning.
"Why did you betray them?"
"Because the light was losing the war" Pettigrew replied "Because Dumbledore informed that we should only use stunners, we were losing more people, because the Death Eaters were using more lethal methods…I just wanted to survive…I saw an opportunity and took it…I may regret what I did, but I proudly wear the Dark Mark on my arm"
"Are you rat Animagus?" Fudge asked, seething internally, as he asked the last few questions
"Yes"
"Did you plan to register like Sirius Black and James Potter?"
"No" Pettigrew replied "I believed that Voldemort would win the war, taking over Magical Britain and the Ministry, meaning I wouldn't need to register, so I didn't bother doing so"
"I have heard enough" Fudge growled "Aurors, stun him, we will take a fifteen minute break, for the final verdict and punishment, starting now"
Harry's eyes burned with rage, as he gripped the edge of the stand tightly, his knuckles going white.
"You okay Harry?" James asked, as Susan placed a hand on his shoulder
"I…I don't know" Harry growled "I…he…He only…."
"Okay, take a deep breath" James said, soothingly "Calm down and lets step outside for a few minutes, then you can vent out there"
Harry gave James a small glare, but did as he said, where he, James and Susan left the Courtroom and stood in the corridor, where Harry took a few more deep breaths.
"Feeling better?" James asked
"A bit, thanks" Harry replied
"Want to talk about what your feeling?"
"I'm just angry" Harry sighed, leaning against the wall "Pettigrew betrayed my parents, just because he wanted to survive, he was only thinking about himself! I hope he is given a death penalty!"
"I agree with you on that, he took a cowards way out" James nodded "Though he was right about the light practically losing the war…another reason Dumbledore gives me a headache…though I doubt Pettigrew will be put down like the rat he is, he wouldn't last that long in Azkaban anyway"
…
After a few more minutes, they went back inside the Courtroom and took their seats once more. Shortly after, Cornelius asked for Sirius and Pettigrew to be woken up, where they did so, with the two prisoners shaking their heads, to remove the cobwebs, when they came round.
"Peter Pettigrew" Fudges voice rang out "You have been found guilty, for being a marked Death Eater, betraying the Potters, framing Sirius, and killing several muggles…death is too kind for you, so you will face life in Azkaban, and don't worry, we will make sure the cell is warded to prevent you from turning into your rat form…Aurors take him away"
Pettigrew did not go quietly. He kicked and screamed, hoping to break free, as he was dragged away, his voice fading down the corridor.
"Sirius Black" Fudge continued "You have been found innocent of those you had previously been imprisoned for, though we ask you register your Animagus form within twenty four hours, or risk a fine…in compensation for your false imprisonment, the Ministry will transfer 120,000 galleons, 10000 for every year you were imprisoned, as well as tickets to the upcoming Quidditch World Cup, The Ministry apologises for everything you had to endure…Aurors release him"
Sirius had to resist the urge to dance and cheer, as the chains around him were removed, he was a free man once more. Harry got up from his seat and made his way down, where he stopped in front of the man who was his godfather. Seeing him now, knowing he is innocent, made Harry look at him differently. The two stood, staring at each for a moment longer, until Harry hugged the man, who happily hugged him back, tears running down his cheeks. Harry believed he heard a camera flash, but right now, he didn't care.
"I'm sorry" Harry whispered "I almost killed you…I…"
"It's alright Harry" Sirius replied "I understand…we have a lot of work to do, and time to make up for but I believe we can be family again"
"I'd like that" Harry smiled
The two remained that way, until the others made their way down.
"I'd be careful Harry" Lupin said "I doubt Azkaban removed the prankster within him"
"Remus!" Sirius exclaimed "Come here!"
The two hugged each other, like they were long lost brothers reunited, which in a way, they were. After a few more moments, Fudge made his way over.
"Sirius Black, once more I would like to sincerely apologise for what you went through" He said
"There is no bad blood between us Cornelius" Sirius smiled "You weren't one of those who threw me Azkaban"
"Well, I am glad about that at least" Fudge sighed "Is there anything you require?"
"Yes, for custody of Harry to be handed to me" Sirius replied
"Sirius, you can't" Lupin spoke
"Why not?" Sirius demanded "I am his godfather!"
"Sirius, you have spent twelve years in Azkaban" Lupin replied "Something like that may have had some effect on you, mentally"
"Hmm, you're right, it is a possibility" Fudge spoke "Sirius, I request that you see a Mind Healer to check you over, after that, we can talk about custody of Harry"
"Fine, I guess I can wait a while longer" Sirius sighed
"You three should start heading back to Hogwarts" Fudge said, turning to the children "I don't want to keep you here longer than necessary"
Harry wanted to stay, just to find out more about Sirius, though he agreed. He gave his godfather one last hug, before leaving. Things seemed to be going up for him once more. So why did he feel like something was going to happen?
…
There we have it. Sirius is free. Something I think a lot of people have been waiting for. Again, you are probably wondering what's going to happen regarding Voldemort seeing as Pettigrew is locked up. I could tell you...but I won't. Sorry not sorry. Though you could say this chapter wrapped up the Prisoner of Azkaban story, I will say that the next chapter will be the official end of PoA. Then the good stuff starts. I can't wait. I am so excited.
I won't go on for much longer, for I am exhausted and want to sleep. I will say this though. I am glad that people still seem to be enjoying this story. Thank you for all the support you are giving it. I never expected it to go this well. That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you in the next one.
Badger out.
