The next morning Rebekah had woken up early again. It was becoming an annoying habit to wake up very early and have the urge to run. Instead of running, Rebekah mounted the Firebolt and did several laps around the house and the extensive back garden. The need for adrenaline was satisfied but Rebekah remained on the broom to work on her balance some more.
"Rebekah, come in! Breakfast is ready," Mrs Malfoy's voice was clear even if Rebekah was at the other end of the garden, the young Witch went back to the house in record time. "Can you wake Draco up when you go and get changed? We'll be going to Italy's Wizarding Mall, both you and Draco need formal attire this year and I don't trust this country's fashion styles for it."
"Sure," Rebekah dismounted the broom before wiping her hands clean on her trousers. "Any kind of dress code I need to know about?"
"Perhaps something slightly Muggle styled, we'll be staying on the Wizarding side so you can wear whatever you like. They're quite open about the Muggle Culture in Italy. I plan for us to go swimming while Lucius does some work with the Ministry there."
"I haven't been swimming in a while," Rebekah muttered as she lifted the broom with her left hand, shrinking it down to be a charm on her bracelet.
"Many Wizards and Witches find swimming to be relaxing," Mrs Malfoy said as she and Rebekah walked into the house via the glass doors. "It's something you can't do with Magic and so they find that there is a certain thrill."
"I'm just thinking of how many of them almost drowned because they tried to do something with Magic," Rebekah knew she shouldn't have found the thought so funny but she couldn't help it, it just was funny for her. Wizards weren't the brightness when it came to doing something without Magic. She didn't know if swimming counted in that but it was entertaining to think about the possibilities.
"You've also received a letter," Mrs Malfoy untucked the thick parchment from an inside pocket.
"I've put in a request for an actual trial for Sirius Black," Rebekah said as she opened it, already knowing what it was about. "I want my GodFather free."
Rebekah was thankful for the dress she wore. It was white and blue with a fitted torso and a slightly flared skirt that went down to her lower thigh. It flourished as the wind picked it up but it stayed nice and cool as Mrs Malfoy had charmed a cooling spell on her dress and her own burnt red coloured dress.
The air in Muggle Rome was around 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit), and it was a slightly dry heat that had warm wind. The three Malfoys and single Potter and Familiar pair arrived by Portkey in a Wizarding town in the north of Italy before Apparating to the manor that the Malfoys owned in Italy.
The Wizarding shopping plaza was under the Colosseum, the glass dome that was the ceiling allowed the Wizards and Witches to look up and see the beautiful architecture that was almost two millenniums old.
The shops were encased within little stone archways much like the ones on the outside of the Colosseum, matching the architecture to fit perfectly. Or realistically, the Colosseum was built to match the Wizarding area. The limestone floors showed no age as several hundred people walked around, going in and out stores with grace and ease.
Mr Malfoy opened the door for Mrs Malfoy, both smiling like it was a private joke between them. Draco rolled his eyes and quickly followed after Rebekah when she followed Mrs Malfoy in.
The shop was in pristine condition, beautifully carved into the limestone walls with a slight Muggle feel with the long but thin lights on the high ceiling and manikins lining the wall. In one corner was a small door that led to a room half fabric and dresses, and the other fabric and suits. It looked quite high end, even more so than Twilfitt and Tattings.
A woman rushed to the door, her arms wide to hug Mrs Malfoy and give her kisses on each cheek. "Narcissa," Her accent was barely there but Rebekah could tell that English was not her first language. "How have you been?"
"I've been good, Maria. You know my husband and son," Mrs Malfoy gestured to them, before fully turning to Rebekah. "This is one of Draco's best friends, Rebekah Potter. You know how the Yule Ball will be on, I need to get both of them dressed for it, and I don't trust the British fashion this year."
"Alright," Maria turned serious as she glanced between the two teens, both eyeing each other warily. "Who's first? Jacob, come on!"
Both teens were brought to the same room but with a screen that covered their bodies but left their heads. Both of them were forced to strip down to their undergarments, making Madam LeLon frown.
"Mundane clothing?"
Rebekah furrowed her eyebrows together.
"Muggle. We call non Magicals Mundanes here. Twirl for me, dear, I need to get to know your shape," Madam LeLon asked, swirling her pointer finger in the air to gesture for her to turn. Rebekah did as she was asked, slowly turning with a slight flush as LeLon said, "Slight hourglass, mostly pear. Brilliant posture. You'll have a figure to die for when you're older, dear. But these Mundane undergarments need to go."
Madam LeLon turned to her assistant, a girl who was a few years older than Rebekah with gorgeous curls that would have reached her waist if straight. She scurried away with a smile and came back with three small boxes. Madam LeLon took all three and laid them on a table to the side. A silencing charm was done for the moment.
"These are stockings, this a garter belt or suspenders. I suggest you put these on instead of tights, they are so much more comfortable than tights or pantyhose. They will flatter your figure much better and will hide muffin tops and stomachs in tight skirts. Your present underwear will do, as will the bra."
"Good, I like wearing stretchy skirts more than I do the loose ones," Rebekah said, going to the chair and sitting down as she pulled the stocking up her legs before they stopped at her upper thigh, connecting them to the suspender belt that hung low on her hips. She found them surprisingly comfortable and she felt good wearing them, liking them, even more, when she saw herself in the mirror.
"Now, onto the dress!" Madam LeLon clapped as several dozen different fabric swatches came out of the fabric room.
By the end of two hours, Draco has been fitted by Jacob LeLon, Maria's husband, for Wizarding robes and suit. It was a simple Muggle style three-piece suit. With another half hour, Rebekah was also finished. Her dress was beautiful and fitted crisply to her, showing off whatever she wanted.
While Mrs Malfoy informed both of them that the TriWizard Tournament was going to happen that Yule and this was the reason for them getting formal attire, Mr Malfoy had left to head towards the bank on the other side of the plaza, something along the lines of needing to get something shipped back to England. Emperor gave up walking eventually, going tiny and laying on Rebekah's shoulders as she walked for him.
The indoor pool was made of charmed limestone that held many little huts on one side, with an inground pool that was absolutely huge. Rebekah had never seen anything so big. It spanned the length of the whole enclosure, and the sign to the side said it was almost ten metres deep in some areas such as the diving area.
Rebekah and Mrs Malfoy both tied sheer scarves around their waists to cover their swimming bottoms. Mrs Malfoy had said that it was to do with Wizarding modesty, it was slightly stricter than Muggle modesty. Both Witches pulled their hair up to keep it detangled.
As soon as Rebekah saw the pool, she undid the scarf and threw it so it landed on the sunbathing seat. She sprinted until she was at the edge of the deep pool, diving in without a worry. The plunge was cool but not wholly unpleasant.
Rebekah floated without a fuss. Her swimsuit was brand new. Her black bikini bottoms covered most of her hips and bum and came up to her waist, the top was a flounce style and also completely black. The style made the extra fabric float slightly in the water which Rebekah found amusing. She just watched the enchanted sky that reminded her of Hogwarts.
"Draco, get in here!" Rebekah yelled after she swam up to the area that was only a metre deep.
Draco hesitated. "I don't know…"
"What? Why?" Rebekah was all smiley but it slightly dropped. "You don't know how to swim!"
"No! I know how to swim," Draco took a few steps until he was a foot into the water. "Just not very well."
Rebekah hooked her arm into his, bringing him deeper into the water. "I'll teach you. It's more about practising it. There's a basic way to swim but you need to find your style."
"Like flying?" He asked, wary as Rebekah pulled him in and turned cautious as the floor fell a metre again.
"Kinda," She called over her shoulder, beginning to swim to the middle of the four-metre deep area. "Instead of your abdomen and shoulders being your main focus, it's your hips and bum. Those keep you afloat and if they float, so does the rest of the body."
Rebekah spent the hour making sure that Draco kept his head over the water level. They both chased each other around in the water, almost drowning one another as soon as Draco was strong enough a swimmer to play around in the deep end.
After a while, Mr Malfoy came back and simply sat with Mrs Malfoy as she laid in the conjured sunlight. They spent two days in Italy before travelling back to Britain before Rebekah had to go to the trial.
To save Sirius, Rebekah had to register herself and Sirius as Animagi before the trial would begin. She would be forced to give memories that would reveal herself as an Animagus as well as Sirius. Severus Snape was already registered so Rebekah didn't have to worry about him.
On Wednesday at nine o'clock sharp, Rebekah was escorted to the Ministry. She had already sent in the necessary documents for her to be registered as an Animagus. She knew that this would be important for Sirius Black's trial today.
She gave her wand over to be registered for the moment, the man dropped it into a brass bowl before a slip of parchment came out of the bottom. The man took the parchment, reading it before his eyes began to flicker to her and back to the slip of paper.
"Eleven point four inches, Phoenix-feather core, been in use for three years, is that correct?"
"Yes," Rebekah said, almost sneering at the Wizard as his eyes darted to the top of her exposed scar. Her top was off the shoulder and so most of the scar was on show.
Mr Malfoy stepped forward with a snarl. "Thank you, Eric. Don't stare or you'll find yourself at the end of a harassment case."
Within the hour, Rebekah and Sirius Black were both sitting before the Wizengamot. Men and women dressed in purple robes were cold but curious as they watched Sirius stand tall, unlike the mad man they had seen before. He wore a dark suit with his hair combed well and an indifferent expression as Fudge spoke.
"Trial of Lord Sirius Orion Black by the request of Miss Rebekah Lilianeth Potter. Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley." He turned to Rebekah who sat up straighter in her seat. "Due to your age, Miss Potter, you have to have an adult to represent you and to make sure that you are doing things justly. Is Lord Malfoy acceptable?"
"He is acceptable, thank you," Rebekah said clearly.
"Mr Black, do you accept Miss Potter and Lord Malfoy as witness and representative?"
"I do," Sirius said, lowering his shoulders in confidence.
"We may begin then," Fudge cleared his throat. "The charges against the accused are as follows: That you were in league with the Dark Lord on the eve of Halloween in the year of nineteen eighty-one, resulting in the death of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans. That you killed Peter Pettigrew on the same night as he tried to escape your wrath, and that you killed twelve Muggles in a blast. That you escaped from Azkaban. That you trespassed onto Hogwarts and threatened students. That you also escaped from Ministry custody after you were caught. What do you plead?"
"Not Guilty, besides for the escaping and trespassing. I admit that I did do those, under the pretences of keeping my GodDaughter safe."
"Noted," Percy chirped when Fudge turned to him.
"Alright. We have been given memories by Severus Tobias Snape that have confirmed what happened last year. However, we would like to see Miss Potter's version and your own to solidify the claims,"
They both gave memories and it was replayed in front of the whole Wizengamot. Stunned Snape, grovelling Wormtail, relieved Lupin, enraged Sirius, sour Hermione, and injured Ron. Rebekah had missed the bit where she threatened Hermione, she didn't need the people here to see her as a bad person. They accepted each memory from both points of view.
"You're both Animagi!?" Fudge asked, almost gobsmacked by the revelation.
One of the Witches, Amelia Bones stood up abruptly and called out with a piece of paper in her hand, "Both have been confirmed as Registered as of the start of the trial, so no repercussions are to occur."
Fudge nodded mutely. "Since Peter Pettigrew has been confirmed as alive by three sources, and in each he confessed to changing sides, the charges of killing Peter Pettigrew are hereby dropped. Along with the charge of killing twelve Muggles, and the siding with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Voldemort," Rebekah mumbled under her breath as quietly as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mr Malfoy flinch but gave it no notice. She already knew that he had been a Death Eater in his prime.
"You will be fined for the trespassing because you have already spent twelve years in Azkaban," Madam Bones said. "How did you escape?"
"Dementors have a lesser effect when in animal form, so I stayed in my Animagus form whenever possible to keep my sanity intact. But when I saw Pettigrew in the Daily Prophet with the Weasley family, I knew he would be in Hogwarts where my GodDaughter was. I shifted, and since I was already skinny due to the quality of food in Azkaban, I was able to slip through the food slit and I swam to Scotland."
They were all shocked. They didn't think this would have been possible since very few people would be able to gain the status of Animagus.
In total, there were only seven registered Animagi now, and there stood two before them.
You won't believe how long it took me to write this chapter! i already had the following 54 to 58 chaoters written but this one was difficult to mix together. The whole shopping and swimming scenes took longer than the Trial one.