Hogwarts
Classes on Thursday had been easy for Harry at least with knowing what to expect of the teachers now. Professor Sprout, as was her way, gave them a plant to study and then left them to study its characteristics and make notes on it. They crowded in groups around the plants. This time Harry chose another group. He joined Wayne Hopkins, Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch Fletchley who was a muggle-born and had been selected for Eaton before he got his Hogwarts letter. Since the plant they were supposed to be studying was an ordinary one, there was a lot of small talk during which Ernie managed to invite Harry into a meeting of his circle of friends in the evenings in the library. Harry of course looked for any such invitation and gladly accepted. Wayne Hopkins was a half-blood and a joyous person who liked to crack jokes even if at his own expense. The Herbology class went easy and soon it was time to wrap up their work and go to their next classes. To avoid cleaning and changing into fresh clothes again and again, Harry had looked for and perfected two cleaning spells- Scourgify and Tergio and they swept all dirt off him in a trice.
The next period was Transfiguration which was with the Claws and Professor McGonagall was teaching them to change a matchstick into a needle.
"Today, you will learn how to transfigure a match-stick into a needle. Your task is to change the match-sticks in front of you into needles.". She whipped her wand out and with a flourish of her wand, changed a match-stick into a needle which elicited praise from the students. She started speaking again, "To do this, perform the incantation and imagine the match-stick changing into a needle. Now begin".
Everyone around him was muttering incantations under their breath before they cast. Harry flicked his wand lazily and the matchstick turned into a needle. He turned around to find others were just starting to cast and he sat back watching them. Hermione got her transformation correct on her first try having already practiced the wand-movements before she tried it. Remus had taught him tricks people employed to do things and this was one of them where you memorized everything required for a task before actually performing it. That way it was easy for them to do it and did not require as much time. Ronald was jabbing his wand at the matchstick in frustration trying to get it to transform but it was not happening. Harry noted that he was getting the incantation wrong and his wand movement was slightly off. Neville had done it in two tries and was sitting watching the others. Others were in similar stages of casting.
For this class, he had taken a seat with Padma Patil and Isobel McDougall. They had been successful in making the transformation happen in a couple of tries and were watching others. He turned to say something to Padma but was interrupted by Professor McGonagall, "Mr. Potter-Black, why are you not doing the assignment?"
"I have already finished it, Professor".
She raised an eye-brow at him, "Then maybe you should show me?"
She produced another match-stick for him and Harry casually flicked his wand. She picked up the needle and scrutinized it critically.
"Mr. Potter-Black, this is a very fine piece of Transfiguration. The needle is absolutely steel. Nothing of the wooden texture of the matchstick remains. The work on it is very detailed. With the point being very sharp and I'm sure I could thread the eye. Five points to Gryffindor for such an amazing transfiguration".
As she moved away to talk with others, he turned to Padma again, "Hey, were you not sorted into Gryffindor? Why are you wearing Ravenclaw colors?"
She looked at him incredulously, "Do you honestly not know that I have a twin who was sorted into Gryffindor and lives in the same tower as you do?"
Harry grinned, "Of course I do but there was no other way for me to talk to any of you. You guys do not even deign to speak unless it is very important".
Isobel who was sitting on the other side of Padma said, "And does it befit a gentleman to approach a lady resorting to trickery and without any introduction?"
He tried to assume a haughty expression, "I would not say that the thought did not cross my mind but then I thought of course everybody knows me so I would not need to introduce myself".
The girls chuckled at his posturing and Padma said, "Nice try but you still should have introduced yourself".
Isobel said, "Anyway, I am Isobel McDougall and this is Padma Patil and you of course told us who you are. You may address us by our names".
Just then Professor McGonagall turned up at their table and poured a handful of matchsticks before him. "I can see you have the propensity of your father to cause trouble in class but not here, not in this class. For the rest of this period, keep at transforming these into needles".
Harry pouted while the other girls chuckled. The rest of the period was spent with Harry transfiguring matchsticks into needles and having a word with the girls in between when he was certain that Professor McGonagall was not watching.
As the class ended, Professor McGonagall dismissed them with homework to write two feet of parchment on the assignment for this lesson.
While they were walking to the next class, he was accosted by Hermione. "Harry how did you do that so quickly? I mean I had practiced the wand movement, perfected the incantation but I saw you doing none of that".
Harry took a deep breath before answering her. "Miss Granger, I did not do it the way you do. Everyone has different ways about doing something and I have mine. It is as simple as that".
She asked him again, "Why do you call me Miss Granger? You can call me by my name".
Harry replied, "Miss Granger, I have had some exposure to the Muggle World but my upbringing does not permit me to address you by your given name unless you give me the leave to do so".
She thought over his words for a while frowning and visibly trying to find the logic in his statement before she said, "I do not know what manners you are talking about but you may call me Hermione".
They arrived for Charms and the professor waited for the class to gather before he started speaking.
"All of you have perfected "lumos" and "nox" by now so today we will start a different charm. We are going to learn "incendio" which is a fire making spell. This spell is widely used in a number of things. Even in Herbology, where you do not use many spells, Incendio is taught as a mandatory requirement because there are times when plants have to be destroyed when they attack people and cannot be stopped any other way.
He gave them the incantation and the wand movement and let them practice. Harry dutifully started to cast the charm. Once or twice, Flitwick had to tell him to control his spells. This was new to Harry because he had not heard about it.
"Professor, would you explain to me about controlling my spells?"
The charms Professor contemplated things for a few moments before he started explaining, "Mr. Potter-Black, there are some things which I cannot explain in a class however if you would come to my office this evening at 7:00, I would be happy to help you".
The charms period went quickly with learning the charm. When the class was over, he dismissed them with homework to write an essay about incendio and its uses to be submitted next week.
For lunch this time, he chose the Ravenclaw table. It was a new strategy he had thought to adopt just after the transfiguration class. The rules in 'Hogwarts: A History' said that the students were to sit at their house tables during the start of the year feast and end of the year feast but nothing was said about other times and therefore the students could sit at other tables.
He slipped into a seat beside Terry Boot, extending a hand to him, "Hi, I am Hadrian Potter-Black".
Terry was surprised but covered it up and said to him warmly, "I am Terry Boot".
Terry introduced him to other students in Ravenclaw in their year. Of those, he noticed Su Li who never said anything but kind of existed in the background, Mandy Brocklehurst who was a shy girl but fun to be around when she opened up to others, Lisa Turpin who was very frank and warm to others, Anthony Goldstein who was a very reserved person usually, Stephen Cornfoot who was the son of Squibs on both sides of the family and liked to experiment with magic, Michael Corner who he found was jovial and liked pranks and Oliver Rivers who just grunted a greeting to him before turning to food.
Lisa Turpin asked him, "What brings you here, Potter-Black?"
Harry gave her his lop-sided grin. "Please call me Harry, Miss Turpin. I wish people to count me as their friend As such, there is no reason to stand on formalities among us. As to what brings me here, I am trying to make friends in all houses. Who knows who I might need to do some pranks in the castle?"
Michael laughed, "I knew I like this guy. Tell you what, Harry if you want some help for a prank, you are always welcome to ask. If I cannot help, I am sure Lisa would extend a helping hand".
Lisa concurred. "I would love to do something like that. As it is, things are very boring in the Eagle's nest and please call me Lisa".
Harry smiled, "I believe we can look forward to many adventures together, Lisa".
After lunch, the most anticipated moment of the day had arrived- The flying lessons. Harry had heard boasts from many of his friends about their flying prowess and things they did on a broom and was bored. When someone asked him, he told them that Lord Black did not allow him a broom saying he deserved to ride a hippogriff or a thestral or one of those flying horses. Harry really had lessons in flying for a year after Lord Black had taken him out of Muggle primary. He told them that Lord Black thought brooms were for the immature. Of course it was a lie that he could not fly a broom and no one except Neville knew it but all the same it saved him from a lot of haranguing from others about his experiences. He had heard enough from others as it was. Even Malfoy had been heard boasting about flying on his broom and escaping Muggles in Helicopters as if he could escape from getting prosecuted for violating the Statute of Secrecy. Ronald too had boasted about flying in his family orchard on his brother's brooms.
As the lesson came near and near, Hermione was reciting facts from Quidditch through the Ages and giving tips about flying to those who would listen. Harry realized that it was her way to calm her nerves because she was freaked out about flying.
Neville had been on a broom several times but he still had problems getting a broom to obey his will. They had tried flying on the grounds of the Black Castle and after a couple of accidents he had finally learned to fly but had not perfected his mounting technique.
During lunch, Neville's owl landed before him bringing him a small parcel from his grandmother. There was a glass ball in it and a packet of candies for Harry from his Gran Augusta (she insisted that he called her Gran whenever he had visited Longbottom Manor).
Neville showed him the glass-ball with a poker face expression.
Harry had to suppress a laugh. "I never thought that she would actually send you a remembrall, mate. I never realized that she was taking those things seriously. You do not have a problem remembering things anymore, do you?"
Neville had a habit of misplacing things or tended to be lazy at times in remembering instructions Augusta had given him. He also would forget things but that was cured when he had learned Occlumency from his Great Uncle Algie. Augusta used to threaten to send him a Remembrall for all the troubles that Neville gave her. Now she had actually sent one.
Neville shook his head, "I do not forget things anymore, Harry. She is just taking the mickey out of me".
Since they were supposed to be going down to flying lessons, they grouped together and went down to the Quidditch pitch where the Slytherins had already arrived. They all stood together when Madam Hooch came walking down the pitch and said good afternoon to the gathered students which they returned enthusiastically.
She surveyed the students for a few moments, taking stock of them before she started her lesson. She pulled two shrunken sacks out of her robes and enlarging them, she pulled out brooms which looked like they were new. She lined them up in two lines facing each other.
"Welcome to flying class. Here I will teach you all to fly properly on a broom. Now each one of you will stand beside a broom, hover your right hand over it and firmly say up. I do not expect any student to have trouble with calling their brooms to them because these brooms are new and the charms worked into them should work well".
Everyone said the incantation at the same time and the brooms responded differently to each one. Harry's broom zoomed to his hand with a resounding smack as he closed his hand around the handle. Neville's just squirmed on the ground. Hermione's refused to move. Ronald did not anticipate his broom responding so quickly and it smacked him in the face. Malfoy was also hit in the shoulder but by the looks of it, it was not very painful for him.
After every one had their broom in their hand, Hooch gave the next instructions. "Now thump the ground hard with your foot and take off. Start slowly and increase acceleration steadily. Too quickly and you will lose control".
Harry had not realized how jumpy Neville had been. Before Madam Hooch could ask them to start ascending, he was already leaving the ground. Madam Hooch tried to stop him, . She called him back and he slowed down but forgot a part of the flying lessons about leaning forward to turn his broom downwards. As a result, he fell and crumpled to the ground. While he had not fallen from too great a height, with the way he was wincing Harry was sure that he had broken a bone or two. Madam Hooch cast a few spells at his hand and realized that he had broken his wrist. As she started toward the infirmary with him, she warned the students to stay on the ground until she returned or the one to do that would be expelled.
Harry was concerned for his friend but heard some snickering and turned to find Malfoy picking up a glass ball from the ground and showing it to his friends. He realized it was Neville's Remembrall which must have fallen from his pocket. Malfoy was saying to his friends, "Did you see his face? If he had this in his pocket he would have remembered to lean forward to come down".
Harry shouted at him, You will return that Malfoy if you know what is good for you".
Draco sneered, "No, I think I will put it somewhere he can't find it".
Malfoy took to the skies taunting him, "What's wrong Potter? Too high for you?"
Harry knew he should not fly after him but the blood was pounding in his ears and he wanted to teach Malfoy a lesson. He kicked off hard and flew after Malfoy determined to show up the blond ponce. Malfoy's facial expressions were worth watching. It looked like he had not expected Harry to come after him and without his lackeys to back him up, he was looking for a way to escape. Harry could tell that he was not comfortable facing him alone.
He gave an evil smirk to him, "What's wrong, Malfoy? Not so brave without your lackeys here to back you up? Give me the Remembrall back and I might spare you".
Malfoy threw the Remembrall away with all his might and it soared into the air. Without a thought, Harry raced after it, planning to snatch it out of the air. He willed his broom to go at top speed and it flew making him revel in the exhilaration of the air whipping through his hair and whooped at the top of his voice. The Remembrall was freely falling towards the ground and he dived after it trying to grab it before he injured himself. A few feet above the ground, he finally caught it in his hand and pulled out of the dive before he plowed into the ground. He managed to level off with less than a foot to spare, narrowly avoiding serious injury or death and flew back to join the other students. He dismounted and was mobbed by his friends who were thumping him on the back, shaking his hand while Malfoy was getting green with envy.
"HARRY POTTER!", Professor McGonagall's voice cut through the air and he found her coming towards them at a dead run, clutching her chest. She said between gasps, "never... in all my years... No first year... "
After she was able to control her breathing, she pursed her lips in a thin line and said, "Follow me".
Ron said, "But Professor, Malfoy provoked him".
"Be quiet, Mr. Weasley. I am sure that he can speak for himself if he wish to".
Parvati put her two knuts in, "Professor, he was just retrieving Neville's Remembrall".
McGonagall glared at her making her stop. She pointed at Harry to follow her through the castle up and down through the corridors. Harry knew that the rules were pretty tough and if the authorities were bent on it, they could expel him. But having heard of the mischief students had been up to in the previous years, he knew he would get off very easily. She led him to the Charms classroom where she peeped in and said to the tiny charms master, "Professor Flitwick, can I borrow Wood for a minute?"
Wood? Was she going to punish him? Harry thought of all the scenarios that could have happened and none of them were to his liking however Wood turned out to be a burly fifth year boy who looked as surprised as Harry felt. She pointed at Wood to follow her and led them to a deserted classroom. Peeves was in the classroom writing rude words on the blackboard and she barked at him, "Out, Peeves".
He blew a raspberry at her before tossing the chalk to the desk and floated through the wall. After making sure that they were alone, Professor McGonagall turned to Wood, "Wood, here is your new seeker".
Harry arched an eye-brow at her as Wood asked, "Are you serious, Professor?"
She turned to Harry, "Potter-Black, meet Oliver Wood. Wood is captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team". She turned to Wood, "He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty foot dive and did not even sustain a scratch over it. Not even legendary Charlie Weasley could have done that".
Harry of course knew about Charlie Weasley by reputation. He was touted to be so good that people thought he could have gone on to play for England if he did not go chasing Dragons in Romania.
Professor McGonagall was asking, "Was that your first time on a broom, Potter-Black?"
Harry knew there was no reason to lie anymore nor there was the need to. He gave her his best lop-sided grin, "I have ridden a broom stick ever since I could walk though I would confess that it was not a racing broom".
Wood was delighted hearing that and was bouncing on the balls of his feet, examining Harry and muttering, "Short and sleek. Just the thing a seeker needs. We will have to get him a racing broom Professor and I do not need to remind you that a first year cannot be on the team. Merlin knows we need someone good on our team".
She sighed, "Yes, I will talk to Professor Dumbledore and see if something can be done about it. We need to win the cup this time. Heaven knows we need a better team this year. Flattened in that last match with Slytherin and I was not able to face Professor Snape for weeks".
Wood turned to Harry, "Come see me this evening after dinner, Potter-Black. We will need to see what you can do".
Harry knew he had an engagement with Professor Flitwick to keep and said the same to Wood who looked like he wanted to say something but then acquiesced, "Then we will meet tomorrow evening. Keep it between us until I have had the chance to test you".
Harry nodded. That was perfect for him not having to tout his feats before the school.
As Harry returned to the Common Room, Neville accosted him, "What happened? What did Professor McGonagall say?"
He winked at him without others noticing and said rather loudly for benefit of others, "She warned me not to indulge in any more rule-breaking or she would have to take points off me or detention".
Some others protested that this was not fair but Harry could not care less. He dragged Neville to the library knowing Daphne would be there waiting to hear about his story. They found her at a table in the back sitting by herself already reading for the homework this week. He placed the contraption on the table and activated it with a tap of his wand. After he was sure that the wards were up, Daphne turned to him, "So what happened? Did you fall from grace even before you achieved it?"
Harry grinned, "Hardly. She took me to the Gryffindor Quidditch captain who wants me on the team as Seeker. Professor McGonagall is going to speak to Professor Dumbledore about making an exception to the rules so that I can be on the team".
Daphne mock scowled, "All the preferential treatment to the great Hadrian Potter-Black of course. What else did she promise you? Separate living quarters, perhaps?"
Harry grinned, "Hardly. Now you tell me what is happening in the Serpent's Pit?"
She eyed him assessing him. "The serpents do not mingle much with anyone except their friends. The senior years only bow to those who are beyond reproach to them or are on higher social standing than them. I spoke with a few of them while a couple of them are warming up to Malfoy, though I do believe that is not because of him but rather his father's reputation".
The rest of the lesson was spent with studying for the homework assignments. As it neared 7:00, he took his leave of the two to go to Flitwick.
Professor Flitwick welcomed him joyously, "Welcome Mr. Potter-Black. Please take a seat".
Harry took a seat and made himself comfortable. The charms professor eyed him for few seconds before he started speaking, "Mr. Potter-Black, every wizard when he turns 11 has to go through assessment of his magical core and the amount of power he has. The wizarding power index measures their power and ranks them according to their power. A muggle would be measured 0 while anyone with power below 20 is a squib. From 20 to 70 is a wizard who cannot perform the more complicated spells or perform those which require more power. Above 70 to 150 is what we would consider ordinary wizards. Above 150 to 220 is a sorcerer; above 220 to 350 is Grand Sorcerer, above 350 to 500 is a warlock, above 500 to 750 is a mage. Above 750 to 1,000 lies the Grand Mage. Anything above 1000 is an arche-mage. You, like others were measured for your power when you turned 11. You measured at 60 already meaning you are nearly as powerfull as an adult average wizard. By the time you finish maturing, your power will be well beyond the level for an average witch or wizard".
Harry's curiosity was piqued, "What does that mean, Professor?"
"That means you will be a Grand Sorcerer by the time that your magical core reaches maturity. About the same power range as Albus Dumbledore and you-know-who, two of the most powerful wizards of modern times. When a normal wizard uses 'incendio' it produces a jet of fire but if someone as powerful as you uses 'incendio' with all your power, it is like an inferno, bright and fiery. Since using magic taxes our core, putting too much power in your spells would cause you to magically exhaust yourself quickly".
"And how do I control it, Professor?"
"Do you know of Occlumency, Mr. Potter-Black?"
"Yes sir. Lord Black was most insistent that I learn occlumency once I turned 8 because it is a useful skill to have".
The charms professor smiled, "Good. For Occlumency, you need to clear your mind and control your emotions. Likewise, you need to concentrate on what you want your spell to do when you are casting it. For example, you imagine fire coming out as a jet of fire rather than a raging inferno and your magic will do your bidding. For now, you need to control the power in your spells by doing the Occlumency exercises and concentrating on controlling your emotions and how much power you want to use in your spells".
The next day
Harry arrived at the breakfast table in anticipation of the day. Today they had only one class- double Potions with the Slytherins. He had been waiting to see Snape for himself and see what kind of man he was. He knew that his father had a long standing history with the hook-nosed teacher and the potions master had never let go of the grudges between them. It seemed to only get worse when Lily stopped speaking to him after he called her an interfering mud-blood.
As they were taking their breakfast, Hedwig landed before him with a letter in her talons. He knew of no one who would write a letter to him today. Lord Black and Moony would have been busy with the preparations for Sirius's trial tomorrow and he would be meeting them anyway.
He took the letter and opened it. It turned out it was from Hagrid.
"Harry
My name is Hagrid and I am the groundskeeper and keeper of the keys. I was a friend to your mum and dad when they were at school. I know you have no classes after lunch today so I would be delighted if you can come by for some tea this afternoon.
Hagrid"
Harry showed the letter to Neville who nodded that it would not be amiss to meet the big man. He looked like a good man anyway. Harry scratched his reply on the back of the letter and sent it to Hagrid with Hedwig.
When they reached the Potions class room and had taken their seats, Snape entered the dungeons sneering, his cloak billowing behind him. He also called the students from the register and his lips curled when he called Harry's name, "Ah yes. Hadrian Potter-Black, our new- celebrity".
Harry glared at him and as they locked eyes, Harry could feel a light intrusion in his mind. Hary concentrated and smacked the potion master's head against the walls of his outer defenses a few times before tossing him out of his mind. Snape's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he recovered his senses and placed the sneer back on his face. Harry knew that casting legilimency on a minor without permission of a parent or guardian was not legal. But only active legilimency could be proved because passive legilimency did not use a wand.
After he finished taking attendance, he looked at each of the students in the class. His eyes were as black as Hagrid's but there was no warmth in them. They rather looked cold and empty and devoid of any emotion and would make one think of black tunnels.
"You are here to learn the delicate science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper but they caught every word. He had the gift of keeping a class silent with a word like Professor McGonagall. "As there is little foolish wand-waving, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its simmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach".
Everyone was turning his words in their mind and weighing the truth behind them. For the first impression, it seemed he had captivated the class.
"Potter-Black", he suddenly said. "What will I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to infusion of wormwood?"
Harry knew the plants that he had asked about. Being friends with Longbottom and spending considerable time in Green Houses certainly prepared him for it.
Hermione had raised her hand as Harry knew she would however he also knew that Snape would not ask her to answer his questions.
Harry calmly replied, "Sir, this is not covered in our first year text. However, it would make a sleeping potion so powerful it is called the Draught of Living Death. A drop of well brewed Draught of Living Death can put a person into an enchanted sleep for months".
Snape's facial expressions were comical. It looked like he was trying to swallow something which was stuck in his throat. He asked another question, "What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"
Hermione was positively jumping on the balls of her feet now raising her hand in the air but Snape was resolutely ignoring her. Harry answered again, "They are the same thing, Professor and are also known as Aconite, an important ingredient in the wolfsbane potion".
Snape looked positively infuriated now. It was clear that he did not expect Harry to know these answers to his questions. Instead of humiliating the boy in front of the entire class, Harry was making him look like the bully he was. He tried one more time, "Where would you find a bezoar?"
Hermione was standing now raising her hand and trying not to speak. He replied cheekily, "In this room, I would expect that one can find a bezoar in the store cupboard, Professor but otherwise a bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat. It is a primary ingredient in the antidotes to most poisons and can, by itself, neutralize most of them. Also, if you would not mind, professor, Hermione would be willing to answer any more questions you have. I am sure that other students would be feeling left out if you pay too much personal attention to me".
The other students were shocked at his behavior while a few were trying to suppress laughter from erupting. Snape sneered at him, "One point from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter-Black".
Harry shrugged but said nothing. He had expected something like this to happen.
Snape turned to the other students, "Why are you all not writing it down?"
Everyone rushed to write what they were just told while he flicked his wand at the board and instructions appeared on it. He said to them, "You will be brewing the cure for boils which is a rather simple potion. You have an hour. You may begin".
Harry was flabbergasted. When he had his beginner's lessons with his tutor, the tutor had not allowed him to brew anything before he had thoroughly hammered into his mind all the basics of potion brewing. This included things like the importance of clean equipment, the need to chop ingredients in fine and uniform pieces, the need to measure things in precise amounts, the importance of following steps in brewing. And here Snape was just pushing them into brewing without telling them anything.
He raised his hand and Snape asked him, "What is the problem, Potter-Black?"
"Professor, many of the students are muggle-born who have never even heard of potions and even a few purebloods have not been taught the basics of the art of potion making. How you can expect us to brew a perfect potion without imparting to us the basics eludes me".
Snape looked like he was ready to breathe fire and gritted his teeth, "Are you teaching the class or me? If you think you know so well then why don't you instruct the class in potion brewing? That is one more point from Gryffindor for your cheek. You are like your father, an arrogant rule-breaker who thought the world was beneath him".
Harry's blood boiled at the insults made about his father. He seriously considered going to the front of the class and giving the students in the fundamentals of potion brewing. He knew he could do a better job than this bullying, slimy git. But before he could say anything, Neville kicked him beneath the table and gestured for him to keep quiet. Harry knew that bantering with Snape was useless because it would just lead to more lost points and quite likely detention. He would have to go to Dumbledore.
As the students worked on potions, Snape prowled the Dungeon. Harry was sitting with Ron and Neville on either side of him and had no problem working on the easy potion which he had perfected at the age of eight. After he was done, he kept instructing his friends under his breath and saved them from making mistakes. Neville was going to add Porcupine Quills before taking the cauldron off the fire and Harry kicked him under the table hissing, "Oi mate! Are you an idiot? If you add porcupine quills now, your cauldron will melt down instantly with an explosion. Take it off of the fire first".
Neville gave him a sheepish grin and took the cauldron off the fire before he added the porcupine quills. After they were done, he bottled two samples of his potion and slipped one into his robes while he labelled the other and handled it to Snape who begrudgingly accepted it.
Hagrid's hut
Harry arrived at Hagrid's hut with Neville and Ron in tow. Neville because he was there when Harry had sent his acceptance and they were inseparable. Ron because he had taken to following Harry wherever he went.
As Harry neared the gamekeeper's hut, Hagrid saw him and said in his booming voice, 'Harry, yeh came! Welcome".
Harry followed Hagrid into the hut with his friends close behind. Inside was a massive boar-hound, black like the night and very docile. Hagrid introduced him, "This is Fang. Looks frightening but won't hurt a fly".
The boarhound put his massive head in Harry's lap and sat down contentedly. Harry introduced the other two, "These are my friends- Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley".
Hagrid warmly greeted them. He said to Neville, "So, you are Frank and Alice's kid! They were extremely popular in their day and good friends of mine. Many times helped me to catch the marauders in their pranks". To Ronald he said, "I spent half my life chasing your twin brothers out of the forbidden forest. Hope you do not take after them".
As he served them tea and rock cakes, he said to Harry, "Harry, I needed to say something to yeh. That day I was the one to pick you from the ruins of the cottage. Your parents were good friends of me. Head boy and Head Girl in their time and brilliant wizard and witch. I went on Dumbledore's orders to pick you up and met Sirius Black who wanted to take you. I was under orders to bring you to yer uncle and aunt. Later I heard that Sirius was arrested and I believed that he had betrayed yer parents. I am ashamed to confess how wrong I was".
Harry listened to his apology and realized that perhaps more people would apologize once the news of Sirius's innocence came out.
He noticed a copy of today's Daily prophet lying on the table in Hagrid's cabin and a piece of news caught his attention. The news was about a theft from a vault at Gringotts or rather an attempt at theft. The spokes-goblin claimed that the said vault had been emptied earlier that day. He knew from his own experience how secure a Gringotts vault was. To break into one and escape unscathed was no ordinary feat.
Neville who was also looking at the news mused, "It must have been a wizard adept at dark magic to break into the vault and escape. I wonder what was so important that they would risk their lives".
Ron speculated, "Perhaps Mountains of gold or some rare and powerful artefact".
Harry asked Hagrid, "What do you think it might be Hagrid?"
"It must have been something important to be kept there. However you lot does not need to worry about it. It has been long since removed and..." he clamped his mouth shut and muttered under his breath, "should not have said that... should not have said that..."
After that Harry and others tried to make him speak but the grounds keeper did not tell them anything more. One thing however was clear. Whatever had been in the vault at Gringotts had been moved and now was being kept in a location which was safer than that. It was something worth pondering but not pursuing.
As they returned from Hagrid's, Harry had some time on his hands before he went to speak to Wood on the Quidditch pitch. He took the path to Dumbledore's office and hoping that the password was the same, he said to the Gargoyle, "Lemon Drops".
The gargoyle leapt aside and he took the revolving staircase to the Headmaster's office. As he reached the door and was about to knock on it, a soft "Enter" was heard and the door opened inwards.
"Harry!" Dumbledore beamed at him. "Come in, my boy. I was about to send for you".
"Me? Has something happened Headmaster?"
Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, "Nothing as such. Lord Black has just sent me a letter asking me to give you leave for tomorrow to go to the Wizengamot to watch the trial of Sirius Black. I told him that I will be bringing you with me to the Wizengamot. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course Professor" Harry replied smiling, "However that is not the reason that I am here".
"Then what brings you here, my boy?"
"Headmaster, today I had my first class in Potions with Professor Snape, who loathes me. I know something of his history with my father. But that is no excuse for venting his old grudges on me. He attempted to embarrass me by asking me questions about things that are not taught until 2nd year at least. Then, even though I answered his questions correctly, he docked points from Gryffindor "for cheek" he said. A couple of points off my house would not be a big deal and I would not have bothered you for such a trivial matter. What really concerns me is that he set us to brew potions without bothering to teach the basics. When I pointed this out, he deducted another point. I had to intervene a few times to prevent explosions".
"Those are very grave charges, Harry. Would you allow me to see the memory of the class?"
"Gladly Professor" he said and putting his wand to his temple, he pulled out a glittering silver thread which Dumbledore took from him and deposited in the Pensieve. He entered to watch the memory and emerged 10 minutes later looking angry. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he addressed Harry again, "Harry, I am sorry that you had to face this. I return the points deducted by him and give you 10 points for the correct answers. Rest assured that I will address this. Also, please present yourself at my office at 9:30 in the morning so that we can go to the trial".
Quidditch Pitch
Harry met Oliver Wood at the Quidditch pitch after dinner. Oliver arrived after 20 minutes lugging a crate which he placed on the ground and kicked open. Inside were the four balls used in Quidditch.
First, he held up a red ball, about the size of a muggle foot-ball, saying, "This is the Quaffle. There are three chasers on each team. It is their job to put this ball through the other team's goal hoops", he finished, gesturing at the three golden hoops which resembled muggle bubble blowing wands, about 50 feet high at one end of the pitch. "Each time they manage it, they earn ten points for their team. The keeper's job is to stop them from doing that".
Wood placed the red ball back in the crate. Then he handed Harry a bat which resembled a muggle cricket bat, but scaled down a bit. He gestured at two black balls that seemed to be struggling to get free of their restraints in the crate. They were slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. He said, "Those are Bludgers. It's their job to knock as many players off their brooms as they can. Each team has two beaters. They use bats like the one I just handed you to knock the Bludgers away from their own players and towards the players on the other team. I want you to stand back a few paces and stand ready with that bat. I'm going to release one of these so that you can see what it does".
Harry stepped back a few paces and brandished the bat in both hands. When Wood saw that he was ready, he released one of the black balls. With a snarl and a whoosh, the ball made straight for Harry's face with a speed that surely would have meant a visit to Madame Pomphrey. Harry smacked the ball with the bat and sent it sailing out over the Quidditch pitch. Wood whistled, "You might make a fine beater..." It looped around of its own accord and made for Wood. He tackled the ball as it came to him and he wrestled it back into the crate.
"Nasty they are!", said Wood between gritted teeth as he fastened the black ball beside its twin in the crate. "Have you got it so far, Harry?"
Harry asked, "Has anyone ever been killed by one of those things?"
Wood said, "There have been injuries. I think a broken jaw was the worst of it. But, nobody at Hogwarts has been killed by a Bludger yet."
Harry said, "OK, the red one is the quaffle. Chasers try to get it in the goal. Keepers try to stop that from happening. The black ones are bludgers. They move by themselves and try to knock people off their brooms. The beaters try to bat them away from their team and towards the other team".
"Perfect" said Wood. Then he pulled on a pair of gloves and took the fourth ball out of the crate, holding the golden ball, slightly larger than a wallnut tightly as its silver wings struggled to take flight, "And for you, my friend, this is the Golden Snitch. It will be your job as seeker to find and capture this ball. When the Snitch is captured, the game is over and the seeker who catches it wins 150 points for their team, which means that the seeker who catches it almost always wins the game for their team. This is also why the seeker is the most often fowled player. If they can take the seeker out and the team has no back-up, they can be pretty sure of winning the game.
Wood asked him, "Have you ever seen a Quidditch match, Harry?"
Harry responded enthusiastically, "I've been to a few championship games. I even got to watch Canada versus Scotland at the World Cup last summer. I was rooting for Scotland and they did really well, but the Scottish Seeker missed his catch by millimeters and the Canadian Seeker got the Snitch and it was all over for Scotland".
Oliver Wood was visibly impressed with Harry's knowledge. He loaned his broom (a Comet 10) to Harry to fly around and show his prowess at flying. Harry was a prodigious flyer and impressed him with his speed and skill. Oliver dismissed him with instructions to meet up next week for team practice and to get his own broom to the school.
Headmaster's office
It was early Saturday morning. Dumbledore was in his office working on some reports before he was scheduled to go to the Wizengamot when he heard the floo roaring and spotted Remus's head in the fire.
"Headmaster may I come aboard?"
Dumbledore nodded, "Of course my boy".
As Remus came into the office, he dusted the soot off his clothes and took a seat on the other side of the table. The old wizard was watching him expectantly with his eyes twinkling softly, "What brings you here, Remus?"
"Headmaster, I am here to escort Harry to the trial today".
Dumbledore arched an eye-brow, "I do not get it. What is your connection to Lord…?"
His words trailed off as he made the connection which had been missing. The way Harry had hugged the werewolf, the way he had come with Lord Black to his office, the way he had got hold of the picture so easily all made sense to him now. Remus Lupin was the one who had removed Harry from the muggle home all those years ago. This also explained why he was not able to locate the werewolf since then. Not that he had tried too hard to find him because he did not even suspect that Remus might have been linked with Harry's disappearance.
Remus was smirking. "I see you have made the connection finally, headmaster. After that fateful night, I stopped venturing out. I fell off the deep end, finding solace in fire whiskey and doing hand to mouth jobs. One day, an elf found me, captured me and took me to Lord Black. He talked with me, made me feel ashamed of myself for neglecting the one who was really my responsibility. He offered me a job, an unlimited supply of wolfsbane and a chance to raise Harry as heir of House Black. That was the best offer that I could get and I took it. I was appalled when I learned that you had sent Harry to live with Petunia. She hated Lily with every fiber of her being and abhorred magic. Did not someone tell you this all those years ago? I wanted to find you and give you an earful but I had to find Harry. When I found him, he was filthy, his face was bruised and swollen from a recent slap and he was covered in grime. I could not leave him there in all honesty".
Dumbledore took a deep breath before he started saying, "First I want to apologize to you, my boy. I never sought to keep track of you after the war. As the war was declared over, we all started to rebuild and have some semblance of normalcy among ourselves that I forgot that you had suffered the worst with losing all your friends in one stroke. I had to keep Harry with them because I did not have access to James and Lily's will. There was no better protection than the blood wards that I could manage. I had not expected her to show no empathy towards Harry who was her sister's son. I had hoped that he would find happiness there and grow up to be a fine young man. After you removed him from there, I was alerted about his disappearance by Arabella Figg who lives down the lane and when they said that they did not know anything about his disappearance, I performed Legilimency on them and what I saw horrified me. Sufficient to say that they have paid for their errors since then. Now I was about to summon Harry to go to the Ministry. Would you like some breakfast before we go?"
Remus nodded and Dumbledore called the chief elf to bring breakfast for two and to send a missive to Professor McGonagall to send Hadrian Potter-Black up to his office after he had his breakfast.
After a big and hearty breakfast, Professor McGonagall asked Harry to report to the office of the Headmaster who wished to talk about something with him. His friends fretted a little but he assured them that he would be okay and whispered to Neville to let Daphne know that he was going to the Ministry.
He entered the Headmaster's office to find Remus Lupin there sitting in a chair opposite Dumbledore. He ran to him and engulfed him in his arms, laughing. Dumbledore chuckled at the display, gladdened that Harry had been removed from the Dursleys because he was still appalled by the way they had treated Harry. They had been prosecuted and sentenced to 5 years of Imprisonment for child abuse. Vernon's son Dudley had been sent to his sister Marge to foster. Dumbledore informed the judge, who was a squib, that Harry had been removed and placed with a wizarding family where he would be cared for properly and raised as a wizard.
As Harry settled down from his enthusiasm, he asked Remus, "What are you doing here Moony?"
"Lord Black wanted me to come personally and escort you to the hearing. He says that since it is a Saturday, you can stay at the townhouse today and tomorrow and visit Sirius in St. Mungo's and get to know him a little. Since Sirius has been brought to St. Mungo's, he has been impatient to see you and even tried to fight with the healers to get them to release him".
Harry turned to the Headmaster, "Am I allowed to leave the school for the weekend, Headmaster?"
"Of course my boy. I would not deny you this small happiness. You will return to the school Monday morning though with a one-time floo connection to the Deputy Head Mistress's office".
Harry asked Remus, "How are we going to the Wizengamot?"
It was Dumbledore who replied, "You are going to floo from here to the Chief Warlock's chambers in the Wizengamot. From there, Remus will escort you to the spectator stands. After the trial is over, you will be allowed to go with Lord Black".
He threw a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace and called, "Ministry of Magic, Chief Warlock's office". Harry followed him with Remus bringing up the rear. Harry had trouble travelling by Floo when he was little and more often than not, he had ended up on his face before Lord Black had taken pity on him and told him the trick behind magical travel. Since then, he had a lot of experience and now could make a dignified exit out of a fire place.
Ministry of Magic
The chamber of the Chief Warlock was tastefully decorated with a big table in the middle of the room covered with books, quills and parchments. There were seats surrounding the table. Harry and Remus took seats at the other side of the table waiting for the time to go down to the Wizengamot. The walls of the room were covered with portraits of previous Chief Warlocks or wizards of prominence and at the moment, they all seemed to be sleeping in their portraits but for all Harry knew, they could be feigning sleep.
Amelia Bones entered after sometime and when she saw Harry, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good, you are here. I have kept the purpose of today's emergency session away from Fudge because he could have caused some mischief. But, this morning I had to brief him as is the norm and he has been trying to delay or postpone the meeting anyway he can. No doubt, Malfoy is pulling his strings. If you do not mind, Mr. Potter-Black, would you please address the Wizengamot and request that this trial happens?"
Harry gave her a formal bow and gave her a smirk, "Of course, Madam Bones. I sure can be the helpless innocent child with an impassioned plea to see justice being done at last so that he can have some semblance of peace about the death of his parents. Would that help?"
She returned his smirk with one of her own, "If you will pull it off as beautifully as you just demonstrated, I have no doubt that the Wizengamot will be eating out of your hand in no time".
Soon it was time and Remus led him to the spectator stand before the first of the Lords started trickling in. He took a seat in the front row and waited as seats around them filled. Remus sat by his side and they kept themselves aloof of everyone around them with their attention on the trial to come.
At 10:00 Dumbledore rapped his gavel and boomed, "Close the doors".
The massive doors to the Wizengamot swung shut and he started again, "Welcome to the emergency session of the Wizengamot for the month of September in the year 1991. Madam Bones has called this meeting to discuss a subject of importance which merits to be decided lest we allow injustice to prevail. Madam Bones, the floor is yours".
Amelia Bones rose from her seat and started addressing the Wizengamot, "Lords and Ladies, ten years ago after the war ended, the war tribunal was constituted to deal with war criminals. One law abiding wizard had been arrested and sent to Azkaban directly without any trial in gross violation of the principles of justice. Before his incarceration, the gravest charge against him was brawling in the Three Broom Sticks inn after getting drunk. I am talking about Sirius Orion Black who was the heir of Black at that time".
She produced a stack of parchments which she banished towards Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, these are copies of the record of incarceration of Sirius Black who was directly sent to prison in violation of the principles of justice. He was not given a trial but sent to Azkaban directly on the orders of the War Tribunal".
Dumbledore distributed the copies to the gathered Lords and ladies and the department heads. One of these was Barty Crouch Senior who was head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation and had headed the DMLE during the last war. he along with the Minister and the Head of Aurors had signed the orders to take Sirius to Azkaban.
As the members of the Wizengamot were reading the parchments distributed to them, Fudge stood, "I object to this. Sirius Black was the secret keeper of the Potters and killed Peter Pettigrew with those muggles. This trial is a farce of justice and a waste of our time".
Dumbledore turned to him, "Minister Fudge, if you will keep your peace for a few minutes, I am sure we can find out what new evidence has come to light and determine his guilt accordingly".
Fudge, who looked like he was not going to hear anything contrary to his views, ranted, "No. I will not allow this farce to continue. The time of the Wizengamot is too valuable to be wasted like this".
It was then that Harry understood he needed to stand and present his plea to the Wizengamot to effectively shut down the minister. As chief Warlock and chairman of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore could have ruled Fudge out of order and ended his tirade immediately, but, Such a thing was not typically done to the Minister and it was time to employ more subtle means. Fudge would be dealt with later. For now, it was time to get attention to the trial.
He stood and faced Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, if it pleases these august chambers, may I address this gathering as a relative of the people killed allegedly due to betrayal of the person concerned?".
Fudge sneered, "And who might you be?"
Harry gave him a hesitant smile as if he was intimidated by the setting of the Wizengamot, "I am Hadrian James Potter-Black, Heir of Potter and Black".
Lucius Malfoy immediately stood up, "How dare you claim the title of the heir of Black?"
"Shut up, you overgrown fool," a harsh voice growled from somewhere among the gathered Lords and everyone turned to find Lord Arcturus Orion Black sitting in the seat for House Black. He growled at Lucius, "Hadrian Potter- Black is the heir of The House of Black as recognized by the Lord and the family magic".
Lucius bowed to him, "Lord Black, where have you been? We were concerned with your well-being for the past decade and are delighted to see you among us again".
Arcturus barked, "Keep your slimy tongue behind your teeth, you slimy fool. I know of you and your likes. I am not fooled by you". He turned to Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, who has been acting as Regent of House Black all these years?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Lord Lucius Malfoy was appointed the Regent of House Black by the minister in 1982".
Arcturus turned to Fudge, "You overgrown monkey, how dare you usurp the rights of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses? Who gave you the authority to act in my stead and appoint a regent for my house? I will have your head for this for contravention of the ancient laws. No Malfoy will ever become a head of House for the House of Black".
Fudge was shaking in his boots. The secret that they had kept all these years was out now and the way the lords and ladies were glaring at him, he was surprised that he did not die from their glare.
Harry who was watching the spectacle unfold whispered to Remus, "Moony, who has been acting as Regent for House Potter since the death of my father?"
"I have had the opportunity to ask around since I have returned and it came to my knowledge that Elphias Doge who is a good friend to Dumbledore was appointed as regent and has been performing those duties. I met him a few days ago and he will happily give up the seat to your regent".
Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Lord Black, the matter of the minister usurping the rights of your house can be dealt with in another sitting however we should focus on the matters at hand. Hadrian Potter-Black has asked our leave to address these chambers. Do you all agree?"
Almost everyone's wand tip lighted Green meaning they all assented to hear him out. They all wanted to see for themselves if there was something special about the boy-who-lived or his talents were exaggerated. Dumbledore turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter-Black, you may address the chamber. You have 5 minutes".
"Thank you, Chief Warlock,' Harry bowed to Dumbledore and turned to the Wizengamot in general. He adopted the most innocent look he could manage, his face creased with lines of fear, hesitation and his eyes showing concern.
"Dear Lords and Ladies. I know that it is unusual for me to speak before you all who are more experienced, learned and have knowledge of the nuances and niceties of these august chambers and the procedures connected with them. Circumstances require me to make this request before your eminent personalities. As everyone knows, I am the son of James and Lily Potter. The man who is supposed to be put on trial today was charged with betraying them to the wizard known as Voldemort (almost everyone shuddered or gasped or yelped). I know that the man on trial today was incarcerated on those charges but after what Madam Bones has said, I must know if an innocent person has been languishing in Azkaban while the real culprit has roamed free."
"I implore you all respected Lords and Ladies to hear the evidence and ensure that justice is not only done but that it is seen to be done by this august body. If we stifle the process of justice in these chambers, how can we expect that justice will be served anywhere else? I implore you all in the name of my dearly departed parents to let us hear the evidence presented by Madam Bones and determine the guilt of the real culprit. I do not ask for anything for myself but for the sake of my parents who I am sure had their hopes pinned upon this body to ensure that justice was meted out on their behalf and their deaths were not in vain. As a victim of the crimes perpetrated on that fateful Halloween, I demand justice from this body which was set up by the Wizards Council to keep our society running".
As the address came close to the end, Harry looked ready to cry with his eyes brimming with tears and his voice hoarse as if he was barely able to control his emotions. Remus of course knew of this act. Harry had pulled the same routine with him and Lord Black many times over the years and got his way with them. There was no way that the gathered Lords and Ladies would not be moved by his plea.
Harry finished well before the appointed time limit and sat down after giving a bow. His impassioned plea had moved a lot of wizards and witches. It was true that none of them had thought of Halloween as the day when James and Lily Potter had died to ensure that the wizarding world survived. They celebrated that day as the downfall of You-know-who and perhaps none of them had spent a moment to mourn for two of their heroes who, if they had lived to see this day, would have contributed for the betterment of their society. Today, their son was standing before them and asking justice for him and some sense of peace for those who had sacrificed themselves for the good of many. In fact, what he was asking was nothing more than what they were obliged to do anyway.
Lord Macmillan stood, "Chief Warlock, as it has been proved from the inspection of the documents distributed to us that Sirius Black had not been given a trial and was illegally incarcerated in Azkaban violating his rights as a member of an Ancient and Most Noble House therefore I on behalf of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses invoke our privilege to have this trial so that the truth may come out at last".
Many of the assembled people gasped in shock. Privilege of Ancient and Most Noble Houses was never invoked by the houses anymore because they always got their way. It basically meant that they were beyond reproach of the general wizarding world while they were exercising the privilege. While many of the heads of House of the new families or the minor houses were miffed at Lord Macmillan's proclamation, they also felt that after the impassioned plea for justice by Hadrian Potter-Black it was the most effective way to cast aside the minister and have the trial anyhow.
Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Lord Macmillan has invoked the privilege of the Houses which does not need to be put to a vote as has been decreed by the Wizards Council therefore the rest of this session shall be conducted under the said privilege".
He turned to Lord Macmillan, "What do you propose as the objective of this session, Lord Macmillan? Please keep in mind that you cannot sit in judgment upon someone's innocence or culpability under the privilege".
"Chief Warlock, as the Minister has attempted to prevent this trial from happening, this privilege has been invoked to investigate the matter of the innocence or guilt of one Sirius Black. Once we have heard the evidence or witnesses that Madam Bones has brought before us, we will defer the matter of deciding his fate to the entire Wizengamot".
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. Madam Bones will present her evidence and witnesses if any to prove Sirius Black's innocence or guilt. Madam Bones, the floor is yours".
Amelia stood and faced the entire Wizengamot, "Lords and Ladies three days ago, Mr. Remus Lupin arrived at my manor claiming that Sirius Black was innocent and Peter Pettigrew, whom we all believed to be a hero, had betrayed the Potters to you-know-who. Mr. Lupin had a photograph with him. It showed three boys and a rat with a toe missing from its right forpaw. It is to be remembered that the most we found of Peter Pettigrew was his finger which looked like it had been severed with a severing charm rather than separated as a result of an explosion. Mr. Lupin also confided in me that Peter Pettigrew was an illegal animagus and gave me a memory to that effect. It showed Peter Pettigrew transforming into a rat and running around. After consulting Detective Daily who works for the DMLE and a couple of aurors, I made certain that the said rat in the picture was indeed Peter Pettigrew who is an illegal animagus. I took my hand-picked crew and apprehended the fugitive who had been hiding in his rat form in Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts. In the presence of no less than 10 adult wizards and witches and a number of students, Professor McGonagall Made a positive identification of the said illegal animagus as Peter Pettigrew. She was his teacher and head of house during his time at Hogwarts and she knew him well".
She motioned for an Auror who brought the solicitor's Pensieve into the Wizengamot chamber and with a tap of her wand the scene from the Pensieve was being projected onto the wall in front of them. The first memory showed Peter Pettigrew transforming and running around on all fours (She had made a copy of Remus's memory with his permission). She sent copies of the photo in which Remus had spotted him (with the faces of the students blacked out, of course). After the Lords and Ladies had seen the memories and the photo, she showed them the memory of the Gryffindor Common Room where Professor McGonagall had forced him to return to his form. With that there was no doubt left that Peter Pettigrew was alive. It was time to strike while the iron was hot. She motioned to one Auror and he went out of the chamber. He returned a minute later with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones with Pettigrew between them who was bound in magic restraining shackles. They sat him in the chair for the accused where chains sprang out of the arms and bound him by his arms, legs and torso.
Amelia turned to the Wizengamot, "This is the infamous Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters and a lot of upstanding members of our society who dared to fight against you-know-who. He is the reason of many deaths that happened during the war".
She turned to Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, I seek your permission to dose him with Veritaserum so that we can know the gravity of his crimes".
"You are allowed to administer the Veritaserum to him, Madam Bones.".
She produced a vial from her robes and dropped three drops into his mouth. A few seconds later, his eyes rolled into his head.
Amelia: What is your name?
Peter: "Peter Almeidus Pettigrew."
Amelia asked, "Are you a death eater?"
Peter responded, "Yes."
She asked, "Was Sirius Black a death-eater?"
He answered, "No."
Amelia asked, "Who betrayed the Potters, Lilly, James and Harry?"
Peter answered, "I did."
Amelia asked, "How did you end up being their secret keeper?"
Peter explained, "James and Sirius suspected that there was a spy of the Dark lord in the Order. They did not trust anyone with their security. I planted suspicions in their minds regarding the loyalty of Remus Lupin and so they kept him out of their plan. Lord Charlus Potter had performed the Fidelius on the cottage and they made me the secret keeper. They let everyone believe that Sirius was their secret-keeper. They thought it was the perfect deception. They could not have known that I, a talentless thing was the very spy they feared. I gave their secret to the Dark Lord".
Amelia asked, "Who else did you betray to the Dark Lord?"
Peter listed them off, "The Prewett twins, Dorcas Meadows, Caradoc Dearborn, Edgar and Ellie Bones, the McKinnons".
It looked like the Wizengamot wanted to murder him on the spot. The names that he called were the people who were loved and respected in the community and had been upstanding members who would have contributed to the betterment of their society. If the looks Amelia noticed were anything to go by, Peter Pettigrew was heading for the Dementor's Kiss by the end of the day. However Amelia was not done by a long shot and had other questions as well to establish Sirius's innocence beyond doubt.
Amelia asked, "What happened that night when the 12 muggles were killed?"
Peter answered, "Sirius had been tracking me for the last three days. When he cornered me at last, on a muggle street, I started shouting as if he had betrayed James and Lily. Then I cast the bombarda behind my back and escaped as a rat into the sewers through the hole I created. I did not mean for the muggles to die. They were just standing too close when I fired off the spell. I wandered for a few days before I reached Ottery St. Catchpole where a read-head boy adopted me as his pet".
After the question and answer session was over, she administer the antidote to him and then turned to the Wizengamot, "Now I would like to ask the permission of this august body to bring in Sirius Black and to question him under Veritaserum".
Everyone knew this was hardly required but Amelia was nothing if not effective and thorough. As Dumbledore acquiesced, she motioned for two Aurors who brought in Sirius Black who looked weak, emaciated as if the flesh from his body was gone. It was clear that once he had been a very handsome man but the handsomeness was gone. The glint in his eyes and the liveliness of his face was gone replaced by two orbs which looked devoid of emotions.
Amelia addressed him, "Sirius Black, you have been called here to be questioned about the events that happened on that fateful Halloween and later with those unfortunate muggles".
He opened his mouth and spoke hoarsely as if he was not used to talking much, "My pleasure. The ministry remembered after 10 years that I am yet to receive my trial".
His complaint was genuine and so despite the edge in his voice, nobody protested. Amelia administered the Veritaserum to him and as he showed the telltale signs of being under the influence, she started asking questions, "What is your name?"
He answered, "Sirius Orion Black".
She asked, "Are you now or were you ever a death eater?"
He answered, "No".
She asked, "Did you betray the Potters to you-know-who?"
Sirius said, "I would have died before I betrayed them and joined that pretender who was nothing more than a murderer and a terrorist".
She asked, "On the night when the 12 muggles died, it has been reported that you were reported to have said, 'My fault James... my fault Lily...' Would you please explain why you said that?"
Sirius took some moments to answer. The pain was evident in his eyes as tears had started to fall freely. When he spoke, his voice was raspy, "James wanted me to become the secret keeper and go into hiding in the cottage at Godric's Hollow with them. That way, nobody could find either of us and we would have been safe however I had heard reports of a spy among us and the distortions and lies of Peter Pettigrew made us wary of everyone. I suggested a change of plan which James accepted and we made Peter the secret-keeper of their cottage. If I had not suggested the change, they would have been alive to this day. It was my fault".
Amelia asked, "Are you an illegal animagus, Mr. Black?"
Sirius answered, "We became animagi while we were students at Hogwarts. James Peter and I have never registered ourselves. By the time we thought about it, we had to go into hiding. With James and peter supposedly dead and me in Azkaban for a crime I did not commit, I have not registered myself since then".
Amelia administered the antidote to him and then turned to the Wizengamot, "That is all, Lords and ladies. I now place his fate in your hands".
Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Here ends the privilege of the Houses. We all have seen and considered the evidence before us regarding the innocence of Sirius Black. Those of you who believe Sirius Black to be innocent of all charges, please raise your wands with green tips".
More than half of the members of the Wizengamot raised their wands with the tip ignited green and Sirius Black was exonerated. Sirius visibly sagged in relief in his chair, with his face in his hands and possibly crying.
Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Sirius Black, you have been exonerated of the charge for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles along with the charge of betraying the Potters to Voldemort. The ministry will tender an unconditional apology to you for its failure to deliver justice to you and pay 1 million Galleons by way of reparations. Articles shall be published in the Daily Prophet and other publications regarding your exoneration and to repair your lost reputation. You are also directed to register your animagus form with the ministry within two months from today along with late James Potter's animagus form. Such an achievement should be known and appreciated by everyone".
After he had pronounced his judgment, he turned to Pettigrew, "Peter Pettigrew, you were awarded the Order of Merlin, third class, posthumously which is stripped from you effective immediatly. A panel of chosen members from this body shall sit to consider your punishment post-haste".
With that, he rapped his gavel and one of the elders of the Wizengamot, Tibernius Ogden stood to start nominating the members of the panel to decide the fate of Pettigrew. After some deliberation, five wizards had been chosen which included- Lord Sayre who was a known neutral, Lord Greengrass, Dowager Lady Longbottom, Lord Fawley and Lord Shafiq.
They retired to a chamber at the side where they deliberated over the punishment for over an hour before they came out and handed a piece of parchment to Fudge who read it out aloud, "Peter Pettigrew, this august body through the chosen panel has deliberated over the gravity of your crimes and befitting punishment. While your crimes have been numerous and caused irreparable damage to society which merits nothing less than the Dementor's kiss but that punishment pales in comparison to the gravity of your crimes. Therefore, you are sentenced to execution through the veil at 5:00 this evening in the presence of the Chief Warlock, the Minister of Magic and the head of the DMLE".
The members of the Wizengamot were shocked. No one had been executed through the veil in decades because it was considered barbaric. To send someone through the veil meant erasing every trace of their existence without even leaving behind a body however many felt that it was just.
A/N- Hi, guys. I guess it has been too long that the last chapter was published and I think you all are famished for more. Here is the next chapter and I hope it will satiate your thirst and at the same time make you yearn for more. I received such profound reviews for the last chapters that I feel it would be injustice if I did not answer to each one of you. So let's do it:
ObsessedwithHPFanFic: Thank you for the review. Your reviews are always pleasant.
Hypergym: thank you for the detailed review that you gave to the last chapter and I know you are yearning to know how the story will turn but that is something that everyone is waiting for. So, why not you wait with them? it will be worth it, I promise.
Anarion: thank you. You are one of those I can always count upon to review my story.
Shunshu: Thank you. I hope you will like it as the story progresses.
Mizrazz- Thanks mate. We will see how much Draco can get to.
Marilyn: Your review made my day. Such appreciation.
Bill Brink: I cannot tell you how much pleased I am with you reviews. It is only when readers read a story and appreciates it so thoroughly that we can understand what we mean to them. I am looking forward to more reviews in future.
THANK YOU HYPERGYM FOR THE EDITS