A Sirius Verdict:


It was nice to see that some things never changed. And one thing that never changed was the Ministry of Magic's catering was about as mediocre as I remembered. I supposed that Astra and I could pop out for a quick bite to eat elsewhere, but to be honest, I did not want to miss any of the action.

"So, what do you think?' Astra asked me.

"Still too close to comfort," I said. "I'll give Yaxley a lot of credit. He really knows how to make some of the right plays. Even after I rattled his cage. Miranda, she's starting to get more comfortable, despite those early jitters. Just wish Sirius had not stepped into Yaxley's trap so early on in the trial."

"Typical Gryffindor, allowing himself to get baited by emotion," Astra said as she chewed on her sandwich. "So, Bagnold, Crouch, and Pettigrew himself, I think?"

"Barring any surprises, yes," I said. "Dumbledore would have been out there later but, well he's got his own problems."

My eyes turned over to a certain young redhead who had been watching Astra and I covertly. Or about as covertly as a ten-year-old girl could watch someone. Astra sensed what I was about to do.

"Harry, don't you even think about it…"

"You want to come over here and sit with us?" I called towards Ginny.

"Me?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, you," I said. "Come over here. It will be fine."

Astra flashed me one of those looks and I just smiled. I figured it was best to break her this silly schoolgirl infatuation early on.

"Trust me."

"You're Harry Potter," Ginny said while practically gasping.

"Yes, last time I checked," I said. "And do you have a name?"

"Oh, Ginny Weasley, my brother Ron is in your year," Ginny said. "So, did you really pay one hundred and fifty galleons for his pet rat?"

Well, on the bright side, I may only have this conversation about two more times, if I should ever meet Bill or Charlie or both.

"Yes," I said. "Why, do you think he could have gotten more?"

Ginny just frowned and slammed her fist down the table.

"He cheated you!" Ginny cried out. "That rat, he's a man, a creepy man, and Mum was feeling sorry for him. Do you know how many times I caught him in my room? In my underwear drawer?"

"More times than I'm comfortable with picturing?" Astra asked with a disgusted shudder "Oh, and I'm Harry's twin sister, Astra."

"Twin sister?" Ginny asked.

Ginny looked from Astra to me to Astra and to me and just shrugged her shoulders.

"If you say so."

"We do say so," I said.

"Well, you didn't have a twin sister in any of the books Mum read to me," Ginny said. "And she read them so many times to me, that I could recite them by heart and know when she skipped parts."

Oh dear. Astra, put down the fork, for the love of all things unholy.

"I've read those books too," I said. "I didn't have any adventures like that as a child."

"Oh,well, I'm sure some of it was make believe," Ginny said. "But, you still grew up in a castle right? A big castle, even bigger than Hogwarts, full of unicorns and dragons and mermaids, and all sorts of cool things."

I really hated destroying the hopes and dreams of children. But it had to be done.

"No," I said. "I grew up with my aunt, who hates magic, and my uncle who is an asshole. And my cousin who is a glutton. And I lived in a cupboard underneath the stairs."

Ginny's face fell. For an encore, I'll be spoiling Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny. Ginny's lip quivered.

"A cupboard underneath the stairs?" Ginny asked. "But…didn't they have enough rooms?"

"No, I slept on a ratty cot in a cupboard underneath the steps, with all of the cleaning products surrounding me," I told Ginny. "And there were four bedrooms and two of them belonged to my cousin."

"But, that doesn't make any sense!" Ginny yelled. "There were seven of us, and sure the Burrow was cramped, but we all had beds. None of us slept in a cupboard!"

Ginny looked near hysterics. To be honest, I had no idea.

"Calm down, it's going to be fine."

"No, it's not fine! You were our hero! And you were put in that awful, awful,house, with awful people who hated magic! You are Harry Fucking Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and you had to deal with that rubbish! Everyone just assumed you were having a great life, living happily ever after, and you didn't, and they wrote books, and they lied to us…they lied to children…they lied to me!"

Ginny took in a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Feel better?" I asked her.

"Mummy said that I could grow up and you would marry me and we would live happily ever after with seven children," Ginny said. "Is my mother a liar too?"

Well, I would not call her a liar. Just someone who fed delusional ideas to her children and also disregarded their feelings when they did not fit into the mold she wanted them to.

"What do you want?" Astra asked.

Ginny blinked.

"What do I want?"

"What do you want?" Astra repeated.

"Well, I don't want seven children," Ginny said. "Two or three, maybe, but not for a long time, and I'm not sure if I want to be like Mum, just being at home all day, running the house. It seems boring. And…I guess I don't really know you, do I, Harry?"

"You really don't," I said.

"It's all a lie," Ginny breathed. "That Harry Potter, he doesn't exist! He's a figment of my imagination. And you seem like a nice enough boy, but I can't look at you and not think of him. That Harry, that's not real. Mum told me I would be with him, and now, I know I can't. What other lies has she told me?"

Oh, Ginny was getting mad. Good embrace the anger. Let those emotions out. And more importantly, channel them against her mother.

"Don't look to your mother, make your own path in life," Astra said. "Be your own person. Rise up and take control of your life. You can be whatever you want to be."

"Yes, I can," Ginny agreed.

"You can," I told her.

"Oh, there you are, Ginny!"

Molly ambled over, to the table. Ginny turned to Molly.

"Hello, Mother," Ginny coldly said.

Molly did not notice. I felt sorry for her. Almost.

"You shouldn't run off like that," Molly scolded her. "I'm sorry if my daughter is bothering you…Harry Potter?"

"Yes, last time I checked," I said. "Don't worry, Ginny, and I were having a nice talk."

"Oh, were you?" Molly asked.

"Yes, we were," I said to her. "And I've learned quite a lot about you, Molly Weasley."

It was time. Molly stared at me.

"You should really come over to our house sometime," Molly said. "It was a shock that Ron was in Slytherin and you're in Ravenclaw, I was hoping you two would be friends.

"Well, it's funny you should mention Ron," I said. "Because, I don't know why you hate him so much."

"Hate him?" Molly asked. "I could never hate any of my children."

"Well, you favor him less than others" I said. "You sent him to school with a wand which was third-hand at best."

"Well Harry, dear, we don't have that much money because my husband's job doesn't pay that much."

And what's stopping you from getting a part-time job and helping out? Not much. But, I decided not to go there.

"You bought your third oldest son, Percy, a new owl and new robes, just because he became a prefect," I said. "A bang up job he's doing there."

Molly looked rightfully uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry about Percy, he should have…been more considerate," Molly said. "But,Harry, you don't understand. We had to make some tough choices, and we had a perfectly good wand, so there was no need for Ron to get one right away. In a few years, we might have…"

"The wand chooses the wizard, does it not?" I asked. "You sent Ron with a wand which was not suited for him, and was damaged in some way. Unicorn hair was sticking out. You crippled your son's education on the get go and you put other students in danger. But, I'm sure that you had to make that tough choice. And let's not forget, how you treat Fred and George. They feel like you don't support them and their dreams enough…"

"They should really take their studies more seriously," Molly said.

"And yet, they seem to be brighter than a brown noser with a prefect's badge," I said.

Molly waggled her finger in my face.

"Now,listen here young man, I won't have you being disrespectful. You better apologize to me, right now."

"You aren't my mother, so how about no," I told her.

"Your mother would be disappointed about how you're acting, and how you've been causing trouble for Dumbledore…"

I was about to muffle Molly, but Astra beat me to the punch.

"You don't get to talk about her," Astra coldly replied "Never, talk about Lily Evans like you know her and know what she would want. Especially in front of me."

Astra thought Molly disrespected her godmother. Not smart.

"I don't know who you are…"

"She's a prodigy, a brilliant witch," Astra said. "And all you are good for is popping kids out until you ended up the daughter you wanted. So you can mold her into your own image. And you've been feeding her lies about how she's going to marry Harry Potter someday, based on a fairy tale fantasy."

Astra was not done.

"Lily had more talent in one hair than you do in your body. And you have a lot of body and a lack of talent."

Ouch. Molly looked about ready to explode.

"You don't talk to me like that, girl," Molly said. "Whoever your mother, is, she obviously didn't teach you any manners."

Oh, stupid, stupid, Molly. Insulting Natalie was even worse. I deflected Astra's spell from underneath the table and caused it to fizzle out. I practically had to hold Astra back with all my might with one hand and steady the table with the other.

"I won't be marrying her and having seven children like you want," I said.

Molly looked like she was going to explode.

"You think that you're too good for my daughter?" she asked. "Well, you better buck up your ideas young man, or I won't let you marry her…"

"MUM! IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT! YOU LIED TO ME! "

I quickly produced two pairs of earmuffs and passed one off to Astra. She graciously took it and they were off. Molly and Ginny shouted at each other. I'm pretty sure Ginny was giving Molly the third-degree about filling her mind with fairy tale trash while I was being mistreated at the Dursleys. And about feeling sympathy for Pettigrew, who she was legitmately crept out by.

Well, that escalated quickly, as a small group of Ministry Aurors had to get involved. Poor Nymphadora had to be the one to have to defuse the situation, grabbing Ginny, while the other two moved in to talk to Molly. A short, but intense coversation later, and Molly grabbed Ginny firmly by the hand and dragged her off. They were still arguing as they had been ushered off of the premises of the Ministry.

We took off our earmuffs and sighed. I caught a glimpse of Andromeda who made a beeline for us, alongside of Narcissa, and Miranda came up behind her.

"I see you met Molly Weasley," Narcissa said.

"Yes," I said.

"My deepest condolences," Narcissa said.

"Thanks," I told her.

"What did you say to her?" Miranda asked. "We could hear her from two floors down."

"Long story," I said. "Thanks, Miranda."

"I was a bit nervous," Miranda said. "First case in a magical court and it's Sirius Black, one of the most infamous men who ever lived. And Yaxley, he's a shark. Blood in the water, he pounces. Although, you really rattled him, didn't you?

I just smiled. It was time for the next stage of the trial. And hopefully, one way or another, we will find out. Narcissa, Miranda, and Andromeda filed off, and Astra and I followed them back.

"So, hypothetically speaking, what are you going to do if the court finds Sirius guilty?" Astra asked.

"Happy Guy Fawkes Day," I told her.

Astra blinked for a second before it dawned on her. She just grinned.


Millicent Bagnold, the woman who was Fudge's predecessor for Minister of Magic, took the stand. She was an older woman, grandmother type. Dedicated Wizengamot member for decades, but she just kind of became Minister, because Voldemort had a nasty habit of killing them back in the seventies. Yaxley walked up to her.

"Minister Bagnold," Yaxley said. "Tell me your recollections of the day of the Sirius Black murders?"

"Well, everything was really chaotic that day," Bagnold said. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been defeated by young Harry Potter, and we were still piecing together the facts of the story. I personally did not learn that Black had betrayed the Potters until the night he was hauled into Azkaban. He was quite mad, laughing. He was terrifying to look at. It was not hard to believe that Sirius Black would follow You-Know-Who, because the entire Black family were known to have sympatheties to Dark Magic."

Bagnold took a long sigh.

"There was no doubt that he needed to be locked up," Bagnold said. "I shudder to think what would have happened if he would have been able to claim custody of young Mr. Potter. Dumbledore helped make sure he was brought to a safe place. Poor Mr. Pettigrew hunted down Black, and well I'm not sure what I believe anymore."

"He was a man hiding in terror for ten years," Yaxley said. "Right, Minister Bagnold?"

"Yes, I suppose he must have been," Bagnold said. "It was a shock to be summoned to this court. I have grandchildren, so I don't like thinking about this sordid business anymore. But, I think that Pettigrew would have been terrified. I think that's what happened."

An old woman, who was in way over her head, when she was Minister. Bagnold served for ten years, but she would have been out much sooner had it not been for the Crouch scandal.

"Yes, thank you," Yaxley said. "Years of distinguished service on the Wizengamot, and ten years as the Minister of Magic, shows you care about the magical community and understand the danger of Mr. Black being on the loose."

Yaxley left and Miranda walked up to her.

"Minister Bagnold, I would like to ask you a few questions," Miranda said. "You were the Minister of Magic when Sirius Black was captured."

'Yes," Bagnold said.

"Was it your decision not to allow Sirius Black to have a trial?"

"Well, Crouch insisted we just put him into Azkaban, because it was too dangerous," Baghold said. "And I thought about the danger that Harry Potter would have been in. My youngest grandchild is not that much older than him. And I would hate to see a man like that who has no remorse, who savagely killed twelve Muggles on the street."

"So, you thought it was too dangerous to even let Black be on trial?" Miranda asked. "Even with the proper precautions?"

Bagnold nodded in response.

"I feared there was a chance that Black would use his family influence and connections to sway the court into appealing his favor," Bagnold said. "His cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, was still at large at the time And once Dumbledore gave his word and swore that Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper, well I couldn't let any chance of that man causing more harm. Like I said, Harry Potter's as old as my youngest grandson, Timothy."

"What if Sirius Black is found innocent today?" Miranda asked.

"I…I made a huge mistake, then," Bagnold said. "But, Dumbledore said everything would be fine, and he gave me his word. And Crouch, he would have pushed the order through anyway. That man, he got things done. He was untouchable, well until his son was caught up in that nasty business with the Lestranges."

"So, you didn't have any agency as Minister and just did as Crouch and Dumbledore suggested?" Miranda asked.

"Young lady, those were very complicated times, I did what I thought was best!" Bagnold sharply replied. "Dumbledore never steered anyone wrong. I trusted him. Hopefully, I'm not a foolish old lady who did something really bad."

"No further questions," Miranda said.


The last day had been hell for Bartemius Crouch Senior. Crouch had been led in by the Ministry of Magic Aurors, and positioned on the stand. Yaxley walked over to them. Crouch and Yaxley met eyes and I could tell right away they were not on the best of terms with each other.

"Mr. Crouch," Yaxley said. "You felt that Sirius Black was a menace and a danger."

"He came from a family of dark wizards and witches," Crouch said. "Dating back generations. Bad blood, the lot of them. And he was without remorse. He was laughing mad when he was brought in. And once Dumbledore told me he betrayed the Potters, then I knew what kind of man he was. The Muggles we interviewed told me everything that happened."

"So, there were eyewitness accounts?" Yaxley asked.

"Yes, they all claimed the same thing," Crouch said. "Pettigrew confronted Black over betraying Lily and James. And Pettigrew was blown away along with half of the street. Twelve dead Muggles, many other injuries. They were all very adamant. And I spoke to Cornelius Fudge, and he was the first on the scene."

Fudge shifted, almost a bit uncomfortable that he was being brought into this. He already seemed to have buyer's remorse on the entire Bellatrix thing, and this was not shaping up to be a good time for him.

"Cornelius Fudge, the future Minister of Magic?" Yaxley asked.

Crouch's face flashed with a moment of disgust before he preceded.

"Yes, and Fudge told me that Black was laughing mad," Crouch said. "He kept saying, I killed them, I killed them."

Admittedly, that was a bad look.

"And when I saw that scum, I realized what kind of man he was," Crouch said. "I saw it in his eyes. I realized he could never see the light of day. If it wasn't for Dumbledore, he would have been given the Dementor's Kiss on that day."

"Do you still believe he deserves the Dementor's Kiss?" Yaxley asked.

"Yes."

"Thank you, no further questions."

Miranda walked up to Crouch and she looked the man in the eye.

"Could you tell me their names, Mr. Crouch?"

"I'm sure, I don't understand your question, Ms. Brocklehurst," Crouch said.

"Their names, the names of the Muggles that died on that day," Miranda said. "What did you tell their families?"

"They died in a gas explosion, that was the offical word," Crouch said. "It was a freak accident, as far as they were concerned. And those Muggles, they were sent a ham and a letter of condolence. I don't recall them, it's been a long time. I doubted it was important to remember them."

Miranda pounced on Crouch's statement.

"Yes, because none of their names were ever officially reported," Miranda said. "And could you tell me the names of the eyewitnesses who you used to put Black into Azkaban, without a trial?"

"Objection, I feel this is irrelevant," Yaxley said.

"Overruled," Amelia said. "Answer the question, Mr. Crouch."

"I don't..well their names were lost to me, I couldn't pick them out of a crowd," Crouch said. "We never took any names, they were interviewed, and their memories modified afterward."

"So, they could not be reached to test their memories under scrutiny," Miranda said. "You just took the eyewitness accounts of Muggles, and what they claimed to see without any investigation. And eyewitnesses can make mistakes."

"Black betrayed the Potters, that was enough," Crouch said. "He was a Death Eater. His family had a history of dark wizards. He didn't deserve a trial and waste time and taxpayer money on what was an obvious guilty conviction."

"And yet, you gave your son a trial…"

"Objection, this is irrelevant!" Yaxley yelled.

"Madam Bones, it's establishing an obvious double standard from the witness," Miranda said.

"Yes, I can see your reasoning," Amelia said.

"Your son who was a Death Eater, who tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity, along with the Lestranges," Miranda said. "You gave him a trial, and some might argue his crimes were more heinious than Sirius Black's alleged crimes. Do you know why, Mr. Crouch?"

"I…I don't want to talk about my son, not now!" Crouch yelled. "I don't understand what this has to do with Black. He was led astray by that lunatic Lestrange…."

"Bullshit!" Bellatrix piped up from the crowd. "I wasn't the reason why your brat joined the Dark Lord. He was tired of being spurned by Daddy dearest! He was all in."

"Why isn't she silenced?" Crouch asked. "What kind of clownshow are you running, Fudge?"

"I wasn't the one who was holding my son for years underneath the Imperius Curse!" Fudge snapped.

"No, you just can't make any policy decisions without Dumbledore or Lucius Malfoy whispering in your ear!"

"Oh, you just threw a man into Azkaban without a trial, on Dumbledore's word alone!"

And we're off.

"You think the woman who tortured the Longbottoms is a credible witness for Black's innocence," Crouch said. "And you let her into a school of students, to teach. What the hell is wrong with you, Fudge?"

Crouch had to be restrained and Fudge rose up to his full height, glaring at the man.

"Come on, kiss and make up," Bellatrix cooed.

"ENOUGH!" Amelia yelled. "You're acting like children. Minister, I expect better of you."

Fudge wisely shut up although he was still glaring at Crouch. He sat back down.

"Why did your son get a trial and not Black?" Miranda asked.

"I…had to," Crouch said. "My son never should have been there, and I was hoping that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I couldn't…he was one of them."

"What do you mean your son shouldn't have been there?" Miranda asked.

"Objection, this is not relevant to the case!" Yaxley yelled.

"Madam Bones, I feel like this is a question that should be answered," Miranda said.

I was very interested in this as well. And fortunately, Amelia agreed.

"Frank Longbottom was one of my best Aurors and Alice was pretty damn good as well," Crouch said. "I thought we could get the Lestranges, the last of Voldemort's hardcore followers on that night. But, everything went wrong. Thanks to my son."

Bellatrix leapt practically to her feet, with Narcissa and Andromeda holding her back.

"You were the one who leaked the information to my idiot husband and his doofus brother that the Longbottoms knew where the Dark Lord was, didn't you?" Bellatrix asked. "Didn't you, Mr. Law and Order?"

"Gag her, get her out of here!" Yaxley yelled.

"Shut it, Yaxley!" Bellatrix yelled. "They were lucid when we figued out they did not know anything. What in the hell did you do, Crouch?"

Crouch started coughing and shaking his head. Bellatrix finally had been muzzled, I'm surprised it took that long. Although her crazy eyes told the story.

"I needed to be the Minister, Bagnold was weak, and Dumbledore was soft," Crouch said. "And the people wanted a Minister who was hard on dark wizards, Death Eaters. No one championed for Sirius Black, not even Albus Dumbledore. So he was easy to put away. But, if I could get the Lestranges, I could secure my spot as Minister. I was the Minister they needed. It was for everyone's good. But my son had to get himself caught and ruined it all."

"So, you're saying that you threw Sirius Black into Azkaban because you felt it would secure your future as Minister," Miranda said.

"Yes, but I had to do it," Crouch said. "And the world thanked me at the time. Until some nosy child started to ask questions instead of just accepting what was done."

I waved at Crouch and he narrowed his eyes at me with contempt.

"Do you believe that Black performed those murders? And betrayed the Potters to Voldemort?"

"Does it really matter?" Crouch asked. "I did what needed to be done. I would have kept the peace. Everyone would have been secure and safe. It's not like Black would have contributed to our world. That family is nothing but trouble."

Here Crouch glared at Bellatrix, who returned his glare. No love loss there.

"No further questions," Miranda said.

Amelia looked absolutely disgusted at Crouch's testimony. And she was far from the only one. Yaxley practically slammed down his papers at what Crouch just blurted out.

"Get him out of my sight," she said curtly.


Finally, Peter Pettigrew was brought into the court, to give his testimony. Yaxley walked to Pettigrew.

"Peter Pettigrew," Yaxley said.

"Yes sir," Peter said.

"Tell me what happened when you confronted Sirius Black?"

"Well, it's just like this, I learned that Sirius betrayed Lily and James and I was mad," Peter said in a slightly trembling voice. "Sirius, I could not believe he would do such a thing, work for You-Know-Who. So, I had to find out why. I thought maybe he would feel some remorse. But, he attacked me. I just barely got away."

"And how did you get away?" Yaxley asked.

"Well, I'm an undocumented Animagus, a rat," Peter said. "And it came in handy. I managed to slip away, although Sirius cut my finger off with his spell. Those poor Muggles, they didn't…they didn't stand the same change. Twelve of them dead. Dark magic, it's just like Crouch said, the Blacks were up to their eyeballs of it. I shudder what he could have done, had he not been sent to Azkaban."

Peter blew his nose on a tissue.

"I must have wandered the sewers for days, terrified," Peter said. "Sirius was always so crafty, I thought he would find me, and finish the job he started with my finger. But, thankfully, a young boy found me. Percy Weasley, such a sweet, caring boy, taking me in. I decided to stay as their pet, watching over their children, faithfully. I was too terrified to reveal myself, because people might get the wrong idea."

"And what wrong idea is that?"

"I was hiding out because I did something bad," Peter said. "I realize that I should have gone straight to Dumbledore or the Ministry, but I was a Gryffindor damn it, I wanted to be brave. And I went after Sirius, for leading that monster to Lily and James Potter and putting poor Harry with those awful Muggles. Lily's sister, it's horrible. She was rude to me whenever I met her."

That I believe. The rest was bullshit, but that I believe.

"And her husband was rotten too, nasty man," Peter said. "I could have saved Harry from them too if I had been a little more brave, but I couldn't. And I would like to say, I'm sorry, Harry, I'm sorry for letting you down. But, you must not believe Sirius's lies. He tricked us all, James, myself, and Remus. And your mother, your beautiful mother, Lily was really the best of us all. And really smart. But, Sirius tricked her."

"Oh, this is bullshit," Sirius finally growled.

"Mr. Black, would you care to join your cousin?" Yaxley asked.

Sirius gritted his teeth.

"No, don't let him at me, please!" Peter yelled. "Oh, Sirius, why did you do that? I'm…I can't believe it! You sold them out to You-Know-Who, how could you? I understand why Harry would want to know, but Sirius should have been given the Dementor's Kiss. He's a cold blood murderer!"

"Thank you, you should be rewarded as a hero," Yaxley said. "For standing up and facing the man who tried to murder you in public."

Miranda walked to Peter, a cool expression on her face.

"Peter Pettigrew," she said. "You were a bright young man with an even brighter future before you spent ten years as a rat."

"Y-yes, Ms. Brocklehurst," Peter said. "I did the best I could."

"Oh, nothing below an Exceeds Expectations, is nothing to sneeze at, is it, Peter?" Miranda asked. "You were not only brave, but cunning and intelligent. Sirius, James and Remus, they might have outshined you in every subject, but you still did well. You became an Animagus and survived as a rat for ten years without losing your mind."

"Thank you," Peter said.

"And cutting off your finger to escape, that really showed you think quickly on your feet," Miranda said to him. "Why did you spend ten years as a rat though when you were innocent of any wrongdoing?"

"I…I was scared, I told you that," Peter said.

"But, yet ,you were brave in confronting Sirius Black," Miranda said. "You could have revealed yourself to Arthur Weasley. He's a reasonable man, I'm sure he could have helped you. Why didn't you think of that?"

"I don't know," Peter stammered. "I just thought it wasn't a good idea."

Peter started to shake.

"Sirius Black could have torn you to pieces, if he wanted to," Miranda said. "I can see why Lily and James might have picked him as the Secret Keeper and not you. They would always be one step ahead of you, no matter how hard you tried. How did that make you feel? You know that your best efforts were not good enough to outshine Black, Lupin ,and Potter?"

"I would have never betrayed them, you know," Peter said. "I was a good pet, until I was found out. I never harmed those children. I would never touch them. I was a good boy. A good rat."

"A very good rat," Miranda said. "An Animagus form is a reflection of the personality of the witch or wizard. And you know what rats are known for?"

"We like cheese…I mean, they like cheese, and I like cheese," Peter said.

"Cunning, deception, stealth, and sneakiness," Miranda said. "Traits fitting for a spy."

Peter paled even.

"I didn't do it, Sirius did!" Peter yelled.

"Sirius was always better at everything," Miranda said. "How did you feel when you were chosen to be Secret Keeper over Sirius?"

"I was happy!" Peter started before he realized.

Oh, that "oh shit" expression on Peter's face was very priceless.

"I mean I…"

"Yes?" Miranda asked.

"Okay, I did it, I was the one, I was the Secret Keeper!" Peter yelled. "I wanted to prove for once I could do something that none of them could ever do. I figured if I joined up with the Dark Lord, I could be something. I could be someone!"

"Mr. Pettigrew, I'd advise you to quit speaking," Yaxley said through gritted teeth.

Those words fell on deaf ears. Peter rocked back and forth, looking quite proud of himself.

"I turned the tables on the Sirius Black, I outsmarted him!" Peter crowed. "Pathetic Peter Pettigrew did that. Poor Pitiful, Peter, he put the top dog in Azkaban for ten years. And I got away with it too!"

"Not anyone, you little bastard!" Sirius growled.

Easy boy. Don't do anything stupid that will get you thrown back into Azkaban.

"You intended to frame Sirius?"

"No not at first, I wanted to kill him," Peter admitted. "It was always about Sirius or James or Remus or even Lily. I was the pity case. And now I got him! I got him!"

"Mr. Pettigrew spent ten years as a rat, he's not in sound mind," Yaxley said. "His mind is feral! He's deranged!"

"You just called him a hero," Miranda said.

"He's been gaslighted, you shouldn't listen to him," Yaxley said. "I think anyone who has had access to him should be investigated. He should be investigated. Someone tampered with Pettigrew's mind. Disregard his testimony, it was coached out of him. Ms. Brocklehurst should have her license revoked for what she did today!"

Yaxley could see it spinning out of control, just as Peter spun out of control. His demented pride was very astonishing.

"No, no, I did it!" Peter yelled. "I did it! And I got away with it for ten years. I'M SMARTER THAN ALL OF YOU!"

Peter had been sedated and led off. Perhaps Yaxley had a point about him being feral, because he was foaming at the mouth when he went off to dreamland.


The moment of truth. And despite everything, I still held my breath.

"You've heard all of the evidence," Miranda said. "You have heard the testimony. It has been proven that Sirius Black would have been a free man for all of this time had he had his day in court. The alleged victim, Peter Pettigrew, is alive and confessed to all of the crimes. One of Voldemort's top Death Eaters, swore underneath an Unbreakable Vow, that Sirius Black never served Voldemort. Bartemius Crouch, the man who put him inside of Azkaban without a trial, admitted it was a potically motivated crime. The evidence for Sirius Black's innocence is overwhelming and the evidence for his guilt has been roundly debunked. When you vote for him today, remember all of what you heard today."

Yaxley stepped up and looked around the courtroom.

"Today, you heard disobedient children and deranged prisoners make absurd claims about the innocence of a man who was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's chief Death Eater. This case allowed this courtroom to be turned into a circus. A poor victim had been tricked into believing he was the culprit. It is literally a child throwing a temper tantrum and accustomed to getting his way. If you allow Sirius Black back on the street, you let a deranged man back on the street who was capable of murder. I hope that Black is not only judged guilty, but given the Dementor's kiss, and Peter Pettigrew is given the rehabilitation he deserves at St. Mungos."

The Wizengamot started to buzz amongst each other.

"So, now we vote," Fudge said.

"Yes," Umbridge said. "Madam Bones?"

"All in favor of declaring Sirius Black guilty of all crimes?"

Hands raised into the air. This was going to be a close one. My breath hitched him as I did a count of hands. And I was not the only one.

"And all in favor of declaring Mr. Black's innocence."

And here come more hands raised in the air. It was a tight count.

"By a sixty percent vote, Sirius Black has been declared innocent of all crimes and he will be released, free and clear!"

I jumped up and hugged Miranda, who had been very surprised, but very pleased. There was some applause all around and Sirius let out the breath he had been holding in. I made a mental note of all of the feckless idiots who voted guilty, despite getting slapped in the face with overwhelming evidence.

"Sirius?" I asked him.

"I don't know what to say," Sirius said.

"Figure it out once we get out of here," I told him.

"Harry, I thought for a minute, I was going to lose it," Sirius said. "Even with the trial and with Peter, I thought they were going to throw me back, or give me the Kiss."

"Trust me, I wouldn't let it happen," I told him.

"He wouldn't."

Sirius looked as if he wanted to know what I had planned. And likely thought against it. Which was for the wise, given it would not be a good look if a man who just got acquitted from prison was an accessory to an intended act of domestic terrorism.

"You're Natalie's daughter, aren't you?"

Astra nodded and smiled.

"So, the infamous Sirius Black," Astra said. "And in desperate need of a shower."

Sirius gave his bark-like laugh, although it sounded pretty hoarse. Andromeda walked over towards us with Narcissa following, and Bellatrix, still silenced, made up the trio of sisters. Sirius watched them, eyes open.

"There's a sight that I never expected to see again," Sirius said.

"That makes four of us," Narcissa said. "They're going to want you to get a full medical evaulation. I would suggest, and Andromeda agrees, you should get it at the Oldman-Thewlis center, and not St. Mungos."

Sirius nodded in agreement, understanding why.

"You'll be staying with us, until you get sorted out, "Andromeda said.

"Black?"

Sirius turned around and turned to Amelia who walked over to him..

"Keep your nose clean," Amelia said.

"Oh, Amy, you know me I'm a good boy now, I have to be," Sirius said with a smile.

Amelia shook her head and moved to oversee Wormtail's transfer back. Yaxley shuffled off into the shadows, shooting a nasty look at us all when he left.

"He's just a sore loser," I said.

"Watch your back," Andromeda said. "All of you."

I nodded in response. We walked out of the court, where Rita had been waiting amongst the press.

"Quite the story today, isn't it?" Rita asked. "So, you're a free man, are you, Mr. Black?"

"Yes," Sirius said.

"And the Ministry really bungled this one up," Rita said. "Do you plan to sue the Ministry for your false imprisonment?"

"We'll be looking into legal recourse in the future," Miranda interjected for Sirius. "As of right now, my client needs to recover from his undeserved time in Azkaban."

I locked eyes with Rita and nodded.

"The Evening Prophet awaits, and it will be a very special addition tonight," Rita said. "Especially with those juicy tidbits Barty dropped."

Good to have Rita on our side. Very important to get ahead of the narrative before the Ministry spin machine could even get to work.

"Congratulations."

We all locked eyes on Katerina Zabini. She observed, but did not draw attention to herself. She smiled at me, which caused all three Black Sisters to be rather nervous.

"I'll be seeing you again soon enough, Harry," Kat said "Today had some ramifications which will shake up this world for years. Especially when we don't know who has been compromised within the Ministry now do we?"

Kat slipped off, with a confident walk. It was hard not to watch her leave.

"Let's go," Narcissa said. "Yes, Bellatrix, I'll remove the silencing charm on you when we're safely back at Hogwarts."

Bellatrix folded her arms and gave the pouty face. I turned to Sirius.

"So, stay in touch," I said.

"Oh, I intend to," Sirius said. "And we can now focus on your loving guardians next."

I gave Sirius one of those looks. Sirius just replied with a smile, although I can tell he was trying to keep his spirits high. He did not quite believe he finally escaped that hell.

"Don't worry, I'll keep a close watch on him," Andromeda said. "Although, I think he knows that it is important that we take down Vernon and Petunia through the proper channels."

"I might swing by Hogwarts once I catch my bearings," Sirius said. "See you and catch up on the old times with an…old friend."

Why did I think that Sirius meant the opposite of friend? Andromeda gave him one of those looks.

"You get him home safely and keep him out of trouble," Narcissa said. "For all of our sakes."


"Kreacher!"

The house elf in question appeared.

"Is Master ready to commence with the really big boom?"

"Sirius has been acquitted," I told him. "No Happy Guy Fawkes night today."

Never had I seen a house elf so disappointed not to get to commit an act of domestic terrorism.


Astra and I returned back to Hogwarts, in front of the Ravenclaw Common Room. We had a lot to discuss, mostly about what Astra intended to do. While I would have liked her to stick with me, I could see why she would not attend Hogwarts. And given the fact she no longer technically existed due to being magically unpersoned, that might be a tricky one. Plus, anyone else who might have made the jump back into their younger bodies. If they had made the jump.

And the guardian of the Ravenclaw Common Room prepared to give it's riddle.

"What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"

"An amputated toddler?"

I turned to Astra with a raised eyebrow.

"It crawls, it learns to walk, and then it gets into a horrific accident," Astra said. "It's possible!"

"The answer is really man, you know."

"I know, but that's boring!"

The entrance swung open.

"And I was right!"

I believe I technically answered correctly. But, I also technically could not be bothered. Astra and I entered, and several Ravenclaws cheered when I entered the room along with her. Penny rushed over and wrapped me up in a hug and then did the same to Astra.

"I heard the news about Sirius," she said. "Congratulations, you must be so happy."

"I am," I said.

"It was all over the Wireless," Padma commented. "All over the paper, and letters were coming in. Sirius Black was innocent all along."

"I didn't expect this to happen," one of the older Ravenclaws said.

"What's this about people in the Ministry being compromised?"

Another figure moved over and wrapped me in a hug. I blinked and found myself face to face with a grinning Daphne.

"Wait until you see the designs Mum sent over for the ice cream bars," she told me. "Oh, and congratulations on the Sirius Black thing. Justice served."

"I'll have a look over them later," I said.

"Welcome back," Daphne murmured before she pulled away.

"Thought the trial would last a lot longer," another one of the older students said.

"Well, I heard that Pettigrew broke down and bragged about getting away with the entire thing."

Penny cleared her throat.

"It's been a long day," Penny said.

"It has," Mandy said. "Miranda was so happy. She thought for a moment, the Ministry would pull a fast one. And the voting, it was too close."

I thought that too. Or Dumbledore would make a miracle recovery and ruin everything.

"It always is," a seventh year remarked grimly.

All of my fellow first year Ravenclaws and some others turned towards Astra.

"Oh, you must be Harry's twin sister, Astra" Daphne said to break the silence. "The Weasley twins were talking about you, and something about a deal you made with them."

"I'm going to go over there and get some ice cream," Penny hastily said.

"Good plan," Cyrus said.

The other prefects all nodded. I just shrugged, and smiled.

"Yeah, Astra is my twin sister, we were separated for a very long time," I told them all.

"So, she's in on the joke, right?" Eddie asked.

Wisely, everyone moved on from Eddie's statement.

"So, she's your twin?" Tracey asked.

"Oh, well, you can see the resemblance, can't you?" Morag asked.

"Yes, it's clear, isn't it?" Padma said

"Mmm hmm," Su said.

"Obvious twin is obvious," Marietta said.

Everyone offered their solemn agreement with what was said. The party started to kick up and the sugar highs were already beginning. I turned to Astra.

"So, now what?" I asked her.

"Figure out everything later. For now, I'm going to eat ice cream until I puke."

Astra stepped off to help herself to the delightful frozen treat. Daphne turned to me with a grin.

"Girl has her priorities straight," she said, beaming.

"Of course," Tracey said. "The teachers are going to end up banning ice cream if this gets out of control. Every Ravenclaw on a sugar high in class tomorrow."

"Just like they banned that one Muggle boardgame from Hogwarts?" Marietta asked. "What was that again?"

"Monopoly," Cho said.

Several people shuddered in response.

"What happened there?" I asked the older students.

"Too many duels broke out over it," Cyrus said. "I'm glad I wasn't a prefect then."

"Me too," Penny agreed.

Yeah, I could see that. With Sirius cleared and out, it would be time to see what other opportunities presented themselves.

With chaos, there was always opportunity. Always.

To Be Continued.