Chapter Thirteen: Trials and Truths - Part Two

The witnesses filed out, leaving Daphne almost alone in the box. They had initially suggested making her a witness, but Dumbledore had decided against it and said that Daphne would only be called under the most dire of circumstances. The issue with her testimony was that it implicated a lot of people in keeping Sirius's secret, people who should've turned him in. If they found Sirius guilty, then Dumbledore, her father, and anyone who knew he'd been free could be arrested for aiding a fugitive.

So she sat beside her mother, who had moved from the back of the small box. Astoria was still at Hogwarts, much to the younger Greengrass's irritation.

"Miss Granger," Minister Bones's voice sounded like a canon blast in the silence that was the courtroom. Daphne watched on, her nerves silent, her fear buried because whatever she was feeling, Harry was going to be a thousand times worse. Sure, she liked Sirius. She cared about him as much as anyone cared about their boyfriend's parents or quasi-father figure, but she wasn't her godfather. To her, Sirius Black had been a kind of bogeyman, the Death Eater who betrayed his friends. He was what you became if you lost sight of what mattered. Then, he hadn't been. He'd actually been a rather jaded yet sweet man, a man who'd fallen through the cracks of a fractured society, not because he was evil or truly bad, but because he placed his trust in the wrong person.

"Please tell us about the first time you met Mr Black."

Hermione looked every bit the teacher's pet. She chewed at her lips, nervously smoothed her skirt and nodded attentively at Bones' words. Where Daphne often laughed in the face of authority, which wasn't hard given her father was her main authority figure, Hermione would do anything to please them. She probably still thought the Ministry had their best interests at heart.

"We didn't know it was Sirius at first," Hermione began. "I mean, Mr Black."

"Miss Granger, how you refer to the defendant is entirely up to you," Minister Bones told her as soothingly as anyone with a voice that resembled an actual explosion could do.

"And if you could finish the story before we adjourn, that would be nice too."

Bones glared at Scrimgeour but said nothing.

"We prefer the term testimony," Dumbledore smiled. "Miss Granger, I believe you were telling the Minister about Snuffles."

"Snuffles?" Scrimgeour barked out a laugh. Some of the other Wizengamot members followed suit.

"Sirius' form as an animagus," Dumbledore explained calmly. "Miss Granger."

"Yes. We'd just left Hagrid's and Scabbers, Ron's rat, he'd been hiding there. Ron and I were fighting and Scabbers ran off."

"You were chasing a rat?" Scrimgeour's derision was as irritating as his smirk.

"Ron's pet rat, yes."

"The very same rat that later transformed into Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes."

"How fortunate."

"Rufus." Minister Bones shot her Head of Magical Law Enforcement another very pointed look.

"My apologies. Miss Granger, you can continue."

Hermione shared the story of how they'd chased Scabbers to the Whomping Willow, how Ron had caught the rat before being dragged beneath the seemingly ancient tree by Sirius in dog form. Even by the Ministry's standards, Daphne had to admit this sounded far-fetched. She told them about how Sirius and Lupin had talked, how they'd said Pettigrew's name had shown up on the map and why Lupin suddenly trusted his old friend again. Then, of course, it got worse.

"Please, Miss Granger, allow me to get this straight. You and Mr Potter chased what you believed to be a pet rat and then a dog into a passageway beneath a tree, without seeking the aid of a professor, before then falling for the story of a madman and disarming a member of staff?"

"Yes. But Professor Snape -"

"Was reacting how any sane person would do," Scrimgeour interrupted. "Something you and Mr Potter certainly didn't do."

"But Sirius -"

"Is a convicted mass murderer. You would do well not to believe anything you hear."

"And, Miss Granger, did this happen before or after you say Mr Black and Mr Lupin revealed Peter Pettigew to you?"

"Before."

Of course, it was. They were such Gryffindors sometimes.

"But Professor Snape was going to call the Dementors. He wasn't even going to let Sirius bring Pettigrew to the -"

"Which is exactly what you should have done!" Scrimgeour shook his head. "You think that because Black spun you a fun little story, that was enough to harm a professor?"

"No, you don't understand -"

But Scrimgeour silenced her again. "We understand perfectly, Miss Granger. Thank you."

"But -"

Minister Bones had the final say, which wasn't a good one. "That will be all on the matter. Now, I'd like to ask about the Patronus? Our reports said that there was a Patronus preventing the Dementors from conducting their legal duty and Kissing Mr Black, yet the Ministry was provided little to no information at the time. Minister Fudge -" She took a deep calming breath. "- decided it was not prudent to ascertain any more information. As a witness, can you tell us about it?"

Hermione hesitated and then said quietly, "It was a stag."

"And who conjured it?"

"Erm, Harry."

The room erupted. Bones was forced to shout to be heard and threatened to silence a particularly loud Lord Goyle who was scoffing at the suggestion.

"You are claiming that Harry Potter was able to fight off a hundred Dementors at once with a Corporeal Patronus?"

"It's what happened," Hermione insisted.

"And he did this to save Sirius Black?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because Sirius didn't kill anyone. Because they'd have Kissed him if he didn't. Harry was just doing the right thing."

"That will be up for us to decide. The Wizengamot thanks you for your time, Miss Granger. Professor Dumbledore, your next witness, if you please."

Hermione gaped at the assembled members of the Wizengamot but allowed herself to be half-guided, half-dragged away by a disgruntled-looking Hit Wizard who was clearly hoping for more from the trial.

Ron came next. He nodded to Sirius as he passed, a reaction that made Scrimgeour roll his eyes and several members of the Wizengamot tut in disapproval. It was all unravelling.

Ron told the exact same story Hermione had, only with a lot more complaining about his leg which got him some laughs. He seemed to grow in confidence, unlike Hermione who had shrunk beneath the questions, as if his moment in the spotlight was what he needed. But that had its own issues. Where Hermione looked like a meek schoolgirl, some of the Wizengamot were looking at Ron as though he were playing the crowd. It wasn't pretty.

"Mr Weasley, could you fill us in on why you believed Mr Black's story?" Minister Bones asked.

"Well, it was the map, wasn't it?"

"The Marauder's Map?"

"Right."

"A map created by James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew during their time at school?"

"Yeah."

"A map that Mr Black, for example, could have manipulated whenever he saw fit after it was taken from Mr Potter by Remus Lupin?"

"What?" Suddenly Ron's bravado faltered. "No, that's not -"

"And did you see Mr Pettigrew's name on the map?"

"Well, I mean, not so much saw but Harry said -"

"So, you didn't see it yourself?"

"Er."

"A simple yes or no will suffice, Mr Weasley."

"No, but -"

"Thank you."

"Why would Harry lie about the existence of a man who, prior to discussing this with Sirius, he believed to be dead?"

"A question we will ask Mr Potter ourselves, Professor Dumbledore."

They circled back to Snape's jinxing, which was now being referred to as 'assault' by Scrimgeour. Once again, they ran Ron in circles, tying him up with ideas that could frame the truth in a very different light. At the centre of the room, Daphne watched as Sirius' fight left him. At the start of the trial, he had been sitting tall, confident. Yet as question after question undermined his story, he slumped further down in his chair. It was like he'd already been Kissed.

"The court will now hear from Mr Potter," Minister Bones said when Ron left the courtroom.

"Minister, I had hoped to first call Remus Lupin."

"We would first like to hear from Mr Potter, Professor."

"Forgive me, Minister, but it is not the Wizengamot's decision how I present my witnesses." His eyes twinkled and the small smile appeared that Daphne was learning meant he very much wasn't sorry and didn't care what whoever he was talking to thought. It was also the look he saved for whenever he knew he was right. How Harry liked him was beyond her.

From the confines of her robes, Daphne retrieved the small dragon Harry had given her for Christmas. It yawned, unfurled its tiny wings and stretched before rubbings its scaly head against her palm. She'd not told him or in fact anyone that when they'd been fighting she'd had the dragon by her bedside, how she'd looked at it and thought of simpler times, of how she'd felt watching him whizz around the real-life dragon. He had just been this amazing spectacle then, yet the truth had been so much better.

She tried to go to that moment again, tried to block out the trial, the noise of the great doors opening and Lupin entering - because if there was one thing that was only going to make this worse, it was prejudice.

Wizards, witches and werewolves had a long history. It was complicated by the fact that werewolves were, in reality, just witches and wizards who grew hair and killed things. They were what lay dormant and dark in beneath the surface. They represented true, unbridled killing power. There was no creature more deadly than a werewolf. So, what did that make the wizard or witch the other twenty-nine or so days of the month? Was the person the reality or did they simply hide the wolf within?

If Sirius had been a bogeyman in the minds of young witches and wizards, werewolves were the bogeyman's nightmares.

The disgust was clear in their faces. In the crowd, Daphne saw Parkinson's father glower, Zabini's mother's lip curl and even women like Augusta Longbottom look on with caution. It made her skin crawl.

"You are Remus Lupin of 27 Hilltop Lane, Halifax, is that correct?" Minister Bones began.

"I am." Lupin spoke with the same gentle and measured tone he always did, as if emotion might make those around him wary. It probably did.

"And, per The Werewolf Code of Conduct of 1637, you have abstained from the assault of non-werewolves since your last appearance before the Werewolf Registry Office in August of last year?"

"That is correct."

"Thank you." It was impossible to read Minister Bones, but in that moment, Daphne was sure she saw a touch of disdain. Whether for Lupin or the rules he was forced to follow, she couldn't be sure. "Mr Lupin, we have heard previous testimony from Miss Hermione Granger and Mr Ronald Weasley that you were present on the sixth of June nineteen-ninety-four when Sirius Black fled custody, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And you were present for the assault of Severus Snape?" Scrimgeour barked.

"When Harry disarmed Professor Snape with three wands, accidentally amplifying the damage of the spell? Yes."

"Mr Lupin, you were the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor that year." Minister Bones continued, taking over from her colleague. "A position that Albus Dumbledore offered you in spite of being aware of your affliction."

"Mr Lupin's lycanthropy is irrelevant to this hearing, Minister. As is my decision to provide him with the post."

"Given that Mr Lupin's transformation is central to how Mr Black escaped custody, I would argue it is not, Professor. Mr Lupin, could you please confirm that what I have said is correct?"

"It is."

"Thank you. Now, I would like to ask you how you found yourself at the Whomping Willow that evening?"

"I had previously confiscated a map from Harry Potter."

"We're well aware," Scrimgeour snapped.

"I had not expected to see the map again," Lupin continued, without paying Scrimgeour any mind. "That night, I saw Peter Pettigrew, Ron Weasley and Sirius Black heading down the passage beneath the Whomping Willow. Knowing where this passage leads, I felt I had to lend my assistance."

"And you did not fetch the Dementors?" There it was again. The same question over and over. Everyone hadn't told the Ministry, they'd all started off on the wrong foot. Even if Sirius was innocent, they could've called the Aurors or even the Dementors, anyone who would've actually been a trustworthy way of setting the record straight.

"I did not. I wished to hear Sirius out. If Peter was alive, he could not have killed him. I wanted to know if I was right."

"In what way?"

"I wished to know if Sirius had betrayed my friends. He did not."

Scrimgeour let out another discontented bark, but Minister Bones ignored him. "And it was at this point you forgot to take your potion?"

"Correct. I wish that I could return to that moment."

"The court isn't interested in your failings." Scrimgeour's disgust was mirrored by those around him, yet somehow Lupin didn't rise to it. He just sat there.

"Please tell us what happened next."

Lupin told the exact same story, which at least told the court they were either telling the truth or had practised their lies well. The Wizengamot had banned the use of Veritaserum since several suits from people who'd then gone on telling the truth to anyone who asked them questions. It had split up marriages, caused on Ministerial Official to lose a vital trade deal and made a Healer reveal the full extent of a patient's wounds before they were prepared. Some other people had had allergic reactions and wound up in St. Mungo's. No-one died.

In short, it was an inconvenience, and if there was one thing magic was supposed to do it was make life easy.

So, what had they done? They'd banned the stuff. What Daphne wouldn't give to stick a vial down Sirius' throat and have him tell the story again.

"I would like to return to the map," Minister Bones said once Lupin had said his piece. "You say that you saw Peter Pettigrew's name on it and believed him to be alive."

"I did."

"Yet the map could have been tampered with?"

"I had the map for several weeks. I would know if it had been altered in any way. It was not. And besides, even if it had been, I saw Peter. We all did."

"And you forced him to reveal himself?"

"I did, we both did. It was no apparition or falsehood, Minister. Peter was there. He escaped when I transformed. Had I not, Peter would have been revealed to the Aurors upon our return to the castle. He would be where Sirius now sits and Sirius would rightly be a free man."

"We're not talking about what would have been." Scrimgeour's interruptions were beginning to become as predictable as they were annoying.

"No, we are simply telling the truth."

Minister Bones considered this and then said, "Like Mr Black did when he said he thought you to be a traitor? Why was that?"

The ex-Auror hadn't lost an ounce of training. Lupin's jaw clenched and for the first time, they saw the flicker of anger. It was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Because I had always been more reserved, more cautious. James and Sirius were brash where I was calm. They fought when I may not have done. They mistook my concern for treachery because they knew someone was a spy. I thought perhaps Sirius had fallen as his brother had done. None of us suspected Peter."

"And you expect us to now?"

"I do. We made a mistake. We overlooked Peter because he worshipped James. We thought he truly cared about them, perhaps he did. But Peter has always been drawn to those who can do what he cannot. First James, Sirius and to lesser extent myself. Voldemort was the logical next step when all looked lost.

"When Voldemort vanished, he transformed into a rat. He sought protection from the Weasleys. It fits the pattern, don't you think?"

"How so?"

"I believe Remus is referring to me, Minister," Dumbledore said, which inspired a relieved nod from Lupin. "My relationship with Arthur and Molly is well known. With Voldemort defeated, who better to hide with than a family I would never suspect? A family whose children would soon be under my protection at Hogwarts."

"And they didn't think to question why a rat they found would live for twelve years?"

"Minister, I cannot speak for Molly or Arthur, but I can imagine having seven children may prove to be slightly distracting." That earned him a laugh.

The Minister conceded the point, before asking to hear from their next witness. The doors opened to reveal one of the only two people left to speak. Daphne's chest tightened. Her mouth dried. Walking forward, his shoulders squared and his eyes forwards was the only person they all wanted to hear from. Harry.

AN: I just wanted to mention here that I'm hoping to release the next chapter quite quickly, so you shouldn't have too long to wait! However, I wanted to put a break here so that we can switch back to Harry's perspective. After this section, we'll be going back to longer chapters and the 'short story' approach I initially wanted to do with this story. However, I think reading all of this in one go would've been a lot and writing it as one chapter just didn't really feel the right way to go.

I hope you're enjoying the trial and look forward to revealing what comes next!