Chapter 7: Andromeda
"Who are you?" Petunia asked with her nasty expression.
"Mrs. Dursley, you don't know me but I'm Andromeda Tonks…"
"Sirius Black's cousin?" Petunia asked.
"Unfortunately." Andromeda muttered.
"Oh, you still think Sirius is guilty?" Petunia figured out.
"Of course he is." Andromeda said like it was obvious. "He needed a technicality to get out of Azkaban."
"There was no technicality." Petunia argued. "Lord Arcturus Black called the Wizengamot's attention to the grounds to doubt."
"May we continue this inside?" Andromeda asked. "We mustn't attract muggles that aren't allowed to know about the Wizarding World."
Petunia agreed. "Mrs. Dursley, Bartemius Crouch wouldn't even allow Sirius Black a trial." Andromeda argued. "Doesn't it tell you anything?"
"Yes." Petunia answered. "It tells me that Crouch had ulterior motives to keep Sirius imprisoned and knew the evidence was too weak to survive a fair trial."
Andromeda was appalled at this. "Crouch wouldn't do it without being certain of Black's guilt."
"Even if Crouch is 'certain' that Sirius is guilty, it doesn't mean Sirius is guilty." Petunia replied. "Crouch could be mistaken not unlike the witch hunters who are certain the women they executed for doing witchcraft were really witches."
"Don't you know how offensive that comment is?" Andromeda angrily asked.
"As offensive as Crouch deserves." Petunia answered without hesitation. "And if you really accept his official excuse to deny your cousin a trial, it's no wonder you didn't become a law practitioner as you once planned to."
"Mrs. Dursley, I hoped to make you see reason but now I see I have no choice but to take Harry Potter away from you to keep him safe from Death Eaters." Andromeda commented.
"Aren't you afraid Dumbledore will make you rot in prison to keep Harry with us?" Petunia asked. "That's probably his ulterior motive to keep Sirius in Azkaban."
"It was Dumbledore who asked me to do something about you allowing the Blacks near Harry Potter." Andromeda explained.
"You may try but be warned: if it becomes convenient for him, he'll have you sent to Azkaban to make Harry come back to us." Petunia warned Andromeda.
"Honestly, I can't tell if you genuinely believe it or if you're just trying to scare me." Andromeda replied. "You'll be getting an official notification."
A few hours later, Sirius Black appeared in response to Petunia sending an owl asking for help. "Don't worry, Petunia." Sirius said. "You are Harry's next-of-kin and I am his Godfather. With us together, anybody else trying to take Harry in will have a hard time."
"Your cousin said Dumbledore was helping her." Vernon replied.
"Yeah, that might pose a problem." Sirius admitted. "I'll talk to Grandfather and see what to do."
They gave their goodbyes and Sirius stepped out. "So, we meet again, Black." Someone intercepted Sirius.
"Moony?" Sirius asked.
"You no longer have the right to use our Marauders' names after what you did, Black." Remus replied.
"Et tu, Remus?" Sirius asked in disappointment.
"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU ARE THE BETRAYED ONE HERE, BLACK." Remus ordered. "IT'S NOT ONLY BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU GOT AWAY WITH YOUR CRIMES THANKS TO YOUR GRANDFATHER BUT YOU ALSO LACKED THE DECENCY TO STAY AWAY FROM HARRY AFTER BETRAYING HIS PARENTS."
"Pettigrew framed me." Sirius pleaded.
"SILENCE, BLACK." Remus shouted in anger. "YOU MIGHT HAVE TRICKED THE DURSLEYS AND YOUR GRANDFATHER MIGHT HAVE TRICKED THE WIZENGAMOT BUT I KNOW BETTER."
"No, you don't!" Sirius argued. "Just listen to me…"
"SILENCE, BLACK." Remus ordered. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU DEFAMING PETER AFTER HE DIED TO STOP YOU AND YOUR GRANDFATHER MADE HIS DEATH BE IN VAIN."
"What's with this commotion?" A neighbor asked.
Having also stepped out to check things, Vernon figured out the person shouting at Sirius was a wizard. "Whoever you are, please leave Sirius alone. He didn't do anything."
"Sir, I don't blame you for falling for Black's tricks but I must protect Harry Potter from him." Remus replied.
They then were interrupted by Aurors. "Black, what are you doing here?" Moody asked.
"I'm visiting my godson and his muggle family, Auror Moody." Sirius calmly explained. "You should ask question to Lupin here. He's been exposing our world to the local muggles."
"Oh, so you are the one triggering our werewolf detection wards, Lupin?" Moody asked. "What does Black mean with 'exposing our world'?"
"That's true, Auror." Vernon intervened. "He's been publicly shouting about the crimes Sirius was cleared of."
"And who the hell are you?" Moody asked.
"I'm Vernon Dusley." Vernon answered. "I became allowed to know about the Wizarding World thanks to my marriage to Harry Potter's aunt."
The Aurors decided to take Sirius and Remus away and Obliviate all muggles other than the Dursleys. Concerned about Remus, Dumbledore showed up to intervene. "Remus, what were you thinking?"
"I couldn't let Black near Harry, Headmaster." Remus explained. "When I heard that the traitor had the nerve to return to Harry's life after everything he did…"
"I understand, Remus, but you took the wrong approach." Dumbledore scolded his former student. "Andromeda is applying for guardianship of Harry and I'm helping her."
"So, what happens now?" Remus desperately asked.
"You broke the Statute of Secrecy and Lord Black won't allow anyone to get away with threatening his grandson." Dumbledore explained. "You'll likely spend a month or two in Azkaban."
"And my lycanthropy doesn't help matters." Remus sadly added.
"I wouldn't say this but, unfortunately, that's the case." Dumbledore replied.
"I should've known something was wrong when Malfoy told me about Black being free." Remus commented. "He and Black probably set me up."
"Lucius?" Dumbledore asked in surprise.
"Yes, Headmaster." Remus answered. "He told me how he wanted Black out of the way so the Black fortune would eventually go to Draco."
"A plausible enough cover up to keep people from suspecting he was up to anything else." Dumbledore admitted. "I'm sorry I can't help you more."
One week later, it was time for the hearing. "Mrs. Tonks, why do you want to take Harry Potter away from his aunt?" Minister Bagnold asked.
"Because she and her husband are allowing Sirius Black to be a part of Harry's life." Andromeda explained. "Someone must keep him safe from that murderer."
"Accused murderer." Arcturus Black intervened. "This august body understood the evidence against him wasn't strong enough to deem him guilty."
"The tale you made up to trick the Wizengamot includes Peter Pettigrew and Alastor Moody being the real murderers." Andromeda argued.
"The evidence against Sirius doesn't rule out that possibility." Arcturus counter-argued.
"Peter Pettigrew is dead!" Andromeda shouted.
"It hasn't been proven!" Arcturus replied. "Also, Headmaster Dumbledore set a special protection for Harry Potter to keep him safe but it only works for as long as he lives with someone linked by blood to his mother."
"Is this true, Headmaster?" Bartemius Crouch asked Dumbledore.
"While I did my best on that regard, I'm afraid it didn't work well since Sirius Black managed to worm his way in." Dumbledore explained and Amelia Bones raised her hand. "Yes, Madam Bones?"
"Chief Warlock Dumbledore, have you ever considered the possibility of Sirius Black being innocent?" She asked. "He didn't harm Harry Potter during all that time without anyone to stop him."
"Amelia, while trying to see the best in everyone is something I usually deem commendable, that's too high a risk to take in this case." Dumbledore replied. "And besides, the evidence against him is clear."
"Even regarding the deaths of his wife and daughter?" Amelia asked.
"Especially those." Andromeda answered. "Alastor Moody said he has good reason to believe Sirius Black is behind it."
"And yet he refuses to divulge his reasons." Petunia intervened.
"Muggle, you should be ashamed of yourself for leaving Harry Potter near his parents' betrayer." Minister Bagnold commented.
"Betrayer?" Andromeda asked.
"It's not something Chief Warlock Dumbledore wants to be widely known but betraying the Potters' location to You-Know-Who was one of Black's crimes." Crouch explained.
"What?" Andromeda was shocked. "Sirius would never do that!"
"You're smart enough to question this but not to question his supposed role in the deaths of his wife and his daughter?" Arcturus asked. "I always thought anyone too stupid to question the additional accusation would be too stupid to question the rest."
"True." Petunia added. "The additional accusation sounds as the most absurd of all even if we discount the fact the main witness has a motive to want the victims dead and refuses to reveal his motives to believe Sirius was behind it."
Practically everyone there expected to see Sirius being outraged at a muggle for presuming to be on a first-name basis with him and was disappointed at seeing nothing.
"Mrs. Tonks, do you still want to take Harry Potter away from the muggles?" Crouch hopefully asked.
"I'm not so certain anymore." Andromeda replied.
Eventually, those in charge of deciding had no choice because Andromeda gave up. After the hearing, she tried to approach her cousin. "Sirius?" But he left without a word.
"Not necessarily better late than never, Andromeda." Regulus teased her. "Sirius told me of what happened in there. You would have known of the original accusation had you not given up questioning his guilt. Were you really smart enough to question that while too dumb to question the accusation brought by Moody?"
"I don't know what to say." Andromeda commented.
End chapter.