Chapter 8: Making Amends

Back at Hogwarts, Headmaster Dumbledore couldn't understand how things went so wrong. Not only Sirius Black remained a part of Harry Potter's life but also got Andromeda Tonks on his side. "I thought Andromeda had cut off her ties to the Blacks." Dumbledore commented.

"There used to be a time when you believed the same about her cousin." Professor Snape muttered.

"Point taken but it doesn't tell me how to make sure Harry won't trust Black." Dumbledore replied.

"Perhaps we could have Professor Binns teach about Black's betrayal and how he got off on a technicality." Professor McGonagall suggested.

"And perhaps pigs could fly without magic." Snape replied and everyone stared at him. "By the time the brat receives his Hogwarts letter, he'll be already indoctrinated into believing the tale concocted by Arcturus Black. It'd be relatively easier to convince a Death Eater who knows of Black's other crimes to report them in exchange for a lesser sentence."

"Good idea, Severus." McGonagall commented. "Crouch's already trying to do this to get yet to be identified Death Eaters."

Meanwhile, brothers Sirius and Regulus Black were at the former's home when they heard someone knocking on the door. "Are you expecting other visitors, Sirius?" Regulus asked.

"No, brother." Sirius replied and then answered the door. "Andromeda?" He asked with a frown. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to apologize, Sirius." Andromeda uneasily answered.

"Apologize for…" Sirius wanted her to elaborate.

"For believing you would want your wife and your daughter dead." Andromeda explained.

"You took the word of someone who inherited a fortune from their deaths and refused to reveal his reasons to supposedly believe Sirius was behind it!" Regulus intervened.

"Crouch, Dumbledore and Bagnold were so certain of Sirius' guilt they wouldn't even hold a trial." Andromeda pleaded.

"As someone who once intended to be a law practitioner, you should have known better." Sirius commented. "Even if they genuinely believed me guilty,"

"And I still have doubts on that matter." Regulus added.

"I should have been allowed a trial." Sirius stated. "Being certain that someone is guilty doesn't mean this someone is guilty and that's the reason there's a law granting every accused criminal a chance to make pleas of innocence."

"Are you being honest or is it Dumbledore's plan to get close to Harry?" Sirius asked.

"I'm being honest, Sirius." Andromeda pleaded.

Sirius then produced a vial. "Are you willing to confirm it with Veritaserum?"

"Yes, Sirius." She answered, surprised he'd have a vial.

Sirius then opened the vial and drank its contents. "What?" Andromeda asked in fear. Veritaserum wasn't supposed to be taken in more than three drops.

"Hey, I was thirsty and I had this nice vial of water." Sirius commented.

"Wasn't it Veritaserum?" Andromeda asked.

"Regulus, did you hear me saying it was Veritaserum?" Sirius maliciously asked his brother.

"Are you serious?" Andromeda asked and soon regretted it.

"Yes but my name has nothing to do with it." Sirius answered, showing he was still the same prankster from before.

A few days later, Crouch, Moody and Dumbledore were questioning a captured Death Eater. "You can make things easier for you, Death Eater." Moody threatened. "Just tell me whatever you know about Black's crimes and we'll shorten your sentence."

"Okay." The Death Eater replied. "What do you want me to say?"

"Excuse me?" Crouch asked.

"You must have some already fabricated story you need me to confirm." The Death Eater assumed.

"We want the truth." Moody demanded.

"Yeah, right." The Death Eater snarked.

"What do you mean by that?" Moody asked.

"You're likely desperate to have Sirius Black sent to prison before he makes you pay for the deaths of Athena and Acquila Black." The Death Eater accused.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Moody angrily asked.

"You inherited a fortune from their deaths and were in such a hurry to close the case you shifted blame to the suspect whose guilt was the least likely to be questioned." The Death Eater explained. "The plan was good but it failed because his Grandfather questioned it and, for some reason, wanted him out in spite of Sirius Black not being a real Death Eater."

Enraged at this, Moody forced Veritaserum on the Death Eater and, to his dismay, found out the Death Eater genuinely believed he was behind those deaths. The Death Eater also genuinely believed Sirius Black wasn't a Death Eater and that the others just wanted an excuse to send Black back to prison without caring if he was a real criminal or not just because the Ministry wanted people to think the Potter's betrayer was rotting in prison.

"Well, Severus did tell me Voldemort never allowed any of his Death Eaters to know the identities of all others." Dumbledore commented to comfort his friends.

"I still believe Snape made it up to get out of revealing the identities of the most dangerous Death Eaters he knows of." Crouch replied and Moody agreed.

End chapter. There'll likely be a time skip for the next one.