DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING! DISCLAIMER!
Harry was seated, squashed, next to a stout looking woman and an old man that smelt faintly like alcohol. There had to be over two hundred people squeezed into the court dungeon, fifty of which were members of the Wizengamot; a place in which Harry would hold when he turned 17.
Auror Robarbs had told him to stay seated, and to not move. Harry felt he had done pretty well with this order, but enough was enough. Besides it wasn't really an order, more a friendly suggestion. At least, that's what Harry told himself as he clambered down to the first row barrier, wedging himself into the tiny space in the front row.
The court room looked enormous, the walls were made of ancient black marble stone, and bright torches lit the room brilliantly. Around Harry the crowd was a buzz with thick layers of tension and excitement, they all seemed oblivious to the dark figures hovering ten feet above their heads. Cloaked creatures, that swarmed above them in a great heaving mass, attempting every other minute to batter through the pulsing light that held them at bay. The sight of them turned Harry's stomach, these were Dementors, they guarded Azkaban. The letter from Harry's mother had stated Sirius Black's innocents, it had been Peter Pettegrew that had betrayed them, not his Godfather. Harry felt oddly guilty at questioning the strangers loyalty. The feeling only grew with each split second glance at monsters hung above him.
Robarbs had forced Harry from the meeting room at Gringotts, yanking him out into the sunny afternoon in Diagon Alley. They had side-along apparated to the Department of Magical law enforcement, and 5 hours later Harry was now waiting, on edge, for Sirius Black to enter the court. His godfather, his family?
Harry had woken this morning with nothing to worry about, in the course of one day, he had discovered his name, his birthday, his parents, his wealth, and now, he was in the high court of law setting an innocent man free. It had been an odd day.
The court room was loud with the rumble of confused voices, none of them understanding the cause for this sudden change of events. Why, after ten years, was this murderer finally getting a trial? Why was Minister Fudge absent from the proceedings? Where was Dumbledore?
Harry watched with bated breath as a man in an imperial black robe, rose one hand to the crowd, to which a sudden hush rushed around the court room; the once deafening confusion turning to jarring silence.
'Bring in the prisoner,' The man in black said, his voice echoing around the room. Harry craned his neck in order to catch the first glimpses of Sirius Black entering the hall.
Three Auror's entered through a singular wooden door, to the far right of where Harry was wedged. Following behind them was a tall man, with a sunken face, waxy skin, and long matted hair; much like Harry's, although darker. The man's hands and feet were shackled, so he shuffled forward at a slow pace, his face upturned to the waiting crowd.
Sirius looked confused and astonished, searching blindly for a familiar face amongst the sea of strangers. He was led to a small wooden stool in the center of the room, the three Auror's remained by his side throughout his small journey, and then dispersed when the prisoner was seated.
A square jawed witch stood from her seat behind a large podium, her close cropped grey hair hung forwards slightly as she peered down at the man before her. 'Sirius Orion Black, ten years ago you were convicted of betraying James, Lily and Harry Potter to Voldemort', the woman paused, 'Today, in the light of new evidence, you are to be questioned under veritaserum, should you be found guilty, you will return to Azkaban for the remainder of your life'.
A hunched back man swept forwards, his robes moth eaten and weathered. In one hand he held a small glass vile, and with the other his wand, trained on the prisoner. Sirius did not squirm under the obvious threat, Harry could clearly see the grim determination bathing him in a second skin. Harry knew that feeling, the promise of freedom could be more all encompassing then all the riches in the world.
The humped man guided Sirius's chin up with his wand and then tipped the vial of potion into his waiting mouth, the prisoner swallowed it greedily.
The serious looking woman waited a few moments before asking her first question. 'Are you Sirius Orion Black?'
'Yes', Harry swallowed nervously at the sound of the croaky voice of his godfather. But the man himself looked nothing but content, his back straight and proud.
'Were you born on the 19th of October 1959?'
'Yes' Sirius's voice rang out clear, slicing the tension in the room like cheese wire.
'Did the Potter's name you there secret keeper?' Harry could feel the entire room contract , as if all the air had been taken from it. His own heart was hammering with an unknown speed, the Dementors above were mercilessly throwing themselves at their barrier, desperate to get to Sirius. They were the foulest creatures Harry had ever seen, but his eyes stayed pierced on the man in front. Waiting.
'No.' The room collapsed into a chaos of voices. Harry was one of the few people who remained silent, staring at the back of Sirius's head, smirking at the man's simple response. One word, one word and he had ripped to shreds everything that this crowd had ever believed.
It took a full ten minutes before the stern looking woman could get the court room back under control, forcing the room back into a hesitant silence. 'Who was the Potter's secret keeper?', she said, addressing Sirius, her voice urgent.
'Peter Pettigrew'
'Is that why you killed him, and the twelve muggles?' The crowd seemed to murmur in agreement of her question. It was the only possible explanation.
'Peter isn't dead, and I didn't kill anyone,' There was a deadly bite to Sirius's tone as he spoke those words, and yet there was a sense of relief there as well; for finally being able to say that sentence, and have people truly believe him.
'Then what happened, when you confronted him?'
'I hunted him into a busy muggle neighborhood, I had him cornered. That's when he started spouting that I was the one who betrayed James and Lily. Before I knew what had happened, I was under rubble. He had blown up the street. I saw him chop off his finger and then transform into a rat.'
'A rat?'
'Peter is an unregistered animagous'. The smugness emanating from the filthy man could have lit a fire. Peter was going to die, by Sirius's hands or someone elses, but he was going to die.
'You mean to tell me that Peter Pettegrew is not only alive, but has most likely been hiding in his animagous form for the past ten years?'
'Got it in one' his words sounded empty, the pain too potent to let it free.
The stern woman turned around to address her peers, her grey eyes sweeping across each face before speaking in a loud solemn voice. 'Wizards and witches of the Wizengamot we have been called here today, to judge the trial of Sirius Orion Black, believed dark wizard and murderer. Under the light of Mr Black's oath, under veritasirum, all those in favor of sending Sirius Black back to Azkaban, raise your hand.'
To Harry's great pleasure, not one hand was raised. 'All those opposed?' The loud shuffling of robes signaled the freedom of Sirius Black, as every hand rose ceremoniously into the air.
'Sirius Orion Black, you are acquitted of all charges against you, your fortune, estates and inheritance shall be returned, along with a generous amount of gold from the ministry, in apology for the unlawful imprisonment of an innocent man. Lord Sirius Black, you are a free man'
As if on que, the members of the wizengamot started to file out of there seats and through a small side door, the one Sirius Black had first entered through. Harry watched, confused, as they disapeared from sight. He turned his head back to Sirius, and saw two Auror's unshackling the bedraggled man.
As the two Auror's began leading Sirius away, a heavy hand clapped down on Harry's shoulder. Had it not been for the almost painful grip holding him in place, he would have bolted.
'Boy? What were my last words to you?', Harry smirked at the voice, his initial instincts squashed like a bug. He wiggled his body around to face the Head Auror.
'To stay put and not move.' Robarb's rose one eyebrow at the scruffy boy, clearly not amused. 'What can I say? I'm a rebel.'
Harry could have sworn he saw the elder man's lip twitch imperceptibly, but he couldn't be sure. 'Come on kid, lets go meet your Godfather.'