Chapter 2: Hearings and Trials

Harry Potter had never been so angry during his whole life. Even when he inflated Vernon Dursley's sister Marge. His parents stated in their will he was never supposed to live with the Dursleys but Dumbledore overrode this to keep active the protection that saved him from Voldemort years ago. In Harry's opinion, Albus Dumbledore was no better than Dobby with his obsession for safety. At least now Harry was really safe as a ward of the Ministry of Magic. His train of thought was interrupted by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, who had just entered his room. "Good morning, Harry."

"Good morning, Minister." Harry replied and then noticed Fudge feeling some pain on one of his ears. "Minister, what happened to your ear?"

"Oh, just a howler from Mrs. Pettigrew." Fudge explained. "She's quite angry at me for accusing her long presumed dead son of being a Death Eater."

"Minister, when will Sirius be tried?" Harry asked.

"Just a couple of days after Severus Snape's hearing, which is the reason I came here." Fudge answered. "I'm not sure if the Veritaserum bluff will be enough to have Snape fired. Is there anything else from your memories that can be added against him as a teacher?"

LINE BREAK – The Board of Governors' hearing room

"Severus Snape, you've been charged with threatening to force-feed a student with Veritaserum, unjustly docking House points from anyone other than Slytherins and requiring first-years to brew potions without teaching them safety tips." The Head of the Board of Governors announced. "What do you have to say in your defense?"

"Harry Potter made up these accusations to get attention, Governors." Snape replied. The Governors then exposed Harry's memories of Snape's threat of 'accidentally' dropping Veritaserum at Harry's pumpkin juice; docking points from Hermione Granger for correctly answering all questions Snape made while acting as a substitute DADA teacher during Harry's third year; some random days where he docked points from Gryffindor students for arriving late from class but didn't dock points from Slytherin students for arriving even later; and Harry's first day of class.

"Professor Snape, what do you have to say about these images Mr. Potter presented here?" The now angry Head of the Board of Governors asked.

"I was bluffing about the Veritaserum." Snape started to explain. "Ms. Granger needed to learn a lesson about her arrogance. My Slytherins needed compensation from the persecution they suffer from the other Houses. And all of them should have known at least the basic safety measures about potion making."

"Have you been treating the first-year students this way during your entire career as Hogwarts' Potions Master, Professor Snape?"

"Yes."

"Did Professor Slughorn treat the first-years the same way?" The Head asked. Harry wondered who Slughorn was until he, based on the question, understood Slughorn was the Potions Master from the time Snape was a Hogwarts student.

"No. He didn't understand the value of the time he wasted with useless explanations."

"Useless for you, maybe, but not for all students." The Head replied and then, since nobody else had anything to add, the Board went to deliberate.

"Severus Snape, based on the evidence presented against you to this Board, we hereby ban you from ever holding any teaching post at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, effective immediately." The Head announced after the Board reached for a verdict. "You have two weeks to gather all your personal belongings there and leave Hogwarts premises unless the Headmaster decides to give you a non-teaching post, which we strongly suggest he doesn't."

Snape then glared at the one he blames for losing his teaching post. "You might have used your name to cost me my job but you won't use it to let your murderous godfather free, Potter."

Two days later, the Wizengamot was reunited for the trial of Sirius Black. After an official gives Sirius three drops of Veritaserum, Amelia Bones (neither Fudge nor Dumbledore could preside Sirius Black's trial because of their involvement as witnesses – Fudge since his report as a member of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and Dumbledore since telling what James Potter told him about making Sirius Black his secret-keeper) started making questions. "Are you Sirius Black of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place?"

"Yes."

"When did you become a Death Eater?"

"I never did." Sirius said, shocking everyone present.

"Were you the Potters' secret-keeper?" Amelia Bones asked, no longer sure he was guilty.

"No."

"Then why Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge said otherwise?"

"Because having me as the secret-keeper was the original idea but James, Lily and I agreed to make a change and not tell anybody so I'd be a decoy."

"Who was the secret-keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Is this the real reason you killed Peter Pettigrew?"

"I didn't kill him." Sirius replied. "He forged his death to escape justice."

"Did you kill those muggles?"

"No."

"Then what happened to them?"

"Peter Pettigrew killed them."

"Does anybody else have any questions to Mr. Black?" Amelia asked. Since nobody did, she ordered the Veritaserum antidote to be administered and then all witnesses have shown their relevant pensieve memories. Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the minister, tried to have Sirius Black convicted as an unregistered animagus but Amelia pointed out that, as an auror, Sirius Black is exempt from the law that requires animagi to register themselves. With all the evidence shown in Sirius' defense, no Wizengamot member dared to vote for his conviction.

After Sirius got released, Dumbledore approached him for a private conversation. "Sirius, I'm sorry for not trying to get you a trial before. Please accept this as a token of apology." He then gave the recently-acquitted Sirius Black a wand.

"My wand?" He asked in shock. "I thought it had been snapped!"

"It was." Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Most people think broken wands can never be repaired to the point of being as good as new but I know better than that. Just keep it a secret."

"Deal."

"Sirius, what do you plan to do now that you're a free man again?" Dumbledore asked, seeming to be just curious. "Going to be an auror again?"

"No way!" A now enraged Sirius replied. "None of them ever tried to get me a trial or speak on my behalf. They all were so sure of my darkness just because of my family's reputation."

"In that case, would you like to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, shocking Sirius even more.

"Why would I want to be a teacher?" Sirius asked.

"Knowing you, probably some immature reason like wanting to see Severus's face once he learns the teaching post he desired is taken by the one person he might despise more than he ever hated James Potter." Dumbledore said, knowing it'll convince Sirius. "Not that Severus will be there to see since the Board of Governors banned him from ever holding any teaching post in Hogwarts."

"I'm in!" An excited Sirius replied.

"Excellent." Dumbledore replied. "Now, there's something I must talk to you about. It's about your cousin Narcissa."

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