Chapter Three: The Verdict

"Sirius?"

Poking his head out of the undergrowth Padfoot listened intently, smelling the scents mingling around him. He stepped out of the undergrowth, padding forwards as Harry and Professor McGonagall became visible through the darkness.

Transforming back into a man, Sirius stepped forward, hands behind his back. He was about to ask the inevitable question when Harry answered it for him.

"As well as the meeting went, it could've gone better," shrugged Harry.

Fear wormed its way into Sirius' gut. "What happened?"

"Cornelius Fudge displayed his wonderful talents of stupidity. He flat out refused to believe Pettigrew was alive, despite the fact that the evidence was right in front of him! Finally, Professor Dumbledore got him to question Pettigrew under a truth potion - Veri something -"

"Veritaserum?" asked Sirius.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Needless to say, Fudge didn't seem pleased with the result. He wants you guilty Sirius."

"Of course he would. It would damage his reputation as Minister knowing that someone was put in Azkaban without a trial," snorted Sirius. "It's going to take a lot of convincing to get people to accept me back into the community."

"Professor Dumbledore has put you under his protection. He won't let anything happen to you," said Professor McGonagall. "And neither will I."

"Professor," began Sirius, hesitantly.

"Don't Sirius. We should have realised long ago that you would never betray James and Lily. We all made a terrible mistake, making sure that Harry has his godfather in his life goes towards atoning our actions twelve years ago."

"I was the one stupid enough to not tell Dumbledore that I had swapped with Pettigrew. In the end, it was my stupid idea that got them killed. If I'd done what James wished, Harry would have grown up with his parents."

"But he has you now," smiled McGonagall.

"Not until I'm officially freed by the Ministry."

"They will," replied Harry. "How can they convict you with Pettigrew in custody?"

"It's Fudge. He'd find a way," growled Sirius. He shook his head. "I suppose I'll have to sit through a trial?"

"Cornelius has agreed to a trial - he will send word to Dumbledore. I'm certain the Minister would have ordered you taken into custody, if Professor Dumbledore hadn't stepped in and placed you under his protection. You're free to go into the Castle, if you want. He'll set up some quarters for you. As long as you remain there, you'll be safe," explained Professor McGonagall.

Sirius nodded. It sounded reasonable enough. He glanced at Harry to see the boy looking at his feet. Sirius allowed a small smile. "I was wondering…" he started, but then stopped, chewing his lip, considering what to say. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Professor McGonagall back away, leaving them alone.

"What?" Harry looked up, his emerald eyes shining in the darkness.

"Well, I thought if I was released officially, would you like to come and live with me?" He saw Harry's eyes widen and he hastily added, "I can understand if you don't want to…I just thought…I mean we barely know each other…"

"Are you mad?" asked Harry, looking slightly bewildered.

Sirius was taken back. "I thought you might want to. It's okay if you want to stay with your Aunt and Uncle."

"You really mean it? Come and live with you?"

Sirius nodded.

Harry's face lit into a smile. "Are you mad? I'd do anything to leave the Dursleys!"

Sirius couldn't help smiling. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled his Godson into a hug: the first one he had given Harry since that fateful night that had torn his parents from him.

"I take it is good news?" Hermione asked, as Harry flopped himself into an armchair by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione sat opposite him and Ron to the left. Ron's leg had been mended with a flick of a wand by Nurse Poppy Pomfrey.

"Yeah," Harry grinned. "How'd you guess?"

Hermione laughed. "Professor Dumbledore came to the hospital wing and told us…and the expression on your face when you walked in was a dead give-away even if we hadn't been told in advance."

Ron sniggered. "Snape wasn't happy though."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Of course he wouldn't be. Snape was going to hand Sirius back to the Dementors."

"You should've seen him though when he asked what had happened. He went positively livid to hear that Sirius was innocent. It's like…" Ron frowned. "Like…he didn't give a damn if he was innocent or not, that he just wanted him dead. I dunno really, but that's what I got from him."

"I believe Snape is someone who holds a grudge no matter what the circumstances," replied Harry. "Do you think he'll be asked to testify?"

"He's got to. He was there even if he didn't see Pettigrew," answered Hermione. "We won't…we may have to give written statements, but that's it."

Silence fell between them. Just yesterday evening (it was the early hours of the morning now) all three had believed Sirius Black to be a murderer and wanted nothing more than to kill Harry Potter. But now they knew the truth.

Harry sighed, a look of content settling across his features. He was going to live with his Godfather. He could have a proper home for once, someone who loved him, someone who wanted him, someone who didn't detest him because of what and who he was.

A second chance had presented itself.

I wonder what the Dursleys will think when they hear I'm going to live with the convict they saw on television? he wondered.

The next morning Harry, Ron and Hermione were bone tired having stayed up until the early hours of the morning. They trouped into the Great Hall heading towards the Gryffindor Table. Whispers surrounded them, and Harry began to feel uneasy as eyes swiveled towards him.

As they took their places at the table, a brown owl delivered the Daily Prophet into Hermione's lap. Unfolding it, the three of them read the article that followed the headline:

SIRIUS BLACK APPREHENDED AT HOGWARTS!

PETER PETTIGREW DISCOVERED ALIVE!

By Charles Smith

Last night, Sirius Black was apprehended at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, however the Dementor's Kiss was not given, which Cornelius Fudge authorised if Black was found. Black has been placed under the protection of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, for the simple reason: he is innocent of all charges against him.

How is this possible? Even this reporter finds this turn of events extraordinary. Not all details have been released by the Ministry, but it is known that Peter Pettigrew, the Wizard that was killed by Black on 1st November 1981, along with twelve Muggles, was brought into custody. How Pettigrew is alive no one knows, and that is just one of the many questions that the public needs the answer to.

Black is currently being kept in a secure location, while the Aurors deal with . The Ministry released a statement last night: "It appears that Sirius Black is innocent of the crimes of which he was charged with. He was never given a trial, but sent to Azkaban by Bartemius Crouch, the then head of Magical Law Enforcement. Until, a trial has been arranged, no harm will come to either Black or Pettigrew until the truth of 1981 can be solved."

The Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal that an investigation is being launched into Bartemius Crouch and why he didn't give Black a trial before he was sent to Azkaban.

"They don't have all the details yet," Hermione folded up the paper, laying it down beside her. "This turn of events is going to send the Ministry into chaos. Sending someone to Azkaban without a trial, isn't that against the law?"

"It is," Ron explained, "but, from what I know, it was bad back then. There must have been so much evidence against Sirius that warranted him to be sent without a trial."

"He was the only survivor of that blast on that street and they all believed he was your parent's Secret Keeper, stands to reason they wouldn't need to take him to trial, but it is still wrong," frowned Hermione. "Wouldn't they have at least considered his background before sending him down?"

Harry shrugged. "Voldemort had just fallen then. Hagrid told me that people were still scared. Enough damage was done that made people think Sirius had done it. No one knew they had swapped. Faced with that, Sirius had no chance."

Ron shook his head. "I may be wrong in this, but I'm pretty certain that Black is one of the oldest Wizarding Families, much like Malfoy is. I think the majority of the Black's supported You-Know-Who. If they based their evidence off of that as well…then there would be no reason for Sirius to get a trial. Most Wizarding Families follow the same path. It's rare when one does not."

"Then what made Sirius so different from the rest of his family?"wondered Harry.

That evening Harry visited Sirius in the quarters he had been assigned. The rooms were situated away from any of the students, and no one in the school (save for Harry and his friends and the Professors) knew that Sirius Black was still at Hogwarts. Harry had dwelled on the information that Ron had told him about during breakfast. Whether or not Sirius' family was a dark one didn't matter to Harry. He knew Sirius was different…he could see the goodness in the man's eyes. The fact that he had offered him a proper home proved that his Godfather was different. He knew his Godfather was a good person, someone who had been mistreated badly by the Ministry of Magic.

"Have you heard?" Sirius asked, as Harry made himself comfortable. His Godfather was looking much neater now, wearing clean wizards clothes. His hair had been cut to just above his shoulders. His beard had been trimmed as well. He looked a lot younger then he had been looking only the night before.

"Heard what?" Harry shook his head.

"They've set a date for the trial."

"When is it?"

"Monday 13th June. Starts at ten in the morning and will probably go on for a few days. I'll be kept in a holding cell at the Ministry until it is over," explained Sirius.

Harry nodded. "Do you think I could come?" He wanted to show his support after all.

"You can't," Sirius replied sadly. "It's a closed courtroom case. No reporters, no members of the public either. The Ministry can't risk the chaos it may cause."

"Then why release the article saying that you're getting a trial?" Harry asked. "Surely it would have been best to keep quiet about Pettigrew and you?"

"They would have done but unfortunately one of the Daily Prophet's sensationalist seeking reporters heard rumours, did a bit of digging, got it confirmed and then printed it. The Minister couldn't stop it," explained Sirius. "It might be best if the public knew what was going on in advance, gives them a chance to get used to the idea that I'll be rejoining society. It will not be an easy road."

They fell into silence. Harry bit his lip, dropping his gaze. Their relationship was still new that the silence was uncomfortable to bear. Finally, Harry brought up the courage to ask the question that had been nagging at him since Ron had mentioned about Sirius' family.

"What if the public don't want me to live with you? My friend Ron said…" he trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Sirius leaned forwards in his chair, a mixture of fear and worry embedded on his features. "What do you know about my family, Harry?"

Swallowing, he took a deep breath. "Ron mentioned that the Black's are an old dark Wizarding Family. Is that true?"

Sirius hung his head. "It is. I am not like them, I never have been. I have no desire to associate myself with them. To me, the Blacks are not my family, you are." Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "I ran away from home when I was sixteen. I'd had enough of their pure-blood mania."

"Was it bad then?" enquired Harry. He had to know the truth and the answer to the burning question in his mind: What made Sirius Black different? "Why did you not follow their beliefs?"

Sirius snorted. He folded his arms over his chest. "My parents believed that the only suitable career for a Black was to purify the Wizarding World and join Voldemort's ranks and help him exterminate all half-bloods, Muggle-borns and Muggles. They hated me because I didn't agree with them. It just felt wrong to me." He shrugged. "But James always understood. His parents supported me when my own could not."

Sirius leaned back in his chair, keeping his gaze on Harry. "But that doesn't matter now. My only priority is you, Harry. I promised James that I'd look after you if anything ever happened to him. I haven't done a very good job of it for the last twelve years. It's time I made good on that promise."

"Thanks," smiled Harry. It would take a while for him to get used to the fact that he had a family. But for now, he would have to wait for that day to arrive. It was not assured yet.

A few days more and then we'll know…

The weekend passed in a blur and Monday 13th June came round quickly. Harry found himself awake in the early hours of the morning, dreading the coming day. Though he, Ron and Hermione had submitted written statements for the trial, he could not be there to support Sirius. Potions lesson were cancelled for all years as Snape was required to attend the trial to give evidence. Since the revelation that Sirius was innocent, Snape had been brooding, and seemed more angry and annoyed then Harry had witnessed him to be. Since Dumbledore was defending Sirius, Snape had no choice. The headmaster required him to be there and to speak the truth.

Professor Lupin was also attending the trial, so his lessons too had been cancelled.

Harry spent the day in a slow dream, trying to get through the day without worrying too much. He hated waiting, not knowing what was happening.

One of the things they did learn was that Buckbeak the Hippogriff, who had been scheduled to be executed on the previous Thursday, had somehow escaped. It had turned out, upon investigation, that Hagrid hadn't tied the rope properly, and Buckbeak had managed to pull away. No one blamed the Gamekeeper, not even the Minister. He didn't dare too, not after the 'Black' affair.

As Monday drew to a close Harry hoped for some news of the trial, but none came. Professor Snape returned that evening and when he saw Harry, glared at him. Following Hermione's whispered advice, Harry ignored the Potions Master.

Tuesday passed in the same fashion. Tension was tight and Harry began to wonder if everything was going the way it should be. Finally, on Thursday afternoon, mid-way through Potions, Professor McGonagall collected Harry from the dungeons and led him back to her office.

As he stepped inside he was enveloped in a hug. Pulling away he looked up into his Godfather's grinning face. Harry returned the hug, smiling happily.

No words were passed.

None were needed.

Harry's life had changed.

He had a family.

To be continued...