Chapter 34 : The trap is sprung ( rat trap that is! )
"Cornelius Fudge had, not surprisingly, resigned as Minister for Magic and Rufus Scrimgeoner took over that post. Kingsley Shacklebolt was assigned as liaison/bodyguard to the Muggle Prime Minister," Sirius began. "When we decided to bring the whole 'Peter Pettigrew isn't dead' thing to the Ministry, Harry suggested that we should ask for the special hearing before the Wizengamot to be held on his birthday. We, that is the adults in the Order, were in on the joke, but the Ministry people were clueless,"
There were smiles, laughs and smirks all around the room. Then Sirius took a deep breath and plunged into the story.
X X X
Dumbledore approached the door of the chamber where Peter Pettigrew was being held at Hogwarts and opened the peephole. Seeing that Peter was in his human form, the Headmaster unlocked the door and entered, sealing it behind himself. The room was furnished with a bed, wardrobe, table and chair, a book case with a few volumes on the shelves and a small window overlooking the lake. The one odd feature of the room was the fact that it was lined entirely with magically re-enforced wire mesh; no escaping this 'cage', no matter which form Peter assumed.
"Good morning, Peter,' Albus said, watching the former Marauder over his horn-rimmed glasses.
"Good morning," came the sullen reply.
"I've come to inform you that we will soon be taking you before the Wizengamot, at which time you will confess your part in the murders of James and Lily Potter and of your escape. Those gathered will be informed that Sirius had nothing to do with it and that you killed those unfortunate Muggles and cut off your own finger to put the blame on him," instructed Albus, in his 'I will be obeyed' Headmaster voice.
"Don't you think my being there in front of them would make that pretty obvious?" countered Pettigrew, in a rare show of bravery and cheek, talking back to Dumbledore as if they were discussing a hypothetical situation.
"No, I don't think that would be sufficient; you must exonerate Sirius and own up to your complicity in the whole dreadful business, Peter. Can't have you saying you escaped to save yourself from Sirius, although I believe, at that moment, he very well would have surely killed you," countered Albus. "Be that as it may, you will tell the whole truth and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were working for Voldemort, you were, and still are a Death Eater and that you also killed Cedric Diggory two years ago."
Peter blanched; he'd forgotten all about the incident in the graveyard when he helped Voldemort return during the last task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Aiding and abetting the Dark Lord by betraying the Potters was one thing, but deliberate murder was something else. He'd get the 'Dementors Kiss' for sure!
Falling to his knees, he crept toward Dumbledore, folded hands held up in supplication. "Please, Headmaster, don't let them condemn me to the 'Kiss'!"
Dumbledore took one step backward, stopping Wormtail advancing any further.
"It is not up to me, Peter. It will be the judgment of the Wizengamot that decides your fate." Albus sounded neither sad nor vengeful, just factual, neutral in his tone. That frightened Pettigrew more that the information he'd been given; if even Dumbledore wasn't inclined to show him mercy . . .
Peter rose from the floor, a grimace on his face. "I'll tell them Narcissa was there; she helped Black and McGonagall, she's a traitor to the Dark Lord. I may be finished, but then so will the Malfoys . . . "
"You will not mention that Narcissa was there, Peter." The Headmaster's voice cut him off from his vengeful threat. "You owe Harry Potter a 'Wizard's Debt', from that night in the 'Shrieking Shack', or have you forgotten?"
Pettigrew cringed . . . this was not going well, he was running out of options for saving himself if Harry called him on that little sticking point in the courtroom. Peter was thinking furiously, 'maybe I can blurt that out before Harry says anything about the debt . . . they'd wonder what he was trying to cover up . . . yes, they'd have to know what wasn't being said . . . '
"Before you think too long on how to get around not honoring your 'Wizard's Debt', Peter, I think you should know that if Harry mentions it to you and you are even hesitating to own up to it, that beautiful silver hand your Master 'gifted' you with in the graveyard will strangle you to death and no-one will be able to stop it from doing so. . . It's been cursed to make sure you never betray the Dark Lord."
Peter nearly fainted. He stood there, staring down at his proudest possession; his outward sign, that all could see, of his faithfulness to the Dark Lord. He'd been gifted with it, only he among all the Death Eaters. Now it was his worst nightmare; it was primed to kill him if he ever waivered from his loyalty, if he ever tried to betray his Master. If he could have, he would have gladly ripped it off his arm at that moment. He collapsed onto the chair, staring out the window.
"I will make you one offer, Peter," said Dumbledore quietly.
Wormtail looked up at him, wild hope in his eyes.
"I will do a memory modification on you so you will only remember Minerva being there with Sirius. Narcissa's presence and participation in that evening's events will not be part of your testimony as to how you were captured, if, indeed, that even comes up in the proceedings. I think the revelations about Sirius, Lily, James and Cedric will be the main topics, but just in case?" Albus held up his wand and raised an eyebrow, asking if Peter was willing and would co-operate.
"Don't have much choice, old man, come to that . . . but I am sorry about Lily and James . . . I was too frightened of him to resist . . . and about that boy . . . "
"Cedric . . . his name was Cedric," came Albus' withering retort.
"Sorry, yes . . . " Peter gulped. "Cedric . . . thank you, Headmaster, for this small mercy," sobbed Peter, hanging his head.
The Headmaster quietly whispered the spell, his wand pointed at Pettigrew, as the memory thread made its way out of Peter's mind, to be placed in a small vial Albus had pulled from his pocket. Then he did a 'Memory Modification Charm' or two before he turned and left the room. Peter's sobs could be heard, echoing down the dungeon hallway, until a heavy door at the end closed, bringing silence once more.
X X X
Amelia Bones, Emmaline Vance and their families had agreed to be hidden, but Mister Ollivander had refused to leave his store. He assured Dumbledore that he would be fine, but Death Eaters did raid his store and whisked him away to Malfoy Manor. The unfortunate Death Eaters who had been caught in the Ministry were tried, sentenced and sent to Azkaban to serve out their time.
Draco had returned home and been marked by Voldemort, who had moved into Malfoy Manor less than two days after Nagini's death. The Dark Lord's justification was that if it had been an Auror raid, they'd be back and he wasn't going to be sitting there waiting.
Bella, of course, came with him, acting as if it were her house, not her sister's; ordering Narcissa to use the best china, retrieving the best wines from Lucius' cellar, rearranging the furniture. Fortunately, the bickering between the sisters amused Voldemort, and trying to thwart her sister's vindictive posturing helped Narcissa keep her mind off of 'the plan'.
Cissa had been given a brief moment or two with Lucius after the trial and was able to tell him about Nagini, Peter and the Dark Lord's orders to watch for any sign of Wormtail in Azkaban. Lucius was appalled that the Dark Lord and Bella had taken over the house, but was powerless to do more than tell Cissa to bear it as best she could and help Draco, if possible.
Just as they heard the Auror approaching to take Lucius away, he wrapped his arms around his wife, buried his face in her hair and whispered," Narcissa, I'm so sorry for all the embarrassment and hardship this is causing you . . . and Draco. Please forgive my arrogant, stubborn idiocy; I should never have . . . . I'm such a fool . . .about so many . . . I hope to prove myself worthy of you when I get out. I love you, my darling."
Narcissa pulled back, looked deep into Lucius' eyes and smiled. "Of course you love me, you fool. We will survive this, and you don't need to apologize to me for anything . . . I just thank Merlin I'm lucky enough to have you as my husband, warts and all!"
Then they kissed good-bye as the Auror opened the door to the room where they had been sequestered, squeezing each other's hand, before Lucius turned and walked away.
X X X
"What's this all about, Rufus?" asked Pius Thicknesse, as the two approached the Wizengamot courtroom. The same courtroom, in fact, where Harry had been brought to trial for 'Misuse of Underage Wizardry', after the attack by the Dementors two years previously.
"Don't have a clue, Pius. Dumbledore and Harry Potter requested this session. Most irregular, but after all, it is Harry Potter and considering the way Fudge tried to ruin both Albus and the boy last year, we'd better hear what they have to say," Rufus replied, as they took their seats on the raised judges' platform.
The entire Wizengamot was in attendance; this was a not to be missed occasion, even a couple of ancient Wizards and Witches were being helped to their places, some of them not having seen this room for more than a decade. There was a low murmuring of voices as speculation about what was going to occur flashed around the room.
There was instant silence, however, when the door at the side of the room opened and Albus Dumbledore, carrying a small mesh cage, entered. Harry Potter followed him into the chamber, accompanied by a large black dog on a leash. Remus Lupin came in after Harry and closed the door.
Albus magiced a chair to the center of the floor and placed the cage on it, then stood, hands folded in front of him, gazing around at the gathered members of the Wizarding World's highest court. Harry sat on one of the curved benches facing the Wizengamot, patting the spot beside him, indicating to the dog where he should settle. Wagging its tail, the huge black dog complied with Harry's suggestion, tongue hanging out, panting softly, gazing around and cocking his head. Remus sat down on Harry's other side.
"Good morning," Albus said, rather tersely. All that knew him, realized that tone signaled Dumbledore meant business. "I come before you this morning, with irrevocable proof that a great injustice was done by this Wizengamot. However, I'm of the opinion that you will take swift action to right this grievous wrong before the morning is done."
"What, exactly, are you eluding to, Albus?" asked the Minister for Magic.
"The conviction and imprisonment of Sirius Black for the betrayal of James and Lily Potter, causing their deaths at Voldemort's hands." He paused as the expected exclamations erupted, but held up his hand to indicate he wasn't finished. "Also, the wrongful conviction of Sirius Black for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and the Deaths of a dozen Muggle bystanders."
The uproar that followed stopped as suddenly as it had started when Harry stood up and marched forward, scowl on his face and fists clenched.
"I know you lot have spent the last year reading, hearing and spreading all kinds of stories about the Headmaster and myself; we were liars, publicity seekers, delusional," Harry's voice was full of suppressed fury. "However, we knew the truth; I've been telling the truth about Voldemort's return since the Tri-Wizard Tournament. So . . . when we say we have proof, I suggest, respectfully, that you shut your cake holes and listen to us!"
Harry ignored the outraged Witches and Wizards and turned to Albus. "Sorry for the interruption, Headmaster, but I couldn't stand it any longer." He smiled cockily.
"Quite alright, Harry," smiled Albus, then leaning over he whispered, "You took the words right out of my mouth." Patting Harry on the shoulder, he turned to face the gathered judges once more, as Harry walked back to his seat, where the black dog proceeded to cover Harry's face in slobbery 'kisses'.
"Gerroff me, you daft dog!"
Remus smothered his laughter as he tried to pull the dog away from the boy.
"Really Albus, must that dog be in here?!" Rufus asked, partly to defuse the explosive atmosphere emanating from the surrounding members of the Wizengamot. Harry was laughing and wrestling with the now barking canine.
"Oh, he's housebroken, Rufus," answered Albus, with a dismissive flip of his hand, then turning to the three sitting behind him, added. "And they will all behave now, won't you?"
Harry, Sirius and Remus immediately quieted down and tried to look repentant, not succeeding very well.
Turning once more to the court, Albus continued, "Well, as I was saying, we need to review those two incidents, in light of new evidence discovered by Harry, which will prove that there truly was a miscarriage of justice. Starting with our witness." said Dumbledore, sweeping his hand to indicate the cage. Drawing out his wand, Albus unlocked the cage, reached in and extracted a large rat. Vanishing the cage, he set the rat down on the seat of the chair and then tapped it on the head. Peter's transformation from rodent to human brought gasps and exclamations from the watching gallery. Peter Pettigrew sat in front of them, alive. How? But! Where?
"I know the one question most of you are wanting to ask, but let me tell you a few facts and then you may question Peter, if you are so inclined. James and Lily Potter were thought to have chosen their closest friend, and Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black, to be their Secret Keeper when they went in hiding from Voldemort. However, at the last moment, they asked Peter Pettigrew to be Secret Keeper, reasoning that no-one would think of him, where as Sirius would be thought to be the logical choice. Unfortunately, Peter had already been drawn in and made a member of Voldemort's Death Eaters. He betrayed James and Lily, and then tried to get away. Sirius Black realized who the traitor was and went looking for Peter, cornering him on a Muggle street, where Peter shouted about Sirius being a murderer, caused the gas line explosion, cut his own finger off and, finally, changing into his Animagus form of a rat, escaping through a drainage pipe." Albus paused to let all of that information sink into the minds of the gathered Wizards and Witches, most of whom had condemned Sirius to Azkaban.
Rufus Scrimgeour was the first to find his voice. "But where has he been all these years?"
"Right under our noses, as a family pet. First with one son and then passed on to a younger brother, when the older brother went off to Hogwarts."
"What!? Which family? How could they harbor a Death Eater?" came from a Wizard sitting to the right of Pius Thicknesse.
"Could you tell that the rat on that chair was a Death Eater in his Animagus form, Edward?" inquired Dumbledore. waiting patiently, hands folded, small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Well . . . no." came the subdued answer.
"Neither could the young boys who knew Peter as a pet rat. But Peter was using them, keeping watch for any clue of his Master's whereabouts. Then he was taken by his human keeper to Hogwarts, where his true identity was finally revealed by Harry, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black was spotted at Hogwarts after he escaped from Azkaban, if I remember correctly, but Harry . . . You were in contact with him?" asked Rufus, looking over to the young Wizard, who stood and walked forward.
"No, Minister, I was also under the impression that Sirius had betrayed my parents, and was after me, but the whole story came out, thanks to Remus and Sirius as they revealed Scabbers' real identity," Harry explained.
"Scabbers?" Pius questioned. "Scabbers?"
"Oh, sorry . . . that was the name Percy gave him when he first got Scabbers as a pet," Harry informed him. "Percy Weasley."
"The Weasleys had Peter Pettigrew in their house? But . . Arthur is a Ministry employee!" a Witch spoke up, interrupting Harry.
"Again, who would have known, Regina? Peter Pettigrew had been declared dead, no one was aware he was an unregistered Animagi . . . it was a perfect situation for him . . . and being taken to Hogwarts by Harry's best friend . . . it was a brilliant set of circumstances ," the Headmaster reminded her. She nodded her understanding, then shook her head at the irony of the whole tale.
Remus stood and walked to stand next to Harry. "I need to do a bit of back story, to show how this all started. As most of you know, I was bitten by the werewolf Fenrir, when I was a child, but Headmaster Dumbledore worked out a solution to my monthly episodes. He provided a safe, secure environment to which I retreated each month to endure my transformations. It didn't take long for my mates to notice my absences and my poor health in the days following my strange disappearances. When told the truth, they decided to do something extraordinary . . . they became, after two years of study and practice, unregistered Animangi."
"Did you know of this, Albus?" asked Pius.
"Not at first, but when I did discover what Remus' friends had done to help make his monthly change more bearable, I required that they not use their new found abilities anywhere but on the school grounds and only as a help for Remus. They were true to their word, as long as they were students," replied Dumbledore.
"Which brings us back to Sirius and Peter." Remus picked up the story. "Sirius saw a picture of the Weasley family in the 'Daily Prophet', the story about their trip to Egypt?" There were a few nods of remembrance. "Anyway, he had been turning into his Animagus form in Azkaban, as then the Dementors didn't pay any attention to him and they didn't affect him as much . . . more to keep his sanity than any other reason. But he saw and recognized Peter in the picture and slipped out of Azkaban in his Animagus form making his way to Hogwarts," Remus told the now silent crowd, who were hanging on his every word.
Harry spoke up, "It seems Sirius wasn't out to get me, he was after Peter . . .and he caught him, Remus showed up, they explained it all to me, and Peter was forced to change into his human form. But, it was a full moon night, Remus hadn't taken his 'Wolfsbane Potion', being in hot pursuit of Peter and he started to change. Peter took the chaos of the situation to escape once again and I didn't see him again until Cedric and I were 'Portkeyed' to the graveyard in Little Hangelton during the last task of the Tri Wizard Tournament. Peter killed Cedric and then helped Voldemort perform the Dark Magic that gave him a body."
There were several gasps and murmuring broke out among the members of the Wizengamot until Rufus pounded his gavel for silence. Harry, Remus and Albus waited patiently, seemingly unconcerned that the person they had been talking about was sitting right there, slumped in the chair, apparently thinking if he didn't move or say anything no-one would notice him . . . forlorn hope, as it turned out.
"Peter Pettigrew!" the Minister for Magic called out.
Peter winced and then slowly raised his eyes to look around at the Witches and Wizards staring at him with varying levels of disgust . . . he saw no pity in any of their eyes . . . none.
"Is what Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry Potter and Remus Lupin told us the truth; of the circumstances that find you still alive, all these years after the attack on James and Lily Potter?"
"Yes," Peter croaked, nodding his head, to make sure they understood his answer.
"You betrayed James and Lily Potter to Vol . . .Voldemort?"
"Yes."
"You cut off your own finger?"
"Yes."
"You caused the deaths of a dozen Muggles to cover your escape?"
"Yes."
"You made accusations, blaming Sirius Black for what, in fact, you had done?"
"Yes."
"In your rodent form, you ingratiated yourself into an unsuspecting Wizarding family - the Weasley family - in order to have access to any information that might be forthcoming about your Master?"
"Yes."
"You escaped when your true identity was revealed and then went to your Master and helped him return, killing Cedric Diggory in the process."
"Yes."
"And how is it that we find you here, captured and brought to the Ministry?"
"I was caught by him," explained Peter, turning in his chair and pointing at the black dog, who had been sitting, unmoving and silent for the last few minutes. Now the dog stood and loped over to stand next to Harry, who bent and removed his collar. With a shake and an shimmer of light, Sirius Black stood in the dog's place. Although there were, again, a few gasps, Rufus Scrimgeour just shook his head, with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"I was beginning to suspect as much. Albus, just for the record, what was James Potter's Animagus form?" he asked.
"A stag, just like Harry's 'Patronus'," answered Albus, even as Harry swished his wand and his 'Patronus' emerged and stood in front of Sirius before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Well, Sirius Black . . . it seems you've been the victim of a cruel miscarriage of justice, but given the atmosphere at the time and the evidence Peter manufactured against you, I hope you will see why things went the way they did."
"I understand your position and the Wizengamot's view of the situation back then, but I also hope you'll see fit to reverse your ruling and declare me innocent."
Rufus paused for a second and then turning, cast a 'Silencing Spell' over those gathered around him. There was some debate taking place, as Harry, Remus and Sirius stood and watched. Albus magiced himself a cushy armchair and sat down beside Peter to await the decision.
"Well, that went rather well, don't you think?" Harry looked at his Godfather , even as Remus clapped Sirius on the shoulder, nodding agreement.
"If it's so easy," Sirius grumbled. "What do they have to talk about?"
No sooner had he spoken, than Rufus ended the 'Silencing Spell' and turned to face the waiting men and boy.
"Sirius Black, with the confession we have heard from Peter Pettigrew, admitting his complicity in the deaths of James and Lily Potter, your conviction on the charges for those crimes is overturned and you are a free man . . . on one condition."
The smiles that had appeared on Sirius, Remus and Harry's faces slid off, leaving frowns in their places.
"Condition?" croaked Sirius.
"Yes. The condition is; you may not leave the Ministry until you go to the 'Misuse of Magic Office' and fill out the paperwork to register as an 'Animagi'."
"What?" Sirius didn't believe what he'd just heard, but looking at Harry's broad grin and turning to Remus, who shrugged, he threw up his hands in defeat.. "Me? Register? Follow the rules?" Turning back to the Minister for Magic, Sirius wagged his finger at the Wizard. "You drive a hard bargain, Minister . . . alright, I'll go register . . .if I have to . . . I suppose . . ."
That was as far as he got before Harry and Remus burst out laughing, even as they gathered Sirius into a big group bear hug!
Albus stood and addressed the Wizengamot. "Thank you all for seeing this though to the proper conclusion . . . however," That word stopped the other three's celebration in its tracks, as they turned to hear what the Headmaster was going to say. "I do believe a Ministry press release in the 'Daily Prophet' should appear, telling of Sirius' innocence, before he starts walking the halls of the Ministry. Can't have him causing a panic, now, can we?" Dumbledore turned, saying, "I'm sure coming back to register as an Animangi will be at the top of his 'things-to-do-now- that- I'm-free' list, won't it, Sirius?" Albus inquired, looking over the rims of his glasses at his former student.
"It'll be in the top ten . . five, Albus," replied Sirius, sheepishly.
"That's a good point, Albus," agreed Scrimgeour. "I'll see to a press release as soon as we finish. . . Now, about Peter Pettigrew . . . I believe his re-appearance and confession are sufficient to condemn him, but we will have to discuss exactly what the punishment should be, so, until we can come to a decision, would you be willing to keep him wherever it is you were holding him, Albus, or should we have him transferred to Azkaban?"
"I doubt he would survive Azkaban, Rufus. If the Dementors didn't drive him insane, the other inmates might take it into their own hands to punish him. Perhaps he should return to his 'lodgings' for the time being," suggested Dumbledore.
"Are you sure he can't escape?" asked a Wizard, sitting toward the back of the group.
"His room is quite secure, even the drain pipes are warded against him trying to swim out through the plumbing," Dumbledore reassured him.
"Very well, Headmaster. We will try to come to a decision as soon as possible."
"Thank you all," replied Albus, bowing.
"Thank you," echoed Sirius, who then changed back into his dog form, allowing Harry to put on the collar and leash.
"Thank you all." Harry smiled and waved, as Sirius dragged him toward the door.
Peter changed back into his rat form and scurried into the cage Albus held, cowering in the back corner. Dumbledore warded the cage and then followed Remus out of the courtroom, the sounds of Sirius' barking and Harry's laughter ringing along the corridor.