"Emergency! Call the Medi-Wizards!"
An Auror sprinted toward the exit upon hearing the Minister's voice. His robes are flapping behind him.The Wizengamot fell into silence. All the lords and ladies of the houses turned their attention to the limp body lying on the floor.
Lily's mouth hung wide open in shock. She hadn't interrogated Peter after capturing him. She hadn't even asked why he had betrayed them. Instead, she had forced him to transform into his Animagus form and pocketed him in a jar. It wasn't because she didn't want to ask, but rather because she knew that if she did, she might beat him or even kill him, making it even more challenging to free James.
"Take her in handcuffs! She's the one controlling him to free her criminal husband and her lover, Black!" Someone shouted from the Lords' Gallery.
Lily whipped her head around to see who had spoken but couldn't identify the speaker. Many were openly laughing at her now. She wanted to hex everyone in the room, but she had to control her anger for the sake of Harry and James. She then turned her gaze toward Amelia Bones, who was whispering with Dumbledore.
"I bet she's trying to find one more lover who can satisfy her until her husband comes out. Mudblood whore, I heard they can't be satisfied with just one person," someone said aloud again, provoking even more laughter.
Lily recognized the voice. It was Casper Avery. Her hand tightened around her wand. She could make him vanish to the moon or turn him into a flea to be eaten by a frog. But she...
"Stop it, Lily. They will pay in due time," she muttered to herself. Her wand hand itched to curse him, but she couldn't lose her temper now. That's precisely what they were trying to provoke: causing her to curse another lord in the Wizengamot and end up in Azkaban without a trial, just like James.
"SILENCE!"
She jumped at the voice and looked around to see that Peter's body had been removed from the floor. Dumbledore had finished talking with the others and now addressed the hall.
"Lord and Ladies, today, a tragic death has occurred on our Wizengamot floor. Death is death, even if it is a criminal's. According to the Medi-Wizards at St. Mungo's, he was being controlled since Halloween 1881. His mind was bewitched by another powerful wizard or witch. He was taken to a ritual on the night of Halloween. Not just anyone can do that. The tragic accident occurred here because when Peter Pettigrew attempted to reveal a forbidden truth imposed by his controllers, his brain lost control over vital organs."
Dumbledore gracefully returned to his seat.
"And what about my husband, Albus? Surely you will give him a public trial now, won't you?"
"Ah, I seem to have forgotten to mention that. Due to recent revelations, we want to inform you that James Potter and Sirius Black's trial will be held tomorrow, in front of the entire Wizengamot."
Azkaban, the notorious wizarding prison, stands as a grim testament to the darkest aspects of the magical world. Located on a remote island in the North Sea, it is a place of perpetual gloom, despair, and unspeakable horror.
The atmosphere surrounding Azkaban is one of utter desolation. The island itself is shrouded in an eerie mist, perpetually cloaked in darkness even during the brightest days. The very air seems heavy with the weight of the suffering within its walls. It's said that the island itself exudes an aura of hopelessness, a palpable sense of dread that can be felt even by those approaching from a distance.
The prison is comprised of tall, forbidding stone towers that rise from the rocky coastline. These towers loom like sinister sentinels, their spires reaching into the perpetually overcast sky. There are no windows, no signs of life, only the grim, imposing façade of Azkaban.
Inside Azkaban, the prisoners are subjected to unimaginable torment. The inmates are held in small, windowless cells. The walls are cold and damp, with a pervasive chill that seems to seep into the very bones of those unfortunate enough to be imprisoned there. The cells are devoid of any comfort or human contact, a deliberate cruelty meant to break the spirit of even the strongest wizards and witches.
The prisoners themselves are a motley collection of the most dangerous and malevolent individuals in the wizarding world. Murderers, Death Eaters, and dark wizards and witches of all kinds find themselves incarcerated in Azkaban. These individuals are often deeply disturbed and dangerous, and their presence only adds to the overall sense of dread that permeates the prison.
But perhaps the most feared and loathed inhabitants of Azkaban are the Dementors. These dark, hooded creatures are the guards and wardens of the prison. They are the embodiment of despair and soul-sucking darkness. Dementors glide through the prison's corridors, their presence causing an immediate drop in temperature and a stifling sense of hopelessness.
Dementors feed on the emotions of the prisoners, particularly their happiest memories. They are known to administer the Dementor's Kiss, a fate worse than death, which involves sucking the soul from a victim, leaving them as a soulless, empty shell. The mere presence of Dementors is enough to reduce even the most hardened criminals to quivering wrecks, their sanity slowly eroded by the constant exposure to the creatures' soul-sucking influence.
Inmates in Azkaban are subjected to this torment day in and day out, their minds and spirits slowly withering away under the relentless assault of the Dementors. Many prisoners become little more than hollow shells, their memories and identities gradually fading into nothingness.
In this darkness, the northernmost cell is occupied by a person named James Potter. The cell is dimly lit, perpetually cold, and damp, with eerie echoes that amplify the despair. James' condition is dire; he appears gaunt, with hollow eyes and a disheveled appearance. He looks very thin. Famous James Potter grin is replaced by an expression of misery and desolation.
Silent footsteps can be heard outside of his cell. And then, the door of the cell opens.
"Oi, Potter, stand up!"
James looks up at the person's face who is poking him in the arm with a wand. He mutters, "Seeing another face in an Azkaban cell is also insanity."
And tries to go back to sleep. He has finally found some warmth. Dementors seem to have left his cell. He hasn't had a blink of sleep for many weeks. The chilling air, echoes of Lily crying, his father's last words, and cold, lifeless Harry resting in his arms are not exactly the conditions in which he could sleep.
"Aye, Potter, wake up. I am real, and you are going to have a trial," the newcomer replies.
'Trial?' "Huh?" James Potter tries to sit. He never thought he is going to have a trial. He finally remembers who is trying to wake him up. The newcomer is an Auror. He can see an Auror badge on his chest. His mind seems to remember something. 'Lily and Hadrian.'
"Where is my son and Lily? Where is Sirius?"
"Black was transported to DMLE just before you. Your wife is the one who gave you a trial, and I don't know about your son," the Auror answers.
James tries to sit up. His body is gaining some energy even after he hadn't eaten since - since when? He doesn't even remember when he has last eaten something. The Auror helps him to stand and walk toward the exit of the large hallway.
When the sun touches his skin, he gets goosebumps. His body regains a lot of strength. His positive emotions start to fill his body and mind. He finally remembers how beautiful Lily's laughter is. How happy she was when Hadrian first word is "mama" not "papa." How Lily looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. Sirius Laughter, Thier pranks, Macgonagall ranting and so much more. James potter smiles for the first time in two months.
"Bring the accused," Dumbledore's voice boomed around the large Wizengamot hall.
Lily and Marlene huddled in the corner. Marlene is also the Lady of House MacKinnon since her parents' death, but they hadn't taken their seats. They were just seated in the corner. James and Sirius had been transported to DMLE holding cells two hours ago. Lily and Marlene tried to visit them, but an Auror said, "Sorry, Lady Potter and Lady MacKinnon, you cannot visit the accused until he is cleared of all charges."
James and Sirius were taken into the chamber with handcuffs, each accompanied by three Aurors. Marlene hid her face in Lily's shoulder. Lily could feel her body shaking with sobs. Lily also wanted to go into her husband's arms, but she knew herself better than most. Lily could see that James was trying to scan the whole crowd. Lily wanted to hide now. She might be brave in front of others, ready to threaten and kill, but in front of him, she could be herself. She could be anything, and he would not judge her for it. Now she didn't have an ounce of strength to meet James' eyes. She lowered her head.
After a second, maybe months, Lily could feel his eyes finally found her. She could feel his hope. She slightly looked up and met his emotionally vacant eyes, he is slightly smiling toward her. A lone tear traveled down her cheek but she give him teary smile. Upon seeing that James' vacant eyes returned to their original hazal color. Lily lips slightly curved more upward than before.
"Are you two James Fleamont Potter and Sirius Orion Black?"
James looked away from Lily and said, "Yes, I am."
"Yes, I am," Sirius also said from his' other side.
"Charges against the accused are as follows," Dumbledore asked, reading the paper in front of him. "You, James Potter, tried to kill Severus Snape, gave information about Longbottom's location to Voldemort, and destroyed Ministry floors and personal offices around it. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty of any crime you mentioned," James answered honestly.
Dumbledore turned towards Sirius and asked, "You, Sirius Black, funded the family money to the Dark Lord along with your other family members, supported Voldemort without taking the Mark, tried to smuggle the accused criminal into the Head of DMLE's office, and destroyed the ministry floors and personal offices around it. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty of any crime. Do you think I would support a monster like Voldemort?" Sirius replied with a red face and clenched fists.
Dumbledore and the other members didn't seem affected by Sirius' outburst.
"Auror, administer Veritaserum to both of them. Madam Bones, please check if it is legitimate," Dumbledore ordered Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Kingsley gave a small vial to Madam Bones, and she checked it by dropping small portions into her own vial of some liquid. After testing the color of it, she said, "It is legitimate."
"Okay, we will question Sirius Black first, and then we will move to James Potter," Dumbledore motioned toward Sirius.
Kingsley took the vial from Madam Bones and gave three drops to Sirius' waiting tongue.
"Name?"
"Sirius Orion Black."
"Date of birth?"
"November 3, 1959."
"Did you ever knowingly help Voldemort?"
"No, I didn't help him knowingly," Sirius said through clenched teeth. He seemed too angry at the question, but who could blame him with that type of questioning? Sirius had left his home to support the light side, and now they were questioning if he had been supporting a dark lord.
"Do you help James Potter to smuggle into the office of the Head of DMLE?"
"No, we didn't smuggle him. We just hid him from normal eyes. We wanted to meet Madam Bones, not that slimy Crouch," Sirius replied with an irritated tone.
Lily silently prayed that Dumbledore wouldn't ask, "Who were you with?" Sirius kept saying "we" again and again. She didn't want to be dragged into the mess.
"Why did you want to meet Madam Bones?" Lily sighed in relief upon hearing that.
"Because she is fair," Sirius continued, "We were going to meet Madam Bones and prove James is innocent of all the crimes he has been accused of."
"Then you didn't destroy the Ministry floor?"
"No, I didn't."
"Auror, give him the antidote," Dumbledore motioned toward kingsley.
Kingsley administered the antidote to Sirius. Sirius was grinning maniacally now, and people were looking at him strangely.
But Dumbledore continued, "Due to the matching of the evidence gathered from wands, his banking history at Gringotts, and his Veritaserum questioning, the court orders to free Sirius Black from his bounds and declare him a free person."
The bounds around Sirius vanished from the chair. An newly appointed Auror gave him his own wand.
Sirius snatched the wand from the Auror's hand, stood up, jogged around James' chair three times, started some stretching exercises, conjured water, washed his face,clean his mouth and ran toward Marlene.
Sirius took her from her seat, placed her on the desk, and started kissing her passionately in front of the whole Wizengamot.
All the people were looking at Sirius as if they couldn't believe what was happening in the court, in front of all the people. It seemed like Cornelius Fudge couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Oi, Black? What the bloody hell are you doing? This is not your personal room where you can do anything you want."
Sirius continued to kiss his fiancée. After a long 20 agonizing seconds for the remaining lords and ladies, they broke apart panting.
Merlene was still clinging to Sirius. Sirius turned towards Fudge and said, "Ah, Fudgie boy, which law book says you can't jog and kiss your fiancée in front of the Wizengamot? I couldn't do that in Azkaban for two months. You guys have to provide more facilities in Azkaban. And this Fudgie boy is just jealous that your women is not as hot and sexy as my women."
Fudge turned purple after hearing that. Everyone was laughing now. Sirius seemed to be the same as he was before he went to Azkaban.
"Ahem," Dumbledore regained everyone's attention. He motioned toward James and said, "Auror, give Veritaserum to James Potter."
Kingsley dropped three drops onto James' waiting tongue, just as he had with Sirius.
"Name?"
"James Fleamont Potter."
"Date of birth?"
"March 27, 1960," James replied.
"Did you, James Potter, try to kill Severus Snape?"
"Yes, I tried several times. He always managed to evade me." Everyone stopped thier breath for a second.
Lily tensed. 'They couldn't question him like that; they would twist his answers.'
"When and why?"
"At the Death Eater raids. I tried to capture and kill him many times because he is a slimy Death Eater, always poking his nose where it shouldn't belong." Everyone sighed with relief at his answer. Lily was the most relieved of all. At least Dumbledore asked when and why.
"Did you give the secret location of the Longbottoms to Voldemort?"
"No, I didn't do that. Wormtail was the secret keeper. He must have given him their location," James answered.
"Who is Wormtail?" Minister asked intersecting middle of conversation.
"Peter, Peter Pettigrew is Wormtail. He was an Animagus in the form of a brown rat." James was dreading the questions about his Animagus form. He couldn't reveal it.
"Oh, that mouse. We've met him before you,"
"What? Mouse? He is a rat, not a mouse. Mice are small, and rats are a little bigger with..." He started to describe the difference between mice and rats in the middle of the questioning. Dumbledore interrupted.
"Did you destroy the Ministry floors? And the personal offices around it?"
"No, of course not. I didn't destroy the Ministry floors," James replied.
Dumbledore seemed to finish questioning. He whispered something to Fudge, who started writing something furiously, almost as if he were forced to write.
"Auror, give him—" Dumbledore began, addressing Kingsley, but Madam Bones whispered something to him. Dumbledore nodded in response.
"James Potter, what were you doing on the night of Halloween 1981?" Amelia asked one last question.
Lily was terrified now. She never once thought they would ask such a question. She knew what James was going to say. This was not the direction she had assumed the meeting would take. She kept repeating the same mantra in her mind, 'Please don't answer that, please don't answer that, please, baby, just this once, please—'
"Performing a Some unknown ritual mentioned in my family's grimoire." James answered truthfully.Thats what the truth serum are for, isn't it?
A/N : I have tried to do better as much as I can. I have tries to find betas but I couldn't find any. I am also beta of these chapters. Next Update will take little longer time than this.
