A/N: Sorry for no chapter last time! I was on Vacation and had thought I finished the chapter before I left, but I hadn't. Didn't have time to work on it while I was gone, and then was catching up at work, so I just had to skip that upload window and try again this time. Good news though, I'm back on top of it, and should be good up until my hiatus to plan out Goblet of Fire. Once more, feel free to suggest stuff to see in the tournament. I've had a few ideas, but nothing I'm super interested in pursuing. If you've got an idea, leave it in the comments/reviews! On with the Chapter!
Harry was somewhat nervous as he made his way once more to the court chambers of the Wizengamot. Sirius had gotten his trial, but Harry was surprised at the short time it had taken to get to it. With the Buckbeak trial, it had taken months before there was a hearing, Sirius had barely taken two weeks. Harry thought that shouldn't be too surprising though, this was technically 12 years overdue, and was being personally handled by the head of the DMLE.
Harry had spoken to Amelia a bit about what had happened, being required to give a statement due to his involvement with the events of that night, and during that time Amelia had asked him what he thought of Sirius's story. Harry gave his truthful answer, he believed that Sirius was telling the truth, because the version of events that he gave made more sense than what had previously been thought. Peter Pettigrew being alive alone opened up some questions about his supposed death, and given that the two people who would supposedly know the events of that night the best were alive and available for questioning, it would make sense that a trial should happen.
As Andromeda opened the doors to the sitting area, Harry saw Susan and Daphne waiting for him near the front row, two chairs left open near them. They waived him down and sat him in between them. "How are you feeling Harry?" Susan asked, squeezing his hand a bit. Her touch was soft and warm, something nice and grounding for him.
"Nervous, I know it's not my freedom on the line or anything, but… I want him to have the chance to live his life again. Voldemort took away a bunch of people's lives, my parents included. If we can reduce that number by one, I think that's a good thing." Harry said. Several people around him flinched at the mention of Voldemort's name, Andromeda included. Harry, Susan, and Daphne though, were beyond that point. Two of them had fought him directly, and while Daphne hadn't, she'd heard all about it. She had been with them every other step of the way.
"It's perfectly normal to be anxious at a time like this. Even if you don't really know him that well, he's someone who can be very important to you. Caring about his well-being is natural." Daphne said, as she squeezed his other hand. Warm and soft, another grounding presence. "Luna sends her love, but unfortunately she wasn't allowed to attend this time. Apparently Mr. Lovegood needed her to care for a newborn Jackalope they had found on the property."
That'd be Luna. Her heart was terrifyingly large for such a petite girl. It was probably tearing her up that she couldn't be here. "I'll let her know it's okay. Maybe I should see if she wants to go to a muggle zoo this weekend… assuming I can handle that." Harry said, looking towards the opposite balconies. Members of the Wizengamot were filing in, and many seats were filled already. Cyrus Greengrass, Xenophilius Lovegood, Amos Diggory, and Bartholomew Abbot were all there, although that was all the members he recognized out of hand. Towards the front of the chamber, Harry saw Headmaster Dumbledore, as well as Amelia Bones. They would be presiding over this case. Harry expected the Minister of Magic to be arriving shortly. There was however a good deal of time left before the proceedings would start.
After another twenty minutes of somewhat agonizing waiting, Albus Dumbledore called the meeting of the Wizengamot to order. "Esteemed members of the Wizengamot, the time has come once again for us to act as a judicial body in a criminal matter relating to the war that dominated our world but 12 years ago. It has been brought to the attention of the Wizengamot and the Ministry, that the prisoner known as Sirius Black had not received a trial for his crimes under orders of then head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Bartemius Crouch Sr. such a matter was done at the time in an attempt to ease the tensions that followed the end of the war, but it seems as though there may be more to this story. Peter Pettigrew, believed victim of Sirius Black has been found alive, and Sirius Black, who had escaped from Azkaban, has spoken on matters regarding his incarceration that could exonerate him of any misdeeds he may have committed. It is the right of any citizen of Magical Britain to receive a fair trial before incarceration, and his prior lack of trial is a stain on the reputation of the Ministry and Wizengamot I hope to rectify today. Given my prior involvement with the matters relating to both the Potter family, and Sirius Black, I will step down as Head Warlock for this trial. I motion for Amos Diggory to act in the Position of Head Warlock for the length of this trial." Dumbledore said, his voice amplified by magic.
"Seconded." Came the voice of Cyrus Greengrass.
"I accept the nomination." Amos said, stepping up.
"All in favor?" Dumbledore asked. A smattering of wands shot up, filling a large sphere in the center of the courtroom with blue light.
"By majority vote, Amos Diggory has been accepted as acting Head Warlock for this case." Dumbledore said, as he moved to the side and allowed Amos Diggory to take his seat.
"Madam Bones, please read the statement of the DMLE regarding this case." Amos said as he made his way to his chair.
Amelia nodded, before waving her wand, and several scrolls were distributed among the Wizengamot members. "Sirius Black appeared at Hogwarts on the Sixth of June. He appeared before Albus Dumbledore surrendering himself into DMLE custody, alongside the then unconscious but still very alive body of presumed deceased Peter Pettigrew. Upon being claimed by an Auror team, both Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were held in holding cells, where they were checked over. Magical scans confirmed that both were who they claimed to be, and both were largely uninjured. Sirius Black has provided a statement regarding the events of the night of June 6th, as well as the events of Halloween 1981, when he supposedly killed Peter Pettigrew and the twelve muggles, as well as orchestrated the deaths of Lily and James Potter. He denies all of these claims. With the permission of the Wizengamot, I would like to bring Sirius Black to the floor to give his statement and be questioned." Amelia said.
"As Head Warlock, I grant permission for Sirius Black to give his statement. Please bring him forward." Amos said, nodding to Amelia. From one of the doors on the lower level, Sirius was escorted in by two Aurors who Harry wasn't familiar with. One was a large man of african descent, and the other was a shorter, though still rather tall man with red hair streaked with grey. Sirius looked better than he had the last time Harry had seen him. His skin looked less pale, though still unhealthy, and it seemed he'd had a chance to shave. His walk gave away some of his confidence, as he walked in as if he was completely innocent. Given that Harry was of the opinion that he was, perhaps that was notable. "The Wizengamot gives the floor to Sirius Black for his statement. Auror Scrimgeour, please amplify Mr. Black's voice so he may be heard."
The red-haired man nodded, before waving his wand to Sirius's throat. Sirius began to speak. "Thank you Acting Head Warlock Diggory, and thank you DMLE Head Madam Bones for the opportunity to speak in my defense. I will attempt to cut to the chase as it were in regards to my statements. As many of you are aware, James, Lily, and I were very openly opposing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named during the war. When it was discovered that Lily was pregnant, we quickly decided that towards the end of her pregnancy James and Lily would go into hiding, to insure that young Harry would be born happy and healthy. To that end, we sought the protection of the Fidelius charm on the cottage they were to move into. Anyone who knew us would immediately assume I was the secret keeper, as has been proven by public reaction to the deaths of the Potters afterwards. However, having that knowledge, we elected to choose another Secret Keeper, and simply allow everyone to think that I held the secret. This would not only keep the secret itself safe, but also the Secret Keeper. James, Lily, and I had a discussion about who we believed should hold the secret for us. We had a few names, such as Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, and Andromeda Tonks, but had elected to choose Peter Pettigrew. Peter was deemed as the safest choice as he was both unlikely to see any time on the front lines of the war, given his pureblood status and lack of ability in combat, and what we had thought was his loyalty to James, Remus, and myself. We had been the closest of friends since we started Hogwarts together, and were generally inseparable. It seems that trust was misplaced, as Pettigrew would later reveal the Secret to Voldemort, leading to his attack on the cottage, and the death of James and Lily, thankfully his own defeat as well. When I had learned of the attack that night, I rushed to the scene and found James and Lily both dead, but Harry was thankfully still alive. I gave my motorcycle to Rubeus Hagrid, who was taking Harry away for safekeeping while I hunted for Pettigrew, since I knew he had to have been the one who gave up James and Lily. When I found him, he made a big show about how I had betrayed the Potters before casting a spell into a gas main and blowing it up, resulting in the deaths of 12 muggles. From there, it seems he cut off his finger, turned into a rat, and escaped. I was there, and grieving over the deaths of two of the three people I loved more than anything else in the world." Sirius said, his face growing darker and more dour as he continued his story.
"When you were apprehended that night, you claimed that you had killed the Potters. Why make this claim if you did not do so?" Cyrus Greengrass asked.
"I was hysterical, given that I had the idea to be the fake secret keeper, my trust in Peter is responsible for him being capable of selling them out in the first place. Had I simply taken the secret, he wouldn't have had the chance without my death first, and I would have rather died than give up James, Lily, and Harry." Sirius said.
"You simply accepted imprisonment in Azkaban for all of those years?" Questioned one of the members of the Wizengamot Harry didn't know.
"I hadn't been given a trial initially, and with Peter being dead, no one else would have any idea of what happened that night to be a credible witness. Harry was safe, that was the important part, and I simply accepted it as my punishment for the poor judgment that got my friends killed." Sirius said.
"What prompted your escape then?" Came another unfamiliar wizard's voice.
"Cornelius Fudge visited Azkaban last summer, and stopped by my cell. I saw that he had the paper with him, and asked if I could have it to do the Crossword. He gave it to me, and I saw that the Weasley family had won a drawing for a trip to Egypt. I had poured over that paper for hours, having nothing else to keep me occupied in my cell when I noticed that the rat looked incredibly familiar. I had seen that rat before, given it was Peter Pettigrew's animagus form. If he was still out there, and was the pet of someone Harry's age, then Harry was in danger, and as his godfather, I was sworn to protect him. So I escaped to track down Pettigrew and either kill him or deliver him to justice. Whatever was needed." Sirius said.
"You claim that Peter Pettigrew is an animagus? There haven't been any animagus registered in years." said a voice from the Wizengamot stands.
"Yes, James, Peter, and I had all become Animagus while we were in school. We were originally going to register once we graduated, as we had wanted to use our firms for some schoolyard mischief. We entered the war as soon as we graduated though, so we held onto that secret for a bit longer, as a trump card in case we were captured or cornered. The plan had then been to register once the war was over. Unfortunately, we never got the chance." Sirius said. "My form was a large black dog known as a Grim. Peter was a rat, and James was a Stag."
"Are there any further questions from the esteemed members of the Wizengamot?" Amos Diggory asked, looking towards the gathered assembly. When no further questions presented themselves, he turned to Amelia. "Madam Bones, if you would please return Mr. Black to the holding area and bring out Mr. Pettigrew for statement and questioning?"
Amelia nodded and gave the order to the two aurors, who walked Sirius back before returning a few moments later with Peter Pettigrew. The man was clean, although his thin hair still seemed to have a layer of grime to it, and where Sirius walked with confidence, Pettigrew scuttled in fear.
"Mr. Pettigrew, you are allowed a statement by which to defend yourself before we open the floor to questioning." Amos Diggory said.
"Y-yes. Well, on the night of Halloween in 1981, I was simply minding my own business when Sirius Black came and attacked me. He claimed to have killed the Potters, and that I was next on his list. I attempted to fight back, but he was a superior duelist and bested me. He then blew up a street, killing several muggles. I transformed into my rat form and ran away from the scene, where I hid until he found me in June." Pettigrew said.
"So you deny working with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Came the voice of Lucius Malfoy.
"Yes, I was very active in the war against him. Despite my pure-blooded upbringing I believed his cause wasn't just." Pettigrew said, latching onto the words.
"If I may interject, I worked closely with James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus during the war. We would have happily accepted Peter to work with us should he have chosen to take an active role in fighting against the You-Know-Who's forces. He had elected not to join us however. I would think if one were going to join in fighting a war, they would want to do so alongside friends." Dumbledore stated.
Pettigrew's face fell at that, before he spoke up. "Yes, I wasn't ready to join at that time, but I eventually came around."
"And you didn't inform Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, or Mr. Lupin, your lifelong friends because..?" Cyrus Greengrass asked. Harry was a bit surprised that Mr. Greengrass was being so active in this case. Daphne had told him that he is normally fairly reserved when it comes to these proceedings. Harry wondered if he had something in particular to gain from these events.
"I didn't want to worry them." Pettigrew said. It fell flat though, it was obvious that even Peter didn't believe that statement.
"Why did you hide for all of those years?" Another voice from the forum asked.
"I feared for my life! Sirius Black could have still been after me." Pettigrew said, quaking in fear.
"Why didn't you come out of hiding once it was known that Black was imprisoned?" Xenophilius Lovegood asked.
"Even if Black couldn't get to me, some of the Dark Lord's allies could have!" Pettigrew said.
"So you… fought against the You-Know-Who through the height of the war, until you were defeated in a duel by your childhood friend. Hid as a rat so he couldn't get you; and then even when you knew he was imprisoned continued to hide as that rat for another 12 years, ingratiating yourself as a housepet to the Weasley family." Another voice Harry didn't recognize said.
"Yes." Peter said.
"Were you the secret keeper for the Potter family?" Mr. Lovegood asked.
"No, of course not. That was Sirius Black." Pettigrew said.
There was a prolonged silence after that as people processed what had just happened. "Are there any other questions for Mr. Pettigrew?" Amos Diggory asked. When no more questions presented themselves, Mr. Pettigrew was escorted out of the room.
"I now open the floor to discussion in regards to the facts of the case at hand. Please raise your wands and I will call upon you one at a time to give your statements." Amos Diggory said. A few wands shot up. "Cyrus Greengrass, you have the floor."
Cyrus stood up, placing his wand to his throat. "From the information we have gathered here today, I believe it rather apparent that it was not Sirius Black who betrayed the Potters. Having known him myself in my youth, it had seemed rather unlikely that events played out as we had assumed for the past twelve years, but I had been willing to assume that the war had simply gotten to the man. Pettigrew having been both alive and in hiding for the past 12 years does not strike me as the actions of an innocent man as he claims to be. Do we have any evidence beyond hearsay that it was Sirius Black who was the secret keeper for the Potters in the first place?"
"In matters regarding the Fidelius Charm, the Ministry unfortunately does not maintain any records, the spell being far far older than our institution, and its secret practices effectively requiring that no records be made of it." Amelia Bones said.
"Then, given what we know of the war, I believe that Sirius Black's testimony holds the most water. He provided rationale for his decisions in a way that Peter Pettigrew could not, and acted in ways that are incredibly in line for someone in his position to do so. If Mr. Black had desired to kill the Potters that night, he would not have given Rubeus Hagrid his motorbike to take Harry away, as he likely would have simply killed him there. It makes very little sense for a man who, as far as the world was concerned at that moment, committed no crimes to hide out for 12 years." Cyrus said.
"Here here." Came a smattering of responses from the crowd.
"Does anyone have anything to say in defense of Peter Pettigrew?" Amos Diggory asked.
Arthur Weasley stood up. "Not in defense, but I would like to say that I feel horribly uncomfortable and somewhat violated by the fact that Peter Pettigrew was living in my home for all of those years. While my family holds no voting power in the Wizengamot, I am still a citizen of this country. I believe that there should be some punishment presented to Pettigrew for that crime, even if no other charges exist, since he has confessed to doing so."
"Your concern is noted and expected Mr. Weasley. Rest assured my thoughts are in line with yours. Pettigrew's charges will be dealt with once Mr. Black's charges are wrapped up." Amos Diggory said, with many members nodding in agreement.
"I thank the Wizengamot for their support." Arthur said, before returning to his seat.
"In regards to the case of Sirius Black, will anyone step forward with their opinion on the matter?" Amos Diggory said, and Mr. Greengrass stood up.
"It is of my opinion that Sirius Black be exonerated of his charges, and be released from custody to return to his life. Given the new information of his animagus form, he should be required to register, but I propose we waive the penalty for the late registration. His prison sentence aside, I understand and can support the decision to hide his animagus status during the war." Cyrus said.
"All in favor of Mr. Greengrass's proposal?" Amos Diggory asked.
A majority of the wands were raised, filling the sphere in the center of the Wizengamot chambers nearly 2/3 of the way. "By majority, Sirius Black is to be exonerated of all charges relating to the events of Halloween 1981, and will be required to register his Animagus form with the Ministry of Magic, but will suffer no other penalties."
Harry let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. Sirius was free.