Alastor Moody and the other two Aurors interviewed Sirius for the next several hours. They recorded everything Sirius had to say, just in case.
Sirius' old mentor grew more and more furious as the night had waned on. Seeing that brought many feelings to the man's heart. Moody was one of the few father figures he'd had over the years. The fire in the man's one good eye was enough for Sirius to know there was about to be an upheaval in the ministry.
The younger Auror who had been glaring at Sirius never showed up again. Though apparently he'd been stunned and sent away after starting something. The kid lost his whole family to death eaters and was not convinced of Sirius's testimony.
He wasn't surprised, there would be many people like that.
At some point he'd received a meal, a proper one. Nothing like the slop he'd been eating for the last five years. He also received a Wide-Eye potion from Moody, no doubt being one of the positions he made himself and always kept on his person.
It was about 5 in the morning when the summons came. True to his word Moody escorted him, never leaving his side even as they moved through all the security of the Ministry. Sirius felt much better knowing his old mentor was by his side, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to stand next to someone who had your best interests.
At 7 am he was chained to a large prisoner's chair in the center of Wizengamot's council room, Alastor Moody still by his side. Apparently a red card, the Family Decree as Rosie called it, had materialized before each member of the council and several others, prompting this early court session.
Sirius recognized many members sitting around him, people from both sides of the war. He had to force himself to stamp down his emotions at the sight of Lucius Malfoy, he'll take care of that man later. For now he needed to earn his freedom.
He was quickly given a large dose of Veritaserum, then promptly grilled by various members of Wizengamot. The man could feel the exhaustion starting to take a toll on him as the hours ticked past.
Somehow the council was still debating whether or not he was in fact innocent. Lucious Malfoy continued to promote claims against him bringing the council to be split almost down the middle on his case.
All Sirius could do was watch as these people debated his fate. He'd assumed that upon hearing his testimony they'd see the truth, that they'd make things right. Apparently Sirius had forgotten the bureaucracy and political games that ruled the courts of the Wizarding world.
Slowly the hope Sirius had embraced began to fade. There was no way these people were going to let him free. He could see it, they were going to postpone the trial indefinitely claiming 'lack of evidence'. As if his testimony wasn't enough!
"Alas, we can not confirm the words or Mr. Black." Lucius Malfoy continued, his silky posh voice echoing through the surrounding room. "And for him to accuse a Hero such as Peter Pettigrew is all too predictable. To blame all his sins on a dead man we can not interview is far too well crafted of a scheme."
"Then how do you explain the Family Decree, Lord Malfoy?" Another council member Siris didn't know spoke up.
The head of the Malfoy clan shrugged.
"It's unlikely the head of house knew how to properly cast such an old magic. James Potter was always more interested in childish pranks to properly study such difficult spells. "
Alastor Moody held Sirius down in his seat by his shoulder, knowing the man would last out at such comments.
Sirius bit his tongue, he tasted the sick iron as he did so. He knew Lucius was baiting him. Moody's constant presence was the only thing keeping him from losing it.
How dare that man speak as if he knew James personally, that disgusting snake!
It was at that moment that the doors to the council room opened.
"You speak as if you personally knew the man Mr. Malfoy." A familiar feminine voice filled the room. "I find that hard to believe."
Rosie stepped into the courtroom, flanked on either side by two men in cloaks. The one on her left threw his hood off, being a man Sirius recognized but couldn't place. He had similar red hair to the woman, even sharing a similar face shape. Perhaps they were family or something. He seemed a bit frazzled, eyeing the courtroom with a bit of trepidation. He must have been a gryffindor as he took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders back to stand proudly in front of the court.
The man to her right also threw back his cloak, letting his sandy light brown hair show. Sirius' eyes went wide, his mouth fell open as he looked at the all too familiar scars littering the man's face. It was Remus.
His old friend met his eyes, a sad guilty look filled them. Sirius clenched his hands, gripping the arm chairs tightly. These few years hadn't been good to his friend either.
"And who are you? How dare you intrude on this hearing!" The words came from an angry stout woman sitting up in the gallery of judges.
Rosie flashed a charming smile, bowing deeply to the court.
"Just a concerned member of the wizarding world, here to present evidence I've discovered related to this case."
The room erupted into murmurs, the court members considering her words.
"There is a protocol for these sorts of things." Lucious Malfyo cut the chatter down with his words. He pressed his lips into a sharp line, trying to hide his disgust. "And it is Lord Malfoy."
Rosie stroad deeper into the room, both men following behind her.
"Oh? And here I thought we had thrown out all that posh stuff, considering how you've dropped Lord Black's title I just assumed." She tilted her head, a false apologetic expression plastered on her face. "Forgive me."
The expression on Malfoy's face twitched, he barely held it in place. Again quiet murmurs filled the room. The two people held each other's gaze, not flinching at the conversation around them.
"What sort of evidence could you have found, miss?" Another member of the court spoke up, pulling Rosie's attention away from the glowering blonde.
"Weasley." She turned to face the person speaking. "Rose Weasley."
The man to her left nodded as she spoke, as if confirming her identity.
"Miss Weasley," Dumbldore spoke up, easily silencing the room. "As un orthodox as it is, I do believe we would like to see the evidence you have brought."
"Any evidence should be properly processed," Luciys Malfoy cut in again. "Again, there are rules to be followed for this sort of thing."
"Like the rules that were ignored when Lord Black was incarcerated?" Rosie practically cut the head of the Malfoy clan off, speaking as soon as he had finished.
Her words send a ripple through the room, causing Fudge to attempt to call the room back to order.
"Apologies," The woman bowed again. " I merely wanted to ensure the court was given all the possible information, to ensure they give a just and proper ruling."
"What could you possibly have to offer the court, Miss Weasley?" Another voice in the crowd sounded, the curiosity prompted the people to quiet once more.
"I was visiting my Brother's home today," She gestured to the man beside her. "I've only recently felt comfortable returning home you see. Though upon my arrival I noticed the most unusual guest staying with my family. An unregistered Animagus. "
Again mutterings filled the room. Sirius' heart stopped, he stared at the woman in shock.
The woman walked to join Sirius in the center of the room, continuing her story.
"I was surprised to see such a thing, and called someone I knew could help me." She gestured to Remus, who had stayed next to Mr. Weasley near the entrance. "Mr. Lupin quickly came to assist me, even considering how late it was. And that is why we are here."
Lucious Malfoy scoffed.
"This is preposterous. Such a thing would have nothing to do with this hearing. You should have simply reported this, not interrupted an official court session."
Rosie's polite smile twitched slightly, a smirk tugging at her lips. She concealed it with her hand, again turning to look at the blonde man speaking.
"That might have been the case..." She paused for a moment. "If the unregistered Animagus wasn't Peter Pettigrew."
It was like lightning had struck the entire council. The room filled with noise, the sound of scraping chairs echoed in the room making it sound like thunder. Rose stood in the center of the room, unaffected by the large outcry. She turned to look at Sirius, giving him a subtle nod.
Sirius felt like crying. She'd found him. She'd actually found him.
It took Albus Dumbledore casting a spell to gather the attention of the room once more. Sirius watched as the council members demanded to see Peter Petigrew for themselves.
Rosie summoned the men who had entered the room with her. Mr. Weasley pulled a petrified rat out of a cage he'd had under his cloak. Remus slowly walked, his lips pressed thin. He looked as if he'd rather cast something grim and painful, but he only cast a spell to transform the rat.
The room watched as the limp petrified rat became Peter Pettigrew. They chained Peter, forcing Veritaserum down his throat. He spilt his secrets, confessing to betraying the Potters and joining the Dark Lord.
Sirius watched as the court moved in a blur, though he came back to himself as he heard the words.
"We hereby announce that Lord Sirius Orion Black innocent..."
He didn't hear the rest of what they said, too shocked that this was actually happening.
The magical restraints were dropped, someone helping him stand. He looked up to find Alastor Moody holding his shoulder, a proud look on his face.
"Try to stay out of trouble for now, we've got work to do." The older man whispered to him.
Sirius wanted to ask what he meant, but this was not the place. He felt the exhaustion wearing on him, the Wide-Eye potion having worn off long ago. He simply nodded, hoping to speak more later.
He turned to see his old friend had come up to him, a look of guilt still prominently on his face.
"I'm sorry." The man's words cut through the other noise. He hesitated to say more, simply staring at Sirius. The free man didn't hesitate like his friend, quickly engulfing him in a hug.
Remus was stunned, though quickly returned his embrace. Sirius remembered how they used to do group hugs back in school, the four of them locking arms to comfort each other when something had happened. This felt like that, like they were comforting each other and grieving the loss they'd suffered.
They stayed like that, just remembering what it felt like to not be alone. Though they only had half of the Marauders left, at least they had each other again. Marauders forever.
Rosie is a Boss BTW
just in case you didn't know that.