IV
At eleven o'clock, Bloodslayer came and took Sirius away. Sirius would remain hidden until time for his appearance. Harry and Remus would be escorted down shortly before the Minister and the other witnesses were escorted in. Harry was nervous, but there was nothing he could do. It was in Mother Magic's hands now. Harry didn't realize he'd nodded off until Remus shook him awake, "Harry, it's time for us to go."
Harry got up and straightened his robes before following their goblin escort into the bowels of Gringotts. They were led into a stone cavern with rows of seats all around. In the center was a large stone "desk" with seven seats. Harry and Remus were led to one side. On the other side were the six seats for the Ministry. The rest were filled with goblins here to witness a ritual that hadn't been performed in centuries. Remus noted that while their seats appeared to be made of stone, they were quite comfortable. He didn't think the Ministry officials would be afforded such luxury. And so, they waited.
-YAGP -
The Ministry party was a large procession from the apparition point. Minister Fudge and his two guards along with his Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge were in the lead. Following them were Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour. Both had their wands out but hidden. Bringing up the rear was the current Acting Chief Warlock and Unspeakable No. 1. Dirk Cresswell, the Goblin Liaison, was trying to talk to Fudge as they moved down the street to the bank.
"Don't forget, Minister, that you cannot use your wand in Gringotts. And if King Ragnok is there, do everything you can not to anger him."
Dolores turned to Cresswell and said, "Who cares if we anger that animal? Gringotts is here to serve witches and wizards and not the other way around. He should be afraid of our anger!"
Cresswell knew it was a lost cause with Dolores, so he looked at Amelia Bones with pleading eyes, "Please keep an eye on both of them so they don't commit an act which could lead us into war."
When they got to the bank, Amelia stopped the procession, "Cornelius, as I told you before, your guards can go no further than the lobby. Once we get to wherever we are being taken, I will go in first, then you, then Dolores, then Rufus. We will act both as witnesses and guards. Chief Warlock, you and Unspeakable No. 1 can either precede us or follow behind."
Cyrus Greengrass said, "We'll follow after you." He'd already been counseled by Dirk Cresswell and the Unspeakable about proper conduct and wanted to make sure he was not in between the Minister and his Undersecretary. He was almost certain one of them was going to say or do something to cause a major incident.
They entered the bank and were met by a goblin in full armor with three other goblins behind him. Dirk nodded to him and said, "Honored warrior, I present to you Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, his Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge, Chief Warlock Cyrus Greengrass, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones, Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, and Unspeakable No. 1."
The goblin nodded back and said, "Follow me. All others must remain in the Lobby until the proceedings are complete. The party was led on a circuitous route to the auditorium where the ritual would be held. When they finally got to the door, the goblin stopped and said, "The use of wands on Gringotts' property is forbidden by the Treaty of 1672. Anyone violating this edict is subject to immediate death. For your own safety, Gringotts offers you these sealed boxes to keep your wands in until the end of the proceedings. If you decline to use them, then you are accepting all risks. You have been warned." Each person was offered a security box. Only the Chief Warlock accepted the offer immediately. After a bit of persuasion, Minister Fudge and Undersecretary Umbridge also accepted the offer, albeit reluctantly. Once inside, they were escorted to a row of stone benches.
A chime signaled the noon hour. An armored goblin moved to the center and banged his halberd on the floor twice, "All rise for His Majesty King Ragnok, ruler of Gringotts and all of its subsidiaries." The goblins around them rose and began beating their weapons on the ground or against shields. Ragnok entered followed by six other goblins. Ragnok took the seat in the middle with the others evenly split on either side.
"Greetings fellow warriors, Ministry witnesses and guests. Gringotts has received a petition for the Ritual of Judgement. Since this is an ancient rite, many are not familiar with it or its implications. Gringotts is simply the facilitator, providing a neutral location for the ritual. We are merely witnesses as are the representatives from the Ministry for Magic. The final arbiter of the guilt or innocence of the petitioner is Mother Magic herself. The results of this Ritual are binding on both Gringotts and the Ministry. If the petitioner is found guilty, Magic will punish them herself. If the petitioner is innocent, they are considered free. Mother Magic may seek vengeance on the petitioner's behalf if she so desires. Guards! Bring in the petitioner!"
Four guards preceded a man in a plain white robe. Harry recognized it as the same type as he'd worn for the ritual to remove the soul shard. Four guards followed him. The guards spread around the room evenly.
It didn't take long for Fudge to recognize the man and shout, "Amelia! Arrest him now! He's got a kiss on sight order!"
Amelia hissed, "Sit down and be quiet! Your order is unenforceable."
Ragnok looked at the Minister before saying, "Silence! Any further outbursts will result in the offender being ejected forcefully from this room and severe penalties enforced."
The room settled down quickly.
"Who has come before this tribunal seeking justice?"
"I, Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, come before you to request the Ritual of Judgement."
"Sirius Orion Black, you are aware of the consequences of a false petition?"
"I am King Ragnok. If my petition is false, my magic and my life is forfeit."
"Very well. Present your petition to Mother Magic and may she have mercy upon your soul."
Sirius took a deep breath then began, "Mother Magic, I beseech you. I ask for your Judgment upon me. I have been falsely accused of causing the death of my brother in all but blood, James, and his wife Lily, the death of Peter Pettigrew, and the deaths of twelve non-magical people. I was not the secret keeper for the Potters; Peter Pettigrew was. My complicity in their deaths is that I recommended the switch from myself to Peter Pettigrew, not knowing he was a marked Death Eater. As Peter Pettigrew is alive and was seen most recently on June 24, I cannot be responsible for his death. The deaths of the non-magical people were caused by Peter Pettigrew when he cast a blasting curse at the street where I confronted him. I was then thrown into Azkaban prison without any type of hearing or trial where I remained for twelve years, before escaping. I will admit that I am guilty of not fulfilling my responsibilities as godfather to my godson Harrison James Potter. Mother Magic, hear my plea and judge me accordingly." Sirius then bowed his head and waited.
Sirius felt a presence within him. He could tell he was being judged. Memories flooded through him of the events leading up to the Potters' deaths. He felt the pain he'd felt when he'd found them dead, but Harry still alive. He felt the anger he'd felt at Peter for betraying them. He felt the anger at himself for putting revenge above his responsibility to his godson. Then he felt relief.
An apparition appeared for all to see, "Sirius Orion Black, you are an unusual wizard. Most come before me sure of their innocence, yet you are also aware of your failings. All that you say is true. You have suffered untold horrors through no fault of your own. Unfortunately, some of those responsible for your wrongful incarceration are no longer with us. They have been judged accordingly. Peter Pettigrew has been judged by Magic and found guilty of many crimes, not just those you petitioned for. His fate is sealed and complete. Albus Dumbledore knew of your innocence both upon your initial incarceration and after you released yourself from an unjust imprisonment, yet he did nothing. Magic has judged him accordingly as well."
The apparition turned to the Ministry witnesses, "Cornelius Fudge, I find you guilty of being a party to the false incarceration of Sirius Orion Black. As the first person on the scene, you failed to follow even basic procedures. In an attempt to cover up your errors you attempted to have his soul sucked out without proper authorization. You have sent others to prison without due process and accepted bribes to thwart Magic's rules. I judge you guilty and your sentence is the forfeiture of your magic. So say I. So Mote it Be!" At this proclamation, Cornelius Fudge screamed loudly and then passed out.
"Sirius Black, I find you guilty of failing to properly execute your duties as godfather to Harrison James Potter. Of this, I cannot absolve you of your guilt. For that, you must seek your godson's forgiveness."
"Magic's Judgement has been rendered. Let no man nor being interfere in this judgement. So Mote It Be!"
The apparition faded from view. Then pandemonium broke out in the Ministry's section.
- YAGP -
In a dilapidated manor house outside of Little Hangleton, a little rat-like man was bowing at the feet of the one who called himself Lord Voldemort.
"Wormtail! You have failed me again! You said the boy would be brought to the Weasleys by now, yet there is no one in residence at that house! Crucio!"
As much as Voldemort wanted to kill the rat-man, he was useful so he only held the curse for a few seconds. As Pettigrew tried to regain his breath, he felt another curse more painful than any Crucio he'd felt in his life. It felt as if his very soul was being yanked out of himself. Voldemort looked at the writhing wizard wondering what was going on, but finally the screaming stopped. Pettigrew was breathing, but that was about it.
"Jugson! Get over here and see what's wrong with Wormtail!"
Jugson hurried over and waved his wand in a basic diagnostic charm. He looked at his wand like it must be malfunctioning. Then he waved it again.
"My Lord, I can't find any trace of magic in this man. He's a Squib."
"Well, if he's a Squib, he's of no use to me," then he hissed, "SS Nagini! Lunch. I'm sorry it's such a small meal SS."
- YAGP -
At Grimmauld Place, Albus Dumbledore was trying to calm down a panicking Molly Weasley. She'd floo called him around ten to tell him that Sirius Black, Harry Potter, and Remus Lupin were all missing and nobody knew where they were. He'd talked to everyone in the house and they all confirmed they'd last seen them when they went to bed last night. Nobody had heard anyone leave during the night. Even the old elf, Kreacher, said he didn't know anything (he knew better than to give up his Master's whereabouts). Mad-Eye Moody had come over and used his eye to search the house. The only thing unusual that he could find was a smoldering pile of logs outside. He'd figured there had been a small Yule celebration, but that wasn't surprising considering the Blacks.
"Well, Albus, it looks like they must have gone out for a while. I can't see any evidence of them here," Moody said.
"We must find them. It's not safe for them to be out. Alastor, could you check Diagon Alley? I doubt they'd go there, but you can never tell what Sirius Black might do. Molly, ask your children again if they have any idea where they could have gone. I'm going to the Ministry to see if they might have arrested Sirius. We'll meet back here at noon."
The results were the same at noon. None of the three had been seen anywhere. Even Hermione had gone out around the neighborhood checking the area shops to see if they might be there. With Arthur in the hospital, there weren't enough people to go around to do a more thorough search.
Albus sighed at the update, "I think it's safe to say they've gone somewhere and it must have been planned."
Molly chimed in, "I told you that we needed to keep Harry away from Sirius! He just puts crazy ideas in the boy's head and now they're probably somewhere in danger!"
"Molly, please! Why don't you take the kids to see Arthur? There's not much you can do here."
As they were discussing this, Albus felt a pull on his magical core. He had no idea what it was, but suddenly he was having trouble breathing. He barely got out, "Pomfrey" before he started screaming. By the time Madam Pomfrey got there, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was dead.