Hello! I hope you like the new chapter. I'm not wholly satisfied with it, as it doesn't go too deeply into Harry's emotions, but it's longer than the others! :) Plus Sirius gets a trial, which is cool in every story.
To jslee102, ObsessedWithHPFanFic, eroticlad11, htennis, CoolFanfictionLover, Nanettez, warrof, cornholio4, Tempestuous Ocean, mwinter1, JannaKalderash, desdelor97, Librarian73, trispectrum, Ruby7777, Mar91, ArthurShade and Deathmvp: thank you for all your wonderful reviews and encouragement! And also thank you to all who favorited/followed.
Tempestuous Ocean: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like my writing. Whether Dumbledore loves Harry or not, I think it's complex and a matter of opinion, but personally I think he does. I believe defeating Voldemort is what's most important to him though, more than Harry or even himself (let's remember Dumbledore had no trouble with dying himself as long it helped to achieve Voldemort's downfall), so he believes it is ok to manipulate a child to save most others.
Nanettez: Molly's age is quite confusing to be honest, given that Rowling is not so good at maths and filled the books with inconsistent information about this, as she didn't know how old Molly was when she wrote the books.
First of all, it's mentioned in the first book that Charlie graduated in 1984 (when they mention that Gryffindor hasn't won the cup for seven years since Charlie left), which would make him born in 1966, which suggests Molly is really old (1946 at the latest). On the other hand, in the sixth book when Molly explains to Ginny why she disagrees with Bill and Fleur getting married, it's suggested that she and Arthur married right after graduation, and during the first war which started in 1970! (Dumbledore says in the first book that they have had little to celebrate in the last 11 years), so that would make her born in 1952 at the earliest, which directly contradicts the former statement! Not to add Bill's birth date, and Arthur's strong rivalry with Lucius (Lucius is only 5 years older than Sirius, and they would have to be close in age to hate each other so much, right?), which also provide different information on the topic. Anyway, since whatever anyone decides is probably right according to some information or other, in my story she was born in 1951, thus graduating in 1969 and having Bill in 1970, making her 8 years older than Sirius. Then again, no one said Sirius was any good at maths. Anyway, this was just useless blabbering anyway, though it may be relevant at some point.
Anyway, I hope you all continue to like my story!
DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognize from the HP universe belongs to JK Rowling. I'm not making profit from this story.
Chapter 15
Harry looked at the pictures and notes Sirius had sent of his room, not knowing what to do with all that space. From the entrance he had three meters on each side of the door and six meters toward the front, which was more than three times the size of his room at the Dursleys. The floor was covered with a white rug that looked quite warm and was apparently spelled not to get dirty, and the whole front side was a huge window that had an incredible view of the garden. The wall on the right was covered by a bookcase the first four meters and a nice desk and chair on the last two. The double bed was on the back-left corner facing the window with a large night table beside it, and also on the left side but near the window there was a chest of drawers. At the foot of the bed, on the left wall, there was a door that led to a small walk-in closet and a nicely sized bathroom, which had a tub that fit two people. In short, it was an amazing space for himself, but looked incredibly empty.
'Don't worry, once you decorate it a little it will look a lot better' Anto told him cheerfully 'You're so lucky, you can build your dream bedroom!' she told him. Harry knew Anto didn't like her own bedroom, since her parents had set it up when she was young and she had never dared to ask to change it. Harry had come to notice Tía Ana and Tío Hernán were very dominant people, and Anto often repressed her own wishes to satisfy them or to avoid conflict, even in small matters that Harry was sure they wouldn't mind changing if she asked.
'Yeah, but there's like twenty-five meters of nothing in the middle, I have no idea how to fill that' Harry replied pensively 'it's not like I can put a couch in the middle of the room, it wouldn't look good'.
'Mmm, maybe the bookcase doesn't need to be stuck to the wall. It could go from the wall to the middle, separating the desk from the rest' suggested Anto 'that way you'd have a separate study area and the empty space won't be so noticeable'. Harry drew a quick diagram of the room with her innovation, and decided it looked good. He situated the shelf three meters from the entrance and two and a half meters from the window, since it was fifty centimeters wide. As Anto had suggested, the shelf covered the empty space and he wouldn't have to see all his unfinished work from the bed, which according to his yoga book was a good thing. He would leave the desk where it was, as it would be nice to study having a view to the garden and natural light during the day.
'What else would you like to have?' Anto asked, and Harry tried to think about it. He couldn't believe he was making this sort of decision after having lived with the Dursleys for so long. The idea of his own space, in which he could do whatever he wanted, simply didn't fit with his experience, and he wondered whether he was ready to make these kinds of choices. Sirius had emphasized in his letters that there were no limits to what he could do with his room, and that made the decision even harder. Still, he felt a pang of happiness whenever he thought of "his room", and of having a home and being able to fully unpack his trunk for the first time. He would have to get used to the idea, but it already made him giddy to know he would live with Sirius and Remus instead of his mean and spiteful relatives.
'I think I'd like to have a space to put my mat and do yoga, it would be nice to look at the garden while I do that' he finally said, and moved the chest of drawers to the back-right corner of the room in the diagram, drawing the mat in its original place. He added a white curtain from the end of the bookcase to the window, isolating the study area. He didn't want to see his desk while practicing yoga, and this way he had a nice nine square meter area to exercise.
'You could have a thin table or shelf here to put essented candles or incense while practicing' suggested Anto, gesturing to the left wall, at the edge of his new yoga area. Harry agreed, thinking that he could also keep the mat under the table while he wasn't practicing and the incense would set the mood and help him focus, at least according to the text. He flipped through the catalogue and settled on a low, Japanese style table that was about two meters long and fifty centimeters wide, also choosing an incense burner and some assorted candles that looked exotic.
'I know what else I want' Harry confessed to Anto, feeling slightly embarrassed. I've always wanted to watch TV and play videogames, and now I know that in Madrid I can buy some that work with magic…' he told her blushing. He doubted Sirius had had something so childish in mind when he told him to pick whatever he wanted for his new room, but Harry couldn't help thinking it would be really fun to play and relax, as he had always wanted to do at the Dursleys'. It would be like a dream come true, and though he thought he might be overstepping the boundaries, he would definitely include them. He would buy them in Madrid and take them himself, of course, as Sirius' British catalogue definitely didn't have them and he didn't want his godfather to spend so much money on him.
'I think that's awesome' grinned Anto, and Harry flooded with relief, even though he could recognize it wasn't really such a big deal. He still felt a great fear of disappointing people, which he hoped would go away gradually, but Carmen had told him that being able to recognize it when he felt it was a huge progress.
'You don't think it's too much?' he asked her hesitantly.
'Of course not Harry, a lot of people have TVs and videogames in their rooms… plus it's your room, you're supposed to enjoy it, it has to be perfect' she told him convincingly.
'Yeah, I guess…I've never had a proper room before' he told her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and he explained to her a little about his life doing chores at Privet Drive, to which she listened supportively. He couldn't believe he was still ashamed about it, even though he had done nothing wrong, but at least telling her was easier than usual. That meant he was handling it better, Harry recognized, and smiled to himself.
'Well, that's even more of a reason to create the room of your dreams now' she told him smiling softly, and he nodded, his chest feeling a little tight. He drew the TV on top of the chest of drawers he had moved to the back-right corner, which was less than a meter tall, so it would be at the perfect height to watch the screen and play. Instead of a couch against the bookcase to sit while playing, he chose a pretty set of beanbag chairs from the catalogue, that he thought made the space become a cozy little corner. There was a red one, a yellow one, a blue one and a green one, all vivid tones that according to Anto contrasted nicely with the white carpet. He was still a bit worried that he might be asking Sirius for too much, considering the extra table, curtain and chairs. He would make sure to include a sentence saying that if it was too expensive he could take some furniture out of the list.
'Your room looks great!' exclaimed Anto brightly, though not without some jealousy 'Now you have to choose the decoration'. Harry groaned goodnaturedly, admittedly quite enjoying the process of creating his bedroom. Sirius had told him to choose two bed covers, so he decided on one with yellow, green and blue stripes, and another that was red with yellow and blue assorted circles. Then he chose two sets of blue sheets, two yellow cushions and a yellow and blue lamp, all of which matched both covers nicely. The blue curtains for the window-wall perfectly completed the ensemble, and after a moment of deliberation he decided on a soft light blue for the walls that emphasized his newly chosen furniture, and modern blue and yellow lamps that would replace the fancy chandeliers. His bathroom was also done in the four vivid colors, with Harry choosing a checkered pattern of them for the bath curtain and toilet covers, and plain red for the bath mat and other utilities. The white tiles of the bathroom were self-coloring, so he decided to change some random ones into the colors and leave the other ones alone.
'I've always wanted to have one of these in my room' Anto said, pointing to a cork made board in the catalogue, which she explained was to stick pictures and nice things onto it. Harry grinned and checked it too, thinking it would be perfect for the wall beside his bed. After all, he now had a lot of pictures that he should put a good use to. He also chose a big, artistic drawing of several monks climbing a mountain, which he would put on the wall over his incense table, and a few pictures and plaster masks that he liked for the other walls. Finally, he chose a sign that said "My room, My mess, My problem" to put on the outside of his door, and grinned satisfied. He could now wholly say that he had the room of his dreams.
'Thank you for helping me' he said sincerely to Anto, smiling and putting his arm around her.
'Of course, I couldn't let you turn your room into a circus' she said grinning mischievously.
'Hey, I resent that, I happen to have an excellent sense of style!' Harry joked faking a pompous tone. Anto made a sarcastic remark back, and he tickled her viciously in response, her laughing hysterically.
'Okay, okay, you are a great decorator! I give up!' she told him finally laughing.
'Aah, a very wise decision' he replied, stopping the tickling and nodding sagely. She laughed and kissed him, Harry responding enthusiastically. She tasted deliciously sweet from the pie they'd eaten after breakfast, and he savored the moment, running his hands through her back and hair. She kissed back with fervor, and he suddenly realized they had stopped sitting and she was lying under him on her bed. He felt a rush of pleasure at the close contact and kissed her harder, lifting her shirt enough to run his finders across her stomach. She shivered and put her hands under his shirt, touching his back and sides and making him feel like he was on fire. He had never done any of this before with a girl, and he had certainly never imagined it would feel so incredible. It made him wonder how it would feel if they went further, but he didn't want to make Anto uncomfortable, so he controlled himself with effort and kept his hands where they had already been. Lying on the bed instead of sitting was still something they'd never done before, and it made everything more pleasurable and intimate. She suddenly started softly kissing his neck and worked her way upwards, ending when she bit his earlobe, and he groaned in pleasure. Everything felt amazing, and he felt so lucky to be able to live in that moment. He moved so he was lying on her side and kept kissing her, grabbing her bottom and kissing her neck, enjoying her soft moans and her wandering hands, which were now on his chest and stomach. He kissed her on her lips, feeling happier by the minute, and they continued snogging for some long minutes.
After a while, gradually, the kisses turned sweeter and less aggressive. She looked at him intensely, and he suddenly felt the strange urge to tell her "I love you", which made him blush, startled. Did he really feel that? He looked at her, trying to find out the answer, and again felt a pang of something completely unfamiliar that he unconsciously called love. But how could he know if that's what it was? He had never felt it before after all.
It didn't matter anyway. He was leaving in less than four weeks, and she surely wouldn't want to hear it knowing that. It wouldn't be useful for anything instead of embarrassing himself.
'You know, you could change your room too, I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind' he told her softly instead, knowing her parents were a somewhat sensitive subject. She gave him a doubtful look, and Harry encouraged her, telling her at worst they would not allow her. He knew she was always really scared of doing things they disapproved of, or of them finding out about it, and Harry could sympathize, having felt the same way about his friends and the headmaster.
'You know, I used to limit myself a lot because I was scared of my friends' opinions, and with Carmen's sessions I realized that I've always thought of love as conditional because of how my relatives treated me, so I unconsciously believed that I had to do certain things for them to love me' Harry told her gently 'And only now with you I feel like I can be myself, and I've realized that not limiting myself is much healthier, and that I feel a lot happier…I think you feel something similar with your parents' he finished softly. Anto looked atonished, and Harry suddenly realized that she had probably not even noticed how she acted.
'Do you really think so?' she asked cautiously, looking stricken.
'Yeah, a bit. You repress a lot of things because of your parents Anto, and stop doing things you want without even asking them, just assuming they will tell you not to' he said, taking care to make his tone as gentle as possible 'And it's not healthy to live with fear…I'm sure if you dared to ask, you would get a lot more than you do now'.
'I'd never noticed I did that' she said stunned, looking wide eyed and pale 'I have to think about this…thank you for telling me' Anto told Harry, smiling sadly. Harry hugged her gently, letting her mull on her own, his thoughts turning to Sirius and their new house. 'His trial must be happening right now' he suddenly realized. He really hoped his godfather went free, and wondered if there was a good chance of that happening. Sirius hadn't been able to tell him any details through letters, other than the fact that he had been preparing for it. He shouldn't be thinking about that anyway, Harry told himself. After all, whether Sirius was freed or not, the letters to Spain took so long that Harry wouldn't find out for at least two more days. Still, he couldn't help but worry. Even when it was wonderful that they would finally live together (he didn't know how Sirius had arranged that with Dumbledore, but frankly, he didn't care), it would be even better to have a family that he wouldn't need to hide.
Sirius tapped his fingers nervously, trying not to wince at the chains restraining his forearms. Rupert Goldstein gave him a confident glance from the defendant's post, signaling at Amelia Bones. It was good that she was the one who would be leading the trial. She was known for being fair, and she already doubted his guilt from what she had seen in Harry and Remus' memories. Now they just needed to convince the Wizengamot.
Remus, Ron and Hermione waved at him encouragingly from the witnesses' seats. Rupert had coached them on their testimony, and Sirius thought they were well prepared. Dumbledore wasn't present, as he was no longer in the Wizengamot and he would not be part of Sirius' defense testimonies. Rupert had insisted on this, as the old wizard's name was in the mud these days, so it would only hurt Sirius' case to be involved with him, and all he could testify was that he had believed Sirius' story last year anyway. It was a big risk for little benefit, according to Sirius' defendant.
Amelia Bones called the court to order and Sirius felt his stomach turn into a twist. 'War trial of the fifth of August, accused of the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles, of accomplice to murder of Lily and James Potter, and of treason to the country by being a part of the terrorist organization called the "Death Eaters" by Sirius Orion Black, residence unknown' she said in a formal voice 'Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Rufus Scrimgeour, Head Auror. Witness for the defense, Rupert Arthur Goldstein. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley'. This was it; Sirius braced himself. His long awaited trial had begun. If he didn't go free now, he would never go legally free again. He had an emergency plan involving Sassy popping him away between the ministry and Azkaban in case he was found guilty, but he hoped he wouldn't have to use it, and he wasn't sure that it would work. Walking peacefully again and having legal custody of Harry was what he had most wanted for a long time.
'Is your name Sirius Orion Black?' asked Fudge importantly.
'Yes' replied Sirius calmly, but confidently, just as Rupert had coached him.
'Did you murder Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles on the first of November in 1981?' the Minister asked again.
'No, I did not' Sirius replied firmly, looking at the reactions of the Wizengamot members. Some seemed shocked that he claimed innocence, some weren't surprised, and others looked at him in disdain. Fudge looked furious.
'I suppose you're going to lie again and tell us that you were never part of the organization called the Death Eaters, and that you never betrayed Lily and James Potter' Fudge told Sirius disdainfully. A few members of the Wizengamot snorted, but Sirius kept his cool with effort.
'No, I wasn't' he told them coolly, and Rupert took his cue to start talking, overriding the whispers of the Wizengamot.
'The accused was treated very carelessly and unfairly in the previous procedure' Rupert said strongly 'first of all, his wand was broken on capture by Auror Robards, which does not comply with proper protocol and impedes the evidence for the trial. Second, and most importantly, he was thrown in Azkaban without a trial, instead of waiting in a Ministry holding cell until he was processed like he should have been. This is completely unacceptable. Mr. Black is a citizen, and the heir to an Ancient and Noble house on top of that, and he was treated like a criminal without so much as a priori incantatem'. To Sirius' surprise, he could see many members nodding along with what Rupert was saying, and he felt slightly encouraged. His defendant was capable, and had a way with words that Sirius had never achieved.
'While that is all true according to the auror report, and while Mr. Crouch severely skipped protocol when dealing with Black, this in no way proves that Black is innocent. He was found with very incriminating evidence, and you haven't refuted any of it' pointed out Amelia Bones, and Sirius' heart sank, recognizing the truth in her words, but he knew that stating this first was part of Rupert's strategy. The Wizengamot was also listening to her, and a few of them were complaining at Rupert.
'Silence' Amelia's voice boomed, and everyone became quiet in the span of seconds. 'Mr. Goldstein, focus on the charges'.
'Oh, I am' replied Rupert calmly ' I haven't yet provided evidence, because I first want to ensure that Mr. Black is compensated for what is his legal right. He should be compensated the seven galleons for his wand and Auror Robards should be tried for obstruction of justice. Most importantly, my client should have been these fourteen years in a Ministry holding cell instead of in Azkaban if you hadn't yet given him a trial. Per the law, if he is found guilty he should stay in a Ministry holding cell with all his visitor rights included for the first fourteen years, as you denied him that right before'. Sirius looked at Rupert, amazed at the confidence and authority he addressed the courtroom with. The sly man had mentioned he would ask for this, even though it was an old and somewhat unused law, made for when the holding cells were full and some citizens had to wait in Azkaban for a few months before their trial, so they were compensated for that time. Rupert didn't know about Sirius' emergency escape plan, so he believed that petition to be a good last resource, and knowing and using old laws to his advantage gained the defendant respect among the Wizengamot members, and let the interrogators know he was not to be trifled with. It had definitely worked, Sirius observed. The Wizengamot, Remus and the teens seemed to be struck speechless.
'That can't be done, Black only spent twelve years in Azkaban, not fourteen!' Fudge exclaimed 'and he escaped from Azkaban, so they should add this to the list of charges'.
'You can't add that to the list of charges because he wasn't supposed to be in Azkaban in the first place' replied Rupert acerbically 'and for the two years that the accused has been on the run you have been trying to have him kissed by a dementor instead of arranging him a trial, which is neither a legal punishment for his charges, nor for escaping Azkaban. He should still be compensated for the two years he was persecuted illegally'.
'Mr. Goldstein's statements are both correct' Amelia said neutrally to the still speechless courtroom. The members of the Wizengamot were not allowed to speak unless asked to during trials, but it was common to hear whispers among them, or the occasional interrupting comment. Now, Sirius could hear nothing.
'Very well, all in favor of compensating Mr. Black seven galleons for his wand and trying Auror Robards for obstruction of justice' Amelia spoke to the courtroom after waiting in vain for someone to object. Fudge looked like he was having an apoplexy, but he wasn't able to get words out. The large majority of hands were raised, to Sirius surprise, but he tried to quell it. It was the law, so it would take a very hateful member to deny him this. In fact, very few hands were raised when Amelia asked for those against the measure.
'Mr. Black will be compensated with seven galleons and Auror Robards will be tried for obstruction of justice. So mote it be' said Amelia formally ' Now, all those in favor of allowing Mr. Black to stay in a holding cell for the first fourteen years of his imprisonment if he is found guilty'. Now a lot less hands were raised, but Sirius was relieved to find that it was still more than half. In the practical sense this was useless for him, but according to Rupert it suggested that the majority of the members were open to listening to reason and changing their beliefs, which could after decide the outcome of his trial. This was another reason Rupert had decided to ask for the earlier compensation. He wanted to test the waters before providing evidence.
Amelia declared Sirius' compensation officially and told Rupert to proceed to the evidence against the charges, which Rupert did with enthusiasm. Sirius could see he was more confident now, though with his defendant's natural demeanor it was barely noticeable.
'First I will prove that Mr. Black was never a member of the terrorist organization of the "Death Eaters", which is fairly simple. We know by now that all members of the aforementioned organization had a tattoo on their left forearm in the shape of a skull. I would like to request Mr. Nott to show us his tattoo' Rupert stated calmly, and whispers broke among the Wizengamot. Sirius grinned. The Order knew the marks were now visible for Death Eaters because of Snape, so this was an easy charge to disprove. Asking Nott to show his mark in front of everyone was unnecessary, though Rupert had insisted it would help drive the point home. Sirius wasn't sure of that, but he thought it was awfully funny nevertheless.
'Mr. Nott was cleared of all charges in the last war. He proved that he followed Lord Voldemort due to the effects of the Imperius Curse and has been an upstanding member of the wizarding community since then' objected Fudge contemptuously.
'I am aware of that, however, all members of the organization had the tattoo, whether willing or unwilling, so Mr. Nott should be able to show it to us' replied Rupert politely. Fudge humphed and Mr. Nott walked towards the center of the courtroom stiffly. The former Death Eater faced the Wizengamot and lifted his shirt, while Amelia conjured a magnifying glass at Rupert's request so everyone could see it. A few members started whispering, and Nott started scowling at the scrutiny. Sirius grinned, despite himself.
'Thank you Mr. Nott. Now, as you can all see, Mr. Black does not have this tattoo, which proves that he was not, in fact, a member of the Death Eaters organization' continued Rupert, showing Sirius' forearms under the glass to the courtroom. Sirius was pleased to see that many members seemed surprised, even astonished, instead of condescending. There were many shocked gasps, and again loud whispers.
'I would like two Charms Masters to verify that there are no disguises in the accused's arms' said Amelia strongly 'Mrs. Houston and Mr. Greengrass, if you would do the honors'. The two members walked promptly from the stands, and they each waved their wand over Sirius. The convict felt his arm prickling unpleasantly, but it was over in a couple of seconds, and both of the masters' wands glowed blue.
'Blue means that there are no glamour charms or disguises' Mrs. Houston told the court, which broke into shocked and excited exclamations, so loud that Amelia had to order them to quiet. Sirius guessed this result was completely unexpected for the people who had believed him guilty for so long.
'This effectively proves that Mr. Black was not a member of the Death Eaters organization, but it does not prove that he didn't support He-who-must-not-be-named in other indirect ways' Scrimgeour pointed out.
'There is no proof that Mr. Black did or did not support You-know-who in other ways, but the Act of War enacted by the Department of Law Enforcement in 1972 explicitly states that the people who will be considered a traitor to the country for terrorism will be those belonging willingly to the organization called "Death Eaters", or those directly financing their operations. It doesn't say anything about other kinds of support, so Mr. Black is innocent of the crime he was accused for, even if he had indeed supported You-know-who indirectly' Rupert debated. Most of the Wizengamot members were nodding along, but Sirius wasn't surprised. Rupert was very convincing, and everyone had already seen overwhelming evidence that he was in fact not a Death-Eater. The existence of the dark mark was public knowledge confirmed by many convicted death eaters, even if the way it worked and most of the intelligence the Order had on it wasn't.
Sirius was declared almost unanimously innocent on the vote and sagged in the chair, relieved. This charge was the mort serious, as it was the one for which he had been sentenced for life. Now he was only facing thirty-one years: five for Peter's murder, three for each muggle, and two for being an accomplice in James and Lily's murder, minus the twelve he had already served. Not that that was a big accomplishment. Even if he spent the first fourteen in a Ministry holding cell, he was not willing to face seventeen more years in Azkaban only to be declared free at the age of sixty-six. Still, it was nice to know no one in the room believed him Voldemort's right-hand man any longer, and that tomorrow everyone who read the Prophet would be aware of it.
Rupert started talking again, and Sirius tensed. Now came the hard part of the trial. They didn't have concrete proof of Peter being alive and the real murderer, so the testimonies of Remus, Ron, Hermione and himself, and Rupert's convincing words and credible reputation would have to be enough. Their success in this part was definitely dubious, though Sirius did trust Rupert's abilities. Still, his hands were shaking, and he could feel himself sweating under his stiff formal robes.
'Mr. Black, were you in Byward Street the first of November at four-twenty pm along with Peter Pettigrew?' asked Amelia formally, and Sirus voiced his assent.
'What happened there?' Sirius started telling the story, starting with Peter being Lily and James' Secret Keeper and describing their fight. Many Wizengamot members scoffed or looked at him incredulously, but Sirius could also see some looking at him studiously. Apparently his lack of a dark mark had convinced some of them to hear him out.
'Well, that's a nice little story' commented Fudge derisively 'Peter Pettigrew alive, and the real plotting murderer! That's simply preposterous!' Sirius felt a burst of rage enough to strangle the minister, but the shackles held him firmly in place.
'It does sound a little improbable, but in fact, we do have witnesses that can attest that this is true' replied Rupert politely and calmly, and Sirius marveled at how the older man was able to keep his cool. 'I call Mr. Lupin to the stand'.
'Mr. Lupin, what evidence do you have that corroborates this story?' asked Scrimgeour warily.
'I have seen Peter Pettigrew alive' Remus replied, and pandemonium broke in the room. 'Not possible' were saying a few loud voices, while others exclaimed to let the werewolf explain.
'Silence! When did this happen Mr. Lupin? Please describe the situation' Amelia spoke loudly, and the exclamations were reduced to whispers, chastened.
'Last year in June' started Remus 'I was at my office in Hogwarts when I suddenly noticed something strange on my map…' He told the complete story to the silent audience, while Sirius took note of the astonished and exceptical expressions of the Wizengamot. He hoped they believed his side of the story. A lot of questions were posed, but Remus had been coached by Rupert and he handled them calmly, telling the truth and not paying attention to the accusing tones. Sirius transformed into a dog to prove his animagus status at Scrimgeour's request, and everyone gasped, but he still got the impression that most were more focused on Remus' werewolf status than on his testimony. For all their preparation, they hadn't anticipated this.
'Well, this doesn't really prove anything' said Fudge contemptuously 'all we have is your word'. The fact that Remus was a werewolf went unsaid, but the implication was clear, and many in the courtroom were sneering. Sirius again felt a mad desire to kill the Minister, but suppressed it quickly. It wouldn't help his case to appear like a lunatic.
'Madam Bones, could you answer some questions for me?' asked Rupert. Sirius turned to look at him. The defendant was improvising, perhaps noticing that the werewolf's testimony wasn't being well received.
'You watched Mr. Lupin's memory of the event he just described, did you not?' he asked formally, once Amelia had agreed to be questioned. The woman assented and Rupert kept going, more confidently.
'Was the memory you watched consistent with his testimony, or did he lie or omit information?' he asked her, and Sirius realized what he was doing. Remus couldn't lie in a memory, and Madam Bones was respected among everyone in the courtroom. If she corroborated the story, they would have a much higher chance of succeeding. In fact, most members were quietly attentive now, instead of derisive. Thank Merlin for Rupert's fast thinking.
'It was very consistent, Mr. Lupin's testimony describes the memory I watched perfectly' replied Amelia firmly.
'Was it possible that it was tampered with before you watched it?' Rupert asked her again.
'No, I saw Mr. Lupin pull it out of his temple and I watched it immediately after that' replied Amelia. The Wizengamot members looked surprised now, and many looked like they believed her, Sirius noted with relief. She had saved Remus' testimony.
'In your opinion, was it possible that Mr. Lupin was confounded by Mr. Black that night?' Rupert asked her.
'In my opinion it is possible, but highly improbable. No confundus charm was detected in the memory, which would take an exceptionally skilled witch or wizard to do. While Mr. Black would normally fit that description, he had been in Azkaban for twelve years and he didn't have his own wand, which would have greatly impeded his skill. Furthermore, I also watched Mr. Potter's memory of the same event, also unaltered, and the two memories are completely consistent with each other. The confundus would have to be extremely powerful to produce such a flawless effect, which makes it even more improbable'.
'Please, everyone knows Mr. Potter is a disturbed liar!' exclaimed Cornelius 'and you're relying on his testimony to prove something?'
'This was not a testimony; this was a memory, unaltered. A liar or not, no one can trick their own brain' replied Amelia sharply, clearly offended at having her intelligence questioned. A few people snorted in agreement and Fudge blushed furiously. Rupert made Ron give his testimony, and then Hermione, who looked extremely nervous but managed to sound coherent anyway.
'You say that you and Mr. Potter had your wands trained on Mr. Black, who was wandless, when Mr. Lupin came into the room and summoned them?' Rupert asked Hermione, who confirmed it.
'And as soon as he came into the room he hugged him and believed him, you say' Rupert asked again. Hermione nodded, and Amelia confirmed that Harry's memory showed the exact same fact.
'Mr. Black couldn't have confounded Mr. Lupin in that case, he didn't have a wand and there was no delay' Rupert stated 'unless Mr. Black had confounded them all to make them believe that, but confounding four people at once, for such a long period of time and with so much detail would be past most charm masters, not to talk about an Azkaban escapee without his own wand. Am I correct Mr. Greengrass?'
'That is correct, Mr. Goldstein' Mr. Greengrass replied 'I doubt I could do it myself'. Sirius was astonished. Many members were nodding, looking extremely shocked. Looking like they believed him.
'As you can all see, we have almost unquestionable proof that Mr. Pettigrew is in fact alive, and confessed to betraying Lily and James Potter to you-know-who and later framing his death in order to stay hidden as a rat for twelve years, which would make Mr. Black innocent. Not only we have unaltered memories and testimonies of four witnesses that are perfectly consistent, but also they happened in circumstances where it would be almost impossible for them to be a result of a Confundus charm. On another matter, we have to look at the actual scene of the crime. All the muggles were found in messy bits or pieces, as the photo shows' Rupert enlarged a picture that everyone stared at, horrified, and that made Sirius want to vomit at the reminder. 'Nevertheless, all they found of Peter Pettigrew was a finger, cut like this' he enlarged another picture, which everyone stared at, fascinated. The cut was straight, completely different from the pieces of the muggles. 'This is unmistakably made by a magical knife, and they didn't find any other piece of Pettigrew, no matter how small. Very suspicious, don't you think?' Many members were nodding along now, and Sirius started feeling hope. Maybe this was going to work after all.
'Mr. Percy Weasley, when you found the rat in your garden fourteen years ago, was it already missing a paw?' asked Rupert sharply. Percy looked surprised at having been addressed, and gulped slightly.
'I was only four years old then, Mr. Goldstein, but I vaguely remember finding that strange and wondering how it had lost a finger' he replied seriously. Sirius grinned inwardly. It seemed that despite apparently having betrayed his family, Percy was honest when it was required.
'I rest my case. Once you see how all the facts fit, Mr. Black's innocence is quite clear' concluded the defendant firmly, many nodding along.
'I object' Scrimgeour said firmly 'To me, it is made quite clear that Mr. Black is innocent of killing Mr. Pettigrew and conspiring against the Potters, and also that Mr. Pettigrew was a Death Eater and faked his death. Nevertheless, none of you ever said that he admitted to blasting the street and killing the muggles. Mr. Black's testimony is the only one that says that Mr. Pettigrew was responsible for that, and you can see why that would not be a credible source'. Sirius went white. What the head auror had said was completely true. None of them actually had a way to prove that he hadn't caused the blast, and even if they dropped the other charges he would still be facing fourteen years in the holding cell and a further ten in Azkaban. He looked at Rupert helplessly.
'True, and with your version you have proved that Mr. Black has attempted to murder Peter Pettigrew several times, which is also a charge to be added to the trial!' exclaimed Fudge loudly. Sirius didn't think he had hated any Minister before as much as he hated Fudge today. He was trying to do everything to keep Sirius behind bars only to save his own reputation. Sirius suspected that if Fudge hadn't been somewhat intimidated by Rupert's status he would have been a lot more aggressive.
'Actually, we have proved that Pettigrew was a Death Eater, which exempts Mr. Black from this charge. The Act of War of 1972 states that it is allowed by law to kill a Death Eater' pointed out Rupert 'also, there is no proof that Mr. Black did or did not cause the blast that led to the muggles' death' he said strongly 'before, the charge was alluded to him because he was thought to be the only alive wizard in the area. However, now we know that this was not true, as Mr. Pettigrew was also there and could have also caused that blast. So in conclusion, there is no real proof that my client is guilty of that crime…and if we think logically, it makes a lot more sense for Pettigrew to have done it, given that he was a Death Eater and he wanted an excuse to escape through the sewers unnoticed' he finished. It was not really evidence, but it was the best they had, mulled Sirius. He hoped that would be enough for the Wizengamot. Convicting someone without proof was frowned upon, but since he had been accused of that for fourteen years they might be swayed towards finding him guilty nevertheless…
'All in favor of Mr. Black's innocence in killing Peter Pettigrew' Amelia proclaimed when no one else spoke. Hands started rising left and right, winning by a large majority. Sirius felt relieved, though still tense. He had seen for himself before that most members had believed their defense in that regard, but the muggles' blast was the real problem.
'All in favor of Mr. Black's innocence regarding the betrayal of Lily and James Potter to you-know-who'. Again, most of the hands were raised and the next two years of his sentence were revoked, sending a pang of joy through Sirius. In the practical sense this made no difference to him, but he had waited for a decade to be able to acknowledge that he would have died before giving his friends to Voldemort. Now everyone finally believed him.
'All in favor of Mr. Black's innocence regarding the twelve muggles' deaths' proposed Amelia, and some hands started rising. It wasn't enough thought Sirius with dread, it was less than half…and gradually more followed. Slowly but steadily, hands rose. A little more than half.
Sirius looked on, shocked but elated, at the majority of hands raised in favor of his innocence, and smiled widely, not yet able to believe it. He was free! Legally allowed to get his old life back, and to make a real difference against Voldemort instead of staying hidden. A warm feeling spread through his body, and he reveled in it, barely paying attention to the many hands raised in favor his guilt.
'Sirius Black is officially cleared of all charges, and allowed back his rights as a citizen' proclaimed Amelia seriously 'He will be compensated, according to the law, with five thousand galleons per year spent in Azkaban and illegally persecuted, minus three hundred galleons as fine for being an unregistered animagus. He has now the obligation of proceeding to register within one week. The search for him and kiss-on-sight order will be permanently suspended, and the ministry will issue a formal apology. A search order for Peter Pettigrew will be issued, and once found he will be tried for the murder of twelve muggles, being an unregistered animagus, one death faking and treason to the country for being a willing member of the terrorist organization called the "Death Eaters". So mote it be'. Sirius thanked her, barely able to speak, and embraced Remus, who had come back from the witnesses' stand. He smirked at the anguished expression on Fudge's face. The minister would face hard times once the press published Sirius' trial tomorrow.
'We are going to celebrate tonight!' said his werewolf friend, grinning widely, and Sirius mimicked him happily. He was still in a state of shock. He shook Rupert's hand, thanking him for being his defendant and promising to pay his fee, still in a daze. He also thanked Ron and Hermione for testifying for him, despite the fact that he hadn't been too nice to them for the past month. They replied cheerfully, though Hermione a little warily. He couldn't believe he had won the trial, even having been fairly confident before. He could finally legally apply for custody of Harry and give his godson the life he should have always had.
He followed Remus and the teens through the Ministry hallways, slowly coming out of his daze. He had a lot of things to do now that he was free, and that gave him some purpose, even if he groaned internally at some of the more boring bits. First of all, he had to register as an animagus and connect his house to the floo network. Since his home was under the fidelius, the information wouldn't appear on any documents, and only those who knew the secret would be able to call and travel through. The other most important thing was to go to the Child Wizarding Services Department to start an application for Harry's custody. He had to do that as soon as possible, because they would surely ask for various documents that he would need to gather, such as a certificate of health from St. Mungo's and James and Lily's will. After that, he would apply to rejoin his auror training. Sirius had successfully completed the first two years during the first war, but had dropped out to dedicate his time fully to the Order when James and Frank had been forced to go into hiding. The war had been terrible by then, and they had needed all the hands they could get. He hoped the department allowed him to join the third year and after to get his license. The skills and authority that came with being an auror would definitely be useful in the war that would soon come. Finally, he would have to go to Gringotts and take the title of Lord Black. This was not as urgent as the rest, but having his house's Wizengamot seats would enable him to influence the policies that were being passed, and he wanted to welcome Andromeda and Tonks back into the House of Black. He was glad he had become close to his favorite cousin again in the last two weeks. If it weren't for Harry indirectly getting him a trial, he would have never had the initiative to talk to her again regularly, but now that he had, he felt like he had some of his family back. In any case, he had a lot of stuff pending. He wouldn't be able to start decorating his home for at least a week or two.
'You all right, Padfoot?' Remus asked him, making Sirius realize that he had not been paying the slightest attention to where they were going. They had finally reached the flooing hall.
'Yeah, just thinking about what I need to do now' he replied honestly, and grinned at Ron, who was looking at him incredulously.
'Already? You should be thinking about the party we are going to have this evening!' exclaimed the redhead, making Hermione chastise him, and Sirius and Remus laughed. In any case, Ron was right. Sirius now had a lot of responsibilities, but tonight they didn't matter. Tonight, he would celebrate.
Dumbledore prepared to floo to Mrs. Figg's house, frustrated. Now that Sirius was free, he would definitely apply for custody of Harry, and the results of that were unpredictable. While the dog-animagus had been living at Grimmauld and following Dumbledore's every command, the headmaster hadn't been too worried, but now that Sirius had somehow decided to live alone and not consulted or told anyone, not even Dumbledore himself, until the last minute, the headmaster had began to worry. Sirius had somehow started becoming independent from Dumbledore and the Order, and that could influence Harry to do the same, which was highly dangerous. As of now, Voldemort would not die until Harry sacrificed himself, so Dumbledore had to ensure that would happen and hopefully take steps to let Harry survive after doing so.
He believed Harry would not definitely die, as Voldemort had taken his blood, tying Lily's sacrifice to life, but was not completely sure, so he was still looking for alternative ways that would definitely accomplish the boy's safety. Nevertheless, for Lily's sacrifice to activate and let Harry live, as well as protecting whomever Harry would think he was dying for, the boy needed to be genuinely willing to die and let Voldemort himself kill him. If Harry somehow stopped trusting Dumbledore or acquired a different mindset, the consequences would be terrible, so he couldn't afford to lose Harry's trust. He had been planning to act very distant with the boy in order to avoid Voldemort knowing they were close, but that would surely make Harry angry with him, and that was too big of a risk. Maybe if he didn't meet with the boy alone, but was still warm to him and looked at him in the eye it would be better. He would keep Harry's respect, but not let Voldemort know how close they really were. Harry sacrificing himself was too important for Voldemort's demise to let it be up to chance.
If Voldemort didn't die, his army would kill thousands of witches and wizards, and maybe even end up ruling Britain, something that Dumbledore was not willing to risk. He had to stop Voldemort and save the country from him, no matter the consequences. Dumbledore loved Harry, but one individual would never be more important than the thousands of lives that could be saved. Dumbledore would have died himself with no question if it meant that he could ensure Voldemort's destruction, and he hoped Harry would think the same way.
The headmaster looked around Mrs. Figg's living room, his dark thoughts about Harry forgotten. He instantly knew something was wrong. The kneazles looked stressed, and some dishes were unwashed with already dry food on them. Arabella would have never left them like that if she'd been able to wash them. He wondered what had happened, searching the house thoroughly. Arabella wasn't there, but she obviously hadn't left on her own accord. Dumbledore's heart sped up, fearing the worst. Had she been kidnapped by Voldemort's followers? The old lady definitely didn't deserve that.
Dumbledore stepped outside, changing his outfit to a muggle one and filling the kneazles' water and food trays as an afterthought. How long had Mrs. Figg been missing? She hadn't reported to him for at least a week. Hopefully the neighbors would enlighten him. He knocked on number seven, greeting the lady that answered the door politely.
'Hello, I'm Mrs. Figg's cousin, and we had arranged for me to visit her today, but she's not at home. Do you by any chance know when she will be back?' he asked the lady anxiously. The lady's face contorted in pity, and she looked at Dumbledore apologetically.
'Haven't you heard? She's in the hospital, she was found yesterday morning in the street, she's in something like shock I think, not responding to anyone. It was in the local paper' the neighbor told Dumbledore, half sympathetically, half gossipy. Dumbledore frowned, relieved that she wasn't kidnapped, and that he could at least find her, but wondering apprehensively what had happened. Had she been attacked? If so, how? He apparated to a street near the hospital quickly, and approached the information desk to ask them about Arabella Figg.
'Psychiatry area, second floor, after the stairs go left' the disinterested receptionist told him. Dumdledore walked to the aforementioned section, and there they took him to Arabella's room. The headmaster took one look at his old comrade and paused, the grief consuming him. Mrs. Figg was sitting on a bed, staring at nothing, completely unresponsive. Dumbledore knew of very few things that could cause her to be in this state, all of them magical, and all of them with no solution. Had Death Eaters attacked her, like the Longbottoms? Had they poisoned her? Was it a dementor? One thing was clear; he couldn't leave her here. He confounded the nurse and quickly guided Mrs. Figg out of the hospital and apparated them into St. Mungo's. She could walk on her own, but that didn't necessarily mean anything good.
'What happened to her?' he asked impatiently to the healer examining her an hour later. The healer flushed, probably feeling uncomfortable talking so directly with his old headmaster.
'It was undoubtedly a dementor's kiss' he said softly 'I'm sorry'. Dumbledore nodded, grief stricken, and arranged for Mrs. Figg to stay in the hospital until she died. She had no family, and this was the least he could do for her. How had this even happened? What was a dementor doing in Little Whinging? Someone had obviously sent them after Harry, but Arabella, and maybe other people, had been unlucky enough to cross their path. It could either be someone from the Ministry or Voldemort, but Dumbledore was more inclined to believe the latter. The dementors had already defected to Tom's side during the last war, and it wasn't too far-fetched to think that maybe he had already managed to convince some this time. Plus, the Ministry had no real reason to send a dementor after Harry. They had already discredited his name, and him appearing kissed would certainly waken suspicions that Fudge wanted to quiet.
He would report this to Amelia directly, instead of going through the official channel. The formidable lady had been very efficient with arranging Sirius' trial at the slightest suspicion that something was wrong, and she would surely not be opposed to open an investigation about dementors attacking people when they shouldn't be, but if Dumbledore requested it publically and Fudge found out the Minister would do his best to put a stop to it. Arabella's end was terrible, the headmaster thought grieving, but maybe he could avenge her by awakening Amelia's suspicions. If the Department of Law Enforcement presented an investigation that proved that Lord Voldemort was back, Fudge would be hard pressed to ignore it, and the public definitely wouldn't. Dumbledore left the hospital and apparated to the Ministry, his resolve strengthening. He would take care of Arabella's kneazles later. Right now, he had an investigation to open, one that could potentially tip the war in their favor.
Hope you liked it! Please tell me your thoughts! :) Until next time. I start a new full time job next week, so I may not be able to update every three weeks like I have been doing lately. I will try my best though.
Cheers!