Dear Sirius Orion Black,

You are hereby ordered to present yourself to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on 13th April for arraignment. This appointment is mandatory unless the department receives documentation from a licensed healer detailing a physical incapacity to travel to the Ministry of Magic. In the absence of appropriate documentation, failure to appear will result in issuance of a warrant for your arrest.

Sincerely,

Bartemius Caspar Crouch, Sr.

Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

The thirteenth of April was tomorrow. Everyone else was much more excited/troubled about the short-notice legal action than Sirius was. Euphemia started crying again during her brief appearance and vanished back to the other end of the house with James. Peter, who had been the main person keeping him company again ever since the revelation about who killed Fleamont Potter, was downright panicking on his behalf until Moody popped by. The auror, after guiltily admitting he had chosen not to tell Sirius about Fleamont's presence at Foulness either before or after, explained the arraignment was just a formality in his case, and an excuse for Mr. Crouch to have a one-on-one meeting with Sirius before he had to testify before the committee. No, he was not going to be detained and locked up at the Ministry. Yes, Moody already had plans in place for a couple of the aurors in the Order of the Phoenix to disillusion themselves and shadow him every second he was outside the Potters' wards. Narcissa showed up in the evening to make him come up with plans for a short press conference at the Ministry before he left, since someone was bound to notice his presence and try to interview him whether he liked it or not. And then a harried Richard arrived on behalf of Orion Black for basically the same reason as Narcissa, since Sirius wasn't answering the communication mirror he'd left in his room and James had neglected to ward Richard back out of the house. Narcissa immediately made Richard swear on his magic not to tell Orion she was here.

Narcissa's and Richard's visit turned into a sort of late-night conference with them, Peter, Remus, and Lily Evans, though the Slytherins tolerated the Gryffindors protectively flanking him under protest. The long and short of it was that, after a heated tangent where Narcissa condescendingly explained the political and legal intricacies to a bristling Lily, the others collectively talked Sirius out of the passive, apathetic approach to the meeting and publicity he might have preferred. Narcissa also assigned herself the role of his chief political advisor and issued orders for Richard and, oddly enough, Peter to start sounding out alliances on his behalf as distinct from Orion.

Lily withheld the Dreamless Sleep potion that night so he could safely take a Calming Draught in the morning instead, and so he did not sleep. He was too busy tallying up his list of crimes in his head in anticipation for the charges tomorrow.

Bartemius Crouch Sr. was a hard man to read, Sirius decided within the first few seconds of sitting down in the man's office. The head of the DMLE nodded cordially at Alastor Moody, who was accompanying Sirius to this appointment, gestured them into the two chairs, and waved his wand to activate all the privacy spells in the walls and door. There was no offer of handshake, no smile of welcome or sneer of disdain, not even a trace twitch of his toothbrush mustache, just the flat expression of a cold and dispassionate bureaucrat.

Crouch slid two rolls of parchment across the desk towards Sirius. "The one on the left lists the official charges that will be entered into the public record, after the Committee for Adjudication of Criminality Associated with Death Eaters has completed its business and is dissolved. The one on the right is the complete list of charges, which will be made available to the Committee members but due to security reasons will be sealed for one hundred years regardless of the outcome of your trial, with certain sections remaining redacted indefinitely to anyone without level one Ministry security clearance. I will need you to read through and sign both, regardless of whether you intend to plead innocent or guilty to the charges themselves. Your signature does not constitute an admission of guilt, only acknowledgement that the charges have been presented to you."

Slowly, Sirius picked up the document on the left and scanned through. It was quickly apparent what Crouch had meant by the "security reasons" for leaving some of the charges off: There was no mention of any charges before January, no mention of creating inferi, and no mention of setting a dementor loose in London. The omissions were assuredly designed to protect the narrative the Ministry (and Orion) had already spun surrounding the Malfoy and Black family, to keep the details of the violent end to the war murky, to make it possible to blame all the worst atrocities on Voldemort himself, and thus make it politically possible for Sirius to go free in the end. His eyes flicked back up to the top of the parchment as he read the document through fully. He realized with a jolt that with the various omissions, there were zero muggle murders listed on this version, even with twenty-six counts of major breach of the Statute of Secrecy and terrorism against muggles. Edgar Bones, Elphias Doge, Salim Sarwar, Fleamont Potter, and Victoria Crouch were all missing from the list of murder charges too. He supposed it didn't matter all that much what Crouch and the others had decided to put on this version of the charge sheet; it was for the Light public, after all. Any Death Eaters who stayed free to read it would expect some omissions. Probably better to leave out some of the straightforward murders so no one went looking for the more intrinsically dangerous information like horcruxes and dementor rituals.

He signed at the end and reached for the second parchment. He winced when he saw the note for muggle murders and assaults, which collectively tallied several thousand: See Appendix A. The list of wizarding murders was longer than it was on the other version... but it wasn't complete. No Fleamont Potter, no Victoria Crouch, no Abraxas Malfoy.

He looked up at Crouch. "You've miscounted."

The older wizard grimaced in distaste. "Yes, but the exact circumstances of the late Lord Malfoy's death are known only to a few people that I am quite certain will agree never to mention the matter in public. This is one case where even I can concede it's better to bury the scandal and allow each side to draw its own conclusions rather than force the truth into the open and possibly foment further violence. Alastor assured me that Narcissa Malfoy was not pressured into her propaganda role until long after the events in November."

Sirius nodded. "That's true. But that's not..." He glanced at Moody, whose quick cough and wide eye were clearly telling him to shut up.

"Oh?" Crouch asked, sharply, now staring at Moody.

Sirius cleared his throat. "There's more, and they weren't secret amongst the Death Eaters."

"Sirius, you idiot, you're not here to incriminate yourself," Moody growled.

Sirius shook his head at Moody. "Sullivan Travers for one definitely knew, and he will speak up if only to get back at me since you've already arrested him. I'm pretty sure it'll be worse coming from him than from you and me."

Moody hesitated. "There is that..."

"Explain," Crouch said tonelessly.

"I was at Foulness," Sirius began.

"Yes. You placed the Imperius curse on Evan Rosier, causing him to kill half a dozen other Death Eaters," Crouch interrupted. "Part of the strategy you and Alastor agreed upon beforehand."

"Yes... and then the Dark Lord changed the plan halfway through the battle when it became clear he was losing. He ordered me to destroy the house as soon as the others brought down the wards again."

Crouch fell completely motionless, like a statue. "And you followed the order. Of course you did," he said after a moment. "To do otherwise would have been suicide, and it was far from your first murder. You would barely have hesitated. Did you know who was in the house?"

"You don't legally have to answer that right now," Moody said.

Sirius ignored him and shook his head. "No. I only knew it wasn't you. I'm sorry."

Crouch stared at him a moment longer before snatching back the long charge sheet. His hand did not shake as he added four names to the murder counts, and one additional count of destruction of property, then shoved it back at Sirius. "Finish reading and sign," he ordered. Meekly, Sirius obeyed. As soon as he set down the quill, Crouch levitated the papers back to his side of the desk and leaned forwards. "Now that the official business is done... unofficially and off the record, I hope you can appreciate the generosity the DMLE is showing in the contrasts between these two documents."

"I don't think it counts as generosity when we both know you're expecting plenty in return."

"And what am I expecting in return?"

"Complete cooperation in sending as many Death Eaters as possible to Azkaban, and probably also public support of new post-war government initiatives."

"And is that what I'll be getting?"

"Not entirely. It was pointed out to me by people I trust that it would be political and probably literal suicide to just straight up affirm to the court everything I know." Richard was the one who had put it quite so bluntly and succinctly. He had to work with the Sacred Families to some extent, either with his father or make his own stand, choose his own alliances, and force Orion to align with him. If he didn't, someone was sure to hire an assassin or three.

Crouch snorted. "I should be talking to your father, then? This was a waste of my time? Decided it's no longer worth putting yourself on the line now Voldemort is dead?"

"Well, I wouldn't say my father is the most accurate representative of my views," Sirius said with a smile he thought Narcissa would have been proud of.

"Ah..."

"Told you, Barty," Moody grunted. "He's not one to stay down for long."

"Thank you, Alastor. So, Mr. Black, what are you offering in exchange for my vote to issue you a full pardon?"

"First off, you will get my testimony against the Traverses and Rookwood."

"Helpful, but not very, since I already have sufficient evidence to convict them of prison-worthy offenses."

"They're Inner Circle. You'll want to be able to make that incontrovertible public information to prove the Ministry has actually captured or killed the ringleaders. And I will be testifying against other Death Eaters... but not all of them. I might also offer myself as character witness in the defense of some of them."

"A character witness? Why?"

"Because not all of them were willing conspirators. It really isn't fair to punish everyone who made one stupid decision and then got pulled in over their heads with dementor exposure for years, decades, or their whole life."

"That's a hard argument to make to the majority of the public who didn't succumb to murder and depravity."

"Yeah? You shouldn't underestimate people's ability to understand nuance. I have a muggleborn friend who's perfectly capable of sympathizing with people like your son." Lily had been rather offended at the idea of deliberately withholding information from the court until they'd explained Richard's situation and the upcoming plans for Barty Crouch Jr. to her.

For the first time, Crouch actually looked angry. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry, I'm not accusing Barty of doing anything wrong. But you should know he was being very actively recruited. If the war hadn't ended when it did, he'd probably have been kidnapped by now and either forced to take the Dark Mark or just held hostage and tortured against your compliance with the Dark Lord's demands."

Crouch eyed him balefully a moment. "Barty is a dutiful son. He wouldn't succumb."

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know him that well. But I certainly wouldn't blame him for crumbling, given what the Dark Lord was planning for him. People can break, Mr. Crouch. A lot of the people you and Moody have arrested or are going to arrest and bring to trial are broken people. Look, I've been told in no uncertain terms that I have a chance to change things among the Sacred Families, take out the worst rot from the apple barrel and force the kinds of concessions that the Ministry can't hope for without losing the public's confidence or throwing half the Families back into rebellion." Narcissa's ambition for him, but he saw her point, and even Lily was advocating for it once Narcissa laid out some of the things she wanted him to do. Namely, codifying witch's rights and protections from abusive family members. Lily was completely scandalized by the forced arranged marriages and disownment practices rampant in the Sacred Families when Narcissa spelled them out for her. "What I want is for you and the rest of the Committee to keep that in mind and be prepared to be merciful when it's appropriate. Maybe have an option besides Azkaban for certain offenses... and I want you to apply an even hand to every case based on the evidence presented, regardless of class."

"You seek to usurp the court's authority," Crouch said shrewdly.

Sirius shrugged. With Narcissa and Elaine backing him up, Orion should go along with him, or so Narcissa insisted, so he'd have majority power in the Committee by proxy anyway. "Take it or leave it. You know most of the information Moody has from me is inadmissible coming via a portrait as it did, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. If you can find evidence to convict without my testimony, you're free to do so. But if your case relies on my witness, I'm in control of that. I'm sure Moody's told you I'm an Occlumens, and one good enough even the Dark Lord failed to spot my deceits, even when he'd loosened me up with the Cruciatus. There is nothing you can do to compel me to say something I don't want to besides offering me a reason why I should."

Crouch breathed out through his nose, but he smiled tightly. "In that case, I will make sure to schedule a meeting with you and Alastor ahead of any trials we anticipate requiring your input. Your...insight... will be much appreciated, I'm sure."

There was a gaggle of reporters waiting to ambush him in the Atrium. His father was loitering there too and came up beside him, though thankfully he chose not to make a scene in front of witnesses, only muttered in his ear, ordering him to return to Grimmauld Place with him, or else. Sirius smiled and shook his head. Rita Skeeter saved him. "Mr. Black, the wizarding public is dying to know more about you," she said, having wormed her way to the front. "We've all heard the rumor that you joined the Death Eaters in order to spy on them from the inside and ultimately bring the organization down. Is it true?"

"Yes," he said shortly.

"How did you manage to join them in the first place?" another reporter called.

Sirius forced a wry expression. "Joining was easy. I was approached on the street some time after I was expelled from Hogwarts. It was an obvious low point for me, ripe for recruitment from their perspective. They wanted me to join, offered me the incentives they thought I might want. And they threatened to come after me if I refused." He shrugged. "I hid for awhile, but I don't like hiding. I figured it was a golden opportunity for spying, even though everyone around me advised against it."

"Can you comment on the details of your Hogwarts expulsion?" a voice shouted from the back.

"You were threatened?" Rita interjected. She was clearly here at Orion's behest to ensure he received the most flattering report possible.

"It was a common Death Eater recruitment strategy, a mix of honey to lure the target in and then a dose of terror to exert control. Oftentimes, the threat came later in the form of blackmail when someone who thought of themselves as an mere sympathizer or paid contractor, paid informant got drawn in to outright criminal activity for the first time. In my case, it was suggested with the very first offer I'd be on a hit list if I refused."

"Do you know others this happened to?" Rita asked before anyone else could comment.

"Many. Possibly even most of the younger recruits. A lot of them I knew of were poor without other prospects, or they were close in some way to others who had already joined, so the threats were much more real. Harder to go into hiding from your own uncle, for instance."

"What was the purpose of your visit to the Ministry today? Were you delivering testimony against accused Death Eaters?"

He grinned. "Not today. Actually, I was listening to the charges against me."

A few bystanders gasped.

"Can you tell us the charges?" someone shouted.

Rita arched a dark, penciled-in eyebrow. "Hardly the way for the DMLE to secure your testimony, I should think."

He shrugged again. "If you joined the Death Eaters, you were going to be forced to do terrible things at some point, whether you wanted to or not. I joined. It's justice."

"And yet you are walking back out through the lobby rather than being escorted to a holding cell," an older wizard also wearing a button from the Daily Prophet observed. "Were you offered a deal?"

"I've been advised," by Narcissa and Moody, "not to talk publicly about the case while it's active, or detail the specific charges for security reasons. But I will say I have no intention of trading others' freedom for my own."

Rita cocked her head to the side. "Does that mean you won't be testifying against any Death Eaters?"

"Not at all. It means my voice is my own. I will absolutely testify against the murderers that tore our country apart. I will not be silenced by anyone else. I will not be coerced to shade my words by anyone else, not by the Ministry, not by my father, not by Dumbledore." He heard Orion shift behind him. His smile turned hard. "I fully expect to go free, because I can confidently say anything I did was expressly for the goal of bringing down the Dark Lord and ending the war. Not to mention I actively coordinated with the aurors as much as possible, so it would be pretty hypocritical of them to chuck me in Azkaban for it. If there is anyone else out there with a Death Eater brand hoping for leniency, well... they had best be able to explain themselves. The Dark Lord branded no one who had not committed an act of violence."

"Are you accusing everyone with a Death Eater tattoo of murder? Or did other crimes count?"

"Were Death Eaters Marked for crimes against wizards or muggles or both?"

"Do you support Life in Azkaban for everyone with a Dark Mark?"

"You are related to several members of the adjudicating Committee. Do you expect their rulings in general to be harsh or lenient?" The reporter who asked was not looking at him but rather at Orion.

"I expect them to listen to the evidence in each case and be fair. There's a world of difference between a staunch member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle and a reluctant recruit who never actually killed anybody. I don't think everyone who was tempted by the Dark Lord's rhetoric should go to prison, particularly when you consider he had more than one message out there. He sure as hell wasn't recruiting half-bloods and werewolves with blood purity politics, you know. What I hope for is rule of law, not just retribution and scapegoating. There must be consistency - the same crime committed for the same reasons should be prosecuted the same way, regardless of who's sitting in the defendant's chair."

"Including you?"

"In theory, sure, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who was a spy start to finish, so the context isn't quite the same."

"As a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, how would you like to see our government move forwards, now that the war is over?" the wizard reporter from the Prophet asked quickly.

"Well... our society is broken. The war would never have happened if various factions didn't cling so hard to their prejudices against everyone else. Yes, we need to see justice done and public safety restored, but there's also going to have to be some level of forgiveness and tolerance on both sides moving forwards, or else we will never change, and someone like the Dark Lord could nudge us back into the same conflict again in a few years. The Sacred Families need to change too. We proved just as susceptible to the Dark Lord's schemes as any other group. Moreso, in some ways. It's frankly ridiculous that so many of our elite pledged support for and ultimately bowed to the whims of a violent, power-hungry halfblood. He knew how to play to their egos, and he wouldn't have made it nearly so far without the financial backing of the likes of Rodolphus Lestrange. Whatever petty ambitions and conceits so blinded so many of my cousins into following him, that tendency must be purged." He could practically feel his father's annoyed gaze, though he was sure the man's expression was probably still polite and unconcerned for the news photographers.

"Did you just say You-Know-Who was a halfblood?" A witch in the back asked in surprise. Her badge was from Witch Weekly. He had no idea what the women's fashion and gossip magazine was even doing here.

However, that was the last item Narcissa had said he had to mention, so now he could get out of here. His cousin had done an excellent job of predicting the reporters' questions and preparing his responses for him. "Yep. Real name Tom Riddle. My parents remembered him from school. Maybe we can all start calling him by his name rather than pretentious euphemisms. Hard habit to break, though, I suppose." He grinned at the reporters' dumbfounded expressions. "Anyway, I-"

There was a flare of green in the corner of his eye, and he dove to the floor on instinct. The Avada Kedavra hit the wall behind him, cracking the black stone. It narrowly missed Orion, who had dodged the other direction. A second later, one of the disillusioned aurors who had been standing on his other flank grabbed his shoulder and apparated them both back to the Potters' front lawn.

"Get inside and don't come out until Alastor tells you to," the invisible wizard told him harshly, before disapparating again. Sirius sighed and pushed himself back up, gritting his teeth against the painful pull in his still-inflamed chest muscles underneath the bandage there. He let himself back into the house. Peter and Remus were waiting for him anxiously in the kitchen.

"How did it go?"

"Oh, fine. Someone tried to assassinate me, but I'd already pretty much finished saying everything I needed to by then..."

"Someone tried to kill you again?" James' voice from the door to the dining room was low and shaky. He stared at Sirius with haunted eyes, as if he hadn't slept last night either. Probably hadn't.

"Yeah," Sirius said after a moment. "In the Atrium as I was leaving. But they missed. I'm fine. The aurors will take care of it, I'm sure."

James bit his lip, nodded, and left again without another word. Sirius watched him go, thinking that was one friendship he was probably never going to repair. Which was a shame since everyone else agreed his friendship with James had always been the most meaningful.

Author's note: do me a favor and ignore legal squiffiness in this section. The legal system in the Harry Potter franchise is notoriously corrupt and weird with basically no consistent rules. I started out drafting this chapter actually going into detail of Narcissa pureblood-splaining the wizarding justice system to Lily, but it was... so boring and would have added even more redundancy. The only important bit, which I only briefly mentioned in the final draft of this chapter, was that Sirius' spy information is only legally valid evidence if he delivers it in person or signs an actual witness statement, not as hearsay via a portrait (especially one that was subsequently deactivated). Moody could still have used it as probable cause to arrest suspected Death Eaters if Sirius had been killed, but Crouch would have needed other hard evidence to actually convict people.

In other news, I've realized I shouldn't try committing to an update schedule for awhile. I clearly can't keep to weekly updates, and I feel like my writing quality suffers too much if I try. There's just too much other busy-ness in my life at the moment. I am still actively working on the story though, so look for sporadic updates on weekends.