Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character, story element or plot item originally published in the Harry Potter books or movies that I may refer to in this story. I'm merely playing in the sandbox.

Chapter 21

Harry had kept up his usual pattern, hiding from the rest of the school. Since Luna had been bonded to her stone and enjoyed the fact that she could just vanish with him, she often sat with him in the hallway as they just watched the others go around.

"They're not happy, are they?"

"I think it's rude to peek," Luna said calmly.

"It is, but just watch them," Harry said, ignoring the fact that they were spying on the others from a concealment charm based on a rune array. The more he learned, the more he wanted to try to take the Runes OWL.

"They don't know what they want." She looked at Harry. "Usually, when you see them, they are focused on you. They know what they want to do or say because they have a target. If you just look at them in their everyday lives, being as invisible as every other person is, they are more lost. They don't have a known purpose."

Granger stalked by as Luna paused. She continued casually "Most of them."

"Are you going to try to talk me into talking to her again?"

"I don't think she's ready. You did a good thing after the Second Trial, but she's still thinking about herself." She was silent. "So are you, but not for selfish reasons. Self-defense is not always a selfish thing."

"We've done the same thing to each other." Harry decided to reflect. "We both turned our backs on each other, but I don't know that she apologized for the right reason. She apologized to get something from me: information."

"How will she react when she finds out that you took your OWLs early?"

Harry took a breath, then steepled his hands like a mountain, making an explosion sound as he spread them apart. "It will be an event for the textbooks."

"Bigger than Krakatoa?" She laughed.

He sighed. "They were right, you know, to a degree." Harry had held his piece about this, but finally had to say it. Luna looked at him in a moment of confusion.

"I almost cursed Pettigrew. I really thought about it. For Sirius, for my parents, for me." He shook his head. "I didn't do it for Fleur and Cedric and Viktor and Sirius and Moony and you. I didn't want to see the look in your eyes when you were disappointed with me."

She smiled, then squeezed his hand lightly. "I think you are starting to believe you're not alone. You were for too long."

"Thank you for being a good friend, Luna."

"I'm surprised I did well, honestly. I have so little practice. Other than Ginny, I've never had a friend before. When we got here, we lost contact…mostly after First Year. She withdrew a bit, though I can understand why."

"Have you tried again?" Harry looked over and asked. "She seems to be different than I remembered. More grown up."

"Both of you are. Voldemort did that." She said the name casually. "Have you heard anything from the Unspeakable?" Only five people knew what really happened in the graveyard. He hadn't even told Dumbledore when he'd asked.

"No. I don't know that I will."

"They are mysterious in the Department of Mysteries. It's a job requirement."

Harry chuckled. "C'mon, let's go to lunch. I think the Champions are heading home today."

"I want to say goodbye." She stood, then took his arm as they walked along, a bubble of quiet in the milling crowd. Lunch was a quick affair of sandwiches and crisps with Winky, then they moved back into the corridor. Harry flew this time, not getting to fly often except for laps in the Chamber. Luna held tight and was humming softly to herself at his back. Even flying at high speed through a tunnel and she's at peace. I'll never understand her.

They headed out to where the schools were meeting. As they approached, Harry dropped his field. Luna had already done so. He smirked at the others, staring at them suddenly appearing. "I wonder if they'll ever figure it out."

Luna didn't answer, running forward to hug Fleur. Harry followed at a more sedate pace. "I will write, Luna. You will, too." They were just separating from their hug as he came into earshot. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pair of notecards, his maildrop address written on them.

"I want you two to write, too," he said, offering one to Fleur, the other to Viktor.

Fleur nodded, then hugged him, too. "Not that it will be long before I see you again. Your tutor arranged that you stay with us while you recover from surgery."

"What surgery?"

Harry didn't even bother to turn towards Viktor's right, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Granger." He smiled at Fleur. "Thank you. I was hoping to avoid a hospital."

"Wait till Gabrielle talks you right out of the house!"

"I won't understand!"

She smirked. "I'll cast a translation charm on her."

Harry just laughed. "Then I'll ask for your dirty secrets." Luna elbowed him and he turned to Viktor. "Thank you, Viktor. I'm glad to have met you."

"We shall have to fly against each other. I've heard enough stories about you from Cedric. The three of us should find time to race."

"Four, I like to race brooms, just not with cannonballs fired at me, thank you." Fleur's indignant tone led the group all laugh.

"That sounds great. We absolutely have to arrange that." Harry withdrew a few paces, watching as some of the Hogwarts students interacted with those from other schools. Slytherin was poorly represented in the group. Apparently, Harry intermingling with the Champions so well had turned most of them off of the whole idea. Regardless, seeing it made him smile. "This is what this Tournament was supposed to be for. Fostering cooperation."

"It may be necessary depending on what's going on." Granger spoke again, but Harry just walked away. He wasn't ready yet.

He kept near, pulling a pastry from his pocket and munching on it. Dumbledore approached from the side. "I hear there are two trials I will be presiding over soon."

"Really? Madame Bones has moved fast." He chewed the bite of the pastry, adjusting the wrapper to allow another bite. "I look forward to my note. I think I'd like to see how a magical trial goes."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I can't imagine a situation where you would be in front of the entire Wizengamot." He looked over at Harry. "Voldemort was there, wasn't he?"

"I'm not sure where he is. I killed his snake, captured one of his remaining followers. I'm pretty happy with that. I wasn't really in danger. Guess everyone turning on me was a benefit."

"I'm glad you captured him. Part of me feared..."

"I was tempted. I was very tempted." He lowered the pastry in his hand away from his mouth. "All I could see was Sirius and Remus and them," he said, gesturing to Luna and the Champions. "If I had done it, they would have hated me, your students would have been right about me...Sirius wouldn't be going to trial after all these years."

"You made the hard choice. It definitely has its rewards."

"No question. My godfather's freedom, I hope. Luna's friendship, not to mention the other three. All far outweigh a moment of vengeance."

"Thank you for easing an old man's burden."

"If it helps, I don't even hate the Dursleys. I'm glad to be away, but I don't hate them." He pointed to his forehead. "This will be gone when you next see me after I leave school this year. Well, maybe, depending on the trial date."

"Will you return?" Dumbledore spoke softly

"I don't know."

Two days after the Hogwarts Express pulled away from Hogsmeade, Harry walked into the courtroom and took a seat in the visitor's gallery. He was told that after the interrogation, his testimony was unnecessary past a statement that had been taken the day after the end of the Tournament. He was fine with that. Luna sat with him, having left her father in the press gallery.

"You do stir things up, Mr. Potter."

"I try." He whispered back, glad to have her presence. Moony had been banned from the courtroom gallery due to his status. Harry had been warned ahead of time of this due to the actions of the Minister's Undersecretary. He tagged her as another probable enemy.

The audience was called to order, and they fell silent, other than a few camera flares and the accompanying clicks. Harry was well used to this due to Gryffindor's resident camera nut.

Dumbledore was there, though seemed to be carefully ignoring his entire section. "So, who do you think will be first?"

"Either way will be interesting. If it were me, I'd make the second one a surprise."

"We are here to witness the trial of Sirius Black." The uproar was expected, though Luna squeezed his hand. He put his arm around her, glad for the low-level avoidance field he had up. The gossip wouldn't be good for her and he wasn't going to put her through it.

"Just try to shut it down. Breathe."

Luna nodded, then closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. When she nodded again, he moved his arm. She took his hand again, holding it tightly. He didn't say anything.

"Silence!" Dumbledore fired a cannon blast from his wand. "I will have order in this court. It is known that no one should be jailed without a trial. We have researched his situation as new information became available and Sirius Black was denied this right. If we do not correct this, it may be you who are next."

Harry nodded appreciatively at his Headmaster, as he panned his gaze around, clearly meeting a few people's eyes directly. The room settled, all who had stood in protest taking their seats despite some fairly angry murmuring.

Sirius was led into the chamber and Harry had to nod again. "Your godfather cleans up well."

"I'm just glad he had time to lose the crazed madman look he used to have."

Sirius had walked in with a new set of dress robes, calm and collected. He sat in the chair, not reacting as the chains wrapped around him. "I am glad to finally be seated before this august body." Gone was the joker, here was the man who had taught the pureblood etiquette lessons that Harry had tried in. He would always admit he was better in Defense.

The trial moved swiftly, his admitting to the lack of registration of his Animagus form, but soon being cleared of the other charges against him. Dumbledore banged his gavel as the verdict was read, then stood. "May I be the first to congratulate you."

"As long as my godson is next in line."

Harry took that as his cue, standing and pushing forward, disabling the concealment portion of the avoidance field of his stone. Luna had come with him and only let go of his hand as they reached the aisle. "I can make that happen, Sirius."

He strode forward, not blocked anymore as the confused onlookers tried to get close to him, but then were pressed back by some instinct. He dropped the field as he reached the floor, walking forward. "I believe we met a long time ago, but I am Harry Potter, your godson."

"And heir, don't forget that." Sirius took Harry's offered hand, then pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you."

"How could I forget? Draco was ever put out with me over that." He turned. "May I introduce you to one of my closest friends, Luna Lovegood."

Luna smiled her calm smile, only Harry's near year of experience with reading her letting him know that she was faking it. She curtseyed. "A pleasure, Lord Black."

"Please, call me Sirius. Any friend of my godson is a friend of mine."

She nodded, "Sirius."

Harry watched her for a second more. "Why don't we take a seat? I want to watch the next trial, but we can have lunch afterwards." It was a prepared statement. Even not knowing who would go first, Harry had made sure that Sirius knew he had a meeting with the Department of Mysteries. Lunch would be after that.

"Lead on."

Once they were back in their seats, Harry made adjustments to his disk and attention soon shifted back to the trial. Luna's hand was in his again, fingers laced through his. "Is she okay?"

"The crowd is a bit much for her. If she wants, I brought a light Calming Draught."

"I do. Please." Harry coaxed his hand free from her grip and reached for the small vial in his pocket. He handed it to her, and she took the does. After a few seconds, she took a breath and giggled a little. "Thank you."

"You know..."

"Shut up, Sirius, I don't even want to imagine what you're going to say next."

Luna gave a little laugh. "Cheering component, too?"

"Umm...I don't remember. I didn't brew it."

"Who did?"

"Moony. Said I should use it on...oh, sorry, Luna."

"It's okay, I can handle this better than all that." She giggled again and shook her head. "I'm buying him a dog collar, though." Her next laugh challenged the strength of the disk's field.

Harry cast a Calming Charm on her to go with the draft to mute the prank potion's effects. Mentally, Harry wondered about a dog collar for Moony, too. If Luna was going to beat him to it, he'd get customized dog tags. Christmas was either going to be amazing for these guys or very weird. He hadn't decided yet.

As Pettigrew was lead in in manacles, Harry's happier thoughts left. Luna had his hand again, but not gripping it as hard. "He's going to get what he deserves."

This trial was swift. It only required his confession to his complicity in the Potter house attack, then one of the surlier members stood. "I've heard enough. I want to see that thing sent through the Veil."

"That's Mulciber. He's not on our side," Sirius muttered.

"He feels fearful."

"That fits the scenario. Bet he has a neat looking tattoo on his arm."

The vote was quick, and Pettigrew was led away to be Kissed. "I almost hate to see that. He was my friend for years. Then to find out he betrayed everyone and now this...I just don't understand."

"I don't think you can." Harry sighed. He'd had time to think about Ron. "I'll never understand Ron. His life is over. He's going to get out of Azkaban after a year, his wand snapped, and he was banished from practicing magic in Britain for the rest of his life. I was surprised when I got the verdict. I had no intention of showing up at the trial. Even if I was unpopular, his attempted murder of another student was viewed as a threat to each of their heirs." He gestured to the slowly emptying benches.

"Let's go. We can get a quiet booth and talk things out." Luna seemed to be settling and Harry stood, offering his arm.

"After one more thing," Harry shook his head. "You're right, though. Let's try to work things out with everyone here and after we've seen what the creepy guys want. Occlumency to full first."

"If that will help," Luna said, shrugging.

"Who knows?"

A/N: So. Two chapters to go. Shattered Illusions is basically blocked, and I'm pondering what I would give Sirius and Remus for Christmas if I were Harry.

Thanks to for fixing whatever was going on between them and Google! I had no idea what was going on because nothing I did fixed the notifications, so now that they are working, I can see things.

Anyway, I'm tired. I just did a whole paper on modern day debt. Enjoy and have a great week!