Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.

A/n: So this chapter is technically a part-chapter, as I split them into two. Mainly, it was because I love being a little mean, but also because I didn't want to have a 7k-8k chapter. Maybe... just maybe, the second part will go up Wednesday or Thursday... possibly with another chapter on Saturday or Sunday...

As for this chapter, it was honestly a lot of fun to write, allowing Harry show off a little in terms of acting as a ponce like Malfoy sometimes does.

Chapter 11: Reliving the Past Part 1

February 13th, 1994

Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Amelia sat, staring at the letter she had received days prior, questioning once more what she would discover from such a letter. How the owl had reached her directly, she still didn't know, but it made it clear that she, and she alone, would be trusted with the matter. The public venue was also odd, but she was guessing that it would at least be a private room to ensure that nothing could be overheard, but that nothing could be done against the person either.

And that was something else that baffled her. The magical signature that clung to the parchment and seal matched no one that they had on file as an adult, not that the Ministry had a collection of every adult, nor could she see if it matched anyone from Hogwarts. The wax had no family crest stamped on it, only removing so many families, but that couldn't discount the possibility they just hadn't used the stamp. The handwriting too, was unfamiliar, and it was a puzzle she didn't like.

"Rachel!"

Her assistant walked in. She liked this one better than her last. A muggleborn, not that Amelia cared, but she was more gathered in her organization and determined to be the best at her job because she liked her job, not because she wanted to be promoted. The blonde haired girl waited patiently as Amelia thought for a minute.

"Could you get me Moody and Robards." Amelia asked, "And let them know this is an intel retrieval."

"Of course."

The assistant disappeared only a moment later, and it was five minutes later when three walked into the office. It seemed Moody had, without asking per normal, made a decision, "My trainee is coming with us, it's good for her to experience."

Amelia hesitated. Tonks was perhaps the best of the most recent year of Aurors to pass the course, and had only been out of Hogwarts for almost two years, having finished at the end of her niece's first year. She was more hesitant though due the fact this pertained to the girl's cousin, but… she also couldn't say no.

"Very well. We have a meeting with an unknown person at the Three Broomsticks. They supposedly have information about Black, and it was clear the letter was meant for me. Whether this is an attempt to ambush me, or them looking for a neutral party, I do not know."

"Good to see you practice Constant Vigilance." Everyone rolled their eyes at the paranoid auror, but none were stupid enough to comment and end up on the receiving end of one of his rants.

"Well, let's go. Apparate to the outer edge of Hogsmeade once we are out from the ministry." Amelia finished. And with those words, they began moving, unaware of the dragon's nest they were walking into.

Break…

The Three Broomsticks

Noon

Harry sat in the room, eyeing the door cautiously, shifting in his seat from the soreness of dueling with Flitwick. Pettigrew was in a cage next to him, which was charmed to be unbreakable. He had been captured late last night, before Harry turned back time and took him to be watched by Sirius. The cage would only last a few days at best without the runes, but that was all that was needed. It was nice that Ron hadn't noticed this morning, but that would only last for so long.

Sirius laid on the floor, his gray eyes trained on the cage where the rat was unconscious. Harry resisted rolling his eyes, not unaware that Sirius would quite happily eat the rat if it kept him from escaping once more. 'Hell, he admitted in my fourth year that he had eaten rats.'

Instead, he ignored both animagus, focusing on the wards attached to the whole room. Many of them were ones from their days on the hunt, but some were from Godric's collection of books. The most important one was meant to keep anyone from entering or leaving without his permission, which also meant that the rat couldn't escape the room, as an invisible wall would prevent any living thing from leaving while the wards were up.

It was a breakable ward if a person tried hard enough, but certainly not something that was easily done, and not something done by a rat. 'Well, all of them are temporary and breakable I guess.'

If he was honest with himself, he was nervous about going with such a heavy approach towards the ministry. However, both himself and Sirius had argued, debated, and argued again over the past two months, and neither was willing to risk this being stopped. So, with plans made and actions taken, they had been ready, waiting for the ball to drop.

A knock resounded on the door, and Sirius sat up, the metaphorical ball dropping. "Easy, Pads, I've got it."

He opened the door slowly, only to reveal himself to Amelia Bones. He was unsurprised at how beautiful she was, matching Susan easily, only with being more mature in several areas, with a monocle over her right eye and perfectly smooth robes hugging her body, not hiding her curves a bit. It was almost eerie how much Susan looked like her aunt, but Harry's thoughts didn't linger on that for more than a second.

Behind her was Moody, who looked the same as ever, with maybe a bit more color to his hair and skin. Tonks was present too, who looked younger and more optimistic, and Robards, an Auror Harry never had dealt with much, but knew him as honest and respectable. Robards, he noticed, was similar to Sirius in build, only with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

His evaluations took less than three seconds, where he then moved his gaze back to Amelia. "I take it you received my request, Madam Bones?"

"Of course, may we enter?" Amelia asked, her voice was one of authority.

"Wait a minute. What are these wards?" Moody asked suspiciously, his wand already in his hand.

"Containment wards. It prevents anyone from entering or leaving without my permission" Harry replied, "The four of you are free to enter."

With that, he turned and walked back a few steps, waiting for them to enter. Moody was hesitant, but after the others entered, he followed, making his way into the corner and surveying the room carefully. Harry saw his wand hanging in his hand, and paid it no mind as he poured water with lemon into a few glasses. Moody refused, and the others didn't drink theirs until he had downed a significant drink, which he did immediately.

It was purposeful. He had taken lessons from his memories from Voldemort and Dumbledore in this aspect, creating an atmosphere that puts him in control, that shows he was the most confident person in the room and he would have the upper hand for as long as he could hold it.

"Do not tamper with my wards." Harry warned the grizzled auror as he saw the wand glow with a detection charm in the corner of his eye. The man's only good eye narrowed, but nodded, his wand going still.

"I am sorry, but you have me at a loss. Who are you?" Amelia asked. Harry smiled at her as he leaned back in his chair, eying her face for any recognition.

"I guess I need to talk to Susan." Harry replied with a teasing smile, "I didn't know she wouldn't talk about me."

Amelia's eyes narrowed, and he could see them drift to other parts of his face before they suddenly widened slightly, "Mister Potter?"

"Heir Potter, well, officially, Heir Hadrian Potter-Black." He corrected, before he turned away from her and her surprise, "And you would be Nymphadora Tonks, daughter of Andromeda."

He enjoyed watching her hair turn red, before muttering out a derisive 'Only Tonks.'

"Right. Well Heir Potter-Black-"

"Harry, if you wish for simplicity's sake." He cut in, saying it kindly to not irritate the woman. That was half the plan, to only irritate her at the right points.

She glared at the interruption, likely not used to it as both her position as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and as the Regent and Proxy to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Bones.

"Harry. This is Master Auror Gawain Robards, and the one in the corner is Master Auror Alastor Moody. Why have you called us to a meeting with a dog and a… rat, and what do you know about Sirius Black?" She asked firmly.

"Pets, with a purpose of course. Firstly, I wish to hear everything about Sirius Black. Mainly how he was arrested and later tried, his time at Azkaban, etcetera. Then we can get to why you are here." Harry answered, his tone conveying authority that matched hers.

"Why should I give you any of this information?" Amelia asked, a hint of frustration in her voice. Moody and Robards found something about this amusing, but said nothing, allowing their boss to handle it.

"Because he is supposedly the one that gave my parents up to Voldemort." Harry said, emphasizing a few words and ignoring the flinch at the name. He also ignored Moody's hiss to not say the name. "It is my right to know what supposedly occurred."

She glanced at the other two, before letting out a sigh of frustration. "Technically, I should not be telling you, but there isn't a law to prevent me from doing so either."

Harry waited, guessing she was too for her companions to stop her, but she continued after a few moments.

"Sirius Black was arrested on the night of November Second, 1981, in the middle of a road in Swanley, which is outside of London. There were exactly a dozen muggles dead, and Sirius Black was in the middle of the street crying and laughing, switching back and forth. He had been wanted, starting the morning before, when Albus Dumbledore stated that Sirius Black was the secret keeper, and several from the Leaky Cauldron confirmed this as they heard him bragging about such a thing prior to the night of October 31st."

"Who was the arresting officer? What was known about Pettigrew's presence there? When was the trial held? What did he say in interrogation?" Harry asked, they were all things that were a part of a typical file, while an interrogation always occurs before a trial with records and dictation occurring during it.

Amelia seemed to fidget slightly. "Um… well, I cannot be certain about the latter two things. Neither was in the reports that were given to me by the minister. He only gave me the Azkaban records and a copy of his arrest report. Moody was the arresting officer."

"And how was he when he was arrested, Auror Moody?" Harry asked seriously.

Through his eyes, Amelia could see a hint of confidence and… if she wasn't mistaken, pleasure, at what she said. It was off-putting. Any adult would not be so confident and happy about what she had said, and given the topics and who she was talking to, it was far from any reaction she had expected when she answered the question.

'Something more is going on here.' She thought, listening as Moody answered.

"Hm. Well, like I put into the report, he was off his rocker. His emotions were changing rapidly, between amusement, and crying. His words were on repeat. 'They're dead. Lily and James are dead.'" Moody replied, both eyes focused on Harry.

"And could this be from grief? He had lost his best friends." Harry asked curiously.

"He killed thirteen people and was openly responsible for at least two more deaths." Robards replied with a hint of a snarl. "How could he feel grief for your parents? Likely, it was only for his dead Dark Lord."

"You're being biased, falling into assumptions and what people thought they knew." Harry sneered. "Now, let's compare notes."

"Sirius Black was arrested at the scene of twelve dead muggles, with only a finger from Pettigrew found. What did the scene look like? Where was Sirius compared to the blasting point? Where was Pettigrew compared to the blasting point? What spells did Sirius' wand show he casted? What other remains of Pettigrew were found during the investigation?"

"Um…" Moody took a second, "Well… the spell detonated roughly forty five degrees to the right of Black, and about ten to eleven feet from where Pettigrew was standing, detonating almost directly next to him."

Already, Moody was spotting the holes in the case. "Nothing more of Pettigrew was found, not even his wand. Muggle body parts were scattered in both directions from the central blasting point, even those that were… as close to three feet from the spell…"

Harry hummed, but said nothing, allowing Moody to continue, "As for Black, he was around fifteen feet from the blast. No check of the wand was done on the scene either, as we were more concerned with getting him into a cell. As for the muggles, they said Pettigrew was screaming about how Sirius betrayed his best friends. The muggles were told it was a gas main explosion when they were all obliviated of the incident."

"And you know nothing of his time in the DMLE holding cell under Crouch Senior's administration? Nor anything of his trial or transportation to Azkaban, all of which was done by when?" Harry asked, not bothering poking holes in the ridiculously made reports and investigations.

"Nothing. I wasn't given those reports, though I know he was in Azkaban on the evening of the third. I hadn't thought they were related to finding him. Is there a point to this interrogation?" Amelia asked.

"What of his time in Azkaban?" Harry asked, ignoring her irritation.

She glared for a moment, "Get to the point, Harry."

"Answer the question, and then I will." Harry said firmly.

There was a staring contest, but Harry refused to be intimidated, not when he faced Voldemort himself. "Fine. He seemed to retain his sanity the longest of the inmates in the high security wing. Healers in the prison also reported during each of his six-month medical records that he also stayed the healthiest despite being treated the same as any other in the wing that were incarcerated near the same time."

She stopped, looking him in the eye, "Near the end, before he escaped, he began muttering that 'He's at Hogwarts.' That was two weeks before he escaped and is why the Dementors have been stationed at the school."

"And any leads on how he did it?" Harry asked. He watched Robards suppress the urge to speak out about the constant questioning.

"None. There were no traces. Not a scratch on the cell, the dementors never saw him either, nor did the guards. He could've been gone for over twelve hours when they came to give him his breakfast and found him gone, too." She finished. "Now, get to why you called us here."

Harry looked at the dog, who had looked between everyone as the stories had been told, before standing at Harry's look and coming to him, licking his hand.

"Let me recap what you have told me." Harry said, looking them each in the eye. "Plus, what little more I gathered from the newspaper and from hearsay."

"Sirius Black was my father's best friend from the first train ride to Hogwarts. Coincidentally, they were also cousins thanks to the marriage of Dorea Black, the late Lord Arcturus Black's younger sister. They were brothers in all but literal blood, and Pettigrew and Remus Lupin were the next two closest to them."

Amelia nodded, "Correct."

"Good. Now, they got out of school, continuing to work towards their career goals while joining Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. It is known that Sirius and James were very vocal about their opposition to Voldemort, and both had stood together, alongside my mother and others, and repelled him and his followers on a number of occasions."

Amelia frowned, but nodded.

"It is also true that at my birth, the man was not only present, but named my Godfather both by title and by oath, followed by Alice Longbottom being made my godmother not more than a week later in the same manner." Harry continued. Amelia sucked in a breath, and everyone looked at her, only the two of them knowing what it meant.

"Impossible. He would be dead then." She whispered, her face paling slightly.

He only smirked as her expression continued to fall. "It was later said that Sirius quite loudly, in the Leaky Cauldron, spoke of how he was the secret keeper. Tell me, why would someone say such a thing blatantly, especially when the people being protected had been hunted for several months?" Harry asked.

There were glaring holes in the whole thing, something everyone was realizing quickly. Tonks went to answer his question, but Harry held his hand up. "I am not done, Dora, let me finish."

"Now. My parents are killed by Voldemort, and Sirius is the first one there. Hagrid is very clear on that tale. The house is partly destroyed, and I have a bleeding cut on my forehead, supposedly, which was my scar." He pulled his hair up, revealing the almost gone iconic symbol. "Hagrid takes me, with Sirius' permission and on Dumbledore's orders, to Hogwarts, and later the next day to my muggle relatives."

"Why would he do that?" Amelia instantly asked. "The Longbottoms weren't attacked for nearly a week, and that was done after Neville had been moved back to Longbottom Hall and they were only cleaning out their hideout."

"A great question. The same day, November first, Dumbledore reports that Sirius was my parent's secret keeper, or at least, he is who gave Dumbledore the secret, which is in line with the statements made at the Leaky Cauldron. At this time, Sirius is declared as wanted for questioning for assisted homicide. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Amelia no longer seemed angry. Now, he could see it in her eyes, there was fear.

"Now, during this time, Sirius is unseen as he is tracking Pettigrew, where he finds him in Swanley. Still, both Sirius and Alice are innocent and unharmed at this point in time and in good health, meaning either should have taken guardianship of me. At no point in time had Dumbledore been given this right to make any decisions based upon anything." Harry spoke, hinting at the headmaster's involvement once more.

"It is late in the night of the second of November when the DMLE is informed of a magical attack in Swanley. Moody arrives to see several dead bodies, along with Sirius Black in the middle of the road in a mental breakdown. Witnesses say that Sirius is the traitor, again following the theme that Sirius was guilty of that. Witnesses assume that because of this, he is also the one who fired the blasting curse. Yet, there is no proof he casted anything because no one bothered checking his wand."

There were a round of nods as he looked around.

"Now. Here is where things get murky. He is only a few more feet away from Pettigrew, who was disintegrated by the explosive spell, and is unharmed. Pettigrew was nearly completely gone, despite muggles who were closer still having identifiable remains. Yet, a finger, perfectly cut, was all that remained of Pettigrew on the scene."

"Continuing from here. There were no provided court documents of a trial, nor interrogation records, only records of his arrival at Azkaban and his general health come after the reports from the crime scene." Harry finished.

"Get to the point." Amelia demanded. The confident and happy façade Harry wore fell away, giving way to a serious and nearly angry look as his eyes glowed, intimidating the woman across from him.

"The point, Madam Bones, is that Sirius Black played the world in an attempt to protect both my parents and Pettigrew and it bit him in the ass. Sirius willingly allowed everyone to believe that he was the one to be the secret keeper, but he wasn't. In fact, he is entirely innocent."

There were several moments of silence before Dora fainted, and Moody let out a barking laugh, while Amelia and Robards both were pale and nearly shaking.