Chapter 9
"What do you mean Peter Pettigrew is alive?" Amelia Bones asked
She was in the same sitting room used a few days before, with Tom Riddle, Severus Snape and Hermione Riddle. She had been told the whole tale of the Riddle family and managed to remain calm and collected throughout it, she thought.
She had met Tom Riddle almost 20 years ago, after her own family was decimated by Death eaters, leaving her alone to raise her niece Susan. She had been having strong reservations about joining The Order of the Phoenix at the time, and the devastating event tipped her to the edge, she was about to send a letter asking to meet with Professor Dumbledore when a young man knocked on her door, introduced himself as Tom Riddle and explained what had happened to her family and why. At the time she had a complete breakdown and had to be physically restrained from going to Hogwarts and killing the headmaster herself, she was able to calm down enough to hear the whole sordid tale and start working on more long-term plans instead.
Now, 20 years later, the man was still alive and perhaps more powerful and influential than ever. She had been busy raising her niece and kept her eyes open when Tom disappeared but she didn't have the time nor the resources to go at it alone, with no clear ideas who she could trust.
The conversation that started left her feeling quite off kilter.
"He had no trial? How is that even allowed? Dumbledore was Chief Warlock!"
"A time-turner given to a 13 years old student? Did he want to kill her?"
"Right sure, at least Black escaped, and Buckbeak too... That whole fiasco between the Malfoys and the beast was unseemly."
"What do you mean you were a spirit? How did you come back then if the whole cemetery tale is a fabrication?"
"Nicolas Flamel? He left him to die without the stone just to spite you!"
"Yes I can request a trial for Sirius Black, under verisaterum he'll be quickly exonerated. But we need to play this right without alerting the Minister or Dumbledore himself. Besides, if he's stuck in the Order headquarters, how is he going to come to his own trial? Or trust any of us about it?"
"Phineas Black? Are you kidding me?"
"Yes, he's been most chatty about the whole thing, his oath to Hogwarts can't supercede his natural oath to Lord Black. It was an enlightening afternoon, I thought Black was going to destroy the whole building in his rage."
"Do we know where Pettigrew is? I assume Dumbledore is hiding him away with the other Death eaters pawns he has."
"Knights of Walpurgis is a much better name, it's classy. The Mark was never supposed to be seen this way, I still don't know how Dumbledore was able to replicate it and twist it that way. It was a fucking emergency portkey! A way to connect us all! Not a fucking death brand."
"We'll need to get Black onboard. He needs to raise his godson away from Dumbledore's delusions. The boy was abused his entire childhood! Dumbledore knew! He made it happen this way! One godfather in Azkaban, his godmother tortured into insanity and the family will sealed immediately."
"Severus, do you think if Black comes onside, he can help with Remus Lupin?" Tom asked
Severus narrowed his eyes at Tom, "Why do you want the wolf so much?"
"I have a bet on your wedding date, so I need to keep things moving you see." Tom replied without looking up.
Amelia was feeling quite left out of whatever the conversation was devolving into, so she bid them farewell to start working on the secret trial of Sirius Black while the others bickered.