AN : Welcome everyone to the 3rd chapter, thank you to all who have reviewed, followed and favorited my little story. Some have mentioned/questioned, so I will say this now, this is a Harry and Astoria only pairing, no three-way or Harem. Any suggestions for other pairings are welcome but they will most likely be background as I concentrate on Harry and Astoria mainly.
Chapter 3 The truth will out
As he looked over the map his eyes were drawn to the Gryffindor 3rd year boys dorm and he froze as he read the names.
Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan but at the bottom of Ron's bed were two extra names Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black .
Quietly and as carefully as he could, Harry moved to the bottom of his bed and opened the curtains a crack so that he could see into the dark room but instead of the two names as the map suggested there was only one man stood at the bottom of Ron's bed.
A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark Sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black.
"Caught you this time Wormtail." He said in a scratchy voice, that sounded like it hadn't been used in years.
And that's when Harry noticed that he was looking down at Scabbers, who he held in his hand and seemed to be knocked out.
Taking careful aim with his wand, Harry watched as the man placed the rat on the floor before he fired a spell, what he saw next, stunned the boy.
A short man, hardly taller than Harry, now lay where Scabbers had been seconds before. His thin, colourless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who had lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and tiny eyes.
"Well I must say, I wasn't expecting that when I saw you holding the rat." Harry said as he stepped off his bed, his wand pointing directly at the mans heart.
"Blimey Prongs, you nearly gave me heart failure." Croaked Black, who had jumped nearly a foot in the air at Harry's voice.
"I'm not Prongs, I'm Harry." Harry frowned at the man, he kept his wand aimed at him.
"Harry." Black questioned as he peered at Harry in the dark room. "Sorry, my mind is still a bit addled, that's why I mistook you for your dad." He grinned at Harry who frowned back at the man.
"I'll give you one chance to explain before curses start flying." Harry spoke after a moments thought as he gestured down at the unconscious man on the floor.
"Ah yes, allow me to introduce you to Peter Pettigrew." Black said as he glared down at the man. "Your parents Secret-Keeper."
"What's a Secret-Keeper?" Harry asked as he looked down at the former pet rat.
"A Secret-Keeper, is someone who keeps information hidden in their soul via a complex spell known as the Fidelius Charm." Black began as he looked back at Harry, seeming to drink in his face with a look of wonder on his own.
"Go on." Harry said after a moment, lowering his wand slightly, he had a feeling where this was going.
"The information is irretrievable by any means, unless the Secret-Keeper willingly chooses to reveal it, and only that person can do so, neither the Mind-Arts nor Veritaserum can make them reveal the secret." Black explained as he looked at Harry earnestly, pleading with the teen to understand what that meant.
"And he told Voldemort?" Harry asked as he put the information together in his mind even though a small part of his mind was amazed that none of his dorm mates had been woken up yet.
"Yes, we thought it was for the best, everyone knew that your dad and I were like brothers, that I would be the obvious choice of Secret-Keeper..."
"The double bluff, Voldemort and his ilk would chase after you, all the while my parents and I would have been safe." Harry nodded his head in understanding, it made sense after thinking about it.
"Exactly, I was to spend a couple of months been chased around Europe, keeping Voldemort and his men after me and away from you all, then I was to go under the Fidelius with Moony as my Secret-Keeper, I was already Peter's, so he was already safe, and he was meant to keep your parents secret and thus we would all have been safe." Black finished explaining with a snarl as he kicked Pettigrew between his legs but with the man been stunned, there was no response.
"Then what happened?" Harry asked as he glared down at the unconscious man.
"I was getting ready to begin having the Death Eaters start to chase me when I went to Peter's place, but it was deserted and I knew what had happened." Black began as he glared at the traitor.
"How did you know what had happened." Harry asked the glaring man, who he remembered at that moment was also his Godfather.
"There was no sign of forced entry or of a struggle and there was a House-Elf who did everyone's weekly shopping so that we didn't have to risk leaving our homes unnecessarily."
"Bastard." Harry spat, he knew what was coming next, Sirius nodded his agreement.
"I instantly Apparated to your house but I was too late, you're mum and dad were dead and the roof of your nursery was blown out but miraculously you were alive with only a cut on your head." Sirius explained in a voice choked with emotion as he once again relived that night.
"Why didn't you take me?" Harry asked after a few moments thinking. "You are my Godfather, but I ended up with the Dursley's, why?"
"Hagrid arrived and insisted that he take you on Dumbledore's orders." Sirius explained practically spitting the Headmaster's name.
"What the hell did it have to do with Dumbledore, he's a headmaster." Harry asked in a tight voice, he was still sore that the old man had left him with his so-called family, been dropped in a pride of hungry lions would have been better than those people.
"He is also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and he obviously thought that I had betrayed you all, thus my status as your Godfather would be null and void." Explained Sirius bitterly. "I figured that I could find Peter and drag him before the Wizengamot to answer for his crimes and then afterwards I could take you and raise you as your mum and dad wanted."
"How did you end up in Azkaban then?" Harry asked as he thought everything over still not liking that Dumbledore had stuck his crooked nose in his business.
"I cornered him on a street in London, ready to drag him to justice but he was crafty, he shouted how I had betrayed James and Lily before using a blasting curse so strong that it blasted right down into the sewers killing twelve Muggles and stunning me, by the time I had picked myself up he had gone, leaving behind a finger and his robes and I was surrounded by Auror's, I just started laughing, I think in my grief and anger over Peter's betrayal then outwitting me at last, my mind snapped and it was either laugh or cry." Sirius took a deep shuddering breath as he finished explaining, finally able to get his guilt off his chest after twelve very long years.
"Why didn't this come out at your trial, surely with truth serum you would have been found innocent." Harry asked after listening to the mans explanation.
"Simple, I never had a trial, Bartemius Crouch, who was Head of the DMLE at the time, chucked me straight into Azkaban, I didn't even go to the Ministry to be processed." Sirius explained in a bitter voice, though Harry could hardly blame the man.
"So what now, if we kill the bastard you will never be free and will be hunted forever." Harry didn't mention that he hoped that he could now be free of the Dursley's.
"We take him to Dumbledore, he can call the DMLE and this rat can face justice at last." Sirius answered after a moments thought, Harry nodded his agreement.
" Wingardium Leviosa." And with Sirius's softly spoken spell Pettigrew was lifted off the ground and made to float behind the man as he led Harry out of the dorm and down into the deserted common room.
"Caught the traitor I see." Came the voice of Sir Cadogan after they had exited Gryffindor tower and the portrait had swung closed behind them.
"Indeed." Sirius replied with a grin to the painted knight before he began leading Harry to the Headmaster's office.
"So, any idea why none of my dorm mates woke up?" Harry questioned the man as they made their way down the moving staircase towards the 3rd floor and the Headmaster's Tower, accessed through the Gargoyle Corridor.
"Ah well, after Halloween and that ginger kid waking up screaming, I hit them all with a silent sleeping spell." Sirius explained with a grin.
"But not me?" Harry asked as they finally reached the corridor leading to the Headmaster's Tower.
"Well I spotted your wand light, so I didn't want to risk you screaming and having to flee once again." Sirius explained with a shrug. "Figured I could grab the rat and slip back out."
"But I gave you a heart attack instead." Harry grinned as they stopped in front of the Gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office.
"Kiddo, I nearly died when you spoke." Harry snorted at him as they looked at the Gargoyle. "Sirius Black and Harry Potter to see the Headmaster." He spoke to the Gargoyle who nodded once then went still for about thirty seconds before jumping aside and allowing them access to the circular, moving stone staircase, which they stepped onto with Pettigrew still floating behind them.
"Come in." Came Dumbledore's voice before either of them could knock once they had reached the door.
It was just as Harry remembered it from the last time he was here, a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and sitting behind the desk was the silver haired, long bearded Headmaster in midnight blue pyjama robes, Albus Dumbledore himself.
Before Dumbledore could even speak, his mouth dropped open in shock as he caught sight of Peter Pettigrew floating behind the man and boy who had stepped into his office.
"Perhaps you could start from the beginning." Dumbledore stated as he looked upon the unconscious man now laid on his office floor.
Sirius spent the next couple of minutes repeating his story to the Headmaster who by now had gathered his wits about him after seeing a supposedly murdered man and his murderer enter his office alongside the boy he was accused of betraying.
"You would be willing to be questioned under Veritaserum before the Wizengamot." Dumbledore asked as he moved over to his fireplace.
"I would swear it under the Unbreakable Vow." Sirius said as he conjured himself a glass and filled it with water after a quick Aguamenti, it helped sooth his throat after so much talking after twelve years of hardly speaking at all.
"Amelia Susan Bones." Dumbledore spoke as he threw floo powder into the fire which turned the flames from orange to a bright green. Speaking the witches name called her at home, whereas if he had said Madam Bones, he would have been connected to her, right now, empty office at the Ministry.
"Albus, have you got any idea what bloody time it is." Came a stern voice as the floo connection was made.
"I'm terribly sorry for the late hour but there has been a development in the case of Sirius Black that you will have to see to believe." Dumbledore replied.
"Fine, give me a minute." Came the reply and seconds later the woman herself was stepping out of the flames into the office.
Amelia Bones was tall woman with a square-jaw and close-cropped greying dark auburn red hair and a monocle. Right now she was wearing a dark purple dressing gown over navy blue cotton pyjamas and dark purple slippers.
"It's half past one in the morning, don't bloody judge." She warned the twinkling eyed Headmaster before she noticed Harry, Sirius and the still unconscious but very much alive Peter Pettigrew.
"Explain." Was the one worded growl from the witch, who to her credit had neither drawn her wand at the sight of Sirius nor had she shown any outward reaction to the alive Pettigrew.
And so Sirius, who by now had taken a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk next to Harry, once again explained what had really happened all those years ago.
"And yes I would swear the same under Veritaserum or the Unbreakable vow." Sirius said after he had finished.
"I believe you." Madam Bones said simply, if the man was willing to swear the unbreakable vow, there was no way he was lying. She walked back to the fireplace and began making floo calls.
Minutes later, Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, Master Auror Connie Hammer, Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge were in the office.
"Sirius Black." Exclaimed Fudge in shock when he caught sight of the man. "Auror's arrest that man."
"Shut up Fudge, Auror's stand down." Came the hard voice of Madam Bones, at once the Auror's snapped to attention, none daring to disobey their boss.
"I'm the Minister of Magic." Argued Fudge, his face starting to purple in rage.
"And I'm the Head of the of Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Began Bones in a dangerously low voice that had the Auror's stiffening, they knew what that voice meant.
"What does..."
"THAT MEANS YOU ANSWER TO ME." Roared Bones causing everyone to jump, even the Auror's who had been expecting it. "EVERY DEPAREMENT IN THE MINISTRY IS ANSWERABLE TO MY DEPARTMENT, EXCEPT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES AND I AM TIRED OF YOU THINKING THAT YOU ARE ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE, YOU ARE NOT, NOR ARE YOU ABOVE THE LAW."
Fudge had gone pale at the roaring voice of Madam Bones, he was suddenly remembering that Amelia Bones was a very talented and formidable witch, respected by all for her magical talent, her prowess with a wand was legendary, a Mastery in Duelling and DADA, she had gone toe-to-toe with You-Know-Who himself in the last war, forcing the Dark Lord to retreat. He himself had not taken DADA beyond the O.W.L level and he was reminded that this woman could kill him in seconds with hardly a flinch of her wand.
"Shacklebolt, go to the ministry and get me some Veritaserum, Hammer, secure Pettigrew but don't wake him up yet." Bones gave orders to the two Auror's.
Shacklebolt left the office through via the floo, whilst Auror Hammer conjured a simple wooden chair which she tightly bound the unconscious Pettigrew to.
"The Veritaserum Madam Bones." Shacklebolt handed the small vial to his boss after he had returned.
"I'm going to give you five drops, the maximum amount, normally only three drops are needed but I think in this case, five would be best, agreed." Bones asked Sirius after she had taken the Potion and moved to stand in front of the man.
"Agreed." Sirius nodded and after Bones had opened the Potion he stuck out his tongue.
Once Bones had placed the five drops of the Serum on Blacks tongue, Auror Connie Hammer took out an official Dicta-Quill and Parchment that she always kept on her person, after tapping the quill with her wand she gave Bones a nod.
"Interrogation of Sirius Orion Black III, five drops of Veritaserum have been administered, Interrogator, Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, witnesses will state their names and occupation." Bones began at once, she gave Harry a look to let him know that he too would need to state his name.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic."
"Rufus Scrimgeour, Head Auror."
"Constance Hammer, Master Auror."
"Kingsley Shacklebolt, Senior Auror."
"Harry James Potter, 3rd year Gryffindor student."
Once everyone had stated their names and occupations, Bones began.
"What is your full name and date of birth."
"Sirius Orion Black III, third of November 1959." Came the reply in a monotone, indicating that the potion had taken full effect.
"Are you now or have you ever been a Death Eater or a supporter of the dark wizard known as Voldemort?" As acting Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones, one of the Sacred Twenty Eight, Amelia point-blank refused to call him Lord Voldemort. She was acting Head until her niece Susan came of age.
"No, never have, never will." Was the reply. Fudge gasped in shock but one look from Bones, he kept his mouth shut.
"Were you the Secret-Keeper for James and Lily Potter?"
"No, Peter Pettigrew was."
"Did you kill the twelve Muggles on the 1st of November in 1981?"
"No, Peter Pettigrew did it."
"How did he do it and how did he survive when Auror's found his robes and a finger?"
"He used a powerful blasting curse that left a crater so deep it had cracked the sewer below, he cut off his own finger before transforming into his rat Animagus form before escaping into the sewers."
"There is no record of Peter Pettigrew as an Animagus of any form, can you explain?"
"James, Peter and myself were unregistered Animagi." Fudge opened his mouth once again but snapped it shut at Bones' glare.
"Why did you wait twelve years before you broke out of Azkaban, why come to Hogwarts."
"I had asked Minister Fudge for his newspaper when he was on an inspection of the prison, after he had given me the paper, I saw Pettigrew on the shoulder of a boy who was on holiday with his family in Egypt, the Article said the boy was friends with Harry Potter and would be going to Hogwarts on the 1st of September, l saw my chance to prove my innocence and I also wanted to make sure he didn't hurt Harry."
"One night, when the Dementor's opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog. It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused ... I was thin enough to slip through the bars. I swam as a dog back to the mainland. I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the Forest ever since."
"Are there any other crimes that you haven't been convicted for?" Amelia knew that unless he had committed a murder that nobody knew about, it was doubtful that he would be sent back to Azkaban if he had committed any other minor crimes.
"No, I have never even been arrested before."
"Were you not arrested in 1981." Amelia frowned, " surely not." She didn't like where this was heading.
"I was never formally arrested or read my rights, Crouch just had me shipped straight to Azkaban from the street in London." The three Auror's and Minister Fudge gasped at the injustice that had befallen the man, he had spent 12 years in Azkaban and he was innocent all along.
"That concludes the interrogation of Sirius Orion Black." Once Bones had said that, the dicta-quill stopped writing and lay upon the parchment.
Shacklebolt gave Sirius the antidote at a nod from Bones.
"I want Barty in my office the second he steps into the Ministry in the morning." Bones informed Auror Hammer who nodded her understanding.
"You are not under arrest but you will need to come to the Ministry Hospital ward." Amelia explained to Sirius who was drinking from his glass of water.
"Understood." He nodded at her. "I could do with a long hot bath and a decent meal if its not to much trouble." He grinned at the woman who nodded back, it was the least the Ministry could do.
"Shacklebolt, administer five drops to Pettigrew then wake him up." Bones said and the tall, bald, dark skinned man nodded his understanding then carried out his orders.
Pettigrew quickly confirmed Sirius's story but also admitted to been a Death Eater since 1979, a couple of months after he had graduated from Hogwarts, his information to Voldemort had led to the Deaths of Marlene McKinnon and her entire family and also the deaths of Lyall and Hope Lupin, his childhood friends mother and father. He had been recruited by Antonin Dolohov and he had tortured and killed 5 Muggles in front of the Dark Lord to earn his Dark Mark.
" Stupefy." Amelia intoned once the interview was finished, not even bothering to give the vile little man the antidote.
"This will need to be done again in front of the full Wizengamot to be official but I can guarantee, that you will be a free man, for now Auror Hammer will escort you to the Ministry Hospital ward to begin your healing." Bones explained to Sirius who nodded his understanding.
Sirius stood from his chair in shock, he was finally free, he wanted to jump around and celebrate but right now all of his energy had left him, leaving him feeling exhausted.
"Can I write to you Harry?" He asked the teen who had not spoken since confirming his name as witness.
"Of course, your my Godfather after all." Harry replied with a tired smile, it was nearing half past three in the morning.
"That's right." Sirius said as he turned to the Headmaster. "I will be taking guardianship from now on, as per his parents wishes."
"I really think it best for Harry to remain with his aunt and uncle." Dumbledore replied in his grandfatherly " I know best" voice and twinkling eyes.
"NO." Spat Sirius and Harry with such venom that Dumbledore leaned back in shock. "I am his Godfather and I will be taking care of him from now on as I should have been since 1981, if you hadn't stuck your nose in our family business."
"It is your home Harry." Dumbledore said in a disappointed voice as he looked at Harry over his half-moon glasses.
"That house is not my home, never has been and it never will be." Harry said glaring at the old man.
Just then one of the silver instruments on a spindle table gave off a high pitched whistle before shattering into tiny pieces with a puff of black smoke.
"NO, what have you done." Dumbledore shouted as he raced to the now broken instrument.
"I never touched it." Harry scowled at the Headmaster blaming him for one of his trinkets breaking.
"By renouncing your aunt and uncles house as your home, you have caused the wards to fall." Dumbledore explained with an extremely disappointed look.
"Tough." Harry replied uncaringly with a shrug of his shoulder.
"But your family will be unprotected." Dumbledore said with a pleading look for Harry to understand.
"Tell someone who actually cares." Harry said with a sneer before he said goodbye to a smirking Sirius and left the office leaving behind a disappointed Headmaster.
" I can't wait to see Astoria's face when I tell about tonight's events." Harry ginned as he shut the office door.
Dumbledore turned to try and reason with Sirius but the man was already stepping into the fireplace with Auror Hammer and in the next second they were whisked away.
"Amelia." Dumbledore turned to DMLE head to plead his case but she cut him off.
"There is nothing that you or anyone else can do, the man is Mr Potter's Godfather and has committed no crimes, right now the Wizengamot will be kissing his arse so much for unlawfully locking up one the Heads of a Noble and Most Ancient House, one of The Sacred Twenty-Eight I might add that he could rename himself Merlin and declare that he wants to be Minister, and he would probably be both by the end of the week." Amelia explained to the Headmaster though really he should already know this, Minister Fudge was nodding his agreement even though he was praying that Black wouldn't want his position.
"But..."
"No buts, do you really think that the Wizengamot is going to go against two Noble and Most Ancient houses," Amelia began in a tight voice. "And not only is Mr Potter the heir to one of The Sacred Twenty Eight, he is most likely heir Black as well, and lets not forget that he is descended from the Most Ancient, Most Noble and Reverent House of Peverell, a family far older than the houses of the founders of this school, Mr Potter will have such political clout when he takes over his house, that none on the Wizengamot will want to piss him off over something as stupid as trying to remove his Godfather as his guardian." Dumbledore reared back in shock, he didn't think that it was common knowledge that Harry was descended from the Peverell family, and it wasn't, only the Sacred Twenty Eight families knew.
It was one of the reasons that Draco Malfoy never mentioned money when he insulted Harry, the Potter family could buy out his family ten times over and still not have to work for five generations at the least.
"Now I'm going home to bed, I expect I will be having a very busy couple of days." Amelia said as she began walking towards the fireplace and seconds later she was gone.
"Auror's Scrimgeour and Shacklebolt, can I count on you both to escort Pettigrew to a Ministry holding cell and to send the Dementors back to Azkaban?" Fudge asked the two remaining Auror's.
"Consider it done Minister." Scrimgeour nodded. "Come on Kingsley." The head Auror said as he led the way out of the office. Shacklebolt waved his wand and the unconscious man floated after him, still bound in the chair.
"Albus, I suggest that unless it pertains to his schoolwork or if Mr Potter commits a crime, then I suggest that you leave the lad alone, I doubt that it will end well for you if you don't." Fudge said before he made his way to the fireplace, happy in the knowledge that he hadn't been in office of Minister at the time of Lord Black's unlawful imprisonment, so he and his administration should not face any of the backlash to come.
Seconds later and a shell-shocked Dumbledore was once again alone in his office, he was unused to people not agreeing with him instantly and taking his word as law, he was the Leader Of The Light and everything he did was for the Greater Good.
AN : And that's another chapter down. Yes this is a Greater Good Dumbledore, NO, this is not an Evil, stealing Harry's money Dumbledore, just a man who believes his own hype. NO Harry is not going to be heir to Gryffindor (Though I think he is related to Gryffindor? cousins maybe?) nor any of the other founders, just Potter And Black, of course we already know that he is descended from the youngest Peverell brother.
What did you think? Please review, follow and favourite (winks) until next time...