1st March 1995 - Landing Zone, Skyfall, Volstar
If he was being honest, Harry would admit to expecting Remus to look a little frazzled when they appeared on the landing zone reserved for incoming travellers, it was something of a norm for when he returned from extended stays away from Skyfall.
He hadn't expected it to be quite as bad as was obvious this time around.
Remus's brows were a touch pulled down and he had bags under his eyes that hadn't been there when they had left just a couple of weeks prior.
They got as far as the hug that had become the customary way to greet each other after a prolonged absence before Harry found out why.
"Sorry to do this when you've literally just gotten back, but I need you to pen a letter Rufus Scrimgeour. Since the man was confirmed Minister for Britain his office has sent up no less than twelve letters demanding we turn Sirius over to British custody for trial." Remus said, one worn hand reaching up to run through his hair in agitation. "I'm fairly fluent in four languages, but there's only so many ways I can tell him to politely bugger off."
Blinking a little at the situation Harry sighed and waved away the apology. "It's fine, Remus. Thanks for taking care of the rest. I'll head into the office now and write some letters, see if I can't remind him that his time would be better served handling the train wreck otherwise known as the British Ministry."
Behind him Sirius huffed a quiet laugh, drawing Harry's attention to him.
"I wouldn't giggle too much there, Padfoot. Now they've finally officially released confirmation that you weren't given a proper trial, you're going to have to be properly questioned." Harry reminded him while his goblin guards bowed and popped away to report in with Goldhammer. "That means standing in one of the courtrooms opposite our Wizengamot as it stands now, where you can't tell even a white lie and you'll have to answer every question put to you."
Grimacing slightly Sirius inclined his head. "I know, Pup, I did a few trial runs with Nobu this last week after we got news. He advised me to have a session with Frederick after while it was all still raw and fresh so I couldn't avoid some of the things I tend to subconsciously bury."
Harry nodded seriously, reaching up to give his godfather's shoulder a firm squeeze.
Remus, who had been staring at Sirius rather intently, took a couple steps forward. "You know, you actually look younger. You actually look much closer to your age now, like azkaban and the war never touched you."
"Back to my old heartbreaker self, if unspeakably old now." Sirius joked back, tossing the other a roguish grin.
The werewolf huffed and rolled his eyes. "Thirty-five isn't unspeakably old."
"Not what I thought the last time I looked remotely this good." Sirius threw back then shrugged. "On the other hand, I've got a better understanding why asian folks always seem to be ageless right up until their hundreds."
Harry chuckled at that. "Oh yeah, if this kingdom stuff doesn't work out, I could always open up one of those fancy salon spa things and probably live pretty happily."
"Actually, that's not such a bad idea." His godfather murmured, reaching up with one hand to lightly trace his wrinkle free face. "If you took on a few students and passed on the knowledge, it could be something else we could offer tourists. You know, come for a holiday, leave with a new lease on life."
"Not a bad idea at all, given how much some people seem to be willing to spend to prolong their youthfulness." Remus agreed, arms moving to cross over his chest. "We've been doing pretty well with our exports, particularly the saffron and coffee beans since the muggle market for both of those is quite intense. The Occamy shells, venom and creature parts are doing well on the magical markets too for the moment, so we have a decent sum coming in. At least enough to keep construction running smooth and pay everyone's wages."
Sirius snorted indelicately, tossing his long hair over his shoulder. "Helps when you don't have a bunch of wankers in power knicking money straight out of the coffers to line their dodgy pockets."
"There's that."
Harry hummed quietly, luminous eyes scanning the horizon and taking in the mountain ranges and forests he could make out. "I remember aunt Petunia being pretty into stuff like that, the salon thing, not the stealing. She used to go to a salon just about every other week to get 'pampered' or whatever they do."
"Shame she didn't put as much effort into her insides." His godfather growled bitterly, face twisting into a sneer as he looked away.
The young king shrugged. "Anyway, you might be right about adding it to the tourism roster. We already have natural hot springs up in the mountains...yeah, that'll work I think. Sirius, do me a favour and start writing up a list of stuff-"
"Yeah, I can do that, know just where to start too." The older animagus announced with a grin. "Just need you to drop me off in Greece, I can make my way across to Italy and France from there then meet you there again for a lift back home."
"Trial first." Remus reminded him, turning to lead the way into the city center to the Ministry building.
"Yeah, yeah." Sirius waved, moving to trudge after him.
Harry sighed softly at the pair but nonetheless made his way after them, absently sending out patronus invocations to alert the Wizengamot members that there would be a long overdue trial at ten the next morning.
The sooner done the better.
The following morning dawned clear and bright despite the sombre mood that had spread through the city when word had gotten around about Sirius' impending trial.
It was common knowledge that there would be one eventually, once Britain either supplied or failed to supply evidence and transcripts of auror interrogation, investigation and Wizengamot court trial.
Apparently more than one person had been stewing over the necessity since the news broke regarding the British Ministry's failings.
Harry knew there were several that were annoyed with the whole formality, having decided to judge Sirius on the merit of actions and behaviour they got to see for themselves. As well as coming to a conclusion that if Harry himself trusted him so much with his own wellbeing and the things he cared about, then the things he had been accused of couldn't be true.
Others still were, in their own way, looking forward to witnessing or otherwise hearing that a definitive conclusion occurred. Though thankfully it seemed less motivated by a desire for dramatics and instead was driven by lingering worries regarding safety.
Lastly there was the more abundant group that just wanted the whole mess done and out of the way so everyone could get back to work. Not truly caring whether he was guilty or not, just that he was there now, not causing problems and instead was working just as hard as the rest of them to build their new home.
Sitting in his high seat, positioned so he could freely view the entirety of the courtroom with its dark wooden walls and floor. The large planters that lined the walls filled with small trees and decorative plants, braziers and small fountains that bubbled quietly between the planters.
There were windows lining the walls and a large glass dome in the roof that let in plenty of natural light and air despite none of the walls actually touching an exterior wall with the courtroom being positioned on one of the lower floors and closer to the middle of the building for security reasons.
The configuration brought the four primary of the eight major elements into the huge room which was both relevant for the rituals that had bound the room into a place of truth.
Neatly lined through the room sat seven rows of seven stone benches that had cushioning charms enchanted onto them. A small measure to bring stone into the room and help the goblins feel more comfortable in it, just like the abundance of plants made the elves more at ease.
Little things here and there, all throughout the planning, had been put into place to make the Ministry building as a whole welcoming to as many races as possible.
Like the large cushions that sat piled neatly next to either side wall for beings that felt more comfortable closer to the ground, or the large empty space behind the rows of benches for larger races like centaurs and half-giants.
Inclusion was key to the plans, much like it had been with all the other designs he and the rest of the construction crew had put together.
The ritual magic that had soaked into the room, scored into wood and stone at specific points, that had been all Harry's idea. Calling on the forces of nature and magic to forbid the utterance of lies, regardless of what the speaker believed was the truth.
The winds knew what words were spoken, the water what tears and blood were spilled, the earth what steps were tread and the fire what emotion raged.
Magic knew always and forever, in past, in present, in future.
It stretched across time and space, through reality and dreams.
You could not lie to magic.
This of course meant that no one that stepped foot within any of the court rooms or even any of the offices tied to the Department of Law and Order could speak or even think a falsehood, given the strength of the ritual.
On one hand it was quite beneficial in getting the facts in an investigation, and would also help immensely in tracking of possible sources of corruption. It also made all jobs assigned to these areas require mandatory therapy sessions on a month to month basis, since everyone lied to themselves in tiny ways, white lies that were mostly unconscious thoughts that popped up to make them feel better about this or that.
There were less permanent versions enchanted into the Minister's office, Harry's office and the big meeting room which was meant for the most important meetings. These ones could be triggered on or off and were keyed to the 'owner' of those rooms. Meaning the ruler of the land and the head of the Ministry.
Harry watched the last of their Wizengamot members take their seats on either side of his little box. Below his position there were three other boxed seats that were separated from the rest of the Wizengamot, those three would seat the Head of the Department of Law and Order for Volstar as a whole, the Minister and the Head of the Department of Health Services for Volstar.
Three spots that were presently empty.
In future when they had more than one city, those spaces would be filled with the regional heads and city mayor, building their own High Court in each city with the Wizengamot of Skyfall acting as the country's supreme court.
He watched as the rows of spectator seating were filled by the curious. The citizens of Skyfall few as they were, had been given a day off work since most of the various team leaders were members of the Wizengamot, so rather than expect everyone else to work on a free day had been decided on for everyone to either spectate or entertain themselves in some other fashion.
Before long the tenth hour of the morning rolled around and since everyone that needed to be present was already there and seated, Harry closed the huge double doors with a negligent flick of his hand then cast eyes over to where Percy Weasley - recently poached from the British Ministry - was seated.
"The assigned time is upon us and all relevant parties are present, the trial of Lord Sirius Orion Black the Third will now commence." He announced, noting the triplicate of dicta-quills Percy was controlling had leapt to action to record everything.
"We, Harry James Hyperion of the Royal and Ancient house of Potter, Sovereign of Volstar, preside over this trial." He intoned, attention focused on the crowd for the moment now that he was sure that Percy didn't seem to be having trouble keeping up. "Also in attendance, the blessed Wizengamot of Volstar as noted. We begin this session, dated the second day of March in the year nineteen-ninety-five of the common era. Mr. Percy Weasley sitting as court scribe."
"In this hall, blessed and cursed by the forces of nature and magic itself with unending truth, we call Lord Black to be seated in the defendants seat." Harry stated, casting a glance toward Sirius where he stood to one side and gestured to a cushioned stone seat in the middle of a rune etched circle between the officials seating and the seating assigned for case relevant individuals.
He watched his godfather stride forward to take up his own seat, back straight and eyes forward.
"State your identity for the record."
"Sirius Orion Black the Third, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Sometimes called Padfoot." The last was tacked on the end, his brief expression of surprise giving away the fact that he apparently hadn't meant to say it.
"You were arrested and accused in Wizarding Great Britain of the alleged murder of one Peter Pettigrew and twelve additional non-magical human bystanders and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban Prison for these alleged crimes, is this correct?"
"Yes." Sirius answered clearly, hands fisting in his lap.
"You remained in Azkaban designated prisoner Kenaz-Algiz-Three-Nine-Zero, until you managed to escape from your cell in the year nineteen-ninty-three, is that correct?"
"It is."
"Since then you have largely remained hidden from authorities until you reached out to Volstar for asylum, claiming that you were innocent of the crimes you allegedly perpetrated and that you had not been given just trial by the courts of Wizarding Great Britain." Harry stated calmly.
It was a little annoying having to go over all the things he already knew. Like picking at an old wound but this, being the first major trial - the first trial, period - of their fledgling nation meant that this trial would be held under close scrutiny.
Any favouritism by him would reflect poorly on his leadership. Not giving the trial its proper respect and seriousness, and failure to follow the set protocol would set a terrible precedent that could come back to bite them all in the ass.
And that aside, memory and record of the trial would be sent to the ICW for dissemination and archival. Which of course it meant other world leaders that had reservations regarding his ability to lead and perform the duties expected of him would be waiting for anything that could be used as an excuse that could be trotted out whenever they wanted.
Maybe that was too cynical.
Maybe.
Though since they were about to use Britains own mess to help them, he didn't really think he could throw stones.
"We reached out to the British Ministry of Magic, particularly the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for information and any and all evidence collected and used during your first trial. Madam Amelia Bones has since penned letter to us stating a lack of any such evidence so we must proceed as best we can without it." He stated for the record. "Do you object?"
"I do not." Sirius replied clearly.
"Very well, do you have any evidence to submit in your defense or council you wish to speak on your behalf?"
Sirius nodded. "I freely submit my memories of both the night in question and several others that lead up to it which prove my innocence."
"And council?"
"None, I'll speak for myself."
Harry nodded, not surprised despite the fact they hadn't discussed it beforehand. "Very well. Then you have been charged with the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve non-magicals whose names were either not recorded or lost with the rest of your case details. Regardless, in this sacred place dedicated to Truth and Magic, what say you?"
"I am innocent of the murders I was charged with. I have never murdered anyone, I have taken lives in defense of myself and others as was required of me in my position as auror for the British Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Sirius stated, voice clear and just loud enough to carry through the large room. "But I have never taken a sapient life without due provocation."
A part of Harry wanted to smile at the very exact, very deliberate choice of words, but he managed to swallow it before his lips had a chance to twitch.
"How is it then, that you came to be arrested for first degree murder?"
Sirius took a moment to breathe, gray eyes shifting to focus on the floor as he prepared to discuss - hopefully for the last time - one of the most painful days of his life.
"The last time I managed to visit James and Lily I cast wellbeing charms around the house. In the living room, kitchen and the nursery." He started, licking his lips unconsciously. "The past week had been too quiet on the Death Eater front, they'd escalated up to a raid a day, sometimes twice a day so the sudden lull in activity had everyone on edge. A prophecy told to Albus Dumbledore placed both the Longbottom's and the Potter's on high alert as high profile targets for Death Eater aggression which necessitated both families going into hiding.
"I was worried that the lull meant they were gearing up for something bigger, so I cast the charms just in case and I warned Peter to watch his back and keep an eye out, just in case."
"Why warn Peter Pettigrew specifically?"
"James and Lily had hidden their home behind a Fidelius charm with Peter acting as their Secret Keeper. I had thought they would be safe enough behind the charm if Peter were careful while I was running around playing decoy." Sirius replied.
"So you placed the charms and issued warnings of your own. What then?"
The older man fidgeted a little, Sirius' hands no longer scarred or worn fisted in the material of his pants legs. "The charms flatlined and I panicked. I got on my bike and bolted to James' place…"
He paused, hands rhythmically releasing and clenching over and over in what Harry recognised as a semi-conscious action meant to soothe and ground him.
Harry leaned forward slightly, arms coming up to rest on his desk. "What did you find?"
Sirius shuddered in place, hands reaching up to rub over his face and back through his long hair. "The door was blown in when I got there and James...James was on the floor non-re...non-responsive. Not breathing, no pulse."
Harry's heart broke, just a bit for Sirius in the here and now. More than a decade later and months of extensive therapy sessions and a full course of Healing Serenity later and the mere fact of James Potter's death still affected him so strongly that his voice broke when he tried to speak of it.
It said quite a lot about just how deeply Sirius had loved man who had been all but a twin of his own soul. The brother he had found, that had touched his life in ways his own blood kin hadn't.
"And then?" He asked, intent on getting through the retelling as soon as possible so Sirius didn't have to linger on it.
The older man licked his lips and cleared his throat. "I went up stairs to the nursery, I knew if Lily wasn't with James, then there was nowhere else she'd be than with her baby boy...she was on the floor, between the crib and the door. Non-responsive, not breathing, no pulse." He paused again to breathe a little, seemingly trying to center himself a little before he forged ahead. "You- ah, baby Harry was in his cot screaming. He was bleeding sluggish from a wound on his head.
"I stopped the bleeding and cleaned him up, grabbed the nappy bag Lily kept packed and left the house intending to get him somewhere safe." Sirius finished, shoulders having relaxed into a slight slump after he was finished talking about his dead friends.
Harry gave him another moment to settle and separate himself from the then and there.
Eventually though, knowing that the sooner the last bits were done the better, Harry asked. "What happened next?"
"Hagrid, err, Rubeus Hagrid was just arriving when I was working my way out of the house. He said that the Headmaster had felt the wards break and had sent him to check on things. To secure Harry if he had somehow survived and get him back to the safety of Hogwarts." Sirius responded, hands fisted in his lap again, this time from lingering frustration. "I didn't want to let him go, but the wards of Hogwarts seemed like the strongest shelter and I thought I should check on Peter...I thought he might have needed help if the Death Eaters had managed to get The Secret out of him."
"So to clarify, you gave my infant self into the hands of Rubeus Hagrid to see me delivered into the protection of Hogwarts Castle and went in search of Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes, that's correct." Sirius answered. "I gave Hagrid my enchanted motorcycle to use since I didn't know if it would be safe to apparate you without knowing the extent of your injury. I apparated instead to a spot near Peter's flat and went up to find him."
"What did you find?" Harry pressed, a quick glance to Percy showed the quills still working quickly to take everything down.
"He was bloody fine, shoving clothes into a bag. He didn't even pretend that he hadn't given up The Secret happily. He taunted me and dodged out of the way when I tried to capture him. He fled his flat and I gave chase...we came to a spot at a nearby stretch of shops. He taunted me some more then turned and fired at the crowd and used a severing charm on his own finger before he shifted into his animagus form and escaped into the sewer. I...I broke, and the aurors arrived not long after."
The young king leaned back in his seat, casting a silent glance to the Wizengamot members seated slightly below and to either side of him. Their expressions ranged rather drastically from person to person but there didn't appear to be much in the way of skepticism or outright disbelief.
He knew from the house-elves that just about every resident of Skyfall had paid the courtrooms a visit after their construction had completed, curious to test the two-fold truth telling blessing and curse.
The initial reactions had been a little mixed since more than a few had come away from their experimentation feeling more than a little unsettled after apparently finding themselves forced to face truths about some event or feeling in their present or past that they had either not been aware of or had been repressing.
He had sent more than one resident to the Quiet Mind ward of the Glimmerbright hospital to speak to one of the cities recently immigrated Mind-Healers for therapy to help them face whatever it was in a safe and carefully guided fashion.
Given the fact that no one seemed overly distressed, aside from a bit of upset here and there as Sirius' story unfolded. Well, Harry had decided to be optimistically enthused by the positive change.
"You offered up your memories of that night and We will accept them. The projection charm We will use will latch onto the memory and will pull all those within its area of effect into it. We will see all that was there to see, smell every scent, taste the wind, hear the cries, feel what was touched and live your emotions." The young king explained solemnly. "When the reliving is done there will be no individual in this courtroom that will not know the events as they transpired as they had lived it themselves. They will live on with that knowledge without falsehood or self-deception, do you understand?"
Sirius licked his lips and nodded. "I do." He croaked.
Harry turned glowing eyes away from Sirius to address the courtroom as a whole. "Then it lies with each of you to consider honestly whether you wish to and can bear the burden of this memory. We will take a brief ten minute recess, in that time please each of you consider carefully whether you wish to return to this hall and share in the reliving. Please remember that many may find the events distressing and each person should take their own mental and emotional state into account while deliberating."
With that he absently flexed a little of his magic in line with his will and a soft chime sounded and the courtroom doors opened to allow foot traffic in or out as required before he rose from his feet and led the Wizengamot members and Percy through a large set of doors behind their benches that led into a sizeable hall with private restrooms and seating for their own deliberation.
And while they did that Frederick would take a few moments to chat quietly with Sirius to make sure he was doing as well as he could, given the situation.
So relocated to a less formal spot in the conference room, Harry let most of the quiet conversation that started up wash over him. He was honestly pleased, at least just a little, that everyone had opted to use quieter tones while they talked.
It felt, in a way, more respectful.
Both to the topic they were covering and to the knowledge that they were about to literally experience someone else's pain in order to officially determine innocence or guilt.
Although based on the testimony that had already been given and the fact that as far as anyone knew it was impossible to lie inside the courtrooms, everyone technically knew he was innocent already. The rest was follow through with due diligence.
Analyzing everything available to them so they could archive it or pass it along as required.
When ten minutes was up Harry led the way back into the courtroom and gave it a few extra moments to make sure everyone that did want to be present was before he shut the huge doors and shifted his attention to regard the spectators seating. He noted a few faces that had opted not to return to the courtroom and felt a moment of pride that they may be putting more thought into their mental wellbeing than they had previously.
By the time the memory had run its course and they were all focused back in the here and now, there was more than one person weeping and Harry felt something he had not in quite some time.
Envy.
The need to maintain face and keep control had never really seemed like such a burden as it did now.
He sat in his high throne and watched Remus hold Sirius close as they cried together and felt an odd sort of sharp numbness.
"Before this court pronounces a verdict, there are a few more memories that need to be viewed." He said, voice loud enough to be heard over the quiet whispering that had started up.
He watched Sirius and Remus detached themselves from each other and rub the remains of their tears from their faces before they looked up at him, confusion clear.
"Mine."