Author's Note: Hello again! There was some confusion regarding Dumbledore and why Aahna and Thanatos don't move against him, which'll be answered in this chapter.
Regarding Thanatos and Aahna, they aren't based on real-life mythologies or gods. Simply put, they're Spirits that control their specific domains and take physical forms either to complete a goal or because they want to make some changes.
They aren't powerless, I feel I should've worded the last note better.
Both of them can use their powers to a minor degree, like Blessing others with power, stealing and consuming magic for themselves, a high resistance to dark magic, a natural affinity for silent and wandless magic, and many others.
They can die whenever they decide to, what I meant by the last note was that, if hit by an Avada Kedavra, they would just spit it back out at the person who threw it, without suffering harm.
The reason why they, more specifically Aahna, don't just heal everything will also be answered in this chapter.
I hope that helps! will always try to answer questions left under the story, either in a Note or personally, depending on the question. Don't be afraid to ask; I love the questions!
Enjoy the chapter!
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"Nobody here is the culprit," Thanatos stated, standing straight.
He was in Dumbledore's office, along with Amelia, McGonagall, and the man himself, staring over the list of suspects and the information Aahna had given them earlier.
The suspects included all of the third-year Gryffindors, the Gryffindors in general, Draco Malfoy, and his goons, and that was it. Nobody else fitted in the list.
Ron and Ginny had gotten the poison flushed out quickly and only looked a bit green, but whether that was from the poison or because of the knowledge of being poisoned was up for debate.
Thanks to Harry detecting it so quickly, nobody suffered anything permanent, but Madam Pomfrey still insisted on keeping them overnight.
"What?" Every other adult in the room asked in varying degrees of surprise.
"Nobody on this list is the culprit," Thanatos repeated, crossing his arms. "The info doesn't line up."
He pointed to the list. "Look, every potion here is Sixth Year level or above, but uses ingredients not available here at Hogwarts, meaning they were either mailed in by owl or brought in by some other means."
Dumbledore frowned. "Nobody has mailed in potion ingredients. In fact, it's forbidden due to the risk it has."
"Meaning, they were likely brought in by some other means," Thanatos replied. "Or, more likely, the potion was."
"Which would mean somebody had to administer it," Amelia pointed out. "So why is nobody here the culprit?"
Thanatos showed them Aahna's info again. "Malfoy and his cronies are out since Malfoy was reported running out of the Great Hall singing Bella Ciao at the top of his lungs, and the report shows the poison was added after, so it's not them."
"The third years are out," He continued. "Because the only way to add poison after the food was set down is either an invisibility cloak or Disillusionment. The first is too expensive and they would've been spotted when they added the poison anyway, and Disillusionment is a sixth-year charm."
"And the older Gryffindors?" Amelia questioned, making McGonagall bristle slightly at the accusation.
"Timing," Thanatos replied calmly. "The older Gryffindors were all there. While Polyjuice or charms are probable, they aren't likely because the oldest Weasleys were unhit."
He pointed to the sheet Aahna gave them. "Ginerva Weasley was hit first, followed by Ronald a few minutes later, which means they started in the younger years. If it had been the older Gryffindors, then even if the oldest were still unhit for whatever reason, Ronald would've been poisoned first."
"So the culprit is not a Gryffindor?" McGonagall asked, looking slightly relieved.
Thanatos shook his head. "No, the evidence doesn't line up. Can't be."
McGonagall sighed in relief, glad it wasn't one of her lions.
"So who do you suspect Thanatos?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"For the potions, unsure," Thanatos replied. "It can't have been the same person, since the poison would've killed them before the other potions kicked in. There are two people with very different intentions for them."
"As for the dosing," He continued, shuffling the papers. "I'm unsure. Searches of the Great Hall afterward brought up nothing, even when I went in myself. There have to be two dosers as well, no way it'd be the same person."
"Wouldn't make sense either," Thanatos told them, looking up. "Harry's food had the loyalty and confounding potions, but not the poison, meaning whoever attempted to poison them hadn't gotten to him yet."
"So who could it be?" Amelia asked.
Thanatos sighed. "I'd have to get a tally of every student who was missing during lunch and do a process of elimination to figure it out. It'll probably take days, though."
"What do you recommend our next course of action to be?" Dumbledore asked.
"The culprit probably won't do it again for a few days," Thanatos thought aloud. "That gives us time to prepare… Harry has his ring, there should probably be a routine check of the food once it's set down, along with a monitoring of any suspicious activity."
Dumbledore nodded. "I'll have the ghosts and portraits report any suspicious activity to you."
"Thank you," Thanatos replied. "That Auror detail would possibly help as well," He stated, glancing at Amelia.
Amelia sighed. "It'll be ready in a day or two. I was stuck trying to pick between a few Aurors, as they all have skills that could be helpful here."
Thanatos blinked. "Is Nymphadora available?"
"Don't let her hear you say that," Amelia joked, half-smiling.
Somewhere within the UK, a pink-haired Auror trainee sneezed, suddenly having the intense urge to fry some crows.
"But yes, she's available," Amelia answered. "Wh… Oh."
Thanatos nodded. "That skill could be plenty helpful here."
"Nymphadora? As in Nymphadora Tonks?" McGonagall asked. "She graduated here two years ago."
"Ah, A Metamorphagus," Dumbledore said, smiling as he realized their plan. "You plan to use her abilities to move around unnoticed."
"Yes, she can be useful," Amelia replied. "Though, I suppose this could be quite helpful as her final examination before graduating."
"I'm more surprised you knew of her, Thanatos," McGonagall stated. "I didn't know you kept track of the Aurors that way."
Thanatos shrugged. "I do it because they'll possibly be my comrades at some point, especially with a good chunk of my cases in the UK. Might as well have some background."
Amelia turned to Dumbledore. "I'll get the Auror detail ready by tomorrow," She told him. "They'll be the best on deck, and even a few who aren't."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I presume you're talking about Mad-Eye?"
"He owes me a favor or two," Amelia replied before glancing at Thanatos. "And I want to see these two interact."
The group discussed their plan a bit more until McGonagall left to deal with her lions, and Amelia to the Ministry.
"Thanatos, wait a moment, please," Dumbledore called as Thanatos turned to the door.
"Yes?" Thanatos asked, hand tense.
Dumbledore sighed. "You know about Aahna."
It wasn't a question.
Thanatos nodded. "I do."
Dumbledore took a deep breath. "While I am thankful you haven't, I must ask: why haven't you made a move against me? The most you've done is remove Severus."
"Well, to be perfectly honest with you, Albus," Thanatos said, turning to the man. "It's because if I did so now, then Lucius and the rest of his pathetic bunch would try to overtake the Ministry since it's you that's stopping them."
He crossed his arms, leaning against the door.
"There's also a non-zero chance Tom is still alive somewhere," He stated. "Currently, you're the one who'd protect this castle if Tom storms it, which considering his reputation, he probably would."
"Is that what you consider me?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "A necessary evil?"
"Don't consider you good," Thanatos half-replied. "All of your supposed light was extinguished ten times over with what you did to Aahna, and a hundred times over with what you did to Harry and Sirius."
"Go on, hex me," Thanatos said as Dumbledore's hand tensed. "I dare you. One of us won't be walking out of this room if you do and I promise you it won't be me."
Dumbledore examined him. "Do you believe you can kill me?" He asked, almost curiously instead of offended.
"What do you want me to say?" Thanatos raised an eyebrow. "If I say yes, then you'll try to figure out how, and possibly attack me again, forcing my hand. If I say no, you'll do the same."
"You're quite perceptive," Dumbledore told him.
Thanatos shrugged. "Trick of the trade."
Dumbledore studied his words for a moment and, realizing he wouldn't be getting more information out of the detective, let him go on his way.
Thanatos sighed as he left the office, rubbing his face tiredly.
He headed down to the dungeons, brushing past several Slytherins as he entered Aahna's office.
Aahna was at a work table, examining a light blue potion with several notebooks strewn around her.
She looked up as he entered, smiling a little.
"How'd it go?" She asked after a quick kiss.
Thanatos sighed. "Ruled out the suspects, the case got blown open, though. Someone else is slipping premade potions into Hogwarts and dosing students. We don't have enough info to suspect anyone."
"And Dumbledore?" Aahna asked.
"He knows we know about the child thing," He replied. "Managed to convince him we wouldn't move against him until later and threw him a bone by implying I could kill him. That'll keep him busy for a while."
Aahna sighed tiredly, leaning against his chest.
"I wish I could just get rid of this stupid curse," She mumbled. "It's so annoying just to have."
"Yeah, I know," Thanatos said, kissing her head. "But we still need it for the case."
They could easily fortify a room and have Aahna transform into her true form for a few seconds, eliminating Dumbledore's curse like one would break a spider web.
But they needed proof of it being active since diagnoses were possible, albeit ludicrously difficult, to forge and they wanted as ironclad of a case as possible.
Aahna grumbled into his chest, knowing he was right but still heavily disliking it.
"How's Remus' potion going?" Thanatos asked, deciding to change the subject before Aahna's mood soured for the day.
"Decent," Aahna replied, rubbing her eyes. "Won't be done for a few weeks though, so I'm just improving Wolfsbane in the meantime."
"Improving Wolfsbane?" Thanatos asked curiously. "How?"
Aahna stood straight and gestured to her notebook.
"The old Wolfsbane has several steps that can either be cut down or removed altogether," She explained. "I made it more efficient for the brewer, so now I'm trying to improve the taste."
She stirred the potion three times counterclockwise and added another Wolfsbane leaf.
Aahna poured a few drops on her hand from her ladle and drank it, gagging slightly at the taste.
"Currently, it's better than before," She said. "But it still tastes like shit. I'm really tempted to make it work with sugar."
"Remus would probably worship you if you did that," Thanatos told her, causing her to smile.
"What d'ya think he'd do once the cure's done?"
"Probably build you a church and altar."
Aahna snorted and shook her head. "Wouldn't put it past him."
Thanatos wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.
"Would be the only altar I'd worship at," He whispered in her ear.
Aahna flushed deeply, shivering a bit.
"Shush," She told him, ignoring his smirk.
Thanatos muttered something in Greek and Aahna flushed some more, deciding that the potion in front of her was rather intriguing.
"Oh, and the runic array's done," Thanatos told her, pulling a notebook from his coat pocket.
"Finished it after we interrogated Snape," He said as she took it.
Aahna flipped through it until she landed on a complex runic array, skimming through it before she nodded in satisfaction.
"This could definitely work," She told him with a kiss.
"Only issue would be finding something strong enough to hold it," He replied, gesturing to the book.
The array was meant to separate the effects of the potion from the taste, allowing them to make and sell potions that not only tasted good but had a much longer shelf life and, therefore, were less expensive.
"Think we can engrave one of those solid gold cauldrons?" Aahna asked, only half-joking.
Thanatos shrugged. "Could work, but we'd have to be careful not to melt the thing. Gold's rather soft."
Aahna bit her lip, tapping her wand against the notebook in thought.
"If we mix it with a stronger, but still magically responsive, metal, then it could work," Thanatos told her.
"Platinum?" She asked, looking at him.
"Sure, I'd just have to tweak the array," He answered before pausing.
"Hmm, platinum would supercharge the array, making the effects stronger," Thanatos muttered, thinking aloud. "Would make it more effective, but has a higher melting risk…"
"We can weave a power limit onto it," Aahna suggested, getting a nod.
"Good idea. I'll do that," He said before flicking his wrist.
The time appeared above his hand in silver letters, showing: 3:37 pm.
"You need to go," Aahna told him, pushing him away lightly. "Can't miss the dog show, can you?"
Thanatos snorted and kissed her cheek before he left.
He quickly picked Harry up from the common room, watching in amusement as the boy tried to walk comfortably in his new robes.
"I feel like Dumbledore," Harry muttered, pulling on the robes.
Harry's robes were Trial Robes, which, as the name implied, were meant specifically for trials and other legal matters of the Ministry.
Normally, they wouldn't be necessary, but since Sirius was a member of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, and Harry of The Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, he was forced to wear them.
The robes themselves were a deep maroon, with black edges adorned with golden stitching that swirled in intricate patterns, almost magical.
The Potter coat of arms adorned Harry's right breast: a golden griffin over a red shield with a knight's helmet on top, surrounded by silver and white feathers and three white cinquefoils, one in each corner of the shield.
They were quite long and kept catching on Harry's trainers, causing the boy to trip constantly.
"Why don't you have to wear these things?" Harry grumbled as he nearly ate dust again before Thanatos caught him.
"Not part of a Most Ancient and Noble House," Thanatos replied simply. "You are, so you have a reputation to uphold."
"Oh, great, more press," Harry muttered darkly.
"Think of it this way," Thanatos tried to reassure him. "Your first public act as Potter Heir is helping fix a great injustice done to another Most Ancient and Noble House, showing you won't stand for corruption, just as all Potters have before you."
"Was my dad like that too?" Harry asked softly.
"Quite a lot," Thanatos replied. "He always defended the younger Gryffs."
He chuckled. "They called him the Lion's Guard. At first, it was more of an ego boost and an excuse to hex Slytherins than anything else, but after his fifth year… well, Gryffindor House was the least bullied House in all years because of him."
Harry's eyes brightened. "Really?"
Thanatos nodded. "He once dueled a few Slytherins who were practicing Dark Magic on a girl– fought five-on-one, actually. He slept quite comfortably in his dorm that night."
"Woah…" Harry's eyes were wide, almost childlike at learning more about his parents.
They walked into Flitwick's office, where the tiny Professor sat at his desk, jumping up as he saw them.
"Thanatos, Mister Potter! Right on time," Flitwick squeaked.
He grinned as he noticed Harry's robes. "Ah, get yourself comfortable Mister Potter, you'll have to wear those often once you turn 17."
The two adults lost it at the look of horror on Harry's face, which quickly morphed into annoyance, both at them and his robes.
"Why can't they just wear normal ones," Harry grumbled, pulling back his overlarge sleeves.
It felt different from Dudley's hand-me-downs, mostly because the silk robes were admittedly extremely soft, comfortable, and quite warm, and it was clear the overlargeness was designed and not because of his cousin's pudgy stomach.
"There's a historical reason for these robes," Flitwick smiled. "However, it is quite lengthy and you two need to be at the Ministry sooner rather than later."
"Sirius will probably tell you," Thanatos waved it off. "Whether he wants to admit it or not, he's a history nerd. Did better than Lily in History of Magic basically always."
The trio walked back to Flitwick's fireplace, where the Charms professor waved his wand and a pot of green Floo powder in the shape of an umbrella happily trotted over to them.
"I suppose you know how a Floo works, Mister Potter?" Flitwick asked.
"Err—" Harry rubbed his neck. "I don't really– They don't really like me."
Thanatos snorted. "That's Lily's son alright," He muttered before shaking his head.
"What you want to do is take a deep breath and use that to say the destination," Thanatos explained calmly. "For this, it's 'British Ministry of Magic, London.'"
He took a pinch of powder. "Just a tiny amount, more than this will send you flying out the other end."
Thanatos tossed it into the fireplace, and the flames roared high and green.
"Elbows tucked and chin up," He advised as he stepped forward. "You'll feel it slow down right before you exit. When you do, extend your foot like you're walking normally, and you'll be fine."
Thanatos disappeared with a roar from the fireplace, and Harry nervously grabbed a pinch of the powder.
He tossed it into the fireplace and gulped, steeling his nerves as he took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"British Ministry of Magic, London!" Harry called as he entered the fire.
The fire roared and Harry haphazardly tucked his elbows as he disappeared from Flitwick's office.
Dozens of fireplaces roared past his sight, moving far too fast for his brain to process as he spun.
Eventually, the nauseating spinning began to slow, and Harry quickly stuck his leg out.
The fireplace spat him out, and Harry staggered forward as if pushed.
Thanatos put a hand on his chest, stopping him before Harry crashed into him.
"Better than I expected," He said, flicking his fingers.
The soot vanished instantly, and Harry looked around the Ministry in awe.
Dozens of fireplaces lined the wall where Harry had exited and the wall opposite, people entering and exiting as casually as stepping through a door.
The room was enormous to a ridiculous degree. Brilliantly polished dark wood floors were contrasted by a peacock-blue ceiling, golden letters written atop.
"C'mon," Thanatos told him, gently grabbing his arm and pulling him along.
Harry scrambled to keep up with Thanatos' longer strides while still looking around, trying to take in everything.
"This is the Atrium of the Ministry," Thanatos told him, slowing down as he realized Harry wasn't tall enough to keep up.
Thanatos gestured to the fireplaces, now a good several dozen steps behind them.
"That's usually where employees enter," He said. "But as a Heir, you'll have access to those whenever, since your name is permanently etched into the Ministry's records from birth."
Harry nodded numbly before they continued walking.
They were halfway down the Atrium when Harry noticed a giant gold fountain.
It had a statue depicting a wizard as the focal point, with a witch, goblin, house elf, and centaur looking up at him in what appeared to be awe. The woman was the closest, so from a distance, it appeared as if the magical creatures were staring in awe at the humans.
Underneath, a silver plaque read: The Fountain of Magical Brethren.
Sickles and Knuts glinted up at Harry as they passed, and Harry silently looked at Thanatos in confusion.
"People throw coins there, for good luck," Thanatos told him. "Proceedings go to St. Mungos. Only good thing about it by a long shot."
Annoyance was quite visible in his face as he spoke. "Many wizards believe themselves above everyone, including witches. This thing was built centuries ago and caused several disagreements between species due to the blatant prejudice. It hasn't been fixed."
They walked past the fountain to a pair of golden gates, next to which was a security booth with a wizard inside, reading the Daily Prophet.
The guard barely looked up as they reached him, simply turning a page.
"Wands?" He asked, extending his hand.
Thanatos handed his wand over with a flick of the wrist and nudged Harry to do the same.
Harry quickly scrambled his wand out of his pocket and handed it over, and the guard put their wands on a small scale beside him, one after the other.
They took their wands back after a moment, and two small strips of parchment jutted out of the base of the scale.
"Thanatos Marime," The guard said. "14-inch yew and thestral hair. Good. Next, Harry Pot– HARRY POTTER?!"
Harry winced as people's heads snapped over and whispering erupted around the Atrium.
"Yes, yes, he's Harry Potter, now get on with it," Thanatos snapped.
The guard shrunk back and nodded. "Y–Yes, sir."
He cleared his throat. "H–Harry Potter, 11-inch holly with phoenix feather, correct?"
Harry nodded, and the guard quickly let them through, avoiding Thanatos' glare.
They quickly reached the lifts and made their way down a floor, into the Department of Mysteries.
"This is where your mother used to work," Thanatos told him as they exited the lift.
Harry looked around in slight awe and a great amount of trepidation, wondering how someone like his mother worked here.
The walls, floor, and ceiling were completely black, with only blue candles giving the room any light.
The room looked haunting, and eerie in a way that spooked Harry to his bones.
"Don't worry, the trial isn't here," Thanatos smiled, completely at ease.
He gently led Harry to a staircase on the left side of the room, which Harry hadn't even noticed at first, and headed down.
"How did my mom work there?" Harry asked, glancing back up the stairs.
"That's mostly just to spook intruders," Thanatos told him. "The real Department is behind one of those doors, can't tell you which, though. You'll learn if you ever work there."
Harry shivered a bit as they entered the hall for the courtrooms, wondering why the lifts didn't just lead directly to them.
"Too many criminals have tried to escape," Thanatos explained. "Both those who were on trial and those who weren't."
They walked past several sets of heavy wooden double doors until they reached the end of the hall, where a set of double doors nearly reached the impressively high ceiling.
"Courtroom One," Thanatos said. "Basically the biggest, most important stuff."
Harry glanced around somewhat nervously. "Does everyone know about Si– Padfoot? I thought there would be more chaos."
Thanatos chuckled. "Oh, they don't know. All they know is that, and I quote, 'A man justified for the injustice served to him.' And whatever formal bull Amelia decided to put on the letters."
He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and leaned down to his eye level.
"Look, this is probably going to get nasty, and it's pretty tough to deal with at first," He said. "If you feel uncomfortable at any point, then you leave and I'll take care of the people. You may or may not be called on as a witness, are you ok with that?"
Harry paused before nodding firmly. He would do this for his parents, for Sirius and Remus. They deserved it more than he did.
"Good," Thanatos said, standing straight. "Your chair is on your left from when you enter, three seats away from the large podium thing and one up. Got it?"
"Presentation is everything," He said. "Back straight, head high. You owe nobody here anything."
Harry nodded and Thanatos waved his hand, making the doors open with a bang.
Thanatos burst in, cloak billowing behind him as he did.
Harry took a deep breath and tried to match him, taking the biggest strides he could.
The already assembled members had their eyes collectively widen as Harry entered, robes billowing behind him.
Magic flowed lightly around Harry, pushing his hair this way and that, showing off his infamous scar quite prominently.
Harry stopped in the middle of the courtroom, squinting slightly as he searched for his seat.
The courtroom was dead silent, and Harry silently began to sweat, wondering if he'd messed up his entrance.
"Welcome, Heir Potter," Amelia's voice boomed from in front of him. "A pleasure for you to join us."
Harry jumped a little but quickly recovered, smiling nervously.
"It– It's a pleasure to be here," Harry said, giving a half-frantic bow, hoping he seemed respectful.
Several assembled members felt their eyebrows shoot up at his action, and a few of the older ones likened him to a younger Fleamont Potter, Harry's grandfather.
Harry managed to find his seat and quickly took it, trying to ignore the stares and whispers and staring at the chair in the center of the courtroom.
Minutes ticked by, and more members entered, showing various degrees of shock at seeing the famous Harry Potter in the flesh, sitting there impassively.
Fudge entered as well, looking oddly formal in his plum-colored robes and lacking the bowler hat he often wore.
Eventually, Amelia stepped up to the podium and cleared her throat, and the whispers in the courtroom died.
"Members of the Wizengemot," Amelia declared, her voice unusually powerful. "We are assembled here today for a trial of someone who has caused our world great grief but has finally been brought to justice."
She looked around. "I see that Chief Warlock Dumbledore is late–"
Dumbledore burst in as she was speaking, an aura of magic surrounding him.
"My apologies, Amelia, it seems my mail must have been disturbed," Dumbledore stated in an almost grandfatherly tone. "I did not receive the notice until just a few minutes ago, but thankfully Fawkes was able to get me here quite quickly."
Amelia stared down at him. "Ensure it doesn't happen again."
Dumbledore quickly took his seat, smoothing out his robes as he did.
He seemed surprised to see Harry there but said nothing.
Harry felt something brush against the mental shield the ring provided, and the ring warmed, making Harry clench his hand reflexively.
It pulled back sharply a moment later, and Harry wondered if what he'd felt was Legilimancy.
"Madam Bones, if I may ask," Dumbledore called. "Who are we trying today? It was not made clear in the letter."
Amelia hid her smirk quite well.
"Today, we are trying a man who was wrongfully convicted of a crime he never committed," Amelia told the Wizengemot. "A Head of A Most Ancient and Noble House, no less!"
The courtroom gasped, and many of the purebloods began yelling, angry that one of their own was wrongfully convicted.
"And more so," Amelia continued. "He was convicted without a trial! Just sent away like some rabid dog!"
The yelling grew louder, the purebloods looking as if they were going to murder everyone responsible. Most might be bigots, but if it happened to one of them, then it could happen to them all.
"Tell us, Madam Bones!" Lucius yelled above the rest, standing. "Who dared send this man away? Which of our Noble Houses was dishonored?!"
Amelia barely hid her smirk as the doors burst open, and in walked Sirius Black.
"The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black!" Amelia boomed.
Sirius looked well-groomed, his once messy beard trimmed and neat, and his hair silky and long, reaching past his shoulders.
He walked beside Aahna with his head held high, gray eyes strong and confident as if the chains on his wrists didn't exist.
The courtroom exploded into chaos, several members yelling to kill Sirius, while others called Amelia a traitor and that she should be Kissed.
"ENOUGH!" Thanatos roared, standing.
The courtroom fell into silence as his magic forced them down.
Sirius ignored it all, sitting contently in the chair in the center of the courtroom, not minding the chains that bound him to it.
"Madam Bones, Sirius Black is a convicted criminal!" Fudge cried, face red. "What do you mean he was wrongfully accused?"
"Sirius Black was never a Death Eater," Aahna called, dressed in her formal Unspeakable robes. "And he never killed those muggles."
Ignoring the outcries of the courtroom, Aahna grabbed Sirius' sleeve and pulled it back, showing the bare arm.
"As you can see–" She yelled over them. "–He bears no mark, and as you know, this chair nullifies all magic on the individual, including concealment."
Thanatos walked down beside her, giving her a small smile that she returned.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengemot!" Thanatos cried, silencing them all. "I ask you all now to listen to me, as I have all the evidence you desire!"
The courtroom fell quiet, and Fudge stared down at him, having taken Amelia's place on the podium.
"Tell us, Detective Marime, why should we believe Sirius Black is innocent?" He asked. "He has spent twelve years in Azkaban, and the evidence for his conviction was quite clear."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Minister," Thanatos replied. "Tell me, what was the evidence for Black's conviction? The finger of Peter Pettigrew, presumed dead, and the Potters' deaths."
"What do you mean by presumed dead?" Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, asked.
Thanatos took a jar from his coat pocket, which held a messy, but very much alive, Peter Pettigrew in rat form.
"All that was found of Peter Pettigrew is a finger," Thanatos stated. "However, upon examination of the crime scene, the muggles were found more intact, despite Pettigrew having been further away."
"Furthermore," He continued. "There was none of Pettigrew's blood found beside that surrounding the finger, which would imply he was completely disintegrated, but such a spell would not have blown up the surrounding street, and there was no more evidence of magic cast."
"And what does a rat have to do with this?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus," Thanatos replied, opening the jar.
He tossed Peter into the air and hit him with the Animagus Revealing spell, saying it loud and clearly to ensure no arguments.
Pettigrew transformed mid-air before being hit with a spell that prevented him from changing.
'Thank you for that, Aahna,' Thanatos muttered internally.
The courtroom collectively gasped, and Dumbledore's face turned red.
"How do we know that is really Peter Pettigrew?" He called, standing.
Thanatos showed Peter's right hand, which was missing a finger.
"As you can see, the same finger found on the street all those years ago is the one Pettigrew is missing," Thanatos told them.
"Anybody can cut off a finger," Dumbledore argued. "How do we know it isn't a person Polyjuiced into Peter with the finger that was found?"
Thanatos pulled back the sleeve, showing Peter's Dark Mark to the courtroom.
"The Dark Mark is a magical tattoo, which, if any of you are knowledgeable in the field, you'll know that magical tattoos don't transfer over," Thanatos explained. "Meaning it is impossible that this is anybody but the real Peter Pettigrew."
Fudge looked pale, already measuring the fallout of a Head of a Most Ancient and Noble House being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to Azkaban for over a decade.
"This proves Sirius Black didn't kill Peter Pettigrew," Thanatos explained. "He couldn't have killed those muggles, as it was determined that the same spell that killed Pettigrew killed those muggles."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Sirius Black is innocent," Thanatos concluded.
"Sirius Black is still responsible for the deaths of the Potters'," A man called out.
"Well, that can be disproven by simply asking," Amelia pointed out. "Luckily, we have Veritaserum on hand."
"Veritaserum can be resisted," Dumbledore pointed out.
Aahna cleared her throat. "As an Unspeakable, I am fully qualified to nullify any resistance from either Pettigrew or Black and am also a Potions Mistress, I can ensure the effectiveness of the potion."
The potion was quickly brought forth, as nobody had any argument against that, not even Dumbledore.
Aahna took the bottle and held it up to the light, swirling it around lightly.
"I can confirm that this is perfectly acceptable Veritaserum, and its effects will work as intended," Aahna said.
She walked over to Sirius, who opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out in a very dog-like fashion.
Aahna poured three drops down his throat, corked the potion, and quickly entered his mind with Legilimancy.
Sirius' eyes went glossy, his body somewhat slack.
"The potion is effective," Thanatos told the Wizengemot. "Now, first, what is your name and when were you born?"
"I am Sirius Orion Black and I was born November 3rd, 1959," Sirius answered monotonously.
"Did you go to Hogwarts, in Gryffindor House, between 1971 and 1978?" Thanatos asked.
"Yes."
Thanatos nodded. "Both those answers are correct; the potion is effective."
"Did you kill James and Lily Potter?" He asked, turning back to Sirius.
"No, but it feels like I did," Sirius replied.
Mild uproar seized the courtroom, but Thanatos silenced them with a bang from his wand.
"Why do you feel like you killed James and Lily Potter?"
Sirius looked distraught, even with his face blank.
"I refused to be Secret Keeper. I thought it was too obvious," He replied. "If I had, then James and Lily wouldn't have died."
Thanatos quickly silenced the courtroom again. "If you weren't the Secret Keeper, who was?"
"Peter Pettigrew," Sirius almost snarled, emotion somehow breaking through.
"Why did they pick Peter Pettigrew?"
"Because nobody suspected him," Sirius replied. "Everyone knew I was like brothers with James, but nobody paid attention to Peter. We thought it was the perfect prank."
"So you never killed the Potters," Thanatos said. "What about Peter Pettigrew? Did you kill him or those muggles?"
"No, but I wish I had," Sirius replied angrily. "I never killed anybody that night."
"What happened the night the Potters died?" Thanatos pressed.
"I went to check up on Peter as usual," Sirius answered. "He had a safe house we paid for. He wasn't there, and there wasn't any sign of a struggle, so I got worried. I went to check up on James and Lily and found their house in ruins, and the sound of Harry crying."
Tears brewed in Sirius' eyes. "I entered and saw James' body, and I ran up, hoping Lily was still alive. I only saw Harry, his forehead bleeding from where Voldie had cursed him. I picked him up and cradled him, crying."
"And after?" Thanatos asked. "What happened after?"
"Hagrid showed up, and said he was under orders by Dumbledore to take Harry away to somewhere safe," Sirius replied, voice hollow. "I didn't want to at first, but I eventually gave Hagrid my bike and ran off to find Peter."
"I found him in some street," Sirius continued. "I was crying, not thinking right. He began yelling how I'd betrayed Lily and James, blew up the street with his wand behind his back, fucking coward."
Sirius almost snarled. "He cut off his finger and ran. I was going to hunt him but was too much of a wreck to think. The Aurors showed up, I knew several of them. I thought they were going to help me recover and find Peter, but they locked me up and threw away the key."
Several members of the courtroom were pale and shaky, others crying lightly as they realized the injustice he'd faced.
"Final question," Thanatos said. "Are you, or have you ever been, a Death Eater, an associate of them, or worked with or under Lord Voldemort in any way?"
"No, never. I'd rather die," Sirius replied.
Thanatos nodded. "That is all. Administer the antidote."
Aahna pulled back from Sirius' mind as the antidote was administered, rubbing her eyes.
"As you can see," Thanatos called out to the court. "Sirius Black is innocent, a framed man who has done nothing deserving the time he spent in Azkaban."
"And what, then, do you propose?" Fudge asked.
"First, let this man be free and wipe his record of any crime," Thanatos replied. "Second, pay him compensation for his time there. We know no amount of money will turn back time, but it is only fair."
"How much do you suggest?" Dumbledore asked, teeth gritted.
"50,000 Galleons per year of incarceration," Thanatos said. "For a total of 600,000 Galleons total."
There was quite a bit of pushback on that, but Thanatos argued that it was far too little, seeing as Sirius, Head of a Most Ancient and Noble House, would have made twenty times that amount in the same timeframe.
Eventually, the courts relented, and Pettigrew was quickly convicted, seeing as he'd already been questioned by Aahna, and nobody was going to argue against an Unspeakable.
Thanatos argued that Peter should get the Dementor's Kiss, as that was the punishment for Sirius, but Dumbledore claimed that it was too harsh and that he should receive life in Azkaban instead.
The argument went back and forth for a while until Harry stood, forcing everyone to turn to him.
Harry gulped but steeled his nerves.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengemot," He began, hoping he didn't sound foolish. "This man, Sirius Black is my godfather, my guardian in place of my parents' deaths."
He took a deep breath. "When he was put in prison, I lost twelve years of my life too. I was placed with abusive muggles, who beat me and treated me worse than a house elf!"
"Harry, what is your argument here?" Dumbledore asked coldly, trying to silence the boy.
"Let him speak!" Augusta Longbottom snapped. "That is a Heir you're talking to, Albus. His spot here is deserved and to be respected."
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully, getting a nod.
"Of course, Heir Potter," Augusta replied. "Please continue."
"Oh, yes. As I was saying, my relatives despised me and my magic. They were never meant to take care of me," Harry said, gaining confidence. "Peter Pettigrew took away my parents' lives, even when they trusted him. He took away Sirius' freedom and my childhood."
"What do you suggest, Heir Potter?" Amelia asked, her voice somewhat gentle.
Harry steeled himself again. "The dementor's Kiss. It is only fair. My godfather was able to escape, and Pettigrew could escape too. It isn't safe."
Dumbledore looked at him disapprovingly, while Thanatos and Aahna gave him thumbs up from behind his back.
"Harry, you must learn to give people second chances," Dumbledore began. "You can't judge people off one action."
"Yet you can?" Augusta challenged. "Heir Potter is right! How dare we let a man who did so much harm live? For what, for him to escape and ruin more lives?!"
Several of the Dark Side surprisingly agreed with her, more out of the desire to spite Dumbledore, but they agreed nonetheless.
Dumbledore was eventually forced to relent, as there was no argument he could give that wouldn't put him in an extremely negative light, especially given that his involvement with Sirius' wrongful incarceration had just barely been skimmed over.
Finally, after what had to be around an hour, Amelia banged the gravel and declared:
"Lord Sirius Orion Black the III, you are a free man. The Ministry offers its sincerest apologies for such an error, and your recompensation of 750,000 Galleons shall be deposited into your Gringotts vault within the week."
Sirius was grinning like a loon as Harry and the others cheered.
He was quickly freed from the chair and jumped up, taking the deepest breath he could.
"Ah, the sweet smell of freedom!" He yelled before Amelia ran over to him, ignoring the looks she got.
"You're free!" She cried, throwing himself into his arms.
Sirius kissed her passionately and spun her around, barking out a laugh as he set her down.
Harry reached them after another struggle with his robes, and Sirius ruffled his hair lovingly as the boy hugged him.
"Guess what, pup?" Sirius grinned. "No more Dursleys!"
Harry grinned up at him. "You really mean it? I don't have to go back to them?"
"Nope!" Sirius replied. "You get to live with me now!"
Amelia elbowed him and Sirius rubbed his neck nervously.
"Err– Once I fix the house up anyway," He added, getting another elbow. "And uhh.. Have gotten some tasteful redecorations from Ami?"
Amelia rolled her eyes. "You know you need it. You'd cover everything with leather and metal studs if I didn't stop you."
"Leather looks cool ok?" Sirius protested.
"Not in everything, Siri," Amelia replied, hiding her amusement. "I don't think poor Harry wants to live a 70s cologne ad."
"Anything would be better than the Durselys," Harry butted in.
Amelia studied him critically. "Yeah, we need to raise your standards. Or else Sirius is going to have you wear skinny jeans and old leather jackets 24/7."
"It's stylish!" Sirius argued.
"If you want to star in an Elvis Presley movie," Amelia muttered.
Harry blinked at her. "You know who Elvis is?"
Amelia jutted her chin at Sirius. "Wouldn't stop playing them. Got boring after the third replay of From Elvis in Memphis."
Sirius gaped at her. "But that's the best one!"
The two continued their playful argument until Dumbledore approached them, face grim.
"Sirius, may I speak to you?" Dumbledore asked, hands behind his back.
"You may," Sirius nodded but didn't move from his position, keeping one arm around Harry's shoulders and the other around Amelia's waist.
"In private," Dumbledore pressed.
Sirius shook his head. "Sorry Dumbles, but whatever you tell me is going to be heard by my wife and godson at some point, might as well tell them now."
Amelia flushed at that, leaning into his shoulder lovingly.
Dumbledore sighed. "This is important, Sirius. There's no time for your jokes."
"That wasn't a joke, Dumbledore," Sirius replied, voice going cold. "These are my family along with Thanatos, Aahna, Remus, and any girl he picks up along the way. If it's official House business, then you may owl me. If it isn't, there is no need for secrecy."
Sirius directed the two away from Dumbledore and walked out of the courtroom, leaving Dumbledore behind.
As they exited, Sirius, even with the small bump from Dumbledore, wouldn't stop grinning and cracking jokes, and Harry could see the past decade wash off the man.
"Think Florean's is still open?" Sirius asked aloud. "Haven't been there in ages."
Amelia checked her pocket watch. "Yeah, it's open for another half an hour. The trial ran until the end of the workday, so I'm free."
"Uhh, can I change out of these robes first?" Harry asked, nearly tripping again. "I don't think I'll be able to walk in them."
Sirius laughed a bit. "Sure, pup. But your first lesson with me is definitely going to deal with how to move in those. Can't have any godson of mine trip in front of the ladies."
Amelia rolled her eyes and swatted his chest. "He's 13."
"So? When I was thirteen I was already stealing girls' knickers," Sirius replied.
"Yeah, we're not using you as an example of anything," Amelia sighed.
"Except as an example of how to get a girlfriend," Sirius grinned suavely.
"Doubtful," Amelia grinned. "I asked you out, remember?"
"I've suddenly forgotten how our relationship started."
.
Author's Note: Sirius is free! Finally!
Gonna be honest, I rewrote this scene like four times because none of it seemed to fit as I wanted it to. I styled the court thing off Canon sources and winged it from there, mostly following the rule of cool since I got lazy and didn't feel like researching the entire British legal system for this. (Blasphemy, I know)
Kind of dislike how I wrote Harry's speech, it feels OOC to me cause he usually doesn't speak formally, like, at all. But writing it in casual speech felt worse cause he's in a court so I guess I'm going to live with it.
Anyway, that's the chapter. I'll see you in the next one!
