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oooOOOooo

"Aunt Bella!" Draco gasped.

The woman smiled a sad smile. "Not quite."

The woman, tall and dark, her hair long, thick and shiny, moved a little closer. The closer she got the more it dawned on Draco that this wasn't Bellatrix Lestrange and his racing heart slowed down somewhat. This woman's hair was lighter and her eyes kinder.

"You must be Draco," the woman stated more than asked.

Draco nodded his head and stood up.

"It's nice to finally meet you," she reached out her hand which Draco tentatively shook.

He had never met her before, but knew instinctively who she was. Everything about her just screamed Black and her appearance reminded him equally of his other aunt and his mother.

"Andromeda?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yes."

"You are here for the trial?"

She nodded her head and her eyes glistened. "If what they are saying is true…" she trailed off.

"It is," Draco assured her. "I've talked to him. I'm sure they'll clear him of all charges," he said, more confidently than he actually felt.

"Oh, Sirius," Andromeda smiled.

Although she never gave anyone the impression that she had been unhappy about leaving the family, it must have been hard for her to be disowned and to lose her sisters. Sirius must have been her only family after that and then he got arrested, leaving her completely alone. Draco had always felt that it had been her own fault. She had known what would happen if she married a muggle-born, but she did it regardless, not caring what it would do to the family.

"Draco!" he heard his mother yell sharply. He could see Andromeda's face fall and she looked wistfully into the direction of his mother.

"Good-bye, Draco," she whispered.

Draco walked over to his mother. Her face was expressionless, but Draco could feel the anger radiating off her.

"I don't want you to talk to her," she finally said.

"Why?"

His mother glared at him. "She is a traitor and no longer part of our family." Draco wondered whether she meant blood traitor or something more personal but didn't dare ask.

"If you can forgive Sirius why can't you-"

"No," his mother interrupted him. "Don't," she hissed.

His parents were quite uncompromising these days. They left the Ministry without exchanging another word.

At home, Draco finally asked, "Do you still think Sirius will win?"

His mother studied him for a few seconds.

"Yes, of course. This was just the prosecution so of course it sounded bad, but tomorrow it will be Sirius' turn to tell his story. I'm sure that will change everyone's minds."

"I hope so," Draco said.

His father did not mention the trial at all. He did not ask them how it went and seemed to altogether ignore the subject, which was fine by Draco.

oooOOOooo

The next day the courtroom was just as full as on the day before. It seemed like no one wanted to miss any part of the trial.

"Morning, Draco," said Daphne, sitting down next to him, followed by Astoria and Neville. Their parents were sitting somewhere else.

"Morning," he greeted.

"I hope today will go better than yesterday," Daphne said, frowning.

"I sure hope so too," said Draco but couldn't say anymore, because Amelia Bones started to speak.

"Resuming the trial of Sirius Orion Black," Amelia Bones started the second day of trials. "Yesterday we heard the prosecuting evidence. Today we will turn to questioning the indicted. Mr. Black," she talked to him directly now, "this is now your chance to present your defense, if you so wish."

Black straightened in his chair, looking at Amelia directly.

"Sirius Black, are you or have you ever been a Death Eater?" she asked.

"No," Black replied instantly.

"Have you ever actively supported He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"No, I have not."

Draco could hear yells of outrage. "Liar!" he heard someone yell.

"Silence," said Amelia to the audience before she turned back to Black. "So you claim that you aren't the one who betrayed the Potters?"

"Yes. James was my best friend. I would have never done anything to hurt him or his wife."

"But were you not their Secret Keeper?" asked Amelia.

"No, I wasn't. Peter Pettigrew was."

"Pettigrew is dead!" screamed someone in the audience.

"No, he isn't," answered Sirius defiantly.

"Excuse me, Mr. Black," Amelia continued undeterred, "but hasn't Albus Dumbledore himself told us that you were their Secret Keeper? Are you saying he lied?"

"No. James and Lily decided that I would be their Secret Keeper and told Dumbledore about it. But when they approached me I had this brilliant idea. Well, at least I thought it had been brilliant."

"What idea?"

"I was the best friend of James Potter so naturally I was the obvious choice for Secret Keeper. But I figured that everyone would know that, making me the worst possible choice. I thought choosing someone else would be better. Keep them save. No one would ever suspect Peter Pettigrew to be their Secret Keeper. So, in a way," his voice wavered, "it is my fault that they died. I told them to chose Peter instead of me. I never thought he would…" he trailed off, his voice horse. "I just couldn't believe… Can you imagine being friends with someone for ten years and then finding out that they betrayed you?"

„Convenient," Amelia continued, „that the person you are blaming is now dead and cannot defend himself."

"But he isn't dead! We didn't tell anyone because we knew there was a spy. Lot of good did that do."

"You didn't even tell your other best friend, Remus Lupin?"

Sirius winced.

"Times were difficult. We thought he might have been the spy." Sirius looked at Remus. "I am truly sorry, Remus."

Remus Lupin smiled a sad smile.

"We wanted as few people to know as possible to keep word from getting out," Sirius sighed.

"Do you have any evidence for your claims?"

Sirius shook his head in defeat.

"You said that Peter Pettigrew was still alive. That is impossible."

Sirius stayed quiet for a while, then he mumbled, "he is an Animagus."

"What?"

"He is an Animagus," Sirius repeated, louder.

Gasps could be heard from the audience and people started whispering.

"Quiet," said Amelia, her brows furrowed. "There are only 7 registered Animagi in this century, none of whom are Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius rolled his eyes in frustration. "Yes, of course, because everyone who can turn into an animal of course registers with the ministry, especially during a time of war."

"You mean to say that Peter Pettigrew was an unregistered Animagi?"

"Not was. Is. But yes, that's what I'm saying."

"Still, there is no evidence for this claim. Can anyone confirm this?"

"Remus Lupin and Severus Snape can. As can Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy," said Sirius, now smiling.

Now the chattering of the crowd got so loud that Amelia Bones had to use her hammer to get them to quiet down. After some consideration, Remus Lupin was called to testify.

"Mr. Lupin, is Mr. Black's story in any way true?" asked Amelia once the formalities were out of the way.

Remus looked at Sirius and smiled. "I can confirm that Peter Pettigrew is still alive and an Animagus."

"You know this as a fact? Have you seen him transform?"

"Yes. More times than I can count. He has been an Animagus since our shared time at Hogwarts. He can take on the form of a rat."

"An unregistered Animagus and you haven't reported him?"

"We were friends and I am not aware of any law that would require me to report such a thing."

Amelia Bones looked unhappy but proceeded. "And you believe it is possible that it was Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters and killed twelve muggles?"

"Yes."

"You have never come forward with any such statement before."

"No, I haven't. Up until a year ago, I myself believed him guilty." Remus turned towards Sirius. "I am sorry, Sirius."

Sirius just shrugged his shoulders and smiled at him.

"But I have seen Peter Pettigrew," Remus continued, looking at Amelia Bones again, "alive, just a few months ago on Hogwarts grounds," admitted Remus.

Soon Remus was telling the tale of their adventure in the Forbidden Forest. Narcissa looked quite stiff and pale, hearing what all had happened that night. Draco had never told her the whole story, choosing to leave out the more dangerous parts. Admittedly, so did Remus. He left out the part of him transforming into a werewolf.

Next, Severus Snape was called to testify. He looked rather unhappy, Draco thought. He wondered whether his godfather was here on his own account or because Dumbledore had asked aka forced him to. Draco thought that this was quite a dangerous idea. No one could stop him from telling the world that Lupin was a werewolf or that Sirius had tried to kill him. And then Sirius would be sent straight back to Azkaban for attempted murder and who knows what would happen to Remus.

Amelia Bones asked Severus the same question she had asked Remus.

"Professor Snape, is Mr. Black's story in any way true?"

Severus avoided looking in Sirius' general direction. "Yes," he muttered, trying to keep the contempt out of his voice.

"Mr. Lupin has told us that you were present when they encountered Peter Pettigrew. Is this true?"

"Yes."

Draco wondered whether he would stay monosyllabic throughout the interrogation.

"So you have seen him transform?"

"Yes."

Amelia seemed to get fed up with his uncooperative answers. "Can you tell us what happened the night Peter Pettigrew came to Hogwarts."

Severus glowered but started his version of the events. He recounted how he had suspected Lupin and a few students of aiding Black into the castle when he still believed Sirius to be guilty. How he got informed of Black's presence at the school by Lupin and about the confrontation in the Shrieking Shack. He then, to Draco's immense relief, skipped the werewolf part and just said that Pettigrew freed himself and attacked them at the same time as they were attacked by several Dementors. He described the effects of the curse which Pettigrew had used but not which particular curse it had been. He explained how Dumbledore had come to their aid. Never once did he mention werewolves or any attempted murders or even that Black was an Animagus himself. Admittedly, he called Black and Lupin idiotic dunderheads a few times and criticized how they had gone about literally everything, but he never mentioned anything that would get them in trouble.

After Severus Snape, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom were called up to testify. Potter didn't know all that much but he did everything he could to convince the Wizengamot that his godfather was innocent. Neville knew more. He told them how they had found Sirius in the forest, but that Black hadn't attacked them but had explained his situation and asked them for help.

A few more people testified and then Amelia Bones called for a break.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have heard testimony for and against Mr. Black. The Wizengamot will now retreat to come to a verdict, which will be announced shortly."

TBC