Sirius woke to Regulus throwing a pillow at him. He groaned as he blinked his eyes open.
"Reg, why?" he asked with a yawn.
"We're having breakfast now," Regulus informed him. Sirius looked at the time. It was only 7:00.
"We don't have breakfast for another hour, Regulus," Sirius reminded him. "I'm going back to sleep."
"Not today!" Regulus said with a grin. "Grandfather has to go to the Wizengamot in a little while. He says it's an emergency meeting." Sirius was suddenly wide awake.
"Alright, I'm coming," he said, finally getting out of bed. Regulus rolled his eyes.
"One minute, you're complaining, and the next, you're suddenly listening?" he teased. Sirius did something that, if their grandparents had been in the room, would disapprove of. He stuck out his tongue at his brother. Regulus smirked, and did the same back at him. They burst out laughing.
When Sirius arrived in the dining room, he found a letter sitting at his place at the table. He looked at it, then laughed.
"I don't need to read this, do I?" he asked, looking up at his grandparents. "I already know what happened last night."
"No, you do not need to read it," Arcturus responded.
"Lucky you!" Regulus exclaimed. "This letter's about as long as a book!"
"Not quite," Arcturus said. "I would have needed about fifty more pages to make it a book."
"Reg, if you wanted to know about everything sooner, you should have stayed up with me," Sirius teased.
"How late were you awake for?" Regulus asked.
"Until two in the morning," Sirius replied happily.
"Arcturus! You allowed him to stay up that late?" Melania asked, horrified.
"Hey, I'm not a child! Five hours of sleep is no big deal!" Sirius cut in.
"I had to explain everything to him, or he wouldn't have gone to bed at all," Arcturus half-joked. "Besides, I was up all night."
"You were up all NIGHT?!" Regulus asked, shocked.
"I had a lot to get done," Arcturus stated.
"Wow, you're going to be tired today!" Sirius said. "I mean, you fought in a battle yesterday. Me, on the other hand, all I had to do was explain to the ones who went to Grimmauld Place about my past."
"Wait, you explained everything to them?" Melania asked, surprised.
"Kind of had to," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "When you told me I had to pretend to be a child, some of them heard you."
"Melania, you're supposed to whisper about those things," Arcturus said.
"Apologies, Sirius," Melania said guiltily.
"How did they take it when you told them your story?" Arcturus asked.
"They took it well," Sirius answered. "Narcissa was horrified that she married Lucius Malfoy in the original timeline. Andromeda was surprised that she was actually disowned in that timeline. I told her why things didn't turn out that way this time around. Then we all had an interesting conversation about Dumbledore and things like that. Oh, and Horcruxes."
"Just a moment," Arcturus interrupted. "They all know what Horcruxes are now? Even Capella and Lyanna?"
"They don't know what they are, but they know that Snake-face had them," Sirius explained. "James, Narcissa, and Andromeda already knew what they were."
"Interesting," Arcturus murmured. There was silence for a while as everyone ate. Finally, Arcturus stood. "I must be going," he announced. "The Wizengamot meeting will begin soon. I will hopefully be back by lunchtime. If I am not, however, don't wait for me. These meetings can be very long at times."
"Good luck," Melania said as he headed to the fireplace. "Especially because you are running on zero hours of sleep."
Arcturus chuckled. "This is not the first time I've gone without sleep," he reminded her. "I will be fine." He left through the Floo Network to go to the Ministry of Magic.
Melania sighed. "That man does too much sometimes," she stated. Sirius and Regulus grinned.
"We've noticed," they said in unison.
The Ministry of Magic was buzzing with chatter and excitement. Word had already spread about the death of Lord Voldemort, so journalists were talking to various Ministry workers. Arcturus knew that if they caught sight of him, they would try to talk to him, and he didn't have time for that. He quickly started making his way to the Wizengamot chamber. Before he could reach it, however, a Daily Prophet reporter crossed paths with him.
"Lord Black! Just the person we've been wanting to speak to," the reporter said excitedly.
"Not today. I have a meeting to get to," Arcturus responded firmly.
"But the public just wants to know, how did the wards fail at Black Castle? I would think that the House of Black would have some of the strongest wards."
Arcturus really did not have the patience for questions today. "Madame, I have a meeting to get to," he repeated. "However, if you would like an answer to your question, then perhaps ask a Ministry employee. The wards are ones that the Ministry put in place decades ago. I am sure they would have an answer as to why their wards, which they claim are strong, failed without much effort from the Death Eaters. Good day." He walked away before the reporter would ask another question.
The Wizengamot chamber was full of chatter as Arcturus walked in. He saw Bellatrix sitting in the center of the room, looking calmer than what one would expect from her.
Lord Bones started the meeting a few minutes later. "Good morning," he greeted everyone. "Lord Black has requested for this emergency session of the Wizengamot in order to hold a trial for Bellatrix No-name. The request has been accepted, so we are here to determine if Bellatrix No-name is guilty of being a follower of Lord Voldemort. I shall now hand over the gavel to Mr. Crouch, seeing as he will be overseeing this trial." Lord Bones handed over the gavel to Barty Crouch, who was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Let the trial begin," Crouch announced. "Lord Black will be representing Bellatrix."
"Mr. Crouch," Arcturus said as he stood. "I shall not act as a member of the Wizengamot today, seeing as I am representing Bellatrix, so I have a conflict of interest."
"Lord Black recuses himself from the Black seat for today's trial," Crouch stated. "Lord Black, please present your case."
"Thank you, Mr. Crouch," Arcturus said. "Since Tom Riddle Jr., also known as Lord Voldemort, came to power, Bellatrix was a follower of his. She tortured and killed countless people, and was disowned from the Black Family due to breaking one of the most important rules." He was not getting into what exactly Bellatrix had done to get disowned, because the Wizengamot would not be able to focus on the trial, they would be freaking out over someone having an object with black magic. Arcturus wanted to stay on topic. "For a while, she continued to be a loyal follower of Voldemort. However, she slowly started changing her stance. To show you what I am talking about, I'd like permission to use memories."
"Permission granted," Crouch said. A huge Pensieve was placed in the middle of the room, and Arcturus placed the memories in it. The memories appeared above the Pensieve for everyone to see, almost like a Muggle television screen.
The memories showed the note Bellatrix had sent Narcissa warning of the attack on Hogsmeade, how she defended Narcissa during the attack, how she had warned the Blacks of the incoming attack at Black Castle, and her switching sides to fight with the Blacks instead of against them.
The members of the Wizengamot were stunned. Lady Bones spoke up.
"Lord Black, there are rumors that Bellatrix has killed You-Know-Who. Is this true?" she asked.
Arcturus had purposefully not shown that particular memory, not wanting to reveal his elemental abilities, and if he had modified the memory, they would have known.
"This is true, Lady Bones," Arcturus confirmed.
"Could you show us that memory as well?" Lady Bones asked. After a slight pause, Arcturus finally spoke.
"If I am to share this memory, I ask that everyone here is sworn to secrecy," he requested. This would ensure that none of it would get out to the press.
Crouch wanted to question him on why he wanted it to be secret, but he knew better than to question Lord Black. "Very well," Crouch agreed. "Members of the Wizengamot, please raise your wands."
"Mr. Crouch, I would like you to also take this oath," Arcturus cut in.
Crouch scowled, but agreed. He also raised his own wand. Once he was sure that everyone had their wands raised, he stated, "I shall not speak of what Lord Arcturus Black is about to share with us to anyone without approval from Lord Arcturus Black himself. I swear on my magic." Once he was sure the oath worked, he gestured for Arcturus to continue.
Arcturus showed them the memory of him and Bellatrix finishing off Voldemort. There was an uproar in the chamber.
"You can use elemental magic?!" one member cried out in shock. Others asked the same question.
"Order! Order!" Crouch yelled over the noise. "Lord Black, please continue."
"I do not want us to focus on me, we are here to focus on Bellatrix," Arcturus said as the noise quieted down. "In the end, she was the one to kill him. I do realize that she used the Killing Curse, but I think it is more important to look at the fact that she killed him, no matter how she did it. She may have started with being a Death Eater, but in the end, she was on the right side."
Everyone took a moment to process all the information they had learned. Finally, Crouch spoke. "Memories are good and all, but I believe we need to hear from Bellatrix herself. Auror Moody, please administer Veritaserum to Bellatrix." Moody came forward and gave Veritaserum to Bellatrix.
-+Arcturus did not mention that Blacks could sometimes fight off Veritaserum. However, he didn't think Bellatrix would have a reason to fight it off, so he was not too concerned about that. Once under the potion's influence, Crouch started the questioning.
"What is your name?"
"Bellatrix Druella No-name."
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"No."
"Were you ever a Death Eater?"
"Yes."
"What changed?"
"When I was disowned from the Black Family, my sisters and Grandfather gave me lectures, and while that did not change anything immediately, I kept their words in my mind. Overtime, I started to realize that I had no one to lean on, no family, no friends, nothing. I remembered what I was told by my former family, and realized how much more important family is than one dark wizard. That is when things started to change."
"Did you kill You-Know-Who?"
"Yes."
"Why did you kill him?"
"Someone had to, and I wanted to show my former family that I was not their enemy."
"Do you think you will be reinstated into the Black Family?" Crouch asked, starting to get a little off topic.
"I do not know, but that is not my concern right now."
"What do you think it would take to get reinstated?" Crouch asked.
"Mr. Crouch, I do not think family matters is why we are here," Arcturus interrupted. "Whether or not she's reinstated has nothing to do with her case."
Crouch glared at Arcturus. "Very well," he finally said grudgingly. "Auror Moody, please give Bellatrix the antidote." Moody came forward and gave Bellatrix the antidote to the Veritaserum. "Lord Black, please close your case."
"Thank you, Mr. Crouch," Arcturus stated. "You have all seen for yourselves the memories of Bellatrix's change from being a Death Eater to killing Voldemort. You have also heard from Bellatrix herself, and Veritaserum does not lie. I hope that you will all agree when I say that Bellatrix has shown that she is, indeed, on the right side now. She may have caused problems when she was a Death Eater, but what should matter more is how she changed, and is no longer a Death Eater. Thank you." Arcturus gave a nod to Crouch.
"Thank you, Lord Black," Crouch said respectfully. "The members of the Wizengamot shall now vote. Please shoot up red sparks if you think Bellatrix No-name is guilty of the crimes she committed as a Death Eater and if she should go to Azkaban. Shoot up green sparks if you think Bellatrix No-name is not guilty of the crimes she committed, and should not be sent to Azkaban."
The votes were mixed, and it wasn't based on faction. Even the dark faction didn't vote in unison, because some were angry that she betrayed Voldemort. The light and neutral factions were both mixed, because of mixed emotions about Bellatrix. Some felt that Bellatrix should be guilty because no matter how much she changed, she still tortured and killed people. Some felt that she was not guilty, because she showed courage by turning against Voldemort.
In the end, the vote was very close. "Bellatrix No-name, you have been found not guilty by this court," Crouch said. He paused before continuing. "You shall not go to Azkaban, but you shall pay a one thousand galleons fine for your crimes."
Bellatrix looked horrified. She didn't have any money. Arcturus was very unhappy as well, but for different reasons.
"Mr. Crouch, when someone's found not guilty, they..." Arcturus started but he was cut off.
"This decision is final," Crouch said, cutting him off. "This case is hereby closed. Lord Bones, you may reassume the role of Chief Warlock." He handed the gavel back to Lord Bones before walking away.
After the meeting ended, Arcturus immediately went outside the Wizengamot chamber to find Bellatrix pacing furiously.
"They are making me pay, when they KNOW I don't have money!" she exclaimed angrily.
"Bellatrix, Mr. Crouch is not the most fair person on the planet," Arcturus said calmly. "He shouldn't have sprung that on you, but there's not much that can be done about that. I will, of course, file a complaint against him, but because the case is already closed, I cannot change the decision. He should have allowed time to appeal, but he did not."
"What will I do?!" she shrieked.
"I will get back to you on that," Arcturus said firmly. "I will see what can be done. I may not be able to reverse the decision, but let me see what I can do."
"Thank you," Bellatrix said gratefully. She had forgotten what it was like not being all alone.
As Arcturus left, he knew he'd need to talk to Sirius when he got home. He didn't think it was quite time to reinstate Bellatrix into the family, but he couldn't just leave Bellatrix without money and without a way to pay the fine. He and Sirius would figure it out, one way or another.
Author's note: I feel like the Wizarding World needs a better way of handling criminal cases. I do not like how unfair and how one-sided this case was, and how the Ministry has such influence and can just change the verdict partially, but it is what it is. I feel like this is something I will address in a future chapter.