:-[Chapter 52]-:
SIRIUS BLACK FREED
By Rita Skeeter
You read that right, dear reader. The infamous, despicable Sirius Black was indeed freed yesterday by none other than our Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Amelia Bones. This reporter was shocked when she learned of the news and immediately went to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where he was rumored to be.
There he was. Lying on a bed and receiving treatments from a Healer, Konan Li. From what this reporter understands, many of the Healers at St Mungo's have decided to take the courageous stance to not give treatment to the criminal. Only the foreign witch had decided to do it. Could it be because she ignores what the man had done? Or something more nefarious is yet to unfold.
Right now, Sirius Black is being guarded by a battalion of Aurors. Is it to keep him safe or to keep the population safe? This reporter could not say. Nevertheless, I, Rita Skeeter will stay vigilant against the nefarious deeds of Sirius Black. What if, after all, this is only a plot to escape?
"This woman is funny." Dimitriov said, in his thick Russian accent while reading the article Sirius gave him in the morning.
"Yes." Sirius answered deadpanning. "Very funny indeed to put my name through even more mud than it already was. I swear to Merlin, I'll sue her arse to oblivion."
"See? I knew you would understand, Black!" the Russian man said, smiling at him, not understanding Sirius' tone.
No one but Valerya noticed the frown upon William's face as he read through the article. To the woman though, this was neither here nor there, seeing how Morris was mercurial man and noticed thing that others didn't. He wasn't the leader of the Ashen Hippogriff for no reasons after all.
:-[T.A.B]-:
:-[October 12th, Monday, 1992]-:
Sirius was finally out of St Mungo's after around a week or so of treatment with Healer Li. Surrounding him, were the Ashen Hippogriff, who protected him against the crowd of people shouting at him.
"Fuck you, Black! Go back to Azkaban!" one of them said.
"You don't deserve the air that you breath you fiend!" another said.
"Well, Mister Black, I see that you are not very loved in your country." Samuels said, smirking at Sirius.
"Yeah well, that tells me William did not hire you for your brain. I hope your wand work is better than your comedy." Sirius said deadpanning, making the Russian stutter.
That made the group laugh while they arrived at the hospital's exit where they could apparate to the Ministry for the trial. Ted Tonks was supposed to wait for them right at the apparition point where he could bring them to the chamber where his fate would be decided.
Sirius watch as the black and gold walls of the Ministry appeared in front of him. Many reporters were already there and flashed their cameras right in his face, screaming for a comment or a declaration.
"Sirius! Here!" Theodore said, yelling over the reporters' voices.
Sirius found his lawyer and went to him, still being escorted by the mercenary group. Their sheer presence easily created a path where the witches and wizards let them pass with a word.
"What's the news, Ted?" Sirius asked.
"Well, everyone knows of your trial, or course. It was announced in the Daily Prophet days ago, don't you read it?" the lawyer said.
"That trash? Never in a million years. Those guys read it though."
"Well, maybe you should read it, just to be aware of the different news in the country, even if you don't agree with them." the muggleborn said.
Sirius grumbled at the lawyer's comment but didn't say anything otherwise. William kept telling him the same thing over and over for the last week but to no avail.
"How is the trial going to work, Ted?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.
"First, everyone should be seated right about now, seeing as it is the first Wizengamot meeting of the season. Members of the public will not be allowed in this trial with no exceptions. Dumbledore, as the Chief Warlock will bring the meeting to order, allowing minutes to be taken. Second, he will call for old issues that have been previously brought up in earlier sessions, if there are no amendments, or closures then he will call for new issues. This is where I come along, I will bring the issue of your non-existent trial and therefore claim restitution and resolution of what will hopefully be a quick case."
"Is there anything that I need to be aware of or even doing?" the secret Animagus said.
"Once I bring the issue to the Wizengamot, a trial will be called, and you will be escorted to the dais in the center of the room. Now, as an innocent man who has never been charged nor convicted, you do not have to sit in the chair but, it would help your case if you did."
"How so? How does sitting in that chair help my case? Only criminals sit in that bloody thing." Sirius protested.
"Listen to me." Ted said, grabbing the man's shoulder. "You are Sirius Black. You are a man accused of not only betraying your best friend, his wife and your bloody godson, you are also accused of having killed twelve muggles and one wizard in broad daylight, adding the serious issue of having broken the Statute of Secrecy, all the while being thought of as a Death Eater! You need to understand that the public perception has a depth and weight of its own."
"Black, shut up and do what the man is telling you. He is smarter than you and I combined." William Morris said abruptly.
"Hey! I do not pay you for your opinion, William!" Sirius protested.
"No, you pay me to protect your skinny ass from ever returning to that shithole you Brits called a prison. Thats how you do it, by listening to your fucking lawyer." Morris said, his voice firm and thus shutting down Sirius.
"Thank you, Mister Morris, but yes. You need to sit in the chair because you are innocent of the crimes they accused you of. The chains will not attach themselves to you and that, is how you will create the doubt in people's minds." Ted finished. "That is when the real trial will start."
"I understand. Go do your magic, Ted."
The lawyer nodded to his client and left him in the good hands of the Ashen Hippogriffs who created a zone around him. Valerya was just beside him while the two Russians, Dimitriov and Samuels were effectively controlling the crowd with mean looks on their faces. William was holding his cigarette in one hand and his staff in the other.
After a couple of minutes of waiting, they watched as Ted was calling out to the assembly the new issue at hand. He was speaking with passion to the Wizengamot.
"...and the most outrageous display of injustice our world has seen since its creation." Tonks said, finishing his speech. "This is why, I, Theodore Tonks, demand the Wizengamot to finally give Sirius Black his trial as per the evidence W-001 of the namesake."
"This is outrageous! It is impossible for the Ministry to have caused such an offending mistake!" a girlish voice said. "To say that this honorable assembly has made a mistake... you should be ashamed!"
"I am not saying the Ministry made a mistake, Madam Umbridge. I am saying the whole British Wizarding society made a mistake. We all did, when a Lord of a Great House was arrested and then immediately put in a cell without explanation! Our minds simply accepted the "fact" that Mister Black had apparently betrayed the Potters."
"But he bloody did!" another female voice said in the stand.
"Let Sirius Black himself tell us the events of said night and then we will move on to the proof. The defense calls Lord Sirius Black, Lord of the House of Black."
Sirius approached the dais in the middle of the chamber, where the stands were full of people wearing the Wizengamot's red robes. Sirius himself was dressed in wizarding robes, fitting his station as a Lord. Just before coming to the Ministry, Ted had sent him some appropriate clothing, which he was thankful for. The secret Animagus put a hand on the chair in the middle of the chamber and turned around it, making sure to give a good show.
"Many of you are older than me. Many of you have sat in those seats for longer than I have been alive. I can see the looks you are all sending me, right now. You all think of me as a criminal, a monster. Today, I shall prove you all wrong." Sirius announced, before taking a seat on the accused chair.
The chains went up lazily but stopped before arriving to the man's wrists and went back to the ground with a loud clank, making the crowd gasp in astonishment. Furious whispers exploded in the chamber where Albus Dumbledore had to slammed his gavel multiple times to calm things down.
"Order! We need order!" Albus said, trying to maintain a certain decorum.
"As you can see, members of the Wizengamot, the chair knows I am innocent of any crime I am accused of." Sirus said, smugly to the audience.
"Mister Black, please refrain to speaking directly to the audience in that manner." Tonks said, warning him. They were at an advantage and now wasn't the time to lose it. "Members of the Wizengamot, before we see the evidence W-001, the wand, maybe we should hear what the person of interest has to say. After all, he waited eleven long years in an Azkaban's cell to explain what happened. What say you?"
"Let's put it to a vote." Dumbledore said with a hit of his gavel that resonated through the chamber. "The nays first."
As Sirius watched, it seemed that his previous thought were true and that the Wizarding public loved drama. This was proved by very few wands being raised.
"The ayes?" the old Chief Warlock asked, quite uselessly.
In a unified move, the rest of the Wizengamot lifted their wands high in the air, making the lawyer slightly chuckle.
"Very well. Mister Black..." Dumbledore started before getting interrupted by Theodore Tonks.
"Lord Black, Chief Warlock."
Albus coughed slightly. "Lord Black. You have the room. Please start at the beginning, where you were supposedly not chosen as the Potter's Secret Keeper."
"Thank you, Chief Warlock Dumbledore. Very well. It was October 28th, and you, Albus Dumbledore, were scheduled to arrive the next day to cast the Fidelius Charm." Sirius started, making the old man nod to confirm the information. "We sat, James, Lily, Harry and I in the living room where we had a serious talk."
:-[T.A.B]-:
:-[October 28th, Thursday, 1981]-:
"No! I don't care what you say James. This is not a good idea. I have a bad feeling about this." Lily said, holding her baby tightly in her arms. "I don't trust him."
"I know you don't, Lils, but I do. Peter is a Marauder and we've been through too much to doubt ourselves. Look at Remus! The Order doesn't trust him simply because he has a furry little problem."
"And I already agreed with you that is the dumbest reason to not trust someone, but we are not talking about Remus, James. We are talking about keeping Harry safe and choosing Peter to be our Secret Keeper..."
"Peter is a friend." James said, firmly. "I trust him just like I trust Alice, your own best friend. This is the best way to outwit You-Know-Who."
"Don't compare Alice to Peter. The only reason I am not asking for her or Frank to be our Secret Keeper is because of young Neville."
"That's enough, Lils. We are going with Peter as our Secret Keeper and that is that."
Lily would have strongly objected to this if it wasn't for Harry who started crying.
"I hope the both of you know what you are doing." Lily sighted. "I'll go upstairs to change Harry's nappy, do you want to come, Sirius?"
"Give me a second, love." Sirius said, happy at the thought of having time with his godson. "I'll be right back."
James and Sirius waited as Lily left the room.
"That's the right thing to do, James. I am too obvious. Even Remus would be too. It's the best play that we have. You-Know-Who would never see it coming." Sirius said, before rising to his feet and following Lily and Harry.
"Yes... I hope so." James said."
:-[T.A.B]-:
"I was able to convince Lily Potter to actually accept Peter Pettigrew as a Secret Keeper." the crestfallen man said, unable to look the people in the eyes. "It took time as she never really trusted the man. She was right."
"How so, Mis...Lord Black?" Dumbledore asked.
"Peter was a traitor, but we didn't know at the time. The day after we did the Secret Keeper ceremony and not one day later, the Potters were dead and Harry an orphan. Instead of staying with him, I decided on vengeance and went after the little shit." the Lord of the House of Black said. "Rubeus Hagrid can confirm my presence at Godric's Hollow after the massacre."
"I can attest that indeed Mister Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, has indeed spoken to me about this." Dumbledore said to the mesmerize crowd.
"So, without any type of back up, I decided to find the traitor Peter by myself, but the little shit beat me to it. When I was in a Muggle street, looking for him, he surprised me."
"How so, Lord Black?" Albus asked the man.
"He arrived from behind and shouted at the top of his lungs about me betraying James and Lily that night. Peter was never good at Silent spellcasting, so it was easy for me to hear his spell."
"What did he cast on you?" the old Chief Warlock asked.
"Bombarba Maxima, a modified Blasting Curse. The strongest one I have seen him use in all our years of friendship. Sadly for him, the curse missed me because a Muggle jogged between us and took the curse dead on. This caused a giant crater in the middle of the street. I managed to cast a verbal Shield Charm to protect myself from the debris by pure reflex. After most of the smoke and dust was gone, I saw that Peter had disappeared and I lost it." Sirius said, blushing at the end.
"What do you mean, Lord Black?"
"What I mean is this. I had just lost my best friend whom I still consider to be my brother and his wife. I had left my godson, and I could not even trust my friends nor anyone for that matter. I had lost everything... so I laughed at it. It was a cruel joke that the traitor had won it all in the end. It was then when Cornelius Fudge arrested me."
"You speak of Cornelius Fudge, now Minister of Magic?" Dumbledore asked, wanting the stands to be sure.
"Absolutely, he was then an employee of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes if memory serve me correctly. Anyway, that's my story." Sirius finished, setting his hands upon his knees, calmly.
"The court calls Cornelius Fudge to stand." Dumbledore called out.
Among the sea of red robes, one man stood up. Sirius instantly recognizing him. He was the man who had arrested him after all. The secret animagus wasn't sure what to feel about him yet.
"I am Cornelius Oswald Fudge." said the Minister proudly with a hint of pompousness.
"Explain the day you arrested Sirius Black, please."
"The department had just received a massive alert that the Statute of Secrecy had been breached in broad daylight. Luckily, I was the employee in charge at the time, so I sent multiple alerts to Oblivators and Aurors due to the nature of the spell." Fudge started, puffing up his chest in importance. "I was the first to arrive at the scene. When I arrived, the first thing I saw was a massive crater in the middle of the street, with Sirius Black on one side who was, like he said so himself, laughing. He kept saying it was all his fault."
"Lord Black?"
"It is my fault. If I hadn't persuaded my best friend to have chosen Pettigrew instead of me, the Potters would still be alive, and Harry would have his parents. I would have died a thousand deaths before I would have given up my friends."
"Minister?"
"When I saw the scene, I drew my wand on Black, making sure the man couldn't flee anywhere. I then gave him back to Barthemius Crouch, who was then the Head of the DMLE."
The crowds in the stands whispered furiously at this piece of information.
"Thank you, Minister Fudge. The court now calls for the evidence W-001 to be presented before us."
Coming from a secondary door on the side, an Auror came in with a small, long box in his hands. The man was escorted by two other Aurors who had their wands at the ready. The first Auror arrived on the dais, where Sirius and Theodore were and gave the box to the latter.
"Inside this box," Ted started, before opening said box, "is Sirius Black's wand, intact and unbroken."
"Impossible!" someone in the stand exclaimed.
"By Merlin, it's true!" another said.
With an almost flourished move, Ted took out the wand from the box to reveal it to the crowd of the Wizengamot.
"As many of you know, as soon as a wizard, or a witch is incarcerated in Azkaban, his or her wand is promptly broken in front of them before they are sent to prison. If that is the case, how is it possible? To verify that this is indeed Sirius Black's wand, I'll would like to call Garrick Ollivander, wand maker."
An old man, one than everyone knew since he was the one who sold all the wands in Wizarding Britain, approached slowly by the same door the Aurors took to bring the wand in. He took the wand offered by the lawyer and started to examine it.
"Ah, yes. Dogwood, fourteen inches, unflinching and with a dragon's heartstring for its core. I confirm that this is indeed Sirius Black's wand." Ollivander said, to the shock of most of the crowd.
"Can you confirm with us the last spells used by the wand?" Dumbledore asked, after having smashed his gavel multiple times to regain calm.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Harry was sitting in a private stand under a Disillusionment Charm, in company of Hedwig and Neville, who had insisted to come with him still. The two boys were under the watchful eyes of Augusta Longbottom and Filius Flitwick. The raven-haired boy had insisted to appear invisible, not wanting to attract attention.
"How do you feel, Harry?" Neville asked quietly, his voice too low to be heard by anyone in the stands bellow them.
"I am fine Neville. I'll be honest, I don't think Black betrayed my parents. Something is telling me that he is innocent. The proof of the wand is enough for me to doubt his guilt. Now, he and I need to talk about why he left his godson in the hands of Hagrid who, Merlin bless him, had no reasons to keep me but Dumbledore's word." Harry answered, equally softly.
"Do you think he is going to be declared innocent?" the shy boy asked his friend.
"Yes, without a doubt. All they have against him are hearsay and circumstantial evidence. Nothing truly hard enough to pin him and I believe in his story."
"Are you going to allow him to live with you?"
"After he does a little job for me." Harry smirked at his friend.
:-[T.A.B]-:
"So, we have established that this wand, owned by none other than Sirius Black, is not the one that casted the Bombardment Curse." Tonks said loudly and showing the wand to all. "Knowing this, how can we believe him guilty? The defense calls now for Bartemius Crouch Senior, then the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and now Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation."
"I have nothing to say to a bloody criminal!" Crouch shouted suddenly. "I did what I did. Black is guilty of all his crimes, I am sure of it. He is worse than his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, why would he deserve the decency of a trial?"
The crowd exploded at that, especially in the Lord's section of the chamber. No one wanted to have their freedom taken on a whim by a Ministry official. Crouch, however, wasn't done.
"I should have just given him the Kiss! Black doesn't deserve the air he is breathing. He killed thirteen people and because of him, we lost the Potters!"
It took everything for Sirius to not say anything. Only a sharp look from Tonks told him to shut up. He needed to think about Harry and his future relationship with him.
"Are you admitting having tossed Lord Black into a cell in Azkaban without a trial, Lord Crouch?" Theodore Tonks asked. Now was the turning point of the trial.
"Death Eaters deserve no mercy. They are monsters! Look at what they've done to so many Houses." Bartemius Crouth continued in his speech against the Death Eaters.
"This is not a trial to determine if Sirius Black is a Death Eater, Lord Crouch, but to determine how it was possible for a citizen of Wizarding Britain to find himself in a cell and you, have just given us our answer. Azkaban wasn't yours to command and at your beck and call to imprison people, be they guilty or innocent." Tonks said, looking at the crowd of Wizengamot officials.
"I did what was right! I was..." Crouch started before getting interrupted by Albus Dumbledore.
"I think we have heard enough." the old man started. "I also think this is the time to vote. All those who agree to release Sirius Black from all charges, raise your wand."
Sirius looked on with heavy emotions as the vast majority of wands were lifted in the air with a glowing light, illuminating the room. He crossed the gaze of Ted Tonks who adorned a huge smile on his face.
"With overwhelming majority, I hereby declare Sirius Black innocent of all charges against him. Now if there is nothing else..."
"I have something to say." a calm, yet powerful voice said aloud.
All eyes went to a private booth and gasped when they saw who spoke. Sirius himself was starting to get nervous. Harry Potter was descending the stairs, leading to the bottom of the chamber, where Sirius and Ted were. Wearing his black and gold jacket, the young wizard had his hands clasped behind his back.
"Mister Potter, it is most unusual that a member of the public speaks during an official assembly of the Wizengamot." Albus said.
"Most unusual means that there is precedent, Chief Warlock." Harry said. "The House of Potter wishes to speak in front on this assembly while everyone is here. Seeing how the House of Potter has a seat in this assembly, I cannot be denied my right."
"Mister Potter, I don't think..." Dumbledore said before sighing deeply, as if he already knew what was about to come. "Very well, please go ahead."
"Thank you, Chief Warlock." the young wizard nodded. "Members of the Wizengamot. As all of you must know by now, my name is Harry James Potter, last Son of the House of Potter. Eleven years ago, my parents were brutally murdered in their home in Godric's Hollow, leaving me an orphan."
You could hear a pin drop in the stands, as no one wanted to speak against the Boy-Who-Lived.
"My parents, Lily and James Potter were killed in cold blood by Voldemort." Harry continued, making multiple people gasp in fright, but otherwise ignored it. "I do not know how, but I survived the ordeal. Some say I reflected the Death Curse by some miracle. I honestly do not know how or why I survived, but I did."
"Any point to your speech, Mister Potter?" Albus asked.
"Indeed, Chief Warlock." Harry said, slightly smirking. The young boy looked at Ted Tonks who mysteriously nodded in affirmative. Sirius had wisely decided to say nothing and simply observe. "For too long, the House of Potter have been without a Lord. The Potters are one of the oldest family in Wizarding Britain, surpassing the Roman Empire itself. We came before them. As I was Declared of Age during the summer by the Wizengamot's official, Augustus Kettletop," the young man said, nodding in direction of the old man who blushed under the attention of the Boy-Who-Lived. "it is time for me to take my rightful place amongst my peers as Lord Harry Potter."
The crowd of Lords and Ladies exploded in multiple types of reactions. The vast majority were yelling their approval, but Harry didn't really care about them. He was looking at those who were against it. He immediately recognized Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father among them. The others, he didn't know, but he suspected that they must be allied or at the very least friends with the man, since they were all sitting in a pretty close group.
"Mister Potter, I understand your excitement for politics, but you need to at least finish your studies before coming into this honorable assembly." Minister Fudge said, chuckling at the thought.
"I quite hope so, minister Fudge." Harry said, turning to face him. "No, I was only speaking of the title of Lord of the House of Potter. As the last son of my House, there is no one than me to lead my family. What say you? I see some of you seem to be reluctant."
"You are a child!" Malfoy laughed out loud, making his neighbours snicker at him. "This is too much power to be given to a mediocre child, who was dead last in his year."
"My studies have nothing to do with this, Lord Malfoy, but since you are speaking of it, I shall too." the young man said, not shaken in the slightest by the man's attitude. "It is true that last year, my studies were sub-par, to say the least. I didn't take the time to properly study the classes but everything has changed since. I understand this world better and it shows. I have nothing but Outstandings since the start of this year. I am also the champion of Ravenclaw, and I will fight in the tournament against your son, Lord Malfoy."
"I can attest to Mister Potter's grades." Dumbledore said quickly, wanting to have favors from the boy. "I have nothing but good words coming from all the professors about him this year, he is a model student."
"If the boy wants to bring ruin to his House, let him do so." Malfoy continued, still chuckling. "Let it be known that the House of Malfoy tried to help him by stopping him, but the boy didn't listen to his betters." he finished with a sneer.
"All those in favor of allowing Harry James Potter to obtain his Lordship at twelve years of age, please raise your wand." Albus said, before watching the room yet again being illuminated by the tip of each wand. "Passed. Harry Potter shall now be known as Lord Harry Potter, Lord of the House of Potter."
"Thank you, Chief Warlock and my appreciation goes out as well to the members of this assembly. I am relieved to see that this assembly still follows truth and justice, which brings me to my next topic. Peter Pettigrew must have charges filed against him for the murder of twelve muggles, the attempted murder of Lord Sirius Black and also for terroristic actions resulting in the death of my parents. What say you, members of this august body?"
"It shall be done, Lord Potter." Amelia Bones said. "The DMLE shall make this our top priority. His Order of Merlin, First Class should also be revoked as soon as possible."
Harry waved Ted back over to him where they had several quiet words between them. Finally, the lawyer looked at his client in the eyes and nodded.
"The House of Potter would also request that this assembly revoke the office of Chief Warlock for Albus Dumbledore. In the next couple of weeks, my lawyer here, shall be looking into why the House of Dumbledore was allowed the opportunity and power to decide another House's fate. It is clear that Mister Dumbledore, knew several things that would not have allowed history to play out the way it has if he were to bring said information to relevant authorities."
:-[T.A.B]-:
"Bloody hell, Harry!" Sirius said to his godson, catching him before he was leaving. "I never thought I would see that! A Lord, at twelve! Look at you."
"Thank you, Lord Black." Harry said. "My congratulations on finally being freed."
"It would not have happened without you and Ted's help." Sirius said, before hesitating.
"What can I do for you, Lord Black?" the young Lord said. "Professor Flitwick is a busy man and Neville and I need to get back to class."
"Yes, of course, of course." the older man said quickly. "Could I speak with you in private, please?"
Harry could easily see the desperation in the man eyes. It was not faked.
"Take five to ten minutes, Mister Potter." the diminutive being said. "Family is quite important." he finished, before taking Neville to the Floo entrance to bring him back to Hogwarts first.
"What can I do for you, Lord Black?" Harry asked again, clasping his hands behind his back.
"First of all, can you call me Sirius? Lord Black makes me feel old." Sirius said desperately. "What can I do to make you trust me? Is the result of the trial not enough for you?"
"You may be innocent of having betrayed my parents, but you are guilty of having abandoned me to Dumbledore. I can see a way however that you and I can... patch things up, as the muggle saying goes."
"How." the older man said. This wasn't even a question. He needed to know.
"Find Peter Pettigrew and bring him to me."
:-[T.A.B]-:
Thank you everyone for reading Chapter 52 of The adventure begins! Please let a review in the comment, letting me know what you think about my story or what you would like to see.
Criticism is always welcome as long as it is constructive.
Thank you to abarai72 for his amazing help in developing this story!
To modelbuilder1fan1: Thanks again bud!
To BioHazard82: Thank you again for your support!
To Blaze1992: Yes, Fudge and his melon hat using their 2 braincells together haha
To Ptool: Stay tuned for more Skeeter article!
To rajeshkont: Amelia knows the truth about his innocence, therefore she treats him well.
To ExplodingBlitz: Thank you for your support. And yes, Morris has a keen eye!
To thedude19859: Thank you for your comment my dude!
To Pillpushr: Marcy is very important to Harry. Do not worry my friend!