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'Dear Padfoot,
Please tell me you’re okay.
I assume you are because Hermione showed me the Prophet this morning and they aren’t parading around another mugshot of you.
Is Moony with you? He disappeared pretty quickly after the task.
Please tell me everything you can about what’s going on. Everyone’s asking questions and I don’t know what to say.
Love,
Harry'
Harry had thought that once the second task was over he’d have a bit of breathing space to think about nothing for a while. But instead of a break from his constant anxiety it only managed to get worse. He still couldn’t understand what had happened, and Ron and Hermione didn’t know anything more either.
Harry had been thinking back on the task over and over again and he still thought he was missing something. Surely some obvious clue was right in front of him, waiting for him to discover it so he could know what was going on. But nothing came to him and Harry knew it was his fault.
A rolled up newspaper smacked him round the head as he bent low over his breakfast, not wanting to catch anyone’s eye. Smack. Harry grunted and turned away. Smack.
“What!” Harry shoved his plate back angrily and swiped at the newspaper in Ron’s hand.
“You need to snap out of it mate.” Ron said, arm poised to smack him again, “it’s not your fault. Have some breakfast and let’s go fly for a bit, yeah?”
The thought of flying did make Harry feel better until he realised one important thing.
“Padfoot took my broom.”
“Borrow Fred’s.” A piece of sausage flew out of nowhere and hit Ron in the ear, aim perfect. Harry sniggered, “or George’s then.”
“Harry,” Hermione, who had ignored them for most of breakfast in favour of scouring every inch of the Prophet for news of Sirius, spoke for the first time. “Hedwig’s coming.”
Harry’s head snapped up and he let out a breath as Hedwig landed neatly on his shoulder, offering her leg that was tied with the letter that Harry hoped would give him answers.
“Don’t open it here,” Hermione hissed. “Let’s go for a walk.”
The three of them stood up and left the table, and Harry barely noticed the stares that followed him across the Great Hall and out through the heavy front doors. The sharp February wind they were greeted with was so much better than the heavy atmosphere inside.
Harry petted Hedwig’s feathers and pecked her on the head before she flew off in the direction of the owlery.
“Open it, open it!” Hermione was staring intently at the letter, as desperate for answers as Harry himself.
“Give him a minute ‘Mione!” Harry didn’t notice the glare Hermione sent Ron for that comment, his attention was purely on the writing in front of him.
' Dear Harry,
I’m okay. I’m at home with Moony and even though he’s threatened me with death for doing anything like that again I am miraculously unharmed.
I don’t know how much people want me to tell you, but I’m going to tell you everything anyway. Bugger everyone else - we promised no secrets and I’m sticking to it.
So here’s the thing (and you might want to sit down for this bit Prongslet (or did we decide on Prongs Jr, I can’t remember)) - we have a plan. Dumbledore set the whole thing up with the second task to reignite the uproar over my escape and to show people that they might not have the whole story. Me turning up as your ‘most missed person’ is going to generate a lot of gossip, which I’m sure you’ve already been on the receiving end of. Dumbledore wants to use this outrage to get me a public trial. Prove once and for all that I’m innocent so that I can be free.
The best part is that once we do that you can live with me and Moony forever. We’d become your guardians and you’d never ever have to go and see those bloody Dursleys again.
So, what do you say? I hope you aren’t as mad as Moony was. He’s only just started talking to me again.
That isn’t true.
Sure it is.
Harry - he came home and hugged me for thirty minutes and hasn’t let me out of his sight since. Help.
Don’t listen to a word he says Harry.
We’re fine here, I hope you’re okay too. I’m sorry if any of this is making things awful for you. I know Ron and Hermione will have your backs at least, and I hope that by the end of this everything will have been worth it.
We love you and we’re so proud of you.
All our love,
Padfoot and Moony'
Harry laughed as he came to the end of the letter and he turned to see matching expressions of relief on his best friends' faces, although Hermione already had her brows furrowed like she was thinking over everything the letter had said. Harry didn’t think past the ‘I’m okay’ and the ‘you can live with me and Moony forever’ - those were the only bits that mattered to him. He ran up to the Owlery and scribbled a reply immediately.
--
Harry kept Sirius’ letter folded up in his pocket for the next few days, his hand automatically reaching out for it anytime he heard Sirius’ name. Considering the number of people who were pushing for information on him it was a miracle the letter hadn’t been crumpled to nothing.
For a few days things were normal for Harry. He was used to the staring and the gossip, and he’d almost forgotten how it felt not to be shoved at when he shared a class with the Slytherins (and a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws too), but he still felt a vague sense of panic follow him around day after day. It was the worst at breakfast when the owls would come. No other letter had arrived since that first one the day after the task.
Ron wasn’t suffering the same fate. Mrs Weasley was sending each of her children a lengthy letter every morning and Fred and George had even started holding dramatic readings of them.
“Oh this is just pure gold,” George sat himself down next to Harry and threw an arm around his shoulder. “Listen to this -” he cleared his throat and affected his best girlish voice - “whoever blocked my curse from hitting that deranged, betraying, deceitful, mendacious -”
“Ooh I think she cracked the thesaurus out for that one,” Fred cut in with a laugh. He elbowed Harry in the side, “what do you reckon Harry?”
“That curse that nearly hit Sirius...that, that was your mum? ”
“Oh, yeah.” Fred and George nodded, “she’s a more powerful witch than anyone gives her credit for.”
“Has to be, to put up with you lot,” Harry grinned back, but his heart wasn’t in it. He loved Mrs Weasley and he wanted her to know that Sirius was innocent, but he didn’t know how to make her understand.
He was still thinking about it in the first class of the day, Divination, and he didn’t even register Trelawney predicting his death four times in a row.
He only looked up when, during the fifth deadly prediction, she said, “the Grim made human, he haunts you my dear boy. I see him, dragging you into terrible places with dark creatures, plotting to ensnare you forever.”
As the class ‘ooh-ed’ appreciatively, Harry caught Ron’s eye and snickered.
“Dark creatures,” he whispered.
Ron snorted, “dark creatures in knitted jumpers and Grims who just want to play fetch all day.”
Harry did actually laugh out loud at that and it was the lightest he’d felt in days.
--
'Dear Padfoot and Moony,
Things have been okay here. People talk about me all the time but it’s kind of nice that they don’t stop the minute I walk in a room now. They just continue on like I’m so crazy I won’t even notice.
Have you got any more news about when the trial will be? I tried to ask Dumbledore but he won’t even look at me anymore. Professor McGonagall spoke to me the other day after Transfiguration though. She said she believed us totally and that she ‘was as barmy as a beetle’s backside’ for doubting Sirius in the first place. I didn’t know what to say at the time but it’s really nice that she’s on our side, you know? Everyone thinks Professor McGonagall is really scary but sometimes she does things like this and I think she’s actually the only one who cares.
Love,
Prongs Jr
Ps: Trelawney predicted that ‘the Grim made human’ would ‘steal me away forever’ with ‘dark creatures’, so maybe she’s not so batty after all.'
--
'Dear Prongs Jr (!!!),
The trial date has been set - it’s going to be on the Friday after next. The news will hit the Prophet tomorrow but we wanted to be the ones to tell you first. You’ll be called in to give a statement and you’ll probably be asked to provide some memories as well, but don’t worry they won’t question you and they won’t make you show any memories you don’t want to show them - the Wizengamot have a reputation for being harsh but they don’t question kids on the stand.
I’ll be coming up to the school to tell you more about the trial this weekend Harry. After your last letter I wrote to Minerva and she’s being so kind in letting me up to see you. She’s worried about you, she really does care. She was one of the only teachers I felt comfortable around when I was at school too. Anyway, I’ll see you on Sunday (I’ll leave you to enjoy Hogsmeade on Saturday, so long as you bring me back something from Honeydukes!) Will you ask Ron and Hermione if they’d be willing to meet me as well? They were there that night in the Shack and statements from them would be helpful. They don’t have to if they don’t want to though, there’s no pressure.
I’m off to the Burrow now to speak to Molly...wish me luck!
I wish I could come see you on Sunday with Moony, but it won’t be long now. We’ve been clearing out the house to get it ready for when you come home. We’ve sorted out the drawing room and living room now, plus two guest bedrooms that we thought Ron and Hermione could use if they ever want to sleep over.
Hope you’re doing okay kid. We miss you and can’t wait for this circus to be over with. Sorry for causing you more stress.
Love,
Padfoot and Moony
Ps: the Grim? Please, I’m much too cute.
--
The news of the trial date being secured felt like a hollow victory. On one hand Harry knew the trial was necessary but on the other it was creeping up on him like a dementor - slowly consuming every positive thought he had. He couldn’t get the thought out of his head of Sirius being found guilty. Or them not even giving him a trial and just letting the dementors get him as soon as he sets foot in the Ministry.
It was all he could think about and it took over his every thought as Sunday edged ever so slowly nearer.
“Want any Harry?” Ron held out the self tying strawberry laces he’d just bought from Honeydukes.
Harry smiled but shook his head. In truth he hadn’t had an appetite for the last few days. He looked over at the wriggling sweets and huffed a laugh - they looked exactly how his insides felt. All twisted up and ready to be torn apart.
Hermione linked his arm with hers and squeezed his elbow, pulling him over to the little bench which was up the path that led to the Shrieking Shack. As they sat down Hermione rested her head on his shoulder and Harry didn’t know why but the gesture had him blinking back tears. Hermione and Ron had agreed without question to make statements to support Sirius and they’d been by his side for the last few weeks, putting up with him not being totally present. Harry’s mind drifted back to days spent in his childhood playground wanting a friend more than anything and ending up with nothing. Now it was like everything he wished for was in his grasp but he couldn’t even enjoy it.
A few minutes passed in silence before Harry whispered, “thanks guys.”
--
Harry, Ron, and Hermione woke up bright and early on Sunday morning. They hadn’t been told when Remus would be coming to see them, and not wanting to miss a minute of his being there they’d unanimously decided that waking up as early as possible was the best course of action.
They were early to breakfast in the Great Hall, although they were far from the only students up. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were huddled together at one end of the Gryffindor table with their heads bent together and a large pile of what looked like cake grenades in between them. Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes but Harry shared a grin with Ron as they both tried to get a closer look. They had an ongoing bet about the nature of the twins’ next prank and Harry really didn’t want to have to dye his hair red for a day if he lost.
They tucked into breakfast and Harry managed to eat more than he had in days. Whatever this meeting held he’d see Remus again and he’d have more answers. The anxiety lessened and he was laughing at something Ron had said when a folded piece of paper floated towards them and landed delicately on Harry’s plate.
'Mr Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr Weasly,
Mr Lupin will be joining me in my office at 11am sharp. Please make your way to my office for that time. I will have tea and cakes ready for you.
Professor McGonagall
Head of Gryffindor House'
“Honestly,” Ron grabbed the note, “she didn’t need to sign it off ‘Head of House’ like we don’t know who she is!”
“Send one back saying: Thank you Professor. Yours sincerely, Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived,” Hermione said, setting them all off into wheezing laughter.
--
Harry stood outside Professor McGonagall’s door and barely restrained himself from barging right in. He could hear her talking inside and he heard a soft voice reply, a voice that Harry knew was Remus’. Harry raised his hand to knock and tapped the door once, twice, before pushing it open without waiting for a reply.
The adults in the room turned as one to look at him but Harry barely registered that before he was tipping forward and clinging to Remus. Harry hadn’t realised before just how tall Remus really was, but as he felt arms fold around his shoulders and a cheek press into his hair, Harry realised he barely reached his old professor’s shoulders. They held onto each other and Harry knew he should have been embarrassed at the display of affection, but he hadn’t realised how much he’d missed Remus until that very moment, until he was hugging him like he was his godfather as well. And, Harry thought as he pulled back, if everything went well with the trial that’s exactly what he’d be.
“Alright Harry?” Remus kept a hand on his shoulder as Harry took one of the chairs opposite McGonagall’s desk.
“Yeah,” Harry’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat, his cheeks burning, “how’s Sirius doing?”
“He’s hyperactive - one hour he’s decided he’s renovating a room, next he’s in the library reading up on old court cases, then he’s up in the attic playing fetch with Buckbeak. I caught him as Padfoot chasing Buckbeak round the top two floors of the house yesterday.”
McGonagall laughed and Harry started. He’d forgotten she was there, but when he looked over his teacher looked red around the eyes and wistful like he’d never seen her before.
“Still causing trouble then?”
“Never a dull moment that’s for sure,” Remus grinned before turning to Ron and Hermione who were awkwardly waiting by the closed office door. “Ron, Hermione, lovely to see you both. Sorry it’s under such dire circumstances.”
They smiled their hello’s.
“I’m sure Harry told you about the favour myself and Sirius want to ask of you.” They both nodded and moved to sit down too. “It’s a lot to ask from you so please take the time to think over what it would mean to make a statement in support of us before you say yes.”
“Come off it,” Ron scoffed. “‘Course we’re gonna help, right ‘Mione?”
“Yes of course.” Hermione looked vaguely offended that anyone could think differently and Harry loved his friends dearly in that moment. “In fact, I’ve been reading up on Wizarding Law and quite frankly it’s horrific that Sirius didn’t have a trial sooner.”
“Believe me, it wasn’t for lack of me trying. I’ve been asking for a trial since he was taken.”
“Why didn’t he get one?”
“No one would listen to me.” Remus shrugged and Harry felt a little sick that no one had helped. He glanced at McGonagall and saw that she was shaking her head, her hand pressed to her mouth. “They won’t want to listen to me this time round either. That’s why it’s important we have as many statements as possible.”
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, her eyebrows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t they listen to you?”
“Werewolves can’t testify in a Wizengamot trial.” Remus’ tone was matter of fact, but he looked anywhere but at the teenagers in front of him. “Even with veritaserum they wouldn’t trust my version of events.”
“Well we’ll make them listen this time round.” Ron had the determined look in his eye that Harry saw whenever a chessboard came out. He was suddenly thrown back to a memory of first year, when Ron had stood by his side and tried to sacrifice himself playing alarmingly real Wizard’s Chess. He felt the same determination well up inside himself.
“Remus,” Harry said, “he’ll be okay, won’t he?”
--
'Dear Padfoot,
Moony just left Hogwarts.
He told us that you’ll be taken to the Ministry on Thursday and held there before the trial. I didn’t know that. Why do they have to do that to you? You don’t think there’ll be dementors there do you? If so, I think you should become Padfoot and run away from them again. Mr Weasley works in the Ministry, maybe he’d let you hide out in his office for the night.
Ron and Hermione are going to give statements and memories to help you too. I think Hermione’s in the library right now planning a defense. You should have seen their faces when Moony said they didn’t have to help - they were more insulted than when Snape takes points from us for helping each other.
See you soon,
Prongs Jr'
--
'Dear Prongs Jr,
Moony told me all about it. You have some amazing friends there, don’t ever let them go. When this is all said and done I’m going to raid the Black family vaults and spend so much money on you troublemakers. New brooms, more sweets than you could want, maybe even a nice new set of dress robes for Ron.
Yes, they’re taking me in the day before the trial but it’s all going to be okay Harry. I’ll be with the Aurors and I know some of them from the Order. They’ll just be getting my memories ready and prepping me on the trial proceedings. Nothing to worry about.
Not long to go now.
Love,
Padfoot'
--
Harry met with Professor McGonagall a few more times that week and there was always a tea set and biscuits laid out for him on the desk. They didn’t talk about much, mainly McGonagall asked him how he was, pushed the tea set towards him and a stack of essays towards herself, and settled down for a quiet evening. Harry loved it.
He didn’t feel like an intruder and he didn’t feel forced to talk about things. It was nice to be out of sight of other students for a change, and even though he felt bad thinking it, it was nice to leave Ron and Hermione alone for a few hours. They were always doing something - bickering, planning out elaborate defenses for Sirius that Harry knew they wouldn’t be able to use, or fretting over Harry.
The day before the trial Harry was in Professor McGonagall’s office again, but this time Ron and Hermione were with him.
“I wanted to speak with you three before tomorrow.” She peered at them over her glasses, “your guardians will be here to pick you up in the morning at 9am. Miss Granger, I will be meeting your parents at your home and bringing them here myself. Mr Weasley, your parents will be meeting us here along with Mr Lupin. I’ll be attending the trial as well, so we will all floo to the Ministry together.”
Here she paused.
“I want you all to know that you will not be alone tomorrow. It will be scary and it will be overwhelming, but we’ll get through it together.”
Harry swallowed against the lump in his throat. It suddenly all felt too real. He had letters in his pocket - one from Sirius and one from Remus, both saying the same thing ‘we’ll see you tomorrow, everything will be fine, we love you’ but no one was saying anything about what would happen if everything wasn’t okay.
--
Harry woke up in the morning with his heart pounding and his scar aching fiercely. He had barely slept a wink during the night, too busy thinking up worst case scenarios to succumb to sleep. Ron looked in a similar state, Harry thought, as they stood side by side brushing their teeth and trying to tame their hair. House elves had laid out freshly laundered robes on their beds, and Harry was surprised to see they weren’t school robes but sharper, more tailored robes of dark blue.
Ron held his up with a look of wonder on his face, “did you get us these?”
Harry shook his head, “wasn’t me.”
They must have been from Sirius, he was the only person Harry knew with enough money to spend on things like this, and it would be just like his godfather to give them something to make both of them feel more put together in the face of what they’d have to do today.
Just as they were about to leave the dormitory a voice from the other side of the room spoke up.
“Good luck Harry!” It was Neville, who’d woken early enough to say goodbye. “I hope everything goes okay.”
“Thanks Nev,” Harry said, touched at the show of support.
The common room wasn’t empty either.
Fred, George, Ginny, and Lee were lounged around on the rug by the fire playing exploding snap in what looked like a desperate bid to stay awake. They all jumped up as Harry and Ron came down the stairs and invited them to join their game as they waited for Hermione.
Nobody said anything in reference to the day’s upcoming events, they just played a few rounds of cards and tried to laugh as the deck blew up in their faces. Finally, Hermione came down to join them, and she too was wearing a new set of dark blue robes. Harry wondered if it was intentional that they all matched now.
Her presence seemed to bring them all back to the present and they stood up, staring at one another for a long moment before noise broke out.
“Good luck guys.”
“Go kick some Wizengamot butt.”
“Bring Lupin back here while you’re at it, I don’t fancy failing my Owls.”
“You gotta let us meet Sirius when he’s free, yeah Harry?”
Their hugs and well wishes buoyed Harry on the walk to McGonagall’s office and he felt like for the first time he could face this day head on and nothing would go wrong. That feeling vanished as soon as he stepped into the office and saw the group of adults waiting for them, faces pale and drawn, and none so much as Remus.
Remus moved forward as if on instinct as soon as Harry entered the room and he felt himself wrapped up in his godfather’s arms before he could even say hello. Harry turned his head into Remus’ shoulder to hide the redness he felt in his face.
“Ready Harry?” Remus let him go and chuckled slightly when he saw the new robes he was wearing. Harry looked at Remus properly for the first time and noticed the same style of elegant robes had replaced his usual patchworked jacket.
“As I’ll ever be,” Harry said and let Remus guide him to the fireplace and step in so they faced the office, standing side by side.
Harry allowed himself one last look at the office and of everyone who was there to help him, took a handful of floo powder and said clearly: “the Ministry of Magic.”
--
The green flames engulfed him at once and they spun together for what felt like a lifetime before the green gave way to the dark grey of the Ministry of Magic.
The floors gleamed like polished cauldrons and the high vaulted ceilings seemed to go on forever. The room they’d entered was huge and had fireplaces dotted around it every few metres, with witches and wizards appearing like clockwork every few seconds. None of them spared Harry a glance.
Remus moved him to the side to go and check in while they waited for the rest of their group to arrive, but Harry didn’t pay attention. The Ministry wasn’t what he expected. It was all so posh and austere and grey that it seemed unbelievable that this place was where all things magic were looked after. He’d just spotted a huge gold fountain when Remus’ hand clapped on his shoulder and began to guide him away again, this time to a lift on the far side of the hall.
Their whole group squeezed inside the lift and if it weren’t for how tightly they were packed in, Harry would have fallen over as it jolted downwards alarmingly.
“Courtroom one, is it Remus?” McGonagall asked.
“Yup, biggest one here.” Remus’ voice was clipped and worried. Harry noticed that his visitor's badge was stamped red with ‘ werewolf’ scrawled across it. He looked down at his own chest, where the words ‘ Harry Potter, witness’ were written in black ink. “No surprise there.”
‘Department of Mysteries’ the lift said as it came to a jerking halt. They all filed out into an empty corridor with nothing but an empty door at the end. Instead of walking through it though, Mr Weasley took the lead and ushered them down a staircase that was hidden in the left hand side of the wall.
The stairs led down and down and down. The few torches that lit the way were enough to illuminate rough stone which was damp in patches and crumbling in others.
Finally, they reached the bottom of the staircase which opened up into a lobby area. A young wizard was waiting for them at a desk and Harry realised with a start that it was Percy Weasley. The usually superior expression on his face was wiped clean off and he stood as he saw their group approach.
“I’m to show you to your seats,” he said, obviously trying to maintain his professionalism. He glanced around him and when he saw no one else was near he leant closer and whispered, “Mr Black is okay. They had him overnight with the Aurors but rumour has it that Auror Shacklebolt was the one overseeing him. The whole of the Wizengamot is already in there. Let’s go.”
Before Harry could even feel relief from the confirmation that Sirius was okay, the heavy iron door to the courtroom was opened and Percy politely ushered them in.
--
The courtroom was like nothing Harry had ever seen before and he tried not to gape as he took it all in. Rows of witches and wizards stretched back as far as he could see, the benches wrapping around the circular room in a way that made Harry feel completely exposed.
There was a singular chair on a dais in the centre of the room. It was obviously made with no sense of comfort in mind. The dark wood legs and seat were wrapped around with thick metal chains that, despite lying dormant, looked ready to spring into action at the slightest touch.
Harry had to look away from it as they were led to their seats. Hermione grabbed his hand from where she was standing next to him and he squeezed back, trying to communicate that he was okay. The seats they were led to were on the left side of the room and slightly apart from the rows behind them. Harry sat down, sandwiched between Remus and Hermione, and watched as the very top rows of the courtroom steadily filled with people. He squinted at them - they looked different to the official Wizengamot members who were all sat perfectly still in their plum coloured robes, and Harry realised that they were just members of the Wizarding community, come to see a spectacle. Harry hated them.
As the last seat in the room was taken a hush descended. It was so quiet Harry could hear his heart racing and the blood thrumming in his ears and imagined that everyone around them could hear it too.
A wizard in Wizengamot robes stood up from his position in the centre of the room and Harry realised with a lurch in his stomach that it was Dumbledore.
“Criminal court proceedings of the twelfth of March,” Dumbeldore said in a strong voice, “for crimes committed on the night of the thirty-first of October nineteen-eighty-one. Court may commence, please bring in the accused.”
Harry’s heart, which was already beating faster than it did even when he was seconds from catching the snitch, accelerated even more. His eyes were locked on the heavy door where he knew Sirius would be appearing at any second.
The door handle turned and opened slowly, revealing a man Harry knew to be Kingsley Shacklebolt, and two stomach turning seconds behind him came Sirius.
Harry wanted to leap to his feet and shout. He wanted to vault over the bench he was sitting on and run to his godfather. If nothing else, he wanted to grip Hermione’s hand and have Remus’ arm slung around his shoulder in support. But he could do nothing like that. He had to stay seated, stock still and quiet as Sirius was led to the chair on the dais in the middle of the room, and watch as the chains came to life and kept him there, the two of them chained to seats, awaiting their fate.
--
“State your name,” Dumbledore sat down in his high backed chair and addressed Sirius. His voice was strong and betrayed no emotion, but Harry knew his Headmaster and he thought the light in his eye could only be a good thing.
“Sirius Orion Black.”
“Sirius Black, do you consent to the administration of veritaserum during your questioning?”
“Yes.”
Harry knew this would happen, of course, but he still felt a trickle of unease run through him at the sight of a wizard approaching Sirius and dropping the clear liquid onto his tongue.
Sirius shivered as the potion took effect.
He couldn’t take his eyes off his godfather sitting there in front of so many people. A voice in Harry’s head just kept insisting ‘ he’s doing this for you’ and he knew it was right ‘ it’s your fault if something goes wrong’ it said, and Harry agreed. He felt sick to his stomach as the opening questions came to a close.
Hermione shuffled closer to him on the bench and Harry risked a glance away from Sirius to see how the others were doing. Remus was as white as Nearly Headless Nick and was perched on the very edge of his seat, his whole body tense. Ron and Hermione were perched close together and, Harry noticed, holding hands. Mr and Mrs Granger were looking around the courtroom in wonder, but as soon as the questioning began in earnest their eyes snapped back to Dumbledore.
“Mr Black, are you a death eater?”
“No.” Sirius managed to convey disgust in just that one simple word and Harry smiled despite it all.
“Did you ever knowingly pass information to Voldemort or the Death Eaters?” The crowd flinched at hearing the name.
The questions went on and it didn’t take long for Harry to zone out. He wasn’t listening to the monotonous ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers Sirius had to give to the inane questions. Harry heard the fifth iteration of ‘were you a Death Eater’ and felt his stomach flop over. He wasn’t bored, but he didn’t have the attention span to stay riveted in the proceedings like the adults around him did.
Distractedly, Harry smoothed his hands down his blue robes. The smooth mix of satin and velvet was hypnotic, and the colour was a nice contrast to his tanned palms. It calmed him and he spent a few minutes marveling at the quality of the material. It was as he was running his hand along his leg for the twentieth time that he felt the smallest of movements by his knee. His brow furrowed and he pressed a little harder. There was definitely something there. Harry glanced around, not wanting to draw any attention to himself, and felt for a pocket. He slipped his hand inside the pocket until he felt something small and metallic under his fingertips.
Something very, very familiar. The whisper of wings brushed his knuckles and Harry suppressed a grin. It was a snitch. He fished it out of his pocket and kept it clutched in his fist. The gold of the snitch looked beautiful against the dark blue robes. Hermione looked over and tutted. Harry shrugged as she raised her eyebrows towards Sirius, but they were just asking him, for the twelfth time now, if he’d killed muggles and hated muggleborns. Harry already knew the answer to that.
Hermione had drawn Ron’s attention to Harry and he was much more impressed with the snitch when he caught sight of it. He immediately started to pat down his own robes and let out a gasp when he felt something in his own pocket. Harry watched as he, not very subtly, pulled his hand out and unveiled a miniature Viktor Krum figurine - the very same one he’d got at the World Cup then lost in the woods. The figurine stalked around his palm before almost toppling off and onto the floor. Ron caught it with a sheepish grin and Hermione made a show of looking in her own pocket to hide her laughter. She opened her hand and a handful of badges gleamed on her palm. Harry leaned closer, the design looked familiar but he couldn’t quite place it, but then the badges shifted and letters formed spelling out ‘S.P.E.W.’ Alongside the badges was a book, the smallest Harry had ever seen - about the size of a keyring. It didn’t mean anything to him but Hermione had obviously recognised it. She breathed out shakily and stroked one finger reverently down the cover.
“Were you the secret keeper for James and Lily Potter?”
Harry’s head snapped up at the question - things were moving forward at last.
“No.” Sirius’ voice cracked and he looked down. The murmuring in the room became even louder until Dumbledore held up a hand to quiet them.
“Do you know who the Potter’s used as a secret keeper instead?”
“Yes.” Sirius paused. “Peter Pettigrew.”
Dumbledore peered at Sirius over his half moon spectacles. “Who else knew the identity of the secret keeper?”
“No one.”
“Who else knew where the Potters lived?”
“Just me and you,” Sirius whispered. “Remus was away on a mission when James and Lily moved into Godric’s Hollow and he wasn’t due to return until November, so... so he didn’t know.”
“Thank you Mr Black. Can you tell us where you were on the night of the thirty-first of October nineteen-eighty-one?”
“I was called away on a mission to guard the house of two muggleborn witches. We’d had information that they were going to be targeted by the Death Eaters.” Sirius’ voice was monotonous, “I was on guard from five in the afternoon to ten in the evening. I was going to go and check on Peter after my shift because I hadn’t heard from him in a while, so I apparated to his house.” Here Sirius looked up and Harry saw the wild, desperate look in his eyes at the same time he heard his voice, normally so deep and sure, crack and plead. “He wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the house and there was no sign of a struggle. I knew he wasn’t on a mission that evening. I don’t know why but I just knew something was wrong, so I apparated to Godric’s Hollow and I...I saw what he’d done. I thought he’d killed them all, I didn’t know Harry had survived! I didn’t know.”
Harry’s heart lifted. Sirius hadn’t known he was there. He hadn’t seen him then left like Harry thought had happened. Remus made a pained noise next to him.
“Can you tell us what happened next?”
“I tracked Peter’s magical signature and apparated to where he was - Carnaby Street in London. I chased him down and the whole time he was shouting ‘you killed them, murderer, you killed Lily and James’ and I didn’t know what was going on. I finally cornered him and then everything happened so quickly. He sent a hex into the crowd, I didn’t even recognise it, and I didn’t see what happened but I heard all the screams. Then he cut off his finger, dropped his wand, and transformed into his animagus form and ran. I can’t really remember what happened next, I think he might have cursed me too. The next thing I remember is waking up in a cell and being told I was going to Azkaban.”
“Peter Pettigrew is not registered as an animagus.”
“None of us were,” Harry winced at the half laugh half sob that followed, “but we’d all become animagi in Hogwarts. Fifth year. James, Peter, and I all did it so we could help Remus.”
Dumbledore knew this of course, but listening to the gasps around the courtroom, it seemed like not many others did. Mr and Mrs Weasley looked a bit green.
“Your forms?” Dumbledore once again silenced the room with a wave of his hand.
“I’m a dog - big, black, no other markings. James was a stag. Peter is a rat.” Sirius laughed mercilessly, “they say the form reflects the soul within.”
“Indeed,” Dumbledore smoothed a hand down his long beard. “Thank you Mr Black. While not registering yourself as an animagus is a crime, it is not the one we are here to trial you for.”
Sirius nodded, the ghost of a smile on his lips. He looked just like the schoolboy he used to be - being told off by teachers who couldn’t fail to be impressed by him.
“Mr Black, did you cast any spell during your confrontation with Peter Pettigrew?”
Sirius’ smile vanished. “No,” he said.
“Did you intend to harm any muggles during the confrontation?”
“No.”
Dumbledore smiled and gestured for a witch sitting near him to pass over a long wooden box. Dumbledore opened it carefully and took out a wand, dark polished wood with an intricately carved handle. Sirius stared at it.
“Can you identify this wand?”
Sirius nodded, “that’s the wand I got when I was eleven. Ollivander made. Ten inches, cherry, with a dragon heartstring core.”
“Is this the wand you used on that halloween night?”
“Yes."
Dumbledore levitated the wand in front of him and it twisted in mid-air hypnotically.
“Priori incantatem.” Soft white light engulfed the wand and it turned faster in the air before the ghost of Sirius’ voice could be heard shaking over the incantation ‘ renervate’.
Dumbledore took the wand back and placed it in the box.
“The last spell cast with this wand was renervate . The reviving charm.”
Sirius nodded and he whispered, “I tried to wake James.”
Remus sniffed beside Harry.
“Thank you Mr Black. We will now proceed to review the memories you have provided for us. Auror Shacklebolt, if you could please begin the memory projections. Mr Weasley, please escort Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, and Mr Potter from the room.”
Sirius’ chair began to move across the room until it was off the dais and against the far wall. Percy came down to their bench and started to usher Ron and Hermione out of the room, but Harry refused to move. He knew this would happen, but now he could see Sirius he didn’t want to let him out of his sight for one minute.
Remus turned to him and pitched his voice low, “Harry, you need to go. You’ll be just outside and we’ll be in here. Nothing will happen, but Harry - please. You can’t see these memories.”
Harry stared at Remus and he trusted him. He nodded and let Percy lead him to the door. Before they parted though, Percy darted his hand out quick as a flash and pressed something small into Harry’s palm.
The door clanged shut behind him and Harry opened his palm, revealing to himself, Ron and Hermione what looked like little bits of string with fake ears on the end.
“Extendable ears!” Ron exclaimed, and snatched one from Harry’s hand. “Brilliant!”
“What?” Harry and Hermione stared at Ron as he knelt on the floor and stuck the end of the strings under the door.
“Fred and George have been trying to perfect them for ages,” Ron grunted as he rose back to his full height, “here pop the end of one in your ear and we’ll be able to hear everything that’s going on in there.”
“I don’t know…” Harry normally jumped at the chance to break rules and get one over on adults trying to exclude him from things, but this time he wasn’t so sure.
Hermione looked between Harry and Ron before smiling apologetically and taking a string from Ron. Harry moved closer and took the last one.
With the string stuffed in their ears it became immediately obvious what memory was being played out in the courtroom. It was Sirius, Harry would recognise his voice anywhere, pleading with another man. With a start Harry realised that he was hearing his father’s voice for the first time.
“Woah, Sirius, calm down a sec. What’s happened?” James Potter’s voice was rich and deep, and to Harry’s surprise there was a slight accent colouring his words too, though he couldn’t quite place it. He didn’t sound anything like Harry.
“Bellatrix bloody Lestrange is what happened,” Sirius sounded winded. “Her and her sadistic husband tried to ambush me while I was guarding the Rosewater’s. Last week it was Dolohov who tried his luck while I was taking Dorcas to her safehouse. A few days before that it was Travers who got that lucky curse in while I was tailing Malfoy in the Ministry. The bastards are targeting me.”
James made a noise like he wanted to comfort his friend, but Sirius cut him off.
“And,” Sirius took a deep breath, “they’re getting more personal. Bellatrix was taunting me today, saying stuff about you and Lils and Harry. They know that I’m the one you’ll turn to.”
“For good reason!” Harry recognised himself in his father’s words and his heart leapt. “Of course you’re the one we’ll turn to, you’re my brother Siri. I trust you.”
“James, it isn’t about me anymore. It’s about Harry. You know I’d rather die than betray you. You know they could torture me forever and I’d never give you up. But we both know they have better weapons than Bellatrix and the cruciatus curse.”
“Legilimency,” James breathed.
Sirius breathed shakily, and Harry could tell his defences were falling. “I’ve been trying to practice my occlumency, Prongs, I promise I have but I -”
There was the sound of a chair scraping and Sirius’ voice sounded muffled, like he was pressed against James’ shoulder, when he next spoke.
“I’m just so worried about Remus. He’s been gone two months and he isn’t even allowed to write to me and I’m just so distracted all the time. I’m taking all these missions to try and get my mind off it but it isn’t working. I miss him.”
“I miss him too,” James sighed, “but you know he’s doing good work down there. He’ll come back, Pads, he’s strong. And so are you. I still want you as our secret keeper. There’s no one we trust more.”
“James, come on. It’s a matter of time before something bad happens to me, I can just feel it. I’m a blood traitor, I’m practically married to a werewolf, and my best mate has spawned Voldemort’s downfall. The snitch has been caught on this one Prongs.”
“Voldemort’s downfall?” Ron and Hermione swivelled to look at Harry, all three of them with confusion on their faces, but Harry simply gripped the snitch in his hand tighter.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Yeah well you didn’t believe the Harpies could win the league and look where that got you.” Sirius cleared his throat, “you need to use someone else. Pete maybe, or Minnie if she’ll agree to it.”
“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”
“As my name.”
“Prat.” There was a long pause before James sighed. “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll chat to Lily about using Wormtail instead.”
Harry felt sick. They’d trusted Peter like a brother and that one mistake had cost them everything. He looked at Ron and Hermione and wondered what could happen to make either of them turn on him. It seemed impossible and like a betrayal to even think it could happen. He supposed his dad had felt the same way. After all, the Marauders had been together in everything so why wouldn’t they trust each other?
Ron and Hermione pressed closer to the door.
“I think the next memory is starting,” Hermione whispered.
Harry adjusted the extendable ear.
“Peter? Pete?” Sirius’ voice called out. “Oi Wormy, where are you mate?”
There was a pause and all Harry could hear was his pulse beating in his ears.
“What the hell?” That was Sirius, whispering to himself as he realised Peter was gone. Any minute now Sirius would find his mum and dad. The seconds ticked by. Harry felt frozen to the spot, not wanting to hear what came next but unable to step away from the door. Then - a sharp crack. Apparition. The deadly silence of discovery.
Harry jerked away from the door, his heart hammering, his mind replaying flashes of green and the distant screams he heard when the dementors came near. The scream they heard from inside the courtroom wasn’t inside his head though. It was raw and painful and felt like a knife to the chest. Ron and Hermione pushed away from the door too. Ron’s face was white as a sheet and Hermione was shaking. She reached out a hand to Harry but he jerked away.
He paced backwards and forwards across the narrow hallway.
“It’ll be okay mate,” Ron smiled, but he still looked shocked at what they’d heard. “I heard mum and dad talking and they said if Sirius wasn’t cleared they’d steal him away and let him live with the ghoul in the attic.”
It was an obvious distraction but the thought did bring a smile to Harry’s face. The three of them sat down and waited for the door to open.
--
When Percy came to take them back to their seats they’d all mostly calmed down. Harry took his seat again and noticed that Remus was now even further on the edge of his, as if the metres separating him from Sirius would fade if he just tried hard enough. The adults all had tears on their cheeks and fury in their eyes, and Harry knew that even though it was terrible, seeing those memories might have given Sirius his freedom in a way no amount of veritaserum questioning could have.
Dumbledore stood and addressed the room.
“This next memory shows Peter Pettigrew’s discovery and subsequent confession of guilt. Auror Shacklebolt, if you will.”
Kingsley put the tip of his wand to the surface of a pensieve and immediately the dais began to swirl in front of them, colours and images forming from nowhere until it became a perfect replica of the Shrieking Shack. Harry stared at the tattered furniture, the claw marks in the walls, the dust laying thick over everything - it was as if he was looking into it from a window.
The memory came to life, and it didn’t start from the beginning like Harry had feared, but from the moment Sirius had proved to them his innocence. Harry remembered the confusion and elation he’d felt at that moment and echoes of those feelings tingled in his mind.
“There’s one certain way to prove what really happened,” the Remus from the memory said, his voice colder and more furious than Harry had ever heard before or since, “Ron, give me that rat.”
Harry felt disconnected as he watched the scene play out. He saw Sirius and Remus force Peter to reveal himself but he looked away from the memory, unwilling to see the rat-like features of Pettigrew emerge from Scabbers. He cast his eyes around instead and watched Mr and Mrs Granger as they stared in awe at the scene in front of them, holding hands tightly and reaching out to grip onto their daughter. Mr Weasley was next to them and had one hand in Ron’s hair, ruffling it any time his son did something particularly brave. Mrs Weasley looked a second away from storming onto the platform and freeing Sirius herself.
“S-Sirius...R-Remus…” That was Pettigrew’s squeaking voice. Harry felt vaguely sick. “My friends...my old friends.”
Harry watched Remus pull Sirius to his feet and the two of them advance towards Pettigrew, wands outstretched, a look of violent desperation on Peter’s face.
“Ron...haven’t I been a good friend? A good pet? You’re on my side, aren’t you?”
Ron looked revolted both in the memory and in the courtroom. Mr and Mrs Weasley were white with anger.
“Sweet girl, clever girl, you - you won’t let them hurt me?”
Hermione’s parents were staring at the memory in revulsion.
“Harry...Harry...you look just like your father, just like -”
“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?”
Sirius’ rage was all consuming and the memory shook slightly with the force of it. Even the stoic witches and wizards of the Wizengamot jumped at the fury in his voice.
“You sold Lily and James to Voldemort, do you deny it?”
“He - he was taking over everywhere! Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?”
“Only innocent lives, Peter!”
“You don’t understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!”
“THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!”
Harry wished the memory ended there. He didn’t want to see what happened next, but he had no choice. In less than a second he was saying to Pettigrew, “I don’t reckon my dad would’ve wanted his best friends to become killers just for you.” The glances of the courtroom turned as one to him and Harry couldn’t stand to look at their appraising glances. Not when he wasn’t even sure himself if he was happy with the choice he’d made.
The memory stopped there and jolted, the projected memory skipping in place until suddenly they were looking at the Hogwarts grounds just outside the Whomping Willow. Remus tensed even further beside Harry and made an aborted movement like he wanted to run. Harry stared at the memory transfixed, waiting to see what he knew would happen next - Remus transforming and Sirius having to chase him off. But that didn’t happen. The memory showed Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s faces which were slack with shock and fear, and Pettigrew behind them, smirking before shrinking down to his rat form. Remus’ transformation wasn’t shown, it must have happened behind Sirius’ back as he watched the rat get away. The memory ended and the dais reappeared.
Harry looked around and saw his confusion and relief etched onto Ron and Hermione’s faces too. He looked at Remus and saw that he had a hand pressed to his mouth, and was staring at Sirius who had moved back to the centre of the dais. Sirius winked and made the tiniest gesture with his hand, pointing them to look at where Kingsley sat, back straight and proper, his Auror robes pristine and his gaze focused, but with the tiniest hint of a smile playing around his lips.
Dumbledore stood up once again. “We have four eyewitnesses to this event with us today. Three of which will now read their prepared statements of support. Miss Hermione Granger, if you would.”
They read their statements, and none of them needed to so much as glance at the parchments that held their speeches. The words came out just as they had in practice, but it didn’t feel enough. Harry felt like a powerless kid in the eyes of the wizarding community, and he hated it.
He caught the pitying eye of a witch sitting a few rows behind Dumbledore and froze. He could never stand pity.
As Harry finished his speech the three of them turned to sit down. Harry saw Hermione’s parents glowing with pride, and Hermione’s own dark skin flushed with success. Mr and Mrs Weasley were both dabbing their eyes and Remus gave Harry a small smile that seemed to say, ‘it’s not enough but at least we tried.’
Harry spun back around quickly, his fist tight around the snitch in his hand, adrenaline like he’d just caught it in a game flooding through him.
“Sirius is innocent.” He was practically shouting the words. “And he’s the last family I have left. Everything he’s said today, and all the memories he had to show you have proven it, even though you could have just spent ten minutes talking to him before realising he never would have betrayed his family. Me, Sirius, and Remus shouldn’t have to suffer because it’s neater to hurt someone innocent instead of admitting that there’s a loyal Death Eater out there who’s off to find Voldemort.”
Harry sat back down ungracefully and felt his skin burning up. He resisted the urge to bang his head against the bench in front of him.
“You are extraordinarily like your parents,” Remus whispered, snaking an arm around him and tugging until Harry’s face was pressed up against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Harry whispered back.
Dumbledore’s voice rang out across the courtroom. “It is time for the council to vote.”
Each of the witches and wizards in plum robes took out their wands and waved them in the air in a complicated dance, shooting different coloured lights out which all headed towards Dumbledore, who was standing with a pair of scales held in front of him. The lights pooled in the shining gold bowls and, slowly but surely, one side dipped ever so slightly lower than the other.
The lights continued to be cast and the scales started listing heavily to the right. Either nearly everyone believed in Sirius’ innocence, or nearly everyone wanted him locked out of sight. People had started to stand up, everyone leaning forwards to catch a glimpse of the scales, wanting to be the first to hear the verdict.
At last it was over. No more lights were sent out and the scales were frozen in time. Harry and Remus were on their feet, neither breathing as they awaited the verdict.
All at once, the lights in the scales shot up and out, perfect, blinding silver, and headed towards Sirius. Harry was blind with panic, the lights in his eyes stopping him seeing what was happening - but they didn’t stop him hearing.
“Innocent!” Dumbledore shouted, the watching crowd cheered, Remus sobbed, and the chains holding Sirius to the chair clanged and fell. A bark of laughter, a scraping of chairs, and Harry was running to the middle of the room and throwing his arms around his godfather.
“Harry!”
“You’re free!”
“I love you I love you I love you.”
Voices overlapped amidst the deafening cheer.
“You’re free,” Harry repeated, his voice shaking, “you’re really free.”
“Harry,” Sirius said, “how’d you feel about never seeing the Dursleys again?”
Harry laughed and buried his head in Sirius’ shoulder. Over his head he could hear Remus, normally so calm and collected, sobbing.
“Sirius,” another set of arms wound their way around Harry and Sirius, “I love you, I love you.”
“I love you too,” Sirius grinned, but he looked as exhausted as Harry felt. “Let’s go home.”
Home. Their home together that Harry would always be able to go back to. He could see flashes of his future - holidays with Sirius and Remus, redecorating the whole house, being excited to make the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. It would be safe and happy. It would be theirs.
--
'Dear Mr and Mrs Dursley,
I am writing to inform you that Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather, has received a full pardon for the crime for which he was wrongfully imprisoned. He and I will be filing for full legal custody of Harry - both magical and muggle. If we’re granted guardianship Harry will no longer call Privet Drive home, and thus the wards keeping him safe in Privet Drive will be broken.
He will no longer have to return to your house every summer, nor will he be your responsibility.
We do not expect you to have any objections regarding this, but if you do please write back to:
Mr and Mr Lupin-Black, 12 Grimmauld Place, London.
Yours sincerely,
Remus Lupin-Black'