Chapter Text
Dear Harry,
Happy birthday. Fourteen. It feels strange to say that – perhaps because it is the second time I can wish it to you. You don’t even remember the first time. It was your first birthday. It was a small affair, but your parents were delighted. They invited your old neighbour, and she absolutely adored you. I, of course, was also there, along with Remus and–
Anyway. I think you were happy, too. I’m sorry I can’t be there for you now, and that I haven’t been there for you before, but I still hope you are happy now. Are you having fun with your friends? Has your family thrown you a party?
I’m sorry. These are stupid questions. I’ve just missed out on so much, I want to– Do you– I think–
Perhaps we could spend your next birthday together? I mean, only if you’d like to, of course. I wish–
I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this sort of thing. I’ve been trying to think of what to say for days now, but nothing really feels right. I used to be better.
I hope you are having fun. And if you don’t, just know that I am here for you now. Even if I’m far away, you can always send me an owl, and I will do anything to help you. No matter if you only want to talk, or don’t want to talk at all. And if you need me to come, I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.
I know I have failed you. I should’ve– We should– I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you for so long. I am so sorry for that. But I want to make things right. You are not alone, Harry. You have me now, whatever you need. And that’s not going to change. Not if I can help it.
Have a happy birthday, Harry.
Love, Sirius
PS, I sent you something with this letter. It’s not much, but I hope you’ll like it still. They call it the “wish charm” where I currently am. It’s supposed to make your wish come true if you believe in that sort of stuff.
Sure enough, the beautiful tropical bird that Harry could not name even if his life depended on it, also delivered a small package, previously ignored in favour of the letter. Harry picked it up gingerly and carefully unwrapped the brown paper. The charm inside was rectangular, slightly rounded on the edges, and bright orange. It felt in his hand like a rock. When he turned it upside down, he discovered a strange symbol carved into it. With its sharp angles, it reminded him of a letter from an ancient alphabet, but Harry had never seen anything like that before. Maybe if he showed it to Hermione, she would recognize it, he mused.
Wondering if Sirius believed in this “wish charm” thing, he put the charm aside and picked up the letter, looking at it with some sort of amazement. It was the second time Sirius wrote him, and considering that the first message arrived on the Hogwarts Express, it was easy to believe it was all a dream – that Sirius would disappear from his life as suddenly as he came into it; the events that occurred at the end of his third year at Hogwarts (dementors, the Shrieking Shack, Professor Lupin, Wormtail, the time-turner) all a mere memory. But no, Sirius might’ve been far away and on the run, but he still wanted to be in Harry’s life. He remembered his birthday, even though Harry never told him about it, and seemed to genuinely care about his well-being, although Harry had no idea what his godfather could do to make it better. And he was his parents’ closest friend. Harry had never had anyone like that.
He read the letter two more times before he realized his eyes were stinging. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he wiped at them with his left hand, still holding onto the letter, and felt his cheeks getting wet. Suddenly glad it was nearing midnight, Harry ignored his tears, as there was no risk of Aunt Petunia walking in on him crying.
Sirius wanted them to spend Harry’s next birthday together! But how would that happen? As far as the rest of the world was concerned, Sirius was a convicted murderer, a fugitive. And with Pettigrew gone, Merlin only knows where, they had no chance of proving he was innocent. They couldn’t exactly go and ask for a fair trial. The ministry had already proven they were uninterested in anything Harry had to say, and wouldn’t hesitate to give Sirius a dementor kiss if given a chance.
As much as he’d rather forget, Harry still remembered when Sirius asked him to live together. He was so excited about the prospect, too. Now he just felt stupid and bitter. How could he just believe that, because he suddenly had a godfather, everything would immediately get better? He should’ve known it was too good to be true. At least too good to be true for him. He was lucky enough that he was a wizard and attended Hogwarts, so he didn’t have to deal with the Dursleys for the entire year, but to believe he would be relieved from them permanently?
He grabbed the stupid wish charm. If it were real, it’d make everyone know Sirius was innocent, it’d trap Pettigrew and send him straight to Azkaban, it’d erase Voldemort from existence, it’d turn back time and make his parents choose a different Secret Keeper–
BOOM!
Light so bright flashed through his bedroom that Harry momentarily thought he accidentally Apparated on the Sun. He closed his eyes, as the light kept intensifying so much it was starting to hurt– And then, as abruptly as it began, it was over.
“Bloody hell,” said a familiar voice, making Harry almost jump out of his skin.
He quickly opened his eyes and noticed he was no longer in his bedroom; in fact, he was transported to a room he had never been in before and was surrounded by a group of people. Before Harry could look at who was there with him, though, a man he did not know drew his wand.
“Who are you?!” he yelled at nobody in particular, keeping his back against the wall. His hair was a bit long and greyish, his face scarred, and a large chunk of his nose appeared to be missing. But what was most alarming was his eye – vivid blue, too big for his face, and moving at an astonishing speed. Harry watched as the iris disappeared on one side and reappeared on the other. He felt vaguely nauseous.
“Alastor, drop your wand!” called another voice, and Harry turned to see Mr Weasley. Harry was glad to see him, especially considering the potentially hostile man, but still had no idea why they were here–whatever ‘here’ even was.
So-called Alastor didn’t comply but instead pointed his wand at Mr Weasley.
“Move back, Death Eater!” he warned.
Mr Weasley had a pained expression. Harry noticed that Ron and the rest of the Weasley family were also here. Ron was openly gawking at this Alastor; the twins, for some reason, seemed excited, and Percy looked like he was trying hard not to roll his eyes.
Albus Dumbledore stepped between Mr Weasley and Alastor, which Harry thought was incredibly brave and a little stupid, and said, “Alastor, would you please calm down? There are no Death Eaters here.”
Harry watched as Alastor’s accusing gaze swept over everyone – the Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, Luna, five other people Harry didn’t recognize, Dumbledore, the other Professors (McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and, did Harry imagine his eyes lingering?, Snape), Draco Malfoy, to Harry’s horror, a woman who could only be his mother, Remus Lupin, and, to his utter panic, a big black dog, who Harry knew to be Sirius’ animagus form. The dog was already looking at him, wagging its tail, seemingly not caring at all that he was a known fugitive and that there were people in this room who didn’t know he was innocent. Oh, well, they didn’t know he was an Animagus either, did they? Harry shot a frightened stare at Professor Lupin, who pressed his lips together and looked a bit paler than Harry remembered, but didn’t seem to freak out. Harry tried to force his expression to something more neutral, figuring that if they didn’t make it into a big deal, it didn’t have to become one.
Together, Professor Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley managed to coerce the strange man into putting down his wand, but he still shot intimidating gazes at everyone over the other wizards’ shoulders. Then, the headmaster beckoned all the adults aside, not without sending Harry a long, searching look. Harry couldn’t tell what he was looking for, so he looked back at Padfoot and smiled a little. That was one good thing that came out of it – he got to see Sirius again.
“But what is this dog doing here?” asked Professor Flitwick, bringing Harry’s attention back to the hushed conversation.
Harry felt a flick of panic run down his spine, but the question wasn’t directed at him. He looked at Hermione, silently trying to ask for help, but she wasn’t even looking at him; he followed her line of sight and found she was looking at Snape, who had a nasty smile on his slimy face. Harry’s stomach plummeted. He knew Snape would love it if Sirius were sent back to Azkaban, but would he actively contribute to that? Harry hoped Dumbledore had some serious words with the man after his actions at the end of the last school year.
“It’s my dog Snuffles,” said Professor Lupin with an apologetic smile on his face. “We were just playing, and I believe he was accidentally affected by the magic that brought us all here.”
Snape’s smile soured into a disdainful expression, but Harry was breathing easier. He started to learn that Professor Lupin was quite good at getting out of risky situations. Besides, his version was more plausible than this dog being an illegal Animagus by the name Sirius Black, the murderer of twelve Muggles and a wizard.
Padfoot came over to Harry excitedly and licked his hand, a perfect image of a real dog. Harry couldn’t help but smile at him, at that moment believing that, whatever the hell was happening, it would somehow work itself out.
“I didn’t know you knew Professor Lupin’s dog,” said Ginny, raising an eyebrow.
Harry was generally glad that she had overcome her inability to speak anytime he was in the vicinity, but now he found himself missing those times.
“It’s, um… I think he’s just friendly,” he said clumsily, wincing when he realized he didn’t really answer her question. Maybe he should take a lesson from Professor Lupin on making up excuses.
“Where do you think we are?” asked Hermione, coming to his rescue and successfully distracting Ginny.
It was a good question. Harry looked around the room but found it was nothing special – wooden floor, red walls, and a few creamy couches in the middle – if you didn’t account for the fact that there were no doors or windows in there. That part was a little alarming.
“Scratch that, I’m more interested in what brought us here,” said Ron, looking at the adults, still engaged in a hushed conversation. “Do you think they know?”
Hermione frowned. “It was very weird. I was already asleep when all of a sudden I heard a loud noise, and when I woke up, I was swallowed by pure light.”
Harry swallowed. It was the same thing that happened to him – except he was holding that stupid wish charm, and– and– That darn thing was nowhere to be found. How could he possibly explain that he thought they were here because he made a wish on a bloody stone? Way to sound absolutely bonkers.
“That’s what happened at my house, too! Except, it, like, swallowed the whole house. At first, we thought it was the twins’ doing, but then it got out of control, and Fred and George swore on their magic that they had nothing to do with it… I don’t think Mum believed them, though. At least not until we were Apparated to… Merlin only knows where we are.”
Besides, he didn’t exactly wish for a bunch of random people to be summoned to one place, did he? He would’ve believed it had Sirius been brought to him–or him to Sirius, because that was more of what he actually wanted. But that wasn’t really that, either.
“Look at Dumbledore, though. He doesn’t look very phased, does he? I reckon he has some idea as to what has occurred. And even if he doesn’t, he probably wouldn’t be so calm if he thought we were in some sort of danger.”
What he wanted most was for the world to know that Sirius was innocent – so they could be a proper family; so they could live together – but, surely… Oh, no. Was it supposed to be some kind of ridiculous trial for him? This couldn’t end well. For one, Pettigrew was still missing, and Harry didn’t know how anyone would believe the truth without some proof (Harry for sure hadn’t), and two, if that was the reason for this entire situation, wouldn’t Fudge also be here? Harry couldn’t say he liked the pretentious Minister very much, but he was pretty convinced this case was so big that he had some say in it.
“I mean… I guess. It must’ve been some powerful magic at play. Because, look. It got all of us here, right, which can’t have been a small feat, but also Bill and Charlie are here. And they were out of the country fifteen minutes ago, so that’s a pretty wide range for a spell. Not to mention, it basically kidnapped Mad-Eye Moody, and he’s too paranoid for that.”
He also wished that Voldemort was gone… It didn’t seem like that particular wish had come true. Unless they were gathered here to fight him. He’d show up any minute now, and there would be a duel or something… But what were the Weasleys doing here, then? And Hermione, or Luna, or Neville? Harry didn’t know what they could do against Voldemort. Okay, sure, Hermione was really smart, but still… They were just a bunch of teenagers. Not to mention Malfoy and his mother. They might as well invite Death Eaters to this room.
“And Dumbledore’s also here, and he’s the most powerful wizard of our time. So powerful that maybe he would be able to achieve that…”
“No way! I mean, I know he’s a little bonkers, but that’s just not right! He could’ve sent a letter, wouldn’t you agree, Harry?”
But at least for now, Sirius was safe. It could’ve been much worse if he were being honest. Sirius could’ve appeared not transformed. That would’ve been terrible. Wands would be drawn, and no one would bother to listen to Harry, again–
“Harry?”
Ron snapped his fingers in front of his face.
“What?” he asked, blinking as if he was suddenly woken up.
Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.
“Are you alright, mate?”
“We seem to have lost you for a while, there.”
Harry felt lost, alright. Padfoot whimpered and nuzzled his hand. Harry looked down at him and found big grey eyes watching him sadly. He scratched the dog behind its ear.
“I’m fine,” he replied, even though he was anything but.
His friends didn’t look like they bought it. They looked like they were about to launch an investigation. Harry swallowed.
Fortunately for him, at this moment, the adults were done with the secrecy, and Dumbledore spoke. “As much as this gathering has been unexpected, I would like to welcome everyone and assure you that you are completely safe. No dark magic is at play here.”
At this news, everyone relaxed a bit. Most had already deduced it was unlikely, but were glad their speculations were confirmed.
“But… where are we?” asked Charlie.
“Why, my boy, we are at Hogwarts, of course,” replied Dumbledore, smiling. “I believe this is the Room of Requirement–or, as some may know it, the Come-And-Go Room.”
“I knew it,” whispered George, who was standing close to Harry. He looked like Christmas came early.
Harry had never heard of such a room and wondered what all the fuss was about. It didn’t look very special, and Harry doubted that a room could kidnap a bunch of witches and wizards from basically all over the world.
“Yeah, ‘come and go’, all right,” snorted Ron. “Except you can’t really come or go from here–there are no doors!”
“How come we are here?”
“That’s an excellent question, Miss Granger, one I’m afraid I can’t answer right now. What I understand is, every person here heard a loud noise, a bright light appeared suddenly, and then you were here, is that correct?”
Everyone nodded. Dumbledore didn’t look quite satisfied with this answer.
“This is very important. Has anyone had even a slightly different experience? Maybe you noticed something that seemed out of place? This might have been only a minor detail, but it could help us understand how and why we are here.”
Percy Weasley shook his head with a puzzled expression. Hermione looked like she was thinking hard about her experience, but also came up empty. Various people were saying no. Harry’s heart was pounding. They were here because he was feeling sad about his life? He couldn’t decide whether it sounded more stupid or crazy.
“No, sir,” he said because Dumbledore’s bright eyes seemed to pierce right through him.
“Very well, then.” Dumbledore sighed. “I believe some introductions are in order.”
Everyone quickly introduced themselves. Harry got acquainted with Amelia Bones, who was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Nymphadora Tonks, all of whom were Aurors, and Nymphadora’s parents, Andromeda and Ted. Draco Malfoy was very similar to his mother, Narcissa, but she was much more elegant and, to Harry’s surprise, didn’t have a sneer on her face.
Harry felt slightly embarrassed when no one really batted an eye when he introduced himself, as if they all already knew him, but felt a lot better when Albus Dumbledore also introduced himself.
“Very pleased to meet you, sir,” said Fred, as he and George bowed slightly.
“Boys!” scolded Mrs Weasley, but Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled.
“Very well, Dumbledore, but we still don’t know why we’re here,” drawled Snape. “Though considering you didn’t bring us here, I don’t suppose you know.”
Before Dumbledore could answer, there was a silent crack. A few people gasped. Suddenly feeling like he might be sick, Harry turned around. He could get a heart attack, but at that moment, he wouldn’t notice.
“Sirius Black!” screeched Molly Weasley.
Where just a second ago was a big black dog, currently stood his godfather, a baffled expression on his face. Why the hell did he detransform?
“Mr Potter, please take a step back,” said Madam Bones with urgency.
Harry turned back around and noticed about half a dozen wands pointed in their direction. With a start, he realized he was the only obstacle between them and Sirius. Not realizing what he was doing, he took a step back… towards Sirius, as if he wanted to block any spell that may come his way with his own body.
Behind him, Sirius took a sharp breath.
“Harry,” he murmured, so quietly that only he could hear him, and grabbed his hand to push him out of the way.
Harry held onto him tightly but didn’t move.
“Potter,” started Moody, a warning note in his voice. “I suggest you think carefully about your next move. This is a highly dangerous man behind you, who will not hesitate to kill you the first chance he gets.”
Sirius flinched.
“Don’t bother, Moody. Black hit Potter with Confundus about a month ago, and it seems the effects of the spell still haven’t worn off,” sneered Snape.
Harry’s heart was beating faster and faster. “That’s not true!” he yelled, his thoughts not making any sense except the constant flow of frantic protect Sirius! “He didn’t kill those Muggles, Sirius is innocent!”
Madam Bones raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise at his words, but her wand didn’t even waver. Harry needed to think of a way to convince her, and quickly, or he was going to lose his godfather again, this time forever.
“It’s true,” said Professor Lupin, his voice strained. “I am willing to testify under Veritaserum in the court of law.”
He tried to insert himself between Harry and Sirius, but Harry didn’t let him. He didn’t doubt that the Ministry wouldn’t be so hesitant if a werewolf were in the way of spells instead of him.
“Oh, please, everyone knows that a word of a werewolf can’t be trusted,” said Snape smoothly. His eyes were terrible. “Especially when said werewolf is a known associate of the convict.”
Harry hated Snape something fierce at that moment, but noticed Madam Bones considering. He latched onto that, like a drowning man on a razor.
“I am willing to testify under Veritaserum as well,” he said, trying to channel the confidence he didn’t feel.
His declaration caused a reaction at last. Madam Bones looked like someone just told her Santa Claus was actually real, Snape appeared to have swallowed something sour, and Tonks looked at Moody in confusion, not knowing what to do at that revelation. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, making a decision.
“So are we,” said Hermione, no doubt in her voice or on her face.
Mrs Weasley put her hand on her heart, paling noticeably.
“Now, Ron…” said Mr Weasley sharply.
“Mister Black did not commit the crimes he is accused of.” Dumbledore cut him off, his words final. “We will find the proof of that in here.”
He pointed his finger at a stack of books, now lying on a table that wasn’t there the last time Harry checked. Where did that come from?
“I don’t like this,” barked Moody, looking at the books with distaste. “First, a dangerous man appears–I don’t give a damn what you say! And now, some books? You expect me to read now?”
“That would be correct,” agreed Dumbledore. “After all, we are in the Room of Requirement. I believe someone asked for a way to prove Sirius’ innocence, and the room delivered.”
“That would require some powerful magic and amazing spell work,” mused Professor Flitwick, as if he forgot about everything else, distracted by a magical room, “but it is not impossible.”
Professor McGonagall pressed her lips in a thin line.
“I, for one, would like to hear about it,” she said carefully. “I trust you, Dumbledore. If you say this man is indeed innocent, it is worth investigation.”
“Before we proceed, I must ask this. Why didn’t you come forward before, Albus? Why now? It’s been almost thirteen years. Why the delay?” asked Madam Bones.
“Because until recently, I also believed that Mr Black did all those terrible things he is accused of. But about a month ago, I was introduced to some new evidence and testimonies that shook that belief,” explained Dumbledore. “As for why the Ministry wasn’t immediately notified… it was. An appeal was made before Minister Fudge, who profoundly rejected it. After that, I didn’t believe it wise to attempt to come forward again… But as it seems, fate has its way of getting what it wants.”
“So you believe it is faith that brought us here, now?” asked Snape, clearly irritated.
“I believe an innocent man was wrongfully imprisoned. And that justice should be served. Both to those who have been wronged, but also to those who got away with wronging others.”
“That’s some nice words,” scoffed Moody. “But I won’t relent until I have his wand.”
Everyone looked at Sirius again. Harry could hardly believe it was happening. And frankly, after last month, he didn’t want to believe it. They could change their minds. They could be lying, whispered a nagging voice in his head. Then what?
Sirius reached under his robes and slowly pulled out his wand. As soon as it was visible, Moody yelled Expelliarmus! and Sirius’s wand jumped out of his hand. Moody caught it swiftly.
“If you’re satisfied now, Alastor, may we begin reading?” asked Professor McGonagall.
“Not yet,” he replied. “There are children in this room, and Dumbledore simply believing something doesn’t yet make it true. I believe everyone should get to decide if they want to proceed.”
Harry was angry at another interruption, but had to admit Moody made a lot of sense.
“Well, I say we do proceed.” Professor McGonagall raised her hand.
Harry didn’t hesitate to join her. Hermione, Ron, and Lupin also raised their hands; so did Dumbledore. Professors Sprout and Flitwick joined after a moment; Snape’s hand stayed down. Amelia Bones also raised her hand. Harry felt numbness in his fingers. They did not have the majority.
Then, to his surprise, Luna also agreed. Fred and George, who were whispering among themselves, raised their hands, not looking at their mother. Neville and Ginny followed them. Percy (Harry never respected his passion for law and justice more), Charlie, and Bill, who didn’t know either Sirius or Harry, and their father, although a bit hesitantly. Kingsley and Tonks agreed as well, joined shortly by Andromeda and Ted. What was perhaps most shocking, was Narcissa Malfoy slowly raising her hand. Harry knew he was gaping, the same as her son, who didn’t seem to agree with her. Lastly, Alastor Moody stiffly nodded.
The only people who didn’t agree were Snape, Malfoy, and Mrs Weasley. While the first two didn’t surprise Harry at all, the last one stung.
“Very well, then,” said Dumbledore happily. “If no one has any objections–”
“Wait!” Moody interrupted him sharply, which made quite a few people groan. “We can’t touch these books until we make sure they are not cursed.”
Harry rolled his eyes. After all the trouble they went through, trying to get everyone to give Sirius a chance, he seriously doubted that the books were cursed. Especially considering they were provided by a magical room.
Still, Dumbledore agreed with Moody and started casting various spells, and when they came up empty, Mad-Eye had to double-check, as if he didn’t trust Dumbledore’s magic. Great.
“Harry,” said a sombre voice.
Harry turned around and faced Sirius. He cracked a smile, which Sirius reciprocated, but it fell quickly.
“Harry, you can’t do that ever again.”
“What?” he asked, utterly confused. Wasn’t he happy?
“Harry, you can’t step in when someone points their wand at me. They had every right to do so, and it is not worth risking your life.”
He frowned. “But they would’ve hurt you.”
“So what,” said Sirius. “I am the adult here, and so it is I who should deal with it. I am here to protect you, not for you to have to protect me.”
Harry didn’t understand. So what? What did Sirius even mean by that? Did he not care? People were finally going to find out he was innocent, and all Sirius wanted to talk about was how Harry put himself between him and pointed wands.
“Alright, it’s clean,” grumbled Moody, clearly not satisfied. “We shall proceed with the reading.”
“We are not done here,” said Sirius quietly, brows furrowed.
“No, we are not,” agreed Harry, which threw Sirius off guard.
He turned around and noticed Mrs Weasley looking at him, very worried, like she was about to step in and take him away, which Harry found a bit worrisome. Mr Weasley took her hand and led them to a couch.
“Come on,” said Sirius, and they took one of the couches for themselves.
Ron and Hermione joined them on his left, Sirius on his right, and Lupin next to him. Percy sat down next to his parents, as well as Bill and Charlie. Ginny, Luna, and Neville took another couch that they had to share with Fred and George. Mrs and Mr Tonks sat with their daughter, and Moody, who seemed to be her mentor, and Shacklebolt, who seemed to keep an eye on him. The Professors sat with Madam Bones, sans Snape, who chose to sit with Narcissa and Draco.
“Very well. I shall start,” said Dumbledore, picking up the first book.