Fourth Year
From Sirius's perspective, McGonagall's testimony had not gone as planned. When she began talking about Sirius's qualities of loyalty, bravery, and of course his tendency for rebellious activities the Wizengamot ate up her praises. However, the moment she mentioned his advanced skills at transfiguration and defense... Fudge had a field day.
Instead of believing in Sirius's ability to research and teach himself (and the other marauder's) advanced spells, Fudge took the opportunity to theorize that he hadn't learned those spells on his own, but that he had been taught them by Voldemort. No proof necessary of course, just a theory. But that didn't stop the Wizengamot from contemplating the possibility.
McGonagall, on the other hand, made sure to bring up that not only did Sirius know those spells, but so did James, Remus, and Peter. Claiming, that if Sirius if learned those spells from Voldemort, then the other boys must have as well. Her retort was, "Are you insisting that James Potter also learned advanced magic from Voldemort then? Are you insisting that James Potter was a death eater? If you think that then you are a fool, Minister." However, a fool was the nicest name she called him. She followed up with a string of swears that Sirius could only hope the Wizengamot couldn't understand through her thick Scottish accent.
"Thank you, Minerva." Dumbledore stopped her. "I believe the Minister would agree with me that you may be excused." Fudge nodded eagerly, letting McGonagall exit from the room, still muttering insults under her breath.
"Now for my next witness, I would like to call-"
"Not so fast, Dumbledore." Fudge interrupted. "You've proceeded to call many witnesses. I believe it is our turn."
"Of course. It is only fair. Who would you like to call, Minister?"
"The Ministry would like to call Severus Snape."
"For the love of Merlin!" Sirius swore quietly. Of all people the ministry had to call, they had to pick Snivellus. This could only end one way: in disaster.
For what felt like an eternity, Fudge asked Snape every question he could think of. With every answer, Snape took every opportunity to bash Sirius. He spoke on Sirius's pranks, claiming they were meant to harm rather than to elicit laughter. Once again, he took the opportunity to bring up the night, he found Remus on the full moon. He exaggerated every detail, destroying any hope Sirius had of the Wizengamot seeing it as an accident, rather an attempted murder.
He made sure to bring up how he was endlessly bullied by Sirius and James Potter, neglecting to tell everyone that he took every opportunity to reign revenge down upon the boys. He even brought up the memory of the worst day of his life, leaving out the bits about him calling Lily Evans Potter a 'mudblood'. He proceeded to make the Wizengamot feel sorry for him by making himself the victim completely vilifying Sirius.
He brought up their recent night in the shrieking shack, portraying the event as Sirius brainwashing Harry and Hermione into attacking him so they could escape. And of course, he portrayed himself as the hero by claiming he saved Harry from Sirius and the dementors down by the Black Lake before bringing Sirius into custody at the castle.
Snape even brought up Sirius's family connection to Lord Voldemort. The Black family's deep devotion to the Dark Lord in conjunction with Snape's grudge was going to condemn Sirius... Regardless of Sirius's disconnect from the family or anything the previous witnesses had said, the Wizengamot seemed to be buying every word that came out of Snape's mouth. If Sirius wasn't afraid of being vilified, even more, he would have made a come back for every story Snape told, but it would only make him look worse in the eyes of the Wizengamot. Instead, he sat and took the beating. He could only beg for Snape's testimony to end soon.
"Thank you, Professor, for informing us about the dangers of Sirius Black. I believe you may be excused." Fudge began.
"Not yet, Severus," Dumbledore said, stopping Snape from leaving his chair. "I have a few questions as well."
Sirius was dumbfounded at Dumbledore's claim. Snape was an unexpected addition to the trial. What questions could he possibly have for Snape?
"Of course, you do." The minister huffed. "Proceed."
"Severus, isn't it true that after you left Hogwarts in June of 1977 that you temporarily joined Voldemort's group of death eaters?" Snape's jaw immediately dropped, completely unprepared for the question. Sirius wasn't sure he had ever seen Snape so startled.
"Albus..."
"Please answer the question, Severus."
After a long pause, Snape finally choked out, "Yes, I did." An echo of gasps filled the courtroom, loud enough to alert the dementors floating above them. Even they looked or at least turned their hoods towards the commotion below.
"I would like the court to know that while Severus Snape was previously a follower of Lord Voldemort, he came to me prior to the deaths of James and Lily Potter, to warn us about the Dark Lord's intentions. He then became a double agent for Order of the Phoenix. Isn't that correct, Severus?"
"Yes, it is."
"What is the point of this information, Dumbledore? We are supposed to be determining Black's guilt or innocence, not Snape's." Fudge declared.
"I assure you, Minister, I have a point. If you would please refrain from interrupting so I can make it." Fudge grumbled a brief, "fine," and settled back in his seat.
"Now, Severus, I would like you to recall your days at Voldemort's side for me. In your meetings with Lord Voldemort did you ever discuss Sirius Black?"
"Only when determining who the Potter's secret keeper was. That doesn't mean he didn't discuss Black when I wasn't there."
"Voldemort believed the secret keeper was Sirius. Why?"
"We raised the question: Who did James and Lily Potter trust most in the world? The two people we determined were Black and Tawny Lovegood."
Hearing Snape's words Sirius couldn't help but feel conflicted about his choice of secret keeper. He had been right. Voldemort had immediately determined that he or Tawny would be the secret keeper. If Wormtail hadn't also been a backstabbing rat, he would have made the right call in choosing him for the job. If only he had been right about that too.
"To the best of your knowledge, did Lord Voldemort believe that Sirius Black could have been flipped to his side?"
"I can't say for sure."
"Then make a guess. Put aside your personal opinion of Sirius Black. Make an educated guess based on your years of experience aiding the Dark Lord. Did Voldemort believe that Sirius Black could/would willingly betray James and Lily Potter? Could he sacrifice his godson? Could he betray his fiancé, his friends, or anyone else he loved? Did Voldemort believe that?"
Snape remained silent, refusing to answer.
"Tell us, Severus. A man's life is at stake! Be honest! Did Lord Voldemort believe Sirius Black could be turned?"
"No!" Snape blurted out, unable to hold back anymore. "He didn't." A wave of silence fell over the room following Snape's response. Even Rita Skeeter's quick-quotes-quill paused momentarily.
"After knowing that, you still believed that Sirius gave up the Potters. Why?"
"The one thing I could never figure out was why he did it. It tormented me for years."
"But you still blamed Sirius. Why?" Sirius had a whole list of prepared responses for this question running through his mind, including every insult Snape ever gave him. But, he didn't anticipate Severus's actual reason.
"Because I needed someone to blame besides..." Snape stopped himself and directed his attention towards the floor.
"Besides who, Severus?"
"Myself! Alright!" Snape yelled, "I needed someone else to blame besides myself... If I had come to you sooner... If I had given you more information... maybe, we could have stopped it... she wouldn't be dead." Snape choked on the last word, looking away from everyone once more. Sirius couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Snape shed a tear.
Sirius Black had never found himself feeling sorry for Severus Snape. Not once in the past 20 years... but today, of all days, something inside him felt for him. For years Sirius had dwelled on everything he had lost. Not once did he remember that Snape lost someone too. Although he was still angry and vengeful, that he still hated Snape for everything he had done, he allowed himself this one moment to feel empathy towards Severus Snape.
"Severus, her death was not your fault. But, it's not Sirius's either."
Sirius fully expected for Fudge or Umbridge to immediately jump in with questions. But no one, not a single soul in that room said a word. Looking up, many wizards and witches of the Wizengamot had their hands over their mouths, unable to show their expressions. Others held had their lips parted in shock, unaware of what to say. Was this it? Was this the testimony that Sirius needed to win? And was that testimony given by Snape of all people?
Even Fudge appeared clueless as to what to do next. Sirius knew nothing would stop him from voting guilty, but this... this gave him pause. How would he move forward with his case? Severus Snape just admitted to Lord Voldemort not believing that Sirius could be turned. What else could the Wizengamot possibly need?
"Do you have any further questions, Minister?" Dumbledore asked, directing everyone's attention to Minister Fudge. Cornelius nodded his head in disagreement and proceeded to wave for Snape to leave the courtroom.
Snape immediately stood up, swung his cloak violently as he proceeded out the door without one look in Sirius's direction.
"Do you have another witness you would like to call, Minister? Or may I proceed with the remainder of my witnesses?" Dumbledore directly asked Minister Fudge.
"No... I don't have anyone else."
"Very well. I would like to call, Sirius Black."
"You really want Black to testify?" Fudge scoffed.
"Everyone else has been allowed to share their story. Isn't it only right to allow Sirius to share his?"
For what seemed like the one-thousandth time that day, Fudge rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. Sirius knew every ounce of his was begging for this trial to be over with.
"Tell me, Sirius," Dumbledore began, "who was James Potter to you?"
"It might be simpler to tell you who James wasn't to me... James wasn't just my best mate... he was my partner in crime...I couldn't tell you how many pranks we designed over the years. He was the bloke that I always turned to when I needed back up. If Professor McGonagall was on my case, James would be the one to back me up whenever I needed, even if what I was fighting her over was ridiculous. He was my teammate whether we were on the pitch for a match, or just in between classes for a quick practice, or just to blow off steam. He was the first person I saw when I left home, and the first person to welcome me into his home when I had nowhere else to go. He treated me better than my own brother ever did... He became my family. He was my wingman whenever I was chasing a girl. He was there when I picked out the engagement ring for Tawny and physically pushed me to get down on one knee and ask her to marry me. He was supposed to be the best man at my wedding. But he never got the chance..." Sirius couldn't help but tear up thinking about James. He quickly brushed his tears away, trying to save face.
"And what about Lily?"
"Evans... I called her Evans. Even after she married James, I still called her Evans... She was fiercely protective. If you hurt her friends, she would come after you. But if she fought for you, you truly earned it. I came to know that fairly quickly because, well Lily was never afraid to put me in my place. Undersecretary Umbridge brought up her threatening me in third year. I needed it. I had gone too far. I didn't know when to stop. Lily always called me out when I was getting of hand. She also gave me a kick in the right direction every once in a while. When I was too afraid of telling Tawny how I felt, she was the one that gave me the courage to share my feelings. I became someone worthy for her to fight for... I can't tell you how lucky I am that she called me a friend."
"How did you feel when you learned of their deaths?"
"At first... broken. I had always pictured have them around the rest of my life. They were supposed to stand beside Tawny at our wedding. Our kids were supposed to grow up together and get into just as much trouble as we did. We were supposed to teach them how to ride motorbikes, and pull pranks, and live their lives to the fullest. We were supposed to beat Voldemort together. To come out of the war stronger than we'd ever been. But that night at Godric's Hollow... all of that disappeared. And that made me..."
"Made you what?"
"Angry. I left the house that night angry at Voldemort, at Peter, at the world... at myself. All I wanted was answers... I didn't get any."
"That night, when the Aurors found you, you were laughing hysterically. Can you explain why?"
"Have you ever had one of those moments where you can't believe how ironic a situation is? Peter and I were friends for years, but I was never as close to Peter I was to James or Remus. Peter was just... there. He joined us on adventures and brought snacks. He occasionally brought up jokes that made us laugh, and always seemed loyal. He was a follower, rather than a leader of our group. That's all we expected of him.
He was never the smartest of us or the strongest. To be honest, more of a runt of the litter. He didn't need to be either of those with us around. James was the leader, and I was the planner, and Remus was the brains. Peter was the sidekick. I know that sounds terrible, but he was. My point is, we didn't think Peter was capable of anything more than that.
We always underestimated him, and it came back to bite us. I recommended Peter for the secret keeper job because I knew that no one would suspect that James put his family's life in the hands of Peter Pettigrew. Peter couldn't protect them. Hell, he could barely protect himself. How was Voldemort supposed to guess that he was chosen to be their savior?
When I realized that Peter has fooled us – betrayed us – I went after him. I wanted to confront him. I needed to hear him admit because until I saw him that night, I wasn't fully convinced he did. Maybe there was some mistake. Maybe we messed up the spell... When I confronted him that night, he pulled out all the stops. He had perfected the show he was putting on. He planned out how to frame me for all the murders, and how to fake his own death.
The whole time we were friends, he was observing. He learned how to put on a show from me. He became an animagus because of our research to help Remus. That helped him escape. He played on everyone's perception of him and made it seem that I was the villain.
So, the moment I realized what he had accomplished, it made me... laugh. I was shocked. I was in disbelief that Peter could have pulled off the most brilliant con I'd ever seen and that I couldn't see it coming. And I laughed at myself, for being so stupid, and gullible, and playing right into his hands. The fact that Peter had played me so easily, drove me mad. Physically mad. All I could do was laugh. I couldn't stop. Because the second I stopped laugh, I'd break down. And I did...
When I got to Azkaban I didn't sleep for a week. Every time I tried, I woke up from nightmares. Flashes of green from the killing curse... the sounds of Tawny sobbing and begging me not to leave... the wreckage at Godric's Hollow... seeing my best friend, dead on his front lawn... I couldn't handle it. And when I was awake, the dementors pulled away my happiest memories... anything that wasn't that night was being stolen from me. And I fell into this inescapable depression... One that really hasn't gone away, even when I escaped... it follows me wherever I go."
"Today the minister and Undersecretary Umbridge have made quite a few assumptions about you. I'd like to clear the air. Did you hold a grudge against Lily Potter, then Lily Evans, for threatening you about putting Tawny in the hospital wing in your third year at Hogwarts?"
"Of course not. Lily was just defending her best mate. I would have done the same thing for James or Remus, and at the time, even Peter."
"Did you and Tawny Lovegood coerce Peter Pettigrew into confessing to the same crimes you have been accused of?"
"No. Everything the Wizengamot saw in Tawny's memory unfolded naturally at that moment."
"Did you try to kill Severus Snape by telling him where to find Remus on the full moon?"
"No. That is one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I was young and reckless, and I didn't mean to actually put Snape in harm's way. Remus was right, I never would have forgiven myself if he killed Snape."
"Did you hate James Potter for saving Snape's life?"
"No. I'm lucky James was there. He saved my arse too many times. That was one of them. I could never hate him for that. I don't think I could ever hate James period."
"Did you conspire with Peter Pettigrew to turn over the Potters?"
"No, I didn't. I would never."
"One last question Sirius."
"If Lord Voldemort came to you and offered you anything you could ever dream of in exchange for giving up the Potters, would you accept his deal?"
"I would rather have died than give up James and Lily. I know what you all must have been thinking for the past decade. You blame me for their deaths. Somedays I feel that you're right. I blame me. Not for turning them over, but for not seeing through Peter. I wish I could have done more to save them. I wish that Harry got to grow up being raised by two of the best people I know... knew. They were so excited to be parents and they loved Harry more than anything. They were terrified of losing him to Lord Voldemort. I tried to help them protect Harry, to protect themselves. If I only knew what I know now, I could have saved them."
"Thank you, Sirius."
"Are you finished, Dumbledore? Can we vote now?"
"Actually minister, I have one last witness to call."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"You have heard from the most important people in Sirius Black's life, those who knew him best. Those that solemnly swear that Sirius Black would never have given James and Lily Potter over to Lord Voldemort – Sorry Minister, I apologize – would never have given the Potters over to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I want to provide you with one last witness, one that must tell the truth. However, this witness requires Mr. Black to ask the questions. If you would ever so kindly remove his shackles, we can call the witness."
"Mr. Black is on trial. We will not release him until a verdict is reached."
"Cornelius, where is he going to go? He is surrounded by armed wizards, and dementors are one call away. Surely you cannot believe that Mr. Black can escape from right under your nose. Unless you don't believe that anyone in this room is capable of stopping an unarmed prisoner?"
Sirius could almost feel the heat radiating off of the Minister's face, flushed bright red with anger. "Very well." The Minister said through gritted teeth. With a quick wave of his wand, the chains wrapped around Sirius' body began to unwind, allowing Sirius to breathe deeply without pain in his chest for the first time since he walked into the chamber. Once the last chain-link fell to the floor, Sirius slowly rose from his seat, taking his place beside Dumbledore.
"Mr. Black, would you do me the honor of calling the last witness?"
"Yes, sir. Kreacher, come here." A loud pop, followed by a low grumble Sirius recognized as the familiar phrase of, "filthy blood traitor," as the house-elf appeared in Sirius' chair. The elf had aged significantly since the last time Sirius has stepped foot in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. His skin had wrinkled, and the slightest bit of hair had withered and grayed. His pillowcase loincloth had aged with him, even more, tattered and stained than it had been when he still lived at home. But Kreacher's demeanor, the bitterness in his eyes when he looked at Sirius had not changed one bit. He could tell that if Kreacher had the choice, he would rather have done anything else than come to Sirius in his time of need. Luckily for Sirius, he couldn't make that choice.
"A house-elf? This is your witness?" The minister asked, scoffing.
"Kreacher has been the Black family house-elf all of Sirius's life. He is loyal to the Black family; however, you can see by his demeanor he is not loyal to Mr. Black."
"He came when called, Dumbledore. I would say he is pretty loyal."
"There is a difference been loyalty and obedience, Minister. If you would let us proceed with questioning, I can assure you that you will learn that lesson."
"By all means. Waste our time."
"Kreacher, if you would please take a seat," Dumbledore told the elf, waving his hand toward the chair next to Sirius's. With a POP Kreacher disapparated and reappeared a moment later in the chair. "Mr. Black, your witness."
Sirius approached the chair, doing his best to stand up straight, and feel professional. If there was any time to be confident, to put on a show, it was now. He cleared his throat and began, "Kreacher, a witness today has established that the Black family was loyal to Lord Voldemort, is that correct?"
"Don't speak the Dark Lord's name in vain." Kreacher hissed.
"Answer my question, Kreacher."
"Yes. The house of Black had a deep connection to the Dark Lord. Especially Mistress and Master Orion."
"My parents. Tell me Kreacher, have I ever been like my parents?"
"Master Sirius has never been anything like his parents. Mistress and Master Orion worshiped the great Dark Lord and would never befriend blood-traitors and mudbloods. Master Sirius is a disgrace to the Noble House of Black." Kreacher grumbled and shook his tiny fist at Sirius.
"Is it true that my mother and father hated that I wasn't a Slytherin like the rest of my family? Like my perfect brother?"
"Master Sirius was one of the very few members of the House of Black to not be apart of the chosen house. Mistress and Master Orion did not approve."
"Is it true that I was beaten for speaking my mind, or standing up for my 'blood-traitor' and muggle-born friends? Is it true they used unforgivable curses on me because I didn't meet their standards?"
"Yes. Master Sirius never meet Mistress and Master Orion's standards. Only Master Regulus could do that." Sirius could remember every time his mother or father cursed him for his choice of friends or for standing up to them about the Dark Lord. Leaving Grimmauld Place – leaving them – saved his life.
"Did the Dark Lord ever come to visit the House of Black?"
"Yes, many times. He came to give commands to Mistress and Master Regulus."
"But not to me."
"Never. The Dark Lord would not waste commands on Master Sirius." When Sirius still lived at Grimmauld Place and Voldemort would stop by, Walburga would lock him away in his room, refusing to let him out. Sirius always thought they were doing their best to make Voldemort forget they even had another child.
"Is it true that I left home when I was sixteen and never came back."
"Yes. Mistress and Masters' Orion and Regulus were better off without Master Sirius." Sirius was never really sure if they were better off without him. After he left home, all three of them ended up dead. Or at least as far as he knew. He knew his mother and father had died before James and Lily, but Regulus... he wasn't entirely sure. Tawny hadn't mentioned him still being alive or locked away in Azkaban for his crimes. He didn't really want to think about it.
"What did my mother do when I left home?"
"When Master Sirius left, Mistress burned his picture off of the family tree of the House of Black."
"Am I the first person that she has done that too?"
"No. Master Sirius is one of many former members of the Noble House of Black to be burned from the family tree."
"Wasn't Andromeda Black – I'm sorry, Andromeda Tonks – Mother of Auror Nymphadora Tonks removed from the family tree as well?" Several members of the Wizengamot perked up at this statement. Apparently, it was not well known that one of their most popular Aurors had Black lineage.
"Yes, another filthy blood traitor." Kreacher spat.
Rita Skeeter sat in the corner loving every moment of Kreacher's testimony. Her quill was back at it again, soaking up every detail. Sirius was sure that if he was to make it out of this trial alive, Rita would come to him begging to write a book about his tragic past and dark family connections.
"Yet, no one ever accused Andromeda of being loyal to the Dark Lord."
"The Dark Lord would never accept such filth into his army of Death Eaters."
"Kreacher," Dumbledore cut in, "in your opinion, would Sirius ever be capable of siding with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
"The Dark Lord would never want Master Sirius. He betrayed the Noble House of Black by befriending blood-traitors, half-breeds, and mudbloods. The Dark Lord would never accept him."
"That's not what he asked, Kreacher. He asked would I willingly side with Lord Voldemort."
Kreacher winced at the name, but then quickly replied, "No. Master Sirius would never."
"Thank you, Kreacher," Sirius said, then sent him away before Fudge could even attempt to question him. As soon as Kreacher vanished, Sirius returned to his chair. Immediately the chains wrapped themselves around his wrists and ankles, binding him once more.
"Before you proceed with the voting, Minister I have a few final remarks," Dumbledore claimed.
"Of course, you do."
"Today all of you entered this room, predisposed to believe that Sirius Black had committed atrocious acts of murder. Before today, you believed Peter Pettigrew was dead. We proved that he is still very much alive and that he confessed to handing over the Potters and killing those twelve muggles. Before today, you all believed that Sirius was just like his parents. We showed you he wasn't. That he was hated by his parents for loving and caring for the people that Voldemort hated most. Before today, you didn't know about Sirius's past actions. You didn't know all the trouble he got up to in school. The actions that still haunt him today.
But did you know, that when Sirius left Hogwarts, he became an Auror at the ministry for magic and a founding member of the Order of the Phoenix? Did you know that Sirius devoted his life to putting criminals behind bars, and swore to take down Voldemort at all costs? Before today, did you know that Sirius wasn't the Potter's secret keeper because he thought he was an obvious choice, and that he would be putting them and his fiancé at risk? Did you know that the ministry did not run tests on Mr. Black's wand to determine his final spell before they destroyed it? Without that wand, you cannot be sure that his final spell was the killing curse.
The case against Mr. Black is circumstantial at best, built off of preconceived beliefs. As for the case against Mr. Pettigrew: he faked his death by transforming into an illegal animagus and remained in that form until he forced to transform again. He fled custody of wizards trying to bring him to the court and has remained in hiding. And finally, he confessed to all the murders that Mr. Black has been charged with because he chose to save his life over his friends, an act that Sirius Black would never do. Look at what you know now. What do you believe? Can you honestly say with complete certainty that Sirius Black was even capable of murdering two of the people he loved most in this world? I don't believe you can."
As Dumbledore gave his closing remarks, Sirius watched the Wizengamot. He could tell they were conflicted. Everything they knew coming into this trial could have changed. Did they believe the Minister's tales, or would they side with him? Was the evidence they provided enough? Would this nightmare be over soon? In which way?
As Dumbledore finished, Fudge gladly interjected, "If that is all the evidence that you have, then I believe that it is time for a vote." The minister sat up straight, gavel in hand, ready to rule on the charge.
"On the charge of conspiracy to kill the Potters...Those in favor of conviction?" Fudge proclaimed, raising his hand high. Following him shortly after was Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge, stretching her hand to the ceiling while glaring directly at Sirius. As only the two hands were raised, Sirius noted the Minister's disdain.
"Those in favor of acquittal?" Sirius couldn't help but feel the sting of tears in his eyes as the hands of the Wizengamot began raising one by one all over the courtroom. This was it... everything Tawny and Dumbledore had worked for over the past month was coming true. They were agreeing with him... he was winning.
Fudge continued to list the charges, but each everyone besides Fudge and Umbridge raised their hands for acquittal. Each time, Fudge grew more and more furious. On the other hand, as each hand was raised Sirius's smile grew larger, and it became harder and harder to hold back tears.
"On the charge of escaping Azkaban prison... Those in favor of conviction?" Unfortunately, this time, the Wizengamot had to side with Fudge. They had no choice. "On the charge of breaking into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... Those in favor of conviction?" Once again the hands raised. But each member of the Wizengamot was hesitant in their delivery. They knew Sirius was guilty, but Sirius could tell they didn't want him to suffer."
"Mr. Black although you have been cleared of the murder and conspiracy charges, it seems that you have still been found guilty for escaping Azkaban and breaking into Hogwarts. I have no choice but to-"
"Minister," an older lady sitting a few rows below Fudge began, "Mr. Black has been declared innocent of the charges that put him in Azkaban years ago. Had he been cleared of those charges before, he never would have tried to escape Azkaban or enter the Hogwarts school uninvited. I would like to propose a vote that the punishment for those charges should be nullified since Mr. Black has already served twelve years in Azkaban. To me, that seems only fair."
"Do you all agree to this vote?" Fudge roared. Every member but Umbridge nodded in agreement. "Fine. All those in favor?" Once again, every member of the Wizengamot raised their hand, minus Fudge and Umbridge. After all these years of rotting in Azkaban... he was finally going to be free. Tawny was right.
Fudge sighed. "Mr. Black... you are free to go."
Sirius watched as the chains vanished from his wrists and ankles right before his eyes. Kingsley stood right in front of him, extending his hand to help him from his seat. "I should wish you luck more often." Sirius laughed but immediately choked as he could no longer hold back his tears. He fell into Kingsley, who immediately wrapped his arms around Sirius to secure him from falling. "I don't think I'm the one you should be hugging, mate."
Turning around he saw Tawny fighting through the sea of Wizengamot members heading for the doorway. The moment she saw Sirius, alive and well she bolted for him. Sirius moved as quickly as he could to meet her halfway, where she practically jumped into his arms.
"You were right, Tawn." Sirius cried, burying his face in her shoulder.
"I really want to say, 'I told you so,' but I don't feel like this is the right moment."
"It is." Sirius smiled, while he continued to cry. Tawny only held him tighter, never wanting to let him go. Neither of them could believe that after putting their relationship on hold for nearly thirteen years, they were finally going to get the chance to be together. Being free meant they had their whole lives ahead of them. Feeling this now, he couldn't believe he even considered waiting to find Peter for a trial. He didn't need Peter to win. He just needed to have as much faith as Tawny.
"Sirius!" Sirius looked up to see Harry pushing through the last few Wizengamot members at the chamber entrance. He pulled away from Tawny just enough to pull Harry into their hug.
"Don't forget about me." Remus laughed, slowly making his way to join them.
"I could never forget about you, Moony," Sirius said, reaching an arm out to pull him in, pushing Harry into the middle of the three of them. Sirius couldn't help but smile through his tears. Here he was, officially reunited with his family. The ministry, Snape, Peter, no one could ruin this moment.
"Uh- Sirius, Tawny, Uncle Remus... I can't breathe." Harry choked out. All three of them immediately backed up, giving Harry some room. "Can we go home now? It's been a long day, and if I'm being honest the dementors are kind of creeping me out." Harry said, pointing to the ceiling where the dementors were still floating above the barrier.
"Home..." Sirius smiled, throwing his arms over one of Tawny and Remus's shoulders. "What are we waiting for? Let's go home."