Harry Potter: The Angel of Death C39 (Patreon)

Chapter 39: Freedom, at last. 

On the sixteenth of August, the Wizengamot was gathered in Courtroom Two for an urgent trial.

Normally, the Wizengamot met according to carefully arranged schedules, with notices sent weeks in advance and proceedings planned months ahead, but some matters could not wait, and the wrongful imprisonment of a man who had spent twelve years in Azkaban without a trial was one of them.

The chamber was packed. Every seat was occupied, and even the corridors outside were overflowing with witches and wizards who were desperate to hear the outcome. 

The Prophet had dedicated nearly every front page of the previous days to the scandal, Harry Potter's emancipation case was temporarily overshadowed by the revelation that Sirius Black had never received a trial. The possibility that one of the most infamous prisoners in modern history might actually be innocent had consumed magical Britain.

The entire Wizengamot was present, as well as practically every politician and Ministry official of important ranking. In the seat in the center of the room sat the Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore will preside over the proceedings. The old wizard looked older, more tired, with dark circles under his eyes and his pale skin ever whiter than usual. Much of his vitality seemed to have been drained in the last days, and there was a sadness in his blue eyes that he could barely conceal. 

Harry looked at him for a moment before averting his gaze. He had already washed his hands of Dumbledore. 

He sat in the audience section alongside the Weasleys, Hermione, and several Hogwarts professors. Professor McGonogall looked at Sirius with so much sadness and regret that it made Harry feel bad. The professor wasn’t responsable of what had happened to Sirius, at the end of the day, she is a professor in a school, not a politician or auror. She knew what the public knew, and she had no reason to believe the Ministry would commit such a foul violation of basic rights. 

She had visited Sirius in St. Mungus a few days ago. Harry wasn’t there, but when Sirius told him about the visit, his eyes had clouded with tears for a moment, so he was pretty sure both of them had wept as babies. 

A small group of Aurors stood near Harry’s group for security, and even more were scattered around the courtroom. There was at least twice the number of aurors as during Harry’s trial. Officially, they were present for security, but in reality, they were present because the Ministry was terrified that someone might attempt to kill Sirius Black before he had the chance to testify.

Harry glanced toward Cornelius Fudge, who looked as though he had lost twenty pounds over the past few days and gained several new gray hairs in the process. If he were smart, he would blame the entire affair on the previous administration. Throwing his predecessor under the bus was probably the only way to avoid bearing the full consequences of such a colossal mistake.

Unfortunately for him, that was not really an option. Harry was fairly certain that most high-ranking politicians accumulated dirt on one another the way dragons accumulated gold. If one of them fell, the rest would likely follow. Fudge could not throw his predecessor under the bus without risking being dragged beneath it himself, and judging by the strained look on the Minister’s face, he knew it.

Below, Sirius sat beside Crowley. His godfather looked uncomfortable in formal robes, constantly scratching at his neck or hands and shifting in his seat. He had gained a little weight over the past few days, but it would be a long time before he fully recovered from his years in Azkaban.

Edward had explained that, if Sirius followed the treatment strictly and consistently, he should make a complete recovery by next spring. He had stressed that point repeatedly: the treatment had to be followed every single day without exception.

The proceedings began almost immediately after a Potion Master entered the courtroom with a vial in his hand. Sirius had agreed to testify under Veritaserum to clear all doubts of his innocence. While Crowley said he could have gotten his freedom without that, they all knew that doubts would remain in the minds of several people, since many Death Eaters had already escaped justice using a good defense and filling a few pockets. Sirius did not want to be counted among them.

"Before my client answers a single question," Crowley said as he rose to his feet, "there are several conditions that must be established."

A few members of the Wizengamot immediately looked annoyed, and Crowley ignored them.

"First, all questions must be directly relevant to the matter before this court. Second, any attempt to use this hearing as a fishing expedition into unrelated matters will be met with immediate objection."

A wizard seated near the center frowned.

"Mr. Crowley, surely if Mr. Black has nothing to hide—"

Crowley smiled.

"Then surely the Ministry has no objection to limiting itself to matters relevant to my client's innocence."

Several members shifted uncomfortably, and Harry rolled his eyes. 

These people...

If Harry hadn’t spent part of the summer researching the magical governments of other countries and discovered that most of them were equally irritating, corrupt, or incompetent, he might have seriously considered leaving Britain already.

Getting political asylum somewhere else wouldn’t have been difficult. Being Harry Potter came with certain advantages, after all. The problem was that escaping British politicians would simply leave him at the mercy of foreign ones, and Harry doubted that would be much of an improvement.

As frustrating as the British Ministry of Magic could be, at least this is home.

Another witch spoke.

"If Veritaserum is being used, this court should take advantage of the opportunity. Black may possess information regarding former Death Eaters, hidden supporters of You-Know-Who—"

"No." Crowley cut in. 

The witch stared at him, and Crowley smiled coldly. 

“Questions shall be limited strictly to matters directly relevant to the arrest, conviction, and imprisonment of Sirius Black. Inquiries concerning political affiliations, Harry Potter, or any other unrelated personal matter will not be permitted.”

A murmur spread through the chamber.

Cornelius Fudge leaned forward.

"Surely the Ministry has a right—"

"No."

"No?" Fudge frowned.

"No." Crowley adjusted his sunglasses. "My client spent twelve years in Azkaban without a trial. The Ministry does not get rewarded for that incompetence by gaining unrestricted access to his life."

Several members of the Wizengamot visibly flinched, and one elderly wizard slammed his hand against the armrest.

"This is outrageous!"

"No," Crowley replied. "What is outrageous is imprisoning a citizen for twelve years without ever proving he committed a crime."

That shut him up, and the old wizard sat back down.

Fifteen minutes of arguments followed, with several members attempting to broaden the scope of questioning. Crowley dismantled every proposal, and by the end of it, several members of the Wizengamot looked like popped balloons. 

Sirius looked at Crowley very impressed, and muttered something that sounded like "bloody shark". Harry was inclined to agree.

Once the conditions had been made clear, the Potions Master approached, carrying the potion and the chamber grew quiet as he walked towards Sirius. The Potions Master looked at him very seriously.

"Do you consent to the administration of Veritaserum?"

"I do."

The wizard nodded and gave him a goblet with water. He then opened the vial and dropped three drops of the liquid into the goblet. 

Sirius drank it without hesitation, and everyone waited while the potion took effect, seated at the edge of their seats. Interrogations with Veritaserum were exedintly rare, even more so in court with so many witnesses, which Harry found stupid. If you have a way to prove, without a margin of doubt, someone's innocence or guilt, then why not make it obligatory? The nation would be much better off if every single criminal were punished and no one, no matter their wealth or influence, could escape justice.

The Potions Master nodded.

"The Veritaserum is active."

Dumbledore was the one to lead the questioning. 

"State your full name."

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Were you a supporter or servant of Lord Voldemort?"

"No," Sirius answered right away, without any hesitation, and a ripple moved through the audience with many gasps and murmurs. 

Dumbledore continued.

"Did you betray James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort?"

"No."

This time, the reaction was louder, and Dumbledore had to silence the courtroom before continuing. 

"Who was the Secret Keeper protecting the Potter family?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

The chamber erupted once more, and it took Dumbledore half a minute to restore order. 

"Did Peter Pettigrew willingly serve Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes."

"Did Peter Pettigrew betray James and Lily Potter?"

"Yes."

The silence that followed felt heavy as horror began to fill the faces of many witches and wizards. 

Dumbledore asked the next question.

"Did you murder Peter Pettigrew?"

"No."

"Did you kill the twelve Muggles who died that night?"

"No."

"What happened that night?"

"Peter cornered me in the street, and he shouted that I had betrayed James and Lily. He wanted witnesses. He then cast the explosion curse." Sirius’s voice was flat, partly because of the potion and partly because of the memory itself. That night, he had been robbed of both his vengeance and his freedom. During his years in Azkaban, he must have relived those events so many times that even a tragedy of that magnitude had become almost monotonous. 

Sirius's answers destroyed the narrative magical Britain had accepted for over a decade as the truth. No one could argue against his answers, no one could claim he was lying, Veritaseurum left no room for interpretation. 

Dumbledore looked down at the notes before him, he was even paler than before. 

"The testimony provided under Veritaserum is clear, consistent, and without contradiction."

The chamber held its breath and Dumbledore's gaze settled upon Sirius.

"Sirius Orion Black is hereby recognized as innocent of all charges relating to the betrayal of James and Lily Potter, the murder of Peter Pettigrew, and the deaths of the Muggles killed on the thirty-first of October, nineteen eighty-one."

Harry heard a sharp intake of breath and looked at his godfather, who sat completely motionless. After twelve years of being called a traitor, murderer, and Death Eater, he finally cleared his own name. 

The antidote was administered moments later, and only then did Sirius finally seem to breathe, a smile slowly growing on his face. 

A member of the Wizengamot rose from his seat.

"Then surely this matter also resolves the issue of Mr. Potter's guardianship—"

"It does not." He was cut right away, and several people turned their heads towards the witch who had spoken. 

She was quite young, perhaps in her early thirties. Her dark skin, full lips, and catlike green eyes seemed familiar, but Harry could not quite place where he had seen those features before. 

"Sirius Black may be innocent, but innocence and capability are not the same thing."

Sirius stiffened and glared at her, his smile vanishing from his face. 

The witch continued.

"Mr. Black has spent twelve years in Azkaban." She said. "Azkaban inflicts severe physical, emotional, and psychological damage upon its prisoners. Mr. Black requires extensive treatment and rehabilitation before he can reasonably be considered capable of caring for himself, much less serving as guardian—"

Sirius shot to his feet..

"I am sitting right here."

The witch ignored him.

"—to the most politically significant child in Britain."

"Then allow me to save everyone some time," Sirius said coldly. "I know exactly what Azkaban did to me. I also know that if this discussion is about Harry, I intend to be part of it."

A few members winced, while others looked uncomfortable, but the witch remained unmoved. 

"Your reaction rather proves my point."

Sirius looked ready to hex her and Crowley stood before he could.

"This is not Harry Potter's trial." His voice echoed through the chamber. "The subject of today's proceedings is Sirius Black's wrongful imprisonment."

He glanced around the room.

"In a few days, Mr. Potter's trial will resume, at which point I am certain every person present will be delighted to share their opinions. But today is not that day."

Crowley did not leave room for argument and the witch sat down with a sour look on her face. Sirius followed equally reluctantly. 

Crowley waited several seconds before smiling, his growing smile, far too bright and delighted, made several Ministry officials shiver. Crowley smiling during legal proceedings was usually a bad sign for everyone except himself and his client.

The solicitor calmly reached into his briefcase and withdrew an enormous stack of documents. The pile landed upon the desk with a loud thud and every eye in the chamber shifted toward it.

Crowley's smile widened.

"Now then."

Several Ministry officials visibly paled, and Harry felt a little bit sorry for them. Just a little bit. 

"As Lord Sirius Orion Black has now been formally recognized as innocent, and as his imprisonment has been officially acknowledged as unlawful..."

Crowley placed one hand atop the mountain of parchment.

"...I am pleased to inform the Wizengamot that we will be pursuing legal action against the Ministry of Magic."

The chamber exploded, some shouted, others jumped to their feet, and many began talking over one another. Cornelius Fudge nearly fell out of his chair.

Harry felt a smile growing on his face, the chamber had dissolved into complete disorder, and he found himself enjoying every second of it. Watching the Minister, department heads, and Wizengamot members lose their composure all at once had a certain appeal.

"The Ministry of Magic unlawfully imprisoned the Lord of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black for twelve years without trial." His voice cut through the chaos. "Furthermore, said imprisonment resulted in severe physical injury, psychological trauma, financial damages, loss of income, loss of reputation, violation of noble rights, unlawful seizure of property interests, and irreparable harm to my client."

Crowley looked directly at the Minister.

"Accordingly, we will be seeking compensation."

Fudge looked horrified.

"How much?"

Crowley's smile became predatory.

"An amount to be determined by the courts."

He paused and looked at the Minister the way a cat might look at a mouse it had already cornered. 

"Though preliminary estimates currently exceed twenty million galleons."

For several seconds, the entire chamber fell silent, then Cornelius Fudge made a strangled noise and toppled out of his chair, clutching at his robes over his chest.

***

Mr. Weasley had invited everyone for dinner to celebrate Sirius's freedom. Sirius insisted on paying, saying that since it's his celebration, he should cover the bill. Arthur argued a bit but relented, and so, hours after the trial they found themselves at one of the largest restaurants in Diagon Alley. What was initially a relatively small dinner, with just over a dozen people, escalated exponentially as more and more people joined in. 

The celebration ended up taking over nearly half of the restaurant, the owner certainly wasn't complaining, and neither were the customers seated near them, many of whom kept sneaking glances toward Sirius Black, Harry Potter, and the growing collection of famous witches and wizards occupying several joined tables.

Laughter and conversation filled the room. Harry has only known Sirius for a few days, but today is the first time he has seen him this happy. There was a freedom about him, a lightness, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His eyes seemed brighter than they had at any point since Harry first saw him in St. Mungo's, he laughed more easily and smiled more often.

After twelve years of being called a traitor, the entire world now knew the truth.

Across the table, Molly Weasley was attempting to convince Sirius that he needed to eat more.

"You look like an animated skeleton."

"Molly, I've gained seven pounds in less than a week."

"Not enough."

Sirius looked toward Arthur.

"Help."

Arthur wisely focused on his conversation with Mr. Diggory. Beside them, Fred and George were enthusiastically describing various ways the Ministry could be sued.

"Theoretically—"

"It would be hilarious—"

"If every former Azkaban prisoner—"

"Filed compensation claims—"

"At the same time."

Several Ministry employees seated elsewhere in the restaurant looked at them and then at Crowley nervously.

Crowley looked thoughtful, and the employees paled even more. Harry saw the glint in the solicitor's eyes and snickered, which unfortunately got Molly's attention, and she began to fuss over him, filling his plate with more food that Harry could realistically eat. Sirius, seeing his opportunity, moved seats.

Harry made eye contact with him and mouthed "traitor", his godfather just laughed as he sat at another table near Professor McGonagall.  Near them sat Augusta Longbottom, Professor Flitwick, and several other Hogwarts professors.

McGonagall had spent most of the evening fussing over Sirius, acting like a hen mom. She had asked him several times if he had eaten properly, taken his potions, sleeping well,... and just as Sirius sat down, she proceeded to ask about his health once more. Sirius groaned, and Professor Flitwick chuckled into his drink.

A few seats away, Andromeda was speaking with Edward while Tonks entertained several younger guests by changing her appearance every few seconds. Her hair cycled through blue, green, silver, orange, and purple. She also changed different parts of her body, each transformation more ridiculous than the last.

The conversation flowed easily. They exchanged stories, shared old memories, and future plans. 

Every so often Sirius would go quiet and simply look around the room in awe. He would look at Harry, at Andromeda, Professor McGonagall,... and then he would pinch himself as if to make sure this isn't a dream, that he is no longer in Azkaban. 

The sight made something tighten painfully in Harry's chest, he wanted to give him a hug and thought: What is stopping me? So he did just that. As he hugged him, Sirius’s eyes filled with tears for a moment before a huge smile appeared in his face. 

Later into the evening, Sirius was laughing at something Moody had said when his attention shifted toward the large front window overlooking Diagon Alley and he froze. His laughter vanished, and without saying a word, he stood. 

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"Back in a minute."

Harry frowned.

Sirius winked, ruffling his hair before slipping out of the restaurant. Curiosity immediately spread around the table. Moody noticed Sirius slipping away first, then George, then Tonks, and within moments, half the restaurant was watching through the window. 

Outside, beneath the glow of the streetlamps, a lone figure stood on the opposite side of the street. Harry recognized him as Remus Lupin. He had never met the man, but he did see a few photos of him. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days, his clothes were worn, and his shoulder slumped. His hands remained buried deep inside his pockets, and he was looking towards them like a starving man staring through a bakery window.

Like a dog abandoned by its owner, Harry thought. 

Sirius crossed the street just as Remus turned and began to walk away. Upon seeing Sirius he paled and immediately looked away. 

Sirius stopped several feet from him and for several moments neither spoke. Remus kept his eyes fixed firmly on the ground and Sirius was the one to break the silence. Harry couldn't hear what he said, but it got Remus to wince.

“I know a spell that will let us hear what they’re saying,” Professor Flitwick said.

“That would be a violation of their privacy, Filius!” Professor McGonagall replied immediately.

“Is that a no?”

“...”

McGonagall glanced toward Sirius and Remus, then back at Flitwick.

“Do it.”

Harry giggled, he really loves them. 

"Best House Head ever!" Fred whispered with a huge grin. Every other Gryffindor present nodded in immediate agreement, and Professor McGonagall’s cheeks reddened as she cleared her throat.

“Hey! It’s my spell…” Professor Flitwick muttered and Professor Sprout patted his back. 

***

"You know, staring through windows is pretty creepy."

Remus winced.

"I wasn't staring."

"You were absolutely staring."

"I wasn't."

"You looked like a sad puppy."

Remus groaned, and Sirius folded his arms.

"What are you doing here?"

Remus hesitated, and then shrugged. 

"I heard you were here."

"And?"

Remus looked away. 

"I wanted to see you."

Sirius's expression softened for the briefest moment before hardening again.

"You could have come inside."

Remus laughed bitterly.

"No." The answer came right away. "No, I couldn't."

Sirius stared at him and Remus still refused to meet his eyes.

"I believed it." The confession barely rose above a whisper.

Sirius didn't answer.

"I believed you betrayed them." Remus swallowed. "I believed you murdered Peter. I believed you got James and Lily killed."

Sirius remained silent, and Remus finally looked up, his eyes filled with guilt.

"Twelve years." His voice cracked. "Twelve years and I never once questioned it."

The words hung between them, and Sirius continued staring at the man who had once been one of his closest friends, the last Marauder besides himself.

Remus looked away first.

"I don't expect forgiveness."

Sirius's jaw tightened.

"I don't deserve it." The werewolf laughed once, it was a short, miserable broken sound. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."

A long, painful, and very uncomfortable silence followed.

Sirius let out a heavy sigh.

"You absolute idiot."

Remus blinked.

"What?"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"We are both idiots."

Remus let out a startled laugh. It sounded rusty, as tho he hadn't really laughed in a while, and Sirius stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. 

"I thought it was you, Moony."

"What?" Remus frowned.

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets.

"After everything started going wrong, after we knew there was a spy, I thought it was you."

Remus went completely still.

"You what?"

"I suspected you." Sirius gave a short, bitter laugh. "James thought I was being paranoid. Peter encouraged it, actually. Looking back, that should've been a clue."

Remus stared at him.

"You thought I was the spy."

"Yeah."

For a moment neither of them spoke, then, to Sirius's surprise, Remus barked out a disbelieving, slightly hysterical laugh. He had expected Remus to be mad, or maybe hurt, not to laugh. 

"I spent twelve years thinking you betrayed James and Lily."

"And I spent months convinced you were passing information to Voldemort."

Remus covered his face with one hand.

"Oh, we're idiots."

"We're colossal idiots."

Sirius gave a small but genuine smile, and Remus shook his head.

"James would never let us live this down."

"Nope."

"He'd be insufferable."

"Absolutely unbearable."

Another silence followed, less painful than before. Finally, Sirius jerked his head toward the restaurant.

"You coming in, or are you still planning to keep lurking outside all night?"

Remus blinked.

"You want me to come in?"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Moony, half the people in there already know you're standing out here looking miserable."

A faint flush crept across Remus's face.

"Come on," Sirius said more quietly. "I'm not saying everything's fixed. Merlin knows it isn't. But we're alive, Moony. After everything that's happened, we're still standing and that's worth something. Besides Molly's already ordered enough food to feed a small army."

For a moment Remus just stared at him, before swallowing hard and nodding.

"Okay."

***

When Sirius pushed open the restaurant door once more, the people inside did their best to hide that they heard every word said outside. Still, many heads turned towards Sirius and Remus, who paused in the doorway.

Harry noticed the tension in his shoulders and the uncertainty and hesitation in his eyes. Remus looked like a man who had accidentally wandered into the wrong room and was trying to decide whether he should apologize and leave before anyone noticed, which was somewhat ridiculous considering half the people present already knew him.

For several seconds nobody spoke, then Molly Weasley rose from her chair.

"Oh, don't just stand there, dear."

Remus blinked, and Molly pointed toward several empty seats.

"Sit down before the food gets cold."

The werewolf stared at her, not knowing how to respond, and thankfully, Molly didn't give him the opportunity. She immediately began filling another plate while gesturing for him to sit down.

Remus looked a bit terrified at the amount of food, and Sirius snorted, patting his back.

"Good luck, Moony." 

Molly placed enough food on Remus's plate to feed three reasonably sized adults. A few people chuckled at the face he made, and the tension eased. 

Remus found himself seated near Sirius, Tonks, Harry, and several members of the Weasley family. For the first few minutes, he barely spoke, he mostly listened to the conversations around him, observed the people, and occasionally smiled when someone included him in the conversation.

Harry watched him from time to time. Despite being only in his early thirties Remus looked at least a decade older. There was a tiredness about him, not quite physical, but the sort that settled deep into a person's bones and never truly left. His clothes were patched in several places, he wasn't malnourished, but he was a bit on the thinner side.

Harry had learned enough about werewolves to understand his situation.

In the Wizarding World, they were treated terribly, finding a job was nearly impossible, and renting or buying a house wasn't much better. Most people looked at them as though they were monsters or carrying an infectious disease, which, in fairness, wasn't wrong, but werewolves can only transmit their condition during the full moon, yet they were treated as monsters all year round. 

Remus had spent his entire adult life fighting against prejudices he never deserved. It didn't excuse everything, but Harry understood, or at least he thought he did. 

He was not a bad person, but he had spent so many years believing himself unwanted that eventually he had started to fully convince himself of it. Harry recognized that feeling, perhaps not to the same degree. 

Eventually, Remus looked in his direction, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. Something uncertain crossed Remus's face. Guilt, perhaps, or maybe apprehension. After all, Remus had never tried to contact Harry, never checked on him, never written, never visited, and Harry couldn't pretend that didn't sting.

Still, he also couldn't ignore the poverty, the isolation, and the self-loathing that seemed permanently etched into the man's expression, so her made a decision.

"Mr. Lupin."

Remus looked surprised, then something resembling pain flashed across his face.

"Harry." The awkwardness returned, and Remus looked like he did not know if to look at Harry or not, shifting his gaze.

Sirius watched both of them with poorly concealed interest but Harry ignored him.

"How are you?"

Remus was caught off guard by the question.

"I..." He hesitated before laughing softly. "I've been better."

Harry snorted. That was probably the understatement of the century. 

A small smile appeared on Remus's face as Harry asked him a few questions about Hogwarts, about the Marauders, and the conversation slowly became less awkward. 

Relationships took time to build, especially when there was hurt between the people involved. Trust wasn't something that appeared overnight, and neither was forgiveness. But as Harry watched Remus gradually relax and enjoy himself, he thought that perhaps this was a start.

***

Author’s Note: One chapter left, ladies and gentlemen. Volume 2 will end next chapter, and with it Harry’s trial. In Volume 3 the Multiverse part of the story will begin. A clarification, it is not just Harry jumping though words living an adventure like Luffy going from isle to isle. The multiverse part has a plot reason, and each dot with be connected until a big truth about Harry will be revealed.