What If? Part 3

What If? Part 3

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"How can I ever thank-"

"GO!" Harry and Hermione shouted together.

Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.

"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are truly your father's son, Harry..."

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Welcome back. I am your host, The Sorting Hat. Once again I bring you a view into an alternate reality from our own. We all remember the above scene from Harry's third year, and I'm sure we all wished that Sirius could have been able to clear his name instead of being forced to go into hiding. What if he had been able to clear his name? Would his future have been any better? Would Harry have been able to go live with him? What other consequences would have come to pass? In this story, we will learn what could have happened if things had been different. Let us begin with the group approaching the castle with a waning moon in the sky, and hope in their hearts.

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From the moment that the group had arrived at the castle, Harry's new life had begun. They had all entered Hogwarts and immediately encountered a very harassed Cornelius Fudge, arguing with an only slightly less stressed Albus Dumbledore. The argument appeared to be about Fudge's insistence that his dementors be given freer reign in their hunt for Sirius Black. However, when Sirius himself presented himself in front of him, the Minister stopped his argument and promptly fell to the ground in his attempt to run backwards away from Sirius. Dumbledore merely looked over his spectacles and welcomed Sirius back to Hogwarts.

It was sometime before Fudge could do anything but continue to sputter and to back himself further and further away from everyone else present in the room. When he had finally made his way to the grand staircase, he drug himself up using the railing and opened his mouth to call for the dementors. Before he could utter a sound, Dumbledore cast a silencing charm, and told everyone to come immediately to his office where they could all discuss what had happened, and about what actions needed to be taken now.

Once in his office, Dumbledore put a more effective bond on Peter, and enervated the still prone Snape. At first, there was a great tirade of noise from everyone trying to speak at once, but Dumbledore was able to cast another spell of his own invention that he called the "good child" spell. The effect was that, when cast, the people it was cast upon could only speak when they were spoken to.

His first action was to send the now livid Snape off to get a bottle of veritaserum. Once attained, Dumbledore himself administered three drops upon the tongue of Peter. The affect was instantaneous, within seconds, and in front of none other but the Minister of Magic, Peter confessed to everything he had done, including his hand in the deaths of the Potters and his own killing of the Muggles the day it was believed Sirius had killed him. When he had stopped, Cornelius Fudge sat open mouthed for a few minutes before he realized the spells had been removed from them.

"He will be handed over to the authorities," Fudge said looking at Peter with a look of mingled disbelief and repulsion.

"What about my godfather?" Harry asked.

"What, yes, well, I suppose I owe you an apology, Black," Fudge stammered.

"An apology?" Harry yelled. "After thirteen years of his life has been taken from him? Taken from the both of us? I've had to live with my horrible Muggle relatives because of all of this, and you offer him a-" Sirius cut him off.

"Harry, it's ok. What's done is done. I accept your apology, Minister. I expect that a full pardon is also part of the deal?"

Fudge continued to stammer. "A pardon? Well, I, yes, I guess that is in order. You are free to go. Severus, can you help me take Peter down to the dementors?"

Snape looked as if he would have much rather stayed behind and have his own discussion with Sirius, but Fudge's order seemed to carry more weight with him than his own petty feelings of revenge. With himself on one side and the Minister on the other, the two of them removed the frantically sobbing Peter from Dumbledore's office. Once gone, the remaining inhabitants of the room seemed to snap out of some kind of trance.

"I'm free!" Sirius yelled. Harry hugged him around the waist as Lupin put an arm around his shoulder and patted him on the arm.

"I do believe that a feast is in order," Dumbledore said with a definite twinkle in his eyes. "I should imagine that after so many years in Azkaban, the food of Hogwarts will make a nice welcome back. And, I assure you, the treacle tarts are still as good as the day you left here, Sirius."

The feast was the best that Harry could remember. Many of the students, as well as a good deal of the staff, were shocked at first by the sight of Sirius Black sitting next to their headmaster. Hagrid had to be restrained by no fewer than six people when he first saw him. After Dumbledore explained to everyone the events of the evening, many of the professors came over to talk to Sirius, many of them apologizing for their own beliefs that he had been guilty. Snape, however, made no such motion, and instead glared directly in front of him. Sirius told them he did not hold anyone to blame for his plight, and that he was just glad to be free once again. After that, Sirius once again asked Harry if he wished to go and live with him.

"Are you kidding? It's the only thing I've been able to think about! I can't wait to see my aunt and uncle's faces when I tell them I don't have to live with them anymore. They'll have to get a house elf now that I'm gone."

At King's Cross station, Harry made sure to invite Ron and Hermione to come stay with him and Sirius over the summer. Professor Lupin was also going to stay at Grimmauld Place, and Harry was anxious to get in some more Defense training over the summer. Without his turning into a werewolf during the night Peter went into custody, Remus had been invited back to teach the following year at Hogwarts. Professor Snape was less than thrilled, but without proof he could use, there was very little he could do. Remus and Sirius then accompanied Harry back to Privet Drive so that he could pack his things and leave the Dursley's for, what he thought, the last time.

Once back at Grimmauld Place, the three of them all pitched in to clean the place up. Tonks was also reluctantly allowed to help, seeing as she had moved in to live with her new boyfriend, Remus. Sirius had also been seeing Madam Rosemerta, and Harry was very happy to see the two of them so happy.

By the time that their fourth year started, the famous trio had enjoyed their experience at the Quidditch World Cup. Barty Crouch Jr. was still able to cause unrest, and there is very much still a fear of what Voldemort is up to. Even without the help of Peter, Voldemort has still managed to return to England, thanks to his possession of Bertha Jorkins.

When Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire in this reality, Sirius is immediately sent for, and he and Remus search for why someone would want to put Harry's name in for it. With his enhanced senses as a dog, Sirius is able to determine that Professor Moody is not whom he claims to be, and thus foils Voldemort's plans once again. Without Crouch being able to place the portkey in the maze, or help clear the way for Harry, Cedric Diggory is able to win the tournament. Harry did come in a close second, and he was very pleased that he did as well as he could. Cedric would later go on to marry Gabrielle Delacour, but that is another story for another time.

By their fifth year, Voldemort has managed to use his possession of Bertha Jorkins to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. The dementors come over to his side, as expected, and Azkaban is broken open. Once his Death Eaters are reunited with him, Voldemort leaves the body of Bertha Jorkins, who dies instantly after he has left her. He then takes possession of Bellatrix Lestrange. Using her, he invades Grimmauld Place, since Bellatrix had been privy to it's location since she was a relative of the Black family. In the ensuing fight, Sirius is kidnapped and taken to Voldemort's base. Harry immediately leaves Hogwarts when he finds out what has happened. He eventually finds Sirius trapped inside the Department of Mysteries, just as Voldemort planned it.

Once again, the members of The Order of the Phoenix turn up to help Harry, but not before Sirius is blasted into the Archway of Death. Harry screams as he sees his godfather disappear behind the veil, somehow knowing that he will never see him again.

Some things are impossible to avoid. One of these is death. The difference here is that Sirius was given a chance to live for two years, instead of being forced to stay in hiding. Afterwards, Harry is sent back to live with the Dursley's, who accept him back...reluctantly. Fortunately, Harry does not have to stay with them for long. When his godfather's will is read, it turns out that Harry is the sole beneficiary. Grimmauld Place is transported to another location, so that Bellatrix cannot find it again. Harry moves in after his sixth year is complete, and remains there after he joins the Order following his graduation. Grimmauld Place continues to be the meeting place for the Order, and is also often used by its members as a place to stay. Two other new members of the Order, Ron and Hermione, also move in after graduation. Over the years that followed, the trio fought many savage battles, and endured great personal loses. Harry never forgot Sirius, and he took great strength from his memories of the times they had managed to spend together. And so, years later, when Harry would receive an owl telling him that his own son, Sirius Ronald Potter, was acting up at Hogwarts, he had to admit that he wouldn't want him any other way.

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So, as you can see, sometimes fate cannot be averted. Do come see me again soon. Until then, may fate shine upon you.