The Summer of the Phoenix

Chapter 31

"Talking of the Quidditch World Cup," Kingsley Shacklebolt said, resuming his seat after they had all raised their goblets in a toast to a very embarrassed Tonks, "and of incompetent Aurors - " he gave Moody a grin "- Sirius, I was going to ask you, since I've got to be seen doing something to push the investigation a little - have you ever been to Tibet?"

Sirius was rather taken aback by the question. "Tibet? No. Why?"

"Like the Ministry to think that's where you are?"

"Yeah, sure. Anywhere, really, except here."

"I figured that Tibet would be a good option. It's conveniently far away, and I have a colleague and friend at the Ministry of Magic there. I met him at the World Cup, really nice chap, and between us we could easily produce a nice batch of official looking correspondence for the files, enough to keep me busy for a few weeks."

"You know a Tibetan Auror?" Tonks asked, sounding very impressed.

"Well, he's not an Auror in the strict sense. The Tibetans don't really believe in law enforcement, not the way we do," Kingsley explained. "I don't think I really got it when he tried to explain it to me, but it sounded like they believe more in a balance of good and evil, and rely on the power of the mind, rather than their wands, to maintain it. It all starts with keeping light and darkness in balance within yourself, apparently. It sounded like quite a fascinating concept."

Moody snorted.

"No, some of it is worth giving a second thought, really," Shacklebolt insisted. "They rely a lot on negotiation, too, rather than confrontation. That does have its advantages in some situations."

"You don't negotiate with a Death Eater," Sirius said grimly.

"If Albus Dumbledore hadn't negotiated with a Death Eater many years ago, Sirius," said Lupin quietly, "I very much doubt that either of us would still be alive today."

There was a heavy silence.

"Would you say that's a good plan, Sirius?" Kingsley asked finally.

Sirius came out of his thoughts. "Yeah, of course. Great idea. Whatever."

"And you've definitely never been to Tibet before?"

"No, I haven't, I told you."

"It wouldn't do for any of our evidence to turn out to be real, you know."

"Come to think of it," Moody said suddenly, "always meant to ask, where were you when they were hunting for you, Sirius? After your escape from Azkaban, I mean?"

"Trade secrets."

"Come on."

"The Forbidden Forest."

Kingsley Shacklebolt almost choked on his wine.

"What?" Tonks exclaimed. "But Hogwarts, and Hogsmeade, the whole place was teeming with Dementors!"

"I noticed that," said Sirius dryly.

"I don't believe it!" Kingsley set his goblet down, still trying to recover his breath. "You were there all the time? The whole year?"

"I had to get into Hogwarts somehow, didn't I?"

"Without a wand?" Kingsley threw his head back and laughed. "You're mad, Black."

Sirius shrugged. "I had priorities, that was all."

"That's what I mean," Kingsley chuckled. They were all laughing now.

"What happened to your wand, by the way?" Tonks asked. "Did they snap it in half when you - you know - ?"

"Oh, that's another really dodgy chapter in the whole story," said Kingsley, serious again. "They lost it. It's gone."

Sirius, Lupin and Moody exchanged amused looks. "Are you sure?" Lupin asked innocently.

"I asked about the wand when I took over the files two years ago, and it wasn't there," Kingsley explained. "I never got a definite answer what had happened to it. But if it had been destroyed, there should have been a record of it in the files, and there's simply nothing in there. It must have got lost somewhere in the wheels of Ministry bureaucracy."

"That's what you think, Shacklebolt," Moody growled.

"What do you mean?"

"He means that's not what happened to it," Sirius said, leant past Lupin, and lazily pointed his wand at the bottle on the table. "Accio wine bottle." The bottle skidded across the wooden surface and zoomed neatly into his outstretched hand.

Kingsley Shacklebolt's eyes travelled from the bottle in Sirius's left hand to the wand in his right, putting two and two together. "You're kidding," he said. "This isn't - "

Sirius refilled his goblet. "Yes it is," he said. "More wine, anyone?"

"Yes," Kingsley said quickly, holding out his own goblet. "Definitely. Merlin's beard, if the Ministry knew this. How did you ever get it back?"

"I took it," Moody said bluntly, "and gave it to Albus Dumbledore for safe-keeping. And he's seen fit to return it to its owner. And now I'm afraid I'll have to kill you, Shacklebolt, to make sure you don't go blabbing about it at the Ministry. I don't want to lose my pension."

Kingsley let out another hearty laugh. "I'll be as silent as a grave. But you've got some nerve," he said, shaking his head at Moody. "Steal evidence from the Ministry and then lecture us on perverting the course of justice!"

Now it was Moody's turn to laugh, but his laugh was very bitter. "Not much justice left to pervert in Sirius's case, was there?" he growled. "What do you need evidence for when you don't have a trial? As soon as it was clear that they were going to chuck Sirius into Azkaban without bothering the Wizengamot about a verdict, Dumbledore asked me to get hold of the wand, and so I did. Of course they noticed it had gone missing, but luckily all these amateurs at the Ministry were far too keen to hush up what they thought was their own blunder, instead of investigating the incident properly. They were extremely helpful in making sure it was soon forgotten." He snorted derisively.

"I can't believe it was that easy."

"Oh, it was," Moody grumbled. "Security gaps and incomplete documentation everywhere. Pathetic."

"What did Dumbledore want with Sirius's wand?" Tonks asked.

"Priori Incantatem," Lupin muttered.

"Priori Incantatem? Wasn't that the first thing the Ministry checked when Sirius was arrested?"

"Was it?" Lupin asked Kingsley.

"Ah, that's the other great unanswered question. We don't know. There's nothing about that in the files either. I remember that, that was actually why I'd asked about the wand in the first place."

"You'd think that's more than just a minor blunder though," Tonks said, shaking her head. "I can't believe they didn't check that. I mean, as criminal evidence in court, it's irrefutable. It would have proved your innocence, Sirius."

"I know," said Sirius tonelessly, staring into the fire.

"Talking of covering up their own blunders," Kingsley wondered quietly, "could it be that they did check it, and that was the reason why they never gave you a proper trial?"

Another heavy silence descended on the group.

"God, that's sick," Tonks whispered.

Sirius turned sharply towards her, the flickering firelight casting deep shadows on his grim face. "What did you expect?"

"The trouble is that we simply don't know," Lupin said quietly. "But I think Dumbledore guessed that the wand would go conveniently missing at some point, he just made sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands."

"Didn't he ever check it?" Tonks asked.

"And then left me rotting in Azkaban for twelve years although he knew the truth?" Sirius said sarcastically.

"But he must at least have tried?"

Sirius made no answer. Had he, indeed? Dumbledore had, for more than twelve years, been in possession of the one piece of evidence that might have established Sirius's innocence - and yet, was it possible that he had never even tried to find out what it could tell him? I learned the truth about a day fourteen years ago, Sirius recalled Dumbledore's words at the new Order's first meeting, a truth that we all failed to see back then, and that we never bothered to uncover afterwards. We were blinded, content to trust our eyes, rather than our hearts, which spoke so differently. The words were edged deeply into his memory, and they had given him so much comfort when he had first heard them spoken, but now, they were taking on a very different and very unsettling meaning. A truth we never bothered to uncover afterwards, they echoed in his head. He felt his stomach turn over. Twelve lost years, wasted years, stolen years. All because Albus Dumbledore had never bothered?

"What makes you think he didn't?" Lupin's voice rose over his thoughts. "Remember, Tonks, the Priori Incantatem is infallible, but it only works once. Dumbledore must have tried to get an answer out of the wand, but if the Ministry did it first, it couldn't tell him anything any more."

"Then why did he still keep it all these years?"

"I believe that was because he never really gave up hope," said Lupin, and smiled a smile that warmed Sirius's heart.

Sirius looked down at the wand he was still holding in his hand, scratched and worn from age and long use, but unbroken, a token of trust against all reason and of hope against all odds.

"Keep it safe," Moody said gravely. "Who knows, one day it might still provide an answer that nobody will dare to question any more."

There was a very long silence. Then Sirius put his wand away, picked up his goblet and raised it to his friends. "To old times reborn," he said quietly.

Moody returned the salute, and so did Tonks and Kingsley. Sirius turned towards Lupin, who hadn't moved. His friend's head had sunk forward onto his chest, his greying hair falling over his face.

"Remus?" Sirius put his hand on a limp arm. "Remus? What's wrong?"

"He's just asleep," Tonks whispered.