Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter13

Revelations

Harry's Press Conference with the Ministry on Monday evening had actually proved quite productive!

They had all made their way to the Ministry Press Headquarters by Portkey, temporarily raising another unpleasant memory in Harry, where they were greeted by an army of reporters from around the globe. The reporters, however, drew back aghast at the sight of Grace, who had used her own form of apparition, not too dissimilar to that of a House Elf, to arrive a few moments later. Grace, carving a path through these frightened reporters, led them to the conference room. The whole building had been magically enlarged to provide for her immense size, and as they passed, people in the halls stepped aside and stared.

Once in the conference hall, they saw a stage set up in front of several rows of seats, with a lectern, behind which those addressing the crowd would speak. The stage, they learnt, would be enchanted with the "Sonorus" Charm later on in the evening when it was time for the conference, and a few other charms so that the Press Conference would also be reported live on the Wizard Wireless Network. In the meantime, they took their places on the stage to discuss tactics.

Dumbledore had amended his strategy slightly, for those who were present. If and when called, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione would each take the stand to confirm any questions, which might arise about their involvement in various events. It had been decided that they would be frank about Wormtail. The question surrounding Voldemort's uprising would certainly be addressed, and that would be achieved by mentioning this despicable and pathetic excuse for a human being. Therefore, they would have to mention the fact that he was an illegal Animagus, and tell that story. Harry had learned from previous conversations with Remus and Sirius that they had all planned on registering with the ministry later on, when the trouble had passed, after all, having that trick up your sleeve would prove to be invaluable. However, that opportunity had never arisen. By the time they were going t o register, Prongs was dead, Wormtail was goodness-knows-where, and Padfoot was rotting in Azkaban. And of course, nobody would believe the word of lowly Werewolf scum! However, Dumbledore had brought his very own lie-detector to the proceedings, and so they would know that they were telling the truth. And, as the final coup de grâce, they would reveal that Sirius was innocent, and would testify in the proceedings, with Grace as the lie-detector, corroborating all the other stories, and proving beyond all shadow of a doubt, the existence of Voldemort.

Harry had a thought. He turned and spoke to Grace, who in turn spoke to Dumbledore, who replied to Grace, who replied in kind to Harry.

"Yes, Harry, it will work. Albus thinks that it is an excellent idea."

"Assuming the situation arises."

"Albus has no doubts that it will."

"Very well," Harry thought, grimly. "So be it."

The room was filling up rapidly now. Apparently, it was near the time when the press conference was due to start. A quick glance at the Marauder's Watch confirmed this. Then he had another thought. Putting his finger to the glass, he whispered,

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" The watch face faded in an instant, and a perfect map of the Ministry building appeared. He touched the face with his finger, on the room they were all in, and scanned the map for names. There were a few he recognised. All the names on the stage so far, Minister Fudge was making his way to the stage, there were dozens of reporters, none of whom Harry recognised. Then he saw it, as clear as the nose on his face,

"Lucius Malfoy"

He gave a short gasp, composed himself, and showed the watch to Moony, who in turn whispered to Dumbledore, who nodded with grim satisfaction.

"Albus wishes to know if there is anyone else whom you know of?"

Harry looked at his watch, scanning tentatively. Yes, there, he saw it!

"Nott and Goyle and...

"PETTIGREW!" He hissed. Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Are you sure, Harry?" Dumbledore asked urgently.

"The Marauder's Map never lies!" Remus said gravely. Ron and Hermione stared at Harry.

"When were you going to tell us about this?" Ron asked indignantly.

" When we'd finished the other map. It was going to be a pleasant surprise, sort of a reward, if you will. But first, I wanted some time alone with it. It was a present from Remus and Sirius, and, it was like an extra link to dad. Do you understand?" He looked down. They simply took his hands and shoulder, and squeezed.

"Where are they Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"They're spread throughout the crowd. I think they're using Polyjuice potion. I can't see them anywhere."

"Just the four of them?"

"They're the only names that I recognise, but for all we know, he could have recruited more over the Summer." Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, waked onto the stage, and stepped up to the Lectern. "Shhh... It's starting!"

"Ladies and gentleman!" Fudge began, a grave look on his face. "The events of the past few months can not have escaped your notice. The people here today, with me on stage, can tell you the reasons behind those events." He looked grave, and just a little grumpy, as if he'd rather have kept the charade of safety, peace, and tranquillity running for as long as possible. "Albus, if you would..." He stood aside, leaving the lectern for the old wizard, and took a seat at the opposite side of the stage to the others. There was a gentle rumble in the hall as Dumbledore ambled to the lectern, people wondering what was happening, and finally, when the rumbling had stilled, he spoke.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Voldemort!" There were screams of panic in the hall, everyone looking around madly, eyes wild, tempers and emotions flaring, and once again, it took Dumbledore a few minutes to calm everyone down. "Would everyone PLEASE not panic. He is not here, now. Nor do I believe that he is anywhere near here. However, he is back, and I have two eyewitnesses of the fact, who witnessed his rebirth." Another loud rumble, but this time more tempered, and the crowd took less time to come to order. Now then, as I am sure you are all able to see, this stage and hall have been enlarged to accommodate my good Sphynx friend, Grace. I have asked her to tell no lies, however, the minister is more than welcome to cross examine her on the fact, should he wish to clarify it for himself. Now the purposes for which Grace is present are twofold. Firstly, as I am sure you can gather, Grace is here as a lie detector, as an added precaution against anyone here being immune to the Veritas Serum. This announcement I have made is not to be taken lightly. It is a serious allegation which we have made, all of us on stage on my right, and I want to leave no shadow of a doubt that the dark times are once again upon us. As always, in these times, we must act cautiously, but we must still go along with our daily routines. We must not allow fear to rule our lives. As I told my students at the end of last year, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. We must stand together. Now, apart from Grace being here as a Lie Detector, she is also one of the two individuals, who saw Voldemort's Rebirth. Her witnessing of the events occurred through the eyes of another on stage with me now, to my right. Stand forth now, and speak, Harry Potter." Another low rumble rose and faded.

"I wonder why it was that it was easier to make a speech in front of the Quidditch Candidates?" he thought ironically.

"Just relax, Harry." Ron said gently.

"Yeah, speak the truth and you can't go wrong."

"Well, I guess it all really starts with the Crouch family. More appropriately, Barty Crouch Junior..." As Harry spoke, reliving what he heard from the mouth of the man who had impersonated Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody for the duration of the previous year at Hogwarts, under the guise of Polyjuice Potion, Harry found it surprisingly easy to talk about. As despicable as the events were for him, as sickening as impressed themselves upon him, he felt relief that, far from ridiculing him, the events he described seemed to hearten the crowds, rather than entreat fear. Maybe Ron was right about what he said about Harry going into public speaking. He certainly seemed to have their attention, without invoking the panic that Dumbledore had. As he went through Barty Crouch helping his Son escape Azkaban, their capture of the real "Mad-Eye", and the events of the Triwizard tournament, he felt his resolve growing. He admitted his faults, saying that he was shown the dragons, that he was helped with the Gillyweed, not receiving any rumblings or sneerings in the process. Either the death eaters in the audience had left, or they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. The fact that Grace, as the non-objective lie detector had not uttered a single growl obviously gave them the proof they needed that every word passing this boys lips was true. When Harry reached the part where he and Cedric Diggory touched the cup, Harry started to quaver, and he broke down again when he told about Wormtail killing Cedric. There were several gasps at this, and more rumbling, whilst Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, rushed over to comfort Harry.

The audience watched this in somewhat befuddled amusement. Few people had ever seen such a tight-knit group of friendship that they were witnessing on the stage in front of them. There certainly appeared to be some unspoken communication between these four, which appeared to have the desired effect of calming down The Boy Who Lived.

After a few minutes he was able to continue. He told of how he was tied to the stone, about the baby Wormtail carried in his arms, the Graveyard, the caldron, the ingredients and the incantation. Harry shuddered to remember the sight of the baby being thrown into the caldron, the bone exhumed from Tom Riddle Senior's grave, the hand which Wormtail cut off himself, the knife at his arm, piercing the crook of his elbow "Blood of the Enemy, forcibly taken, you shall resurrect your foe!" He told of Voldemort arising, touching him, and explained the significance of this. He told how, touching the Dark Mark on Wormtail's arm, he summoned the Death Eaters, listing the names of those who arrived, being placed under the Cruciatus Curse, and then the Duel. However, as he came to the crunch, he found himself unable to continue the vein. He skipped ahead to where he made his escape, throwing Stunning Spells behind him using pure instinct more than anything else, to avoid the curses that were being thrown at him, and reaching Cedric's body, and summoning the Triwizard cup. Which, as he said brought him back to the beginning, Barty Crouch Junior's Veritas Serum-induced confession.

"And speaking of Veritas Serum!" Minister Fudge interrupted. "It is time for you to take yours, so we can spread the lies from the truth." He administered the dose, and Harry Shuddered, feeling the ice coarse through his veins and his jaw and voice box, in fact his whole body, go numb. "You are a Parselmouth, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And how did you come by these extraordinary abilities?"

"I don't know. Professor Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort transferred some of his powers to me, the night he tried to kill me."

"And you were the one to solve the Mystery of the Chamber of Secrets?"

"That is correct."

"How was it opened?"

"It had to be opened by another Parselmouth." Harry answered, his voice set in, what sounded to him, a drunken monotone.

"And who was this Parselmouth, who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

"His name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. Very few people in this room now know him by that name. Everyone here will know of him as Lord Voldemort; An anagram-based pseudonym which he used, initially amongst his closest friends. He knew it would cause doubt and fear. He, as the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin, is a Parselmouth, and he has a large snake called Nagini. Whilst Wormtail was nursing him in a rudimentary body, he prepared a sort of potion from Nagini's venom, which acted like milk for a baby." And now, Harry thought, was the moment to bring it up himself. "Everyone thought it was Hagrid who opened the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago, when the girl Myrtle was killed, because he was keeping an Acromantula as a pet. It wasn't him. It was Tom Riddle then as well, who set the Basilisk on the school."

"And how do you know this?"

"He told me."

"When?"

"He told me about his name in the Chamber of Secrets, when Ron and I went down there to look for Ginny, and he told me about Nagini after he was reborn."

"Why didn't you tell the teachers what you were going to do in the Chamber?"

"We tried. We were going to try anything. We were about to tell the Professors that we knew what was in the Chamber of Secrets. We were in the Staff Common Room, when the teachers came in before we were ready to talk to them. They had just announced that everyone was to return to their dormitories and the Professors were to meet were we were. We were thrown off by the announcement. We thought, "Not another attack now!" it just took us by surprise. And then when we found out it was Ginny, well, that threw us even further. Then, we decided that moping around the Common Room wasn't helping Ginny, so we just decided to go for it."

"And how did you survive?"

"With a lot of help from Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's Phoenix. He blinded the Basilisk and I also received a sword, with which I killed it. The Basilisk is known as the King of Serpents, and it has a murderous stare, which is how the girl Myrtle died fifty years ago, but no-one died this time around because they only saw its eyes through reflections and distorting optics."

"And what about these turns you have all over the school?"

"Rita Skeeter is not to be taken at her word. She distorts everything she hears to make it perverted. My scar hurts me whenever Voldemort" there were several angry gasps. WHEN would people realise that it is just a name? "Is angry or is planning something Murderous. The last time was three weeks ago, when that family down in Devon were attacked. That is the only one I can think of which he must have planned."

"And you mentioned a man called Wormtail several times. Who is he? This cannot be his real name no more than that of You-Know-Who!"

"That is correct. The man whom I have called Wormtail has, in my opinion, lost all rights to be called by his real name. His human name. The name Peter Pettigrew." There was a tremendous uproar at this. Peter Pettigrew seen alive as of only a few months ago? That would undermine practically EVERYTHING the Wizarding World believed in so far. If Peter Pettigrew was alive, then what in the name of Merlin was the situation with Sirius Black.

"How is that possible? Sirius Black blew him into smithereens! The biggest bit of him we found was his finger!"

"If you will check your records properly, I think that, apart from a few stray hairs and pieces of robes, the ONLY piece of him you found was his finger. He is an unregistered Animagus. He cut his finger off and then transformed into a Rat, after blowing up the street behind his back with his wand. He was in hiding for twelve years as a pet rat owned by the Weasley family. But then Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, tried to kill Pettigrew for real this time. He eventually stopped

because I asked him not to, because I didn't think that my father would want his Best Man, and Best Friend to become a real Murderer."

"But how did he know where to find Peter Pettigrew?"

"You Minister."

"ME?" Explain yourself, boy!"

"He asked you for a Newspaper because he missed doing the Crossword. On the front page of that Newspaper was a picture of the Weasley Family on Holiday in Egypt after their big win. The article mentioned that Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy would be going back to Hogwarts in September. He saw Wormtail on Ron's shoulder. If you looked closely at the picture, you can see that the rat has a toe missing on a front paw. That's where he cut his finger off. You remember that the Dementors told you he used to talk in his sleep. Can you remember what they said he said?"

"He's at Hogwarts! He's at Hogwarts!"

"Everyone always thought that Sirius was after me. He was after Wormtail. To a limited extent, I think he has a right to want Wormtail dead after betraying two of his best friends to death and sending himself to Azkaban."

"And how do you know that he was an unregistered Animagus?"

"Sirius told me."

"You keep calling him Sirius. Why?"

"It must have been in the papers! Therefore, everyone who read the papers must know he's my Godfather."

"You have been in contact with him?"

"He checks to see whether I'm okay, especially after the Triwizard tournament, and Voldemort coming back."

"And are you?"

"Not yet."

"But how does Black know that Peter Pettigrew is an Unregistered Animagus?" Dumbledore nodded at Ginny.

"Dumbledore says go ahead and tell it."

"He is as well." There were angry rumblings at this. After several fireworks were shot out of Fudge's wand, the auditorium calmed down. "I cannot explain the full story. Professor Lupin is probably better equipped to tell it."

"Very well Harry, you may step down." Fudge said this almost kindly, raising an eyebrow from Lupin. Lupin staggered slightly as he stood up, before wandering over to the lectern. Harry took his seat and immediately hands were on his shoulders, squeezing in comfort.

Lupin looked at Fudge, who nodded, and he began.

"As most of you here already know, I am a werewolf, which means once a month, I become dangerous to humans, and for which reason, Professor Dumbledore, here, is the only one who has ever given me a chance. I was bitten when I was but a boy and, I was shunned by all of my friends. However when I received my letter from Hogwarts, my parents replied to Dumbledore, telling him that we were unable to accept because I would be a risk to the students. He replied to my parents in person, saying that, in his own words, it was absolute poppycock, and he would make sure that they were heavily fined if they refused to deny me my right to friends and a proper magical education. He found me a safe place to transform every month, and I never hurt anyone because of this. For the first time, I had friends, and they were wonderful, but I quickly ran out of excuses of where I went to once a month. It was James who figured it out, and far from shunning me as well, they decided to become Animagi so we could still hang out, even though I was a Werewolf. Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail as we called him, was a Rat, Sirius was a dog, and James was a stag. When I found out that James was dead, and Lily as well, I was heart-broken. What I heard about Sirius completely tore my soul away. I just couldn't believe that he'd do such a thing. But surely the Ministry would have given him a fair trial..."

"I'm afraid not Moony!" came a voice from the stage. The next minute, Sirius had thrown the invisibility cloak over to Harry, and was standing next to his one remaining Brother in all but blood, embracing warmly. The reaction from the Auditorium was deafening. There were screams and roars even louder than when Dumbledore first mentioned Voldemort. The time it took to calm them down after this latest revelation would have been almost long enough to completely satiate your hunger at the Hogwarts dining hall.

Finally, when the crowd calmed down enough to allow Dumbledore (who had got out of his chair to speak) to be heard, he said "Now then. I have heard Mister Black's full story, and I believe him fully. I have Grace present as a witness to the veracity of his statement, however, for further clarification, Mister Black has also agreed to be subject to the Veritas Serum. Minister...?" Fudge stood up and once again administered the Serum. Dumbledore stood down.

"Now then, Mister Black. You have been in contact with Harry since your escape from Hogwarts a little over fifteen months ago?"

"Sporadically, to exchange news, and to check to see that he is okay."

"And you are an unregistered Animagus?"

"Yes."

"Will you show us all please?" All too briefly, where Sirius had been standing, stood a very large black dog, jowls aquiver, and then a second later, Sirius was back again. "And why are you not registered?"

"At first we simply thought it would be cool. We did this so we could spend more time with Moony, during the full moon, and then when we left school, the trouble had started in earnest, and we thought it would be a good trick to have up our sleeves. We were going to register when the troubles were over, however by the time that happened, Prongs was dead, Wormtail was fleeing for his miserable life, and I had been sent to Azkaban without a trial." Another uproar.

"So... So... SO!" Fudge called, eventually returning to decorum. "So how did you escape Azkaban?"

"The Dementors are blind. They cannot see shapes, only emotions." He told of his time in Azkaban, of how he had felt being in there, knowing that he was innocent. Of how he had transformed for long periods to keep his sanity, and of how he'd eventually decided to escape and kill Wormtail. "I know it was wrong," he added, the emotion in his words more than supplemented the lack of emotion in his voice which the Veritas Serum induced. "But I was blinded by grief and rage. I'd suggested him as Lily, James, and Harry's Secret Keeper instead. I practically gave them to Voldemort on a silver platter. That is something I cannot forgive myself for. The effects of the Veritas Serum, under such a long speech, and such a heavy wave of emotion, began to wear off and Sirius, regaining some motor reflexes, bowed his head in sorrow.

In the ensuing silence that followed, Harry could almost feel the sympathy in the room. He quickly checked his watch. The Death Eaters had indeed left throughout the proceedings, which meant that they were there to spy on Dumbledore, to find out what aces he had up his sleeves.

Finally Minister Fudge stood up and announced that the conference was nearly concluded, and that there would be just enough time for a few questions.

The first question was simple enough, and addressed the reason for the presence of Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

This question was fielded by Dumbledore.

"Miss Granger, Mister Weasley and Miss Weasley are here because, for various reasons, and in various ways, they have been an integral part of Harry's successes. They worked together with Harry to discover the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. They worked together with Harry to help him defeat Voldemort when he was attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone." Although this wasn't strictly true, as Ginny wasn't at Hogwarts that year, it seemed only right that she be included in the generality, and after all, if Ginny hadn't tried to get rid of Riddle's diary, they might never have gone to Hagrid, who had led them to Aragog, who had told them about the girl who died in the bathroom, which had helped them put together the last pieces of the puzzle. "They are here in case any gaps were left in Harry's story. I will permit one question to each of them, so think carefully about what you ask, and remember, I completely discredit anything Miss Rita Skeeter has written in the Daily Prophet about my students as unreliable drivel."

The three questions, that the awaiting press were allowed, were spent on their own contributions to Harry's quest. Ginny kept to the more pleasant aspects (if there were any) of being enchanted by Tom Riddle. No mention of how she came by the diary was made. Dumbledore intended for the Malfoy family to disgrace themselves. There was no need to make wild - although accurate - accusations. Hermione decided to reiterate the story of how she had worked out that the Slytherin's monster was a Basilisk, and how it felt to be petrified by the beast. Ron, on the other hand, felt a small amount of pride in blowing his own trumpet about his prowess in chess, and how he had, with the help of Harry and Hermione, managed to defeat McGonagall's chess set when they were looking for the Philosopher's Stone. This, of course Harry and Hermione strongly protested, saying that Ron had done it all himself. However, Ron replied that they had followed him unquestioning, which was just as important, especially in Wizard's Chess (which is why Harry had so little success - they normally played with Ron's set which trusted him implicitly, whilst Harry's set were still getting used to him).

The last questions asked were directed to Dumbledore and Fudge. Dumbledore about what he planned to do about fighting against Voldemort, and Fudge about what he planned to do with Sirius Black. Dumbledore replied that he would do everything necessary to make certain that the Dark Side would be defeated, as simply as that. There was a fire in his eyes as Dumbledore spoke these last words, Harry could see it, and he felt certain that those who couldn't see the fire, must surely be able to feel it. He hoped it would inspire confidence and mutual trust and companionship. And Fudge...

"Messrs Black, Dumbledore, Lupin, Potter, Weasley, and Miss Granger, will appear before the Wizarding Council on Wednesday evening in the company of this Sphynx. They will, once again, present their evidence under Veritas Serum, and, if the court agrees, Mister Black will be given a full exoneration. And with that, Ladies and Gentleman, I should like to bring this press conference to a close. Good evening."

*****

Wednesday evening was a much simpler affair. After a brief visit to Gringott's, before closing time, to top up their purses for their visits to Hogsmeade, they reconvened in the Ministry building for Sirius' Hearing. Some of Sirius' old teachers and friends came to bare witness for his character. The basic outline was that he was always an excellent student, if a little high-spirited (which the teachers agreed was putting it mildly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione once again told of their first meeting with Sirius. They told of the fact that, although he was still brimming with fury and hate for Wormtail, he was sane enough to hear reason, and still human enough to abide by the wishes of his Godson, and not to kill him.

Sirius once again told of growing up with Remus, James, and Wormtail, their friendship, the wedding, and afterwards, when they found out that Voldemort was after Lily and James. He told once again of the idea to swap with Wormtail, how it was supposed to be the perfect bluff. How he still felt guilty to that day and would still feel guilty until the day he died. Sirius stated himself that "The most damning pieces of evidence against me is my own free admission that I wanted to kill him. However, although I felt furious, I didn't actually want to kill Wormtail, just to turn him over to Azkaban as a Death Eater, and a traitor. Come to think of it, that wouldn't have done much good anyway, now that Voldemort has the Dementors! That, and the fact that I accidentally injured Ron, when I dragged him down to the cabin when I tried to get Peter off him..."

"Sir!" Ron interrupted. "Can I just put it on record that I don't blame him in the slightest for injuring me that night, and that it was only a broken leg, which Madame Pomfrey was able to fix like that!" he said, snapping his fingers. "The only really upsetting thing that happened was finding out that my pet rat was a treacherous cowardly maniac who I let sleep in my bed for eight years! That wasn't Sirius' fault. Of course I was brought up knowing his story almost as well as Harry's, my father working for the Ministry, but, getting to know him as I have done over the last year, I simply cannot believe that he would have done it. He loved Lily and James so much. He loves Harry so much. Why would he do it? How COULD he do it? Simply put, sir, he WOULDN'T." That last sentiment was held by all of the subsequent witnesses and those who had already been called asked to be put on record as agreeing the same.

After an hour-long break, during which time the Jury went to discuss their decision, the court reconvened to hear the verdict, which would be the Jury's responsibility, and the execution of the verdict, which would be Minister Fudge's responsibility. The press had been called in at this point so that the results could be published in the newspapers the following morning.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, have you reached a decision?"

The Spokesperson stood up and said, "Yes, Minister."

"And did you reach your decision unanimously?"

"Yes Minister."

"And what is your verdict?"

"Based on all evidence presented, looking through the files and discovering that, indeed, Mister Black was sent to Azkaban without a trial, and based on the compelling evidences afforded by Miss Granger and Messrs Lupin, Potter, and Weasley, not to mention Black himself, all given under Veritas Serum, and in the presence of a Sphynx, cleared by the court as not having been asked to lie about anything, we agree that Mister Black is innocent of the charge of murdering Peter Pettigrew and a street full of Muggles. However, the Jury cannot condone the fact that, although the sentiment was just and noble, Mister Black chose to escape Azkaban, rather than talk it over with the proper authorities, and no matter how accidental it was, hurting an innocent student is inexcusable. It is, therefore, the Jury's recommendation that Mister Black receives a full pardon, and an acceptable sum for compensation. However, some of that compensation should go to Mister Ronald Weasley as compensation for his injuries suffered at the hands (or rather paws) of Mister Black, and that Mister Black, as punishment for escaping Azkaban should do a fixed period of community service."

"Very well, Spokesperson. Thank you." Minister Fudge sat down and thought for a few minutes, before standing up, looking Sirius right in the eye and saying, "Mister Black, it is the decision of this court that you will receive a full pardon for the crimes of which you were accused fourteen years ago, and a public apology from the ministry. It was wrong for Bartemius Crouch Senior, the former Minister of Magic, to send you to Azkaban without a fair trial, and for that I apologise. In addition to your apology, you will receive compensation of two hundred and fifty thousand Galleons. However, due to your careless behaviour, which caused the personal injury of a student, Mister Ronald Weasley, you will pay said student damages of seventy-five thousand Galleons. It is the court's further decision that because you chose to escape Azkaban prison, rather than reporting your findings through the proper authorities, you will perform a year of community service under the watchful eye of Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This particular case is over. Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen, you are dismissed."

Sirius looked around at them all completely dazed. He was free! The first thing he was aware of was Moony's arms around him, squeezing the astonishment right out of him, followed closely by Harry's arms around him, squeezing the elation right into him. Then Hermione had her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek, Ron was patting him smartly on the back,

"Oh no you don't, my boy! You're getting the biggest hug of them all, as you kept Wormtail for me all these years!" and with that, he threw his arms around him and ruffled the mop of red hair.

The Weasley blush ever prominent, Ron muttered "Don't mention it."

"Well, well, young Mister Black," Dumbledore said solemnly, eyes twinkling. "It looks like your mine for the next year. I expect you to be on your best behaviour, do we understand each other?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and Remus, you are joining us at Hogwarts for the remainder of the week!"

"YES SIR!" he replied laughing.

The following morning at breakfast, Dumbledore stood up.

"Those of you who receive the Daily Prophet, and other newspapers will forgive me for reiterating that which you already know, but for those of you who don't know, I have an important announcement. Fourteen years ago, a man was unjustly sent to Azkaban for a crime he did not commit. Two years ago he escaped and has been working for me since then. Last night, thanks to some of the students here at Hogwarts, he has received a full pardon, and we are all under strict instruction not to reproach him for a past that was not his. Now, I would like you to welcome into our midst one of Hogwarts most beloved, if not notorious students, Mister Sirius Black!" A stunned silence filled the room. Everyone was staring at Sirius nervously, wondering what in the name of Merlin Dumbledore had done this time.

Harry looked around in shock. How could they possibly believe that Sirius was anything but innocent? There must surely be people in the Hall who knew the story behind what Sirius was supposed to have done. Therefore there was only one thing that Harry should do. He stood up. Hermione, seemingly guessing what he was about to do, held her hand up to Ron and Ginny to wait for a moment. Harry walked up to the teachers' table, right in front of where Sirius was sitting, between Remus and Dumbledore, looked him straight in the eye, an angry look on his face, which everyone who had watched him get up must surely have seen. He stared at Sirius for a minute, the Hall still in complete silence, waiting to see what Harry would do, when he winked at Sirius, before stretching his hands out in front of him and pulling them together sharply in a clap. Then he clapped again, and then again. Slowly but surely his applause quickened, and then Harry thought "NOW!"

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood up, brought their hands together and started clapping too. Soon the twins joined them, then Lee Jordan, then Alicia, Katy, and Angelina. The Gryffindors took their cue from the Quidditch team, and soon enough, the other tables were joining in with a few notable, and expected exceptions from the Slytherin table.

As the applause died down, Dumbledore spoke again, Harry still standing at the teachers' table. "Sirius, or rather Professor Black," Harry wheeled round at this in surprise, as did Sirius, Remus, and the other teachers as well. "Will be teaching apparition to those students who are of age. Now then, please finish off your breakfasts before it is time for classes." He sat down again.

"Professor?" Harry asked, addressing Sirius.

"Professor?" Sirius asked, addressing Dumbledore.

"Professor!" Dumbledore said, smiling.

"Isn't that a community menace?" Remus added with a laugh.

"Probably!" Sirius punched his friend lightly on the arm.

"Professor, Remus?" Harry said. "Could you come with me for a minute, please. There are people here who really want to meet you, and who say they owe you a lot, although I cannot possibly think why!" he added, winking at Remus.

"Lead on MacDuff!" Sirius said, getting up.

Harry led them over to the Gryffindor table, to where the terrible twins were discussing Quidditch tactics with the girls. Ron, sensing what was about to happen, got up excitedly and went to join them, dragging Hermione and Ginny along with him.

"Gred, Forge." The twins turned around.

"Hey Harry! What's up?"

"I'd like you to meet someone."

"Who? Oh, hey Professor Lupin, what are you doing here?" Fred asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just came for a chat with Dumbledore."

"Cool. So who do you want us to meet?"

"Two people after your own hearts."

"Great!" Put in George, looking around behind them. "So where are they?"

"Right here!" Harry said, indicating Remus and Sirius.

"I don't get it, Harry."

"Remus..." Harry said, turning to him

Remus leaned in close, so only the twins could hear him. "We solemnly swear that we're up to no good!"

"WHAT?" They looked choked.

Sirius, not seeing the harm in it, transformed into his large black dog form, raising his front paw, showing the pink pads underneath.

"YOU?"

"Us!" Sirius said, turning back, and laughing.

"Padfoot," Harry said, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "And Moony!" his other hand on Remus'.

"And the other two?"

"Tell me, were you two listening to the trial on Monday night?"

"No, we were playing exploding snap and raiding the kitchens."

"Oh boy!" Harry sighed. "Who wants to field THIS one?"

"You take it Harry. You have the most right to tell this one. After all, you know, Prongs..."

"Okay Professor. Well then, you remember the Anti Dementor Class on Saturday night? My Patronus?" They both nodded. "Well, Prongs' real name is James Potter. A stag."

"Prongs was your FATHER?"

"Yep. That's why my Patronus is the Stag. Well anyway, do you remember why Sirius was sent to Azkaban in the first place?" Two more nods. "Well, Peter Pettigrew never died. He transformed into a rat and escaped, after blowing up that street of Muggles. A filthy little rat, with a pink segmented tail... like a worm!"

"Wormtail betrayed Prongs?" Fred and George looked stunned. "But how? Why? The Marauders were brothers!"

"That's something both Moony and I have been asking ourselves for nigh-on fourteen years, Fred." Both had their heads bowed.

"To Prongs," George said, solemnly, raising a goblet of pumpkin juice. "And the great prankster he was."

"To Prongs," Fred added. "And the great friend he was!"

"To Wormtail," Harry said finally. "And the great friend he could have been!"