Chapter 18

Harry sat by the dining table. Despite having all the Potter townhouse's residence at the dining table, the room was quiet. Sirius had just finished telling Aunt Petunia and Dudley about their search through the Slytherin manor.

"So, we're back to square one…?" Dudley asked after a minute.

"Not exactly. We found evidence that they were there at one point, but they must have been moved," Remus answered Dudley. "We believe that Dumbledore most likely moved them closer to himself, ergo Hogwarts." that got a reaction out of Aunt Petunia.

She gasped, "He would actually hide them in a school?" she asked before she could think, but at the deadpan looks she got from the others in the room she rethought everything she knew of Dumbledore. "No, forget it… that man would absolutely do that…" she said as she placed her head in her hands.

"I will begin searching the castle when I get back, and the children will help me when the school year starts," Severus told the room.

Remus smiled at Severus besides him before turning back to face the table again, "we did find that library, though. All the books there were either old rituals or dark magick, and by the looks of it, Dumbledore spent most of his time there," he thought out loud, "though we didn't find out what books he read this last time…"

A few days after Slytherin manor Remus got a letter from Amelia Bones. As the letter had arrived with the morning post, they had all been in the dining room for breakfast. Harry could see the excitement from the three adult males in the room building as they read the letter: Sirius and Severus from over Remus' shoulders. When they were finished reading Remus just handed the letter over to Aunt Petunia, who sat between Harry and Dudley, so they could read the letter.

Madam Bones had opened a case, gone through the information and evidence they sent her, as well as gathered her own information, and she had managed to set a court date! Sirius was one step closer to being a free man again. Madam Bones also wrote that since this was about such a well-known and "historical" happening, the case had been bumped up to top-priority and the court day would happen the eighth of August, in two days.

When Aunt Petunia set down the letter, everyone having finished reading, Harry, a smile stretching across his face, looked up to see everyone else also smiling like mad.

Suddenly, Harry heard a gasp from beside him, "Do we have formal wear?" Aunt Petunia asked over the table. "This is an official court, right? We have to be presentable," she said when no one answered.

"I have formal wear," Severus said, like the smug bastard he is, Harry though sourly.

"Does it look the same as your other robes?" Aunt Petunia shot back immediately. A "That's what I thought," was heard when Severus' face immediately blanked, and he looked another way. Harry, together with Sirius and Remus, had to hide a snicker at that. "Okay, boy. We know what we have to do today then," she said as her gaze ran over every male in the room. Harry may have had to suppress a shudder, but that was neither here nor there.

Harry, Dudley, and Remus stood before Aunt Petunia and Sirius in their new dress-robes. As they were being evaluated Harry looked down at his own robes, they were a maroon-ish black, and open in the front to show the same-colored slacks and white dress shirt. It was simple, but formal enough.

Harry had finally had a use for his metamophmagus abilities to revert his face back to how it used to be before the cleansing ritual. Hallow cheeks, unruly hair and, most depressingly, the lightning bolt scar.

They were standing in the floo room of the Potter townhouse, putting on the finishing touches before leaving for the Ministry of Magical Britain. As Severus still couldn't be seen with them, least of all at the Ministry, he had gone back to Hogwarts the day before.

As Harry was thinking of all this Aunt Petunia and Sirius finished inspecting and correcting their outfits. When they were finally done, they were quick to leave for the Ministry, through the floo. This would be the first time Aunt Petunia and Dudley did it, and Harry could see the nervous glances they exchanged when Remus went through first, giving a demonstration. Harry went after that, once again falling into the arms of a withing Remus. He had to catch Aunt Petunia and Dudley as they came through the green fires too, though, so Harry wasn't the only one who's body didn't agree with this method of travel.

Madam Bones, who apparently had been waiting for them, came up to them. "Hello Remus," she said when she got close enough, "I have been waiting for your arrival." She then turned to Harry, "And you must Mister Potter, and his family?" she asked as she saw Aunt Petunia and Dudley, who until now had been looking around in awe.

At Madam Bones addressing Aunt Petunia's attention focused on her, "Yes, I am Harry's aunt, Petunia Evens, and this," she placed her arm around Dudley, "is my son, Dudley," she introduced kindly.

Harry saw the fire turn green again and turned just in time to see Sirius appear between the flames. He walked out and stood himself beside Remus, appearing for all to see as calm. Harry knew better, Sirius were anything but calm, tense shoulders, frantic eye movement, and clenched hands. If not for all the physical signs, Harry could see his magic wrapping tightly around him, with tendrils lashing out once in a while.

Madam Bones also saw Sirius' arrival but didn't bring attention to it more than "Now that everyone has arrived, shall we go to the court room?" she asked, before turning and beginning to walk towards the elevator. Harry followed after Remus and Sirius, while Aunt Petunia and Dudley followed after Harry.

The door closed behind them and the elevator began moving downwards, "When we get to the court room, Sirius will have to stay in a side room and wait to be called to the stand," Madam Bones told them, "The rest of you will either be sitting in the spectator rows or in the witness rows, which are the lowest rows."

As Madam Bones leads Sirius further down the corridor Harry, Remus, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley walk through the intricately designed doble doors. The room is circular and have rows like Professor Flitwick's classroom. Aunt Petunia and Dudley walk up the stairs and take two seats on the fourth row while Harry and Remus take their seats on the first row.

Harry had just sat down when Dumbledore comes waltzing in the doors, a disgruntled Severus walking normally behind him. Severus made a show of glancing over the whole room, only pausing slightly on Harry and Remus, before continuing. Dumbledore was too busy being greeted by everyone to actually look around it seems, because he didn't even glance Harry's way.

When everyone had finally settled down and found their seats, Severus sitting alone on the opposite side of the room, Madam Bones came in and the doors closed behind her. She stood on the podium in the middle of the room and looked up at the judge and the surrounding people, Lucius one of them. There were some empty spots though, like people were missing. "That's the members of the Wizengamot," Remus whispered from beside Harry, "They are made up of the oldest wizen families. The empty spots are for those families that don't have a lord, nor proxy."

"Lords, ladies, and nobles. Today is the day we officially and legally judge one Sirius Orion Black," she began, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "a few weeks ago, it came to my attention that Sirius Black may be innocent." At this the hall could not stay silent, outrage and denial being at the forefront of the reactions.

The sound of the gavel hitting the table slowly silenced the room, "This is quite the serious claim," the judge said as he looked down at Madam Bones, "I do hope you bring evidence." That was all she needed to begin, and for the next hour and a half Madam Bones exposed the poor handling of the case to begin with, there hadn't even been a hearing and Sirius had basically been shipped off to Azkaban the same day they detained him. she brought up the Potter's Will, skipping any unrelated or personal information, and brought up Harry, Remus, and Severus to stand witness.

"When did you first meet Sirius Black?"

"At the Gryffindor table the first day at Hogwarts when I was eleven," Remus had answered.

"Slytherin and Gryffindor had potions together, I met him there alongside James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew," was Severus' drawl answer.

Harry's answer was probably the longest, "I officially met him at the end of last school year, when he tried to kill my friend's rat, that turned out to be Peter Pettigrew as an Animagus." There was some sound from the people in the room at that and the judge had to silenced them.

The questions continued until there were non left to ask, and the witnesses went back to their seats. "Next, I will ask a few questions to Sirius Black himself," Madam Bones said and a smaller door to the left opened to revile Sirius, between a man and a woman in uniforms, with arms in chains. They slowly walked out into the room, accompanied in stunned silence. Sirius was shown to the chair Remus had sat in while being questioned, and the two guards placed themselves on either side of the chair.

"A-… Amelia… How did you get him here?" the judge began to ask, probably still in shock, for some reason Harry couldn't understand.

"Sirius Black came of his own free will," Madam Bones answered casually. She hadn't even turned around to look up at the judge as she answered, only looking at Sirius. "Now, I will ask Sirius Black some questions," she announced to the room and everyone in it, and she did ask him questions. Question after question was asked and answered while everyone watched and listened. After maybe another hour and Sirius had answered her last question, she asked, "Are there anyone that have any other questions?" after a few moments no one came forward. "Okay, then I think it is time for the Wizengamot and the judge to come to an agreement of what to do."

More people in uniforms came out of the door Sirius had come out of and formed a half-circle between the Wizengamot and judge and the audience and witnesses. They raised their wands simultaneously and slowly a ward was formed. Apparently, it blocked all sound, as Harry could still see them, even clearly seeing some mouths move, but he heard no sound. "Okay, they should be talking for at least half an hour," Remus said to Harry, "I think some of them really like the sound of their own voice."

And that they did, they spent forty-five minutes in their sound-proof bubble, Harry had kept the time, before signaling for the Aurors, Remus had told Harry what they were, to drop the ward. The judge was the first one to speak, "After much discussion, we have come to the conclusion that Sirius Orion Black is…" and here he paused for dramatic effect, like a bitch, "-innocent." He slammed his gavel in the table.

The sound from the audience was deafening, from the celebratory cry most of the room let out. The sound of the gavel hitting the table was drowned out for a long while, but eventually the hall became silent again. The judge cleared his throat before speaking again, "The Wizengamot and I have concluded that Sirius Black will get 12 000 gallons as compensation for the wrongful imprisonment, one thousand for each year, and another 1000 for the year as a wanted escapee. We give out sincere apology for the misconduct that was your initial imprisonment."

Sirius, who had been sitting on the uncomfortable chair for witnesses, rose from his seat and the Aurors on either side of him unlocked the chains around his arms. He was now a free man again.

As people began filing out of the court room Harry and Remus were the first ones to reach Sirius, Aunt petunia and Dudley were still making their way through the crowd to get down the stairs to them. "Sirius!" Harry said loudly, smile from ear to ear as he basically threw himself at Sirius, who barely managed to stay on his feet at the impact. Sirius began twirling them around, smiling just as wide as Harry. Remus was laughing at them as he closed the few last meters. They began talking as they waited for Aunt Petunia and Dudley to make their way to them before beginning to leave.

Before they can make it even half-way across the floor, they are stopped by the last person they want to see, Harry would rather meet Voldemort again. "Harry, my boy. Could I talk to you for a moment?"