Chapter 64

What followed Dumbledore's deflection of blame was another torrent of abuse directed at both Dumbledore and Hagrid alike. The main offender was Sirius Black as he proceeded to question how Dumbledore was unable to see Hagrid's guilt yet quite happy to send him to Azkaban for ten long years without a trial!

Even the Order of the Phoenix was brought up and its dirty laundry aired in public. Sirius accused the old man of endangering the lives of its members with his morality driven 'stunners only' order, and then throwing away any surviving members of his group once Voldemort was defeated!

Even though Dumbledore's vigilante group was something of an open secret, and had also worked alongside the Aurors at times, most did not know any details of how they operated, what their goals were or the identities of its members.

Sirius had no problems with naming names, as after Rita's probing questions and her revelations that no one at all stood up to defend him, Lord Black now considered all ties with them cut.

Much like how Chad considered any Potter alliances dissolved after no one came to his rescue, Sirius lost any respect for his so-called friends that still lived after the war. Unlike canon, Sirius was not on the run and desperate for any sort of acceptance and friendship.

When Sirius listened to Rita's account of the unanimous sentiment throughout Magical Britain that he was Voldemort's right-hand man, he was done with any loyalty towards those that left him to rot in Azkaban. It was amazing what a good shag and cold hard facts could do to clear up any self-loathing and misguided fealty!

The slight guilt he had towards Remus Lupin for thinking the werewolf a spy ten years ago had also dissolved when he found out the coward had abandoned not only him but also Harry! The man better have one hell of a good excuse if he wanted to remain friends!

This outburst had completely caught Dumbledore off guard as he had always remembered Sirius Black as a loyal, carefree prankster pinning for acceptance and distancing himself from anything he viewed as 'Dark', not a man that would reveal the secrets of his friends!

But what Dumbledore didn't know was that after watching Dumbledore throw Hagrid under the bus, all of his resentment from how Dumbledore made them fight against lethal spells from Death Eaters had risen to the surface!

Not to mention that half the known Death Eaters had been pardoned under Dumbledore's nose while he had not even received a trial! Hell, even his own surviving family members left him to rot in prison without getting him a hearing!

With Rita (under Chad's orders) reminding him of all unjust attacks on his reputation and how he was abandoned by everyone he knew, it was just too much for him to remain silent any longer.

Sirius was only twenty years old when his best friends were betrayed and killed, and then he was cruelly locked up for it. Safe to say he had a lot of unresolved grief that he needed to vent. With every name of Dumbledore's group listed that had died, so too did his reputation.

When the Longbottoms were mentioned, there was some outcry, but it was when Sirius finally got to James and Lily Potter, that the court once again went ape sh*t!

In the end, Sirius Black's acquittal hearing lasted hours longer than Peter Pettigrew's trial. Fudge had jumped into the spotlight by publically denouncing Dumbledore as 'reckless' and no longer fit to hold office as either Chief Warlock or the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

As much as the Light side tried to defend their Leader, there was just too much proof of negligence. Somehow, Black's hearing had become a focused attack on Dumbledore, and every scrap of evidence Amelia Bones had against the man was brought up to thump him over the head with it.

Even though Albus managed to deflect any of his involvement in the Line Theft accusations, he still couldn't fight against the tidal wave of condemnation to keep all of his job titles. Though thanks to his 'defeat' of Grindelwald and the worldwide recognition Britain received for it, the Wizengamot let him keep his ICW position as Supreme Mugwump.

"Most of us are happy with one job Dumbledore, as it keeps us busy enough if we do it well. Regrettably, you have three, and as we have heard here today, you have struggled to do even one of those properly!

If it wasn't for your past accomplishments, I have no doubt that you would have faced a stay in Azkaban for the many counts of endangerment to the Heirs of our most prominent families!

But in recognition of your previous service, you will instead face fines and only be allowed to retain your position as Supreme Mugwump. I expect you to concentrate fully on this responsibility and not shame Magical Britain in front of the entire International Confederation of Wizards!" Fudge delivered the damning sentence, much to the enjoyment of most of those watching.

As the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge had enough power to strip Dumbledore of his titles, though it was not entirely legal. But with so much of the Wizengamot cheering at the declaration, if Albus tried to contest it, he would no doubt be harshly punished for wasting their time and spitting on their leniency.

As it was, only his removal as Headmaster really hurt him, since he was no longer in a position to influence the next generation of wizards and witches. It was harder for him to brainwash the ignorant children into hating Slytherins and propping them up as an enemy to fight.

War was always the best way to attain benefits, and with Voldemort's revival, these sheep will soon be back begging him to save them. He still had Snape to influence the Potter brat, which was probably for the best after his poor first impression and today's failure. He still couldn't believe Sirius' outburst!

But not all was lost, and Dumbledore still had many allies in the Light families. Maybe losing two of his titles would give him more time to track down Tom. Yes, this could be a blessing in disguise, not only would he have no constraints when Voldemort returned, any damage Tom caused would have nothing to do with him!

Albus would be on the hook if the crazed snake lover attacked Hogwarts and something happened if he was its Headmaster, and if he was being honest, he was getting sick of everyone blaming him for anything that went wrong. Since he now had nothing to lose, he will just lay his cards on the table and reap the future benefits.

"I never wanted all the responsibility you heaped on me after Grindelwald was defeated, I just wanted to withdraw to Hogwarts and teach! Maybe you are right, and I have been overwhelmed by all the responsibilities you forced upon me, but I endured for your sakes and asked for nothing in return!

Since you wish for me to step down, then fine, I will. But know this, the witnesses of the recent attack on Hogwarts described Voldemort and masked Death Eaters as the perpetrators! Do with that information as you will." The old man in flashy robes then strode out of the court before the shock of what he just said wore off.

Immediately the claim was criticised and the decision to dismiss the senile old fool vindicated. With Dumbledore ousted, the hearing was rushed to a conclusion, and Sirius Black was exonerated and paid out a tidy sum in reparations. This was mainly why Fudge had pushed for enormous fines for Dumbledore, so he could alleviate this financial burden not to mention his part in Black's unlawful imprisonment.

The last thing Griselda Marchbanks decreed before she ended today's court session, was to issue three arrest warrants for Millicent Bagnold, Barty Crouch Snr and Rubeus Hagrid.

Mysteriously, not once did Harry Potter's current living arrangement come up, everyone just assuming someone else had taken care of it. The magicals seemed to be easily sidetracked, quick to anger yet easy to forgive or forget.

Sirius, being the only person that actually cared about his Godson's well-being, was about to approach Bones for an answer when Rita walked over and stopped him before he could.

Skeeter had been surprised to receive a letter from the wizarding saviour, but the boy's heartfelt thanks for freeing his Godfather was appreciated. Though Harry's request to give Sirius a note on his behalf as soon as his trial was over was a little strange, why not just owl him directly? Perhaps the little dear was shy.

Sirius had been about to curse the person grabbing him from behind before he realised it was the beauty he owed his freedom to, not to mention the pep in his step!

"Rita, darling, what can I do for you? I'm afraid you need to make it quick since I need to talk to Bonesy about Harry before she disappears." The rogue said while wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Ah, then you will want to read this as it is from Mr Potter. He sent me an owl with directions to give this to you when your trial ended. The boy must have been a bit too shy to owl you directly." Rita answered, giggling at his behaviour and caressing his arm.

Like a man possessed, Sirius tore the envelope open and devoured the letter with his eyes. His mouth had dropped open in shock, and he couldn't help but re-read the message to make sure he wasn't seeing things!

How had Harry found out about Grimmauld Place? Better yet, how did he manage to tame that vicious house-elf Kreacher?! But that didn't matter, Harry was safe and would meet him there tomorrow night.

Though the warning not to tell anyone about it and to arrive at a specific time was a bit strange, Sirius was happy to comply. From what he had witnessed today, the wizarding world had gone crazy. He could barely contain his excitement at finally meeting his Godson, and wondered whether he would look like James or Lily!

"It seems my schedule has suddenly become free. How would you like to show an old dog what has changed in the last ten years?" He said, folding the letter and slipping it into the pocket of his robes supplied to him by the Ministry.

"It would be my pleasure. I'm quite up to date, you know, being the best journalist in Britain has its perks. But what do I get in return?" Rita teased.

"Well, I'm sure we can come to an agreement! Maybe something along the lines of what happened earlier in our interview!" Replied Sirius, his eyebrows once again comically dancing.