38

Soon, four guards entered the court room, each holding a chain connected to a haggard looking man, dressed in black and white prison clothing.

The man limped all the way to the centre of the court room and kept his head down the whole time. His messy and oily hair covering his face.

"Sirius Black, you are to be administered Veritaserum in accordance with the rules of the ministry. Do you object." Fudge loudly asked.

"."

Sirius didn't respond in the slightest. He quietly sat down at the central chair.

"It would seem my client isn't in his best state at the moment. How about a simple healing potion or a pepper up potion to provide my client with the minimum energy required to function.

We all can see the effects Azkaban has had on him." Harry addressed the audience.

"I concur." Amelia raised her wand, as did Remus. With these two in the lead, others followed as well.

"Fine, have someone bring in the potions." Fudge reluctantly ordered.

"No need. I guessed such a situation would arise. I brought a few vials myself." Harry said as he passed a vial of red liquid to the guards.

"The contents check out. Administering one healing potion." Guard 1 called out.

"Put a cleaning spell on the man. He cant even see through the thick oily hair." Remus shouted from the side.

"Order. Do not speak up unless called upon." Fudge shouted as he banged his gavel.

With a wave of his hand, Harry cast a simple cleaning charm on Sirius and the smelly and disgusting clothes were cleaned to a certain degree. Unfortunately, magic could only help so much. After all, the prisoners of Azkaban only get to shower a few times a year or so. The grime built up was extreme.

A few seconds go by after the potion was administered and Sirius regained a bit of energy.

"Huh? Where am i? Whats going on.?" Sirius started shouting and screaming as he tried to look around and struggled.

"Sirius Black. I would have to ask you to calm down. You are in the ministry getting the trial you deserve. I am here to represent you. I know you are innocent and also know about the real traitor. Calm down and let me get you out of here. Your godson in waiting for you." Harry locked eyes with the struggling man and communicated directly with his mind.

The mention of his godson froze his movements and made him understand the words spoken.

While he had suffered for a long time, he still had a bit of sanity left, after all he was the heir of blacks and his occlumency training in his younger days was miles ahead of others.

Seeing him calm down, Fudge ordered the use of Veritaserum.

"State your name for the record." Harry asked the hazy eyed man.

"Sirius Black the third." Sirius responded in a daze.

"What is the name of your parents?" Harry continued.

"Orion Black and Walburga Black."

"Good, we have established your identity and the serum is working.

Now, were you the secret keeper of the Potters?" Harry asked as the crowd hushed.

"No." GASP. GASP.

The crowd gasped loudly. The long-standing belief they held was thrown out of the window.

"Why did you say you were the secret keeper to numerous people when the potter's were in hiding?"

"James and lily offered me to be the secret keeper at first, but I was the obvious choice. So I suggested that I be the decoy and Peter Pettigrew be the secret keeper. No one would believe that rat to be the secret keeper." Sirius gashed his teeth as he spoke about the rat.

"Then, Peter Pettigrew was the only one who knew about the location of the Potter's?"

"Yes"

"Then, Peter Pettigrew was the one who sold out the location of the potter residence to Lord Voldemort?" SSSS.

"We do not speak of his name!!!!" Fudge screamed.

"I am being through with my questions. If you don't like it, move along." Harry dismissed Fudge's interruption.

"Why you—" "Enough, minister. Let his continue." Amelia interrupted Fudge.

"Thank you, Madam Bones." Harry thanked and turned towards Sirius.

"Yes, Peter Pettigrew revealed the location of the potter's to Voldemort." Sirius gritted his teeth hard enough to cause ships in the rotting and yellowed teeth.

"And is that why you chased Peter Pettigrew, attempting to kill him." Harry continued.

"Yes, I trailed him for a whole night. I finally cornered him near a street in the city. But the fucking rat sent out a blasting curse at an underground gas line and blew it up. He cut off his finger and escaped."

"NONSESNE. I saw you at the scene of the crime, you were laughing like a maniac and even confessed to your crimes. You kept on saying, 'I killed them' on repeat. Don't you lie." Fudge panicked and screamed.

"Minister Fudge, as it has been revealed by mister black, he was the one who suggested they change the secret keeper, and Sirius trusted the wrong person. When overcome by grief and anger, he would of course blame himself. This is why the DMLE has a law that states that deranged suspects are to be kept in custody till they regain their wits.

When I looked through the documents of the case, not only was my client not kept in custody and let him calm down, but was directly sent to Azkaban when he was knocked unconscious by the blasting curse.

Now tell me, what do you make of this situation. Should we look at all your cases and put them under review. I'm sure madam Bones and her department would be able to find a lot of inconsistencies." Harry coldly looked at the cowardly minister.

"..No, you can continue with the questions." Fudge shrank back into his chair and reluctantly agreed with Harry.

"Now, mister Black. How did Peter Pettigrew escape? Didn't he die in the explosion." Harry asked.

"After he blew up the gas line, he cut off his finger and turned into his animagus form of a rat and escaped into the sewers. After that I lost consciousness. After that I found myself in Azkaban with a Dementor sucking my soul." Sirius paled and whispered out the answer.

"Where is the proof that Peter Pettigrew escaped? Last we checked, he was not a registered animagus." Fudge jumped at the opportunity.

"Oh, about that, let me bring in a surprise guest today. Boys, bring em in." Harry clapped his hands, and two house-elves carried a small cage with a rat sleep inside.

"What is that?" Fudge asked as he leaned forward.

"That minister, is the 'dead' Peter Pettigrew. Open up the cage." Harry instructed the elves.

Clang. Plop.

Squeek??

As soon as the cage opened, the elves dumped the rat on the floor, and it plopped down hard.

The force of the fall woke it up and it tried to run.

"Immobulus. Animagi Revelio" Harry pointed his wand at the rat which froze instantly and started turning into a fat and disgusting looking man.

"Petrificus Totatlus Maxima." With another point of his wand, harry froze the buck teethed rat man.

"WHAT!!!" Murmurs and whispers sounded out in the audience as many recognised the man.

"Impossible." Fudge whispered in shock and disbelief.

"Nothing is impossible Minister.

We found mister Pettigrew hiding in his rat form for the past 11 years as a pet rat of a well known wizarding family. Unfortunately, they didn't know about the rat's true identity and just thought of the rat as a magical mutant that could live for so long.

Now, if you guys would confiscate the wands on his person, that would be great." Harry motioned to the guards surrounding Sirius.

"Do it." Fudge, seeing the reluctance of the guards, ordered.

"Chestnut with a dragon heartstring, 10 inches. Matches the record of Peter Pettigrew.

The other wand belongs to one Tom Marvolo Riddle, a 67-year-old wizard, listed missing." The guard checked the wands and listed off the information.

"Do you want to continue with the trial, Minister?" Harry asked.

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