Chapter 059

'Sirius!' he thought, in shock.

It was Hermione's gasp that alerted him that she knew who it was, too. "Harry," she whispered to him, "Do you know who that is?"

"I do now," he whispered back. "Now, please be quiet and don't give the game away. This should prove interesting."

Looking around, Harry could see that all the aurors had tensed up, with many already having their wands out and were closely watching everyone and everything.

"Bartemius Crouch Senior?" asked Madam Longbottom.

"No, Ma'am," he replied, before reaching up and removing the rune-stone 'necklace' from about his neck.

As soon as the stone cleared his skin, his form blurred a little before settling on Sirius's normal form. Unlike the last time they saw him, however, he was wearing robes of the finest cut and materials, plus his robes showed the Black family crest on his right breast. "Sirius Orion Black the Third," he continued.

That had near pandemonium in the chamber, both from within the Members' tiers and the visitors' gallery.

Bones immediately fired a cannon blast charm and bellowed, "Be silent!" That she obviously also pumped her magic into amplifying her voice a little was a given, as Harry could not believe someone could be so loud without magical or technological help.

That, pretty quickly, had everyone settle back down again.

"Aurors!" she called, more quietly. "Anyone who doesn't settle down immediately when ordered to do so is to be escorted from the chamber, unable to return!"

As aurors began to move, everyone immediately went silent. No one wanted to miss this, so the threat was a 'biggie'.

Once she had quiet again, Madam Longbottom firmly asked, "And just why do we have Sirius Black stepping forward as an accused?"

"Because the man has never had a trial," replied Bones. "He was summarily tossed into Azkaban, thirteen years ago, without one. Today, we are rectifying that gross miscarriage of justice."

That had murmurs again rising both among the Members and the visiting public.

Sirius calmly walked forward and was about to sit in the chair when he stopped and said, "For this moment and before I take a seat I will first inform you I have both a wand and a portkey on my person.

"My wand is in a holster on my left wrist and a portkey in the form of a bracelet is on my right wrist." And carefully moved his arms out and away from his body.

Kingsley Shacklebolt immediately stepped up behind him and relieved him of both. Then, before stepping away, scanned him.

Looking up at Bones he clearly said, "There are no other magical devices on his person, Ma'am."

"Very well," said Longbottom. "Please take a seat, Mister Black."

"Actually, as I have not yet be found guilty of a crime, you should be addressing me as Lord Apparent Sirius Black of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Chief Adjudicator Longbottom," he firmly corrected. "Or, Lord Apparent Black in the short form."

She gave a nod back and said, "Lord Apparent Black, then. Please take a seat."

With his own nod back, Sirius sat in the chair. The chains, almost lazily this time, wrapped about him. The wizard with him stood just behind his left shoulder.

"For the record," he said, before anyone else could speak. "I swear on my magic and my life I do not now carry on my person any portkeys or other magical foci. In effect, I am unarmed. As I say, so I swear, so shall I be judged."

He gave a slightly muted flash as magic accepted his oath.

'Clever,' thought Harry. 'Now no one can curse him and use the excuse they thought he was going to attack them or use magic to escape.'

As he sat, Madam Bones handed Madam Longbottom a sheaf of parchment.

The gentle-wizard with Sirius then said, "Law-wizard Edward Tonks, acting for the defence."

As she read through it Longbottom stated, "For the record, I have just been handed by Madam Director Amelia Bones of the DMLE what appears to be a Dicta-quill-taken testimony of Lord Apparent Black taken in the presence of both Madam Bones and three of her aurors. According to the testimony, Lord Apparent Black gave the testimony while under the effects of Veritaserum given with his permission."

Turning to Madam Bones she asked, "Do you, Madam Bones, so attest that this testimony was, indeed, taken both by a properly functioning Dicta-quill and while Lord Black was under the effects of Veritaserum?"

"I do, Chief Adjudicator," replied Bones.

Longbottom then gave the documents a swish with her wand and suddenly copies of it flew to each sitting Member.

Turning to Sirius she asked, "Lord Apparent Black, do you, of your own free will, assent to the use of Veritaserum being used upon you at this time and in this place?"

"I do, with conditions," he replied.

"And your conditions?" she asked.

"That such questions directed to me are only asked by yourself, Madam Bones and Law-wizard Tonks," he firmly replied.

"I can accept those conditions," she replied. "In that case, bring forth a sealed vial of Veritaserum."

A rack of vials was quickly produced, checked for tampering and a single vial taken to Sirius. Auror Fleming was the one to administer the recommended three drops, which Sirius willingly accepted.

After the test questions were asked they got right into the relevant ones.

Twenty minutes later those Members who didn't already know, together with the visitors, were left stunned and appalled.

Sirius was proven under Veritaserum not to be the Potters' Secret Keeper on that fateful night; Peter Pettigrew was proven to be the Secret Keeper as he verbally gave Sirius the Secret - which, unlike if it was written down, could only be done by the Secret Keeper; Pettigrew had also verbally given the Secret to Albus Dumbledore - which meant Dumbledore knew it was Pettigrew, not Sirius, who was the Secret Keeper; Pettigrew escaped that street in Manchester by sending a blasting curse at a gas main, which killed the muggles; he willingly cut off one of his fingers to leave it behind as evidence purporting he was also blown up by the gas explosion, but escaped; and that he escaped from Azkaban - not to kill Harry Potter, but to protect him, as he had evidence Pettigrew was at Hogwarts in his animagus form posing as the pet rat of a young boy from Gryffindor.

That took quite the while to explain and, by the end of it, the Veritaserum was wearing off. Sirius was also quick to alert Madams Longbottom and Bones of that fact, too.

After a long few moments and a long sigh, Madam Longbottom said, "I think we've heard enough to prove Lord Apparent Black's innocence. Any objections against us immediately moving to the vote?"

"I object!" called Caracticus Nott, one of those Death Eaters who claimed he was under the Imperius curse while serving Riddle. "It is obvious Prisoner Black has taken a counter-agent to Veritaserum. And, therefore, he has been spouting nothing but lies."

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