chapter six

Legally

The Minister and the twenty-seven presiding members of the Wizengamot met in private with Peter for forty minutes before Sirius was called in to speak with them. Petunia and Dumbledore were made to wait outside with no indication as to what was happening inside.

Remus joined them after a while, shaky and quiet. Petunia kept hoping he would open up about how or where he'd caught Peter and what he'd told the aurors, but she knew not to push him. She could only imagine how difficult it must have been to have the traitor within his grasp. Had it been her alone with her sister's murderer, the rat wouldn't have survived.

It was well over an hour before they were allowed back inside the courtroom. Peter and Sirius were both strapped to chairs in the center of the room. With Remus and the professor on either side of her, Petunia felt herself being led to a seat while her eyes remained glued to her boyfriend. She could see his lips moving as though he were yelling something, though he was turned slightly away from her, glaring at Peter.

"It's a silencing charm," Remus whispered to her.

She turn to him to ask about the charm when she noticed another spectator in the courtroom stands. A blonde woman, not much older than them, sat at the end of their row, writing in a notepad.

"Who's she?" Petunia asked instead.

"Skeeter," Remus huffed, eying the woman wearily. "She's a reporter for the Prophet. Not the sort of person we want writing about Sirius."

The Minister was making her way to the podium before they had a chance to say any more.

"In light of the evidence provided by the two defendants, it is the opinion of this court that Peter Pettigrew is guilty of assisting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in locating the Potter family and, by extension, murdering them. Mr. Pettigrew is therefore sentenced to life in Azkaban prison. It would seem you're once more a free man, Mr. Black."

Petunia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and stood with the rest of the courtroom as the men were released from their chairs. Sirius had to be restrained by a pair of aurors while Peter was escorted from the courtroom. When the rat was gone, Sirius was let go and allowed to rejoin Petunia and the others.

"Thank God that's over with," Petunia murmured, latching onto Sirius once they were together again.

"Where did you find him?" Sirius asked Remus once they were outside the courtroom.

"In the shack," Remus replied through gritted teeth.

Dumbledore had made his way to the elevators and beckoned for them to follow.

"Where are we going?" Sirius wondered, watching as the floor levels ticked down.

"Level five. Petunia has an appointment in the Office of Law to sign Harry's adoption papers."

Petunia allowed herself to be pulled through corridors to a cramped office labelled Guardianship. She did as Dumbledore asked of her, signing at least a dozen forms as fast as she could while answering any questions the counselor had for her, despite a prejudice that rivaled that of the auror she'd dealt with earlier in the day.

"This is highly unusual," the woman said, reviewing the set of documents Petunia had just finished with. "A muggle has never been known to adopt a magical child."

"Though not illegal," Dumbledore interjected.

"No. But there is a question of the child's wellbeing. Muggles are notoriously dismissive of our abilities and customs."

"That won't happen," Sirius said, stepping up beside his girlfriend. "I'll be raising Harry as well. He's my godson."

"Can he sign the adoption papers too?" Petunia asked. Lily and James had made it clear from the moment of Harry's birth that they wanted both Petunia and Sirius to be responsible for the baby should anything happen to them. And that suited Petunia just fine. There wasn't anyone she'd rather spend the next seventeen years with.

"The decision is yours," Dumbledore told her. She quickly slid the documents Sirius' way and he got to work signing his name beside hers.

"There are still concerns," the counselor continued. "Where will the child be living? Will he be provided for? The guardian's residence must be inspected and approved. For the first year after adoption there will be weekly visits from a Ministry official to ensure that the child is being cared for."

Petunia looked to Dumbledore for assurance. He didn't look pleased, but his eyes were twinkling.

"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I don't think any of that will be necessary."

The witch seemed dumbfounded for a moment before she composed herself and smiled at the headmaster.

"Very well, sir. Once I sign these documents, Mr. Black and Ms. …" She down at the form to find Petunia's name. "And Ms. Evans will be the legal guardians of Harry James Potter. If either of you have any questions or second-thoughts, now is the time to bring them up."

Sirius took Petunia's hand and squeezed it. "I'm sure," he said.

"So am I," she agreed.

The witch nodded, adding her name to the forms with a flourish. "Congratulations, you're parents."

Back in the safety of the elevator, Petunia leaned against the wall and let out a relieved sigh, glad to finally be getting away from the madness of the Ministry.

"Don't worry about the things she listed," Dumbledore told her. "I'll speak with her tomorrow and sort everything out."

"I can't believe the way she acted toward Petunia," Sirius fumed, tapping his foot.

"Look on the bright side, it's all over with. You and Petunia can go home and be with Harry and … a shower."

"I already showered."

"No. I should throw you guys a baby shower. Might surprise everyone with Harry being, you know, already born. But I think we can pull it off."

It was a bad attempt at humor, but it made Sirius smile anyway – the first genuine smile Petunia had seen on him all day. She'd never been more grateful that he had a friend like Remus.