A/N This chapter has been a long long time coming. And honestly? It's because I really struggled writing it. Some days I would love it, other's I would hate it. I have been on and off editing and adapting this chapter for the longest time. Who would have thought that it would have taken a few months of a pandemic to kick my ass into gear? I hope you all enjoy it, know that I already have a few chapters lined up, edited and ready to go that I will be releasing over the coming weeks. Stay healthy, stay sane and embrace the things that you love, use the forms of escapism that you have. Writing has been helping to keep me sane and allow me to delve into this world that I'm adapting. Enjoy every day as much as you can, and true to take joy in the little things.

Chapter 15- A Grave Injustice

Friday was a miracle for many reasons, Gabriel thought. Not only was it beautiful and sunny at Hogwarts, but it was equally as sunny and delightful in London. Not that he had anything to do with it.

He was immensely proud of his charges. He had expected them to need his assistance a bit more, require some form of further guidance. Instead, they had all grabbed life by the quaffles and thrived.

Madam Longbottom had become much more active in her social circles, setting up a political reckoning all on her own. Jean and Dan Granger had taken to life in a magical manor exceptionally well. Jean, with the help of the loyal Potter house-elves and Lily, was learning how to read and interpret runes and studying magical theory and spell weaving. Despite knowing that she would never be able to use them physically herself. Dan had become an expert in all things Quidditch and spent many nights studying the history of the great houses of magical Britain and beyond. He was also rather taken with magical politics and would have made a fine magical lawyer, if only he hadn't been born a long descended squib. Gabriel would occasionally pop by to have tea at 3 am with his elder charges, but he only needed to do so for his own enjoyment. And for the tea.

He was exceptionally proud of the children, although it was incorrect to refer to them as children. Initially, he had kept a close eye on them, but every day he felt more and more confident that they would do just fine without his intervention. He was immensely proud of how the young Gryffindors had accepted their Slytherin friend. But as he walked down the main street of Diagon Alley in the most flamboyant robes he could find, he realised that he was about to witness his proudest moment yet. Even he couldn't believe how swiftly his young charges had managed to force a court hearing into the most Sirius matter.

Gabriel had been doing what he could for the partially mad wizard without revealing himself and risking the Fabric. Sirius had a penchant for sleeping as Padfoot so that he could rest without the overbearing presence of the Dementors. Gabriel would sit in his cell and scratch the Animagius behind his ears, something the old dog in his sleep seemed to enjoy. During the day, Gabriel would keep the Dementors as far away from Sirius as he could without arousing suspicions from the human guards. It seemed to be slowly making a difference, and Sirius appeared to be becoming more coherent by the hour. A fact that would immensely help during his trial.

As he made his way out into muggle London to get to the Visitors Entrance to the Ministry of Magic, he couldn't help but scoff. Whose stupid idea was it to put the entrance in a phone box on a muggle street? It was a sure-fire way of attracting the attention of muggles. First, there were the robes, then there was the marvelling at muggle technology such as cars… It was almost as though the Ministry was flaunting how close it could get to breaking the International Statute of Secrecy.

Gabriel was an archangel obsessed with the magical world. It had become the bread and butter inspiration for his own mischief. As such, he had witnessed the Ministry drastically change since 1707, from the ground down. It was safe to say that he was disappointed with the current Ministry. They had become complacent over the years, after having two dark wizards nearly destroy them in one century. But that didn't seem to concern Cornelius Fudge. The man was more concerned with lining his own pockets and sucking up to the rich of the Sacred 28. Gabriel had no love for the man and looked forward to seeing him burn. So far the man had only been in power for a year but was already undoing the hard work of his predecessor, Millicent Bagnold. Millicent, however, well she handled war times, was just as fallible. For it was under her rule that Sirius was imprisoned without trial, and rich Death Eaters like Lucius Malfoy were left unpunished.

As Gabriel walked through the Ministry to the elevators, he saw many faces he recognised heading in the same direction. The remaining heads of the Sacred 28, Ministry officials that could vote on court matters, various scribes, and reporters for various newspapers and magazines. No one but Lucius Malfoy and Amelia Bones knew why the court had been summoned so suddenly, but it didn't stop someone from leaking the hearing time and place to the press. Gabriel thought it was most likely Lord Greengrass that tipped them off- He liked being seen in the midst of important events.

It was panning out to be an interesting day, Gabriel thought. The Fates had determined that since his mere presence at the trial would not alter history, that it was safe for Gabriel to attend, so long as he was on his… well good, they couldn't hope for best, behaviour. He wondered if anyone would oppose to him conjuring up some popcorn for when the shit hit the fan….

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Harry had woken up early that morning, wanting to take some extra care to dress his best. Since he wasn't attending school, he put on his best robes that were marked with the Potter Crest. Hermione had charmed the crest to be invisible for now, and to appear when Harry was presented with his Lordship ring.

When Harry and Neville had been alone in the boy's dorm, Harry had summoned Othello, and pressed his Potter Lordship ring in the elves hand, explaining that he needed to return the ring temporarily to Gringott, telling the Head Potter elf everything that was about to occur and to pass all the information onto Gringott and Ragnok. He wanted both of the Goblins to be present when the ring was passed to him publicly, and he also wanted both of them to be able to testify to the existence of the Potter Will, as Ragnok had helped the late Potters to draft the document. As such, Ragnok was aware that there was documented proof that Sirius was Harry's godfather. No one was willing to hedge their bets on the official documentation still existing somewhere in the Ministry. Dumbledore would have buried all of that as soon as possible. The bank, however, would still have the documentation, as it would have been required to name Sirius as Harry's Godfather in the Will.

Harry combed his hair after applying some potions and deemed himself ready. He looked nothing like he had in the original timeline. He was finally starting to fill out due to the nutrient potions, and his hair was even starting to tame itself mildly. It was getting long, which pleased him. Othello had told him that the Lord Potter always grew his hair out from the day he claimed his lordship, and would only cut it when he was defeated in a duel. The Lady's would do the same, and had taken to crafting intricate braids in order to tame extremely long hair. Since his father was only Lord Potter for such a short amount of time, he never had a chance to let it grow. Harry intended to never cut his hair again. But at the moment, it was at an awkward length. Too short to tie back, but too long to simply comb it back. Instead, he let it fall softly around his face. Hermione said he looked pretty handsome, but admitted that it would instead look fierce when he could tie it back, like an ancient dragon warrior. She also said that he looked like a young Sirius, something the old dog would love when they finally saw each other.

Neville looked equally dashing, wearing similar robes to Harry, but proudly being able to display his Longbottom Crest. In the Great Hall at 7 am they met with Draco, and all sat at the Slytherin table together. Hermione tried her hardest not to laugh when she saw the very confused look on Dumbledore's face as Harry and Draco were quietly chatting. The other Slytherins that were awake and eating were also confused, but none of them said a word. Draco, Neville and Harry ate more than they usually would, in the event that court went all day and they didn't have time to eat anything else. Hermione gave them all lists of questions that she had made, and responses to answers. Everything was designed to funnel the questioning in the direction they wanted it to go in.

Just before 8 am, they got up and headed towards the Entrance Hall, where they would be meeting Madam Longbottom. She gave them all hugs, and then directed them towards the Headmaster's office again. They met Dumbledore half way, as he was walking to the Entrance Hall.

"Ah, you're all here. Wonderful. We shall be flying to the Ministry today, so we need to go back to the Entrance Hall," He said, never looking at Madam Longbottom

"How reckless Dumbledore! The children have only just had their first flying lesson, one in which Neville was nearly killed, and you expect them to fly to London and back? Besides, if we did so, we would miss the court time by a good 12 hours. No Dumbledore, use your common sense. We will be using the Floo in your office of course! And if not yours, then Minervas's would also suffice."

Dumbledore feigned a look of surprise on his face, as though he hadn't even considered using the Floo. " Well, I suppose the Floo would do just fine. Come along then."

The rest of the walk was silent, until Draco suddenly blurted out a question. "Headmaster, where is Professor McGonagall? She is supposed to be escorting Potter to the Ministry today."

Dumbledore explained that McGonagall was already at the Ministry, and that she would meet Harry there. "Liar," the crowns whispered. Harry noticed that, after ensuring everyone was going up the stairs to his office, Dumbledore turned around and cast a Patronus messenger. Obviously to tell Professor McGonagall to use her Floo to travel to the Ministry.

Harry had to feign ignorance when it came to the use of the Floo. Dumbledore was about to explain, before Madam Longbottom chimed in that she would be more than happy to side along Floo with the boy

The Floo network was one of the many lies, or rather withholding of facts that Harry had learned about. By the way that the Weasleys had introduced him to it, any reasonable person would deduce that it was a method of travel only to be used by a single person at a time. However, any number of people could use the network at the same time, providing that they could all fit into the fireplace at the same time, and that there was room in the exit fireplace. And there was more than enough room for at least two people in the Floo of the Weasleys.

Harry had no issues with the Floo trip. He came out at the other end gracefully, with barely any soot on him. A good start to the day. However, what greeted him at the Ministry instantly soured the mood. The press were all around the fireplaces, working out who everyone that came through was. As soon as they caught sight of Harry and Madam Longbottom, they began to crowd in further. They were yet to work out who Harry was, but they all knew that Madam Longbottom would be involved in the proceedings.

They had just started pestering the older woman about who the boy next to her was when Dumbledore came out of the Floo behind them with Neville and Draco. The boys quickly moved to join Harry, while the press honed in on the Headmaster. It was very odd to see that man at the Ministry during the school year, and would hold the attention of the press for much longer than anyone else coming through the main entrances.

Once they reached Courtroom 1, they presented their summons to the wizard guarding the door. A second guard was called over to escort the boys to the witness chambers. While in the chambers, they would be able to see and hear all of the court proceedings, but no one in the court would be able to see or hear them.

The layout of the courtroom was not unlike a gladiator pit. At the top of the room were doors to smaller annex rooms bearing the crests of each house in the Sacred 28, as well as other rooms for each of the Ministers that sat on the Wizengamot. Seating surrounded the room in concentric circles, leading down to the bottom. At the bottom of the pit were two doors. One was the main entrance that everyone walked through. The second was the door to the witness room. In the centre of the room was a raised platform, with a few chairs to the side. There was, in fact, a third door in the pit. This door was built into the floor, and would open to raise up a defendant in chains.

The seats themselves were broken up as well. One section for the Heads of the Sacred 28 that did not hold Ministry positions, a section for those members of the Sacred 28 that did hold Ministry positions, the Ministry section, and two small sections for select members of the press and general public. Today the court was full to bursting, with fights breaking out amongst the press on who had the better claim to the limited number of seats

From their vantage point in the witness room, the boys could only really see the people that were directly in front of them. After a few moments of scanning the area, which consisted of mostly the public and a sliver of Ministry heads, Harry snapped his head to a particular seat.

"Guys, please tell me I'm not the only one that sees Gabriel in those garish robes?" Harry said, pinching his face lightly.

Draco chuckled, while Neville outright laughed. "Is that a bowl of popcorn in his hands?" The Hufflepuff heir asked. It was, and it appeared to be constantly refilling itself. He had attracted a few curious glances from those around him, but so far it appeared that no one had really thought twice about the odd man.

The courtroom went quiet as the last person walked in; Cornelius Fudge, The Minister of Magic. Everyone rose from their seats as Cornelius walked to his seat, the high backed chair directly in front of the dias, and directly above the witness room.

"Please be seated," Fudge said. "Madam Bones, what is the case being brought forward today?" It was obvious that the Minister was vexed, and did not know the true intention of the case.

Madam Bones stood from her seat to the left of Fudge. "Minister Fudge, I have called upon the court today to deal with a most curious matter. A few days ago, Lord Malfoy began inquiries into why his son and heir had not received an inheritance. Usually this is not a case that would have been placed in front of me, but after Lord Malfoy made inquiries at the bank, alarms were raised and Gringott himself saw a need to contact me directly. He felt that as Head Prosecutor, that I was the best person to contact regarding this case. Before I continue, I would like to call upon my first witness. I know that this is out of order, but I feel that the nature of this case is best explained in chronological order." Madam Bones sounded confident, as though she knew that this was going to be a case that would go down in the record books.

The Minister of Magic consented to the unusual order of the proceedings, and Draco was guided to the dias.

"Please state your name for the court if you would young sir, " Madam Bones asked Draco.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Malfoy, and rightful Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black through lineage." Draco said, deliberately sounding haughty.

"Mister Malfoy, do you solemnly swear to answer all questions truthfully, and to the best of your knowledge?" Madam Bones asked, the standard questions of any trial.

"Yes," Draco responded.

"Mister Malfoy, you are here before the courts today because you believe that you are being denied one of your rights. Can you please tell the court what that is, and how you came to believe this? Leave out no details, no matter how small, as they may be important," Madam Bones asked, adding in the details section, a deviation from the usual script that was not overlooked by Dumbledore.

"Yes Madam, I believe that I am being denied my right to the Heir ring of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. A few nights ago, on my first night at Hogwarts, talk of Lordships came up in my common room. It was then that I realised, that through my mother, Narcissa Malfoy Nee Black, that the Lordship of House Black falls to me, as all other Heirs before me were either dead or had been stripped of their titles for their crimes and were in Azkaban. However, I have never been presented with the Heir ring of House Black. After realising this, I contacted my father regarding the matter, and now we are here," Draco said calmly and smoothly.

"An Injustice indeed Mister Malfoy. That is all I require from you, you may return to the witness room." Madam Bones looked very pleased with all that Draco had said.

"So we are here for a transfer of power? Hardly worth the entire courts time Madam Bones," Cornelius said, sounding bored.

Madam Bones almost scoffed at the man. "No, not at all Minister. There is much more to come, and I am simply laying the groundwork for what is to come. Lord Malfoy, would you please stand and tell the courts what actions you took to ensure your son received his rights?"

Lucius Malfoy stood from his padded seat, looking resplendent in rich silver and black robes. As he was being called on as a witness, he was excused from the rest of the proceedings and did not have to wear the same plum robes as the rest of the members. "Madam Bones, I immediately contacted Gringotts to see if there had simply been an error in the paperwork, however, they informed me that they had received no such paperwork from the Ministry. So, I went to the Department of Family Affairs and Inheritance to see what had gone wrong. It was there that I learned that the Department had never received that paperwork either. Before I could take the next step, I received my summons for this hearing."

"Thank you Lord Malfoy, you may take your seat. Members of the court, the reason why we are here today is because after Lord Malfoy contacted Gringotts, Gringott, the Head Banker himself contacted me. After Lord Malfoy contacted the bank, Gringott himself looked into the matter, only to discover that, to the knowledge of the bank, Sirius Black is still the Lord of House Black. I thought this was very odd, so I looked into it myself. It was then that I discovered that the reason why the bank believed this is because, even in the Ministries own records, Sirius Black is Lord Black. And how is this so? Because Lord Black has been in Azkaban for the last 11 years, without ever being tried. Therefore, today shall be the trial of Lord Sirius Orion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black," Madam Bones said, as the courtroom exploded.

Harry could see the slight smile on Madam Bones's face as the room continued on, despite the Minister for Magic himself furiously banging on his gavel and demanding silence. Harry caught the eyes of Gabriel, whom, despite the fact that he shouldn't be able to see Harry, smiled at the boy and nodded his head towards someone a few rows ahead and to the left of him. It was then that Harry saw Remus, looking even more dishevelled than the first time he ever saw him. The look on Remus's face was one of confusion and anger, with a smattering of fear. It wasn't clear what the anger was though- Anger at the system, or anger at seeing the man that he possibly still thought killed his fellow pack mates.

Madam Bones had cast a spell at the dias, and suddenly the door in the floor opened with a bang. The courtroom went quiet, as Sirius Black himself was raised up from the cell below. He was strapped to a chair, and inside a cage. Despite all that, Harry thought that the old mutt looked better somehow this time around, as though he had a bit more life in him. Gabriel smiled at him again, pointing at himself and mouthing something in a slightly gloating, yet proud way.

Sirius Black looked around the room as far as he could see. Sadly, the position of his seat meant that Remus was nearly directly behind him, and therefore out of sight. Sirius eventually faced forward, looked at Madam Bones and smiled that toothy grin of his. "Amelia! How wonderful to see you again. You're 11 years late for our date!" At the look of confusion on Madam Bones's face, Sirius clarified, "Sorry, I'm out of touch with jokes. Our court date."

Madam Bones gave a small, sad smile at that. "Yes, but now we are finally here. Lord Sirius Orion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black," She said, once again donning her professional mask. "Do you consent to the use of Veritaserum in these proceedings?"

Dumbledore coughed from his seat to the side of Cornelius Fudge. "That won't be necessary Amelia, he-"

"I'm sorry, Albus, but I did not call upon you. Need I remind you that, as you have been called upon as a witness, you are not permitted to have any say in the court's proceedings?" No? Good," Madam Bones said sternly.

The young Hogwarts students were thoroughly impressed so far. The day had only just begun, and already Dumbledore had been made a fool of. "One," Draco counted. There were like to be more before the court adjourned.

Sirius smiled. "Why, of course you can buy me a drink, dear Madam. I trust you will take thorough advantage of me?" This drew some chuckles from the courtroom.

The press was already having a field day. There was near constant flashing coming from their camera's now, with hastily written notes being sent off to those outside the room. Many a dicto-quill was scratching furiously at long pieces of parchment, the nibs barely leaving the paper before beginning their scratchings all over again.

Madam Bones left her seat, and walked down to the dias. There, she produced a sealed bottle of Veritaserum. Showing the court that the bottle was sealed with an official Ministry seal, she proceeded to break said seal and tip the contents into Sirius's mouth. After ensuring that Sirius had swallowed the contents, she began asking a set of standard questions that helped to set a baseline and ensure that the potion had taken effect.

"Would you please state your name, all titles and date of birth for the court?" Madam Bones asked.

Sirius was clearly under the influence of the potion, and answered as if he was in a trance. "Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Born on the third of November, 1959. Legal Godfather of Harry James Potter, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter."

It appeared that the masses were yet to pick up on the implications of Sirius being Harry's Godfather meant for the case. But it was clear that Madam Bones knew. "Lord Black, when were you named as the legal godfather of Harry Potter?"

"On the day he was born, the thirty-first of July, 1980." Sirius replied automatically.

"Lord Black, who was present at the signing of the relevant documents? And, as an extension, who was aware that you were the godfather of Harry Potter?" Madam Bones was clearly trying to gain a list of people that she could call upon for testimony if necessary.

"At the signing was Lily, James, Harry, his paternal grandparents Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, as well as his maternal grandparents Rose and George Evans. Also present was Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Minerva McGonagall, Madam Augusta Longbottom, as well as Lord Frank Longbottom and Lady Alice Longbottom. Lady Alice Longbottom was also named as godmother to Harry. Neville Longbottom was also present, although he was only one day old at the time. And of course the relevant goblins from Gringotts, and a Ministry scribe named Dolores Umbridge. " Sirius listed. "Others that were aware of the signing were the entirety of the Hogwarts staff, all of the Order of the Phoenix, and anyone at any pub that would listen to me. So at least Aberforth Dumbledore."

"Very good Lord Black. Finally, I would like you to tell the court, in as much detail as you can, the events that led up to, and including the events on October thirty first, 1980," Madam Bones asked, after making a list of everyone that Sirius had mentioned.

Even while essentially drugged, it was clear that Sirius's face had darkened. "On October 15, 1980, we received a letter from Albus Dumbledore that suggested that Lily, James and Harry were in danger of being attacked by the Dark Lord. I was living in a cottage on the Potter grounds at the time with Remus Lupin, so we knew as soon as the Potters knew. James wrote back that if that were the case, he would stock up on provisions so as to see us through at least a decade, and then activate the Potter War Wards. Dumbledore wrote back that he must see us all in person, something about a prophecy involving Harry. He told us to meet him at his safe house in Godric's Hollow. Shortly after arriving, he instead told us that Frank Longbottom had been taken by the Death Eaters, and that they had tortured the location of Potter Manor out of him. I later learned, while in Azkaban, that Frank and Alice Longbottom were kidnapped within the week after the incident at Godric's Hollow, never before then. However, we believed at the time that the Manor was compromised, so we moved into the safe house. A week later, Remus and I had to leave for a few days to deal with.." Harry could see that Sirius was trying to find a way to not reveal Remus's lycanthropy. ".. a health issue, so the Potters would need a new secret keeper. Dumbledore convinced me that the best person would be Peter Pettigrew, since he was less likely to be targeted than I was, and that he should remain secret keeper for the next few weeks at least."

Sirius took a deep breath, preparing for what was to come. "It all seemed to be going well, until a few days later when Dumbledore came to me and told me that Peter Pettigrew had betrayed us, and that the Dark Lord had gone to the safe house and killed them all. He told me that Peter was seen leaving the scene with baby Harry's body. There's a magical bond that is formed between a godparent and their godchild, and it started to take over. I felt compelled to track down Peter, to kill the man that I believed was responsible for the death of what I considered to be my family in all but blood. And so I did. I found the bastard, but he didn't have Harry. When he saw me, he cut off his finger, cast a blasting charm in the middle of a muggle street, and then turned into his rat animagus form. From there I can't say where he went. I was distraught, I broke down in the middle of the street, blaming myself for the death of my loved ones. For I truly believed that if I were still their secret keeper, they would still be here today. I was shortly surrounded by a group of my fellow Auror's, whom despite my protests that they had the wrong man, promptly threw me into Azkaban. My questions of a trial were ignored for years, until I simply accepted my fate and began to wither away. The guards would mockingly drop me a few newspapers here and there, where I learned what I know of the Longbottom's, and the fact that Harry was still alive somewhere. I suppose that is why I'm not dementor insane by now, the vague hope of seeing him again one day. And now we are here."

Madam Bones wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye, before clearing her throat. "Lord Black, it appears that a grave injustice has been committed against you. With the permission of the court, I will administer the antidote to the Veritaserum now."

The court did not argue, too stunned to consider asking follow up questions. Dumbledore would have been glad for that; it meant that no one could probe further into his own crimes just yet. No doubt the old man was trying to concoct some way to get himself out of trouble.

Madam Bones tipped the contents of a second vial into Sirius's mouth, relieving him of the effects of the truth serum. "Thank you Lord Black for your cooperation. Ministers, Lords and Lady's of the Wizengamot, I present to you the official documentation, acquired from the bank, showing the authenticity of Lord Blacks claim to being the godfather of one Harry James Potter. As I am sure the court is aware, a person bonded in this manner can not, in any way willingly, put their charge in any sort of mortal danger. And, I think we can all agree, that betraying their charges family to one of the most deadly Dark Lords in recent memory would be mortal danger, no? Therefore, I ask that in your deliberation that you consider not only a verdict of not guilty, but a full exoneration and recompense for Lord Sirius Orion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."

The members of the Wizengamot rose, and departed to their offices. It was in these offices that they would each cast an anonymous vote on a piece of parchment. Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore, Madam Longbottom and Madam Bones were the only members of the Wizengamot that would not be permitted to vote. Dumbledore was arguing to Madam Bones that since she was yet to call upon him as a witness, that he should be permitted to vote. She slightly scowled at him, stating that the proceedings were not yet over.

Neville was curious about why he had been summoned to the court. Harry, sure. He was there because Madam Bones would no doubt bring forward the concerns regarding the Potter Will and guardianships. Draco thought it might have something to do with their bond as godbrothers, as it was enshrined in magic. It was magical proof that there was a magical family bound to Harry before his parents' death, and since all parties were well known to Dumbledore, there was no way that he was not aware of it. That bond wouldn't be present In Augusta, and it would be unethical to produce Neville's parents to the court. That left Neville himself.

The voting system of the court was somewhat interesting. Every member of the Sacred 28 was given a vote. All regular members of the Wizengamot were also given a vote. In the instance where a member of the Sacred 28 was also a head of a department, a station that automatically gives a seat on the Wizengamot, said member was granted two votes. At this time there were 21 members of the Sacred 28 present and 29 regular members of the Wizengamot, meaning there were 60 votes that could be tallied. Since there were members that could not vote, there would only be a total of 54 votes in this trial.

The vote itself took up much of the morning. Each member of the court was permitted one guest to join them in their chambers. Usually this guest was their partner, understudy if they were not a member of the Sacred 28, or their adult Heir. Most of the members had already cast their vote, but there were two members that were still locked away in their chambers. Lord Greengrass, who was notorious for being the last member to cast his vote, and Arthur Weasely, whose guest was Molly. There was clearly some conflict occurring. The pair were dedicated to Dumbledore to a fault, but Arthur seemed to be able to see past that loyalty at times. Molly however, never could. It wasn't until noon that Arthur finally exited his chambers, a red-faced Molly behind him. Seeing that he was the only one left to cast his vote, through what was an obviously charmed door, much like the one on the witness room, Lord Greengrass emerged, smiling and nodding to the reporters still left in the room. All at once, the reporters that had left the court during deliberations clambered to return to the court, having been notified by their pages or alert charms.

The boys had been taking turns keeping an eye on the court and playing whatever small games they could while waiting. Harry had introduced Neville and Draco to a hand game called chopsticks. It had kept them entertained for the majority of the morning. Harry was on lookout, and quickly got the attention of Draco and Neville. "Looks like it's finally happening," Harry smiled. He had no doubt what the outcome was going to be, but was curious if it was going to be a clean sweep of innocent or not.

A thick piece of parchment, folded and sealed with a piece of wax appeared before the Minister of Magic. On that parchment was the tally of the votes, as produced by magic. As each member cast their vote, a spell kept tally of the vote before destroying the paper it was cast upon. This eliminated the possibility that the handwriting of any member of the court could be recognised. It was a system that had been used since the Ministry was founded, and could not be corrupted.

There was a low hum of chatter throughout the court, causing Fudge to bang his gavel a few times to quiet everyone down. The quiet that swept through the court was nearly instantaneous.

Fudge cleared his throat, before beginning a standard scripted speech. "Before me is the formal verdict regarding the trial of Lord Sirius Orion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. The result of this vote is binding, and due to the use of Veritaserum, may not be appealed." Fudge paused for a moment to break the intricate wax seal on the parchment. In truth, the seal was a rune that caused the parchment to glow when broken. This ensured that the document had not been seen or tampered with prior to the verdict being read. Fudge cleared his throat once more, a slight frown forming as he read the verdict. "The verdict is; 52 to 2, in favour of a complete exoneration with recompense."

The court erupted in cheers. The camera flashing became so intense that it never seemed to end, yet somehow intensified as a guard approached the cage that Sirius was kept in. It seemed to take forever, but each and every lock holding Sirius in place was released, finally freeing him.

Madam Bones smiled. "You're a free man now Sirius. On behalf of the Wizengamot, I would like to sincerely apologise for the suffering that you have unjustly endured because of the incompetence of members both past and present. Sadly there is no way to compensate you for the time you have lost, but regardless compensation must be made. I invite you to come and see me whenever you please to help me draft what you would deem to be adequate compensation. However, I would request that you please stay in this courtroom for a little while longer, but not as a defendant. Would that be alright?"

Sirius gave Madam Bones a smile. "Amelia, I'm free because you did the right thing and did what others before you failed to see. Of course, I'll stay a little longer to help you out."

This obviously pleased Madam Bones. "I promise you, Sirius, it will be well worth your time. Now, I believe that there is a seat amongst the members of the Sacred 28 with your families name on it. I invite you to take that seat Lord Sirius Orion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."

Sirius stood from his rickety wooden chair, that simple act obviously causing him pain. As he turned, he looked up at the masses in front of him, seeing Remus for the first time. The werewolf was clearly on the verge of tears, smiling at his old mate. Sirius gave him a wink, before slowly making his way to his vacant, thankfully much more comfortable seat.

The caged dias that Sirius had been on descended into the holding cell below, leaving behind an empty stage. Madam Bones conjured a simple wooden chair in the centre.

"Lord and Ladies, members of the Wizengamot. I have a second case to present before you. I know that it is highly unorthodox to present two cases before the court in one session, however, it is crucial to do so, especially given the result of the first trial. This trial pertains to the guardianship and attempted line theft of one Harry James Potter.