AN: I so sorry, this has been done for a few days but I was at a friend's with no internet and had a family day yesterday. Finally got internet and got this updated. Important author's note at the end, so read it! Enjoy.
Chapter 3
The week after Harry and Remus' visit, Sirius was awoke by the sound of clanking keys and the clop of work boots once again. However, this time would be the last, for it was the morning of his trial. The auror opened the cell door and escorted him to the courtroom without a sound. Sirius was drowned in his own thoughts, worrying about the trial that was to come. When he finally resurfaced, the pair had reached their destination, courtroom number ten. As an auror, Sirius knew that courtroom number ten was only used for a trial where the accused witch or wizard would be sent to Azkaban. The complete downside to knowing this information is that more often than not, the accused did end up in that hellhole. When Sirius and his escort stepped into the courtroom, all sound stopped. Sirius had been told by Remus he week before that his trial would be open to the public, due to the events that caused it to exist in the first place. Although he took a moment to scan the crowd, his eyes immediately zeroed onto Remus and Harry, sitting together in the front row, with Albus to their right. When said toddler spotted his godfather, he let out a loud squeal. "PA'FOOT!" He struggled to get out of Remus' lap to get to his godfather, but Remus held a firm but gentle grip on the child and he wasn't able to make a successful getaway. As Sirius watched Harry, entranced by the sight of his godson; his escort, along with another auror Sirius did not recognize had lead him over to the chair in the center of the courtroom. Once Sirius was seated, the chair's binding system clicked into place, chains encircling his wrists and ankles. Once Sirius was restrained securely; Madame Bones, who was overseeing the trial, stood.
"Before we begin this trial, are there any questions about this case?" She spoke loudly. Harry quickly raised his hand.
"Yes Mr. Potter, what is your question?" The stern woman asked, giving him a soft look.
"Umm...Escuse me, but why Pa'foot tied up? It must hurt, and he didn't do anything wrong..." Along with this statement, Harry gave the judge a foolproof look of conviction - The Puppy Dog Eyes.
"O'Riley, unbind Mr. Black." Was Bone's reply to young Harry's question.
Once the auror was finished, she turned her attention toward Sirius. "Mr. Black, you are here today on the following charges; one, assisted murder of one James Andrew Potter, one Lily Marie Potter, and one Harry James Potter. Also the murder of one Peter _ Pettigrew and twelve unnamed muggle bystander. Third, the obvious disregard of the Stature of Secrecy, risking the revaluation of the wizarding world. How do you plead to these charges?"
"Not-Guilty to all charges Madame." As he spoke, Sirius looked Bones dead in the eye to show his honesty as well as his lack of fear. He made sure to speak clearly so that all the reporters present would be able to write an accurate story on the trial.
"Very well, has any evidence been submitted towards this claim? And someone who could testify to help prove Mr. Black's innocence?" Amelia spoke out to the section of the room where Remus sat with Harry, as well as Dumbledore.
The aged man stood, "Multiple memories of James Potter's have been submitted to be viewed in a projection pensive viewing in front of the court. Remus Lupin has agreed to testify under vertiserum and Harry James Potter has expressed a wish to say a few things. As his great-grandfather however, I must request that the potion not be administered to young Harry, and I'm sure that Sirius, as his guardian would agree with me. "
"Very well Albus. Freeman, please play the memories for viewing." A young female auror, who Sirius slightly recognized from his years at Hogwarts, brought forth a pensive on a stand, filled to the brim with a milky white substance. She tapped the bowl several times with her wand and an image appeared over head.
A raven-haired man lounged on a beige sofa, another man sitting in a chair across from him, while a child bearing similar features to the first played on the rug. The first man could easily be identified as James Potter, and the child was clearly his own son, Harry. The other man like a brother to him, Sirius Black. While Harry played on obliviously, the two men were engaged in a discussion that would determine the fate of all in the room.
"James you have to listen to me, Voldemort would never expect Peter to be your secret-keeper. I doubt that there's anyone on the planet who actually thinks you would. Everyone would expect you to pick me, which is exctly why you shouldn't."
"As close as all of us are Sirius, you're the only one I can trust with this. We live in dangerous times, and Peter just isn't some one I'd think to entrust my life to right now, let alone Lily and Harry's. I know that there isn't anything in this universe that would lead you to betray us to Voldemort. And as much as I hate to admit it, I just don't know if I can trust Remus or Peter right now. This isn't just about me, this is about Lily and Harry too, I need to choose someone that I can trust absolutely."
"We've all been worried about Remus for a while now, and even putting the fact that he's a werewolf to the side, he's been really distant lately, hardly the kind of behavior that convinces me that he isn't the spy in the order." As Sirius spoke, a tall, willowy woman with a fiery mane of hair walked into the room and sunk into the sofa beside her husband, smacking Sirius in the back of the head as she went.
"Sirius Orion Black, how many times do I have to tell you that Remus is not the spy! If you would stop insisting that he is something he's not, maybe he wouldn't be so withdrawn around you. Peter is the one you should really be worried about, I've had a bad feeling about him ever since Dumbledore told us that there was a spy in the order. James is right about one thing, Peter shouldn't be out secret keeper."
"I won't put you in more danger than you have to be Lily, I'd never tell Voldemort the secret but if he has me killed, will you be content to live in exile forever, or be forced to move out of your own home because no one can find you?"
"Sirius, just give us a couple of days; this isn't a decision that should be made in haste. Lily and I will discuss what we are going to do and once we decide, we will perform the spell. There's no use arguing over it, we're all tired and it's only making us irritable."
"Why James, perhaps you are growing up after all." Lily told her husband with a smirk and a wink.
"I don't think he'll ever grow up Lils. See you two later." After giving little Harry a tight squeeze, Sirius Black left the Potter's home, and the memory faded.
When the first memory was finished, there was barely a dry eye in the room. Remus and Sirius both sat in silence, with tears streaming down their cheeks in remembrance for the friends they had lost. To choked up to speak, Amelia nodded at Freeman to start the next memory. She used her wand to pull a silky white strand out of the pensive, feeding it into an empty vial. She then pulled out another vial and used her wand to take the silvery stand and put it in the pensive, another tap and the audience was once again drawn into the memories of James Potter.
When the imaged cleared, the memory looked much the same as the last. James and Sirius sitting in the living room. The memory started in the middle of the conversation, with Sirius in the middle of a sentence.
"...Lily will be pretty pissed at you, but it's either that or everyone's safety on the line. She's just scared, for all of us, once you guys are safe I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Then again, what if I'm not? The two of us will go crazy locked up in a house together with her pissed at me."
"Just because you guys are going under the fidelius dozen;t mean that you're being exiled. Peter will tell me, and Remus of course, the secret and we can come over here all the time. You can leave sometimes too you know, just not too often, weakens the spell."
"Lily's right Sirius, we know nothing about why Remus has been so withdrawn lately. He's probably afraid that we do think he's the spy, and trying to convince himself otherwise and look at us, sitting here thinking the exact opposite. But I don't think Peter is the spy either, it could be anybody really."
"True, we'll have to apologize to him I suppose, let him know that we know him too well. Did you tell Peter about the Fidelius?"
"Not yet, Lily sent him a letter telling him to come over for dinner in a few days, but I'm going to go to his flat in a bit and talk to him about it. And since this is all your idea, you are going to cast the spell, or I can ask Remus I suppose. "
"I don't mind it James, after we cast the spell the two of us will have to go find Remus and talk to him. But I have to get to the office, Scrimingor is going to be after my hide if I'm late again."
"Well, better you than me mate. See you later." And once again, the court watched Sirius Black walk out of the Potter's living room.
This memory, showing the decision for Peter Pettigrew to be the Potter's secret keeper shocked everyone in the courtroom so intensely, that even the most dignified officials were picking their jaws up off the floor. Every reporter in the room was writing with such ferocity, their quills were beginning to smoke, while their photographers took thousands of pictures. Madame Bones turned to Dumbledore.
"Are there anymore memories Professor?"
"Just one Amelia, the most important yet I believe."
"Very well, Freeman, you know what to do."
Like the other memories, this third memory was set in the Potter's living room. This time, sat in his usual place, but the man across from him was not Sirius Black, But Peter Pettigrew. James held Harry in his lap, and the sound of running water from the kitchen was a tell-tale sign that Lily was cleaning up from dinner. After a few moments, Lily walked in and joined her husband on the sofa, taking her son into her own arms. James leaned forward and began to speak in earnest.
"Peter, as you know; Lily, Harry and I have to go into hiding, as Voldemort is after us. We will be going under the Fidelius Charm and we'd like for you to be our secret keeper."
"I - James, I didn't expect this from you, I would have though - Sirius."
"Well, that's exactly it isn't it? Everyone knows that Sirius would be my first pick as secret keeper, we're all close but Sirius is like my brother. So we're doing exactly the opposite of what they expect. Sirius will be casting the charm for us though, he'll be here in a little while."
"Ahh, I see. Good, the sooner you get the charm done the sooner you will be...safe. Yes, you'll be safe."
The group settled into an uneasy silence for a few minutes, until there was a knock at the door. Lily set Harry onto her husband's lap and opened it, to find Sirius on the other side.
"Evening, Lils, Prongs, Wormtail. Ready?"
"Of course. You know the incantation?"
"Yep. Let's get this over with."
Standing in the middle of the sofa and the armchair that Peter occupied, Sirius began to chant, waving his wand back and forth in wide complicated arcs between the two groups. After a few minutes of his steady chanting, a white light spread all around them, and when it dimmed, a streak flew toward Peter. While Sirius stood there blind, as he couldn't see the house any longer, Peter wrote the address on a paper and showed it to him. The group exchanged small talk for a short while, before Lily went upstairs to put Harry to bed and James led Peter and Sirius out. As the pair walked out the door, the memory dimmed.
As the last memory faded, the occupants of the court slowly turned, staring at Sirius with looks of uttermost shock on their faces. Amelia quickly pulled herself together and stood.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Due to the overwhelming evidence provided by the three memories, we will no longer require testimonies from Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter. The jury will now take a short recess to decide upon a verdict." Madame Bones and the other ministry officials seated near her rose from their seats and exited as a group to a side chamber. As they left, Harry sprung off Remus' lap and raced across to Sirius, clambering up to sit on his lap. Speaking no words, Sirius sat holding his godson until the jury, lead by madame bones, reentered the courtroom.
"After seeing the memories of James Potter, the jury has come to a unanimous agreement. The court pronounces Sirius Orion Black not guilty of all charges."
Like the other memories, this third memory was set in the Potter's living room. This time, sat in his usual place, but the man across from him was not Sirius Black, But Peter Pettigrew. James held Harry in his lap, and the sound of running water from the kitchen was a tell-tale sign that Lily was cleaning up from dinner. After a few moments, Lily walked in and joined her husband on the sofa, taking her son into her own arms. James leaned forward and began to speak in earnest.
"Peter, as you know; Lily, Harry and I have to go into hiding, as Voldemort is after us. We will be going under the Fidelius Charm and we'd like for you to be our secret keeper."
"I - James, I didn't expect this from you, I would have though - Sirius."
"Well, that's exactly it isn't it? Everyone knows that Sirius would be my first pick as secret keeper, we're all close but Sirius is like my brother. So we're doing exactly the opposite of what they expect. Sirius will be casting the charm for us though, he'll be here in a little while."
"Ahh, I see. Good, the sooner you get the charm done the sooner you will be...safe. Yes, you'll be safe."
The group settled into an uneasy silence for a few minutes, until there was a knock at the door. Lily set Harry onto her husband's lap and opened it, to find Sirius on the other side.
"Evening, Lils, Prongs, Wormtail. Ready?"
"Of course. You know the incantation?"
"Yep. Let's get this over with."
Standing in the middle of the sofa and the armchair that Peter occupied, Sirius began to chant, waving his wand back and forth in wide complicated arcs between the two groups. After a few minutes of his steady chanting, a white light spread all around them, and when it dimmed, a streak flew toward Peter. While Sirius stood there blind, as he couldn't see the house any longer, Peter wrote the address on a paper and showed it to him. The group exchanged small talk for a short while, before Lily went upstairs to put Harry to bed and James led Peter and Sirius out. As the pair walked out the door, the memory dimmed.
As the last memory faded, the occupants of the court slowly turned, staring at Sirius with looks of uttermost shock on their faces. Amelia quickly pulled herself together and stood.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Due to the overwhelming evidence provided by the three memories, we will no longer require testimonies from Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter. The jury will now take a short recess to decide upon a verdict." Madame Bones and the other ministry officials seated near her rose from their seats and exited as a group to a side chamber. As they left, Harry sprung off Remus' lap and raced across to Sirius, clambering up to sit on his lap. Speaking no words, Sirius sat holding his godson until the jury, lead by madame bones, reentered the courtroom.
"After seeing the memories of James Potter, the jury has come to a unanimous agreement. The court pronounces Sirius Orion Black not guilty of all charges."
AN: So? Did you like it? Was it worth the wait? Leave me a review and let me know. And just remember, if you leave an unsigned review, I can't thank you! Anyway, my beta has disappeared off of the face of the planet, so I'm looking for someone to help me out. Not just to edit the chapters, but that I can bounce ideas off of and who can tell me what they think about what I have planned before I put if out here for you guys. If you think that you can handle it, email me or PM me or whatever. You can also find me on twitter (Lani_Michelle) or tumblr (search my email HPismyhero31gmail). One other question for you all, I have a few things planned for Heart's Desire, if you've read what's up there, along with the original first chapter (which i loved). Let me know if you think I should work on that a bit, but it also means that Alternate Guardian won't be updated for a while. BUT, I don't really know what I want to happen next here anyway, which is another reason I need someone to bounce ideas off of. Will Remus and Sirius have an arguement? How will Sirius take to parrenting? Will I skip over some time? All questions I need to answer before I start planning the next chapter. I think that my first version moved too quickly, so I'm trying to draw this out a bit.
QUICK Version: I need a beta, contact me if your interested, and let me know if you want me to work on Heart's Desire while I try to figure out where this story is going, and REVIEW!
I love you guys, your reviews make my day (:
- Alana Michelle