Black & White - A Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Chapter 3 - 1

The Archive at the Ministry of Magic looked more like a cathedral. Huge pointed arches of stone divided different sections. Enormous shelves went from the floor to the ceiling, loaded with documents, boxes, folders, and parchment rolls. Sara's footsteps echoed on the floor while she walked deeper and deeper.

When she passed the first section, a disembodied voice echoed off the walls. "Good morning, Auror White. Welcome to the Archive. You may proceed as high as Section Four." It was a female voice, mellow and kind.

The authorization system to access the Archive was complex and concerned all the Ministry departments, not only the Aurors. The higher the level, the more secret and important documents were available for review. Chief Aurors like her could go up to the fourth level, but there were more. And then there was the Minister's private archive, which could only be accessed from the Prime Minister's office.

The documents Sara searched should have been somewhere on the shelves of the third level. They were important, but not secret to the point of requiring a higher authorization. Sara turned right and went deeper into the third section. She found the letter B, then the folders with the reports she wrote about Black's break-out, but strangely there was nothing more about him. She tried under S for Sirius and G for Godric's Hollow, but she couldn't find the documents.

Sara had never checked before. She had always taken particular care not to let her gaze wander on those shelves. The archive surely contained other material on Sirius Black, but she never searched for it. Knowing the details would have been too much. She didn't care—her imagination was more than enough to make her feel so much potential dread, there was no need for more. But now it was different. She needed that information whether she liked it or not.

Sara went to check section four, but she couldn't find anything there, either. Even knowing she'd be denied, she tried to go beyond.

"Access denied, Auror White." The voice resounded in the room again, while a thin invisible wall stood between Sara and Section Five. "You don't have the necessary authorization."

"You never get distracted, right?" Sara stretched her neck to peek beyond, but it was useless. She couldn't see the labels on the shelves from that distance.

"It's not in my nature to get distracted, Auror White."

"Fine, then maybe you can help me in another way." Sara walked away from the barrier that prevented her from going ahead and looked around. The Archive was empty. "Can you search for the position of a document?"

"Sure."

"I need the documents on Godric's Hollow massacre."

The Voice seemed to think for a moment. "The required documents aren't among your authorization levels."

"I already knew this. Can you tell me in what section they are?"

"I'm not allowed to share this information with you, Auror White."

Sara put her hands on her hips and snorted. "If you could tell me where the documents are, I'll know which kind of authorization to request."

"The documents you require are not part of my sections. I don't find any correspondence."

It was strange. Sara thanked the Voice and went back to the Department, bringing the documents about Black's breakout with her. In her office, Frank was placing cups of coffee and piles of worn-out newspapers on her desk.

"Boss, I took the newspapers from that period, as you asked. And coffee. You got everything?"

"Not exactly." Sara placed the boxes on the floor. "I'll be back in a minute."

If the documents weren't in the Archive, they could only be in one place. Sara marched toward the Director's office, knocked at the door, then entered when she heard a voice from the inside.

"Sir, forgive me for the trouble, but I need your help." Sara explained what she had discovered and waited for his reaction—amazement maybe.

But the Director rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and leaned against the back of his armchair. "The documents you're searching for are in the Prime Minister's private archive."

"As I thought." Sara took a step toward the desk. "Do you believe you can—"

"They were placed there upon direct request of Bartemius Crouch."

Sara was speechless for a moment. What did Bartemius Crouch have to do with it? "Sir, I don't think I understand."

The Department Director sighed. "You may not know, but at the time of Godric's Hollow massacre, he dealt with the investigations and the prosecution of Sirius Black. The files have been sealed."

Sara crossed her arms. "Well, I need authorization to get them."

"What for? You don't need them to find Black."

"You can't know that. If you want me to deal with this case, I'm going to do it my way, and I need to go through everything from the beginning. I have no intention of basing my work on conclusions drawn by others. And I don't understand why these documents are sealed, anyway"

The Director sighed again, but this time the sound was more like a snort. "Sit down."

Sara complied with bad grace. Reticence annoyed her.

"Not many people know about this, but the highest levels of the Ministry at the time of Godric's Hollow massacre decided to send Black to prison without going through a real trial."

"I beg you pardon?" Sara swallowed. Did she hear right? "What do you mean without a real trial?"

"The case caused a great sensation, and the evidence was so incontestable that they decided for a quick resolution."

"A quick resolution?" Sara lifted an eyebrow. She couldn't believe it. It was a violation of so many laws. It was completely absurd.

"Black's guilt wasn't in question. The Minister at that time and Crouch decided it was useless to prolong the investigation and summon a Winzengamot hearing. They closed the case and threw him in jail."

"Without a trial." Sara's palms were sweaty, and her mouth was dry. She shoved her hands under her thighs to prevent them from shaking and betray her. Sirius had been thrown in Azkaban without even passing under the judgment of the Winzengamot. "Is there any possibility I can get to see those documents?"

The Director looked at her for a few moments. "I don't know what you plan to do, but I'll find a way to get them."

Sara went back to her office and closed the door behind her.

"Something wrong, Boss?" Frank looked at her with his brows furrowed.

"I'm not sure." Sara pressed her back against the door. What was Bartemius Crouch hiding?

***