Harry Potter - The Accidental Animagus

Chapter 28 - The Trial

Sirius Black was led in chains before the Wizengamot. He stumbled as he was dragged along by the aurors, keeping his head bowed to see well enough to keep from tripping over his own feet. He was led to one of the two iron chairs in the centre of the chamber, and the chains leapt into motion to secure him. Once seated, his head lolled to one side, and he looked up for the first time...straight into the haunting green eyes of Lily Potter.

Yes, they were her eyes alright, as sure as anything, and the face they were set into was the face of James as a boy.

"Harry...?" he mouthed, failing to produce any sound from his throat. It could only be his godson. But the boy was sitting with a family he didn't recognise-a girl about his age with bushy brown hair, a woman with darker, but equally bushy hair who was clearly her mother, and presumably her father with them. Both of the children were in Hogwarts robes, and Sirius noted with a long-dormant spark of pride that they both had red trim. A gaggle of redheads behind them could only be the Weasleys.

But what took his breath away was the look in Harry's eyes. After what the boy must have been told, they should have been filled with hate, but they weren't. It was more a look of uncertain appraisal with just a hint of...was that pity? Was it possible he already knew?

He glanced to the side and saw Moony-Moony, who had just as much right to hate him, but he didn't look like he did, either. He looked nervous and confused as he sat there in his worn-out clothes. He knew something as well. But what had happened? Sirius didn't dare hope-

"Auror Shacklebolt, bring in the second prisoner," a voice in front of him called. He snapped his head forward to see Amelia Bones presiding over the court (she must be in charge of Magical Law Enforcement, now), with old Albus Dumbledore sitting beside her. A murmur of confusion began. Then, there were scattered gasps from some of the members of the Wizengamot. Sirius craned his neck to see who was being brought in, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Peter!" He tried to shout it, but fell into a coughing fit. The rat was here! He strained against the chains, trying to throttle him on the spot before coming to his senses. All he needed was some Veritaserum, and it would all be over. Yes, the rat would finally get his. Sirius bit his tongue to be sure it wasn't a dream, but of course, in Azkaban, he never would have had a dream this good.

"Peter, you traitor!" Sirius barked out.

"Me? It's him! He's the traitor!" Peter yelled back, his words quick, like a rat's squeaking. He strained against his own bonds.

"Silence!" Amelia Bones shouted. Sirius and Peter both stopped yelling. "Let the record show that the second prisoner before the Council today is Peter Pettigrew." There were shouts from around the hall, which she silenced with a blast from her wand.

Sirius started to scan the courtroom. He looked over the rest of the Wizengamot. Augusta Longbottom was in her son's seat. Sirius knew from Bellatrix's shouting what had happened there. He flinched when he spotted Andromeda. Damn, he'd forgotten how much she looked like her sister. She was sitting in the seat he had last seen occupied by James-no surprise-she was the natural choice for proxy. And there was Narcissa sitting in his seat! Had his mother finally kicked the bucket? Barty Crouch and Cornelius Fudge were there, too, glaring at him. They must be still be at the top level of the Ministry. He wondered if one of them was Minster, now. There were others in the audience, too. Alastor Moody was standing guard. He seemed to have lost an eye since Sirius last saw him, and he now had a creepy-looking magical replacement that constantly roved around the room. Beside him was a pink-haired girl who could only be Nymphadora. An Auror in training? He could almost have laughed. Further down, a blond newspaper reporter in hideous lime green robes was looking increasingly gleeful at the proceedings as a quill was writing by itself in front of her.