A Little Help from a Snake // Tomarry

Part 31

Reposted: November 16, 2021

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Jumping right into Sirius' trial, which is fairly dialogue-heavy, fyi. I read a few fanfics where Sirius received his trial to help me write this, so I hope it turned out okay

Madam Bones had to bang her gavel several times to call order to the court as Sirius Black was dragged into the room. The shouting died down, though muttering could still be heard.

"Murderer."

"Death Eater."

"Traitor."

And those were some of the nicer words Sirius heard thrown his way as he sat down in the chair. His eyes quickly sought out Remus, who was sitting off to one side. Remus gave him an almost indiscernible nod of encouragement, his eyes were reflecting the apprehension Sirius felt.

Madam Bones continued once the muttering fully ceased. "Sirius Black, you have been accused of serving the Dark Lord Voldemort and murdering twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty."

The murmuring started up once more, filled with disbelief and hostility.

"Very well. Unspeakable Bode, please administer the Veritaserum."

Two drops were given, and Sirius' eyes grew blank.

"State your full name," Bones said.

"Sirius Orion Black."

Madam Bones nodded and began the questions. "Were you the Secret-Keeper for the Potters?"

"Originally, yes."

"Please elaborate."

"James asked me to become the Secret-Keeper. I accepted," Sirius began in a dazed voice. "But it became apparent that I would be the obvious choice since most people were aware of my friendship with him. So I suggested we switched out but didn't tell anybody."

"Who became the new Secret-Keeper?" Madam Bones asked.

"Peter Pettigrew."

"What happened that night of the Potters' deaths?" Madam Bones inquired amidst the ripple of surprise.

"I arrived to see the house completely wrecked. James and Lily were dead." Even in his trance, his grief and despair were evident in his voice. "Harry was in his crib, alive but bleeding from his forehead. There wasn't much I could do for James and Lily, so I took Harry out, intent on bringing him to Remus.

"Hagrid had just arrived and convinced me to hand Harry over. I thought he'd be safe, so I did and went after Peter, eventually cornering him. He shouted at me, wondering why I have betrayed my friends before blasting the entire street and turning into a rat and disappearing down the sewer. I was too shocked to realize what had happened, which was why I was found laughing like a maniac."

The courtroom had been silent throughout the retelling. When Sirius paused, they erupted in shocked yells.

Even Madam Bones was having a difficult time keeping her composure. "You said Peter Pettigrew turned into a rat? Do you mean to say he is an Animagus?"

"Yes," Sirius said. "He, James, and I became one to help Remus with his transformations."

"Are you unregistered?"

"Yes, but we intended to register after the war."

"How did you know Peter was alive?"

"I saw him in the Daily Prophet when Fudge came down. When I looked at the youngest male in the picture, I saw the rat on his shoulder. He was missing a toe, the same one as Pettigrew's finger."