The ancient halls of the Wizengamot chamber echoed with murmurs and whispers. The high vaulted ceiling loomed above a ring of elevated stone benches, each bearing the crest of an ancient house or Ministry office. The floor below was tiled in deep blue, the same hue as the robes worn by every member in attendance.
The chamber had not been this full in years.
Even the oldest members who seldom appeared had made their way here, their curiosity drawn by the rare emergency session called by Amelia Susan Bones, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Albus Dumbledore, in his deep violet robes embroidered with silver stars, presided over the court from the Chief Warlock's seat, his expression unreadable, fingers steepled beneath his beard.
A sudden murmur rippled through the chamber as Amelia Bones entered. She walked with measured purpose, her monocle glinting under the magical torches. Behind her were four Aurors—Proudmoore among them—escorting a man bound in enchanted chains.
The moment they passed through the enchanted arch into the floor of the courtroom, silence fell like a blanket over the gathered assembly.
"Merlin's beard…" whispered Tiberius Ogden from House Ogden.
"That can't be…"
"It's a trick."
"Peter Pettigrew is dead…"
Amelia Bones raised a hand for silence.
"Members of the Wizengamot," she began, her voice sharp and unwavering, "today's session has been called to address a matter of grave importance. What you see before you is not an illusion, not Polyjuice, and not a mistake. This is Peter Pettigrew—formerly of Gryffindor House, a known associate of James Potter, and the man believed to have been murdered by Sirius Black in 1981."
Gasps erupted, followed by a flurry of outraged voices.
"Impossible!"
"He was awarded the Order of Merlin!"
"Posthumously!"
Dumbledore held up a hand and the room quieted again, if only slightly. His blue eyes fixed on the trembling man in chains.
Amelia nodded to Proudmoore, who stepped forward with the familiar crystal vial.
"We have administered Veritaserum. Three drops. The subject is currently under its influence. You may now witness his testimony yourselves."
She turned to Pettigrew.
"State your name."
Peter's eyes, glassy and wide, rolled upward to stare at the ceiling. "Peter Pettigrew."
"Were you a Death Eater?"
"Yes."
The silence in the chamber was so intense, it felt as though the air itself had thickened.
"Did you betray James and Lily Potter?"
"Yes."
"Were you their Secret Keeper?"
"Yes."
"Did you give their location to Lord Voldemort?"
"Yes."
Several members visibly recoiled at the name. Others stared in stunned disbelief.
"Did Sirius Black betray them?"
"No."
"Did Sirius Black kill those Muggles on the street?"
"No."
"Who killed them?"
"I did. I created the explosion to fake my death. Cut off my finger. Escaped in my Animagus form."
"And what is your Animagus form?"
"A rat."
Cries of outrage and astonishment rose from every tier.
"He's been alive all these years?"
"Rotten little coward!"
"That means Black—he was innocent!"
Dumbledore leaned forward, face pale but composed. "Mr. Pettigrew, did you ever have a trial?"
"No."
"Did you ever attempt to turn yourself in?"
"No."
"Did you continue to serve Voldemort after his fall?"
"I… waited… for his return. I was told to wait. Watch. Serve when he came back."
A heavy silence followed. Amelia Bones stepped forward.
"For over eight years, the Ministry has accepted a lie. For over six years, we allowed a man—Sirius Black—to rot in Azkaban for a crime he did not commit. We gave this man the Order of Merlin, and declared him a hero."
She turned slowly, addressing each tier of the gathered court.
"This is not a minor oversight. This is a failure of justice so monumental that it threatens the very credibility of our system. And someone, somewhere, deliberately signed off on imprisoning Black without trial."
"Madness," muttered Lord Bletchley. "This will destroy us in the press…"
"Good!" Amelia barked. "Let it. Let the world know the truth. I won't be a party to covering this up. This rat—this Death Eater—must be sentenced by law. But first, the truth must be made public."
There was a pause as the members of the Wizengamot murmured among themselves. Then a tall, graying witch from the Montague family stood.
"I propose we move to deliver judgment," she said coldly. "Let the record state that Peter Pettigrew, under Veritaserum, has confessed to crimes of murder, treason, and conspiracy with the Dark Lord. He is to be stripped of all honors, including the Order of Merlin."
"I second the motion," declared Tiberius Ogden.
"I third it," said Madam Marchbanks.
Dumbledore finally stood.
"Let the votes be cast."
One by one, the enchanted quills floated above each member's seat and scribbled down the votes on glowing parchment. It took less than a minute.
Dumbledore glanced at the result.
"By unanimous decision of the Wizengamot," he announced, "Peter Pettigrew is declared guilty on all charges. His honors are revoked. He will be turned over to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and imprisoned in Azkaban until such time as a new high-security holding facility is deemed appropriate."
He paused.
"And let it also be noted in the record… that Sirius Orion Black was innocent."
There were murmurs again—of guilt, of shame, of horror.
As the Aurors moved to drag Pettigrew away, the man sobbed incoherently, Veritaserum still muddling his thoughts. Amelia Bones watched him go, her hands clenched at her sides.
The world was about to change.
And outside the doors of the chamber, a dozen reporters from the Daily Prophet were already waiting.
The morning sun filtered through the lace curtains of the Highlands Manor, tucked away in a quiet magical forest in the Scottish border. Here, everything was quieter. Warmer. Quieter still was the figure of Sirius Black, sitting in his dressing robe, nursing a steaming cup of strong tea.
There was the scrape of claws at the windowsill. An owl tapped against the glass with impatient wings, a rolled-up newspaper in its beak.
Sirius opened the window absently, tossing a knut into the owl's pouch.
"Thank you," he mumbled, untying the Daily Prophet and shutting the window. The owl took off with a proud hoot.
He unrolled the paper without looking. It was habit by now, a remnant from the old days. But what he saw made his blood run cold.
"PETER PETTIGREW CAPTURED! MINISTRY CLEARS SIRIUS BLACK!"
Sirius sat frozen.
It was there—bold letters sprawled across the entire front page. His name. His face. Not the gaunt, hollow-eyed criminal they once printed, but a younger photo of him, laughing alongside James during their old days.
He slowly leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes scanning every line.
"After over eight years of disgrace, the Ministry of Magic formally announced the capture of Peter Pettigrew, a Death Eater long presumed dead. Under the effects of Veritaserum in front of the entire Wizengamot, Pettigrew confessed to betraying James and Lily Potter and murdering thirteen Muggles in an explosion that was originally attributed to Sirius Black. The court has unanimously revoked Pettigrew's Order of Merlin and issued a formal exoneration for Sirius Black."
"Director Amelia Bones, who led the secret investigation, stated: 'We failed Sirius Black. The Ministry denied him justice. But no longer.'"
"Sirius Black, once wrongly labeled a mass murderer, has been fully cleared of all charges. Black, a member of the noble House of Black, defied his own family to fight against you kno who during the first war. His contributions to the Order of the Phoenix are now publicly acknowledged."
Sirius laughed—a dry, disbelieving sound.
"Now I'm a war hero," he muttered, shaking his head. "Last year, I was dark wizard, whom everyone relieved that I died in Azkaban."
He folded the paper in his hands, pressing it against his mouth. His grey eyes stared into the distance, glimmering with moisture he refused to shed.
"James," he whispered to no one. "We got the rat."
Footsteps approached behind him.
"Sirius?" came a soft voice.
He turned around. Wanda—tanned from her time in Egypt, wearing a soft green cloak over her traveling robes—walked into the room holding a second mug of tea.
She stopped when she saw his expression.
"Is everything alright?"
He handed her the paper. "See for yourself."
Wanda's brow furrowed. She took the Prophet and skimmed the front page. "Peter Pettigrew… Veritaserum… Sirius Black cleared—Sirius!" Her voice cracked with disbelief.
He gave her a faint smile. "It's real. It's finally real."
She rushed to him and hugged him tightly. Sirius tensed for a moment—he wasn't used to contact anymore—but slowly, he relaxed and hugged her back. It felt… good. Like the world had been reset just a little.
"I'm so happy for you," she whispered into his shoulder. "Truly."
Sirius pulled away with a roguish smirk. "You know what this means?"
"What?"
"I can finally take you out on a proper date. In daylight. Without an Auror recognising me."
Wanda grinned. "About time. I was starting to think you enjoyed the whole muggle only life."
"Not at all," Sirius said, rising. "I'm done hiding."
They spent the rest of the morning preparing. Wanda wore a silver-threaded cloak and curled her hair. Sirius trimmed his beard again and dressed in a charcoal-gray coat and polished dragonhide boots that had once belonged to his younger, pre-prison self. He glanced in the mirror, ran a hand through his hair, and muttered, "Still handsome enough."
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Narcissist."
"I've earned it," he replied.
They apparated to Hogsmeade and from there took a quiet walk up the hill to a magical café perched on a floating terrace overlooking the snowy mountains. No whispers, no pointing fingers. Nobody recognized Sirius.
"Funny thing," he said as they sat down to steaming mugs of spiced cocoa. "Eight years ago, I couldn't walk into a pub without being cursed or hexed. Now I can enjoy a warm drink with a beautiful woman, and not a soul knows my name."
"Maybe that's a good thing," Wanda said, sipping hers. "Fame has its price."
Sirius gave her a look. "I'll take anonymity with a side of chocolate cake, thank you very much."
Back at Highland Manor, Harry Potter read the same article.
He was sitting in the upstairs study, his owl perched on the window, and the Prophet open across the desk. The article on Pettigrew's capture. Amelia Bones' testimony. Sirius' name cleared.
He ran his hand through his messy hair and leaned back in the chair.
A part of him was angry—furious—that Sirius never got the trial he deserved. That he had to suffer. That the Ministry had once again failed.
But another part of him was… content.
"He's free now," Harry whispered to himself. "It's over."
He took a quill and wrote a letter. This one wasn't for Amelia Bones or anyone in the Ministry. It was for Hermoine.
The Burrow was unusually quiet that morning.
For once, Fred and George weren't loudly arguing about pranks. Ginny wasn't chattering about broomsticks or flying practice. Even Percy seemed oddly subdued at the breakfast table, his spoon clinking against the side of his porridge bowl with distracted repetition.
Then came the flutter of wings and the familiar thump of several owls dropping newspapers onto the table.
Arthur reached for the Daily Prophet with one hand and passed a silver knut to the barn owl with the other. He adjusted his glasses and unfolded the paper as Molly brought over a pot of tea.
"Let's see what nonsense the Ministry's up to today," he muttered, then froze.
A loud gasp escaped him.
Molly turned around quickly, sensing the shift in the room's energy. "Arthur? What is it?"
He didn't answer at first. His eyes were wide, lips slightly parted. Then, in a stunned voice, he said, "Peter Pettigrew. Caught. Alive."
"What?" Percy stood up so fast his chair nearly toppled. He snatched the paper from his father's hands and began reading aloud.
"...Captured in animagus form and confirmed through Veritaserum in front of the Wizengamot... confessed to betraying James and Lily Potter... and framed Sirius Black for the crime..."
Fred and George looked at each other, blood draining from their faces.
Ginny's mouth opened in slow disbelief.
Percy, voice trembling, whispered, "Peter Pettigrew was a Death Eater. And he… he lived in my room."
There was a sharp clang as Molly dropped the spoon she was holding. It clattered into the stewpot and splashed broth onto the stove, but she didn't notice.
Arthur cleared his throat. "Fred… George… please tell me—did you… did you know anything about this?"
Fred blinked. "W-we didn't know, Dad."
Percy staggered back from the table, pale. "He slept in my bedroom. That thing—that murderer—was in my room for years!"
Arthur placed a calming hand on his son's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Percy."
"But I—he sat on my pillow! He chewed through my quills!"
Molly gave a shudder. "Oh, Merlin's beard…"
George scratched the back of his neck. "Honestly, Percy, if we'd known he was an actual Death Eater we would've hexed him to the moon ourselves."
Fred added, "Yeah. We didn't like the rat anyway. Creepy little git."
Percy sank back into his chair, eyes still wide. "All this time... and to think I was upset when he went missing…"
Molly poured herself a cup of tea with shaking hands. "And Sirius Black… the poor man."
"They say he was innocent all along," Arthur murmured, still reading the article. "Imprisoned without trial, died in Azkaban. Unbelievable."
Fred and George shifted guiltily in their seats. They knew who really caught Pettigrew. It wasn't the Ministry.
It was Harry Potter.
The same boy who had met them at the edge of the woods. The same boy who gave them the owls. The same boy who looked like James Potter reborn.
They couldn't say a word. They had promised. And somehow, that promise felt heavier now than ever before.
Ginny said quietly, "Do you think Harry gave him to Amelia Bones?"
"I think…" Fred murmured, "...Harry's the one who did everything."
George nodded slowly. "And stayed out of the spotlight."
Arthur folded the paper slowly and placed it in the center of the table. "We should count ourselves lucky. That rat could've done far worse if the ministry hadn't captured him."
"I'm going to write Amelia a letter," Molly announced suddenly.
Fred nearly dropped his cup. "Mum, you can't—"
Arthur smiled faintly. "Maybe we'll invite her for tea one of these days."
Fred and George shared a hopeful glance. "That would be brilliant."
Outside the Burrow, the wind rustled through the gnarled trees, carrying with it the smell of cinnamon and winter air.
Inside, the Weasley family was safe.
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