"Chief Witch I must protest! Sirius Black is a convicted criminal! He was sentenced to Azkaban after betraying James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. I cannot stand by and watch as an innocent man like Severus Snape be convicted while a criminal and mass murderer like Black is removed from Azkaban" said Dumbledore.
"Ah, but you'll find that you are mistaken, Mr Dumbledore. You see, Sirius Black was never convicted of his crimes. He was thrown unceremoniously into Azkaban after his capture. He has been in Azkaban for 10 years without conviction or proof of his guilt. New evidence has been uncovered, and hence his reason to be here. But first, I call Arthur Weasley to the stand" said Amelia.
A confused Arthur Weasley entered the Wizengamot chambers. "Mr Weasley, does your family own a pet rat?" she asked.
"What does a rat have to do with anything? This is preposterous Chief Witch. I suggest we send Black back to Azkaban and clear my client of all charges. This really is getting out of hand" said Dumbledore. He was done with the kind persona. Things were going in ways he had never foreseen.
"I assure you Chief Witch this question is quite necessary" said Amelia.
"Objection overruled. Answer the question Mr Weasley" said Marchbanks.
"Yes. My son Percy had it for quite some time and now my youngest son Ron has it I believe" he said nervously.
"Mr Weasley, can you describe this rat? And how long has it been in your family?" asked Amelia.
"Ahm, it has brown fur, looks like any normal rat. But I think it had a toe missing in its paw. And it has been with my kids for more than nine years I think" he said.
"No rat can survive for more than three to four years and yet this rat has survived for nine years. Also, the rat has a missing toe, and the only part of Peter Pettigrew that was found was a finger."
"What does Pettigrew have anything to do with a rat? Am I the only one hearing rubbish here?" asked Dumbledore testily.
"Cauldron getting too hot for you, Mr Dumbledore? Unspeakable Croaker, if you would please" said Amelia.
The man came forward and pointed his wand at the rat and said "Animagus Revilio"
Immediately the rat started growing until finally, it settled on a short, bald man. The crowd gasped in surprise. "Meet Peter Pettigrew. The man supposedly killed by Sirius Black" boomed Amelia.
The Aurors put magic suppression cuffs on him and tied him to a chair. Amelia woke him up. "Since the person was declared dead, there is no law barring Veritaserum questioning to a supposed dead person" she said.
"I agree. Proceed Madam Bones" said Marchbanks.
The Unspeakable poured three drops of the serum down Pettigrew's throat. He became glassy eyed.
"What is your name?"
"Peter Alfred Pettigrew"
"What is your date of birth?"
"June 2nd, 1960"
"Were you a follower and Death Eater of the Dark Lord Voldemort?"
"Yes" There were gasps from the crowd.
"Were you the Secret Keeper of Potter Cottage which was under the Fidelius charm on October 31st, 1981?"
"Yes"
"Did you willingly betray the Potter family by giving up the Secret to the Dark Lord?
"Yes"
"What happened on the third of November, 1981?"
"Sirius had been following me. He is more powerful than I am. I knew I couldn't win if I decided to face and fight him. When he cornered me, I shouted out, asking him why he had betrayed James and Lily. Then I hit him with a cheering charm, blasted the gas line, cut off my finger to fake my death and transformed into my animagus form."
"Lord Voldemort only targeted the Potter family because he received some highly classified information. Is this true?"
"Yes. He wanted to kill Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom." Augusta gasped at this revelation.
"Who was the one who provided this information to Voldemort that made him target the Potter and Longbottom families?"
"Severus Snape"
Uproar. People started screaming for their heads. They couldn't believe what was happening. A person they thought was a criminal turned out to be innocent. Another had faked his death was hiding as a rat in plain sight. The third was teaching their children at school!
Harry had a grim smile on his face. Revenge was a dish best served cold. And they hadn't even started on Dumbledore yet. Once it quieted down, Sirius was administered the serum as he had requested it.
"What is your name?"
"Sirius Orion Black"
"Are you the oath sworn godfather of one Hadrian James Potter?"
"Yes"
"Are you a follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort?"
"No. Never"
"Were you the Secret Keeper for the Potter Cottage that housed your cousin James Potter and his family?"
"No. That was Peter Pettigrew"
"Who cast the Fidelius Charm on the cottage?"
Dumbledore's face was red with anger. He spoke up " Madam I must protest! This has nothing to do with Severus Snape's interrogation! This question is irrelevant" he said.
"Objection overruled" said Marchbanks, staring daggers at Dumbledore. She had really lost a lot of respect for the man today.
"Repeat the answer, Mr Black"
"Albus Dumbledore"
Most of the people had their mouths open in shock. How could someone like Dumbledore do something like this?
Andromeda stepped forward again. "This is the last Will and Testament of Lord James and Lady Lily Potter which had been sealed under the office of the Chief Warlock. However, my client enacted the end of the line clause and the family magic accepted him as the Lord of the Potter family. So he was able to unseal it. I think you would find the contents most illuminating" she said.
Dumbledore's eyes went wide. Before he could protest, Andromeda continued, "The will clearly says that the Secret Keeper was Peter Pettigrew. It also sheds light on the guardianship of Hadrian Potter. It states that he should be raised by, in the order of preference, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Sirius Black, Andromeda and Ted Tonks, meaning my husband and I and finally Amelia Bones. It states that under no circumstance, should Hadrian ever be placed with Lily Potter's sister Petunia Dursley, as her sister and her husband hate magic with a passion and would treat their child very badly. This Will was witnessed by Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black. And I would like to point out that Hadrian Potter was left with Petunia Dursley after the incident on October 31st, 1981".
"WHAT?" shouted Sirius. "You left my godson with those magic hating muggles? Have you gone insane?" he shouted, tears flowing down his face.
"What I did was necessary. There were protections around the house that would have ensured his safety from Death Eaters" said Dumbledore firmly.
"But it did nothing to protect him from the Child Abusers inside" said Andromeda. "Unspeakable Croaker, if you would please."
The man poured memories into the Pensieve. The audience was horrified, as they watched Harry repeatedly get beaten up for anything to nothing, how he wasn't given food for days at a time, how he had to work at such a tender age, how he was whipped with a belt, forced to sleep in a cupboard, and finally the incident where his uncle stabbed him.
Sirius was sobbing loudly. Harry went over to him and gave his godfather a tight hug. Harry's face was pale, and a lone tear slid down his cheek as he watched his memories. He mentally shuddered thinking what would have happened if he had not discovered about magic when he did. He probably would have come to Hogwarts as a meek and clueless child, just as Dumbledore wanted.
Once they ended, the chamber was silent. Madam Marchbanks cleared her throat. "This has been one horrible day. I don't need more time; I have already reached my decision. Severus Tobias Snape, you have been charged with the harassment of a minor child; Legilimency attack on the minor Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter; felicitated the murder of the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and also facilitated in the torture and permanent incapacitation of the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. For this, you will be sentenced to life in Azkaban. All those who agree?" she asked.
A majority of them lit their wands. "So convicted."
"Peter Alfred Pettigrew, you have been charged with the facilitation of the murder of the Lord and Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and for the murder of thirteen muggles. For this crime, you will be sentenced to life in Azkaban. All those who agree?"
Again, a majority of them lit their wands. "So convicted"
"Sirius Orion Black, you had been falsely charged and placed in Azkaban without a trail. The Ministry deeply apologises for this debacle. I hereby order the DMLE to pursue this matter and find out how Lord Black was denied a trial. The Ministry also wishes to compensate you 2 million galleons for your unjust imprisonment."
"I also order the DMLE to find and arrest the muggles responsible for the attempted murder of the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. They will be tried by the Wizengamot in the next session."
"And finally, I move for the removal of Albus Dumbledore as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot as he has been negligent in his duties and gross corruption has been detected. I also move to remove him as the representative of Magical Britain in the International Confederation of Wizards. We shall call for a vote now" said Madam Marchbanks.
"You can't do this! I'm Albus Dumbledore, the Leader of the Light. Everything I do is for the Greater Good" he shouted, letting his emotions control him, eyes blazing with fury.
"You'll find that I can" said Madam Marchbanks coldly. "All those in favour?"
It was a somewhat narrow vote. It looked like Dumbledore really was the Leader of the Light as the majority of the faction did not vote in favour. But their votes weren't enough against the Grey and Dark faction.
"Albus Dumbledore you are hereby impeached from the office of the Chief Warlock and your representation of Magical Britain in the ICW is terminated. Please do not attend any further meetings in the ICW unless you are called. Session Closed" she said and banged her gavel.
The Lords and Ladies got up slowly, still in shock over the events. Sirius was still crying, burying his head in Harry's chest. The Aurors took Snape and Pettigrew away to the holding cells. Harry pulled away from his godfather. "Sirius, I don't blame you for what happened. You were played by a master manipulator. When Hagrid refused to hand me over to you, what would you have done? Fight with him? I remember you saying that you would be back to take care of me once you catch the traitor. But it was not meant to be" he said.
But Sirius was still crying. "Harry, Amy, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry" he bawled. Amelia had tears in her eyes. "Sirius listen to me. I want you to go to Andromeda's house for now. She'll take you to St Mungo's for you to receive treatment. I'll come and see you soon. So will Harry. I promise" she said to him.
Sirius slowly nodded. Andromeda took his hand and led him out. "You have to be really careful now Harry. We don't know what Dumbledore is going to do" she said softly.
"I know Aunt Amy. I'll be careful."
Amelia nodded and they exited the chamber. Before they could leave, they heard a voice. "Madam Bones, Lord Potter?"
Harry turned and his eyes went wide. "Lord Greengrass" he said.
The man gave Harry a small smile and spoke up. "I was wondering if you would like to come to Greengrass Manor during the Yule holidays. I found out about the family situation recently, and I think we need to talk."
Amelia looked at Lord Greengrass and at Harry and asked, "I don't want to intrude into your family business, but is this what I think it is?" she asked slowly.
Harry nodded grimly. "Yes, Aunt Amy. It's two hundred years old; Iron clad. But please don't mention this to anyone. I don't want anyone to know just yet" he said.
She nodded. "Don't worry Harry. My lips are sealed."
"I'd be honoured to come to your manor Lord Greengrass. How about the 22nd of December?" he asked.
"Agreed. Good day to you both" he smiled and walked away.