They decided to start with the Daily Prophet. Everyone was more excited to see what Waters were doing to get Sirius off. They knew the gist, but they were hoping that the paper would tell them more. On the front page were two pictures, one of Sirius when he was in Hogwarts, and the other was when he escaped. The two contrasted each other, but it was quite a sight.
If this worked then Harry would never have to worry about going back to the Dursleys. He knew that Sirius wanted to adopt him into the family, and he was excited about that. However, it would be more legal if Sirius was free.
Everyone gathered around to see what the article was saying. Those like Hermione were reading over Sirius's shoulder faster than anyone. Harry noticed that her face was one of happiness and excitement. So, he too started reading.
Sirius getting tired of everyone hanging over his shoulder handed the paper to his cousin.
"Read it out loud, Andi, please," Sirius said, grasping his coffee cup like it was a lifeline.
She cleared her throat, and started to read:
SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES?
By Reggie Smartlock
In a surprising turn of events it has come to this paper's attention that one Lord Sirius Orion Black might be innocent of all charges. Not that is matters, according to his legal representative, due to neglect of the law, Lord Black is a free man. There will be no trial, it was said. 'The trial should have been held in '81', remarks Harold Waters, Esquire. Mr. Waters explains further.
'This is in fact illegal. Everyone under the law, no matter what evidence, has the right to a trial,' Mr. Waters stated. 'Even the most dangerous Death Eaters were tried. Crouch even gave his son a trial. If you recall it is what lost him his bid for Minister.'
After receiving a letter from Black's attorney, we did our own research and found that Lord Sirius Black was indeed never given a trial. It has now come to light that everything we thought we knew about this case has been a lie. Covered up and replaced by our own government. The fault lays with the previous ministry, and one Albus Dumbledore. Who was then, and remained as such until recently, Chief Warlock. It was his duty to make sure that the law is maintain.
Albus Dumbledore was not available for comment.
Below the fold is the letter that was sent to us by Harold Waters, Esquire. In it he shows that there is undeniable proof that Lord Sirius Black was falsely imprisoned.
As it follows Lord Black will be suing the Ministry for false imprisonment, and gross criminal misconduct. He feels that if those in charge at the time of his 'arrest' had done their job, he would not have spent twelve years in Azkaban. Lord Black states in his statement, that he feels that Bartemius Crouch Sr. took one look at his family name and simply chucked him in a cell and forgot about him.
How did this upstanding citizen slip through? He was once a decorated Auror. He also fought in the last war with You-Know-Who in Dumbledore's not so hidden vigilante group. How, or why, was this all brushed aside? Where were his superiors, and the Headmaster when he needed them the most?
We would all like answers to these questions.
The former Minister, Millicent Bagnold, was unavailable for comment. Bartemius Crouch Sr. passed away this last year. Rumor has it that his, at the time thought dead, son was Kissed at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament by orders of Minister Fudge, but this is unsubstantiated.
As it stands, Lord Sirius Black is not a fugitive, as he was never a criminal. He cannot be given the Kiss for 'escaping' Azkaban, since he was never supposed to be there. Lord Black's lawyer, Harold Waters, Esquire, had this to say:
'When I filed this case, I was told that my client had to come in for a trial. I informed those in charge that no he did not. As it stands the only ones in the wrong here are the Ministry. It is the law that no one can be held for more than thirty days without a trial. And even then, they must be put in a holding cell. Azkaban is for those that are found guilty in a court of law. My client was not. If that law is broken, then all charges are to be dropped, be that person innocent or not. I profess that my client is innocent. I have the proof to back it.
'Lord Black is a free man. If the Ministry does not cease the Kiss on Sight Order, I will bring the full wrath of my client down on them. As it stands, Lord Black will be suing the Ministry for wrongful arrest and incarceration. If they do not back off, he will be suing them for attempted murder. That is all.'
There are talks that Harry Potter, and his friends, had informed Minister Fudge of Lord Black's innocence just a year ago, but they were rebuffed. As Lord Black is the boy's Magical Guardian, this might have some repercussions on the current Minister.
Minister Fudge was unavailable for comment.
We at the Prophet can only hope that our government does the right thing.
What followed was an outline of the events that happened on that fateful Halloween, and the days that followed. There was clear evidence that everything that happened was the truth. Included were pictures of Peter Pettigrew in both his forms. They were taken from memories that Sirius had given his attorney. They were not admissible in court, but they did show the public that the man was still alive.
When Andi finished reading the article, emotions were running wild.
"I'm happy for you, Sirius," Hermione said, hugging Harry for all she was worth.
"Thanks, I'm still trying to digest this," Sirius said, taking a deep drink of his now lukewarm coffee.
"What does the other one say?" Ginny asked, leaning over as if to hear better.
"Shall I read it?" Andi said in a teasing voice.
"Yes," was the unanimous reply.
"So impatient," the older woman sniffed, then smiled and read article.
FRIENDS OF THE BOY-WHO-LIVED TELL ALL; A EULOGY TO CEDRIC DIGGORY.
The story in The Witch Weekly, was also emotional. The article was beautifully written and had many comments and testimonies from students and parents that did believe Harry. That he had faced You-Know-Who at the end of the tournament. There were also many letters posted about Harry's great deeds in all his years at Hogwarts. They waxed poetic on how time and time again he saved the school. There were mentions of the ridicule that he suffered from those that didn't believe him and how unjust they were. There were some interviewees that said that Harry was a good kid, nice boy, and the occasional 'really cute'.
All told there were thirty-five statements that backed Harry. At the end was the eulogy.
My name is Harry Potter, and I was asked to tell a bit about myself and all that has happened to me since I came back to the Wizarding World. Instead, however, I am going to tell you about a brave young man, whose end came too soon.
Cedric Diggory was kind, a pure Hufflepuff. We were not friends, per se, but we were friendly. In the competition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, we learned a lot about each other. There were times we helped each other, and a tentative friendship was born.
He was older than me and did try to support me when he could. It was hard for him to go against his House, but he did. He told me in was only fair that he stood up for what he believed was right. That his loyalty was to the truth.
The Goblet of Fire chose him for a reason. As far as I am concerned, he was the Hogwarts' Champion. I was just there because someone, once again, tried to kill me.
Cedric was fair, he was faithfully loyal to his school and was proud of his House, Hufflepuff. He taught me that there were kind people in this world, during a time when even all but one of my friends had turned their backs on me. Still, when I had helped him in the first task, he in turn helped me in the second. We didn't cheat, just nudged each other in the right direction. Turnabout, in this case, was fair play.
During the third task both of us came across things that were dangerous and Cedric put his life on the line twice to help his fellow competitors. In the end, it was a tie. Just him and me. We both decided that we would take the cup together as a victory for Hogwarts. Neither of us were ready for what followed.
We were kidnapped. I won't tell you who, because I have no proof, but we were transported to a graveyard with some unsavory wizards. Cedric was killed right away. He was given no chance to defend himself.
"Kill the spare," are words that I will hear when I close my eyes for the rest of my life. It was right then that I knew this innocent young man was mowed down for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
If I hadn't agreed to share the victory, Cedric would still be alive. I have to live with that pain the rest of my life.
An event that happened during my ordeal, brought the spirit of Cedric back for a short time. All he wanted was for me to bring his body back so that his parents would have closure. His final thoughts were for his parents. This loving son brought tears to my eyes. To love his parents so much that when he could have said anything, he thought of them.
The thing that concerns me the most is how this has all been swept under the rug. That brave young man deserves to be remembered. He died, and no one is trying to find out why. It is a horrible state of affairs to see that bright light snuffed out and no one is willing to bring the murderer to justice. I can only hope that with this note that you will remember him and keep his memory alive.
Don't let others tell you that he should be forgotten. Don't let other things cloud the issue. If the men who kidnapped us starts a war, he should be remembered as the first tragic casualty.
Remember Cedric Diggory.
I always will.
There wasn't a dry eye in the room after that. Everyone took a moment to mourn the young man.
"Harry," Hermione started, but couldn't finish. She swallowed hard against the tears that were flowing down her face. She grabbed a napkin and tried futilely to wipe them away. Ginny did the same. They were both shooting sympathetic looks at the boy who had lived through that ordeal.
Harry's head was hanging, his hair covering his face, as he fought the emotions that tried to take over. Ron put his hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Harry gave him a weak smile and then straighten up. He glanced around the room and noted that everyone had been affected, even Ted.
Sirius was looking like he was remembering the death of James. Harry tried to give the man comfort, but death was not easy to deal with.
"That was lovely, Harry," Andi said, wiping the tears off her face. She reached over and squeezed his hand, that was balled up as a fist.
"He deserved more," Harry said with a shaky voice.
"Well," Sirius started, clearing his throat. "Well, I expect I will be getting a notice for an Order meeting. So, how about we, Harry, go and do some studying until then?" he asked, knowing his godson would want to be alone for a while.
"Yeah, sure," Harry agreed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
And with that the two left the kitchen, breakfast forgotten. They made it to the study, but when Harry went to pick up the book, Sirius stopped him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" the dogman asked, putting his hand on Harry's arm.
"I don't know," the boy confessed. "I mean, every time I think I've gotten over it, I start crying again. I was all my fault…" was as far as he got before Sirius interrupted him.
"Harry, I know what survivor's guilt is. I suffered from it in my stay at Azkaban. To this day, it still troubles me. It took me a long time to realize that it was not my fault your parents died, yet I still can't shake the feeling that I should have done more. I know logically that I didn't shoot the spell that killed them. I understand that I didn't give up their location. As it was, I did everything in my power as they went into hiding to protect them. That that protection was not enough. Subconsciously I know, it's not my fault, but there are still times…" the older man said, trailing off so he didn't get too far into his problems. He just wanted to help Harry through his.
"No, you don't under…" Harry started, a bit of anger in his voice. Being at that age when he felt that no adult understood the plight of teenagers.
"But I do, Harry. I know exactly what you're going through," his godfather stated, he tilted Harry's head back up so he could look in his eyes. This was serious, and the boy needed to understand that he wasn't to blame. "Listen to me, please. You were only trying to be fair, to share the victory with someone you felt deserved it. You didn't kill him. Voldemort took your shared joy way. Not you."
Harry was still crying, and his head hung down again, however he was thinking. Hard. "Tell me about this survivor's guilt," he requested softly.
So the two talked for a long while, until a phoenix Patronus entered the room. "Sirius, come to the Burrow," the ghost-like phoenix said.
"Domineering git," the dogman grumbled.
"Yeah," the godson agreed.
"Are you going to be okay?" his godfather asked him, squeezing his arm.
"Yeah, this talk helped a bunch. I kinda wish we had it at the beginning of the summer. Go. I'll be okay. I'll sit and study some more," Harry said, giving the man a watery smile.
"If you're sure," Sirius said, standing up and pulling his godson into a hug.
"Yeah, go," was the answer.
They disengaged, and Harry picked up his book. His eyes were on the page, but his mind was not on the words. All the things Sirius had said made a lot of sense. He knew now, judging from his godfather's experience, that he would have these conflicting emotions for a while, but there was hope that one day he could overcome them.
Sirius looked at him one more time and then left the room. He met Ron and Hermione right outside the door. "Let him think for an hour or so, then you can go see him. He's dealing with a lot of misplaced guilt," he said, turning them around so they headed in the opposite direction.
"But…" Hermione started, only to stop when Sirius held up his hand.
"We just had an emotional talk, let him process," the dark-haired man said, guiding them into the kitchen.
"Is Harry okay?" Ginny asked, looking at Sirius for the answer.
"He'll be fine," the man said, grinning at all of them fondly.
"I guess," Fred started,
"we'll hunt him down," George continued
"Later," they finished.
"Right, just go easy on him. It's been a hard summer," Sirius said, going to the Floo. "I'm off. I have a meeting."
"Bye, Sirius," came the chorus of teen voices.
"Try to behave," Andi said, as she stirred her tea.
"Never," Sirius said with a wicked grin as he gathered the Floo powder. He went through to the Burrow and brushed off the ashes when he arrived. "Molly, Arthur," he said, nodding his head to each.
"Sirius. How are the kids?" Arthur asked, squeezing Molly's shoulder when she went to open her mouth. It had taken all this time just to get her to understand she had been in the wrong. That didn't change her opinion of Sirius, but it did put it on the backburner. Molly now understood that the war was more important that her tiff with the man. For now, she'd keep quiet.
"Good, Good, Andi's with them now," Sirius answered, going towards the basement, then he stopped. He didn't remember where the basement was. He turned to Arthur, who was holding out a piece of parchment. He read the words, handed them back and then proceeded to the door at the far end of the room.
"Ah, Sirius," Albus said as he entered. "I am glad you could join us," the man added, waving at everyone there.
The room was darkish, there were no windows, only lit by many torches that lined the walls. The Weasleys did their best to make it homey. There was a large oval table, with many mismatched chairs. Food and drink were in the center, as always. There were pictures of landscapes hanging on the walls. There was an enormous rug under the table, that was a multitude of colors.
Sirius sat next to Remus, who glared at him, causing the dogman to wrinkle his brow in confusion. Then he remembered why his friend might be upset. First his face went to horror, then he started chuckling a little, until Remus made his anger noticeable.
"Sirius," the werewolf growled, a bit of yellow in his eyes.
"Oh, shite, Moony. I'm sorry, I forgot to meet you. I was just so caught up with my freedom. Please, forgive this old dog," Sirius pleaded, plastering his puppy-dog eyes at his friend.
"Sirius," Remus growled again, then shook his head, still glaring. "I sat at that park for over three hours. I tried to send you a message, but it went unanswered," he snarled. He wasn't really mad, but Sirius had to pay a bit for his forgetfulness.
"Honestly, with all that's going on with Harry and my attempts at freedom, let's not forget I'm still recovering from Azkaban," he tried to illicit sympathy.
"You left me in the dark, in a park, in the middle of the night," Remus said, not folding under the guilt card. He was too long a friend to fall for that. It might work on others, but never on a Marauder.
"I am sorry, truly. You're right to be angry. In my defense, I really did forget," Sirius tried, once more to explain. He quickly reached inside his robe and pulled out the secret. "Here, only you though. I don't want anyone else to know," he said, hurriedly as he thrust the parchment to the other man.
Remus read the words and handed it back. Sirius felt a tug and gripped it tighter.
"You're not invited, Albus," he snapped at the old man.
"Come now, Sirius, you are being childish," Albus chastised, with that 'I know better than you' look.
"Not open for debate," the now free man said, eating the parchment. "Try getting it now," he smirked, only to be met by Albus' disappointed look. That man really needed to learn new stuff; the disappointed grandfather act was getting old. "Why are we here? Did Riddle do something?" Sirius asked instead.
"How do you know that name?" the Order leader asked.
"What? Tom Riddle? Harry told me. We do talk, you know. You're always going on and on about how we should call him by his name. So I am," Sirius answered as if it was obvious. "So, did he do anything?" he asked again, this time looking at Remus, who shrugged.
Dumbledore sighed, and waved everyone to sit. "No, Voldemort had been quiet. I believe he is trying to create an army of dark creatures before he makes himself known," the old man said, causing many to flinch at the name, but nod in agreement.
"And what are we doing to stop him?" came the question from Sirius. He never felt they were doing anything productive. The only reason he had offered his house, or attended meetings, was because he wanted to keep his eye on things. This was the only group that did that.
"You may have brought up Voldemort's timeline," the Headmaster stated, looking disappointed.
"How?" was the question asked in a confused voice.
"By declaring yourself free, Voldemort might just break his followers out of Azkaban sooner then I had planned for," the old man explained.
"That doesn't make sense. What, in any realm of possibilities, does that have to do with me? I mean, why would my freedom make old Voldy jump ahead?" Sirius questioned, along with many others.
Confusion as predominate at the table, and Order members whispered to each other. They, like Sirius, didn't understand what one had to do with the other.
"You will have to trust me that I know Tom better than the rest of you," came the vague answer.
This declaration caused more murmuring. Sirius scoffed, and shook his head. Typical Albus, drop a bombshell and then don't explain.
"No, I went to school with Tom Riddle," Moody said, his magical eye zooming everywhere.
"Alas, I had forgotten," Albus conceded with a nod. "Still, I have studied the man since his youth. I will only tell you that Sirius being declared a free man, might cause issues further down the line."
"You're still not making sense. I won't sit here and let you put blame on me for other's actions," Sirius stated, slamming his fist on the table.
Remus reached over and laid a hand on his arm to try and calm him.
"That was not my attention at all," denied the Headmaster.
"While I didn't make a case study of Riddle, for I didn't know he was the same man as Voldemort, I do remember him," Alastor said, rubbing his chin in thought. "I know he left, and I had thought he moved elsewhere. He didn't look the same when he returned. And we will be discussing why you didn't tell me, Albus." He cut a glare towards his friend. "If I remember correctly, he was a bad egg from the get-go. And I don't mean because he was Slytherin," the ex-Auror stated, remembering the boy from many years ago.
"Wait, you knew his origins?" one person asked, looking at Sirius. She, along with the rest of the Order, was confused as to why they were finding this out now.
"Like I said, Harry told me," Sirius said with a shrug, "I don't know how long Albus knew. Moody just said he was only now learning that fact. Bad show, Albus," he said, shaking a finger at the old man. He then turned back to the group and grinned. "I don't care who he used to be. The only thing I'm concerned about is old Voldy's horcruxes." He dropped that bombshell.
Six people stood up on shock, chairs clattering to the floor behind them. Remus, Bill, Moody, Kingsley, Tonks and Snape.
"Horcruxes!" they all shouted.
"As in more than one?" Moody asked, his electric blue eye glued to Albus, whose face was shifting from rage to blank. "You knew about this," he accused his old friend.
All eyes turned to their leader.
"I did not want to burden you with this information," Dumbledore confessed, trying his disappointed look to Sirius.
"Don't blame me for you keeping secrets. How the hell are we supposed to take him down when he has anchored his soul? If we had known this, hell, if the Aurors knew this, we could have been trying to find them all this time. Instead you're guarding the DoM, which, by the way, is already protected. We are supposed to be fighting a war, not doing redundant babysitting," Sirius snapped at the man, refusing to be baited into being the bad guy.
"It is very important that Voldemort does not get what we are protecting," the old man stated.
"No," Moody disagreed with a cutting glare. "It is far more important that we get rid of his anchors."
"Headmaster, tell us what you know. That way we can split in groups. One to find the horcruxes, and another to safeguard the Department of Mysteries," Kingsley suggested, nodding to the others in the know.
"I do not wish to part with that information. It would be detrimental to the war if Voldemort were to find out we were hunting them," Albus said in his leader voice. "You have to understand this is magic so dark that it is evil. The more people who know about it, the harder it will be for us to work in the shadows," he tried to explain.
"I count, seven people at this table who know what they are," argued Tonks, looking at all those who stood, and were now righting their chairs. Her hair was cycling through colors as she tried to get her emotions under control. Her faith in the headmaster was getting dimmer by the minute. Soon, she would outright distrust the man to look out for his members.
"You must understand that only one person can hunt these. Alas, he is not ready," the head of the Order said, running his hand down his beard.
"Wait, so what? You're just going to let Harry face him, and hopefully not die in the process, and then hunt them down?" Sirius demanded, not liking where this was going.
"He is the only one who can," came the answer that no one liked.
"Bullshit," Alastor said, spitting in a corner, making Molly glare at him. He ignored her. "That is the biggest crock of shit that I've heard you spew in a long time," he said to his friend.
"I agree with Moody, I don't buy that," Sirius said, glaring at everyone, daring anyone to agree with the barmy old man.
"It is the truth," Dumbledore stated, not budging from his stance.
"No, it is your assumption," Moody disagreed, knowing more than anyone at this table how his friend worked.
"You will just have to trust me," Albus said, trying to give reassuring smiles to those looking at him for assurances.
"Leaving that off, because I'll be damned if I let it happen, so, my next question is, why the hell didn't you go after them when he was still a wraith in Albania?" Sirius asked, standing up and putting his fist on the table, leaning over to look the old man in the face.
Albus just looked at him with his lips pursed.
"You just told us that you have plans for my godson, but they stop now. He is my responsibility, and if you don't back the fuck off, I will pull him from Hogwarts and you will never see us again," Sirius threatened, his eyes piercing the other mans.
"What do you mean, Albus, that you're going to let Harry face him?" Molly asked, looking back and forth between the two. "Harry is just a boy," she added, pleading with her eyes at Dumbledore to say that Sirius was wrong.
"I have a feeling that what you are guarding at the DoM is a prophecy," Sirius said, finally looking away from the headmaster. "One that says that only Harry can beat Riddle," he sighed as he retook his chair.
"That can't be right?" came the desperate denial.
"I don't know for sure, but it is the only thing I can think of," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Is this true?" someone asked.
"I do not wish to divulge this knowledge, at this time. When the time is right, I will endeavor to make sure you have the information you need," Dumbledore said kindly, making many of those sitting there just nod in understanding. After all, if Albus said all was well, it must be, right?
"Bill," Sirius called across the table, "will you come to my place so we can talk about how to get rid of Tom?" he asked, completely undermining Dumbledore. "I've had enough of this pussyfooting around answers. I could use your expertise."
Bill looked first to his mum, then his dad, then the headmaster, then the rest who felt that they were being shafted. He nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said, not looking at his mother, who was gearing up to start yelling.
"Anyone else?" Sirius asked, standing up and heading towards the stairs.
Moody, Remus, Bill, Tonks and Kingsley all got up to join him. They too were tired of doing nothing productive. Snape had to stay behind; he was still barred from Grimmuald Place. Blasted mutt.
The rest of the Order broke out in talking and some shouting. The six people leaving ignored them and made their way to the Floo.
To them it was a relief, they were finally going to fight back.