A week later - and because of that the last week until Hogwarts would start again - Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, the Head of the Malfoy-family in Britain, found himself in a situation that definitely wasn't to his benefits.
While his house was shielded from the outer world by impressive wards - wards impressive enough that even the Dark Lord had trouble to break them - it now was invaded by Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself. But that wasn't Lucius' problem. He had after all invited the Dark Lord to use his house as a base for his operations.
No, the true problem of one Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, who was currently sitting in his study, looking over papers from the ministry, was the person that suddenly stood inside his study without being invited by him.
The person was young - Lucius would have judge him to be not older then his son if the person in front of him hadn't looked at him with eyes as wise as the moon. Black hair was tied back with Slytherin-green ribbon in an old fashioned, traditional way. The robes he was wearing were also cut in an older style. They were green with a black tunic and black trousers beneath. Black leather-boots and a silver belt, looking as if it was made of silver leaves added the final touch to his appearance. The boy looked like a young Salazar Slytherin, long before he had met the other founders and build a school.
And his icy green eyes did nothing to change this image. A cruel, cold smile was playing over his face, just to settle in an even harder gaze.
"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Head of the British branch family of Malfoire" he said and his words had an odd hissing in the background. Lucius shivered and fingered for his wand.
"Do not even try, my dear Head of the branch family" the boy said softly and before Lucius could even get a real hold of his wand, the wand was gone, sailing through the air and landing in the right hand of the boy in front of him.
This time, Lucius gulped and his eyes widened when he was suddenly at the mercy of the stranger. He had heard of wandless magic - but he had never seen it used so casually like it had been used by the boy in front of him.
"Who… whoever you are - when you try something you will wish you were never born!" the Malfoy head finally hissed. "And now, boy, give me back my…"
Pain shot through his whole body, forcing him to shut up. It wasn't like the Cruciatus but it definitely wasn't pleasant - like a swat on the bottom and the short moment after when you could think of nothing but the pain that had erupted from being swatted.
"Do never address me as 'boy' again, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, or I will definitely treat you like the unruly boy you have been acting as for the last two decades" the boy hissed and Lucius spluttered.
"How dare you?! I am the Head of the Malf…" again the same pain like before made him shut up.
"How dare you !" the boy hissed. "Speaking to your Head of House as if you were superior!"
"Hea… Head of House?!" Lucius Malfoy stared at the boy, then he glanced at the door of his study - surely someone had heard…
"Don't worry" the boy said smirking. "No-one will interrupt or hear us until I have dealt with you." Lucius eyes snapped to the deathly green eyes of the boy in front of him. "After all" the boy continued as if it was normal. "This is a family matter. The Family Magick of the wards of the manor will hold the secret of our conversation until I, as the Head of House, will release it from my hold." In those eerie eyes looking at him, Lucius could see nothing but the truth. There was no aid and no escape until the boy would let him go.
Still, Lucius had to try. He sprang up, planning to charge at the boy and disarming the child. Instead he flew back, his back connecting with the back of the chair he had been sitting on when he was forcefully sat down again.
"Try again and I will truly treat you like an unruly child and swat your bottom until you behave" the boy in front of him hissed. "And I thought as a pure-blood and a Malfoy you would have been raised better! Instead I see a fully grown man in front of me who does not even behave better then a stubborn two-year old toddler. What a disgrace to my family!"
Lucius blushed, unable to feel anything less but a fool after being chastised by a teenage boy. Then fury overtook him again.
"How dare you to treat… !"
This time he stopped speaking not because the boy had stopped him like before but because his eyes fell on the ring the boy was wearing. A signet ring. And not just any signet ring.
Lucius paled when he recognized the Malfoire-crest.
The boy's gaze followed Lucius' and a cruel smile again marred his handsome face.
"So you finally saw" he said, still smiling cruelly. "As if I hadn't told you before." The boy snorted and shook his head. "You are truly like a child, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy."
Lucius wanted to sneer at the boy, but this time the rules of his father stopped him. Until now Lucius might have acted like the Lord of his family - but he definitely wasn't and maybe never would be. And Lucius had been trained how to act in front of his lord…
The boy still seemed to see the suppressed sneer, because he sneered at Lucius in return.
"Learn to show proper respect, child-head of the Malfoy-branch" the child said. "And while you're at it, my dear Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, explain to me exactly why I am here."
Lucius blinked at these words and looked up again to the cruel smile that marred the boy's face.
"I… I do not understand why you came, Milord" he answered, this time definitely respectful. Lucius might not know the name of the boy in front of him but the signet ring showed him all he needed to know. This boy in front of him had his life in his hands. If Lucius would anger him even more, Lucius could loose his place in the family faster then he would like.
"You don't?" the boy hissed. "You don't?! Then the letter that reached me two days ago was all a lie?!"
"Letter, Milord?"
"Yes, letter" the boy in front of him hissed. "A letter, telling me you are using my name and influence to gain the ear of the minister. A letter, telling me that you are using money provided for you by my part of the family to finance your life-style and that you are using connections my part of the family built to reach your goals! Tell me, have I been lied to?!"
Lucius paled further and further the more he heard.
"I… Milord…" he stuttered, his Slytherin mind working in overdrive to change this situation to his benefit.
"I… I would have never done anything like that! Whoever wrote you… !"
"Do. Not. Dare. To. Lie. To. Me!" the boy hissed. "Do you really belief I have not checked the facts?! There are records of your deeds! How dare you to even try to lie to me?!"
This time the boy's fury was nearly visible. It suddenly clung to the walls of Lucius' office, marring the very air with its heavy smell of powerful magic. Lucius shuddered.
"I… I…" Lucius stuttered. But he did not know what to say anymore. There was just one thing he suddenly saw in his future: he saw himself disinherit and thrown out of the family, he saw himself on the street, not better then the Muggles he hated so much, his Family Magick gone, his wand snapped…
"P… please, Milord… I… I will change my ways! Just… just one other chance! Please, I… I beg you, Milord!" he whispered while at the same time he tried to return to the pure-blood image he had projected for years.
The boy looked at him as if he was mudblood.
"You will not have access to our family fortune anymore until you proof to me you can provide for your own family. You will not vote in my place anymore but send the material on so that I can vote myself and you will stop throwing around my name to get what you want to have" the boy hissed. "Then, maybe then, I will let you stay in my family."
And with that the boy apparated away, directly through the wards - wards that kept out everyone but family…
Lucius shuddered and then buried his head in his hands. What would the Dark Lord say when Lucius was unable to finance him like before? Of course, there was still the dowry of his wife - but that was just a temporary solution at best…
Harry softly opened the door of Grimauld Place and spied in the entrance hall. The hall was empty, so Harry opened the door and stepped in. He closed it softly behind himself.
"And were have you been, young man?" a voice said coolly. Harry spun around and saw his godfather standing on the second landing of the stairs.
"Er… just on the front step… to have a bit of fresh air, you know…" Harry answered, guilt clearly showing on his face. "I know I shouldn't have but…"
Sirius sighed, and then winked his godson upstairs. Harry complied and together they entered the room with the Black family tree. Sirius closed the door behind them and then turned back to Harry.
"Harry…" he said sighing. "You know it's…"
"I know it's dangerous to leave the house!" Harry interrupted him. "But the front step is protected! I did not step further, I promise!"
Harry saw his godfather searching his face for the truth.
"You really did not make another step?" Sirius finally said softly.
"Yes. I really did not make another step. If you don't believe me you can dose me with Veritasserum - I would not answer different" Harry said. And he wasn't lying; after all, you could apparate from the front step and back on it - so he definitely had not stepped any further…
"All right" Sirius finally said. "But please, Harry, refrain from even going out to the front step from now on, please."
Harry saw that his godfather did not really like playing the responsible adult but he also saw the fiercy protectiveness that shone in the debts of his godfather's eyes.
"I will not do it again, I promise" Harry answered. He wouldn't need to. Next week he would be at Hogwarts - he could wait so long with the rest he needed to do.
"Thank you" and with that, Harry was again of the hook - well, at least with Sirius, because for the rest of the holidays a blue magical eye would follow Harry everywhere… but that, Harry did not know…
In the same week also, a woman could be seen, looking satisfied at The Quibbler in her hands. It was exactly what she had needed to get the investigation started. She knew she had not to wait much longer. Soon there would be enough public protest to press for a trial for Sirius Black.
Amelia smiled, and then she started to read the article again. She could not get enough of it. Oh how she loved it that someone was finally pointing out the problems of their system!
The newest edition read:
Dear Editor,
The last time you wrote me that there is no trial script of the convicted Sirius Black. Well, this fact got me hooked and I decided to look into it myself.
So I went to the archive in the Ministry and researched Mr. Black. I really did not find anything that hints to a trial at all - not that I was surprised after all you told me that there had not been one to begin with but I still decided to check for myself. I also did not only research the trial script but everything I found about Mr Black. I even went so far to search newspaper articles from the time he was arrested.
One article I found was especially interesting as it reminded me of something I heard Potter and his friends talking about some time ago. The article stated that Mr. Black killed thirteen Muggle and Peter Pettigrew, a friend of the late Potters. It also clearly stated, that "Mr. Black was found laughing at the crime scene, screaming that he had killed Lily and James Potter. He was arrested and brought to Azkaban right away."
At the end of last year I heard Potter and his friends talking and when I read these sentences I remembered, that Harry Potter clearly stated that "Peter Pettigrew was the one who slit his arm when he was forced to aid by the rebirth of Lord Voldemort." Of course there is the issue, that You-Know-Who might or might not be back. I do not want to judge who is right.
Still, fact is: When Harry Potter really wanted to fabricate a story - why did he include a man who died fourteen years ago?! Wouldn't including this man make his story more unbelievable as it is? Of course I am no expert in lying and I do not pretend that I know what Potter is thinking, but I think that every person who is thinking a little bit logically would refrain from mentioning a dead wizard when he wanted his story to be believed.
So why did he mention him at all?! There is Black on the run - why using dead Pettigrew?!
It cannot be the connection to his parents as they both were friends of the late Potters. And I honestly cannot think of another reason. When he wanted it to be not researchable he also could have used Mr. Black as Mr. Black cannot say anything against it.
And then there is another fact I cannot understand. The day Sirius Black killed Peter Pettigrew; nothing was left of late Pettigrew except of a finger. I would like to know which curse Mr. Black has been using as I never heard of a curse like that. I asked my great-grandfather if he knew a curse like that and all he told me was: "I never heard about something like that. There are curses that can reduce a person to ashes or blow them up so that there is nothing left but little peaces of flesh, skin and bones. But letting them vanish except of a finger? No, that I never heard before." He also told me, that there are no curses that could even do something like that for an extension.
Of course I did not just belief him so I started to search the library of my family for any course that could do anything like described in the newspaper. Out library is huge and contains hundredth of years of knowledge. Still, I found nothing.
And really, just thinking about it makes me shake my head. When there really was a spell that blew Pettigrew up - then why was his finger found whole? Why wasn't there more damage? A spell like that should have whipped out the whole neighborhood and not just the streets. You don't believe me? Look it up in Mafalda's Basic Knowledge of Magical Theory. Magic is a force. You might be able to concentrate it on one object by extent, but the more force you use the more wild magic gets lose. There are few wizards that can control wild magic enough to stop it from blowing up everywhere around them. And even if Black was an exceptional wizard, I would dare to say that if his name isn't Dumbledore or You-Know-Who he would not be able to just blow up Pettigrew to such an extend without the destruction of the houses near by. And then there would still be the problem of the finger…
The last thing that confuses me at this case is that Mr. Black was never checked if he was bearing the Dark Mark. Shouldn't that have been the first thing to do? And don't tell me we were at war. There was plenty of time to lift a sleeve and look at the skin beneath it. The Dark Mark cannot be missed. So why was he just chucked into Azkaban?!
Of course there is still the problem of Mr. Black naming himself as the villain… But even that is an occurrence that can be found elsewhere. In the Muggle-world they know of a syndrome that would explain Mr. Black's yelling that "he is guilty in killing James and Lily Potter." It's called the Survivor- Syndrome. Just think about it like that: An Auror and his partner, who is a close friend, are checking houses for Death Eaters. The Auror is in charge and he tells his partner to check this house while he checks the next. So when the partner dies because in the house he was checking where Death Eaters the surviving Auror will feel guilty because he told his partner and friend to do it. He will blame himself for the death of his friend - even if he hasn't killed his friend himself.
Now exchange Sirius Black with the Auror.
Sirius Black tells the Potters to do something and they die. Pettigrew might be involved in the death of the Potters somehow as he is a follower of You-Know-Who (I am just filling in maybe-facts that fit, I am by no means telling you that it was like that), so he goes after Pettigrew. He tries to kill the traitor but is tricked by said one. That he is laughing and telling the Aurors that he "killed Lily and James Potter" would be a final result of the pressure of guilt and the inability to get revenge. Would he have been brought to St. Mungo's and would have gotten a Calming Draught he might have been able to explain fully what truly had happened.
Of course I do not say that it was like that. This is merely a likely construct of an otherwise confusing story.
I am sorry if I started to runt but I could not hold it in anymore after I found out all this stuff…
Oliver Twist
Xeno Lovegood's answer was printed beneath and even Amelia could conclude that the editor in chief of The Quibbler had been hooked by the young man who questioned everything.
Amelia asked herself how much more were looking at the texts while hoping that Oliver Twist would not stop to write - simply because there finally was someone that asked some questions or simply because the articles made an interesting reading.
Dear Mr. Twist,
I was really impressed by your reasoning. I went to Flourish & Blots to confirm the things you wrote with Mafalda's Basic Knowledge of Magical Theory. Your explanation really fits exactly what the author is describing. I also confirmed in the Muggle-world your theory with the guilty feeling of Mr. Black. It is really fascinating what the Muggles have been researching. I was impressed with the depths of their knowledge of things we never have considered until now…
Well, back to the facts. You are not the only one who heard Harry Potter talking about dead Peter Pettigrew as if he was alive. My daughter also confirmed this fact with me and I am sure there are others as well that heard him. Your reasoning that Mr. Potter would have searched for a more believable man if he really wanted to believed is sound.
So why did he use Peter Pettigrew and not Sirius Black? The only explanation I could come up with would be that Mr. Potter was telling the truth and it really had been Peter Pettigrew. So that would make You-Know-Who's return also more likable. And at the same time it would change the truth of the events of fourteen years ago…
But sadly it is not the journalist's place to find out the truth, it's the Auror's. All we can do is point them the way. Let's hope it's enough to let them look in this case again. I do not want to have an innocent prisoner in Azkaban - or even kissed.
That would simply be horrible.
Xenophilius Lovegood
Editor of The Quibbler
Finally Amelia put aside the newspaper and returned to her normal work. She had not even really started when there was a knock on her door. She smiled and called the person in. It really didn't take all that long for Fudge to turn up…
"Amelia!" Fudge said while storming in. "I want you to get at trial for Black! I want the evidence of his guilt to be public knowledge! Do it - now!"
"Excuse me?" Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow while holding back a smile.
"I am swamped with Howlers! I want it to stop so you go and start up a trial! I want him to be judged publicly! And do it now, understood?!"
"There might be a chance that Black really isn't guilty at all, Minister" Amelia replied. The Minister just snorted.
"He is, don't worry. Dumbledore told me himself all these years ago. Just find the evidence and present it at the trial!" And with that Fudge left again.
Amelia leaned back in her chair. Finally - now she had just to find out the truth…
At another place at the same time an edition of The Quibbler was thrown on a desk.
Albus Dumbledore was not pleased with Oliver Twist.
Of course, Albus could not protest that it was long over time that Sirius Black got a trial. The problem was that the clearing of Sirius' name wouldn't suit Albus' plans at all. Albus needed Harry to live at his relatives. He needed his hero ready to eventually die for the greater good. Of course, Albus did not want Harry to die. The young boy had still a life ahead of him and he should be able to live it.
But Harry had also the responsibility to destroy Voldemort once and for all. And when Albus had to choose between the life of one child and the lives of thousands he would take the child's life.
"And there also is the problem that occurred on the trial-day", Albus thought. He still wasn't sure how Harry had found out about the laws and all. Hermione hadn't helped him and that he had found out by himself was unlikely. The problem was that Albus could just find one reasonable explanation: Harry had either access to Voldemort's memories or the Horcrux in Harry had started to possess the boy. Both explanations would not do well for Albus' plans.
"Well, I have to watch him when he returns to Hogwarts" Albus thought. When the teen was really loosing against the Dark Lord Albus would prefer to kill the teen himself then having a teenage mini-Voldemort living at Hogwarts.
"We still have time - and maybe there is a way to stop the connection between those two" Albus thought. He needed Harry intact to do what he needed to do. The only question was if Harry really needed to learn the arts of the mind. Albus would prefer to not teach the boy. He was not sure how it would end when he was unable to read the thoughts of the boy anymore.
After all, Harry and Voldemort had shared some mayor points in their early lives - Albus feared that Harry would finally fall in the same darkness Voldemort once had fallen into. And they really didn't need another dark lord at their hands…
Somewhere else an ex-prisoner of Azkaban was writing hurriedly a letter to the Director of Law Enforcement, one Amelia Bones. Normally, this ex-prisoner of Azkaban would not even have bothered with a letter like that. He was not one of the logical kind, so he never had thought of a way to present his own story. Instead he was one of the hands-on guys and he would have preferred to get out of his hiding place to search for the traitorous rat and then kill it. He had never thought to take a legal way to get himself cleared.
So when the article had come out in the Witch's Weekly and The Quibbler, Sirius Black just had stared at it, not comprehending and not doing anything. It had been on his godson's advice - after his godson had cuffed him one or two times around his head - that Sirius Black finally had contacted Gringotts as a neutral go-between and then started to write his letter to Amelia Bones, filled with his side of the story.
Of course, the chances that he was really granted a trial were still unbelievable slim, but his godson had told him that he had to try…
Of course, Sirius Black being Sirius Black had a very… unusual first reaction after his godson had told him to try to get his name cleared.
When his godson had told him to do it, Sirius Black had stood up from the kitchen chair he had been sitting on and had walked to the door, taking down his old travel cloak while going.
"What in fire and wind's name are you doing?!" Harry cried, when Sirius Black opened the front door while putting on his cloak.
"I'm going to the Ministry to tell them I am not guilty" Sirius answered with a confused expression in his face. "That was what you wanted me to do, after all…"
Harry face palmed. Then he strode with purpose to his godfather and cuffed him around the head for the third time this evening.
"Are you insane, you stupid Gryffindor?!" Harry hissed. "What by earth and water are you thinking?! Or aren't you thinking at all because the space between your ears is actually empty?!"
Sirius just stared at Harry for a moment, before he slowly blinked and then muttered.
"That was creepy, Harry. For a moment I thought you were channeling Snape…"
Harry just cuffed him around his head for the forth time that day.
"If I am able to stop you by sounding like Snape - so be it. He at least wouldn't have run head first into danger without even stopping to think beforehand!"
"That's cruel, Harry!" this time Sirius Black sounded as if he was whining. "Absolutely cruel! How can you even think of comparing me to Snape of all people?!"
"If it works" Harry replied and then stirred his godfather back into the kitchen, silently praying that Sirius would not notice that his mother had unexplainable stayed silent while they had been talking in the entrance hall…
Harry was lucky. Sirius did not notice. Instead he was forced by his godson to write a letter to Amelia Bones, explaining his side of the story. He was also forced to contact the goblins so that Gringotts could act as a neutral ground between the two parties - there was after all still the 'kissed by a Dementor on sight' warrant for Sirius out there - and that definitely wasn't save for the ex-convict.
And so Sirius was sitting at the table, writing down his statement of the events fourteen years ago, while he was watched by his godson.
Neither of them were aware of the blue magical eye and the connected ears that had followed their whole conversation since Harry had purposed to Sirius to do something to get cleared by himself…
And different then Sirius, the ears that had followed their conversation were sharp enough to pick out the feeling of wrongness in the silence of the entrance hall.
The magical eye instead noticed the boy stopping before he entered the kitchen, the boy's eyes on the silent portrait on the wall. A tiny nod was addressed to said portrait, and then the kitchen door closed again, shielding the inhabitance from the normally shrieking voice of the quiet portrait.
"Interesting" the owner of the blue eye said. "Definitely interesting."