Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 23: Release
"Do you mean the one who betrayed the Potter family was Peter Pettigrew?" asked Amelia.
"Yes, after I realized his betrayal, I decided to hunt him down. I eventually found him, and he shouted that I had betrayed the Potter family. Before I could cast a curse at him, he blew up the entire street, killing the Muggles there," Sirius broke down in tears.
Many wizards were shocked, some even gasping in disbelief at his confession.
"But according to the reports, he's dead. Peter is dead, and for all these years, we haven't found him," said Amelia.
"That's because he's an Animagus, and his form is a rat. It's almost impossible to find him," revealed Sirius.
"If it's impossible, how did you find him so easily?" Cornelius Fudge cut in, an interruption considered quite rude. However, the man was panicking, as he had been the one who ordered the Dementor's Kiss and had denied Harry Potter's claims, branding him a liar.
"Because I, too, am an Animagus, and I can recognize his scent, even in his rat form," Sirius revealed, dropping another bombshell.
"You're an Animagus?" Fudge smiled, sensing a potential weakness. "There are only seven registered Animagi, which means both you and Peter are unregistered, illegal Animagi."
"Yes," Sirius admitted, but before Fudge could speak further, Amelia cut in sharply.
"Thank you, Minister, but he's already been registered as a legal Animagus," said Amelia, clearly frustrated that Cornelius had interrupted her questioning.
"What? But he himself admitted to being an illegal Animagus!" Fudge was clearly unwilling to let it go.
"When he met with us, he informed us about his Animagus form, and we registered him with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Amelia explained.
Hearing this, Fudge, who had been standing, slumped back into his seat, his body deflated.
"Aurors, please administer the Veritaserum antidote," Amelia ordered. "The confession is complete, and now we will proceed to the vote."
"Those who vote that Sirius Black is guilty of all charges, please raise your wand," said Amelia.
No one raised their wand.
"Those who vote that Sirius Black is innocent of all charges, please raise your wand," Amelia continued.
Nearly everyone in the Wizengamot raised their wands, except for the Dark Faction and Fudge, who clearly did not want Sirius to be freed.
"Sirius Black, you have been wrongfully imprisoned. The court has decided you will be compensated for nine years, with 1,000 Galleons for each year. As for the other three years, it is because you had not registered as an Animagus before your imprisonment," announced Amelia. "A warrant for Peter Pettigrew will be issued, and his Order of Merlin will be revoked."
Hearing this, those who supported Sirius Black were overjoyed, and even Amelia smiled at him. Harry stood up from his seat and hugged his godfather.
"Sirius, you're finally free!"
"Yeah," Sirius smiled. His torture and imprisonment were finally over, and from this moment on, he was a free man.
Sirius then turned to Dudley, "Thank you, young man."
"No problem," replied Dudley Dursley.
Today's incident may have been a small episode for Dudley, but for the magical community of Britain, it was a bombshell that shook everyone.
Journalist reaction...
After the court session ended, the journalists immediately got to work, eager to report on the day's events.
They were thrilled, as this story was even bigger than the one about Dolores Umbridge.
"What do you think about this news?" asked one of the journalists.
"It's a huge scoop, and it might even threaten some of the shareholders at The Daily Prophet," replied another journalist.
"Who?" the first journalist asked.
"Mr. Malfoy," the second journalist answered. "Before this, he spent a lot of money because they had access to the Black family's wealth, which Draco Malfoy could only claim once he reached the age of majority."
The age of 17 is significant because it marks the point at which a young witch or wizard reaches the "age of majority." This is considered the legal age of adulthood in the magical world. At 17, they are allowed to perform magic outside of school without restrictions, and their Trace—a magical tracking charm used by the Ministry to detect underage magic—is removed automatically.
Ministry reaction...
Today he was getting slapped not once but twice, the first blow came when he received a notice about Dolores Umbridge's abuse of power.
He had tried to save her reputation, but it was too late, thanks to the damning article released by Rita Skeeter. The second blow was the final confirmation of Sirius Black's innocence.
The real reason why he rejected Sirius Black innocent is because he didn't want to face the backlash of the magical community. Another reason is because Malfoy had been pocketed money to him, he had received a lot of bribe from Malfoy family. Allowing Sirius to return and inherit the Black family's wealth and title of Lord of the Black House would reduce the wealth of one of his key supporters.
Now it was too late, he wanted to cry but no tears come out. Maybe because if Someone is so tired they are no tears to drop anymore.
Outside Wizengamot...
"Congratulations, Mr. Black," said Amelia Bones. "So, will you come back and work as an Auror?"
"Of course," replied Sirius with a grin.
"Where do you live right now, Mr. Black?" asked Dudley.
Dudley and Sirius weren't as close as Harry and Sirius, mainly because Dudley had never seen him before. But due to the influence of movies and books, Dudley felt a sense of familiarity with Sirius Black. That's why, instead of formally calling him Mr. Black, Dudley always called him Sirius without noticing, before correcting himself to Mr. Black.
"Oh, don't call me Mr. Black, just call me Sirius or Padfoot," Sirius smiled. "Speaking of where I live, do you guys want to come to my house?"
Sirius invited everyone—Harry, Dudley, Susan, and Amelia—to his house.
"Sure, dude," replied Dudley.
Sirius then turned to Amelia and Susan.
"Oh, sure, today we'll celebrate your freedom," said Amelia.
Harry was the happiest with the news. He smiled non-stop.
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