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Chapter 486: Charges Dropped
Chapter 486: Charges Dropped
Upon seeing those tiny golden words, the older wizards in the courtroom instinctively stood up.
They glared at the spot obscured by the thick fog, their eyes flashing with unrestrained fury.
Having lived through those tumultuous times, they were all too familiar with the Unbreakable Vow. They knew that once the contract was formed, these words would transform into golden runes, hidden within the soul of the vow-maker.
Many in this room had narrowly escaped their fate due to this very spell, so they knew it all too well.
Now, it was abundantly clear that the true Secret-Keeper was the little dwarf, Peter Pettigrew, and not Black!
"Damn!" Curses reverberated throughout the room.
Crouch's face darkened.
Despite Dumbledore's testimony, he had found it hard to believe in Black's innocence before this. Or perhaps he preferred to think that Fudge had set him up and deceived even Dumbledore.
After all, everyone knew back then how close Potter and Black were, and by all accounts, the Secret-Keeper could never have been the timid and cowardly Peter.
Yet, they had done the unthinkable, acting as if they lacked any sense, and that brain in the jar should've been stuffed into their skulls.
"Traitor..." Crouch clenched his fists, snapping the quill in his hand in two.
The courtroom buzzed with growing chatter.
The thick fog quickly dissipated, and Diana stepped forward. "Then, Professor Dumbledore, we shall leave the rest to you."
"Of course," Dumbledore said with a smile. "We owe you a debt of gratitude this time. Otherwise, Sirius would've been in quite a predicament..."
"I only wanted to help Lily, not some self-righteous idiot," Diana said, not even sparing Black a glance.
"Also, Mr. Headmaster, if I'm not mistaken, Hogwarts doesn't have a rule that allows fifth-year students to leave school grounds on weekends, does it?"
Dumbledore's smile froze on his face, and he smoothly replied, "I believe you're right, but this was an invitation from the Minister, and Kyle insisted on coming, so...ahem, I had no choice in the matter."
"Is that so..." Diana once again glanced toward the corner.
Kyle, who had been keeping his head down and trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, shuddered. He cautiously lifted his head and saw Diana and the other two Unspeakables leaving the courtroom with the water tank in tow.
"Phew..." He breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up in his seat.
From then on, the trial proceeded much more smoothly.
In the face of clear and compelling evidence, those who had opposed Sirius before fell silent. Although some still brought up Sirius' escape from Azkaban, Fudge skillfully dragged the matter out, postponing any further discussion.
While he was curious about how Sirius had managed to break out of the heavily guarded prison, now was clearly not the time for such inquiries.
There would be plenty of time for that later—they had all the time in the world.
Finally, to expedite the retrial, Sirius volunteered to take Veritaserum or submit to a Legilimency examination to prove his innocence.
Fudge agreed, and since it was a voluntary request, there was no need for another vote.
Soon enough, Scrimgeour brought a small vial forward.
"I believe one drop should suffice," Dumbledore said. "We don't need to ask too many questions."
"I know," Scrimgeour replied.
As a single drop of Veritaserum was poured into his mouth, Sirius' cheeks relaxed, and he stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Yes," he said softly.
"I hope you can tell us," Scrimgeour asked in a calm voice, "who the Potters' Secret-Keeper was twelve years ago."
Sirius took a few trembling breaths and spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.
"It was Peter Pettigrew, the little rat. He was the Secret-Keeper."
"Why choose him?"
Sirius's eyelids twitched again. "I thought it would be safer that way. I would be the obvious bait, so no one would suspect the timid and cowardly Peter."
"And who blew up the Muggle street afterward?" Scrimgeour asked again.
"Also Peter Pettigrew..."
Under the influence of Veritaserum, Sirius recounted the entire process of changing the Secret-Keeper.
After hearing the truth firsthand, most people's first reaction was not sympathy but a thought similar to Crouch's... Black was truly lacking a brain.
They really should have asked those Unspeakables if they could get him one.
Why make things so complicated when the solution was simple? It was truly an unnecessary move.
But after cursing him in their minds, everyone sighed.
Regardless, he had spent twelve years in Azkaban for no reason and had paid the price for his stupidity.
After Sirius finished speaking, Scrimgeour looked at him with a complicated expression and poured a bottle of potion down his throat.
He had been considering recruiting Sirius into the Auror office after proving his innocence, but now he thought it might be better to reconsider.
After all, being an Auror required more than just skill.
After drinking the potion, the dazed look in Sirius' eyes gradually faded, and he shook his head, regaining his senses.
"I believe everything should be clear now," Fudge said from the high table. "So, those who believe that Sirius Orion Black is innocent, please raise your hands."
Hands went up one after another, and in the blink of an eye, more than half were raised, even Crouch slowly raised his arm.
"Ninety-five votes!" Boomed Madam Bones.
"Very well, very well," Fudge stood up with a smile. "On behalf of the Ministry of Magic, I hereby declare that the charges against Sirius Orion Black in 1981 are officially dropped, the wanted order is invalidated, and he will be released from all accusations as of today and regain his right to carry a wand."
Applause filled the courtroom, and everyone stood up, clapping vigorously.
Sirius sat there dumbfounded, looking around at the people, then at Peter, who was lying on the ground. He felt dazed, as if everything were unreal.
Was he... free?
Sirius breathed heavily, then looked up at Dumbledore, seeking confirmation.
"So, what are you waiting for?"
Dumbledore smiled and said, "If you have enough galleons on you... well, would you like to take a walk down Diagon Alley? It's changed quite a bit since twelve years ago.
And I've heard that Ollivander didn't go out today to search for wand-making materials, so you should be able to get yourself a new wand there."
"Of course... of course, Professor Dumbledore," Sirius' eyes became moist, and he laughed through his tears. "I dream of going to Diagon Alley."
...
(End of Chapter)
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