Note from the Author:
I know that the following chapters might be disappointing in some way, but just trust me and read all the chapters that I will post in one go. Because I know that they need to be read precisely in one batch. Just read through them, and everything will fall into place.
***
Sirius raised his head. His face was gaunt, his voice hoarse and slightly unhinged.
"I didn't betray James and Lily. I was never on the side of…"
"You confessed to murder!" the prosecutor interrupted. "You confessed to the murder of twelve Muggles! You confessed to the murder of Peter Pettigrew!"
"I confessed to the murder of a traitor," Sirius's voice grew stronger. "I confessed to finding the one who betrayed James and Lily! And then killing that rat! Peter Pettigrew was on the Dark Lord's side. He betrayed us. I found him and…"
He faltered. His face contorted.
"I should have killed him! I only wanted to kill him!"
The hall went still.
"Calm down!" Fudge hammered his gavel. "Accused, control yourself!"
Tonks whispered something in Sirius's ear, and he fell silent. But it was too late.
The prosecutor, smirking, rose.
"Lords, you heard him! A man who spent nine years in Azkaban admits he wanted to kill! Admits he pursued a wizard! Admits his goal was revenge! And we are supposed to believe he didn't kill those Muggles? That he didn't betray the war heroes, the Potters?"
"He didn't kill," Tonks repeated wearily. "We have a witness… your accusations are groundless, and your behavior unworthy of this place."
"A witness who refused verification!" the prosecutor parried. "We have Black's own admission that he wanted to kill! And we are supposed to release him?"
The hall erupted in shouts. Lords argued, shouting over each other. Fudge hammered his gavel, but no one was listening anymore.
Lucius sat with his hands folded on his knees, an expression of calm frozen on his face. But Albus Dumbledore seemed not to see any problem in any of this. Only at one point, when Lord Greengrass, who usually led the neutral party, simply nodded to Lucius. Only then did Dumbledore begin to doubt that he might lose. It was rare to see a genuinely troubled expression on Albus Dumbledore's face. This was one of those moments.
No one knew that Lucius had managed to persuade Greengrass not to vote for Sirius's release, offering something more valuable than simple nobility, which existed in neither Lucius nor Greengrass.
"Silence!" Fudge finally bellowed. "Silence in the court!"
The voices subsided.
"We have heard both sides," the Minister announced, wiping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. "The facts have been presented, and all three witnesses have been questioned. The time has come for the vote."
He took a deep breath.
"Lords of the Wizengamot, I ask you to prepare. The question I am about to put is simple: should the Wizengamot release Sirius Black and clear all charges against the wizard bearing the surname of an ancient and respected house?"
Silence fell over the hall quickly. It became absolute.
"Those who believe Sirius Orion Black is innocent and should be freed," Fudge proclaimed, "raise your wands."
Wands shot up.
One, two, three… Slowly, very slowly. Some raised them confidently, others after deliberation, still others glancing at their neighbors.
Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five.
And that was it.
The wands were still. Twenty-five votes. No more, no less.
"Twenty-five votes in favor," Fudge proclaimed, undisguised triumph in his voice. "There are fifty-three voting today. The vote of the presiding judge — my vote — will also be counted."
He paused, savoring the moment.
"I ask those who believe Sirius Black is guilty and should continue to serve his sentence in Azkaban to raise their wands."
Wands began to rise again, stopping at twenty-five. Exactly twenty-five. Those who voted against, and those who voted for.
Twenty-five to twenty-five — it was a tie. Fudge's vote would be decisive, as three others had simply abstained.
Lucius sat motionless, a triumphant smile on his face.
"The votes are equally divided," Fudge announced. "Twenty-five to twenty-five, with three abstentions. In accordance with paragraph 12, point 3 of the Wizengamot's Rulebook, in such a case, the deciding vote belongs to the presiding judge."
He raised his wand.
"I, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic and acting presiding judge of the Wizengamot, by my vote…"
"Minister, I must interrupt you!"
Dumbledore's voice was quiet, but in the silence of the hall, it was audible to everyone.
Fudge froze, his wand still raised.
"I ask for the floor," Dumbledore said, rising.
"That… that is not provided for by the rules of procedure…" Fudge began.
"It is, Mr. Minister," Amelia Bones interjected. "The Supreme Mugwump has the right to a final statement before the verdict is rendered. Even when suspended."
"The floor is granted," he finally forced out.
Dumbledore walked to the center of the hall. He was calm, his robes flowing behind him like dark water. He looked at Sirius — he sat with his head bowed, no longer believing in anything. Then he turned his gaze to the Lords.
"Lords of the Wizengamot," he began, his voice steady, without pomp or strain. "Having heard all the arguments, you are divided equally. Twenty-five to twenty-five. This means that half of you are certain of the Azkaban prisoner's guilt. Half, of his innocence. And some abstained."
He paused.
"I will not urge you to change your minds. I will not speak of Sirius Black spending nine years in Azkaban for a crime he did not commit. And I will not say that he is a war hero, even though he is. You all know this already. I will not remind you that his confession, made in a state of shock and despair, cannot be considered proof. You know that too."
He turned to Fudge and continued passionately.
"I will say only one thing. Today, you are not deciding the fate of Sirius Black. Today, you are deciding who we are. A country, a society, where a man can be convicted without evidence, where a Squib witness is not trusted simply because he is a Squib, where a man's words spoken in horror are used against him — such a state does not deserve to be called Magical Britain!"
He looked at the wand in Fudge's hand.
"Vote, Minister. But remember: history will follow this vote. So inscribe yourself into history as a just Minister. That is all I have to say."
Fudge stood, unable to move.
"I…" he began and fell silent.
Fudge stood, unable to move. His gaze darted between Dumbledore and Lucius, who sat motionless with an expression of icy calm on his face. The pressure was unbearable, as Fudge wanted to sit on two chairs at once. And yet, he very much enjoyed seeing that not only Lucius Malfoy, tense to the breaking point, depended on him at that moment, but also Albus Dumbledore himself was not as unshakeable as he had been at the start of the trial.
That is why Fudge reasoned that since all that was required was to delay the trial, it was enough to get it postponed for a week. Then the goal would be accomplished, and Dumbledore would not become his enemy. It seemed perfect, and Sirius Black could, in the future, be a good way to boost his own ratings.
"I…" Fudge repeated. "I, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic and acting presiding judge of the Wizengamot, due to the tie vote… I am forced… I am forced to declare the court's decision inconclusive. I will not use my vote. The case review is postponed until the next session of the Wizengamot."
The hall exploded in a wave of noise. Lords jumped from their seats, shouting, but the trial, so to speak, was over. Except not quite.
Lucius first rejoiced with a smug smile, proudly conversing with neighboring lords, until one of his men approached and whispered something in his ear. After that, he slowly rose. His face was white as a sheet. He looked at Fudge with an expression that mixed fury and disbelief.
"Cornelius," he uttered under his breath, ice in his voice. "You have made a mistake…"
Of course, the Minister could not hear this; indeed, the lords sitting nearby, who had already been congratulating him on his victory, also did not hear due to the noise in the Wizengamot.
And in all this chaos, no one noticed that Albus Dumbledore, with a slight smile, pleased with the court's outcome, stood watching the faces of all the shouting and arguing, as if he himself had won. As if the court's verdict was to his liking.
"Silence! Silence in the court!" Fudge hammered his gavel, but no one was listening anymore.
"Mr. Minister," came the voice of Amelia Bones, and there was something strange in it — not triumph, not disappointment, but rather… surprise. "I must make a clarification."
Fudge turned to her, clearly glad for an opportunity to distract from the general noise of the dissatisfied party and the joy of the other.
"What clarification, Madam Bones?"
"The question of postponing the session cannot be decided by your sole decision," she said loudly, reading from the parchment in her hands. By doing so, she drew the attention of everyone present. "In accordance with the amendment to the law on the review of court decisions in criminal cases, adopted on September 27th, 1990…"
She paused, and the hall fell silent again. Everyone looked at her.
"…in the event of three postponed repeat hearings of a case, provided that the number of votes 'for' and 'against' is equally divided, but the number of votes 'for' equals or exceeds 40% of the votes of those present, but not less than 23 votes," she raised her eyes and looked directly at Dumbledore, "the decision is made in favor of granting the claim without a repeat vote."
The silence became absolute.
"What?" someone near Lord Malfoy breathed.
"That… that cannot be!" Nott shouted loudly, rising from his seat.
"It can," Bones cut him off. "The amendment was adopted by the Wizengamot, signed by the Minister, and certified by the archives. I can read out all the details."
"But we did not vote for such a thing!" exclaimed some Wizengamot Lord. "I don't remember such a law!"
He was actively supported by many other Lords, clearly outraged that, for the second time, laws they themselves had passed were being used against them.
"You did vote," Bones replied calmly, reading from the tome before her. "On September 21st, during a session on the regulation of magical populations, an unrelated bill on the issue of reviewing court cases was proposed. The amendment itself was introduced as an appendix to the main bill."
Lucius slowly turned his head towards Dumbledore at the other end of the hall. Dumbledore's grim expression, after he realized Greengrass had sided with Lucius, had miraculously smoothed out. In his eyes behind the half-moon spectacles was that very glint everyone knew so well. Dumbledore was undoubtedly pleased — for he had just won a game others had not even suspected.
"This cannot be!" Lucius shouted. "I challenge the legality of this amendment!"
"We would have remembered!" Lord Nott supported him. "This exceeds all reasonable bounds, Minister!"
"According to the amendment," Bones continued, "the charges against Sirius Black are dropped immediately. He is to be released from custody right now."
"The decision is made," Dumbledore repeated. "Remove the chains immediately!"
Aurors approached Sirius and began unfastening the chains. Spells clinked, and the chains fell to the stone floor.
Black sat motionless, not believing what was happening. His face was pale, his eyes empty as a dead man's. Only when the last chain fell to the floor did he raise his head and look at what was actually happening.
His face was so thin… so gaunt… Nine years in Azkaban do not pass without a trace. But at least he could stand. And now he was free.
There is nothing in this world more precious than freedom for one who has known the hardships of its absence.
The hall exploded again, but now it was not just indignation — it was a real pandemonium. Lords jumped from their seats, shouting over each other, non-Lord judges tried to calm everyone down, and Fudge did not understand what had happened at all. For he had simply wanted to sit on two chairs, as before, unaware of this little detail that even those who had passed the bill did not remember. And the lawyer had only remembered at the last moment and sent a man to warn Lucius, but it was too late.
Some even applauded, while others shouted; there were also those who tried to get to Dumbledore with questions. But many had already begun to leave the Wizengamot hall, preparing for an attack by various journalists, whom they had managed to keep in the Ministry's fireplace hall, that is, at the entrance.
Despite the shouts and noise, Lucius was beginning to understand that Dumbledore had started preparing before the motion to review Sirius Black's case was even granted.
"The amendment was passed amid the noise of another problem," Lord Greengrass told him coldly, approaching their seats, as the Wizengamot session was now over. There was something in his voice that made many fall silent. "Like many others. You would be surprised how many laws we pass without reading them or understanding the consequences. A foolish act on our part."
"But the lawyer!" Lady Parkinson exclaimed. "How could the lawyer not know about such an amendment?!"
"He reported it only when the votes were tied," Lucius said with dissatisfaction and anger. "We couldn't do anything… Mordred's amateur!"
Although Lady Parkinson was mistaken, it was a good question, but few Lords were prepared to admit that Magical Law in Britain was a century or two behind Muggle law. There were no educational institutions in Magical Britain that taught Magical Law, unlike in Magical America or Germany. Civil war, unrest, a general decline… Magical Britain had long been in stagnation. And this case was the best confirmation of that.
Lucius remained standing for a long time, not moving. His face was as white as the paper on which he held his motion. He was scrutinizing Dumbledore, who was already walking towards Sirius Black in the center of the Wizengamot hall. There was something in Lord Malfoy's gaze that none of those present had ever seen in his eyes before — bewilderment.
Fudge, hiding behind the backs of his assistants, quickly retreated towards the ministerial offices. Amelia Bones, still holding the ill-fated scroll, was talking to the secretaries. Umbridge, smiling, was writing something in her pink notepad.
"Free," the Headmaster said joyfully, even loudly, approaching the still-disbelieving Sirius. "You are free, my boy… Sirius."
Sirius stood in the center of the hall, not moving, looking at his hands — hands no longer bound by chains. Still not believing in his release, he slowly rose from his seat. Tonks supported him by the arm.
Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come, Sirius," he said. "You need to rest."
"I didn't kill them," Black whispered. "I was never on the side of…"
"I know," Dumbledore replied. "I always knew."
They headed for the exit. Their path lay through the entire hall, past the Lords who were descending to congratulate Mr. Black, for everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Mr. Black became Lord Black.
Suddenly Sirius stopped and looked at the Headmaster.
"You knew," he repeated. "You knew I was innocent. And you still let me sit in Azkaban for all those years? And all those around don't even know that it wasn't me…"
Dumbledore did not answer. He just looked at Sirius with a long, heavy gaze.
"Everything has its reason, Sirius," he said finally. "I hope you will understand me. For I only wanted what was best for you. You know…"
Dumbledore turned to continue on his way, but Sirius remained standing, looking at his back, and in his eyes, which had just been empty, something new appeared. Something that was neither gratitude nor forgiveness.
Perhaps Dumbledore had indeed forgotten that among the Marauders, the most unpredictable, the most untamable was Sirius Black. Forgot that Sirius, even with all his hatred for his family and his rebellious nature, had undergone rigorous home tutoring from Walburga Black herself. She had managed to drill into his head some of what the heir of an ancient family should know; it's just that little of it took root… too little.
Forgot that nine years in Azkaban had not erased his memory of how the then Minister and Dumbledore, whom Sirius respected and considered infallible, had come to him, stunned, crushed, found the truth, but even years later, his name was still stained with the mark of traitor and Death Eater.
Forgot that he, Sirius Black, remembered that day. And perhaps he had not forgiven.
Or perhaps Dumbledore simply believed that Sirius's devotion and faith in him were so strong that nothing would break his loyalty.
But Sirius would deal with that later. For now — for now, he was free. And that was enough.