The Hearing
If Sirius had ever had a busier day in his life, he didn’t remember it.
The day before the court hearing to determine Harry’s guardianship had been frantic. Sirius and Harry traveled to Gringotts, twice. They had to travel to Little Hangleton, also twice. They went to a robe shop, three bloody times. There had been multiple trips to a small property outside Liverpool that belonged to the Black family and Harry received in Sirius’s will. That caused a third trip to Gringotts then a third trip to Little Hangleton.
The only upside of their work was that they were too exhausted by the end of the day to do much more than collapse in bed together.
“You think it’ll work?” Harry asked after a huge yawn.
Sirius already had his eyes closed and needily - greedily - pulled Harry toward him to cuddle up with. Cuddling had always been Sirius’s weakness and it seemed like Harry shared it because he moved all too willingly.
“He doesn’t speak English,” Sirius muttered. “It’s a long shot.”
Harry had a great plan, one that Sirius had been thrilled to help execute. It didn’t mean that any magistrate in the world would give guardianship of the most important magical child to a mad man with a prison record who only spoke Parsletongue.
Sirius wanted to like him, Morfin Gaunt. Sirius had thought he died years ago, ending the Gaunt line. It seemed as if the man had only turned into a hermit of sorts, more isolated than prisoners he was.
Morfin told Harry, who told Sirius, that he had a sister that ran off with a muggle. Morfin thought she had a son, he had some recollection of meeting a boy that resembled the muggle, but the sister died and the kid would have been a bastard in any case. It meant that Morfin Gaunt was an old man facing the last of his days and wanted to see his family line continue.
Enter Harry.
Sirius still thought it wouldn’t matter if Dumbledore himself had taken over Harry’s guardianship, no one could keep Harry from running away to his own house if he felt like it. Harry’s plan had some merit though, mostly the delightful shock value that Morfin Gaunt was sure to bring the Wizengamot.
“He can speak English,” Harry said, shifting around to get comfortable without breaking Sirius’s hold on him. “He just hasn’t had anyone to talk to.”
“Mmm, whatever you say,” Sirius mumbled. “We can always go to France, you’d love it there.”
“Yeah? Have you ever been?”
“So many times.”
Harry huffed a quiet laugh and relaxed while Sirius began slipping away to what he hoped would be a perfect night of sleep. It was better when he had Harry, a warm and comforting weight. It wasn’t foolproof though, Harry was just as likely to kick Sirius awake as Sirius was him.
“I love you,” Harry whispered just before Sirius was fully asleep. “I couldn’t do all this without you.”
Sirius was too far gone to reply, but he smiled to himself. It was nice, being needed and useful.
It was the sort of thing that Sirius was rewarded for with a night of peace before the utter chaos that Harry planned to unleash the next day.
Sirius expected chaos from Harry and his mad plan to ask for Morfin Gaunt to take over his guardianship. Sirius didn’t think that there would be an obscene amount of chaos from the Ministry themselves.
It was supposed to be a damned closed hearing. Closed. Private. As in not public.
“Cloak,” Sirius groaned when he and Harry entered the atrium and were immediately assaulted with flashing lights and shouted questions.
“Harry! Are you worried about today?”
“Harry! Who do you want to live with?”
“Who do you think killed your family?”
“Harry! Harry!”
Harry didn’t waste any time pulling his invisibility cloak out and covering them both with it. There were ridiculous gasps about it then a rush of people trying to cover exits so they couldn’t get through.
“Still want to be famous?” Harry whispered while they made some quick movements to get to the stairs instead of the lifts.
“Your robes were free,” Sirius reminded him, using his shoulder to open the rarely used door for the stairs.
Harry huffed and pulled the cloak back off them once they were alone and away from the mess of reporters. His hair had gotten messed up from the cloak, but it only took Sirius a moment to pat it back down to near submission. Near submission was the best that anyone would get with Harry’s hair, it was unmanageable really.
“Perfect,” Sirius grinned. Harry looked great, all dressed up in the smartest set of dress robes they could have made on short notice. He had fought with Sirius on the green silk tie and the Potter and Peverell heir rings, but Sirius thought Harry needed to make a statement.
That statement being: Harry was a political powerhouse in his fame, his family lines, and in his own magical rights. They would listen to Harry, Sirius didn’t dress him up as the perfect future Lord of two houses for him to be ignored.
Sirius didn’t give two whits about politics, he didn’t have the patience for it and it always left a bad taste in his mouth. A bunch of wealthy wizards who sat around trading coins and secrets to pass or block laws to suit their own needs? It was the life Sirius’s father led and he tried to push Sirius into.
“The Black seat has always been filled by the strongest of men.” Father stared at Sirius, his cold eyes hidden only behind the smoke that puffed out of his pipe. “Is that you, Sirius?”
“Yes, Father,” Sirius said dutifully, daydreaming all the while about a life of adventure and laughter.
Politics had never been an interest to Sirius, but he had been raised to play the game and if he needed to use that knowledge for Harry’s benefit then it was worth knowing.
“Who all do you think will be there?” Harry asked as they began jogging down the dimly lit stairs.
“Narcissa, for sure,” Sirius said confidently. Narcissa had asked Sirius if he would appeal on her behalf to Harry and Sirius… Sirius wanted to, he did. Sirius didn’t give a damn about Lucius Malfoy, but he cared for Cissa.
There was a small part of Sirius that wanted to take Narcissa up on her plea to have him and Harry both taken in by her. It was the same part of Sirius that wondered what it would be like to be raised by someone who liked him, cared for him. It was the part of Sirius that would have hated James for his relationship with his parents if Sirius didn’t love him so much.
But Sirius was a grown man… kind of. He didn’t need a family when he was a child and he didn’t need one anymore. Sirius had Harry and a peculiar house-elf and all the adventure and laughter he would ever need.
Sirius Orion never needed his family and neither did Sirius James.
“And the Weasleys?” Harry asked, hope unmistakable in his voice.
“Arthur for sure,” Sirius said. “I imagine he’ll leave Molly at home, Muriel never did like her.”
“Why’s that matter?”
“Muriel fills the Weasley seat on the court,” Sirius said. He thought he told Harry that before? It was why Narcissa would be appealing on her own despite Lucius being the head of their family. Lucius on the court would be a guaranteed vote in the Malfoy favor.
Sirius had toyed with the idea of appointing a representative of the House of Black for a vote in favor of Morfin, but the only person he could think to take the spot would be Andromeda and she was more likely to choose Narcissa over a mad old hermit.
“Thirty-three seats, we need seventeen votes, right?” Harry checked once more.
“Not every seat is currently filled,” Sirius reminded him. “You have two seats that are empty, mine is empty. Dumbledore’s is empty, he can’t fill the seat and act as the Chief Warlock. Amelia’s will be empty today as well.”
There were more, but Sirius couldn’t remember them all. Most of the seats were filled, families would scramble to ensure they had a voice in the only court magical Britain recognized. The seats were filled by a party of peers for criminal trials, but they remained empty for family court matters.
“Seventeen votes,” Harry muttered. “Just seventeen…”
“Pup.” Sirius stopped Harry before he could open the door that would take them to the chambers. Sirius could feel the tense muscles in Harry’s shoulders and he wished Harry would trust him that the results of the day did not matter.
“You own two seats on the court that will vote on the matter today,” Sirius said again. He reached out to lift Harry’s chin and forced a breezy smile to calm him. “Nobody wants to offend you. Alright?”
Harry breathed in deeply through his nose and blew toothpaste scented air in Sirius’s face on his exhale.
“Yeah, alright,” Harry said. He took the cloak off his shoulder and slung it over Sirius’s shoulder instead. “If - if anything seems like it’s going wrong, meet me at home, okay?”
“Right,” Sirius agreed, a lie to appease Harry’s concerns. If anything looked like it would go wrong, Sirius wouldn’t leave without Harry.
“Come on now, let’s go watch the Wizengamot piss themselves!” Sirius said, genuinely gleeful at the thought.
It didn’t matter who called themselves Harry’s guardian, Harry was Sirius’s. It would only be a brilliant show when Morfin arrived.
Amelia met Harry outside the entrance of the chambers, looking posh in her court robes. It was a lark to know Amelia was so high in the Ministry, that witch had been as mischievous as any back in school. Sirius and Harry were both swept up immediately in Hurricane Amelia as she rushed them through the doors toward the floor of the court.
“Oh, thank Merlin, you’re both here,” she said. “Quickly, boys. You can both follow me though here. Harry, you’ll be first. There’s a rather long list to get through today.”
Sirius planned to ask what Amelia meant, but he was immediately shocked by the amount of seats that were filled in the court.
Even without counting, Sirius could scan the filled section for the court and estimate that every single family who owned a seat had found a representative for deciding Harry Potter’s guardianship. Minerva was in a seat, either the Dumbledore seat or Prince seat. Remus was in a bloody seat, probably whichever seat Minerva wasn’t filling. Bill Weasley sat in a seat, it had to be the Prewett seat. Alexander Lestrange must have turned of age since the start of the school year, he was sweating in the Lestrange seat.
So there would be thirty votes then. Sirius definitely should have found someone to sit in his seats and had Harry find two people to sit in his.
Damn.
Sirius kept his cool, doing nothing more than shooting Harry a calm wink while they were led to the table on the right side of the floor. The table on the left made Sirius roll his eyes, it was bloody predictable.
Augusta Longbottom, dressed in her usual worst. She must have chosen a representative and - yep, Sirius saw Fortescue sitting in the court, apparently feuds between in-laws weren’t important when compared to possibly taking home the Boy-Who-Lived. Axel Rosier sat beside Augusta, looking distinguished with his neatly trimmed grey goatee and rich blue robes.
Arthur Weasley was there with a gentle smile and nod for Harry, even though Sirius was fairly sure Harry didn’t officially know the man yet. Narcissa sat beside him, looking much too regal in her robes and posture.
Narcissa caught Sirius’s eye and smiled, lifting her hand in a small greeting. Sirius returned the gesture, though he was struck stupid by who sat beside Narcissa.
Snape.
Bloody Snape.
Severus fucking Snape - Snivellus - sat at the table of applicants as if he had any right in the world to try and request guardianship of James’s son. Snape didn’t look particularly pleased to be sitting there, his face was twisted in a sour look. But since Snape always looked sour, Sirius was still ready to tear out his throat for the fucking audacity.
Albus sat in the center seat for the Chief Warlock and there was no doubt in Sirius’s mind that it was he who put Snape in that courtroom. It would be convenient for him to have Harry under his thumb, and what better way to spy on his spy than having Harry and Snape in the same house?
Harry had seen the same thing Sirius did and he hissed through his teeth when he sat.
“Is he mad?!” Harry whispered, gripping Sirius’s hand beneath the table rather tightly. “I can barely keep from killing him at Hogwarts, does he think he would be safe in his home?”
Sirius grinned joylessly at Harry’s threat while he was positively seething. There was nothing more insulting than Snape getting James killed than trying to get guardianship of his son… nothing.
Amelia stepped between the two tables and raised her hands, silencing the already quiet room.
“Good morning,” she said clearly. “We are convened today on the twenty-first of April in the year nineteen ninety-two to determine the guardianship of one minor child, Harry James Potter.
“Comes petitioners: Augusta Longbottom, Axel Rosier, Severus Snape, Narcissa Malfoy, and Arthur Weasley. If it pleases the court, I will call the first petitioner to the stand.”
Sirius watched the court while Axel Rosier was called to the stand. There were only a few who exchanged glances, the ones who were on Rosier’s payroll for the day, Sirius was sure.
Axel walked to the stand in the center of the room with his back to the court, facing Amelia. Axel didn’t look much like Evan had, but his replacement son was his spitting image.
“For the record, please state your name and relationship to the minor Harry James Potter,” Amelia told him.
“My name is Axel Zayn Rosier,” Axel said in his deep and smoothly accented voice. “I was second cousins with the late James Potter.”
“Fleamont’s cousin,” Sirius told Harry quietly.
“Death Eater?” Harry asked.
Sirius shrugged. “His son was.”
Most of the older generation had been sympathizers and supporters. They threw their children to sign up as soldiers while they played politics behind the scenes.
Harry nodded and then glared daggers at Axel while Amelia went through the standard questions:
Why did he want to take Harry in, was he financially able to support him, in what ways would he emotionally support Harry. Sirius doubted that anyone but Amelia would think to tack on her final question:
“Did Mister Potter’s fame in any way influence you into taking him in?” Amelia asked.
Axel straightened up and stared Amelia in the eyes as he lied through his teeth.
“It did not,” he said. “Young Mister Potter could be any magical child and I would be here.”
Amelia looked to Harry, who nodded, then looked to where Fudge, Albus, and Emmaline Vance, who was the head of Family Divisions. Emmaline raised her hand and asked Axel a question of her own.
“Mister Rosier, forgive me for bringing this up, but your son, the late Evan Rosier, died during a battle against aurors. After his death, it was discovered that he was branded as a close follower of You-Know-Who. Do you believe that connection would be a conflict given Mister Potter’s history?”
Sirius and Harry exchanged sly smiles while Axel visibly bristled. Sirius had to hand it to him though, the man remained unruffled in his response and even turned the tables on the court for a brief and beautiful moment.
“Apologies, I am unsure who you are referring to,” he said.
Sirius ducked his head to keep from laughing loudly and risking being kicked from the court - he shouldn’t have even been allowed to sit in on the proceedings, it was good of Amelia to allow it. Albus was the only wizard on the court with the bollocks to answer Axel directly.
“I believe Madam Vance is referring to the wizard more commonly known as Voldemort,” Albus said, calmly sending a shockwave through the courtroom.
“A conflict because of that? No,” Axel said clearly and arrogantly leaving his chin high. “I believe that it shows a connection between Mister Potter and myself that many can sympathize with. We both lost loved ones to the Dark Lord.”
Sirius could see that Axel would receive a few votes, but he didn’t think that his use of ‘Dark Lord’ convinced anyone that he didn’t send Evan directly to the inner circle.
Augusta was called next and she remained stoic while telling the court that Harry’s parents and her son and daughter-in-law had been close friends. It was true, Frank had been one of James’s closest mates. Sirius had been more weepy over the photo Augusta presented than anyone.
The photo was passed to Harry and Sirius had to blink quickly over the smiling faces of Alice and Lily as they compared baby bumps with James and Frank doing the same pose with goofy grins and abs made of bloody steel.
Harry, Merlin bless him, pulled his wand in front of the entire Wizengamot and duplicated the photograph before returning the original to Amelia.
“You come visit and I’ll give you dozens more,” Augusta told him, stoutly breaking protocol as she spoke directly to Harry.
“Thank you,” Harry said, surreptitiously sliding the photo to Sirius under the table.
The next petitioner called on was Arthur Weasley. Sirius didn’t have much against Arthur himself, but the man didn’t need more children. Arthur and Molly seemed to take Irish Catholic to new extremes with their broods.
Arthur was cheerful and kind when Amelia asked why he wanted to take Harry in, he said that he had a son Harry’s age and hated to think about a child without a family. That was probably true enough, his next answer was definitely a lie though.
“Do you believe that your family is financially stable enough to support an additional member?” Amelia asked, just as she had for Axel and Augusta.
“We are,” Arthur said. “Money comes and goes, but family is more important than flashy new broomsticks and tailored dress robes.”
There were a few members of the court who shifted and rolled their eyes, clearly disagreeing with Arthur. Sirius was torn personally, money was a necessity for a comfortable life, but Sirius had been wealthy with a terrible family so who knew what the opposite extreme was like?
Nobody had any additional questions for Arthur and Sirius was certain he would receive exactly four votes - the two patsies that Albus placed in the Wizengamot, Murial, and Bill.
Next to be called was Snape and Sirius had to hold Harry’s arm in an iron grip to keep him from leaving his seat. It was clear to anyone watching that Harry was more than displeased to see Snape taking the stand in their current case.
“Can you state your name and relationship to the minor in question, Harry James Potter, for the record?” Amelia asked, focusing on Snape while members of the court whispered to each other over Harry’s reaction.
“My name is Severus Snape,” Snape said stiffly. “I am Mister Potter’s professor at Hogwarts and also act as his Head of House for Slytherin.”
“And why do you want to take in Mister Potter?” Amelia asked.
Snape seemed to war with himself with his teeth grit together and a decidedly unhappy scowl twisting his features into something truly hideous.
“I grew up with Mister Potter’s mother,” Snape eventually said, spitting the words like poison. “I believe that she would prefer her child to not be raised in a substandard home.”
Sirius watched Albus from the corner of his eye and saw him nodding in approval, confirming what Sirius already suspected. Snape would rather have his nails pulled from his fingertips than take Harry in, Albus had set the situation up.
Which made Sirius wonder what all Albus had set up from his office, high above the rest of them.
“Are you financially able to support a child in your home?” Amelia asked.
“I am,” Snape responded curtly.
“In what ways would you support Mister Potter should he have any emotional needs?”
“I would take him to a mind healer for professional support,” Snape said. “I have an appointment set for him the first week of July that should be kept regardless of the decision of the court.”
Remus, in the midst of the Wizengamot that he didn’t belong in, smiled widely. He leaned over and exchanged words with Minerva, irking Sirius much less than it once would have.
The part that sat badly with Sirius was that Remus sat there in fucking support of Snape taking James’s son. It was sick.
“And did Mister Potter’s fame in any way influence your decision to be here today?” Amelia asked.
“I am here today despite Mister Potter’s fame,” Snape said.
Amelia looked at Harry and instead of nodding as he had the last three times, Harry half-stood in his spot.
“I have a question,” Harry said loudly. “Snape, did you always want to adopt me? Is that why you turned my parents into Voldemort? Was this all a drawn out plan to become a father?”
There were gasps, an outbreak of loud whispers, and there was laughter - mainly from Sirius with a few very quiet titters from Narcissa that were hidden behind a handkerchief she raised to her mouth. Harry had just dropped more information than anyone in the room had, and he discredited Snape in a single blow. Sirius was grinning broadly - damn if everything in the world hadn’t nearly been worth getting to witness that moment - when he locked eyes directly with Albus.
Albus’s eyes were cold and unhappy while Sirius’s were gleaming with mirth.
Checkmate, Sirius thought smugly. Arthur would never be given a majority vote by the Wizengamot that had mostly shunned him and his family. And Snape had no chance at all, none.
“We will excuse Professor Snape from answering that question,” Fudge said, nervously watching Albus beside him. “Madam Bones, you may call the next petitioner.”
Snape left the stand with his cloak flowing behind him and his face so cold that it might have been carved from stone.
“Narcissa Malfoy to the stand,” Amelia said, not showing any reaction to the question Harry asked so boldly.
“Good one,” Sirius muttered as Harry sank back down in his chair.
“I didn’t plan it,” Harry said while Narcissa introduced herself to the court. “God, I hate him.”
“Family tradition,” Sirius assured him with a wink.
Narcissa said that she was direct cousins with Harry’s grandmother, a near truth. Everyone in the damn room was cousins in one way or another, it wasn’t much of a brag. Narcissa also added that her son was good friends with Harry, a stretch of the truth for sure.
“Why do you want to take over guardianship of Mister Potter?” Amelia asked.
Narcissa smiled at Harry, a nice addition to her sweet story.
“I always desired to have a large family as a girl,” Narcissa said, a joke since the Black family was one of the larger families. “I see Mister Potter as a boy in need of a family and my family is in need of more children. Harry seems to be a pleasant boy, though I know children are not always quiet and respectful as he is now. It would be an honor to consider him as a son to me.”
“And do you believe that you would be able to financially support him?” Amelia asked.
Lucius sneered from his seat, probably offended at the question as if Amelia didn’t also ask Augusta Longbottom the same thing.
“I do believe so,” Narcissa said evenly.
“And how would you support any emotional needs that Mister Potter may one day have?”
“I would support Harry’s emotional needs by ensuring that he knows he is in an environment where he is safe and loved,” Narcissa said. “In such an environment, I would hope that Harry would feel comfortable expressing his emotions without fear of judgment or rejection. I will also dedicate myself to understand child development and learn what emotional milestones Harry may experience through his unique history. With compassion and understanding, I believe that Harry will grow to be quite the wonderful young man.”
It was the best answer yet, Sirius was sure Narcissa spent all night practicing it. He couldn’t help but glance hopefully at Harry, wishing that he would disregard his entire plan and choose Narcissa. There was something in the back of Harry’s eyes, a small amount of longing Sirius thought, but Sirius knew it wasn’t enough.
“And did Mister Potter’s fame influence your decision to be here today?” Amelia asked.
“I would be a fool and a liar to say that Harry’s name made no influence on me,” Narcissa said, subtly shading everyone who had taken the stand before her. “I believe that Harry will require strong parental guidance to keep him from those that would manipulate him to suit their own political agendas.”
As Narcissa and Lucius absolutely would.
Amelia looked at Harry then the court. When nobody raised any objections, she relieved Narcissa from the stand.
“As there are no other petitioners, the court calls on—”
“Excuse me.” Harry stood up and Sirius let him that time. It was the moment of truth, the moment that the two of them had worked their arses off to set up.
“There is another petitioner,” Harry said, pulling a parchment from his inner pocket. He held it out and Amelia crossed the room to take it from him.
She read the parchment through her monocle and there was only a brief frown before she nodded and moved back to her place.
“There is a sixth petitioner,” Amelia told the court. “While the circumstance is unusual, I think we will all agree that this current case is unusual to begin with.”
“Call the petitioner,” Fudge said, waving his hand and looking around for someone new to appear before the court.
“The Wizengamot now calls upon Morfin Marvolo Gaunt.”
An eerie and clearly shocked hush fell over the entire courtroom. The Wizengamot members exchanged uneasy glances, all seemingly holding their breath to see if Morfin appeared. Albus’s eyes widened momentarily while the other petitioners froze in their seats.
Sirius was dancing a jig in his stomach. It was so perfect - everyone positively stunned at the addition of the Gaunt hermit that many had presumed dead. Harry had quickly and sneakily tapped his thigh with his wand three times, his signal to Dobby. The eager elf responded immediately, apparating Morfin to the center of the room and disapparating before anyone could recognize the elf that had been publicly fired by Lucius.
Morfin was nearly unrecognizable. Sirius had really worked a bloody miracle with the man. His wild grey hair had been trimmed, as well as the disgusting mess of a beard he once had. The robes they purchased for him were tailored neatly to hide his nearly emaciated frame, the green color managed to even make him look less white and sickly.
Sirius had not approved the dead snake the man wore like a necklace, but he supposed some things were unavoidable.
Amelia blinked a few times at Morfin before she was able to clear her throat and resume her professional demeanor.
“If you would have a seat,” Amelia said, gesturing to the witness stand.
Morfin didn’t move, he semi-swayed in place, his dark and sunken eyes searching for Harry. Harry waved at him and then pointed at where he was meant to be, sending Morfin to stumble to the seat.
“Please state your name and relationship to the minor, Harry James Potter, for the court,” Amelia requested.
Morfin didn’t answer Amelia. Morfin looked directly at Harry and did exactly what Sirius had feared he would do. He opened his mouth and hissed something imperceptible to everyone but Harry.
There was a horrifying moment of silence while Morfin clearly waited for a response from Harry. Sirius felt Harry’s palm sweating in his own hand beneath the table and had no idea what Harry was going to do next.
Harry didn’t look away from Morfin, though Sirius could sense that he knew every eye in the courtroom was on him. Harry was trembling, with anger or something else Sirius didn’t know, as he began hissing back to Morfin.
It was as if a muggle bomb had exploded at once, leaving the air thick with disbelief and an unspoken tension. Sirius watched it all unfold with his grip tightening on Harry’s hand. He felt a mix of pride and anxiety battling within him, knowing the implications of what was happening.
The Boy-Who-Lived was a Parslemouth. The majority of the individuals within the courtroom had been intimately tied to Voldemort, the only other known Parslemouth.
It was going to be utter calamity - Sirius only wondered the magnitude of it all.
“Mister Potter," Amelia Bones finally broke the silence with her voice carefully measured. Her monocle had fallen, but she seemed nearly composed despite the shock of the century. "Would you kindly explain to the court what was just said?"
Harry’s eyes darted to Sirius for a fraction of a second, clearly seeking reassurance. Sirius gave a subtle nod, urging him on. It was Harry’s potion, he may as well finish brewing it. Harry took a deep breath and faced the Wizengamot.
"Morfin Gaunt stated his name and relationship to me," Harry translated, his voice clear but the shaking under the table unmistakable. "He said, 'I am Morfin Gaunt, uncle to Harry James Potter by blood, here to take over his guardianship.'"
Sirius was sure that was not what Morfin said, even if it was what he was meant to say. Who could question it though? Not a damn person in the room.
A murmur rippled through the courtroom, the shock palpable. Sirius noticed several members of the Wizengamot exchanging incredulous glances, while others leaned forward, intrigued. Remus was pale, absolutely pale.
Minerva looked bored.
"And you, Harry, you understood him perfectly?" Amelia asked, nearly managing to sound professional and not merely curious.
“Yes, ma’am,” Harry said.
It was going to be devastating, the effects of Harry’s display of a rare, feared, and infamous gift. Sirius didn’t understand the fuss, he’d give half his vault to have any form of animal telepathy. The closest he had was an instinctual sort of understanding between himself and other dogs and some cats when he was transformed.
Amelia hesitated for a second then nodded her head.
“Very well,” she said. “Mister Potter will be allowed to translate for Mister Gaunt without prejudice from the court for the remainder of this hearing. Mister Gaunt, why do you want to take guardianship of Mister Potter?”
Morfin’s eyebrows, still bushy despite the hour Sirius spent shaping them the day before, twitched and then he began hissing away to Harry. It would have been unsettling to Sirius, just the alien sound of Parsletongue, if he hadn’t began getting used to it since September.
"He says that he believes it is his duty and right, as a family member, to take care of me," Harry translated for Morfin loudly. "He wants to ensure I am raised with the proud traditions and heritage of our family."
Albus’s entire body twitched and that more than anything relaxed Sirius. It wasn’t as if Harry was going to be pulled away to actually live with Morfin, it was a formality. And if it was a formality that made Albus unhappy then Sirius was more on board than ever.
The murmurs grew louder then with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. Sirius could sense the court's unease, Fudge was actually compulsively twisting his hat in his hands.
“Do you believe that you are able to financially support a child?” Amelia asked.
Morfin hissed, Harry replied to him before translating in English.
“He is,” Harry said.
“And how will you support any emotional needs that Mister Potter may one day have?”
Morfin became agitated, anyone could tell from the increased tenor of his hissed response. Sirius thought he and Harry had been arguing, but Harry still answered Amelia while watching Morfin scratch his beard on the stand.
Harry was carefully slow in his translation that time.
“He said that a child in his care would be taught the importance of family pride and the strength of their heritage. He believes that knowing one's lineage and traditions provides the emotional support necessary for any child."
Sirius could see the hypocritical skepticism etched on the faces of the Wizengamot members. Morfin's answer, though probably sincere in his own twisted way, seemed to miss the essence of the question entirely.
“I see,” Amelia said. “And did Mister Potter’s fame influence your decision to be here in any way?”
Morfin frowned and he answered quickly and shortly. Harry laughed, but he broke it off so he could answer Amelia with a smile.
“He said: ‘You’re famous?’”
If it weren’t Morfin Gaunt on the stand, nobody would believe it. As it was, Sirius burst out in hysterical laughter while the Wizengamot seemed unsure how to react. Bill Weasley grinned, but Minerva had her lips pressed together so tightly that it might have been a single straight line across her face.
“Thank you, Mister Gaunt,” Amelia said. “You may join the other petitioners at the table. If there are no others…” Amelia looked directly to Harry with an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to sheepishly grin and shake his head. “The court would like to hear from Mister Potter at this time before voting commences.”
Sirius didn’t want to release Harry’s hand, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Harry stood up and slowly crossed the courtroom, exchanging a quiet conversation with Morfin as they passed each other. Sirius couldn’t know for sure what Harry said, but he hoped that Harry told Morfin to sit directly beside Snape and make him look ridiculously uncomfortable - otherwise it was just a happy coincidence.
“Mister Potter, we have heard from six petitioners interested in becoming your legal guardian today,” Amelia said once Harry was seated. “You have heard their responses to my questions and have been given an opportunity to ask your own questions. Is this correct?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Harry said.
“Which petitioner would you prefer to have become your guardian?” Amelia asked. “Understanding, of course, that this would last until you reach your age of majority unless in extenuating circumstances.”
Harry very neatly raised his hands and folded them on the pulpit as Sirius told him to do, clearly showing the Peverell and Potter rings on his hands. With their raised view, nobody in the Wizengamot would be able to miss the blatant show of Harry’s future weight within the court.
It was a pivotal moment in the hearing and everyone knew it. The petitioners could make their case, but nobody wanted to disrespect the Boy-Who-Lived by denying his direct request.
“I understand,” Harry said. “And I choose Morfin Gaunt.”
Sirius saw the slightest wilting of Narcissa’s shoulders and his heart ached for her. The rest of Sirius’s heart was swelling with pride in the confidence Harry showed. He had came a way from the attention hating kid from early September.
“Can you explain why you prefer Mister Gaunt?” Amelia asked, respectful but probing.
Harry took a moment to gather himself and Sirius mouthed the words along with Harry, having been the one to feed the lines to him the day before.
“Uncle Morfin and I share a very close familial tie,” Harry said. “The Gaunt’s are descended from both the Peverell and Slytherin lines, just as my father was descended from the Peverells. As I stand to inherit the Peverell line—”
Sirius smirked at the stifled sounds of surprise. It was worth revealing that for the sudden understanding the Wizengamot had of who the fuck Harry Potter was.
“— I would like to learn more about them from their only other direct relative.” Harry ducked his head and so perfectly feigned a bashful demeanor. “Also, Uncle Morfin has no other family, I have no other family. He’s always wanted a son and I’ve always wanted a true father figure in my life. We’re already so close, I couldn’t imagine not leaving with him today.”
It was masterful, the grandest prank to ever have been pulled off. Sirius wanted to leap from his seat and applaud Harry’s delivery, his performance, his brilliance. There was political weight being pulled in the middle of a tragic and beloved orphan declaring how his favored uncle had always wanted a son.
Sirius wondered if Enchanted Elegance was still in business. It had been, when Sirius was sixteen. Though… maybe he should find a different store, Harry might not appreciate being given a token from the place where Sirius once bought Remus a gift.
Jealous twit.
“I understand,” Amelia told the jealous twit in question. “The court will consider your preference when making its decision. If you would return to your seat, we will commence voting.”
Harry scrambled to get down from the stand and rejoin Sirius at their table. Sirius offered him his hand and Harry squeezed it hard while searching for Sirius’s approval in his eyes. Sirius nodded and Harry let out a silent and heavy breath.
“Members of the Wizengamot, it is on you to vote today in the matter of the guardianship for a minor wizard, Harry James Potter. You have heard from the six petitioners and the child. When I state a name, raise your wand if you are voting in favor of that petitioner. A vote of seventeen will carry the majority. You may not abstain from voting, though you may vote for more than one petitioner. In the case of a tie, the esteemed panel will decide. Are there any questions?”
Amelia waited for a beat then read the first name off her list when nobody asked any questions.
“Axel Rosier.”
There were three wands raised at once, two more that joined.
“Augusta Longbottom.”
Seven wands were raised, including Minerva, Remus, and Bill Weasley.
“Arthur Weasley.”
Four wands - Minerva, Remus, Muriel, and Bill.
“Severus Snape.”
Sirius accidentally released a bark of laughter at the two lone wands that were raised - Minerva and Remus. Remus frowned in Sirius’s direction, but Sirius didn’t care. It was ignorant of Remus to follow Albus so blindly that he would place Harry in Snivellus’s care, Sirius was glad that Remus looked much like the puppet he was acting like before the court.
“Narcissa Malfoy.”
Sirius tried to count the wands that were raised, certainly more than ten, but didn’t get the entire count before they were lowered again. Narcissa would win… if it weren’t for Morfin.
“Morfin Gaunt,” Amelia said, reading the final name.
It wasn’t unanimous and it wasn’t quick, but Sirius was certain that it was at least twenty wands that raised in eventual favor of the wizard that Harry Potter requested as his guardian.
Amelia nodded her head and raised both hands for attention. Harry’s foot twisted around Sirius’s and he stopped breathing while he waited to hear the results of all their efforts.
“The Wizengamot of Great Britain has decided that in the case of guardianship for Harry James Potter, a wizard under the age of seventeen with no current guardian, guardianship has been granted to Morfin Gaunt.”
There was no applause, not a single smile on the court to be seen. Albus actually looked furious, which made Sirius’s smile stretch across his face gleefully. The only sound following Amelia’s announcement was Morfin hissing at Harry and Harry’s quickly returned reply.
As the courtroom settled from the shock of Harry's guardianship decision, Sirius barely had time to process the relief and giddiness mixing inside him. He was ready to guide Harry out of the courtroom when Amelia Bones' voice cut through the buzz of conversation.
"The next case on the docket is that of Sirius James Black," she announced, her voice echoing off the high walls. "Sirius Black, please remain seated. Harry Potter, you may remain with him.”
Sirius froze, his breath catching in his throat. What? He hadn't been prepared for this. Harry's hand tightened around his, anchoring him as the surprise turned into a frozen fear of incomprehension.
“If the Wizengamot would remain, petitioners for the first case are dismissed,” Amelia said. “We are further gathered today on the twenty-first of April in the year nineteen ninety-two to determine the guardianship of one minor child, Sirius James Black.”
“Did she just…?” Sirius truly could not comprehend what Amelia said for the minute it took for Axel, Augusta, Arthur, Snape, and Morfin to leave the court. Harry immediately called out to Morfin, but Morfin was shoved through the doors by Snape and they were closed before Harry could convince him to stay.
“It doesn’t matter,” Harry whispered quickly to Sirius, taking Sirius’s words and throwing them back in his face. “It won’t matter, Siri. Okay? It won’t. Swear it.”
It didn’t matter, it wouldn’t.
Sirius was more shocked about the addition of his own guardianship case being added than he was concerned about the results. Then Amelia read the petitioners and Sirius felt his chest crack right in half.
“Come now are petitioners, Narcissa Malfoy and Minerva McGonagall. If it pleases the court, I will call the first petitioner to the stand…”
Sirius's vision blurred, and he blinked rapidly, trying to stay focused. But he couldn’t stop the tears that slipped down his cheeks, unnoticed at first. The reality of the situation - of having people who cared enough to step forward for him - was overwhelming.
They might both have their own hidden agendas but they were there before the court, ready to appeal and argue for why they should be the ones to take the role of family in Sirius’s life.
And that was a damn sight more than Sirius Orion had ever had in his first life.