The Hidden House

James arrived at the ministry of magic three hours early for the trial of Sirius Black. He wasn’t sure what the wizengamot would do to prevent him from speaking in front of them, and he was not going to take any chances. Framing Sirius Black had given the wizarding population faith in the ministry again. Within 24 hours of Voldemort’s death, they had caught a member of the Black family and put him in Azkaban. They would have no interest in finding out that they had imprisoned an innocent man. 

It had only taken James one day to assume his seat in the wizengamot. They had assumed that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in the aftermath of the war. Fleamont had been an active member of the wizarding society after he had retired from potion making. When he had died four years ago, James had refused to take his place in the court. He was only 17 and hadn’t been ready for that much responsibility. Now that the war was over and he had a family to look after, he knew it was time to use every angle he had.

He had used the court’s opinion of Sirius against them. When he had cited Sirius Black as the reason for his sudden interest in politics, they had all assumed it was because he had been hurt by the betrayal of his friend. He had said just enough to allow them to believe that to be true. After he shed a tear over Sirius being Harry’s godfather, the vote had been unanimous. When he had recounted the story to Lily, she had asked him if the sorting hat had placed him in the wrong house. Getting them to consent to a trial was considerably more difficult, but eventually, the idea that they could make an example out of him with a public trial swayed them. He didn’t mind acting Slytherin if it got Sirius out of Azkaban.

Now that it was finally the day of the trial, he did not want to take any chances. Remus was following close behind him, wrapped in the invisibility cloak. If anyone knew that a werewolf was in the ministry of magic, they would force him to spend the entire day filling out paperwork. He did not have the time to spare, and without Remus as a witness, it would be too easy for the case to be dismissed. Sirius needed an alibi. 

The pair made their way to the department of the misuse of muggle artifacts, following Arthur’s directions to his office. After the meeting at the order of the Pheonix, he sent James an owl warning him of the different tactics the ministry had used to prevent trials. He wasn’t sure why it surprised him so much that Arthur was tracking the corruption in the ministry. He had assumed that the wizard preferred to keep his head down so that he could tinker with the artifacts. Instead, Arthur had warned them of the changing trial times, the false paperwork, and the late notices. It had been at his suggestion that they arrived so early. He even offered to let them wait in his office in case the ministry delayed the trial all day. 

James and Remus arrived at the cramped office to find it already fully occupied. Not only was Arthur Weasley sitting at his small desk that was buried under paperwork, Lily Potter and a short blonde witch were seated in the two tiny chairs. Harry was sleeping in Lily’s arms while she chatted with Arthur. The sight stopped James in his tracks, and Remus, unprepared for the sudden reaction, slammed into his back, nearly knocking him over. 

“James!” Lily called cheerfully, “Took you long enough! I’ve been here nearly twenty minutes.”

“Lily, you are supposed to be in the hospital! What are you doing here?” Remus laughed at James’s reaction as he took the invisibility cloak off and made his way into Arthur’s office. 

“Glad you got my owl Lils. It's good to see you,” he said, hugging her before taking a seat on the floor to prevent either of the ladies from standing. “I’m Remus Lupin. Who might you be?” He directed the question to the blonde witch who had not yet introduced herself.

“My name is Victoria; Arthur is my big brother.” Those words were enough to shake James out of his stupor.

“Victoria? As in the Victoria that Sirius told us about? The Victoria that saved my son’s life?” He had rushed to her side as he spoke, shaking her hand vigorously. 

“The one and the same, she is here to help with his trial. She is the one who told me I wasn’t making a huge mistake in trusting your judgment. I don’t know Sirius very well, but apparently, they were school friends.” At Arthur’s words, James began thanking Victoria again while Lily laughed at him. 

“Did you think you had to save Sirius all by yourself, James? He is part of our family. None of us were going to let him stay in Azkaban.” Lily conjured another set of chairs for her husband and Remus, and the group settled in to wait for Sirius’s trial. 

The wait was considerably longer than they had anticipated. By the time the trial began, they had already received three memos changing the time. They had waited over seven hours before they finally found themselves on the lowest floor of the ministry of magic in front of the entirety of the wizengamot. He had been worried about Lily being there, especially with Harry, but at Arthur’s insistence, she had left Harry with Molly to care for so that he would not be exposed to the dementors. Under normal circumstances, he would not have allowed Harry to be away from them, Peter’s betrayal was too fresh, but his need to protect his son from the horrors of Azkaban overrode that concern. 

James said goodbye to his friends as they entered and took his place with the rest of the Wizengamot. The reason for all the delays became apparent immediately. The ministry had spent all day gathering every reporter that they could find. The large courtroom was packed with cameras and spectators; the only empty seats left were those for the witnesses. Clearly, the ministry was looking forward to crucifying Sirius and letting the entire wizarding world watch as they did. James swallowed the fear that rose in his chest as he took in the crowd. This was a good thing. It meant the whole wizarding world would know when he proved Sirius innocent. 

A suffocating chill entered the room ahead of the dementors, and James shuddered. He did not want to think about what his friend had been through over the past week. Sirius looked haunted as he slowly entered the room behind them. He was ghostly pale and looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. He probably hadn’t. 

The dementors escorted him to the center of the room, where an oversized chair had risen from the floor. Sirius was directed to sit, and the moment that he did, the chains came to life and wrapped themselves around him. James knew that if he failed to prove Sirius’s innocence tonight, that chair would sink again with Sirius in it, never to be seen again.

Once Sirius was secured in the chair, Millicent Bagnold, the minister of magic herself, called the room to order and dismissed the dementors from the courtroom. James scoffed under his breath. She was not only the Minister throughout the war; she was responsible for the dementors at Azkaban in the first place. It seems she wasn’t willing to suffer what she subjected others to. 

James tried to shake away the resentment. He knew that she had been a decent minister of magic and that it would be dangerous to allow them to stay. He was just continuing to feel the effects of them. Remus made eye contact with him from across the courtroom and winked as he pulled chocolate from his pocket and passed it to Arthur, Victoria, and Lily, saving a small piece for himself. James chuckled at the sight. Of course, he had thought to bring chocolate. 

“The court will come to order!” Bagnold’s voice boomed through the room. She must have used a charm to increase the volume. “We are gathered this evening for the trial of one Sirius Black. He stands accused of the murder of Peter Pettigrew, the murder of twelve muggles, endangering the international statute of wizarding secrecy, being one of the Dark Lord’s death eaters, and betraying the location of the Potter family in an attempt to give the Dark Lord more power.” 

The room stilled at her words. James had known that they would be throwing the book at Sirius, he was supposed to be an example, but the charges were heavy. He knew this trial would likely stretch on for days, maybe weeks. He would have to disprove each claim. Once again, he felt himself being overwhelmed with gratitude for his wife and for Victoria, who had not allowed him to take this on alone. 

“Who here would speak for the accused?” Bagnold’s voice echoed through the courtroom. James knew he would have to move quickly, or the trial would be dismissed before he could present any evidence. 

“I, James Potter, son of Fleamont Potter, will speak for the accused, Sirius Black.” There was a brief pause in the courtroom and then a flurry of noise. Other members of the Wizengamot stood in their seats and began shouting at him; cameras snapped pictures furiously, and reporters shouted questions. James kept his eyes trained on Sirius, who was looking at him for the first time. A tiny spark of hope shone on his face as he sat, still chained to the chair. 

“There will be order in the court!” Bagnold shouted over the roar of the crowd. “Am I to understand, Mr. Potter, that you intend to represent Sirius Black?” 

“Yes, Minister.” James stood tall and looked her directly in the eye. 

“Are you not one of the most affected by the crimes of Mr. Black?”

“No, Minister. I have evidence and witnesses proving that the alleged crimes that Mr. Black committed against me were, in actuality, committed by another wizard entirely.”

“And are those the only crimes you intend to represent Mr. Black for?” James shook his head at her words. 

“No, Minister. I intend to represent him for all of the crimes for which he stands accused.” For a moment, he was worried that she would deny him the opportunity to represent Sirius. She sat in her chair and stared him down for several moments, and the entire courtroom seemed to hold their breath as they waited on her decision. 

“Very well, Mr. Potter. You may make your opening statement.” At her words, James carefully made his way from where he sat amongst the Wizengamot until he stood next to where Sirius sat. It was an intimidating sight, with all of the court above him looking down, but James had never been insecure. He flashed a smile at his friend before turning to address the court once more. 

“Esteemed members of the court, I intend to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this man, Sirius Black, is innocent. Not only is he innocent of the crimes for which he stands accused, but he is also a hero to the wizarding populace, largely responsible for the downfall of Voldemort.” James paused for effect, and whispers raced through the court, all wondering how the man branded a traitor could possibly be a hero. 

“These are strong claims, Mr. Potter,” Bagnold stated. James could hear the warning in her voice. She was not happy with how he manipulated them to allow this trial. “You may present your first witness.”

“Thank you, Minister.” James knew that he would have to proceed cautiously. “The first crime that I intend to address is the alleged betrayal of Sirius Black. He stands accused of informing Voldemort,” a shudder ran through the crowd at the name, “I apologize, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, of the location of my family, with the intention of our murder and ensuring increased power for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. To speak about this alleged crime, I first call Lily Potter to the stand.” 

At his words, Lily looked to the Minister. Once she saw her nod, she rose from her seat and made her way down to sit in the chair next to Sirius that James had conjured. It did not have the same magical chains that Sirius’s had, but she still found herself nervous to sit. 

“It's alright, Lils. That one is more comfortable than mine,” Sirius called out to her, a smile on his face. His smile proved contagious, giving Lily the courage she needed to continue. This wasn’t about her. It was about Sirius Black. The man was a brother to both her and her husband. She would take down the entire ministry to get him back if needed. 

“The court recognizes Lily Potter; Mr. Potter, you may proceed with your questions.” Minister Bagnold stated once Lily was seated in her chair and had sworn on her magic to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 

“Mrs. Potter, is it true that you were the one who cast the Fidelius Charm on the Potter residence at Godric’s Hollow?” James asked his wife.

“Yes.”

“Is it true that as the caster of the charm, you were the one who chose the secret keeper?” 

“Yes.”

“Who did you choose as the secret keeper for Godric’s Hollow?” James asked. 

“Peter Pettigrew.” There were a few gasps from the crowd, but as James scanned the faces looking down at them, he realized that not many of them understood what this information meant. The Fidelius Charm was ancient and so complex that it was rarely used and all but forgotten. He would need to explain what it was for them to be swayed. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Potter. Could you please explain to the court what the Fidelius Charm is and the significance of the secret keeper?” Lily understood what he was asking immediately. She too had been watching the reactions.

“Of course, the Fidelius Charm is an ancient spell that allows the caster to keep information physically within a secret keeper. In our case, the information that was kept was the location of our cottage. The secret keeper would be the only person capable of finding the home. It would not show up on any map, and it would not be seen on the street. No amount of noise would betray its location. The only way for someone to find the home without being the secret keeper is if the secret keeper personally and intentionally told them.”

“Could you elaborate for the court what you mean by that last sentence?” 

“Yes, only Peter Pettigrew could tell someone how to find us, and he could not do it by accident. Not even torture could force him to share the location if he did not want them to know.”

“Did Sirius Black know the location of our home?” James asked. He knew the doubt would linger in the minds of most of the court, and he was determined to beat them to it. 

“Yes, he did,” Lily answered.

“How did he know the location?” 

“Peter told him at our request. We wanted him to visit us.” 

“Once Sirius Black knew the location of our home, would he then be able to pass that information on?” James asked. Lily smiled at the question, following James’s logic. 

“No, he would not have been able to. Even if he wanted to, only Peter was the secret keeper. Sirius would be completely incapable of sharing where we were.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Potter. Could you tell the court why Sirius Black was not made the secret keeper?” 

“Yes. We originally wanted him to be our secret keeper, but when we initially cast the spell, we did not know that torture could not force an answer. Sirius was afraid that because of how much death eaters targeted him, he would be forced to betray our location. He did not want to take the risk. It was not for another year that I discovered that was not possible.”

“So you are saying that there is no possible way that Sirius Black could have informed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named about our location?” 

“No, there is no possible way. The only person who could have betrayed us was Peter Pettigrew.” Lily stared at the minister of magic as she answered James’s final question. Sirius was grinning broadly as he realized the court would have no choice but to dismiss that charge. He was starting to hope that he would not be sent back into hell. 

“Minister Bagnold, I move to have the charge of Sirius Black’s betrayal of my family to be dismissed in the face of this evidence.” James stood tall and spoke confidently. He maintained his composure as the minister of magic called for a vote. He calmly stared down the members of the Wizengamot as they voted unanimously in favor of dismissing those charges. It was a small victory, but it was a victory all the same. The rest would be more challenging to prove, but he knew they were up to the task.