The Forgotten Son

The day of Sirius' trial, Hadrian made sure he dressed in fine formal robes after breakfast before going down to meet his family. Himself, his grandparents, Regulus, and Aunt Cass would be seated in the viewing gallery for the trial, whilst his great-grandfather would be seated amongst the Wizengamot- as he was Lord of the House. Hadrian didn't understand much about the workings of the Wizengamot, but he knew enough.

The Wizengamot was primarily made up of Lords and Ladys representing notable Houses in Wizarding Britain, with seats divided out based on the age of a House and it's status. For example, the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black held twelve seats as one of the oldest and most notable Houses in Britain. In contrast, House Weasley had been stripped of their Noble status alongside going from four seats down to one in the past century, reflecting their status as blood-traitors, and almost lost their remaining seat last year as a result of the family's head, Lord Arthur Weasley, being found taking home contraband muggle items from his work as the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.

Hadrian had initially thought the Wizengamot was made up exclusively of old, pureblood houses. He had raised this to Regulus, who then explained that that was the case up until the last thirty or so years. In these more recent years, some individual Wixen were granted a lifetime seat on the Wizengamot for notable achievements, services and expertise. Whilst these new seats could not yet be inherited by descendants, a few were granted each year- ensuring representation for even muggleborns on the Wizengamot.

Hadrian thought that the Wizengamot was comparable to what little bits he knew of muggle Parliament, as the Wizengamot proposed and voted on legislation. Whilst criminal trials were oftentimes carried out by the Council of Magical Law, trials of great public importance could sometimes be carried out by the Wizengamot instead. Members act as a jury for such trials, with their votes deciding the outcome. Today, the Wizengamot would not vote on Sirius' innocence, merely on the compensation received if he is found innocent, as well as what moves will be taken in regards to his previous lack of trial and any other glaring issues.

Hadrian himself wished to have Dumbledore put on trial for placing him with the Dursleys in later years, but he felt he was too young to orchestrate a trial. His family agreed, yet stated that if the DMLE were to open a trial for Dumbledore that involved Hadrian, they would support it. Hadrian had said he would speak in the court.

Harry was excited to see the Ministry again. He had only been twice before, once to give his statement on how he ended up with the Dursleys and his uncle's treatment of him, and another to formally finalise his new guardianship and check how he was settling in. He loved the feel of the magic that surrounded him in the Ministry, loved knowing that there was so many more just like him.

He was also looking forward to seeing his Aunt Petunia again, however briefly it may be, as she was testifying in Sirius' trial. At the urging of Hadrian's grandmother, Petunia had undergone a blood test and discovered that she was not in fact a muggle, but a Squib- with her own mother being a Squib from the Selwyn family who had been put up for adoption as a baby and then adopted by muggles. It had been a shocking revelation of herself and her sister's lineage. The use of Veritaserum was deemed safe on Squibs, and she was willing to undergo a dose of the potion to confirm all that Lily had told her. She had informed the Blacks in a letter Hadrian received two days ago that she hoped she was asked a question that would allow her to incriminate Dumbledore, and Arcturus had added a note at the end of Hadrian's response letter letting her know that he would see what he could do.

Arcturus had sent many letters to the heads of dark and dark-leaning neutral houses since the trial was announced, requesting that they think favourably of compensation if Sirius is found innocent as his situation was born of his misguided trust in Dumbledore- who had clearly used him in the war, and then swiftly cast him aside due to him being a dark wizard at his core, regardless of the side he had fought for. He also added that the evidence presented in the trial would speak for itself. Hadrian had learnt very quickly during his short time in the Wizarding world that Dumbledore was only a hero to light wizards- which himself and his family were not. The mention of Sirius' imprisonment being the result of Dumbledore was enough to guarantee the support of all that Arcturus wrote to.

The Black family arrived early, before the doors even opened- but they were not the first there. The people in the corridor outside were split into clear groups. As they headed to the left side of the corridor, Hadrian guessed this was were the darker-aligned families were. 

A man of around sixty approached them with a pleasant look, a young boy around Hadrian's age following closely by his side.

"Ah, Lord Black. A pleasure to see you this morning, I wish you and your family well for this trial," he nodded to Hadrian's grandparents with a warm smile, "Orion, Walburga, a pleasure as always."

"Thank you for your well wishes, Lord Nott," Arcturus said with an incline of his head, "And who is this with you?"

"This is my grandson, Theodore, my ward. I had to bring him with me this morning."

"He can sit with us in the gallery whilst you sit with the Wizengamot, Apollonius," Walburga said with a warm smile to the young boy, "After all, it would be good for Hadrian to have some company his own age."

"Hadrian?" Lord Nott asked.

Hadrian stepped forward and gave a small bow, "Well met, Lord Nott." He turned to Theodore with an incline of his head and extended his hand, "Well met, Heir Nott. My name is Hadrian Potter-Black, Heir Successor to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.

Hadrian ignored the wide eyes of Lord Nott above him, as Theodore took his hand, "Well met, Heir Successor Black. You may call me Theo, if you so wish."

"Then you may call me Hadrian, of course."

"I trust that this stays between us, Lord Nott?" Arcturus said quietly, "Hadrian is the blood-adopted son of my grandson Sirius, you see, and the issue of why he was not placed with us sooner is something we wish to keep rather quiet until the time is right."

"Of course, Lord Black. Well met, Hadrian."

As the adults began a chatter about all things mundane, Hadrian and Theo animatedly spoke about the latest edition of the Potions Prodigy magazine, dragging Regulus into explaining the Girding Potion that had been mentioned on page four. Hadrian could tell already that he quite liked Theo, the first other Wizarding child he had met. He quite hoped they could meet more before Hogwarts, and become friends.

Their conversations, along with many others in the corridor, were soon interrupted by a large group of redheads that swarmed down the hallway towards the groups of light wizards without a drop of the decorum you would expect to see outside a Ministry Courtroom.

Hadrian heard someone mutter about "soddin' Weasleys" from somewhere nearby. Oh. The Weasley family. Which meant the twin brother he had thought was dead was somewhere in that group. Harry scanned his eyes across the rowdy group, his eyes landing on a boy with darker red hair than the others who wore glasses. Hadrian knew instantly that he was looking at his twin. Their eyes met, and Hadrian maintained his pureblood mask as the boy looked at him with some sort of spark of surprise and recognition, before he frowned, shaking his head, and turned back to the lanky redhead by his side.

"He looked at you weirdly," Theo mused, his head tilted to the side in thought."

"Probably recognised that we look similar, but had no idea who I was. We haven't seen each other for eight years, after all," Hadrian responded, "I rather hope he doesn't try to approach, the Weasleys seem rather... uncouth." 

"You can say that again," Regulus said, with a look of amusement, "That family brings shame to the Sacred Twenty Eight."

"I can see that," Hadrian nodded.

"Merlin above," muttered an unfamiliar male voice nearby, "Wearing muggle casual wear to a Wizengamot trial. Have they not a drop of decorum?"

"Ah, Lord Malfoy," Arcturus said pleasantly, "Good morning."

The man strolled over to join their group, his wife and son in tow- the latter who stood beside Theo and greeted him with a smile.

"Lord Black, Lord Nott. Good morning. Mr and Mrs Black, too. A pleasure," Lord Malfoy said, before noticing Hadrian, "Ah, my apologies, young man. I'm Lord Malfoy, and this is my wife, Narcissa, and son, Draco. Well met."

"Well met, Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy," Hadrian said with a small bow, "My name is Heir Successor Hadrian Potter-Black."

He turned to draco extending his hand, "Well met, Heir Malfoy, cousin. You may call me Hadrian, if you so wish."

"And you may call me Draco, cousin," the boy replied, shaking Hadrian's hand.

Above them, Hadrian heard his great-grandfather give Lord Malfoy the same warning he gave Lord Nott before they began a casual conversation. Hadrian and Theo resumed their discussion of the Potions Prodigy magazine, with Draco seeming equally enthused and Regulus continuing to give explanations- likely to avoid getting sucked into the adult conversation.

By the time the courtroom doors opened, Hadrian was sure he had just made his first two friends. He felt nothing at all at seeing his twin.

Their group, now including Lady Malfoy and Draco alongside Theo, picked seats in the very first row of the viewing gallery and settled down.

"That's not fair," a voice whined behind them, "We should have the best seats!"

Hadrian, Draco and Theo looked briefly over their shoulders and Hadrian noticed that it was the lanky boy Charlus had turned to earlier who had spoken.

"Yeah, well what do you expect from a bunch of stuck-up purebloods, Ron?" A voice said from beside him. Hadrian didn't need to turn round to know that it was his twin who had said that. He rolled his eyes, and saw Theo smirk beside him from the corner of his eye.

"It's alright, Ron, Charlus. The front row would have been nice but we can just sit behind them," a woman said- presumably Mrs Weasley.

Harry felt Regulus give a long-suffering sigh beside him, and he turned just in time to notice his grandmother standing up and turning around. Draco said something quietly on Theo's other side about enjoying the show. Hadrian was sure he would.

"Pray tell, Mrs Weasley, why you and your... herd believe you should have the closest seats in the viewing gallery to watch a trial that has nothing to do with your family? My son is on trial, and myself and my family deserve to see justice served."

"Your son sold out Charlus' parents to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He is the reason why his parents and brother are dead. Why you would want a front-row seat to watch him be thrown back into Azkaban, where he rightly belongs, is incredulous, and says a lot about where your loyalties lie. Was his first trial not enough for you to celebrate his successful task for his Lord?"

Oh, Merlin, Hadrian thought, as his grandfather now stood up. Orion was a quiet man, Hadrian didn't think he'd see the day where the man got involved in a public confrontation.

"My son did not have a trial, Mrs Weasley, which is why he's getting one today. As such, I suggest you keep your insipid comments to yourself until we see the verdict of this trial. And, for your information, Hadrian Potter-Black, my grandson, is very much alive."

"Potter-Black? The boy is very much dead, Albus informed us. He is certainly not a member of your cursed family."

Hadrian turned at this comment, with a cold smile, "I think you'll find that you're rather mistaken, Mrs Weasley. I'm sure I'd be aware if I was dead."

"This is line theft!" she all but shrieked, her eyes wide, "You cannot simply steal the child of a Most Noble House and claim them as your own."

"They did no such thing, Mrs Weasley. I am legally in their care via the Ministry itself as the blood-adopted son of Heir Sirius Black."

"You're simply claiming my brother's name for the attention of it all," Charlus scoffed, although the recognition on his face at Hadrian's own features said he knew otherwise, "If you were really my brother, you would have been placed with me."

"Oh? Really? That's interesting, seeing as we have different godparents. You should have been placed with Alice Longbottom or Remus Lupin, by the way. Our parent's wishes."

"And how would you know that?" the boy to Charlus' side, Ron, spat.

"I grew up with our mother's sister. She had copies of our birth certificates. You'll see her today, brother mine, she's testifying," Hadrian said, before turning back around to face the courtroom- giving a small smile to the two red-headed twins who sat some distance from the rest of their family looking rather amused. Hadrian was sure that he remembered hearing his grandmother mention twins in the Weasley family, who would both go on to inherit the Prewett Lordship when they were of age, that were basically outcasted by the rest of the family in past months after being sorted into Slytherin. He decided they couldn't be that bad.

"Another show of blatant disrespect to the members of an Ancient and Most Noble House, Mrs Weasley, and your family will lose the Wizengamot seat they have left. My father, Lord Black, will be informed of this after the trial," Orion said, before sitting back down.

Hadrian didn't need to turn back around to know that Mrs Weasley was panicking. Her spluttering was enough of a sign.

•••

"All rise for Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and overseer of the trial for one Heir Sirius Orion Black III," one of the courtroom clerks called out, as a tall woman with light brown hair and a monocle swept into the courtroom. Hadrian remembered from his Heir lessons that she was a fair woman from a neutral family who did not worship Dumbledore and believed in simply upholding the law without bias. She was the best possible person to oversee the trial.

As she took her seat, so did everyone else. Madam Bones sorted some parchment in front of her before she spoke.

"Please bring in the prisoner, Heir Black, and the witness, Ms Evans-Dursley," she commanded.

Nothing could have prepared Hadrian for the broken gasps of his family- Lady Malfoy and Draco included. Sirius was beyond gaunt, far too skinny, with his Azkaban uniform hanging off him and his long hair lying limp and greasy. He shook slightly as he walked behind an Auror, his wrists and ankles chained with another Auror on each side, yet still managed to hold himself with an air of pureblood pride. 

"This is better than it could be," Regulus muttered, low enough so that only Hadrian and Walburga on either side of him could hear, "Most would be unable to walk after half his sentence."

Petunia followed behind, giving the back of Sirius' head a sorrowful look. Hadrian was somewhat shocked to see her wearing pale blue robes.

A final auror headed up the procession, who then guided Petunia to her seat as Sirius was chained into the interrogation chair.

Madam Bones opened her mouth to speak, but closed it with a frown as the courtroom doors opened once more- revealing an elderly man with a long white beard in the most garish, sunset yellow robes Hadrian had ever seen in his life. Dumbledore, his brain supplied.

"My apologies, dear Amelia for my tardiness," he said, moving across the courtroom floor, "As the trial has not quite began yet, I can take over for you now."

Hadrian felt a flash of anger, that he was pretty sure was reflected similarly on the face of Madam Bones herself.

"Ah, you must have missed the memo yesterday, Albus. I am in fact the one presiding over this trial. Please move to the seat beside Minister Fudge, you are merely a spectator here today."

"I was unaware, Amelia. Apologies."

"He was absolutely not unaware," Regulus muttered, “If he was unaware, I will eat my robes.”

"I cannot believe he would waltz in late and try to take control of our son's trial," Walburga hissed, as Orion patted her arm soothingly.

"Now, back to the order of business," Madam Bones said, "Before us today stands the accused, Heir Black, on trial for the charges of both the betrayal of the Potter family to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the murder of twelve muggles and Peter Pettigrew."

She waved her wand, and a glass of water appeared before Sirius- which was raised to his lips for him to drink with another wave of her wand.

"Heir Black, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Sirius replied, his voice slightly scratchy.

There was a murmur of chatter from all sections of the courtroom- the viewing gallery, the reporter's box and the Wizengamot box itself. It was soon silenced with a mere raise of Madam Bones' hand.

"Very well. Heir Black has agreed to be questioned under Veritaserum. Before this, we will hear from our witness- Ms Petunia Evans-Dursley, sister of Lily Potter née Evans. Ms Evans-Dursley, a Squib, has also agreed to be questioned under Veritaserum. Please, take the stand Mrs Evans-Dursley. These vials of Veritaserum will be checked before you all now."

As the vials were indeed checked and proven to be free of any tampering, Petunia took the stand and gave a small smile up to Hadrian in the viewing box, which he returned. Dumbledore had turned a rather interesting shade of reddish-purple, which Theo pointed out to Hadrian and Draco with thinly-veiled glee.

"As proved before you all, the Veritaserum used in todays trial is free from tampering. If a couple of drops could now be administered to our witness, we may begin."

Petunia opened her mouth calmly, and the Veritaserum was administered. Her eyes soon glazed over, the telltale sign that the potion was working.

"We shall begin with the preliminary questions to ensure the potion is in effect. Please state your name."

"Petunia Evans-Dursley."

"And your date of birth?"

"7th of February 1959."

"The potion is in effect. Mrs Evans-Dursley, please state to us what you know of the Fidelius charm over your sister's home and how you are aware of it."

"Lily and I kept in contact during the war. She visited me once every couple of weeks, giving me updates on herself and her family. This included the measures they took to protect themselves. She came to me in mid August of 1980, to introduce me to her twin sons, Hadrian and Charlus. Lily explained to me on that visit that she wanted me to meet them before they went into hiding as she had been informed of a prophecy by Albus Dumbledore that he believed would target one of her sons. She said that a charm known as the Fidelius would be raised over her home the following morning to protect the knowledge of its location from all except an exclusive few they trusted."

"A prophecy? Do you know any other details of this?"

"Lily did not tell me the wording of it, but I believe it labelled one of her sons as a potential threat to You-Know-Who. She did not know which son it would be."

"Very well. Explain what you know of the Secret Keeper and how you came to be aware of it."

"Lily came to me again two weeks later for coffee and told me that Albus Dumbledore had successfully casted the Fidelius charm over her home. She told me that they originally planned for Sirius Black to be the secret keeper, but Dumbledore believed Black to be too obvious of a choice and instead suggested Peter Pettigrew. Lily and her husband both agreed with this, and they chose Peter Pettigrew as their secret keeper."

"So, to be clear, you are sure that, to your knowledge, Albus Dumbledore was the caster of the Fidelius charm over the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow and that Peter Pettigrew was their Secret Keeper?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Administer the antidote."

There was uproar in the courtroom as Petunia was given the antidote. Whispers filled the room as people recalled how Dumbledore was the one who publicly announced Sirius as the secret keeper. Dumbledore himself looked almost apoplectic to be implicated in anything at all. It raised a lot of questions that the Black family were delighted to hear, such as, 'if Dumbledore was the caster, and Sirius Black is innocent, why did he lie?'

Madam Bones banged her gavel on the table, calling for order in the courtroom.

"Thank you, Mrs Evans-Dursley, for your testimony. Now, we move onto the accused, who is pleading not guilty. Auror Williamson, please administer the Veritaserum to Heir Black," Madam Bones said.

Hadrian watched intently as Sirius opened his mouth to take the potion. In moments, his eyes glazed over as the potion took effect.

"Standard questions to prove identity. Please state your full legal name and title."

"Sirius Orion Black III, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."

"And your date of birth?"

"3rd of November 1959."

"The potion is in effect. Heir Black, were you a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

There was murmurs and some gasps around the courtroom, and Dumbledore was giving Sirius an absolutely venomous look. Regulus sighed, his right hand over his left forearm.

Madam Bones banged her gavel on the table again, "Order in the courtroom! Did you partake in Death Eater raids?"

"No."

"What was your role?"

"Warding properties and items, and occasionally breaking wards."

"Very well. No additional crimes are recorded as committed with this information. Heir Black, did you betray the Potters' location leading to the events on the 31st of October 1981?"

"No."

Again, chatter erupted from around the courtroom, which Amelia Bones once more ended. Walburga was already dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. The Weasleys and Charlus in the row behind were completely silent.

"Any more interruptions, and all present will be silenced. Heir Black, you were not the Potters' Secret Keeper?"

"No."

"You were not aware of any immediate plans to harm the Potters'?"

"No."

"Who was the Secret Keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Of this you are certain?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I witnessed the casting of the Fidelius charm."

"And who was the caster?"

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Very well. Please recount the events of the evening of the 31st of October 1981."

"I finished my Auror shift at 9pm on Samhain night, and I felt as if something was off. I got changed and apparated straight to Godric's Hollow, as James, Lily and I had plans to celebrate Samhain with the twins. Upon arriving, I found that the property's wards had been torn down, the Fidelius charm had been broken, and the door was lying wide open. James was lying dead beside the door, with his wand beside him. I checked for a pulse before moving upstairs to the nursery, where I found Lily lying dead in front of the twins' cradles. Both Hadrian and Charlus were alive, with Charlus having a bleeding cut on his head that I assume was a curse scar but he was otherwise unharmed. I tried to calm the twins and sent a patronus to Dumbledore. He arrived soon after, and encouraged me to go after Peter, and told me he would keep an eye on the twins until I could come back for Hadrian."

"Why only Hadrian?"

"I blood-adopted Hadrian as my own son, at the request of James and Lily, a day after he was born. I was also legally named as one of his godparents, alongside Severus Snape. Charlus was given a different set of godparents as a safety precaution for during the war- if Lily and James died before the war ended they wanted the twins to be split up until the war's end so that it would be harder to target them."

"Please recount the events of what happened when you went after Pettigrew."

"He was residing in an Order of the Phoenix safe house in a muggle village at the time, so I went there first. I caught him packing his things to flee. I tried to apprehend him, but he ran out into the street. Before I could cast an incarcerous, he fired a bombarda- killing twelve muggles. As I shielded myself, he cut off one of his fingers with a severing charm before turning into his Animagus form, a rat, and ducking into the sewers. The Aurors came and apprehended me, placing the blame for both betraying James and Lily and killing the muggles and Peter on me."

"To confirm, you did not receive a trial before Azkaban?"

"No."

"What happened instead?"

"I was brought in front of the Council of Magical Law and declared guilty instantaneously without the charges being read. My wand was snapped and I was then immediately transported to Azkaban."

"From your time in Azkaban, are you aware of this happening to anyone else?"

"Madam Bones, this is not relevant-" Dumbledore interrupted, his eyes slightly wide.

"Do not interrupt court proceedings, Albus, or I will have you removed. I repeat my question, Heir Black, are you aware of any other Azkaban inmates being incarcerated without a trial?"

"Yes."

"And who may they be?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Bartemius Crouch Junior, Antonin Dolohov, Jeremiah Mulciber, Evan Rosier and Elliot Travers."

Regulus gasped softly beside Hadrian, and Hadrian placed his hand in Regulus' own. Regulus clasped it, and gave Hadrian a thankful smile. He recognised a few of those names from Regulus' stories of Hogwarts.

"Final question, Heir Black. Hadrian Potter was reported as deceased after the attack on his family, and was listed as that until very recently. Can you confirm for the court that he was given into the care of Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes."

"I see. Administer the antidote."

The antidote was administered to Sirius, who blinked blearily before turning up to the gallery. When he noticed his family, he beamed- his eyes widening slightly when he clearly recognised Hadrian. Hadrian waved at him with a grin.

"Heir Sirius Orion Black III, as overseer of this trial, I hereby find you innocent on all charges. The Wizengamot will now retreat to the deliberation chambers for forty-five minutes to consider your compensation and what further actions will be taken based on the new information you mentioned in your statements."

Before anyone could celebrate, there was another interruption. 

"Madam Bones," Dumbledore began, "You cannot simply let a Death Eater freely walk the streets again."

"Albus, I will hear not a single comment more from you. Heir Black, as he stated, was not involved in Death Eater raids- and therefore cannot be punished as such. Additionally, proven participation in the raids is punishable by five years in Azkaban. Heir Black has served over eight. If he was guilty of that crime, his sentence would already have been completed in excess, and he would still be a free man."

Dumbledore opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again with a nod after seeing the venom in the glare Madam Bones was directing at him.

"As I was saying, Heir Black, you are a free man. On behalf of the DMLE, I formally apologise for this grave error of justice. Your chains will be released now, and you will be guided into a room at the back of the chamber to be reunited with your family. An Auror will come and fetch yourself and your family when the Wizengamot reach their conclusion. Dismissed."

Sirius nodded and thanked Madam Bones profusely before turning and allowing himself to be escorted to the back room. Walburga was openly sobbing, and Orion had tears in his eyes. Hadrian turned to Regulus, misty eyed himself, and allowed his uncle to pull him into a tight hug as he cried. Draco was comforting his mother, and Theo was sending venomous glares to the Weasleys- as everyone else was otherwise occupied.

"Let us all go now, to see Sirius. Heir Nott, you are most welcome to join us- the halls of the ministry are no place for a child to be alone."

Theo shook his head, "It's alright, Mr Black, I will remain up here with the Greengrass family. I wish your son good health for his recovery."

"Thanks, Theo," Hadrian mumbled, still held tight by Regulus, "Meet us after?"

"Of course."

Hadrian had never seen an older woman move as fast as his grandmother had the moment she saw her son. She practically threw herself at him, apologising and muttering about how much she had missed him. Sirius hugged her back, soothing her.

When she finally stepped back a bit, Sirius pulled his father into a tight hug, and then Regulus. Hadrian stood, shifting slightly, until Draco took his hand and squeezed it.

When Sirius let go of Regulus, he turned to Hadrian with his eyes shining. Hadrian faltered for a moment, until Sirius opened his arms. Hadrian rushed over and grabbed him.

"Hades, you're all grown up now!" Sirius exclaimed. He pulled back slightly to take a good look at him, "Salazar, you look just like your mum with your dad's hair."

"I have your bone structure," Hadrian said, before adding a mumbled, "father."

Sirius looked ecstatic at that and pulled him close again, "Merlin, yes. I can't believe I get to raise my son, now. And Cissy! My favourite cousin! Stop your tears and come here, darling, it's alright."

Hadrian pulled back, allowing Lady Malfoy to hug her cousin as she cried. Hadrian stood back beside Draco.

As Sirius parted from Narcissa, he turned to Draco, "Draco, my favourite nephew! Inherited the Malfoy hair I see, what a shame."

Draco giggled softly and hugged Sirius.

Last was Aunt Cass, who had only entered the room as Draco pulled back from Sirius.

"Ah, Aunt Cass, fashionably late as ever. Fighting off suitors again?"

Aunt Cass laughed, jokingly smacking sirius as she hugged him, "No, no. I was giving Molly Weasley a piece of my mind outside. I'm sure it'll make the gossip columns of the Prophet tonight."

Sirius sat down on an armchair, looking amused, "Whatever for?"

"Her vile words to this family before the trial started, of course. When your grandfather finds out, I doubt the Weasleys will ever recover."

Sirius' eyes widened almost comically, "Someone please fill me in."

Regulus explained quickly and Sirius looked more and more concerned.

"So, wait, Charlus was placed with the Weasleys?"

"Yes, from the 1st of November I believe," Lady Malfoy said.

Sirius frowned, "It should have been the Longbottoms or Remus."

"Remus fled the country as soon as James and Lily died, and I'm sure you know what happened to the Longbottoms."

"No, I don't think anyone knows what happened there."

"What?" Regulus asked, alarmed, and Lady Malfoy echoed the question.

"Reggie, Cissy, they didn't do it. They were blamed by Dumbledore and thrown into Azkaban without a trial too. If they had done it, they would have admitted to it- Bella especially. They didn't do it."

"Oh- oh Merlin," Lady Malfoy explained, all but falling down into a seat.

"But- Evan and Barty are dead," Regulus said, "Evan before the war ended, and Barty died in Azkaban a year after it ended."

"Reggie," Sirius said, slowly, "They both wished me luck in my trial before I was carted off here this morning. Two days ago, I was woken up by Evan, Barty and Rabastan singing a medley of Weird Sisters songs. I don't know who made these announcements, but I can assure you that they are both alive and reasonably well in Azkaban."

"How is, well, everyone faring?" Lady Malfoy asked.

"I will admit that I am probably the best off due to being an Animagus, but no one has went insane. If I'm honest, the fact that Bella was somewhat already insane before Azkaban has probably helped some. The fact that we were all placed together in the same section has also likely played a factor, since we all talked to each other to keep ourselves sane."

"Sirius," Walburga began, "Is there anything else we need to know?"

"Ward the room against eavesdropping," Sirius said, and Regulus nodded, doing just that.

Sirius took a deep breath, "Dementor exposure breaks compulsions, did you know? I spent most of my nights and all of the Dementor visits in my Animagus form to protect my mind, but I felt my mind become so much clearer when I first entered. Imagine my surprise when the Lestranges and Barty arrived and told me they felt the exact same way."

"No-" Regulus began.

"Oh, yes. I was rather devastated to find myself sitting in Azkaban wondering why I no longer had any loyalties to Dumbledore, and why I no longer despised my family and Slytherin friends. It came as quite the shock to me. Nonetheless, I'll be going to Gringotts to see what was placed on me and who did it. I believe Hadrian should accompany me and have himself tested as well. In fact, anyone who has been in a room with Dumbledore whilst young and vulnerable should."

"Merlin," Aunt Cass whispered, squeezing Walburga's hand- who looked about half a minute away from storming out of the room and ending Dumbledore where he stood. Orion, the more reasonable of the couple, looked much the same.

"I- I will inform Lucius tonight. Dumbledore headed the prefect's meetings in Hogwarts. We'll both go to Gringotts."

"We will be taking legal action," Walburga said.

Sirius shook his head, "I assume grandfather has been busy sending letters leading up to the trial, yes? I would put Galleons on Dumbledore getting a full criminal trial after what was mentioned today. When the other Azkaban prisoners get their trials, we can ask them to go to Gringotts too. If they all have evidence of compulsions, then we go to the DMLE. Not before."

"That is wise, Sirius. Drop the wards, the deliberation time will end any moment now," Aunt Cass said.

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door, and an Auror led the family back into the chamber. They stood in the middle, looking up at the Wizengamot with their backs straight and their faces pleasant. Hadrian slipped his hand into Sirius'- his father. They ignored the noise of camera shutters from the reporter's box, knowing fully well this would be making the front page of the Prophet in the evening.

Madam Bones banged her gavel, calling for silence.

"Who is the chosen spokesperson for the Wizengamot?"

"That would be me," Lord Nott said, standing up.

"Please read out the compensation for Heir Black."

"By unanimous vote, the Wizengamot rules that the Ministry gives Heir Black a sum of 250,000 galleons for the miscarriage of justice. By majority vote, the Wizengamot also rules that Heir Black receives a sum of 75,000 galleons from Albus Dumbledore for the false statements he made that aided in the Ministry's miscarriage of justice."

Dumbledore was certainly looking rather apoplectic now if the bulging vein in his temple was anything to go by.

"The compensation is agreeable. Does the Wizengamot have any additional measures?"

Lord Nott cleared his throat, "By majority vote, the Wizengamot rules to give fair trials, with the offer of Veritaserum, to the individuals Heir Black named as being imprisoned without trial. The Wizengamot insists that Madam Bones oversees these trials."

"Agreed," Madam Bones said, "Continue."

"By unanimous vote, the Wizengamot rules also to hold a trial for former head of the DMLE, Bartemius Crouch Senior, to investigate why so many individuals were imprisoned without trial and to punish him accordingly."

"Agreed," Madam Bones said, "Anything final?"

With a sharp smile directed as a certain yellow-clad wizard, Lord Nott continued, "By majority vote, the Wizengamot rules to hold a full investigation and trial into Albus Dumbledore for the false information leading to the imprisonment of Heir Black, his gross mistreatment of Heir Successor Hadrian Potter-Black, including the falsifying of death documents, and general misconduct related to the war. We insist that this trial be preceded over by Madam Bones, Head of the DMLE, and a team that she handpicks herself."

Madam Bones did not look remotely surprised. In fact, she looked almost satisfied.

"Agreed. Thank you, Lord Nott. You are all dismissed."

Dumbledore looked as thought he was on the verge of throwing a fit.