It took Sirius more than a week to regain his health enough to be able to stand an interrogation. His insistence on using Veritaserum prolonged it by two more days, spent mostly on sleeping.
His interrogation under Veritaserum proved beyond all doubt that he wasn't guilty of any of the crimes he was allegedly incarcerated for. It also revealed the involvement of Dumbledore, who had cast the Fidelius charm and set Peter as the secret keeper.
Unknown to Sirius, Amelia had already seen a copy of Dumbledore's memories concerning these events, courtesy of a boy who managed to get a copy of them, as well as the way the old man left a toddler on the doorstep of his relatives' house in the middle of a cold night, along with a copy of the will that forbade these relatives from being involved in raising that child. The old man had ignored it, along with law and decency, since they didn't fit his plans.
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"Your interrogation refutes all the accusations raised against you. As such, you're declared innocent of these accusations. Your incarceration, therefore, is proven to be illegal, entitling you to compensation from the Ministry. Now, since you were a Ministry employee until your illegal incarceration, it may prove better for all involved if you get your salary for all that time as if you worked twenty-four hours a day all that time. You're also entitled to medical treatment for the results of your prolonged stay there and paid vacation, as all employees deserve. That amounts to more than most lawyers could gain you." Amelia made her position clear. "Is there anything you'd like to ask?"
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Sirius had his priorities right this time. "I want to meet my godson and resume our close relationship. Where is he?"
Amelia smiled understandingly. "He was sent to live with his aunt…"
Discover morefriendshipStudy PlantsHire BabysittersFan fiction booksWriting softwareSirius grimaced and turned furious at that.
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"…but it seems to have turned alright. The boy told me he was quite content there and was treated very nicely. He has quite a few friends, some of them magical, and he knows about the magical world more than many children his age. I suggest you first get your medical treatment and regain your health, your strength, and your shape before you try to meet him. The way you look now, you may only frighten him."
Sirius smiled sadly. "Sure, we don't want that. Are you sure he's happy?"
Amelia shrugged. "He seemed happy and talked freely about his family. He even knows Dumbledore and managed to get some of his memories. I couldn't quite understand how he managed that."
Sirius had no idea either.
Amelia had some more to add. "I know you have some enemies, and I'm not sure if Dumbledore isn't one too. When at St. Mungos, you need to look differently. While the head healer will need to know your true identity, he'll need to give a vow not to tell it to anyone before we tell him. I suggest we change your hair to blond and slightly change your nose and cheekbones. We'll use glamour for the minor changes and transfiguration for the hair. You'll go under the name of Charlie White, a rescuee from a cave collapse, who lost his memories of the last few years. It's not perfect, but it will keep you safe until you can protect yourself, at least. You may resume using your real name after you leave the hospital."
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Sirius could only nod in agreement.
–..–
Since finding the truth in Dumbledore's memories, Harry became fully aware of Sirius and all that happened to him. This also meant that his aunt and Hermione were just as involved. The male Dursleys were much less interested, as expected. Dudley was content for his almost brother but didn't mind the details. Vernon, as usual, tried to keep as far as possible from anything concerning magic.
Discover moreCreative writing coursesOnline writing communityFan fiction merchandiseAuthor collaboration toolsDigital book publishingMadam Bones, once Harry involved her, reported to Harry in person about every step in giving him his godfather back. She felt like it was her fault that Sirius stayed for so long in prison, although she had reached her position as head of the DMLE only a few months earlier.
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"Let the man regain his strength before trying to meet him," she suggested. "You'll both feel better with that."
"Will you pass him my address?" Harry's anxiety was palpable.
She smiled understandingly. "Sure. He can barely wait to meet you. Do you have a photograph I can pass to him until then?"
Harry rushed to his room to grab a photo. He didn't have many, but he could certainly spare one for his godfather. Besides, his aunt could order some more copies if needed.
"You don't look as expected," she noted when he gave her the photo.
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He frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Her smile stayed. "Everybody believes you have a prominent scar on your forehead and you wear thick glasses. I can't see any scar, and you don't seem to wear glasses either."
Harry smiled sheepishly. "Oh, I need glasses, but only when looking far, like the board at school or when going to the cinema. I see well all that is closer. And my scar eventually healed, as expected of scars."
He knew he wasn't telling the whole truth, but it was more than good enough for the moment.
Madam Bones also had a more personal request. "My niece is about your age. I'd like her to get to know the muggle way of life too. Can I bring her here to visit? I'm sure she'd love some more friends too."
Discover moreStory writing promptsFan art commissionsWriting contest entriesBook review servicesCrossover story ideasHarry smiled. "Well, my cousin may also like to get to know another magical person. We have a girl who visits frequently and is magical, but her parents are not. She may also befriend your niece."
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"I'll ask your aunt first, of course, but there's no reason for her not to agree. Susan is a very good child and extremely well-behaved."
Harry nodded. "Sure. Auntie likes well-behaved children."
–..–
Harry informed Hermione of Susan's visit, and Hermione faded to his room a bit earlier. Dudley joined them, and they descended to the sitting room to wait for the visitors.
Madam Bones rang the doorbell a few minutes later. Harry opened the door and welcomed the guests, yet Madam Bones only stayed for a minute or two, only introducing her niece before leaving.
Discover moreRead Sci-Fi BooksWatch Sci-Fi FilmsDiscover Sci-FiRead BestsellersBooks"Auntie is a very busy person," Susan noted. "It's quite unusual for her to take a short while off her work to bring me here."
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Harry smiled at her. Susan was a redhead with a slightly freckled, pretty face and pigtails. She looked more childish than Hermione, but that was not unexpected. Hermione was almost a year older than the boys and probably at least a few months older than Susan. Harry then introduced the others.
"This is my cousin Dudley. His parents took me in after I lost mine. And Hermione became a close friend after we met on the beach the first time we went abroad on vacation. I'm Harry, as you already know."
Dudley seemed to like the redhead girl more than anybody expected. She also seemed to like him. When Harry turned his aura vision on, he saw that the dim connection he'd previously noticed on Dudley was going to Susan's aura, which was slightly dimmer. He wondered if it would become similar to what he had with Hermione.
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They had fun for the rest of the visit. Dudley showed Susan everything that differed from what she already knew and explained everything as much as he could. Neither Dudley nor the other two mentioned any magic they were already proficient with, but they had quite enough to talk about regardless.
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Susan enjoyed the computer games, the music system, and the television programs. There was nothing like any of these in the magical world, as far as she knew.
When Madam Bones arrived to take Susan home, the four children were already good friends. They were already planning to go shopping for Hogwarts together, pending guardians' approval.
–..–
The weather was already warming when Sirius could finally leave St. Mungos. He was still too slim and not fully recuperated mentally, but the healers considered mingling as an important part of healing the man. Deprivation from social contact for almost ten years needed new social contact to overcome.
His first step, though, was a visit to Privet Drive. He used the phone, as advised by Amelia, and found Petunia quite agreeable. He was a bit surprised when he found Hermione waiting for him, almost as anxious for the meeting as Harry.
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Sirius refrained from commenting on that friendship (or was that more than that? It couldn't be, considering their age.) for as long as he could, but after close to an hour, he couldn't refrain from commenting on it. "You've already got a girlfriend? I thought you were too young for that."
Harry shrugged. "We've been good friends since the day we met, and our friendship only grew stronger with time. I think we may have a bond."
Sirius was utterly surprised. "A bond? How can that be?"
Harry was slightly amused by his reaction. "We don't know how it happened, but we know that our auras connect when we're close. At least Aunt Petunia said so."
"Your aunt can see auras?" It wasn't very common even among magical people.
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"Yes. This was why she thought she could also go to Hogwarts, she told me. There may also be a bond between Dudley and Susan, but it's too early to be sure."
It took Sirius some time to overcome the surprises, but he then felt quite comfortable with the children and even with Petunia. Vernon was different. Neither man felt comfortable in the company of the other, but both stayed as polite as possible.
They all had dinner together. Petunia then sent the children to play in their rooms, pretending Hermione was staying in the guest room. She then turned to Sirius. "What do you intend to do about Dumbledore?"
"What do you mean?"
She elaborated. "I know that you're now Lord Black and have a lot of influence as such. As you already know, Dumbledore didn't act as expected of a 'Leader of the Light' after the Potters were attacked. He didn't even act lawfully. He should have respected their will, and he should have kept you out of prison, at the minimum. I'm not even sure that he didn't use some magic to make them move to that small house when they had much better places to hide in. I know his wards are useless. They shouldn't have trusted him with that, but he may have used magic to gain their trust."
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She already knew from what Harry had found in Dumbledore's memories that the old man did use some compulsion charms to make them act as he'd planned, but she couldn't tell others how she knew.
"How do you know about the wards?" Sirius asked curiously.
She chuckled humourlessly. "He told me he had cast some wards to protect Harry and us from attacks. When the goblins checked his wards, they considered them useless. Any wizard with moderate powers could overcome them in seconds. The only functional part was the one reporting any attack to Dumbledore. Not very useful, as far as I can tell."
Sirius turned very serious at hearing that. "I suspect he has some agenda that he keeps secret from everyone. I told Jamie that I didn't like that house and it needed much better protection, but he trusted Dumbledore completely and would hear nothing. I now think it may have been due to some spell or potion."
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Petunia already knew this to be true, but it was not something the old man would ever confess to. "I doubt we can force him to reveal the truth, but you may be able to use the way he acted against the law by dismissing their will and co-signing your arrest. You may use the way he left Harry on our doorstep during a cold night and without even telling us as proof that he was no longer suited to the responsibilities of his positions. I doubt we can find enough evidence to put him in jail, but if he loses one or more of his positions, we may then erode the rest."
Sirius smiled. "Cunning and ambitious. You would have done well in Slytherin."
She shrugged. "Couldn't live with Vernon otherwise, and he agrees. Now, how long would it take to strip the old man from one of his positions, at least?"
Sirius couldn't answer. "I've been out of it for so long that I have no idea what I can and can't do. I also didn't expect to become Lord Black. I'll check the options and discuss them with you some more, once I know them."
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Petunia nodded. "Good! Both Harry and you deserve better, but I doubt he'll agree, judging by his previous deeds. He may just be suffering from dementia or something similar. He's too old to still keep any job, the way I see it."
Sirius sighed. "I agree. I'll see what I can do and come back for advice."
It was the first step. Many more would come after it.