Chapter 154 Wizengamot members!
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Amelia nodded, before waving her wand, and several scrolls were distributed among the Wizengamot members. "Sirius Black appeared at Hogwarts on the Sixth of June. He appeared before Albus Dumbledore surrendering himself into DMLE custody, alongside the then unconscious but still very alive body of presumed deceased Peter Pettigrew. Upon being claimed by an Auror team, both Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were held in holding cells, where they were checked over. Magical scans confirmed that both were who they claimed to be, and both were largely uninjured. Sirius Black has provided a statement regarding the events of the night of June 6th, as well as the events of Halloween 1981, when he supposedly killed Peter Pettigrew and the twelve muggles, as well as orchestrated the deaths of Lily and James Potter. He denies all of these claims. With the permission of the Wizengamot, I would like to bring Sirius Black to the floor to give his statement and be questioned." Amelia said.
"As Head Warlock, I grant permission for Sirius Black to give his statement. Please bring him forward." Amos said, nodding to Amelia. From one of the doors on the lower level, Sirius was escorted in by two Aurors who Harry wasn’t familiar with. One was a large man of african descent, and the other was a shorter, though still rather tall man with red hair streaked with grey. Sirius looked better than he had the last time Harry had seen him. His skin looked less pale, though still unhealthy, and it seemed he’d had a chance to shave. His walk gave away some of his confidence, as he walked in as if he was completely innocent. Given that Harry was of the opinion that he was, perhaps that was notable. "The Wizengamot gives the floor to Sirius Black for his statement. Auror Scrimgeour, please amplify Mr. Black’s voice so he may be heard."
The red-haired man nodded, before waving his wand to Sirius’s throat. Sirius began to speak. "Thank you Acting Head Warlock Diggory, and thank you DMLE Head Madam Bones for the opportunity to speak in my defense. I will attempt to cut to the chase as it were in regards to my statements. As many of you are aware, James, Lily, and I were very openly opposing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named during the war. When it was discovered that Lily was pregnant, we quickly decided that towards the end of her pregnancy James and Lily would go into hiding, to insure that young Harry would be born happy and healthy. To that end, we sought the protection of the Fidelius charm on the cottage they were to move into. Anyone who knew us would immediately assume I was the secret keeper, as has been proven by public reaction to the deaths of the Potters afterwards. However, having that knowledge, we elected to choose another Secret Keeper, and simply allow everyone to think that I held the secret. This would not only keep the secret itself safe, but also the Secret Keeper. James, Lily, and I had a discussion about who we believed should hold the secret for us. We had a few names, such as Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, and Andromeda Tonks, but had elected to choose Peter Pettigrew. Peter was deemed as the safest choice as he was both unlikely to see any time on the front lines of the war, given his pureblood status and lack of ability in combat, and what we had thought was his loyalty to James, Remus, and myself. We had been the closest of friends since we started Hogwarts together, and were generally inseparable. It seems that trust was misplaced, as Pettigrew would later reveal the Secret to Voldemort, leading to his attack on the cottage, and the death of James and Lily, thankfully his own defeat as well. When I had learned of the attack that night, I rushed to the scene and found James and Lily both dead, but Harry was thankfully still alive. I gave my motorcycle to Rubeus Hagrid, who was taking Harry away for safekeeping while I hunted for Pettigrew, since I knew he had to have been the one who gave up James and Lily. When I found him, he made a big show about how I had betrayed the Potters before casting a spell into a gas main and blowing it up, resulting in the deaths of 12 muggles. From there, it seems he cut off his finger, turned into a rat, and escaped. I was there, and grieving over the deaths of two of the three people I loved more than anything else in the world." Sirius said, his face growing darker and more dour as he continued his story.
"When you were apprehended that night, you claimed that you had killed the Potters. Why make this claim if you did not do so?" Cyrus Greengrass asked.
"I was hysterical, given that I had the idea to be the fake secret keeper, my trust in Peter is responsible for him being capable of selling them out in the first place. Had I simply taken the secret, he wouldn’t have had the chance without my death first, and I would have rather died than give up James, Lily, and Harry." Sirius said.
"You simply accepted imprisonment in Azkaban for all of those years?" Questioned one of the members of the Wizengamot Harry didn’t know.
"I hadn’t been given a trial initially, and with Peter being dead, no one else would have any idea of what happened that night to be a credible witness. Harry was safe, that was the important part, and I simply accepted it as my punishment for the poor judgment that got my friends killed." Sirius said.
"What prompted your escape then?" Came another unfamiliar wizard’s voice.