For yeats, final bit
Recipient: yeats
Author: shaggydogstail
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Though The Heavens May Fall, part 5
Peter whimpered and recoiled in his seat, looking terrified as Sirius glowered at him with loathing.
'Mr Black, kindly remember where you are,' instructed Bagnold. 'It is for this court to decide the fate of the accused, not you.'
Remus bit his lip anxiously, inwardly praying that Sirius would control his temper. If Sirius defied the court or continued to threaten Peter, Remus felt sure it would damage his defence. To his intense relief, Sirius didn't respond, though he continued to stare at Peter with unbridled hatred, his mouth contorted in a very canine snarl.
'I will take your silence as acquiescence,' said Bagnold. 'So I turn to you, Mr Pettigrew. How do you plead to the charges put before this court.'
'N-not guilty,' stammered Peter. 'I didn't do anything! It was him, he tried to kill me!' With a tilt of his head, Peter indicated Sirius, who was almost growling in anger at him. Remus flinched at the expression of furious hatred on Sirius' face, terrified he might do or say something to harm his case.
'Were you the Secret Keeper for the Potters?' asked Bagnold.
'No!' squeaked Peter. 'No, it wasn't me, it was him!'
'Don't lie!' roared Sirius, incandescent with rage.
'Mr Black, I will not remind you again!' exclaimed Bagnold. 'This is a court of law, not the back room of the Hog's Head, and I will thank you to hold your tongue.'
Sirius shrank back slightly in his seat and didn't answer, but he continued to watch Peter's squirming with an expression of deep loathing.
'Mr Pettigrew, this court has heard evidence that the last spell performed with Lily Potter's wand was the Fidelius Charm, naming you as the Potters' Secret Keeper,' said Bagnold. 'If you were not, as you say, the Secret Keeper, how might you account for this?'
'I…I don't know,' said Peter, sounding slightly hysterical. 'It must be…some sort of Dark Magic. He's trying to frame me!'
Remus flinched as Sirius leant towards Peter again, face livid as he opened his mouth to speak, but, clearly exerting great force of will, he didn't shout at Peter. 'And how might I have done that, Peter?' he sneered. 'It seems you're the real expert on Dark Magic now.'
'It's a fair question,' frowned Bagnold. 'Madam Bones, you conducted the inquiry when then Charm was revealed. Do you have any reason to believe the wand had been tampered with?'
'None whatsoever, Minister,' said Bones, who had taken Crouch's place beside her. 'The wand has been thoroughly inspected by members of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, who found no trace of any Dark Magic. I would also remind the court that the Fidelius Charm is notoriously difficult to cast and would be extremely hard to reproduce. Professor Dumbledore has also confirmed that the voice heard coming from the wand was indeed Lily Potter's.'
'That seems settled, then,' said Bagnold. 'There is no doubt about the veracity of the evidence from the wand. I will ask you again, Mr Pettigrew, were you the Secret Keeper for the Potters?'
'I-I didn't mean to…I never wanted to do it.' Peter's voice was shrill, he appeared to be becoming hysterical. Remus felt a tight knot of anger and disgust as his old friend wriggled and sobbed before the court, pathetically searching for an excuse for his treachery.
'You didn't mean to reveal the Potters' location to Voldemort?' asked Bagnold shrewdly.
'No, no, of course not,' sobbed Peter. 'He would have killed me.'
'You should have died,' hissed Sirius venomously. Peter recoiled still further, whimpering.
Bagnold seemed willing to let this outburst past, for she continued to question Peter. 'But you did do it?' she said curtly. 'You did send Voldemort after the Potters?'
Peter didn't answer: just sobbed wretchedly, trying to turn his face away. It made Remus feel sick just to look at him. How had the slightly dim-witted, but apparently devoted friend he had known at school become this snivelling excuse for a Death Eater? Peter had killed Lily and James as surely as if he'd cast the Curse himself and for a time-Remus shifted in his seat, restless beneath a wave of self-recrimination-convinced Remus to doubt everything he knew about Sirius Black. Hatred consumed him-Remus felt the heat of it in his face, and for a second he could have killed Peter himself.
'I see you have no answer,' commented Bagnold coldly. 'Very well, perhaps you can tell the court why you faked your own death?'
'I-I was frightened,' gulped Peter. 'I knew-I knew Sirius would come after me again. He tried to kill me!'
Bagnold didn't bat an eyelid. 'Mr Black has been Ministry custody since the morning of the first of November,' she said. 'I therefore find it difficult to understand why you believed he might "come after you" as you so eloquently put it. Why did you not approach the Ministry of your own volition?'
Again, Peter failed to answer, muttering and twisting in his seat.
'Do you have anything to add in your defence?' asked Bagnold.
'It wasn't me,' whined Peter.
Bagnold snorted, and drew herself up. 'Members of the council,' she said, looking around at the Wizengamot members. 'I believe the case against Pettigrew is overwhelming. All those in favour of convicting him on all charges, please raise your hands.'
Remus' heart was pounding as he waited for the council's answer. Slowly, but surely, the unsmiling rows of plum-robed officials raised their hands, until each and every one of them pronounced their silent, unanimous verdict. Guilty. Remus didn't know whether to shout with joy at the victory, or weep for the loss of the friend he once knew.
Peter was sobbing and wailing louder than ever, struggling against the chains that held him still. Beside him, Sirius sat unmoving and impassive, his face a picture of cold rage and revulsion.
'Peter Pettigrew, you have been convicted of the most serious charges to come before this court,' said Bagnold gravely. 'You are hereby sentenced to life in Azkaban. Take him away.'
Peter's screams pierced the court as a Junior Clerk opened to court door to let the Dementors back in. As their presence chilled him, and he watched the Dementors carry Peter away, Remus could feel no compassion for him-not when he saw the pain and fear on Sirius' face when the Dementors drew near.
Once Peter's screams had faded, the court fell completely silent. Bagnold turned her attention back to Sirius. 'Mr Black, it is your contention that you are innocent of all the charges against you, and that though you confess a desire to kill Pettigrew for his offences, you made no attempt on his life?
'Yes,' said Sirius clearly.
'Despite your extraordinary outbursts in this court, I am inclined to believe you,' said Bagnold. 'However, this must be put to the council. Those in favour of convicting Black?'
A number of the council raised their hands. Remus' eyes flitted back and forth over the rows of Wizengamot members, desperately trying to count how many of them held their hands up. The mixture of fear, hope and excitement terrified him. He could scarcely bear to look, he could scarcely think…
'And those against,' said Bagnold evenly. Remus had to force himself to look as the voting continued. One after the other, hands went up, including Bagnold's own. Remus couldn't count them, hardly believed what his eyes were telling him, but there were more, he hoped fervently, there had to be more.
'The verdict is clear,' announced Bagnold. 'Mr Black, you are acquitted of all charges.' Sirius sat in stunned silence as the chains unravelled from his arms and clanked noisily to the ground. 'You are free to go,' Bagnold continued. 'Court dismissed.'
The entire room erupted in a frenzy of excited babbling the moment Bagnold stood to leave. Remus' legs felt weak beneath him as he fought his way through the crowd to get to Sirius, mercilessly elbowing aside the chattering witches and wizards who stood in his way. When he finally reached the centre of the courtroom, Sirius was still sitting on the chained chair, looking tired and bewildered.
'Moony?' he said quietly, struggling to his feet. Remus reached out and embraced him, holding Sirius so tightly he was almost crushing him. Drained of the energy his hatred of Peter had given him during the trial, Sirius hung limply in his arms as Remus fought back tears of joy and relief.
'You did it, Pads,' he said, almost laughing as he drew back and held Sirius' face in his hands. 'You're free.' Sirius managed a shaky smile as the knowledge sank in, and it was all Remus could do not to kiss him there and then, not caring about scandalising the throng of onlookers.
He pulled Sirius back towards him, thrilled when Sirius returned the hug, holding onto Remus' waist, head buried in his neck as he whispered, 'take me home, Moony.'
'C'mon then,' said Remus, grinning as he pulled Sirius towards the door of the court, still holding on for dear life and promising himself he would never, ever let him go again.
Jostled by the crowd, they made there way out of the courtroom. Remus felt unable stop himself from turning and smiling at Sirius every other second, so dizzy with elation he felt it was hardly real. Moody and Dumbledore greeted them just outside the courtroom, beckoning them back into the side room where Remus had talked to Sirius before the trial. Sirius baulked at going back in.
'It's all right,' Remus assured him. 'No more Dementors.'
'No more?' Sirius gulped.
'Never,' Remus promised him, smiling. 'They won't hurt you again.'
Sirius smiled weakly with relief, and allowed himself to slip through the door. Moody slapped him and Remus on the back, shaking their hands and offering hearty congratulations that Remus didn't really hear, while Dumbledore simply smiled.
'Thank you, thank you both so much,' gushed Remus, unable to contain or eloquently express his gratitude and happiness. 'I can't…I can hardly believe it.' He turned and looked back at Sirius again, reminding himself that Sirius was really there. He was free.
'Yes…thank you,' said Sirius, sounding choked. 'I don't know…'
'Ach, save the speeches for later,' said Moody cheerfully. 'You'll be wanting your wand back, I suppose?' he added, pulling it out of his robes and handing it to Sirius, who accepted it with a shaking hand.
'Cheers,' he muttered, grinning nervously. Sirius fell silent for a moment, staring at the wand in his hand before looking up at Dumbledore. 'Professor-Harry, how is he?' he asked.
Dumbledore smiled. 'Harry is safe and well, have no fear.' Sirius opened his mouth to speak again, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him. 'All in good time, Sirius,' he said gently. 'We can discuss Harry later. In the meantime, I suggest you go home and rest. You've quite an ordeal to recover from.'
'Aye, and you're likely to face another one on the way out,' said Moody grimly. 'I saw that reporter from the Prophet loitering in the corridor.'
'Perhaps it would be best to avoid the public exits,' said Dumbledore wryly as he withdrew a sheaf of parchment from his robes. 'One does so hate to interfere with Miss Skeeter's creative endeavours with any more troublesome facts than are absolutely necessary.' He tapped the parchment with his wand and muttered, 'Portus.' The parchment glowed blue and trembled in his hand momentarily, before turning back to its usual form. Dumbledore turned to Sirius, holding out the rolled-up parchment. 'I'm not convinced you are ready to Apparate,' he said kindly. 'This portkey will take you home.'
'Thank you,' said Sirius. He glanced over at Remus, almost shyly. Remus nodded and reached out to clasp Sirius' hand in his own, threading their fingers together. Despite the dirty-grey skin and scabbed knuckles, Sirius' touch was warm and familiar as he squeezed Remus' hand. Then, with one movement, they reached out and grasped the portkey. Remus' stomach jolted as the magic pulled them out of the room, and carried them back home. Together.
Author: shaggydogstail
Pairing: Remus/Sirius
Though The Heavens May Fall, part 5
Peter whimpered and recoiled in his seat, looking terrified as Sirius glowered at him with loathing.
'Mr Black, kindly remember where you are,' instructed Bagnold. 'It is for this court to decide the fate of the accused, not you.'
Remus bit his lip anxiously, inwardly praying that Sirius would control his temper. If Sirius defied the court or continued to threaten Peter, Remus felt sure it would damage his defence. To his intense relief, Sirius didn't respond, though he continued to stare at Peter with unbridled hatred, his mouth contorted in a very canine snarl.
'I will take your silence as acquiescence,' said Bagnold. 'So I turn to you, Mr Pettigrew. How do you plead to the charges put before this court.'
'N-not guilty,' stammered Peter. 'I didn't do anything! It was him, he tried to kill me!' With a tilt of his head, Peter indicated Sirius, who was almost growling in anger at him. Remus flinched at the expression of furious hatred on Sirius' face, terrified he might do or say something to harm his case.
'Were you the Secret Keeper for the Potters?' asked Bagnold.
'No!' squeaked Peter. 'No, it wasn't me, it was him!'
'Don't lie!' roared Sirius, incandescent with rage.
'Mr Black, I will not remind you again!' exclaimed Bagnold. 'This is a court of law, not the back room of the Hog's Head, and I will thank you to hold your tongue.'
Sirius shrank back slightly in his seat and didn't answer, but he continued to watch Peter's squirming with an expression of deep loathing.
'Mr Pettigrew, this court has heard evidence that the last spell performed with Lily Potter's wand was the Fidelius Charm, naming you as the Potters' Secret Keeper,' said Bagnold. 'If you were not, as you say, the Secret Keeper, how might you account for this?'
'I…I don't know,' said Peter, sounding slightly hysterical. 'It must be…some sort of Dark Magic. He's trying to frame me!'
Remus flinched as Sirius leant towards Peter again, face livid as he opened his mouth to speak, but, clearly exerting great force of will, he didn't shout at Peter. 'And how might I have done that, Peter?' he sneered. 'It seems you're the real expert on Dark Magic now.'
'It's a fair question,' frowned Bagnold. 'Madam Bones, you conducted the inquiry when then Charm was revealed. Do you have any reason to believe the wand had been tampered with?'
'None whatsoever, Minister,' said Bones, who had taken Crouch's place beside her. 'The wand has been thoroughly inspected by members of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, who found no trace of any Dark Magic. I would also remind the court that the Fidelius Charm is notoriously difficult to cast and would be extremely hard to reproduce. Professor Dumbledore has also confirmed that the voice heard coming from the wand was indeed Lily Potter's.'
'That seems settled, then,' said Bagnold. 'There is no doubt about the veracity of the evidence from the wand. I will ask you again, Mr Pettigrew, were you the Secret Keeper for the Potters?'
'I-I didn't mean to…I never wanted to do it.' Peter's voice was shrill, he appeared to be becoming hysterical. Remus felt a tight knot of anger and disgust as his old friend wriggled and sobbed before the court, pathetically searching for an excuse for his treachery.
'You didn't mean to reveal the Potters' location to Voldemort?' asked Bagnold shrewdly.
'No, no, of course not,' sobbed Peter. 'He would have killed me.'
'You should have died,' hissed Sirius venomously. Peter recoiled still further, whimpering.
Bagnold seemed willing to let this outburst past, for she continued to question Peter. 'But you did do it?' she said curtly. 'You did send Voldemort after the Potters?'
Peter didn't answer: just sobbed wretchedly, trying to turn his face away. It made Remus feel sick just to look at him. How had the slightly dim-witted, but apparently devoted friend he had known at school become this snivelling excuse for a Death Eater? Peter had killed Lily and James as surely as if he'd cast the Curse himself and for a time-Remus shifted in his seat, restless beneath a wave of self-recrimination-convinced Remus to doubt everything he knew about Sirius Black. Hatred consumed him-Remus felt the heat of it in his face, and for a second he could have killed Peter himself.
'I see you have no answer,' commented Bagnold coldly. 'Very well, perhaps you can tell the court why you faked your own death?'
'I-I was frightened,' gulped Peter. 'I knew-I knew Sirius would come after me again. He tried to kill me!'
Bagnold didn't bat an eyelid. 'Mr Black has been Ministry custody since the morning of the first of November,' she said. 'I therefore find it difficult to understand why you believed he might "come after you" as you so eloquently put it. Why did you not approach the Ministry of your own volition?'
Again, Peter failed to answer, muttering and twisting in his seat.
'Do you have anything to add in your defence?' asked Bagnold.
'It wasn't me,' whined Peter.
Bagnold snorted, and drew herself up. 'Members of the council,' she said, looking around at the Wizengamot members. 'I believe the case against Pettigrew is overwhelming. All those in favour of convicting him on all charges, please raise your hands.'
Remus' heart was pounding as he waited for the council's answer. Slowly, but surely, the unsmiling rows of plum-robed officials raised their hands, until each and every one of them pronounced their silent, unanimous verdict. Guilty. Remus didn't know whether to shout with joy at the victory, or weep for the loss of the friend he once knew.
Peter was sobbing and wailing louder than ever, struggling against the chains that held him still. Beside him, Sirius sat unmoving and impassive, his face a picture of cold rage and revulsion.
'Peter Pettigrew, you have been convicted of the most serious charges to come before this court,' said Bagnold gravely. 'You are hereby sentenced to life in Azkaban. Take him away.'
Peter's screams pierced the court as a Junior Clerk opened to court door to let the Dementors back in. As their presence chilled him, and he watched the Dementors carry Peter away, Remus could feel no compassion for him-not when he saw the pain and fear on Sirius' face when the Dementors drew near.
Once Peter's screams had faded, the court fell completely silent. Bagnold turned her attention back to Sirius. 'Mr Black, it is your contention that you are innocent of all the charges against you, and that though you confess a desire to kill Pettigrew for his offences, you made no attempt on his life?
'Yes,' said Sirius clearly.
'Despite your extraordinary outbursts in this court, I am inclined to believe you,' said Bagnold. 'However, this must be put to the council. Those in favour of convicting Black?'
A number of the council raised their hands. Remus' eyes flitted back and forth over the rows of Wizengamot members, desperately trying to count how many of them held their hands up. The mixture of fear, hope and excitement terrified him. He could scarcely bear to look, he could scarcely think…
'And those against,' said Bagnold evenly. Remus had to force himself to look as the voting continued. One after the other, hands went up, including Bagnold's own. Remus couldn't count them, hardly believed what his eyes were telling him, but there were more, he hoped fervently, there had to be more.
'The verdict is clear,' announced Bagnold. 'Mr Black, you are acquitted of all charges.' Sirius sat in stunned silence as the chains unravelled from his arms and clanked noisily to the ground. 'You are free to go,' Bagnold continued. 'Court dismissed.'
The entire room erupted in a frenzy of excited babbling the moment Bagnold stood to leave. Remus' legs felt weak beneath him as he fought his way through the crowd to get to Sirius, mercilessly elbowing aside the chattering witches and wizards who stood in his way. When he finally reached the centre of the courtroom, Sirius was still sitting on the chained chair, looking tired and bewildered.
'Moony?' he said quietly, struggling to his feet. Remus reached out and embraced him, holding Sirius so tightly he was almost crushing him. Drained of the energy his hatred of Peter had given him during the trial, Sirius hung limply in his arms as Remus fought back tears of joy and relief.
'You did it, Pads,' he said, almost laughing as he drew back and held Sirius' face in his hands. 'You're free.' Sirius managed a shaky smile as the knowledge sank in, and it was all Remus could do not to kiss him there and then, not caring about scandalising the throng of onlookers.
He pulled Sirius back towards him, thrilled when Sirius returned the hug, holding onto Remus' waist, head buried in his neck as he whispered, 'take me home, Moony.'
'C'mon then,' said Remus, grinning as he pulled Sirius towards the door of the court, still holding on for dear life and promising himself he would never, ever let him go again.
Jostled by the crowd, they made there way out of the courtroom. Remus felt unable stop himself from turning and smiling at Sirius every other second, so dizzy with elation he felt it was hardly real. Moody and Dumbledore greeted them just outside the courtroom, beckoning them back into the side room where Remus had talked to Sirius before the trial. Sirius baulked at going back in.
'It's all right,' Remus assured him. 'No more Dementors.'
'No more?' Sirius gulped.
'Never,' Remus promised him, smiling. 'They won't hurt you again.'
Sirius smiled weakly with relief, and allowed himself to slip through the door. Moody slapped him and Remus on the back, shaking their hands and offering hearty congratulations that Remus didn't really hear, while Dumbledore simply smiled.
'Thank you, thank you both so much,' gushed Remus, unable to contain or eloquently express his gratitude and happiness. 'I can't…I can hardly believe it.' He turned and looked back at Sirius again, reminding himself that Sirius was really there. He was free.
'Yes…thank you,' said Sirius, sounding choked. 'I don't know…'
'Ach, save the speeches for later,' said Moody cheerfully. 'You'll be wanting your wand back, I suppose?' he added, pulling it out of his robes and handing it to Sirius, who accepted it with a shaking hand.
'Cheers,' he muttered, grinning nervously. Sirius fell silent for a moment, staring at the wand in his hand before looking up at Dumbledore. 'Professor-Harry, how is he?' he asked.
Dumbledore smiled. 'Harry is safe and well, have no fear.' Sirius opened his mouth to speak again, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him. 'All in good time, Sirius,' he said gently. 'We can discuss Harry later. In the meantime, I suggest you go home and rest. You've quite an ordeal to recover from.'
'Aye, and you're likely to face another one on the way out,' said Moody grimly. 'I saw that reporter from the Prophet loitering in the corridor.'
'Perhaps it would be best to avoid the public exits,' said Dumbledore wryly as he withdrew a sheaf of parchment from his robes. 'One does so hate to interfere with Miss Skeeter's creative endeavours with any more troublesome facts than are absolutely necessary.' He tapped the parchment with his wand and muttered, 'Portus.' The parchment glowed blue and trembled in his hand momentarily, before turning back to its usual form. Dumbledore turned to Sirius, holding out the rolled-up parchment. 'I'm not convinced you are ready to Apparate,' he said kindly. 'This portkey will take you home.'
'Thank you,' said Sirius. He glanced over at Remus, almost shyly. Remus nodded and reached out to clasp Sirius' hand in his own, threading their fingers together. Despite the dirty-grey skin and scabbed knuckles, Sirius' touch was warm and familiar as he squeezed Remus' hand. Then, with one movement, they reached out and grasped the portkey. Remus' stomach jolted as the magic pulled them out of the room, and carried them back home. Together.