"And there is the child to consider," Albus added. "Though he is young now, one day he may wish to know why his parents are dead, why their friend betrayed them. Sirius Black is, after all, Harry Potter's godfather."
Silence filled the room so swiftly and completely that even the scratch of Skeeter's quill was stilled, the woman herself sat staring at Dumbledore like he had pronounced the end of days.
"I have here a copy of the Potters' Will," he said into the accompanying silence, "which they had prudently left in my care."
Dumbledore removed a folded parchment from his star-spangled robes and handed it to the Minister.
"It is simple and clear," he said. "Upon their deaths, guardianship of their son, Harry, should pass to his godfather, Sirius Black."
Lester nodded; at least James had the presence of mind to make more than one copy, though if he were still here he'd clout the boy behind the ear for not giving him one. It would have saved everyone a load of trouble.
"That makes the depths of his duplicity even worse," Crouch said disgusted. "Betrayal by one as close as family is one we cannot ignore. You say he should have a trial? Then this is his trial," the fiery-eyed man declared. "You gave testimony the Potters were protected by the Fidelius Charm, and insistent upon using the man for their Secret Keeper, correct?"
"That was my understanding of their intentions," Dumbledore said tentatively.
"Then by all the available evidence, Sirius Black is disqualified from guardianship for the betrayal of the boy's parents, and I will see him in Azkaban by day's end for their murders!" Crouch finished firmly, hitting the table with his fist as if it were a gavel before closing his briefcase and storming from the room.
"Millicent, you cannot allow-," Albus said, but the Minister was already heading him off.
"The circumstances are unusual, and you may file for an actual trial if you wish," she said quickly. "But you know as well as I do what his fate would be if a case like this was brought before the Wizengamot. The man would have a date with a Dementor within the hour without any of your questions being asked," Bagnold said, spelling everything out for him. "A godfather turning on the family? I haven't heard anything so gruesome since that young child killed his family."
"And it turned out the child in question had been Imperioused," Dumbledore reminded her. "That may well be the case here. Until we ask we can never know," he said stubbornly.
Bagnold tsked and waved his concerns away as she got to her feet before turning to him with a curious look on her face.
"Wait a moment," she said, looking at Dumbledore with narrowed eyes. "Three Potters, three Killing Curses, and the house a ruin. But if the curse didn't kill the boy, how was he able to survive? And what happened to You-Know-Who?"
"As to how the he survived, I believe it is too early to know," Albus answered. "I believe, though, that it was his mother's dying act to sacrifice herself for him. Such an act can grant very powerful protection on those the person loves most," he explained. "And in so doing, attempting to kill young Mr. Potter would have been the very act which banished Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore smiled.
"V-v…" Bagnold stammered, still unable to bring herself to say the name. "You-Know-Who… is gone?"
"Not permanently, perhaps," Dumbledore said with a contemplative look. "But his power would most certainly be broken and his followers left leaderless. Which is what makes putting the boy who lived through this attack into a trustworthy guardian's hands all the more important," Albus explained. "If James and Lily trusted him, then who better to raise him?"
"You can't honestly suggest we give the boy to Black?" the Minister asked stunned. "The man's going to prison."
"Certainly things have not progressed so far that some leniency can't be shown," Albus said, looking sorrowful in his attempt to reverse the hasty actions with a commuted sentence. "Everyone deserves a second chance."
"You'll not convince Barty of that," Bagnold said simply. "And the Wizengamot would tear you apart, if the public didn't first, once this boy's story gets out. As the boy who lived through such a grisly attack - not to mention banishing You-Know-Who as an infant - this boy will be a legend!" the Minister cried. "I can't give him over to the man who betrayed his parents, even if he wasn't in his right mind."
"The boy must go to someone we can trust," Dumbledore pressed. "Someone we know won't turn him over to spare themselves."
"And you think someone as addle-brained as the recently Imperiused would be up to the job?" Milicent asked, mocking his foolishness. "I'm sorry, Albus, but Harry Potter will not be going to Sirius Black, that much is final."
"Minister, I have seen you take brave stances for the greater good against seemingly insurmountable odds," Dumbledore said dramatically, rising to his feet. "But if you insist upon this miscarriage of justice then I'm afraid you and I must part ways."
"Whatever do you mean?" Bagnold asked, looking concerned.
"If no other option is left to me, I shall resign in protest."
The Minister stood shocked, but she was no less shocked than Lester was. Dumbledore was doing the right thing, so how could it go so wrong?
"You can't leave, Albus, we need you," Bagnold said simply. "Even with You-Know-Who gone, there's still a world to set right."
"Starting with the fate of Sirius Black," Dumbledore pressed.
The Minister seemed to deflate a bit, a look of sympathy on her face.
"I commend you for sticking up for your friend and wishing to see the best in everyone," she said kindly. "It's the trait I most admire in you, but you must leave this alone. Here," she said, pulling out an official parchment and signing it with her name and magic. "Since the boy means so much to you, you take him - but leave this matter alone, for the good of everyone," Bagnold pressed.
Without a further word, the Minister left the room, leaving Dumbledore to slip back into deep contemplation once again.
"Minister, thank goodness I found you," a woman's voice said, drifting in from the hall.
"Mrs. Malfoy? Oh! This must be your daughter," Bagnold exclaimed. "I thought she'd be older."
"No, no, this is my son, Draco," the other woman explained. "Lyra didn't make it."
"Oh, my condolences, dear," the Minister murmured. "If there's anything I can do-"
"There is," Mrs. Malfoy cut in. "It's my husband; he's been acting strangely for a while - disappearing at nights and saying strange things. I think he's been Imperioused."
'So that was how it started, ' Lester thought, shaking his head. 'You-Know-Who gone and before the Ministry could blink Death Eaters were coming out of the woodwork to plead their case. And Dumbledore had been bought… at the price of a child's life. '
Suddenly Albus's face brightened, hands pressed to his lips as if in silent prayer and with a smile like he'd been promised a sunny day that would never end. Equally distracting though was Rita Skeeter, the woman so easily overlooked in this time he had forgotten she was there. Finally recovering from her shock, she fled from the room as fast as her feet could carry her; no doubt off to sell the story.
The world grew dark around him and Lester felt himself being pushed out of the pensieve. No wonder she had forgotten to write any of it for the record.
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