Death\'s Design, Fate\'s Plan

Death’s Design, Fate’s Plan

An Answer to Reptilia28’s Death Challenge

NC-17

Illiandyandra

Illiandyanndra@yahoo.com



Pairings: Harry/Hermione; Luna/Neville; Tonks/Remus; Sirius/Hestia Jones



Disclaimer: Harry Potter, and all the characters associated there with belong to JK Rowling, Scholastic, and a bunch of people who are not me. I make no profit from this story and suing me would only yield a whole bunch of well-loved books.



Content Disclaimer: This story contains sex, smut, Lemons, Limes; however you want to say it. If you do not like that then keep on looking.

Distribution: Anyone who wants it. Just let me know and give credit where it is due.





Spoilers: Any and All Books through Chapter 37 of Deathly Hallows



Summary: My take on Reptillia 28’s Challenge from Portkey, (Really hope no one minds.) Harry dies well before his time and is sent back to clean up the mess he left behind.



Bashing Warning: This story will contain character bashing and eventually death.



CHAPTER TWO

*****Back There Again*****

As they walked, chatting lightly, Harry’s mind was busy trying to calculate the best way to handle this redo. He knew that his first goal was to keep Pettigrew from escaping and thereby clearing Sirius’s name. that meant that he needed to make sure that he managed to find Scabbers before the night of the full moon, and get him turned in to Madame Bones. The second plan would be to make sure that Remus was fully potioned that night. Baring that, the third option meant that they had to get Snape on their side.



How to get Snape to actually help them at this point? That’s something he’d have to think about. But if Snape heard the whole thing, then he would want to make sure that Pettigrew paid as well. After all he was a Marauder as well. Harry would just have to figure out som way to keep Snape from completely loosing the plot that night. The first time, Snape went round the twist almost as soon as he pulled off the cloak.

The cloak, Harry decided then and there that he was going to have to put a bug in Hermione’s ear as soon as he could so she could make another bag, maybe one that would call the cloak back into it every time he took it off.



Harry shook himself out of his contemplations as they reached Hagrid’s Hut. After a nice visit, where they learned about Buckbeak’s fate and the fact that they needed to mount an appeal. Eventually they made it back to the castle and to charms. Since he knew about the time turner this go round, he made sure to remind Hermione that Malfoy was a total git and to just concentrate on charms. They were bound to learn something new. So Hermione was there with them in Charms, allowing Harry a great opportunity. When Hermione hit Harry with a cheering charm, he let out a chortle and said “I love you Hermione. When we grow up we should get married.” As expected Hermione laughed, assuming that it was an effect of the charm, Ron however gave Harry a look of hurt. Harry knew he’d have to have a conversation with his best mate later, but he’d put his feelings out there first. Now Ron would be the one to have to step back as Harry had done. Hopefully by catching this before the Yule ball Harry would actually end any feeling of Ron’s before they solidified.

They were all still quite cheerful at lunch.







Harry was a bit surprised that Ron actually confronted him about the events of charms that very evening. Hermione went to the library, leaving her two best friends playing chess. Harry actually would have preferred to go with her, but he knew that he couldn’t pull a 180 degree change seemingly overnight. That would not be conducive to keeping the biggest secret ever.



“Is she your best friend? Or me?” Ron said, out of the blue.



“You are my best mate, Ron… but Hermione is different. Look can we just say that I’m putting it out there, I’m calling dibs. You cannot like her as more than an sister. Its like wizard code I think. If your mate likes a bird, and says it first then you can’t like her too. You don’t do you?” Harry said. He was trying to remember how to act thirteen again. But he really didn’t know if Ron’s feelings had started this early or not.



“Ye gods not.” Ron shuddered. “I mean don’t get me wrong, she is a great mate, always willing to help me not get kicked out of school and all, but she’s bloody scary. You know how she is when she gets mad, and she is always mad at me for something or the other. Ok so maybe I make her mad on purpose sometimes, but that’s just because its funny when she realizes that I’ve been winding her up.”

“So, we good now?” Harry inquired.



“Yea, you still suck at wizard’s chess though mare.” Ron replied cheekily. “Check mate. Come on lets go drag your girlfriend back before curfew.”



“Bugger. Don’t call her that.” Harry feigned embarrassment. “I don’t think she will like it that I told you how I felt before I told her.”



“But you had to claim her mate, now didn’t you?” Ron said confused.



“To which she will say, ‘Claim me, Claim me! I am not the drumstick at dinner, nor the front seat in a lorry. I am not a possession or toy to be fought over; let alone claimed!’ “ Harry said with a smile.

See mate, and that’s why better you than me. You know that kind of thing. Must be a muggle thing. According to mum, witches want to be claimed.”Ron remarked.



“Ummm…Ron, while that might be true of some witches, I’m pretty sure that most witches would hex you for saying something like that. I mean look at Professors McGonagall, or Vector, or Susan’s aunt.” Harry rejoined. There sure were a lot of Molly’s teachings he’s have to undo if he was gonna stay friends with Ron. It’s almost like she was trying to sabotage any future relationship her youngest son might ever have. That thought lead Harry to a quick evaluation of the older Weasley boys. All of them, even Percy chose smart, strong, independent witches. And Mrs. Weasley found fault with each and every one of them.



Technically Ron had chosen such a witch as well, but according to Blake, Ron would not have been satisified until he’d turned Hermione into a Molly Clone. That was NOT going to happe. No way in hell. Harry shook off his contemplations as they reached the library.

Apparently Ron had been doing some thinking of his own. “I was thinking about it, Harry. I don’t get it. Mom had this attitude where she looks down on any witch who works outside the home, but both of my Grandmothers did. At least that’s what Bill says. He said that Grandmother Prewitt was a healer, and Grandmother Weasley was a teacher. I can’t think of any other witch that stays home like Mum.” Ron related. “About the only witches who stay how are the pureblood set, or those like Diggory’s mum who stay just until the kids are in school. “ Ron seemed to reach some conclusion. Before Harry could open the library doors, Ron grabbed him and pulled him into one of the alcoves that bracketed the doors.



“Wha-“



“Look, I think I get it. Mum wants lots of things. I mean she’s always going on about how we don’t have nice things or enough money, whatever right. But she seems to just want to have them handed to her. If her mum and mother in law both worked, where does she get this ‘Proper Witches don’t work outside their home,” tripe. Harry I think I might be like Mum…no really think about it. Remember what I saw in that funky mirror first year, but my grades are shite. If it weren’t for Hermione, they’d be even lower. How can I be head boy, if I have crap grades, or quidditch caption if I’m not even on the team?”



“So work harder. Look I’ll work harder too. My grades aren’t any better than yours. And we keep hearing how my mom was almost as smart as Mione, I’m betting she would be real disappointed in me.” This changing thing would be loads easier if Ron thought it was his idea. Besides, Ms. McIntyre did say to bring Ron up to his level. “Maybe we can even get Hermione to play more often, have a bit more fun if she doesn’t have to do her work, and basically our work too. “Plus I’ll even practice with you so next year you can try out for the house team.”

“Thanks man. This will be great. Hey you think once you get Hermione squared away, she’ll be willing to learn to fly better. We’re gonna need to replace 2 chasers fifth year.” Ron said cheekily.



Neither of us had noticed the library doors open and close, yet alone noticed that Hermione had come out of them, spotted us and joined us. So when she spoke, we almost jumped out of out skins. “I’m sure that I will be too busy studying and revising for OWLs to play quidditch. Though I should probably learn to fly better. After all it is one of two uniquely wizarding means of travel. But what’s this about Harry getting me settled?”



I was not about to tackle that time bomb yet. “Nothing, we were just coming to get you. Figured you might forget curfew if we didn’t.” I smiled at her. It was hard not to try to immediately pounce into a relationship with her. Since I’d found out that She was my soul mate, I’ve been trying to figure out how I could have missed how much she means to me, and has all along. Exactly how thick does one have to be to have a soul mate, meat up with her and still be too stupid to see it?



“And you decided to get me from this alcove when I was clearly not in it?” She said snarkily.



“No, we decided to finish the conversation we were having before we walked into the library and got snapped at by Madame Pince.” Ron groused back.



“That was actually very sensible, Ron. “ Hermione said with a grin.



“Yeah, well, just figured that maybe I should start using my head as more than a hat rest.” The red head blushed even at the faint praise.

The banter continued all the way back to the common room, where the trio separated and headed to bed.







---Dream a Little Dream---



Harry fell asleep contemplating the changes he wanted to make and trying to figure out how to get them made. He slept well, deeply and soon he dreamed.



In the dream, he and Hermione were back in that God forsaken tent and Ron had just left them. However rather than wallow in his own potion induced misery, Harry walked over and without saying a word pulled Hermione into a hug. Harry walked over and, without saying a word, pulled Hermione into a strong hug. He offered her the support and comfort she needed and was granted the same from her.

The dream hug continued to the point that Harry started to notice the sexy fullness of Hermione’s breasts pressed against his chest. His best friend was a comfortably curvaceous armful, unlike his former girlfriend. Harry’s dream shifted from the tent to what looked like a muggle biology classroom.



The Dream professor, who surprisingly enough looked an awful lot like Severus Snape, called in two models. Harry took a second to look around the classroom and saw thirty or so other students who were all different versions of himself. The models entered and every Harry jaw dropped. There at the front of the classroom stood Hermione and Ginny. Both were completely nude with their hair fastened up on top of their heads. Neither spoke, instead Dream Snape lectured.



“As you can see, here we have two young adult females. Subject A is a Brunette with an IQ of 187 and a 4.17 GPA on a scale of 4.0. Subject is a redhead with an IQ of 112 and a GPA of 3.21 on the 4.0 scale. Both females have magical cores. Subject A has reached 85 percent growth and currently has an Emrys Index of 178 on the common 200 point scale. Subject B has reached 89 percent growth, and had an Emrys Index of 140 on the same scale. Those are the differences in their mental and magical capabilities.” Dream Snape said professionally. “What are the other main categories of evaluation?”



A very intelligent looking Harry stood, “Emotional, Physical, and Potential.” He answered.



“Quite Correct.” Dream Snape said before returning to his lecture. “Subject A is physically age 17, magically age 19, and emotionally age 24. Her emotional age could be higher, but she has an unfortunate tendency to hold a bit too firmly to decisions she has make; even when confronted with contradictory information. Subject B is physically age 16, magically age 19 and emotionally age 7. Her emotional growth has been stunted by a domineering mother and an overly generous father. She has an overdeveloped sense of entitlement. No sense of responsibility for her actions, and she firmly believes that she should get whatever she wants no matter what the cost or who it hurts…simply because she wants it.” Dream Snape paused while all the Harrys expressed their revulsion. Subject B’s disregard for others reminded them all far too much of Cousin Dudley. “Now before we begin, what conclusion can we draw from the available data about the Subjects Magical potential?”



“It would seem that Subject A has the greater potential. Since they are both the same magical age, yet Subject B has a lower Emrys Index, coupled with the fact that she is closer to the end of her core growth period suggests that she will be unable to catch up, let alone surpass Subject A’s magical potential.” The Harry who answered this time looked older and wiser than the other Harrys including the central figure.

“That is exactly right, Mr. Potter.” Dream Snape said proudly. “Now let us begin the physical comparison. Subject A is 5’ 4” tall and will, most likely, grow only another 1 to 2 inches in the next few years as she achieves full physical maturity. Subject B is 5’5” tall and will grow another 4 to 5 inches before she reaches full physical maturity. Subject A’s measurements are currently 36C-26-38. Given genetic markers, she is expected to gain another cup in breast size before reaching full physical maturity, and possibly more with the introduction of the changes inherent in having children. Subject B’s measurements are currently 34A-22-34. Her expectations are too fluid to report. In her case her genetic markers are all over the board, it will be impossible to make a determination with current technology. However should she continue to play quidditch professionally, she will not be able to gain more than 20 pounds over her current weight; any team will expect any weight gain to be muscular in nature.”



“Both subjects have healthy reproductive organs, though subject is more desirous of a very large family. Slides.” Dream Snape said loudly. A huge projection screen descended from the ceiling, and a power point presentation began from a projector suspended about 10 feet in front of the screen. “The first slide shows Juliette H. Granger, age 17 on the left and on the right age 44. She is Subject A’s mother. As you can see there has been very little physical drift. She has retained and maintained her figure admirably. Over the last 17 years she has only added 2 inches to her bust, 4 inches to her waist and 3 inches to her hips. Though in her early forties; which is congruent to a witch in her 50’s to 60’s based on her Emrys Index; Juliette is still fit and fertile. She has a BMI of only 21. Juliette is also considered to be something of a vixen and she has passed along her views on human sexuality to her daughter.”



All the Harrys exchanged interested looks. Dream Snape continued in a purely informative fashion. “Juliette Granger is said to have a wicked and naughty sense of humor. Her daughter, and a niece and nephew she helped to raise while still a teen, all have superior to genius level intelligence and above average maturity. Next Slide.” As the next slid came into view, every Harry recognized the picture on the right. It was Molly Prewitt Weasley. “The next slide shows Molly P. Weasley age 46 on the right and age 17 on the left.” All the Harrys were shocked. She looked completely different. “Molly has over the last 19 years added 10 inches to her bust, 12 inches to her waist and 10 inches to her hips. Molly is still capable of producing viable offspring, and given her genetic predispositions, will probably still be fertile well into her late nineties. She is considered over weight with a BMI of 35. Molly has shown herself to be easily led, domineering and has a passable sense of humor. She has also shown a lack of appreciation for the humor of others. She has also passed along her views of what a proper witch does and does not do.



“Now what conclusions can we reach about the Emotional, Physical, and Potential assessment?” Dream Snape asked.



The Harry so spoke this time was wearing Chudley Cannon orange, and eating a turkey leg. “Subject A is Hotter now and will be hotter later!” said frat boy Harry.



“Subject A has the emotional and physical natures that Harrys prefer.” Restated intelligent Harry.



“Subject A has the greater potential for lifelong sexual gratification as well.” Said a Harry that looked to be the most physically mature of the class.



“So what conclusion have we reached today class?” Dream Snape sounded more like Blake than Snape now.



“That we are DEFINITELY keeping Hermione for ourselves.” The Harrys all shouted so loudly, that the Central Harry woke up with a start.





---Heavy Liftin’---



Despite the large amount of homework and the rather annoying strategy sessions with Wood, Harry was truly enjoying this Easter Break. He was also determined to make a bit of progress on his mission. In an effort to get his mission under way and to do so in the least dangerous way he could think of; he went for a visit with his favorite DADA professor.



“Professor, why is it that every time I talk to you, part of me wants to call you Unca’ Moo’y?” Harry asked cautiously.



The smile that crossed Remus’s face was so bright and beatific that it took away all the stress and pain his transformations had written on his features. “Harry, that would be because when you were learning to speak, that’s what you called me. I have told you that I was very best friends with your father and great friends with your mother. Until they went into hiding, I visited with you for several hours every day.”



“Well then who and where is Paddy?” Harry made himself sound excited. “He had black hair too and was almost as tall as my dad, right?”



“Yes, Paddy is Padfoot, His real name is Sirius Black. He betrayed your parents.” Remus said sullenly. His smile long gone.



“No, he didn’t.” Harry said, pushing himself to sound confused.



“What do you mean? He was the secret keeper.” Remus asked perplexed.



“Unca’ Moony…Ever since the train, I’ve seen that night over and over in my dreams. It wasn’t Paddy that came into the room behind Voldemort. Paddy was big like you and Daddy.” Harry allowed his voice to go vague and a bit more childish. “He was short and ratty. I know I know him, and I don’t like him. He’s not fun, not like Moony and Pa’foot. He’s mean and smells funny.”



“Peter…” Remus said with a whoosh. “We had another friend, Peter Pettigrew, you hated him from the second you were born. You weren’t even an hour old when you threw up on him for the first time.” He chuckled a bit. “Until you were mobile, you threw up on him each and every time he held you. Sirius used to have him hold you just to watch you honk up all over Wormtail.”



“Wormtail, a rat?” Harry asked? “What a sec…you said Peter Pettigrew. All that was left was a finger. Rats don’t live that long.” Harry muttered, sounding just like Hermione working out a solution to a problem. “Can I see the map, the one you took from me to save it from Snape?”



Remus reached into his drawer, grabbed the map and activated it. “Holy buggering shite.” There in the same third floor corridor where four first years found Fluffy, the map showed Peter Pettigrew running around. “I’ve got to get Dumbledore.”



“NO!” Harry shouted. When Remus looked at him like he was crazy, Harry explained a bit. “Look I’m not trying to be funny. But wouldn’t Dumbledore have performed that Fidelius they were hiding under? So shouldn’t he have known that Peter was the secret keeper?”



The expletives that left Remus’s mouth in the next few minutes, were varied, vast, and in several languages. But when he finished, something indescribably had shifted. Pulling out his wand he said a variation of Expectro Patronum, and a wolf ran out of his wand. “Find Amelia Bones, she may be in her office in the DMLE, she may be at her home but ask her to get here within the next thirty minutes. Tell her not to even bother trying to communicate with Dumbledore, just to apparate to the gate and come to the DADA classroom.” The wolf left on its mission and Remus turned to me. “You know how to stun and petrify right?” at my nod, he told me to follow him.



We made our way to the corridor in record time. Remus didn’t say anything. He simply performed the Animae Retourne Spell, on a rat scurrying away from them. As soon as Peter was human again, he nodded at Harry, who stunned and then petrified the rat. A quick incarceration, and disillusionment charm, and they were on their way back to the DADA classroom. When Amelia Bones walked in they were having tea, while Peter was tied to a chair, silenced, and his animangus abilities temporarily bound. He would be unable to transform for 48 to 72 hours.



Harry and Remus laid out how they had discovered the truth of the traitor. Harry, with Remus’s help gave her a copy of the memory that had ‘resurfaced’ of that night so many years ago. “Madame Bones, I have to ask can you please get my godfather cleared before the end of the school year…I doubt I will survive another summer at my uncles.”



“What do you mean you won’t survive?” Amelia gritted out. Her teeth and fists were clenched.



“Well my uncle treats me pretty much like the Malfoys treat their House Elves. I don’t like to talk about it…but last year Fred, George, and Ron had to rescue me. They came and broke the bars my uncle put on the window, and had got me out of the room I was locked in…my first Hogwarts letter came addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. I want out. I want to be able to contact my friends during the summer. I want to not have my owl Hedwig threatened every day. I’m tired of Harry Hunting, and not eating because of some supposed slight.” Harry let the tears he always kept such a tight rein on, run free. He hated to be seen as weak and young, but if it would speed this along, he’d do it with bells on. “I’m tired of broken bones, and belts and hate. Remus says that Sirius and he love me. I want to be with them. I can’t believe that my parents would be happy with how I’ve been brought up. I mean if my mum didn’t even talk to her sister, why would she leave me with her? ”

“I don’t know but I promise you, I will find out. I’d like copies of some of your memories of your life before Hogwarts. I’ll need examples of the things you just mentioned.” She said fiercely. I gave her all she requested and then some.



Harry then put together for her many of his memories of things Dumbledore had done that were suspicious; he was careful to keep it limited to things that had occurred in this time line. He advised her to be very careful not to let anyone know that she was starting to look in that direction. Remus sent his wolf off to Snape requesting that he bring Veritaserum to the DADA classroom. Snape arrived very quickly thereafter. The look on his face at the people assembled there was so hilarious to Harry that he was hard pressed to contain his laughter.

“Black isn’t the traitor. He didn’t turn Lily over to the Dark Lord?” Snape said without his trademark sneer.



“Snape, we need to get three Aurors here for this interrogation. But we need to do it without Dumbledore knowing.” Amelia said, cautiously. She was worried on two fronts she knew that Snape was Death Eater; and even worse, apparently, he was Dumbledore’s man.

Severus Snape was currently waging an inner battle. He knew his hatred of Black and Potter was unreasonable at this point of his life. But doing anything to help them went against everything in him. But he looked at the head of the DMLE and knew he had to offer his assistance. “Why must we circumvent the Headmaster?” He sneered.



“Because he isn’t all he says he is. He placed me with Petunia, Snape. I heard that you and my mom were friends from before Hogwarts…would you put a child with Petunia?”



Snape looked gobsmacked. Then he looked angry. “I would not put a crup with Petunia, and I understood from Lily that the man she got engaged to was even worse.” For the first time in three years, Severus Snape allowed himself to remember that Harry was also Lily’s. That in fact he was Lily’s everything. Just as Remus had shifted, something inside Severus experienced a 180 degree shift. Dumbledore had convinced him that Harry was safe and happy, and if anything spoiled. He would never tell him where and really Snape had not been too concerned with finding out where James Potter’s son lived. A double blind is always the best way to hide something. But now this changed everything. He knew Lily would never have left her son with Petunia. In fifth year, Lily had laughed and said that if Petunia had ever had a magical child she would have to steal it so the child wouldn’t be drowned for being ‘unnatural’. He was done following Dumbledore blindly. Far too often it felt like he had just traded one Dark Lord for another.



Shaking off his thoughts, Snape turned to Amelia and asked her to have the Aurors meet him at the gates. Handing the DMLE head the requested Veritaserum, he left and returned in what seemed like a very few minutes, with three Aurors, one of whom was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry didn’t immediately recognize the other two. Snape took a seat, and conjured quill and parchment. Harry noted that all three Aurors had quills and parchment. Looking to Remus, Harry took a seat, before one of the adults decided that he needed to leave this to the adults.

Shacklebolt administered the Veritaserum with almost scientific precision. Three drops and thirty seconds later, Pettigrew was finally going to begin to answer for his crimes. Amelia Bones started the questioning. “Who are you?” She asked. She wanted there to be no loophole to his self incrimination.



“My name is Peter Ashford Pettigrew. I have also gone by Wormtail, and most recently by Scabbers.” The criminal’s voice was airy and you could easily see that he was not in any real control of what he said.



“Are you a Death Eater?” Shack asked.



“Yes. I am one of the faithful.” Peter answered.



“Did you become one of your own free will?” asked Amelia.



“Of course, one must take the mark of one’s own free will. The Dark Lord will accept none who are under the imperious. And he must accept you to Mark you as his own.” Peter said.



“What must you do to become receive the Dark Mark?” asked the female Auror. Her voice told Harry her identity. It was Hestia Jones.



“Each person is different. The Dark Lord told me that I had to amuse him, so I captured a muggle girl just entering puberty and I had my way with her at the feet of the Dark Lord, taking her innocence in every way, before I skinned her. I did so with a blade, and she was still alive for quite some time. She was quite delicious. She screamed the most beautiful screams. Several others Death Eaters tell similar stories. Most don’t trust Snape because he only brewed a potion that made the Dark Lord laugh for an hour.” Pettigrew said causing the whole room to look at Severus. Snape blushed. It looked very strange on the pale man.



“How long have you been a Death Eater?” Harry asked.



“I took the mark the summer before Seventh year. Customary Wizarding apparel makes it easy to hide the mark.”



“Why did you turn against your friends?” Remus asked. He was holding a tight rein on his temper, through strength of will alone.

“James caught me forcing a first year to give me a blow job. I had tutored me and she balked at paying her debt. It took quite a bit of talking to get him to keep it quiet; finally I had to obliviate him. It was then that I realized that they weren’t truly my friends. Friends like you no matter what.” Peter reasoned



“Did you betray James and Lily Potter to Voldemort?” asked, the auror Harry finally recognized as, Williamson thoroughly disgusted.

“Yes, though honestly he had my loyalty, so there wasn’t exactly a betrayal.” Peter answered



“How?” Snape snarled.



“I’m still not sure how it was decided that I would become the secret keeper. James and Sirius had come up with this plan. Sirius was to allow everyone to believe that he was the keeper, and I would hide. That way I’d never be in any danger. I was certain that Dumbledore knew I was a spy in the Order. I’d been trying to convince every one that Remus was the traitor, but no one was buying it. However Dumbledore performed the fidelius spell with that damn twinkle in his eye.” Peter voice was still so airy and nonchalant; it was hard to remember that he was damning himself with every word.



“What happened the night of October 31, 1991?” Harry spoke up.



“My master called me to him. He said that it was time to destroy the Potters. I took him to the apparition point near their home, and gave him the secret. He and I went into the home. I battled James, he was winning, despite my willingness to use the dark arts, James had me. Then my lord killed him. He told me to come along, called me weak and foolish. We went up stairs, Lily was in front of the boy’s crib. She told the Dark Lord not to hurt her child, told him to kill her instead. He told her he would kill them both. So he AKed her and then something went wrong. Something made the killing curse bounce off the boy. The Dark Lord was destroyed by a mudblood and her whelp. I took his wand; knowing that when he came back he would want it. Then I high tailed it out of there. I knew Sirius would come looking for me when the Potters were found. I thought I had more time. When he cornered me I did the only thing I could; deflected the blame onto him, blew up the street, and disappeared.“ Peter said matter of factly.



“So Sirius Black is innocent?” Amelia asked.



“Pure as the bloody driven snow. He hated everything his parents stood for. Anything even slightly dark fell firmly into that category.” Peter said. “Oh I have no doubt he would have killed me for what he saw as my betraying our friend James, but he would never have hurt a defenseless muggle.”



“Where have you been for the last thirteen years?” Asked Hestia.



“I have hidden in my animangus form. For a while I was in the sewers in London, then I started trying to find a Wizarding family to take me in. several little boys tried to get their parents to let them keep me as a pet, but only Percy Weasley was successful. Then he passed me to his brother Ron.“ Peter answered.



“List all crimes you have knowingly committed, beginning with the misdemeanors and ending with any capital offenses.” Amelia directed. She wanted to get him for each and every crime she could.



Peter spoke for the entire time remaining in the dose of truth serum. His list began with his status as an unregistered animangus and went all the way up through all the deaths of the muggles in London in that alley on All Saints day 1991. The list was long and seemed overly populated with the rape and coercion of underage girls. By the end of the list Remus and Hestia were vomiting in conjured buckets, and even Snape and Shackelbolt were showing signs of wanting to conjure their own buckets.



Finally Amelia silenced him, and Shacklebolt picked him up chair and all and headed toward the door. Fate was smiling on them this night. They managed to get Peter out of the school without encountering the Headmaster even once.

Harry woke during the dark hours of the morning of the game with Slytherin, laughing. Though he wasn’t the least bit nervous, he’d had exactly the same dreams as the first time. Including the dream where the Slytherins played on dragons. Quick as a shot he grabbed his glasses and ran to the window. Sure enough there were Crookshanks and Snuffles on the ground outside his window. It caused Harry to smile. He was sure that soon Padfoot would be free.



The game against Slytherin went much the way Harry remembered, from the applause as he entered and left the Great Hall, to the snatching snitch catch. It was a great day made even better by the headline of the special edition of the Daily Prophet that was delivered to the Great Hall at dinner.



MAN HUNT OVER! SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT OF ALL CHARGES!!!