Chapter 26.1- Doom Days

“Before I begin, Supreme Mugwump, I would like to confirm the Mr. Black’s oaths are still binding”

“They are” Dumbledore said with a nod.

“May he be prompted to take the oath again?” He requested.

“That is conditional on Mr. Black’s acceptance” He said, looking over to me.

“My client is fine taking the oath again, as long as it is the same oath, if Mr. Forswythe needs him to to assuage his doubts” I said=, rising for a second before returning to my seat.

“Then please proceed” Dumbledore, said waving to the aide.

“I, Sirius Orion Black, do solemnly swear on mine own magic to speak the truth as I know it” He made the oath again, and Forswythe nodded before looking at his notes.

He stared at them before sighing and putting them down.

“Did you kill Peter Pettigrew?” He asked, and I knew that question was not on his list. The way he’d put the list down told me as much,

“No. I did not.”

“Did you kill over a dozen muggles?”

“No. I did not”

“Have you been obliviated?” He asked, making me tilt my head to the side.

“No, I have not” Clearly he did not ask the question to get an answer out of Sirius. If he had been obliviated, then how would he know that he was? There was some other game he was playing here. Maybe he intended to allege that Sirius had himself obliviated of the crimes so he could testify. That would be an interesting way to approach things for sure.

“How did you escape Azkaban?” He asked. I was up instantly before Sirius could begin to incriminate himself.

“Objection. The question is irrelevant. Mr. Black’s presence in Azkaban is being challenged here, not the manner of his escape” I said.

“The Petitoner’s objection is sustained” Dumbledore banged his gavel.

“Apologies, Supreme Mugwump. Mr. Black, how do you expect all of us to believe that a picture of rat is enough proof of your innocenence.”

“It’s Pettigrew.”

“What?”

“The rat is Peter Pettigrew” He said.

“And how do you know that? It could just be any random rat.”

“I’d recognise that rat anywhere. And it’s missing a front finger on its paw, exactly where he had cut his finger before blowing up the muggles” He said.

“So you’re saying Pettigrew was an illegal animagus and you knew of this” He said.

“Yes.”

“Were you also an illegal animagus, Mr. Black?”

“Objection— relevance” I stood up.

“Sustained.” Dumbledore said.

“That will be all for this witness, Supreme Mugwump” Forswythe said with a flaccid smile on his face.

“Petitioner?” Dumbledore called.

“No re-examination questions for this witness, Supreme Mugwump. The Petitioner moves to dismiss the witness and rest his case” I said.

He nodded, banging his gavel and gesturing for Sirius to leave the stage.

“The defence may now open its case”

“The defence does so by calling the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, to the stand” He said, and the woman with the greying hair, stern gaze, and magnificent tits walked up to the witness seat.

“As the head of a British Ministry Department, the Defense moves for the oaths to be dispensed with as Amelia Bones has already taken oaths as fitting her position as the Head of a British Ministry Department.” Well, that was a choice. Sure, she could give evidence without swearing an oath but it was basically common practice to take those oaths because evidence given without them was given lesser weight when it came to deliberations. Either way, he pressed on.

“Permitted, Mr. Forswythe. Now move on.”

“Please state your full name and position for the record”

“Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement” She said.

“For how long have you held that position?”

“Since 1981. Making this my thirteenth year in office.”

“That means you were not in office when Mr. Black was incarcerated but you were when he made his escape?”

“Yes”