Chapter 14: Chapter 014
"Watch what actually happens."
The new memory showed everything that happened right up to Harry and Hermione coming up on the small lake from the other side just as the Dementors began to bombard 'Previous' Harry and Sirius.
'Current' Harry was expecting the ghost of his father to arrive and save them. However, realising it was actually him on the second go through that saved him on the first go through, he cast the massive Patronus driving all the dementors away just as 'Previous' Harry collapsed unconscious next to his godfather.
Already knowing 'Previous' Harry and Sirius would end up back at the castle and safe for Harry, but locked in the tower for Sirius, the 'Current' Harry and Hermione tried everything they could to track down Pettigrew. However, they had no luck and rightfully suspected the traitorous little man had reached the edge of the wards and apparated away.
Harry had originally thought of ending the memory there, but decided to show the rest of it.
The next scene was of Harry and Hermione, with Buckbeak's help, going to the castle to rescue Sirius from the Charms Master's office via the window. And Sirius then flying away after first dropping the two teens off on the astronomy tower. And the two teens making their way back to the Infirmary. And, finally, Dumbledore ushering them inside before locking the door.
When that memory faded and Memory-Harry returned he said, "Now, you may be sitting there believing Hermione and I have broken the law by freeing an escaped convict after he was again caught. However, you'd be wrong.
"For Sirius to have been properly considered an escaped convict he would have had to have been convicted. As he was never tried, he was never convicted. As such, he was not an escaped convict. Instead, Sirius escaped illegal incarceration; on the second time we aided him in that.
"The law states quite clearly that a person arrested of a crime must, within one month of their arrest at the latest, be given a trial. If at the end of that month they have not been tried, they must be released. The Ministry did not do that. In effect, after the thirty days had expired, Sirius Black had been kidnapped by the Ministry. All he did was what he was legally allowed - even encouraged - to do. He freed himself.
"He did nothing wrong or illegal by escaping his illegal incarceration. And Hermione and I did nothing wrong or illegal by aiding in his second escape from illegal incarceration. If anything, Cornelius 'Fumbling' Fudge again abused his authority as Minister by kidnapping - not just the person known as Sirius Black - but, the rightful Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. And then compounded his crime by bypassing lawful procedure and attempting to murder Sirius Black by having him kissed by Dementor. That would class it as attempted assassination.
"Hermione and I, with Buckbeak's help, saved him from that attempted murder - that attempt to kill him in cold blood.
"I certainly hope the Ministry's aurors will take that into consideration should they foolishly think that arresting either myself or Miss Granger for that is warranted. For the both or either of us I will thoroughly enjoy seeking lawful recompense from any auror so involved through the correct legal channels."
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―==(oIo)==―
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From where she was sitting in the VIP box, Bones glared at a completely wilted Fudge and snarled, "He's right, you stupid shit. You had him in custody and still tried to have him Kissed. That is definitely attempted murder; and adds yet another major crime to the list I'm already compiling against you."
Fudge could only cower away from the irate Director of the DMLE. He now knew he was definitely not going to be saving his job. He now doubted he'd be escaping his own sentence to Azkaban.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Unaware of Bones's quiet berating of the soon-to-be ex-Minister, Harry continued, "After that, Hermione and I raced back to the Infirmary. We arrived at the doors at almost the exact moment the original of us time-turnered out. Dumbledore immediately let us in and we scuttled back to our beds.
"Less than five minutes later..." he paused and smiled. "Well, see for yourself."
Memory-Harry faded out and a new memory began. This one started as Memory-Harry's explanation cut off.
It showed Snape storming in, in a foul mood, with Fudge and Dumbledore on his heels. Fudge looked confused and Dumbledore looked somewhat amused.
Snape stormed over to Harry's bed and, with spittle flying out of his mouth, began to berate a 'bed-ridden' Harry. Snape was accusing Harry and Hermione of 'somehow' getting Sirius free. That he was right was quite irrelevant. He really had no evidence to support his claims.
After Dumbledore asked Pomfrey if either teen had been out of bed she appeared scandalised and stated they weren't. Then Snape, now even clear to him that he had no evidence to support his claims, wheeled about and stormed from the room once more.
Fudge then stated to Dumbledore he believed Snape was mentally unbalanced before then complying with removing the Dementors from the school boundaries. The both of them then left.
And the memory ended.
Memory-Harry returned and said, "Of course, with Sirius's rightful and recognised exoneration of any guilt in the murder of my parents, the murder of the twelve muggles and the murder of Pettigrew, I would have been free to stay with him over summer. However, as Pettigrew escaped because of Snape's idiocy - or deliberate sabotage, it matters not which - Dumbledore yet again forced me to to stay with my abusive muggle relatives.
"Did you also notice that Snape said not a word about him also seeing a very much alive Peter Pettigrew? Snape is a Master Occlumens, Fudge would not have been able to claim the man had been confounded if he'd spoken up. But, no; Snape never said a word about it when he knew the truth.
"This time my summer in Surrey wasn't, yet again, somewhat of a Hell on Earth. I lied to my relatives and told them that my 'escaped convict of a mass-murdering godfather', Sirius Black, insisted I keep in contact with him to let him know how I was getting on. That threat was enough to ensure I wasn't abused by any of them as badly as I had been in the past.
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