Chapter 180: judgement and consequence
After Christmas this year, Dumbledore would return the Invisibility Cloak to Harry. This was the best opportunity to study the Deathly Hallows.
The incident involving Nott and Rich last year had made Phineas increasingly curious about the existence of gods and the secrets guarded by the council. However, the elder members of his family refused to share anything with him—perhaps the price of joining the house of elders was silence, even toward one's descendants.
Phineas was confident there were no references to any godlike beings in the Black family archives or the books inherited from the Flint family.
The Deathly Hallows remained the most accessible divine artifact to him for the time being.
Thinking along these lines, Phineas suddenly remembered the mission tied to vengeance against the vampire clan.
"Puff!"
"Yes, Master."
Puff had returned to Phineas during the last winter break. Despite his efforts, he couldn't prevent Pandora from continuing her experiments. Although a catastrophe had been averted thanks to Puff's intervention, Pandora had suffered a serious injury. While she survived, she was now confined to a wheelchair and could no longer perform magic.
"Puff, how are things going with Lisa?"
Pushing aside all thoughts of the strange little girl, Phineas focused on the task at hand.
Lisa's mission was to take revenge on the vampire clan. Last Christmas, werewolf forces loyal to the Black family had launched retaliatory strikes. Phineas had joined Lisa and others on a raid of one of their bases and even killed a number of high-ranking vampires.
Yet, despite these victories, the mission's completion had only reached about fifty percent.
Due to the Black family's relentless campaign, the reformist faction among the vampires—those hostile to Phineas—had gone into hiding. Even the conservative vampires had begun to avoid any areas under the Black family's influence. This significantly hampered progress, making it difficult for Phineas's forces to track and engage their enemies.
Fortunately, the vampire issue wasn't seen as solely the Black family's burden. Other pure-blood families were also outraged by the vampires' attempt to incite war against wizardkind. Rather than obstructing the Black forces, some even offered assistance.
"Master, in the past few months, Lisa led the werewolf troops to destroy two vampire outposts, but we've yet to uncover any trace of their main stronghold," Puff reported.
Phineas nodded. It seemed this mission wasn't ready to be completed—and no reward would come until it was. From his earliest analysis, Phineas had suspected that this quest would ultimately yield either a divine artifact or a path to godhood.
While he had no desire to become a god, he was certainly interested in acquiring an artifact. Power was essential—especially for someone like him, who lived in constant dread of lacking sufficient magical might.
He figured that once he eliminated all the reformist vampires, he would finally receive that promised reward.
Before learning of gods and the secrets hidden by the Pureblood Council, Phineas had been wary of ascending to godhood. This world was not his previous one—divinity here likely came at a terrible price.
He remembered all too well the events of last year. He had watched Nott, in his pursuit of godhood, transform into a demon. That alone confirmed his suspicions: gods and demons may well be the same thing in essence.
After dismissing Puff, Phineas sat in quiet contemplation.
The next morning, the entire magical world was in an uproar.
Thanks to the Black family's wealth and influence, nearly every wizarding publication had distributed free copies of their latest issues. Almost every witch and wizard now possessed a paper detailing the events of the prior evening's trial at Hogwarts, along with the truth about Sirius Black—and the Black heir's denunciation of the Ministry of Magic.
The article exposed the injustice done to Sirius, the eldest son of the Black family, and naturally stirred up a storm of public opinion.
The first to respond were the pure-blood families opposed to the Blacks—led by the Rich family, with support from the Notts, Lestranges, Borgins, Flynns, Parkinsons, Yaxleys, and others. They issued formal complaints to the Ministry.
They argued that what occurred at Hogwarts could not be considered a proper trial. The outcome, they claimed, was unreliable. They demanded that Peter Pettigrew be brought to the Ministry for a formal hearing by the Wizengamot, insisting on a public trial.
Of course, their real goal was to silence Pettigrew permanently and discredit Phineas's claims.
They further contended that, even if Sirius hadn't betrayed the Potters, he had knowingly allowed Pettigrew's crimes to go unpunished for eleven years. Therefore, he should not be deemed innocent and ought not to be released.
These arguments gained traction in the Ministry, aided by the influence of powerful pure-blood families. Some uninformed wizards began to question the official story and sided with the opposition.
But the Black family and their allies—including the Selwyns and their faction—were prepared.
They countered with two points.
First, Sirius had never been granted a trial. The Ministry had imprisoned him without due process, robbing him of the opportunity to prove his innocence and expose Pettigrew as the true traitor. It was the Ministry—not Sirius—who was guilty of mishandling the case in their desperate effort to create a scapegoat and fabricate a hero.
Second, under Albus Dumbledore's supervision, Peter Pettigrew had been interrogated using Veritaserum—personally brewed by Potions Master Severus Snape. Every detail revealed under that influence was credible and truthful. There was no need for a new trial.
To avoid further risk, they demanded that Pettigrew be sentenced to death immediately and called for Sirius Black's unconditional release.
Over the following days, fierce debate swept through the wizarding community. But in the end, public sentiment shifted in favor of Phineas and the Black family. Under mounting pressure, the Ministry of Magic finally relented.
Sirius Black was formally exonerated.
Peter Pettigrew, still imprisoned within Hogwarts, was transferred and sentenced to receive the Dementor's Kiss, followed by death.
The Kiss was carried out publicly.
The execution was performed behind the veil at the Department of Mysteries.