"Because I deserved it!"
Sirius's voice rang out once more, instantly drowning out both Fudge and Bones, the two judges.
All the wizards' attention was drawn back to Sirius.
"Because I practically killed them myself!
If it hadn't been for my suggestion, they wouldn't have switched Secret Keepers, and Voldemort would never have found them!
My arrogance made them pay with their lives!
A fool like me deserved to be locked up in that place with the Dementors!"
At this moment, Sirius had finally been cornered by Bones's strategic questioning and Fudge's clumsy responses, forcing him to reveal what was truly in his heart.
The entire courtroom fell silent. They stared at Sirius in shock, never expecting this man to value friendship so deeply.
Many witches already had tears in their eyes.
Sherlock looked at Harry. "See? That's how it is, my friend."
Harry was on the verge of tears.
After hearing Sirius's heartfelt words, Madam Bones finally stopped pressing the already struggling Fudge.
A flash of insight gleamed behind her spectacles as she turned her attention to Sirius.
"Witness, are you saying that you surrendered to the Ministry when they arrived, and kept silent about the truth until you discovered the defendant was still alive, simply because you wanted to atone by being imprisoned in Azkaban?"
"Yes." Sirius said with a stony expression.
"I personally don't condone your approach, but I can understand it."
Madam Bones shifted her gaze from Sirius to Fudge. "I have no further questions."
After speaking those words, Sirius let out a long breath.
He looked deeply at Madam Bones again, his feelings were mixed.
Just as Sherlock had said, he really did know Amelia. Though it was only a gentleman's friendship.
Amelia Bones herself was a staunch member of the anti-Voldemort coalition.
Although she was now Director of Magical Law Enforcement, she had actually assumed the position after Barty Crouch was transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
So, she hadn't handled Sirius's case.
Their connection mainly came through Bones's brother, Edgar Bones.
Like Sirius, he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Edgar had been a brave warrior who died heroically during the wizarding war.
Sirius had great respect for him. As for what Sirius had just revealed, he had actually mentioned it to Harry before, though in indirect terms. But never as explicitly as today.
Now, by coincidence, having spoken his true feelings publicly, Sirius couldn't help but feel once again that he was an idiot.
After this exchange ended, the entire courtroom fell into brief silence.
Dumbledore's gaze observed Sirius through his half-moon spectacles, his expression seemingly peaceful, but his slightly trembling shoulders revealed his inner turmoil.
Professor McGonagall sat beside him, back straight, hands tightly clasped on her knees.
Her lips pressed into a stern line, tears already welling in her eyes as she kept shaking her head. "Foolish boy, such a foolish boy..."
Professor McGonagall had once used those words to describe Peter Pettigrew, and now she bestowed the same assessment upon Sirius. Only because their positions had been reversed.
Lupin looked particularly weary, but beneath that weariness lay profound sorrow.
His gentle eyes stared unblinkingly at Peter, his expression was extremely complex.
As if through that trembling form he could see back to the bloody betrayal of thirteen years ago, his gaze filled with deep pain and a trace of incredulous pity toward Sirius.
Snape's black robes nearly merged with the shadows. From the moment the trial officially began, the corner of his mouth had maintained an undisguised, extremely satisfied sneer, like a viper watching its prey fall into a trap.
However, after Sirius spoke those words just now, those cold eyes flickered with barely perceptible surprise, then his lips formed one silent word.
"Idiot."
Mad-Eye Moody's expression was terrible, his gaze toward Peter filled with hatred, while his look toward Sirius carried some regret.
Sherlock's posture was the most relaxed in the entire room.
Despite being in a courtroom, he seemed somewhat detached from the place, his gray eyes showing no emotional fluctuation.
As for Harry, his eyes were now streaming with tears like Professor McGonagall's.
At this moment, Sirius somehow felt a quiet sense of relief deep inside.
As if some heavy burden had finally been set down.
Compared to Sirius's quiet relief, Fudge truly let out a long breath.
Seeing that Madam Bones had finally stopped her relentless pursuit, and fearing someone else might cause a disturbance, he hastened to repeat the line Madam Bones had previously interrupted.
"Since the defendant has confessed to the two main charges, combined with verification by Veritaserum and testimony from key witness Sirius Black, this court will now vote—all in favor of the defendant's guilt, please raise your hands."
Both Sirius and Peter jerked their heads up.
Harry's heart lurched as he anxiously looked around. He saw hands rising, quite a few—it seemed more than half already!
His breathing quickened. He was about to count them carefully when Fudge, even more anxious than him, hastily said.
"Now, all in favor of dismissing the charges, please raise your hands."
Somewhat surprisingly, six or seven hands actually went up.
Among them were the scruffy wizard on the second bench and the woman with gray hair beside him.
Fudge glared at these people viciously, memorizing each of their faces.
He would settle scores later.
Taking a deep breath, he announced in a booming voice.
"Very well. This court now renders its verdict. All rise!"
Everyone except Peter Pettigrew stood up.
"The defendant Peter Pettigrew is found guilty!
For the crime of wartime treason, his hero's name is stripped away;
For the murder of thirteen Muggles, his Order of Merlin is revoked;
For endangering the wizarding world as an illegal Animagus, he is sentenced to—the Dementor's Kiss!"
As those words fell, Peter's body shuddered. His last hope was finally extinguished.
Ever since Sherlock had exposed him, he knew this day would come sooner or later.
No—he should have known from the day he chose betrayal that he might end up like this.
A sound emerged from his throat as his eyes rolled back.
Sirius exhaled heavily. Though his expression remained tense, his emotions surged.
Sherlock's brother Mycroft had been right.
Even though this was merely a formal public trial, the sense of relief from having his wrongful conviction cleared and seeing the traitor finally brought to justice strongly impacted his nerves.
It was even more intense than the excitement he felt when he successfully escaped from Azkaban.
Fudge's face finally showed signs of relaxation. The formal end of the trial and Sirius's cooperation had lifted a weight from his shoulders.
"Please be seated!"
After everyone sat down again, he straightened his back, raised his voice to a resonant, forceful tone, and began reciting his prepared speech with great fervor.
"Since assuming the position of Minister for Magic, I have always been committed to the complete realization of justice!
We will never let a single murderer go free! Nor will we wrong any innocent person!
Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent!"
Although this shameless self-promotion seemed particularly ironic to those in the know, for most people present, it did create a sense of satisfaction.
Only Sherlock sneered dismissively. "Can delayed justice still be called justice?"
Harry wiped away his tears and grinned. "Sherlock, haven't you said that before?"
Though there had been some minor incidents during the trial, the final result was still worth celebrating.
Hearing Harry's words, Sherlock's gray eyes narrowed as he turned to Harry.
"Dear Harry, I did say those words—because Dumbledore once said the same thing.
But compared to Dumbledore, this Minister's hypocrisy makes me feel even more disgusted, at least Dumbledore has been working to uphold justice. But Fudge?
Think about it. Sirius was slandered as a traitor and lived with Dementors for twelve years.
Peter escaped justice by transforming into a rat and was praised by people as a hero.
Now this Minister paints himself as the champion of justice? The pioneer of truth?
Please remember this, my dear friend."
Sherlock's voice became serious.
"Everything we're doing now can only be considered making up for the regret that justice failed to arrive on time.
It's not something to be proud of, much less something to trumpet about like he does, flaunting it as an achievement.
A rotten apple with a coat of gold paint can become a sacred fruit in a politician's mouth.
If justice must take the stage stepping on the corpses of wrongful imprisonment, how is it different from an executioner's scythe?
Fudge's speech is nothing more than a dirge turning a funeral into a celebration."
Harry: "...
'You make such a good point, I'm speechless.'
Fudge was naturally oblivious to all this and continued his impassioned speech.
"The defendant's crimes are severe and heinous. His betrayal directly led to the fall of heroes.
After his betrayal, he showed no remorse, instead framing and entrapping others, causing an innocent person to suffer wrongful imprisonment for over a decade, and cruelly slaughtering more than a dozen Muggles.
His methods were despicable, the consequences severe—truly rare in the wizarding world!
To demonstrate the majesty of justice and purify the social atmosphere, this court confirms the previous investigation report and the verdict just rendered.
For the criminal Peter Pettigrew—"
Fudge paused, taking a deep breath as if gathering the strength to announce the ultimate sentence.
Beads of sweat on his forehead glistened in the firelight. Once everyone's attention was focused on him, he announced loudly.
"The Dementor's Kiss is to be administered immediately!"
Peter let out a shrill, distorted scream that barely sounded human, his body was desperately twisting and struggling against the chains.
The atmosphere in the courtroom instantly dropped to freezing.
The moment Harry heard the words "Dementor's Kiss," his stomach lurched.
At this moment, he couldn't help but recall Ron's description—about that fatal kiss of the Dementors.
The soul forcibly extracted, leaving only a living corpse, a fate worse than death.
Of course, Peter Pettigrew truly deserved to die a thousand deaths, and even someone as kind as Harry wouldn't pity him.
But thinking about what was about to happen, he still felt an intense physiological revulsion.
With this thought, he couldn't help but grip Sherlock's arm tightly, lowering his voice to say.
"Sherlock, if I pass out in a bit, remember to hold me up so I don't slide off the bench."
Sherlock: ←_←
His little friend was quite concerned about saving face.
As Fudge's words fell, the door in the corner of the room opened once again.
The two Dementors from before glided slowly back in.
Sirius's expression immediately changed. He stood up from his chair and backed away several steps.
He had indeed gone to Azkaban willingly to atone.
But!
His twelve years of life in Azkaban had also created a huge psychological shadow regarding these Dementors.
That was why he had been so panicked after escaping, fearing he'd encounter these creatures again.
Of course, this was also because he'd lost his wand and couldn't use the Patronus Charm.
Now that he had his wand back, though his fear of Dementors remained, at least he had some confidence.
Even so, seeing the Dementor gliding slowly toward him, he almost pulled out his wand to cast a Patronus. But realizing it was coming for Peter, he forcibly suppressed the impulse and decisively moved aside.
What was about to happen would be the most spectacular part, and what he most wanted to see.
Sirius thought cruelly.
"The sentence is to be carried out immediately! To ensure orderly proceedings, everyone remain in place!"
Fudge announced loudly again.
His voice seemed to remind Peter, causing him to start shouting, having already become like a puddle of mud.
"No, no! Please!
Send me to Azkaban instead, just send me to Azkaban!
I still have—" Peter looked toward Sirius, who was closest to him, as if trying to grasp a last lifeline, screaming through tears and snot.
However, Sirius only felt disgust and deep satisfaction.
He stared unblinkingly at Peter, practically squeezing the words through his teeth.
"This is exactly what you deserve—traitor!"
A Dementor hovered precisely before the collapsed, screaming Peter.
The light in the courtroom seemed partially absorbed by them, becoming even more dim and cold.
Peter still desperately tried to escape the Dementor.
But everyone could see that the Dementor's cold suction was already taking effect on him.
"I have information to report! I know—I know Snape is also one of that person's followers. I swear to you, he's a Death Eater!"
Harry's expression changed immediately, and he quickly looked toward Snape in the front.
At this moment, he even forgot about the immense pressure the Dementor brought him.
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