"Why do I get the feeling we're the only two not invited to the party, Nev?" Tracey asked glaring between her other friends. Neville just nodded along with her.
"Sirius Black did not kill anybody that day, Tracey, Neville," Luna said, all traces of airiness and levity having dissolved from her voice. "The facts do not fit. One of the two wizards present fired some curse that damaged the street – "
"Probably a blasting or incendiary curse that hit a gas main," Hermione cut in.
Luna nodded and continued, "Then in the confusion, Peter Pettigrew used a severing charm on his finger and escaped. Sirius Black was likely surprised at the deviousness of his former friend or the resulting carnage and was not fully lucid when the Aurors arrived so shortly after the event. By the time he would have been coherent he was already in custody."
Neville frowned. "Okay but why would Pettigrew keep hiding then? If he was alive and Black had been caught then shouldn't he have come forward?"
Harry shook his head. "Not if he had been the traitor…" Neville and Tracey fixed him with a wide eyed stare but Hermione, Daphne and Luna just nodded in agreement.
"Everyone says that Black was basically my father's brother and a good friend to my mother. On the other hand, everyone also says that Pettigrew was more or less an outsider hanging out on the fringes of the group." Harry looked from face to face. "Of the two, who would you put money on betraying my parents and who would you guess would hunt that traitor down for revenge?"
"Merlin's balls…" Neville whispered. "Why wouldn't anyone else have thought of this though?"
"It was right as the war ended," Daphne said sadly. "Don't underestimate people's desire to just want horrible things to be over and done with. They probably just accepted the easiest explanation and didn't bother to look too closely. There was a lot of secrecy at that point too and secrets are double edged swords."
"So then why would Sirius Black be hunting you, Harry?" Tracey asked. "That part still doesn't fit."
Luna cocked her head at the older girl. "What makes you so certain that he is hunting Harry? Or even if he is hunting, who says he is hunting Harry?"
The others turned to her wide eyed. "You think he found out Pettigrew's here?"
Luna shrugged. "It is possible I suppose. It also possible that someone finally mentioned that you were at Hogwarts to him and he thought to protect the last Potter as he could not do with your parents. Either way, we need to find and speak to the man himself to ascertain his true intentions."
"I agree," Hermione said nodding. "This entire investigation was bungled. The means makes no sense and the motive makes even less sense. I find it highly likely that Sirius Black was framed for this but I don't think running off to find the man to ask him personally is the best plan. Not just yet at least. Let's get the trial records first and then perhaps we could ask Susan's aunt to reopen the original investigation and have him come to us."
"I'll just ask, Tonks," Harry said shrugging. "Give me a second."
Harry walked a bit away from the group to have a modicum of privacy before activating his Comm Stone. "Comm on, contact Tonks. Tonks? Are you busy, do you have a minute to talk?"
"Harry?" the metamorphmagus' voice came through from the stone. "Is there an emergency? Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?"
"We're fine, Tonks. If this isn't a good time I can call back later."
"No it's fine, I'm on break." There was a short pause where Harry heard muffled scuffling sounds as well as a dull bang and soft curse. "They move these desks on purpose, I swear…alright I can talk. Have I mentioned how awesome these things are by the way? I mean really, if you can mass produce this, Harry, you're going to be richer than Merlin."
"I don't know about richer than Merlin...but definitely richer than the Queen," Harry said smiling.
"Nah, she's got her crown jewels and all. Merlin had crown jewels but his were dangly instead of shiny." Harry gagged as he caught the pun. Before he could say anything Tonks kept going just making it worse, "Though I suppose his crown jewels were shiny at times. I mean it's only natural and you've got to keep things fun and – "
"Seriously woman stop! I give, I give! You win!" Harry hurriedly babbled wishing he could clamp his hands over his ears. It would just make it worse though by bringing the rune stone closer to his ear.
Tonks laughed over the line. "And that's what you get for using my name, Harry. Don't forget it. Next time I won't be so niiiccceee," she taunted. "Now, seriously, what's going on?"
Harry sighed. "My friends and I have been investigating the Sirius Black case – "
"Harry, that is really dangerous! You guys are just kids, you can't – "
"Tonks, stop," Harry cut her off. "For one thing we weren't going out looking for him or anything, we were just interviewing people mostly. Secondly, we are not kids. Tracey was basically mind raped for months. Neville's been grown up since he was told what happened to his parents when he was eight. I'm half convinced Hermione was born an adult. Luna watched her mother die two years ago right in front of her. Daphne faced down a thousand year old basilisk with me. And I not only faced the basilisk but my parent's murderer the year before that. We may be young, Tonks, but we're not kids."
Harry could practically see his friend rubbing her forehead. "Fine. I'm sorry for calling you kids. Shiva does it you know. I've noticed."
"Shiva is a special case. And she only calls me kid," Harry shrugged. "I think it's her term of endearment or something. Better than Freak or Boy and she doesn't mean it in a demeaning way or anything so I don't mind. And we're getting sidetracked!"
Tonks laughed. "Yes, we are. I'm guessing you think you guys found something?"
"We think," Harry paused and then rushed ahead, "we think that Sirius Black was actually innocent. We think he was hunting Peter Pettigrew down instead of the other way around. We think that Pettigrew was the real traitor and that he escaped in the confusion, using the opportunity to frame Black. We're not entirely sure why he's here now but this makes a lot more sense because none of the facts seem to fit the official story. Can you get us copies of the trial records? If we knew what he said at the trial then maybe we can get the case reopened and instead of a manhunt for a murdering psycho we can get justice for an innocent."
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