Hogwarts had slipped into routine. Not boring its never boring, but the kind of rhythm where each day folded into the next, equal parts madness and normality.
For me, "normal" meant grinding harder than anyone else could imagine.
Most nights I snuck into abandoned classrooms. With one flick, sparks jumped.
With another, a shield shimmered into place. "Scutum Resonare," I muttered, and the dome rang like glass struck by a hammer.
I laced it with Disarming Charms or Stunners, watching the spells bounce back at whatever unlucky chair or desk stood nearby.
First years were supposed to be learning Levitation charms and fire making spells. I was casually rewriting defensive theory like it was a group project.
Occlumency was goin gud, the Infinity Castle stretched wide. Every spell I learned, every counter curse, every line of Latin found its own door.
Its Defence now holds Cosmic entities and eldritch horrors even I don't want my enemies to see.
I wandered those halls in this fortress like a king of pop.
Yeah. Genius, but humble.
But Not every night was solo grinding. Ron made sure of that.
"Mate, you play like you've already memorized the board," Ron groaned, moving his rook.
The piece grumbled and shuffled across. Ron was great at chess but if I assume his rating? 1800 max.
"Not my fault you play like your pieces are unionized," I said, smirking as my knight trampled his bishop.
Ron threw up his hands. "You cheat at magic and chess. Brilliant."
Hermione, buried in a book nearby, huffed. "It's called strategy, Ronald. Try it sometime."
I grinned. "Translation: I'm cracked. You're mid."
Neither of them got it.
That was half the fun.
Classes had their moments too. Dean leaned over in Charms one morning. "Bet you five sickles Flitwick makes us levitate teacups next week."
"Too easy," I whispered back. "I bet it'll be his lunchbox instead. Man doesn't trust plates."
Seamus snorted so hard his wand slipped. Sparks shot across the desk. Flitwick spun, hair wild.
"Mr. Finnigan!"
"Sorry, Professor," Seamus wheezed.
I winked at him. casual chaos.
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The Weasley twins adopted me halfway through the year. "Young Potter," Fred announced, "we require your services."
George nodded solemnly. "Our dear brother Percy is in dire need of humility."
Percy stalked past, nose in the air. "Some of us actually care about grades."
I flicked my wand. Percy's quill case burst open, feathers raining down on his head like snow.
The twins howled. Percy turned red in anger.
"Potter!" he snapped.
"Oops," I said innocently. "Guess even quills need to stretch their wings."
Even Hermione cracked a smile at that one.
Then there was Malfoy. Always Malfoy.
Our resident ferret.
We clashed in hallways, at meals, even once outside the library. His cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, flanked him like bouncers.
One time Malfoy blocked the hallway like he owned it, Crabbe and Goyle hulking behind him as always.
Pansy Parkinson hovered nearby like a pug, waiting for the show.
He smirked when he saw us. "Potter. Thought you'd be in the library with your little pet Mudblood."
Hermione froze, her book clutched tight against her chest. Ron's ears went red.
I stepped forward before Ron could blow up. My voice was calm, steady. "Funny, Malfoy. You say Mudblood like it's supposed to sting. But last I checked, Hermione's outscoring you in every subject without even trying. Meanwhile, you've got Crabbe taking notes like a caveman with a rock and stick."
Crabbe frowned. "Hey—"
"Shut up, Crabbe," Malfoy hissed, though his ears went pink.
I tilted my head. "You know what I think? You don't hate Muggle-borns. You're scared of them. Scared someone like Hermione proves that all your centuries of inbreeding don't mean squat when a girl who only learned magic last year is already leagues ahead of you."
The Slytherins nearby went very still. Pansy's hand flew to her mouth again, eyes wide.
Malfoy's face went red as laughter spread through the hallway. He finally snapped, voice high and sharp.
"My father will hear about this!"
I tilted my head. "Brilliant. Tell him I said hi. Maybe he can finally win an argument for you."
The Gryffindors howled. Even a Ravenclaw passing by choked back a snicker.
-----------------------------------------
And then one was outside was the library.
The library was quiet except for the scratch of quills and the occasional cough.
Hermione had buried herself in Intermediate Transfiguration.
So Ron and I took the time to drag her out from Library to get some air.
And outside we met the ferret. Staring at us smirking, his voice cut the silence.
"Well, well. Look who thinks books will make him special. Potter and his Mudblood shadow."
Hermione stiffened clutching her books, Ron face went red, fists clenching.
I stood, stretching like I hadn't heard him. Then I look in his eye, calm as stone. "You again. What's wrong, Malfoy? Did Crabbe eat your homework and you needed an audience for your sulk?"
A few Ravenclaws at nearby looked up, smirking.
Malfoy sneered. "You think clever words change what you are? You're nothing without that scar. Without it you'd be forgotten."
I stepped closer, low voice carrying. "Forgotten? Funny thing. Even if I was, I'd still be here, learning magic, making friends, and living rent free in your head. What do you have, Malfoy, besides a family crest no one outside of Knockturn Alley cares about?"
Gasps broke the silence. Even the Ravenclaws leaned forward.
Malfoy's jaw worked. "My family—"
"Your family," I cut in, "couldn't even pick the winning side in a war. They backed Voldemort and then grovelled to the Ministry when he fell. Some legacy."
Hermione's eyes went wide at my bluntness. Ron choked back a laugh.
Malfoy's wand hand shook. "Careful, Potter. My father will hear about this."
I leaned closer, lowering my voice. "Good. Maybe he'll send you a bedtime story about the last war. Spoiler alert: he was on the losing team."
Hermione gasped softly, but she didn't stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
Ron nearly fell off laughing.
-----------------------------------------
Dumbledore POV*
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, fingers steepled, eyes distant as the weeks passed.
Letters flew between Hogwarts and the offices of Amelia Bones and Shacklebolt, quietly coordinating an investigation that would leave no detail unchecked.
The work was slow and meticulous. Bones dug into the Ministry's archives, cross referencing witness statements, inconsistencies in reports, and the careful omissions that had allowed Sirius Black to be condemned without trial.
Shacklebolt shadowed old associates of Pettigrew, following the faintest leads that might reveal the rat's true nature.
Dumbledore oversaw it all with his usual calm precision. Every scrap of information was weighed, every contradiction noted.
Slowly, the full story emerged: Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters and vanished into hiding; Sirius had been falsely accused; and the entire affair had been manipulated by Barty Crouch Sr. and Lucius Malfoy.
Crouch had sought political advantage, Malfoy the Black family legacy—and in the middle of it all, an innocent man had been condemned.
When the investigation concluded, He started the operation.
He cannot fail harry anymore.
-----------------------------------------
the castle stirred with whispers. I knew something was coming when Dumbledore asked me to meet him in his office.
His eyes were sharp, but his voice softer than usual.
"It is time, Harry. We have what we need. Tonight, Pettigrew will be unmasked."
And so I stood in the Gryffindor common room when Dumbledore swept in with two Aurors in deep navy robes.
At their head was Amelia Bones, monocle glinting under the torchlight.
"I would have said hi but its no to chatter now, Where's the rat?" she asked briskly.
I had already told Ron the truth before, he was sceptical but he believed me saying " If its true you ought to give me an owl for a pet"
Ron, pale but determined, held out Scabbers. "Here. Just—don't hurt him. If what Harry says is true…"
" then he's not a rat at all," I finished.
Amelia nodded once. "Stand back."
One Auror muttered the spell. "Animagi Reverto."
The squealing rat twisted, stretched, and cracked into shape.
A small balding man with watery eyes and a trembling hand appeared on the rug, gasping like he'd surfaced from drowning.
Peter Pettigrew.
Ron staggered back. Hermione's hand flew to her mouth.
Amelia's eyes were cold. "Bind him."
Chains snapped tight around his wrists. Pettigrew whimpered. "N-no, you don't understand—I was scared—he was going to kill me—"
"Save it," Amelia said. "You'll speak under Veritaserum." She looked at Dumbledore. "We'll take him straight to the DMLE."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled faintly at me. "Come, Harry. I believe you should witness the truth."
-----------------------------------------
Next day, Dumbledore took me to the ministry through the floo.
We arrived an hour early, the auror checked our identity and wands and give us the clearence.
The Wizengamot chamber rose like a bowl of dark stone, lined with seats of witches and wizards in plum robes. The air buzzed with whispers.
I sat with Dumbledore on one side, Amelia Bones standing proud before the court.
In the chained chair sat Sirius Black, gaunt, hollow eyed, his hair matted from Azkaban.
He looked like a man who had been scraped raw by years of darkness.
Across from him, Peter Pettigrew squirmed under Auror guard. His watery eyes darted everywhere, desperate for an exit.
The shock on the face of everyone, especially Lucius and Fudge face was priceless.
They all had no idea Pettigrew was alive.
The Chief Warlock's gavel struck. "The trial of Sirius Orion Black begins."
Amelia's voice cut sharp. "Sirius Black has languished in Azkaban twelve years without trial. He is accused of betraying James and Lily Potter, of murdering Peter Pettigrew, and of killing Muggles with a single curse. Today, we test these charges under Veritaserum."
A vial was produced. Sirius lifted his head, eyes burning. "I consent."
Pettigrew shrieked. "No! You can't—" but the potion was already forced down his throat.
What followed shattered the chamber.
Yes, Sirius had been Secret Keeper. Yes, he had switched with Pettigrew at the last moment. Yes, Pettigrew had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort.
Yes, Pettigrew had killed the Muggles in the explosion and cut off his own finger to fake his death.
Gasps rippled. Some Wizengamot members turned white.
In the gallery, Lucius Malfoy rose, voice silk but sharp. "This is outrageous! Black is a known murderer, a dangerous radical. We cannot free him on the word of—"
"Sit down, Lucius," Amelia snapped. "We are not swayed by bribes or whispers. The truth speaks for itself."
Even Cornelius Fudge, sweat beading his brow, stammered something about "procedural irregularities" before being drowned out by the murmurs of the court.
Dumbledore's voice rang clear. "You have heard it with your own ears. Sirius Black is innocent. It is time this body corrects its shameful failure."
The vote passed. Not even Malfoy's gold could fight the tide of truth.
The chains around Sirius fell. For a moment he looked stunned, as if he couldn't believe freedom was real. Then his eyes flicked to me.
For the first time in years, he smiled.
Compensation was ordered. Healing treatment mandated. A man broken by injustice was, at last, unshackled.
I sat in the gallery, heart pounding, and whispered under my breath. "Welcome back, Sirius."
Lets give him a family he deserves.
That much I can do.
-----------------------------------------
The Aurors finally left. The Wizengamot chamber was empty, its echo still heavy with justice it just delivered.
Dumbledore take us to a private room to get us meet and talk privately.
Dumbledore lingered at the doorway, but gave me the smallest nod before closing the door.
It was just me and Sirius.
He looked… hollow, but his grey eyes had life again. He studied me like a starving man seeing food for the first time.
"You've got James's hair," he rasped, "and Lily's eyes. But Merlin, you're not like them. You're… you."
I shifted awkwardly. "Yeah. Me. Harry Potter. Though half the time I'm not even sure what that means."
Sirius barked a laugh, hoarse and rusty, but real. "That's exactly what James would've said. Then he'd grin and drag me into trouble."
"Sounds about right," I said, grinning back. Then, after a beat, softer: "I'm glad you're free. You didn't deserve any of it."
His jaw tightened. "I thought I'd die in there. Azkaban doesn't just take your freedom. It eats your soul. But seeing you—" His voice cracked. "It's like a part of me I thought was gone forever is still here."
Something inside me twisted. He was searching for family in me, and I wasn't really Harry. Not the Harry he thought.
Still I couldn't let him break. Not now.
So I leaned against the wall and said, "You know, Sirius… I've got something for you. Something I wrote myself."
His brows furrowed. "You wrote?"
[A/N: disclaimer: All songs i use are own by their respective makers. Tho if you haven't heard the song I'll suggest you to listen to while reading]
I nodded, clearing my throat. Pull out my wand and cast a music spell which takes out the tune from the memory, the music started playing.
Then, I began:
["There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"- The Smiths 2011 Remastered]
[Take me out tonight
Where there's music and there's people
And they're young and alive…]
[Driving in your car
I never, never want to go home
Because I haven't got one
Anymore…]
Sirius froze. His mouth parted, and tears slipped down through the grime on his face.
I kept singing, my voice shaky but steadying as I went:
[And if a double decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die…]
[And if a ten tonne truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine]
[Take me out tonight…
Take me anywhere
I don't care, I don't care, I don't care…
And in the darkened underpass
I thought, 'Oh God, my chance has come at last!'
But then a strange fear gripped me
And I just couldn't ask…]
By the time I finished, silence filled the chamber like a prayer.
Sirius pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, shoulders shaking.
"That…" His voice broke. "That was beautiful. James would've teased you, but Lily she would've said you had an old soul."
I smiled faintly. "Guess I'm a mix of both, then. Old soul, young sarcasm."
He laughed again, watery but real this time. Then he leaned forward, gripping my shoulder, And hugged me tightly.
"Whatever you are, Harry you're not alone anymore. You've got me."
For the first time in this life,
I believed it.
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GAAHH I HOPE THAT EMOTIONAL PART LANDED GOOD.
Seriously how do authors capture these intence scenes perfectly??
Anyway one more chapter coming later to end the whole first year fiasco.
tell if you liked it or not.
See ya!!
-Nine11P2