From Black to White (was Peter...)

[ghinghapuss]

No: HPFGUIDX 90378

> Carol wrote:
> Although I agree with you that Sirius's name needs to be cleared to
> resolve all the loose ends of the story, I think that's going to be
> extremely difficult. As you say, Wormtail is the key. If the
> Wizengamot sees that he's alive, then Sirius is at least innocent 
of his murder. It may be more difficult to prove that he didn't kill 
the twelve Muggles (or betray Lily and James, if that matters to the 
WG).
> 
> Proving that he's dead will be even more difficult. Whatever the
> significance of the Veil in terms of symbolism and so forth, the 
>fact remains that it simply absorbed Sirius. There's no body, no 
>proof that he died fighting Bellatrix, no proof that he was present 
>in the Battle in the DoM. Fudge, who shows up at the end, sees 
>Dumbledore and Harry but no one else on the good side. He has only 
>Dumbledore's word for what happened, and we don't know exactly how 
>much DD thinks he needs to know ("the important points of what has 
>happened here tonight," as DD puts it, OoP 818, Am. ed.). Even if 
DD tells Fudge what happened to Sirius, is he, with his penchant for 
denial, likely to believe that Sirius was in that battle and that 
he's fallen through the Veil? Will anyone else believe it? Only the 
Aurors Fudge brings with him witness anything, and all they see is 
Harry, DD, LV, Bellatrix, a group of stunned and bound DEs, and a 
lot of rubble. (I'm not sure what happens to the other children, but 
the Order members have almost certainly apparated before the Aurors 
arrive in the DoM.)
> 
> My point is, I don't see any way to prove the story of Sirius's
> falling through--unless DD puts Harry's memory of the battle in the
> Pensieve and shows it to Fudge. I'm not even sure that would
> constitute proof to him, or to anyone else whose opinion matters. I
> also don't think that DD would do that, because he still needs to 
keep the identities of the Order members secret. (The names of the
> arrrested DEs were published, but not the full story of the Battle 
of the DoM and its participants.) So even if Sirius's name is 
cleared, I don't see how, without a body or testimony from anyone 
except DD, the DEs, and a group of children, his death is going to 
be proved.



Mandy here:
You cover it very well.  I'm sure you haven't over looked this, but 
I wanted to also add that the whole of the WW, except the Order, 
believes, 100%, that Sirius is be on the side of LV. They possibly 
even believe he is a Death Eater.  It says in one of the books, PoA 
I think, that Sirius was believed to be LV's right hand man and 
ready to take over if LV ever fell from power.  Even in OotP when 
the DE escape from Azkaban, the Daily Profit reports that it is 
believed that Black it their rallying point. 

So, even if it can be proved that Black is dead, which it nigh 
impossible as Carol clearly points out above, how can DD convince 
Fudge and the WW that he was really fighting on the good side?  The 
only evidence is Peter himself, as pointed out above, and he is 
conveniently MIA. The only people to have seen Peter alive are 
either friends of Siruirs or his Godson Harry's friends. Not exactly 
impartial testimony.  I think it's going to be a very difficult 
struggle indeed. Look at Molly's instincts around Black, despite 
being told by everyone she loves of Blacks innocence, she is still 
prejudiced against him where Harry is concerned. The belief that a 
man is a mass murdering, evil Death Eater for 13 years is not easy 
to let go of.  Especially without any evidence.  Not to mention 
clearing Blacks name it going to be the last thing on the MoM and 
DD's list of things to do.  What with LV back and a war on the 
horizon, clearing the name of a mass murder, who is 'allegedly' 
dead, with no living immediate family is not going to be a top 
priority.  Harry is Sirius' only hope, and I believe he is going to 
channel a lot of his anger in to clearing Sirius name eventually, 
but for now he's got a lot on his plate to deal with.

Cheers Mandy