Faded innocence

Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer- Harry Potter belongs to JK. Rowling, not me. Just writing an alternate ending.

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Sirius Black made his way over to the next room not knowing what to expect. His godson could be angry, withdrawn, or even crazy. But, he reminded himself he brought all this on himself. Harry trusted him, risked getting arrested for him but he betrayed him, walked away when he needed him most, turned his back on one of his own. He had no right to beg for forgiveness, all of them had no right to ask for his mercy. When he first learned of his godson's wrongful conviction all he wanted was for him to leave that tormented place. After he saw what that prison had done to him all he wanted was for him to recover. After he recovered, all he wanted was forgiveness but he knew he would never have that wish. After all, he knew first hand what Azkaban did to your soul. He still got nightmares from his stay at the feared prison. And Harry had no animagus form to bring him to the brink of sanity. He had Remus' support and a whole lot of good memories because of the marauders, but Harry had none of those things and he had seen all that Voldemort was up to through the connection. He knew Harry was never going to forgive him, the scars of Azkaban are too deep.

After what seemed like forever, they reached the door to Harry's room, when in actuality it was a little under a minute. They entered the white room to be met with piercing green eyes that seem to be looking into your soul. Those eyes that were dim and unliving a couple of days were now the bright green they used to be. "Well, hello there," he smirked from where he was sitting on his bed. "Harry..." Whispered Sirius willing himself to say something more. "We are so sorry." Said Hermione deciding to reap the bandage.

"What for?" He asked as if he forgot. Oh, he never forgot, he was just bidding his time until he got his revenge. They were all taken aback by his question. He knew what they had expected, shouting, anger, or even the silent treatment. Silence ensued once more as they contemplated the question. "What do you mean?" Asked Mr. Weasley the least guilty of all. "Well thanks to you putting me in Azkaban, I uncovered a different type of magic. One that is dying. I may hate you now but, if I wasn't in Azkaban this mouse and cat game would have lasted a lot more longer. Killing a lot more innocent people." He ended looking at each of them as they faltered under his thoughtful gaze.

Hermione looked at Harry with an unfaltering gaze that matched his. She looked him over as if trying to find where his scars all went. Her eyes looked over his body in all the places he had scars. The huge gash on his face that went from his forehead through his left eye and his lips was now gone. "Harry, what happened to your face?" She asked timidly. The others all looked at her as if waiting for a tantrum from Harry, but all he said was, "It's amazing how far a glamour can go." Ron looked at the floor as if trying to figure out if it held all the answers. Remus looked horrified that he let his cub be so mistreated, even by himself,  that he had to use glamour charms to conceal what he looks like.

The twins, always the joyful ones said, "So, Harry what are you thinking about the future?" Harry looked at them as if he was unsure about what came next, when in reality he has planned everything since the day he was put in Azkaban. "I don't know. I guess since the Dursley's are gone, I would use the money my parents left for me to rent a flat..." He looked as if he was thinking deeply. Bill being the one that had no connection with Harry except a few hello's decided to speak up. "Actually Harry, you can't you are still underage." Harry looked puzzled as though he didn't know his age. "Oh right, I'm still just fifteen." He said as he looked at Mr. Weasley. "What will happen now? And I thought sixteen was the day you get emancipated?" he asked.

Mr. Weasley looked at Harry and gulped. 'The boy sure does know the law.' He thought. "Well, a new law has been passed recently." He answered the young man. "Let me guess, it was your idea of keeping me at Hogwarts isn't it?" He asked as he looked at Dumbledore's and Sirius' guilty faces. "Harry, you need to heal." Said Dumbledore in his grandfatherly tone. Harry stood up and said, "Look at me Dumbledore. What part of me looks unhealthy?" He asked as he turned his back to let them check for bruises. "That's not what he means Harry. He means psychologically." Answered Sirius earning himself a glare from Harry. "What gave you the impression I had Psychological problems?" He asked looking at the man he once considered a father. Sirius was speechless, he looked like a gaping fish. "Well, since you spent a year in Azkaban, we assumed you'd be mad." Said Luna in her usual tone of voice. "Well, don't you think you should stop assuming things about people. It's how we got in this mess in the first place!" He shouted. "And I will have you know that if I wanted to leave the country I would. You are in no power to stop me!" he pointed his finger at Dumbledore. "But, I will not. I have something to do in England." They were all curious as to what he needed to do but he shut them up with one look that said, 'If you move I will hurt you.' "what happened to Hedwig?" He asked. They all looked at each other with a look that spoke, 'How do we tell him.' Finally having plucked up the courage Ron said, "When you were...  Arrested, she came to the burrow as if looking for you. We used her to send messages for the order..." Snape looked at Ron and said, "Potter, she was hit by deatheaters when delivering letters." Harry's face dropped at the news, but covered it well with his 

"What happens now?" He asked looking at Percy. After all, he was the one with connections to the ministry. "You will be placed with a close guardian." He answered. "I know about the part. I want to know who." He asked knowing full well that it would be Sirius. Sirius cringed under the intense gaze of Harry as if he already knew that he was his selected guardian. "Sirius Black." Said Percy. Harry stopped and looked at Sirius with those intense green eyes. Time stopped as the occupants of the room were waiting for an explosion. "NO" Said Harry simply. "Mr. Potter, Sirius was chosen because he was a close friend of your parents. He was also in Azkaban. He kows what its like. He can help you better than anyone can." Harry looked at Sirius and said, "Okay, but I have a matter I need to speak with the minister. I want an appointement." Said Harry looking directly at Percy. "Mr. Potter, we can't do that. The minister is a busy man-" Started percy. "Tell him its important," Was all he said before he flicked his wrist and all the people were once again in the hallway. The door was slammed on their faces the window bolted.

After he slammed the door on their faces he sat down on his bed. 'How dare they!' He thought bitterly. Even a blind man could see these new laws were their way of making him stay.  He looked at the coffee table were a stalk of news papers were waiting. He had asked a nurse to bring him the newspapers from the day he was arrested onwards. So he started with the first of those. It had a picture of him in his Azkaban prison robes. 'Potter, murderer.' Stated the headline.

As he read through the newspapers he couldn't help but frownn. It was worse than he thought. 'It was all their fault.' He thought as he thought of his past aquatances. even his dorm mates from Hogwarts had told the prophet of all that he had done. 

'I think he let out the Basilisk in his second year. Who else could have done it? He was the only Parselmouth in the entire school.' Said Seamus Finnegan' Wrote Rita Skeeter.

' In his first year he lost 150 points for Gryffindor. I think he willingly gave hi blood so He-who-must-not-be-manedreturned.' Said Dean Thomas, one of Mr. Potter's dormmates. 

'So the huge Basilsk just dropped dead by himself?' He asked himself bitterly. He was going to make their lives a living hell, if they thought he was the murderer. He read about how his friends and the people at Hogwarts belittled him and thought him capable of murder and sighed.

It seemed all of them had believed him guilty. he would show them just what they accused him of. 

But one of the papers stood out from the rest.

'Longbottom, the true-boy-who-lived.'

'Earlier today, what was believed were deatheaters invaded the home of the late Auguasta Longbottom and murdered her in front of her grand child. It seemed that the deatheaters wanted to rid the world of the real boy-who-lived. Mr. Longbottom had escaped relatively unscathed by the help of Albus Dumbledore. Leader of the order of the Pheonix, Albus Dumbledore had informed us that there was a mistake in naming the boy-who-lived. It seems that there was a mistake and the true boy-who-lived is Neville Longbottom, son of the late Alice and Frank Longbottom. He is now being put under proper housing and being trained to defeat he-who-must-not-be-named.'

At the bottom was a picture of Draco Malfoy and it said, 

'I always thought Potter was a phony. He is not the true boy-who-lived...'

It went on until all of his former friends joined in the Potter bashing, stating that they knew he was not the true chosen one. 

'I will show them what they did to me.' He thought bitterly, clutching the news paper hard in his bruised hands.

Sirius Black was watching his godson's reaction reading the newspapers published after his arrest. He could see he was furious as waves oof magic radiated off of him. He watched as Harry closed his eyes and took on deep breathes steadying himself. He berated himself all the way for having the idea to frame Neville as the chosen one in an attempt to keep the wizarding world sane. And he knew that he had to reap what he sow.