Just over a year after his unprecedented escape from Azkaban Prison, it seems Sirius Black has died. There is no body to show as evidence, but a credible source inside the Ministry reports that Black died in a battle that occurred last week in the Department of Mysteries. This might be a cause for celebration, as Black was considered one of Voldemort’s most trusted agents, except that the same source posits that Black died protecting The Boy Who Lived. The source claims that Black was killed by his own cousin-- fellow Azkaban escapee and known Death Eater-- Bellatrix Black Lestrange, and that Black was working in accordance with Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter since his escape from Azkaban.

Lestrange was sent to Azkaban for her part in the torture of Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom in 1981. The Longbottoms, permanent resident sof the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungos since their brutal torture, survived by one son, Neville, who is currently a classmate of Potter’s. Black, of course, was sent to prison for the betrayal that led to the eventual murder of James and Lily Potter, and the attempted murder of their son Harry Potter. Black never stood trial for this offence due to a Ministry war-time rule that allowed then-Minister Burke to arbitrarily imprison persons of interest. This law, the Dark Wizard Containment Act, is still on the books here in Britain. Black’s innocence, if it were to be proven, could have implications for the future of the Containment Act.

Barrister Bethsemane Free has long been an opponent of the Containment Act. “I would not be surprised to learn of Black’s innocence,” she stated. “He was sentenced to life in Azkaban on the purely circumstantial belief that he was the Potters’ secret-keeper. There exists no evidence to support or refute this belief.”

Though Black was never tried for the crime for which he was sentenced, he could not have been tried for this crime today either, according to Free. “The statute of limitations has unfortunately expired. If he had been sentenced for murder proper, the statute of limitations would not apply, but since he was sentenced only for conspiracy to commit murder, there would be no way to try him today.” One crime we can all certainly agree that Black committed was his escape from Azkaban last year. Even innocence from his original alleged crime of conspiracy to commit murder would not have freed him from Ministerial justice on this newer count of prison escape.

We contacted Minister Fudge’s office about whether it would consider posthumously pardoning Black if our sources within the Ministry are correct about his innocence. In response, Fudge stated, “Black was guilty of all charges. He was convicted for a reason. He deserved nothing better than death.”

Barrister Free was outraged by Fudge’s comment, saying, “It demonstrates that our Minister has failed to grasp the very fundamentals of the Containment Act. Black was never convicted of any crime.” Furthermore, Free is in the process of contacting Harry Potter himself in an attempt to secure not only a posthumous pardon but also war-time honors for Sirius Black. She admits that at this time Potter has not responded to her multiple missives. “I’m sure he’s very busy,” stated Free.

by
link