Hogwarts Raven's Claw

Chapter 341 Trial
"Sir, please."

Percy lowered his head, bent his waist slightly, and made a please gesture.

His appearance aroused Mike's interest, and he asked softly, "Are you Fudge's assistant now?"

"No, sir." Percy still lowered his head and didn't dare to look at Mike. "I still work at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Nodding, and seeing that Percy had no intention of talking to him, Mike didn't force it. He followed the direction Percy pointed and sat down with Mario.

The two of them were seated on the right side of the courtroom, right next to the two old witches. When they saw Mike sitting down, the two old witches in purple robes with silver W badges on their chests immediately became interested. They grabbed Mike's hand and started asking:

"You're not Harry Potter?"

"How old are you this year?"

"Oh! You are so handsome, young man. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes, what a pity! I wanted to introduce my granddaughter to you."

After "investigating" Mike's household registration, the two old ladies finally asked the question they really wanted to ask.

"By the way, I heard that Dumbledore is coming today too, is that true?"

Looking at the two old ladies' eyes that were still shining even though they were covered by black veils, Mike's expression suddenly became a little strange. He sorted out his words and said slowly:
"He...should come. After all, it's Harry Potter who's being tried."

"Oh! That's great!" One of the old ladies clapped her hands. "But why haven't they arrived yet? You know, the court date has long passed. If they're any later, the Wizengamot will sentence them for absconding."

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy door of the courtroom was pushed open, and Harry's thin figure appeared in front of everyone.

Suddenly, there was a whisper in the courtroom, and many people cast unfriendly looks at Harry.

Being late is a sign of extreme disrespect.

"you are late!"

Fudge's cold voice echoed in the courtroom.

"I'm sorry," Harry said nervously, "I didn't know the time was changed!"

"That's not the Wizengamot's fault!" said Fudge. "We sent an owl to you this morning. Now, take a seat!"

Harry originally wanted to continue explaining, but after hearing what Fudge said, he had no choice but to shut up silently.

Harry's seat was located in the center of the courtroom. It was an old chair with many rusty chains.

Generally speaking, when a criminal sits on it, the chains will swing automatically and tie the criminal tightly.

However, when Harry sat on it, the chains just twisted a few times like snakes and did not tie Harry up.

Mike sneered at this scene.

This guy Fudge is too indecisive. If he has really decided to stand against Dumbledore, he should do everything to the extreme!
Instead of doing some small actions like today that offend people but do not cause any pain to them.

Harry's lateness today was simply a joke.

The time written on the invitation letters to all the jury members was 8:00 a.m., which meant that Fudge had already confirmed the time.

But he said that the Ministry of Magic temporarily changed the time and arranged for owls, which was simply a crude frame-up that could not be more crude.

"Very good, the defendant is finally here, let's get started." Fudge turned his head and looked across the bench and said, "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir."

Percy's voice came from the darkness, and Harry, who was in the center of the courtroom, trembled noticeably after hearing the familiar voice.

"The trial on August 4," Fudge said in a loud and excited voice, while Percy beside him began to record hurriedly, "The trial of Harry James Potter, who lives at Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, for violating the Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards Act and the International Statute of Secrecy."

"Judges: Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones, Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge. Trial Recorder: Percy Weasley..."

As Fudge announced each name, the person called stood up and bowed to the jury.

And the one named Umbridge is undoubtedly the most eye-catching.

Because she was so ugly. As the two old witches next to Mike said jokingly, "That girl looks like the toad my son raises..."

Fudge continued, "Witness for the defense: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

When Fudge announced the last name, the door of the courtroom was opened with a bang, and then Dumbledore, wearing a black and blue robe, walked in.

Almost everyone stood up and looked in surprise at the tall figure slowly approaching the gate. The two old witches screamed and waved at Dumbledore.

"Ah, Dumbledore." Fudge looked panicked. "Yes, so you - er - you received our letter - knowing that the time and place of the trial had been changed?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't receive it. But I made a lucky mistake and arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so it didn't cause any hindrance."

"Yes...yes."

Fudge obviously had not yet recovered from the shock of Dumbledore's sudden appearance, while the members of the Wizengamot were still whispering to each other, fidgeting with anxiety.

"Well, let's move on." Fudge swallowed, moved the document in front of him and said, "So now... the charges. Yes, the charges against the defendant are as follows: the defendant had previously received a written warning from the Ministry of Magic for similar charges, and this time, knowing full well that his actions were illegal, he intentionally released a Patronus Charm at 16:32 pm on August 10 in a Muggle-inhabited area in the presence of a Muggle. This behavior violates Section 3 of the "Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards Act" promulgated in 1875, and Article 13 of the "International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy."

"Are you the Harry Potter who lives at number 4, Privet Drive?"

Fudge asked, glaring at Harry.

"Yes."

"You were given a warning by the Ministry three years ago for the illegal use of magic, weren't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"And you conjured up a patronus on August 2?"

"Yes……"

"You knew you were under seventeen, and you were fully aware that there was a Muggle nearby, right?"

"Yes!" Harry was unable to bear it any longer. "I used magic only because we..." "You conjured a fully materialized Patronus?"

This time it was a witch wearing a monocle who interrupted Harry.

"Yes, because..."

"My God, he's only fifteen years old this year?" The witch interrupted Harry again and started discussing with the people around her.

"Yes, you are a genius. Can you tell me how you did it?"

"Professor Lupin and Mike taught me in my third year. I don't think it's a big deal. Mike did much better than me. He could even release a physical Patronus at that time."

"Mike? You mean Mike Townley?"

"Yes."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the courtroom completely exploded.

Almost everyone on the field cast their eyes on Mike, and their expressions became much kinder.

You have to know that releasing a physical Patronus has always been the standard for judging whether a person can join the Wizengamot. At the beginning, the reason why these Wizengamot members didn't like Mike was because Mike himself was not a member of the Wizengamot. They thought Mike was not worthy of sitting with them.

But now it’s different. A little wizard in the third grade can release a physical patronus.

Joining the Wizengamot in the future is almost a certainty.

The two old witches next to him held Mike's hands tightly, with a strange light in their eyes.

"Is what he said true?" one of the witches asked excitedly, "What is your patronus?"

"It's a raven, ma'am."

"Oh! It's that cute little creature!" Another witch suddenly said, "Mike, you don't mind me calling you that, right? (Mike nods) My granddaughter loves ravens the most. I'd like to invite you to my house after the trial is over. Is that okay?"

"emmm, this..."

The expression on Mike's face was a little embarrassed, but fortunately, Uncle Mario stood up at this time.

"Uh-huh, Patil, Mike has promised me that he will visit my house later."

"Is that so?" Patil looked at Mike with suspicion, and Mike nodded quickly, "That's such a pity. But, Mike, I still hope you can think about it carefully. You know, my granddaughter is much prettier than Mr. Foley's daughter."

"Patil!"

"All right, all right, I won't say anything more. Mr. Foley, you're still in such a bad mood. It's really a bummer."

……

Mario and the witch were interacting crazily, while Mike could only smile awkwardly on the side.

At this time, Harry and Dumbledore in the audience also discovered Mike.

Dumbledore didn't seem surprised at all, but Harry was different. He opened his mouth wide and stared at Mike on the stage in disbelief.

Noticing Harry's gaze, Mike smiled and winked at Harry, indicating that he didn't need to worry.

"Silence!" Fudge shouted angrily when he saw that the discipline in the court was about to get out of control. "This is not a question of how great the magic is. In fact, I think the greater the magic, the worse it is, because he did it in front of a Muggle!"

Hearing this, the Wizengamot members who had been watching Mike nodded.

Being able to release a physical Patronus at such a young age simply means that Harry is not a dark wizard, but also has a strong magical talent.

But this does not mean that Harry is a law-abiding citizen.

You have to know that violating the Statute of Secrecy is a serious crime, even a three-year-old child knows this.

And now Harry dared to break the law knowingly, which shows that Harry essentially does not take the law seriously at all.

Thinking of this, the eyes of the jury members turned cold again.

A talented criminal can cause far more damage than an ordinary criminal!
Harry in the center of the courtroom also became angry after noticing the change in the jury members' eyes. He stood up from his chair in an instant. This action scared everyone in the courtroom, especially the chains on the side of the chair, which quickly wrapped around Harry almost at the same time he stood up.

"Peng!"

There was a loud bang and Dumbledore took action. As soon as the chains approached Harry, they were bounced away by a huge force.

"How dare you, Dumbledore, use a spell to resist in court!"

A roar came from Fudge's mouth, and many Wizengamot members in the jury box stood up, holding wands in their hands, as if ready to cast a spell at the center at any time.

Harry was frightened by this sudden turn of events. He stood there stupidly, holding the chains and the people in the jury box, neither sitting nor standing.

At this moment, Dumbledore put his big hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into the chair. Then he said loudly to Fudge, "Harry is just too nervous. He did nothing wrong. As for me, I did violate the regulations of the Ministry of Magic. So, Fudge, are you going to arrest me and put me in Azkaban?"

"This……"

Fudge was silent.

To be honest, if possible, Fudge really wanted to throw Dumbledore into Azkaban. But, did he dare?
No, he doesn't dare!
Dumbledore is the most powerful white wizard in the world today, and he has been the headmaster of Hogwarts for decades. The students he taught are spread across every corner of the Ministry of Magic in the United Kingdom, including some with extraordinary power.

If these people knew that they had put Dumbledore in Azkaban for such a small matter.

Then myself...

Shaking his head, Fudge couldn't imagine the tragic scene he would face after doing this.

Seeing Fudge on the stage looking increasingly gloomy but still not saying anything, Dumbledore chuckled and said:
"Ha ha ha, okay Fudge, stop dwelling on these irrelevant questions. Let me answer your original question. Harry, my student, cast the Patronus Charm in front of a Muggle because the two of them were attacked by Dementors at the time!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the courtroom, which was originally filled with whispers, immediately became silent.

After a long while, the witch with the monocle frowned and asked:
"Dementors? That's impossible. Dumbledore, you should know that all Dementors are serving in Azkaban, and they will not leave Azkaban without the order of the Ministry of Magic. So, what you mean is that someone in the Ministry of Magic ordered the Dementors to attack Harry Potter?!"

(End of this chapter)