The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 356 I Misjudged Myself
Fudge has not been idle these days. After talking with Dumbledore, he started his own actions.

Since it was inevitable to exonerate Sirius Black, all Fudge could do was to maximize his interests and profit from this attack.

While Fudge was meeting with the directors of the Law Enforcement Department, he was also discussing privately with his staff. Finally, on the first Monday after the Easter holiday, a report to vindicate Blake was published in the Daily Prophet.

This report tells what happened twelve years ago, including how the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix fought against Voldemort, the Potters' Secret-Keeper Plan, Peter's identity as the Secret-Keeper, and why Sirius was wrongfully imprisoned.

In order to protect the reputation and prestige of the Ministry of Magic, this report has been flattering the Ministry of Magic and Fudge, being vague about the trial that year, and praising Sirius as a tragic hero. Sirius was wrongly imprisoned because he felt guilty about the Potters' death and did not say anything.

Although this is the truth, the Ministry of Magic is really greedy. If they had been more careful, this injustice could have been avoided, the public would not have been deceived for twelve years, and Sirius would not have to spend his best years in Azkaban.

The public's eyes were sharp, and soon someone discovered that it was Barty Crouch who put Sirius Black in prison without trial. As a result, slogans such as "The Ministry of Magic is incompetent, Fudge should step down, and Barty Crouch should be sent to Azkaban" became popular.

At this time, Fudge stood up, bowed and apologized in one go, restarted the trial of the case that year, and personally served as the chairman of the jury.

Through Fudge's crisis public relations, an image of responsibility and accountability was established, and people also had expectations of the Ministry of Magic and Fudge.

Fudge made a fortune. Not only did he suppress his rival Barty Crouch, he also suppressed the Law Enforcement Department and Amelia Bones.

Fudge became the person who turned the tide, making up for the Ministry of Magic's mistakes in time and restoring the Ministry's credibility.

The trial of the case soon resumed, and Sirius attended the trial accompanied by Dumbledore and several Aurors.

In order to demonstrate the fairness of the Ministry of Magic, in addition to the Daily Prophet reporting the entire trial process, Fudge also invited some ordinary wizards to participate in the trial. As for how Fudge talked to the pure-blood families behind the scenes, no one knows.

In subsequent reports, the public knew how Sirius Black was able to clear his name. Dumbledore and Ada's names appeared in the reports again, and Fred and George also got a few lines of introduction.

Fudge, who had done nothing, also had a place in the report, as if he was not the one who had refused to admit it before.

Instead of taking all the credit, Fudge shared it with Dumbledore and Ada, which also showed his politician side. The trial was almost public, and it was impossible to hide this matter, so he might as well do a favor and give Dumbledore more face.

Fudge himself won't lose anything, and Dumbledore won't gain anything from a report, so why not do it?

Seeing Ada's name appear in the Daily Prophet again aroused the curiosity of the masses. The Daily Prophet is worthy of being a media, they once again reported on Ada's recent situation, and "by the way" interviewed Fudge, asking the minister what he thought of this girl.

In the interview, Fudge praised Ada highly, saying that she was the most outstanding witch of her age that he had ever seen and a very talented witch. If Ada wanted to join the Ministry of Magic after graduation, Fudge said that he would welcome her with open arms and she could choose the department she wanted.

This job invitation was quite sincere, but Ada at school was dismissive of Fudge's invitation.

Although there are still some people in the Ministry of Magic who do practical things, this cannot change the fact that the Ministry of Magic is rotten to the core. Unless a major purge is carried out from top to bottom, the Ministry of Magic will always be an embroidered pillow that looks good but is useless.

In mid-April, the trial of the case ended. The Ministry of Magic had not operated so efficiently for a long time. Peter Pettigrew was imprisoned in Azkaban. The belated punishment finally came.

Sirius Black's reputation was restored, and in recognition of Sirius, he was awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class. To express his apology, Fudge sincerely invited Sirius Black to join the Ministry of Magic and work in the Auror Office.

However, Sirius declined the minister's invitation, saying that he hoped to enjoy life and travel around the world with his friends. But in fact, after the trial, Sirius returned to Hogwarts.

Perhaps, another name for Hogwarts is the world? As Peter was brought to justice and moved into a single cell in Azkaban, the task issued by the system was completed, but Ada was very dissatisfied with the task reward.

What kind of reward was this "Animagus Transformation Simplified Version"? She had no interest in Animagus at all. The accompanying method of identifying Animagus was still somewhat useful, so it wasn't a waste of time.

The renovation of Twilight Cottage has been completed. The new decoration highlights the word "luxury". The Black family is really rich. Everything in the cottage is the best brand you can see on the market, and they are all custom-made.

Ada felt that she might not have extorted enough money, no wonder Sirius agreed so readily that day.

Twilight Cottage was no longer Ada and the twins' secret base. Sirius still lived here with no intention of moving out. Lupin also came and went frequently, and Harry even wished he could live here directly.

Looking at the lively cottage, Ada felt like crying but had no tears... Sirius and Harry were as happy as they could be, but Ada was not happy at all.

These days, not only does Ada have to recite the Transfiguration paper, but she also has trouble in Potions class.

If Ada dared to talk back, she would be deducted points and put in solitary confinement immediately. Ada was now more familiar with the medal display room than her own home, and she knew where each medal was with her eyes closed.

Perhaps in the history of Hogwarts, no prefect has ever been given as many detentions as Ada.

Ada could only vent her anger on the trial doll. The mornings in the Forbidden Forest were chaotic during those days, and Ada finally gave it a three-star rating.

During the trial, Ada gradually figured out the scoring rules. Victory is important, but victory only earns one star.

The remaining two stars are for combat performance. The rationality and diversity of offense and defense, as well as the damage suffered after the battle, the number of times being knocked down, etc., will all affect the score.

Although she scored three stars, Ada didn't dare to say that she would definitely win against Snape or Professor McGonagall, as the gap in strength between the three was not that big.

It can only be said that when facing this level of opponent, Ada has a great chance of winning and it is almost impossible for her to lose. However, in order to win steadily, Ada must continue to hone herself.

The understanding and application of magic, and the right fighting methods to adopt when facing opponents of different styles, these accumulations and adaptability cannot be mastered in a day or two.

And Dumbledore is still out of reach, not to mention that Dumbledore has the blessing of the Elder Wand. If Ada wants to be on par with Dumbledore, she still has a long way to go.

After reaching a three-star rating, Ada naturally received a reward, an irregularly shaped blood-red gem. Although the gem is red in color, it is not a magic stone. Its function is to enhance the effect of the healing spell.

At the same time, the gem can also improve Ada's own recovery speed. That is to say, no matter whether Ada is injured or sick, under the same medical conditions, Ada will recover faster.

The most incredible thing is that this gem can be used to save lives. No matter how serious the injury is, as long as the person does not die immediately, he or she can recover to a healthy state by absorbing the energy of the gem.

But there is only one chance, the energy of the gem cannot be restored. Once used, the gem will immediately turn into a piece of broken stone that can be seen everywhere.

Just as Ada was thinking about how to store the gem, the gem flew directly to the ring on her left hand and merged with the ring. The shape of the ring did not change, and there was no extra gem on the surface, but occasionally a flash of blood red would pass by on the ring.

Thinking about the functions and effects of the gems, Ada muttered to herself: "I always thought I was an output, but it turns out that my real profession is a nanny!"

(End of this chapter)