The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 696 Hero or Villain?
"…Crabbe is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban!"

"…Avery is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban!"

"…Selwyn is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban!"

"…Mulciber is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban!"

"…Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow are found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban!"

In the dim and gloomy Tenth Courtroom, the Ministry of Magic's trial of Death Eaters continued. Justice was served and the sinners were punished.

What awaits these people will be the dark and gloomy Azkaban, where they will be trapped within the high walls for the rest of their lives, and every second of the rest of their lives will be spent atonement.

Of course, there are some Death Eaters who have atoned for their sins and paid for their sins with their deaths.

For example, Antonin Dolohov, the Lestrange brothers, Bellatrix Lestrange, and so on.

The core Death Eaters who participated in the final battle were almost wiped out, and they all failed to live to see the day of judgment.

Every time Kingsley Shacklebolt, who presided over the trial, announced the result, it was like bright sunlight shining into a dark room, causing thunderous applause in the dark room.

People were satisfied with the result of life imprisonment. Of course, it would be even better if all these Death Eaters could be hanged in the square.

The half-crippled Carrow siblings were taken away. The Aurors were not polite to them and were extremely rough. Rather than taking the criminal siblings away, it was more like dragging them away like dead dogs.

There were bursts of whispers in the courtroom again, as everyone was discussing which Death Eater would be tried later.

Even though the result was life imprisonment, everyone was still looking forward to seeing the Death Eaters' expressions, watching them either speak nonsense or look despairing.

After a while, footsteps were heard.

The door at the corner of the courtroom opened and two people walked in - Severus Snape, followed by an Auror symbolically.

The moment Snape appeared, the wizards in the courtroom split into two groups.

One group was silent, while the other group was shouting and cursing, "Hang him" and "Life imprisonment". They had already made the verdict in advance.

Amid the noise, Snape slowly walked towards the chair in the middle of the dark room. When he sat down, the metal chain only made a clanging sound, but Snape was not tied to the chair.

In order to quiet the emotional wizard, Kingsley had to bang the gavel in his hand again.

When everyone was quiet, Kingsley said, "The trial of Severus Snape of Spinner's End, Cokeworth. Are you Severus Snape?"

"Yes." Snape said, his clothes were still black, probably the only color in his wardrobe.

Kingsley nodded, he looked at the Wizengamot and continued, "Witness for the defense, Esmeralda Drizzt?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Wizengamot members began to whisper to each other. They had no idea that Snape would be tried today, and they had no idea that their acting chief would defend Snape.

Not only the Wizengamot, but also representatives of the people began to exchange opinions with each other.

Gradually, more and more people knew about the deeds of the Hogwarts Spy King. They no longer shouted for his hanging, but it was also difficult for them to applaud him.

"Yes, Mr. Director." Ada stood up and bowed slightly towards the judge's seat.

A look of helplessness flashed across Kingsley Shacklebolt's face. He didn't know what Ada was thinking. It would be enough to publish a report to clarify the matter for Snape. Why did she have to take up public resources and use a trial to prove Snape's innocence?

Don't try to guess what's on a girl's mind. You'll never understand it...

Kingsley sighed, pulled out a piece of parchment from a pile of documents, took a deep breath, and read aloud: "The defendant is charged with the following crimes:
The defendant Severus Snape was a key member of the Death Eaters and participated in the first wizarding war instigated by Voldemort... Later, due to the testimony of Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape was acquitted.

Voldemort launched the second wizarding war. Severus Snape refused to change his ways and joined the traitors. He deliberately murdered Albus Dumbledore, leaked information about the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter, and participated in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Putting down the parchment in his hand, Kingsley said: "Severus Snape, the sentence will now be made according to the above charges. Do you have anything to say before the judgment?"

"No……"

"Mr. Director, I have something to say!" Ada said loudly. She left the Wizengamot seat in a purple robe, with the silver embroidered "W" on her left chest shining. Standing in the middle of the courtroom, Ada first glared at Snape fiercely, and then said: "Mr. Director, members of the Wizengamot, and all the jurors, the prosecution's testimony is wrong. Severus Snape is not a Death Eater, but an undercover agent of Albus Dumbledore. He has been providing information to Dumbledore."

The dimly lit courtroom was silent as everyone waited for Ada's next words. They were eager to know what contribution Snape had made to the victory.

"Since you say the testimony is wrong, please produce evidence to prove Severus Snape's innocence." Kingsley said, looking fair and selfless, but in fact he was very cooperative.

"During the First Wizarding War, Snape was our undercover agent, providing intelligence to the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic. This matter has been confirmed by Albus Dumbledore, the chief wizard of the Wizengamot, so I will not elaborate on it here."

Ada bowed again and continued, "During the Second Wizarding War, Snape followed Albus Dumbledore's orders and returned to Voldemort to lurk and provide us with information."

Kingsley was still very cooperative. He said, "Please ask the defense witness to give some examples."

"Yes, Mr. Director." Ada said, "In 1995, with the assistance of Snape..."

According to the timeline, Ada told Snape's contribution to the victory bit by bit, including helping to expose Barty Crouch Jr., providing Polyjuice Potion to protect Harry Potter, treating the seriously injured Albus Dumbledore, and providing her with clues about Horcruxes, etc.

Each and every incident was clearly stated, confirming Snape's identity as a spy and proving that he was indeed an undercover agent sent by Dumbledore to be with Voldemort.

However, no matter how much useful information Snape delivered and how much credit he made to the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix, there is one thing that cannot be avoided, that is, he raised his wand to Dumbledore.

"There are unexpected changes in the weather, and people are subject to misfortunes at any time... Albus Dumbledore knew that his time was running out, so he made a great decision - he decided to sacrifice himself and take advantage of the enemy's trick."

Ada thought about it, but in the end she didn't tell the real reason why Dumbledore was running out of time, but just mentioned it vaguely.

"Albus Dumbledore's sacrifice was meaningful. His death made Snape more trustworthy. It also caused the arrogant Voldemort to misjudge the situation and bring victory sooner."

Before she finished speaking, low sobs were heard in the dark room. When Ada finished speaking, the cries of grief in the courtroom became louder. People missed this wise and intelligent old man, who ignited himself and illuminated others.

Amidst her tears, Ada continued to talk about Snape's contributions.

It was because he risked his life to pass on information time and time again that the Ministry of Magic was able to weaken the Death Eaters time and again; it was because he delivered Voldemort's decisive battle plan in a timely manner that the Ministry of Magic was able to respond in time and ultimately win a complete victory.

Severus Snape, as a spy, played a vital role in the victory of this war.

Without him as an insider and without him misleading Voldemort with false information, I'm afraid this cruel wizard war would have continued.

"Therefore," Ada began to conclude her speech, "all the evidence against Severus Snape as a Death Eater is false. He is a hero of this war, and we should commend him for his selfless actions behind enemy lines."

"I will also propose to the Order of Merlin to award Severus Snape the Order of Merlin, First Class."

There was a lot of discussion in the dark room, with people discussing Snape's achievements, how dangerous it would be for him to lurk beside Voldemort, and whether he deserved a first-class medal.

Kingsley called out, "Does the defense witness have anything to add?"

"We have another witness," Ada said, "Harry Potter, who is willing to prove Severus Snape's innocence."

This time, no one whispered to each other. There was complete silence everywhere. People had already reached a conclusion in their hearts. There was no need for the son of prophecy, Harry Potter, to testify in court.

"Now, I ask the Wizengamot to vote. Those who believe that Severus Snape is guilty and agree to sentence him to imprisonment, please raise your hands!" said Kingsley.

The courtroom was silent, and no one raised their hand for a long time.

We are not stupid. The Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot said it clearly, and the Son of Prophecy was willing to testify for him, which is enough to prove that Snape has done nothing wrong.

Raise your hand? Only a fool would raise his hand. Who knows if it will be recorded in the notebook.

"And now the verdict," Kingsley said, "is that the accusation is false. Severus Snape is not guilty!"

After saying that, Kingsley slammed the wooden hammer in his hand, which also meant that Snape's undercover identity was officially recognized.

Amidst the applause and whistles, Ada turned around and looked at Snape with great satisfaction, and winked at him mischievously.

Snape forced a smile helplessly, but maybe he really wasn't very suitable for smiling. He looked uglier when he smiled than when he cried.

(End of this chapter)