The Return to Hogwarts

"Professor, we've done it!"

Harry said, breathless,

“We caught Peter; he was trapped inside a white pupa, and I think he should still be alive.”

Dumbledore pricked up his ears to listen to the surrounding sounds, his azure eyes about to catch Harry's gaze, and he smiled.

“You’ve worked a miracle again, Harry and Hermione, well done! I think—oh, now’s not the time for chatting. Leave Peter to me, you’d better get back to your rooms and rest—”

Snap--

Dumbledore waved his wand, and a stretcher appeared out of thin air. The white pupa floated out from under the Invisibility Cloak and landed on the stretcher. When he stared at the white pupa, Dumbledore's eyes were incredibly cold, and the chilling aura emanating from him was something Harry and Hermione had never seen before.

"Professor Dumbledore--"

Hermione shrank back in fear.

"How are you going to explain this to the Ministry of Magic? I mean, how Peter was captured."

"Don't worry, there will be an explanation."

"Dumbledore said gently."

“There’s one more thing, Professor Dumbledore. The Ministry of Magic has arrived downstairs. There’s a group of them, oh, and Professor Blaine is there too.”

Dumbledore left with Peter, and when Harry and Hermione slipped into the room, they just happened to see their figures disappearing.

"This trip was really tough—"

Harry ripped off the Invisibility Cloak, grinning broadly.

"But I must say, the feeling of traveling through time is absolutely amazing—"

Hermione smiled, her lips pursed. She was saying something when suddenly, a soft, cracking sound came from her chest, like the sound of glass shattering.

Hermione froze, looking down in disbelief. She hurriedly pulled out the hourglass, which was attached to a gold chain. Under the light, a crack appeared in the delicate glass hourglass. As Hermione stared in astonishment, the fine golden sand within gradually vanished like a phantom.

Chapter 316 Negotiation

2023-06-08

The bright moon and countless stars in the sky have disappeared. This is the darkest hour before dawn. Coldness and silence dominate the earth. The brightly lit Hogwarts is like a torch in the endless darkness, or a lighthouse standing alone on a stormy coast, dispelling the fear that erodes people's hearts.

"If I were to rank the events of the past twelve years and pick the worst one, Dumbledore, before today I could tell you with certainty that it was Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, but now, something even worse has happened!"

Half an hour ago, led by Amostella, Fudge and a group of Ministry of Magic officials stormed into the school hospital.

Ignoring Mrs. Pomfrey's strong protests, at Fudge's instruction, the decisive Rufus Scrimgeour dispatched his men to replace Professor McGonagall and her group, placing all faculty and staff who entered the Forbidden Forest that night under guard.

Sirius, in particular, was unconscious, and nearly half of the Aurors, including Kingsley, were squatting by his bedside, pointing their wands at him, while most of the other half were interrogating Peter in an abandoned classroom.

Amostella had already given a general account of what happened on the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts, but that was only his side of the story. Moreover, Amostella himself used a very powerful Fiendfyre spell in front of everyone, even if it was to kill the evil werewolf, which greatly reduced the credibility of his words in Fudge's mind.

However, when Dumbledore led them to Peter Pettigrew, who had been dead for twelve years as a hero, everything needed no further explanation.

"That means Sirius Black was actually innocent!"

Amos Tower offered up his office, where Fudge and Ms. Burns, representing the Ministry of Magic, and Dumbledore and Amos Tower himself, representing Hogwarts, were discussing how to properly handle the matter.

Dumbledore sat upright on the sofa against the wall, and Ms. Burns sat in a similar posture.

Amosta, who did not need to express his opinion for the time being, squatted in front of the fireplace with his back to everyone, idly poking at the firewood inside.

Only Fudge, with a head as big as an ox, strode back and forth in the spacious office, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead, but his face was pale.

“I understand your struggle, Connelly—”

A hint of helplessness flashed in Dumbledore's azure eyes, but his voice remained steady.

"But we must face the facts and the truth."

"the truth?!"

Fudge stopped abruptly, then laughed angrily.

"Who cares about the truth, Dumbledore? Is it Sirius Black? Is it the Daily Prophet? Or the people of the wizarding world?"

After suppressing his anger for a long time, Fudge finally opened up, and his shrill shouts made the office windows tremble.

"--If Black cared about the truth, he should have told the truth twelve years ago instead of letting himself be sent to Azkaban!"

Do the Daily Prophet and its shareholders care about the truth? They only care about whether the front page has content that interests the public. If the newspaper sells more, then the manufacturers of brooms and crucibles will have to spend more gallons to place advertisements in it!

Do the people care about the truth? Oh, Dumbledore, they like funny stories, they like tragic heroes, they only want to see the Ministry of Magic suffer. Very well, now they've all got what they wanted, only the Ministry of Magic, only the Ministry of Magic has suffered a great misfortune!

"The Ministry of Magic foolishly awarded a Death Eater the Order of Merlin, First Class, while sending the hero who fought against Varian to Azkaban. Hah, how amusing! The Ministry's reputation is utterly ruined, in my hands!"

"Connelly—"

Borns, with a solemn expression, gently reminded Fudge to be mindful of his appearance.

"It is precisely because the situation is difficult that we should remain calm."

Fudge stared at the floor, speechless, while Mrs. Burns adjusted her monocle, turned her gaze to Dumbledore, and said with concern,

“Albus, Cornelius’s concerns are valid. If we fail to handle this matter properly, the credibility of the Ministry of Magic and Wizengamor will be damaged, and people will begin to distrust us. This is a loss we cannot afford.”

In fact, with Dumbledore's experience and wisdom, how could he not have thought of these things? It's just that the perspective is different, the focus of concern is different, and some things are not suitable to be said by him.

A glint flashed in Dumbledore's half-moon lenses as he stared at Amostella, who had been squatting there fiddling with the firewood for ages, making the office rather stuffy. He sighed inwardly.

Aside from the crackling sound of sparks breaking apart, the office fell silent; no one wanted to voice their opinions.

Sirius, who was lying unconscious in his hospital bed, probably didn't realize how much trouble his actions had caused the Ministry of Magic, and how much trouble it had caused Dumbledore, who wanted to save him.

Once the truth is known to the public, the Ministry of Magic will immediately become a laughing stock. This is a very serious political incident, and someone must be held accountable for the damage to the Ministry of Magic's reputation. This almost means that Fudge will have to resign. Therefore, it is very difficult to get Fudge to take the initiative to clarify the truth and restore Sirius's innocence.

"Let me be frank, Dumbledore—"

After a long pause, Fudge, who was in the most awkward position, said breathlessly,

"You must order everyone at Hogwarts who knows about this to keep it a secret. Peter will be imprisoned in Azkaban, and he will be secretly sentenced to life imprisonment."

"And Sirius Black, the Ministry of Magic will drop the warrant for his arrest at the appropriate time—I mean, after people have stopped paying attention to this matter. You know what I mean? He can just keep a low profile and live a normal life. Of course, the Ministry of Magic can pay compensation for this wrongful trial and twelve years of imprisonment."

Dumbledore showed no surprise whatsoever, as if he had anticipated Fudge's plans all along.

“That’s not fair to Sirius, Connelly—”

Dumbledore lowered his eyelids and said wearily.

Ms. Burns, on the other hand, was also in a very difficult position. On the one hand, Fudge's decision was inconsistent with her personal style, and she could not support Fudge's actions. On the other hand, as a representative of the Wizengamo Tribunal, she had to consider the far-reaching consequences of this matter.

"Isn't this his own choice?"

Fudge's face was gloomy as he spoke coldly.

“It’s not that he didn’t have the opportunity. Not only back then, but he could have told the truth at any time over the past ten years, but he chose to say nothing.”

Fudge paused, then continued,

"And I'm sure you haven't forgotten, Dumbledore. Last September, Sirius attempted to enter Grimmauld Place, which was under surveillance by the Aurors. He caused considerable damage to the Muggle world and even had an Auror stay at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries for a while. For that crime alone, he deserved twelve years in prison. And now, the Ministry of Magic can choose to let bygones be bygones—"

"There is no evidence that the dark wizard who appeared in Grimmauld Place, London, was Sirius Black, Connelly, and I think you know very well now that it wasn't Sirius Black—"

Dumbledore said in a serious tone,

"I suspect it was just a dark wizard trying to break into the Black family mansion, find Black, and then exchange the bounty with the Ministry of Magic."

Ahem, that's right, it's me.

Amosta smiled slightly, his back to the crowd.

The situation reached a stalemate again. Neither Fudge nor Dumbledore could back down from their positions, and even the renownedly fair Ms. Burns was caught in a dilemma for various reasons. It was a difficult game, and if things continued this way, it was very likely that both sides would suffer losses.

Of course, Dumbledore had the power to overturn the negotiating table, but he couldn't do so, as it would be a matter of principle against the beliefs he had always upheld.

"Ahem-"

Amosta coughed a few times, choked by the flying embers, and muttered in confusion.

"Who was it that presided over the trial and ordered Sirius Black to be sent to Azkaban?"

I apologize to everyone for the month-long hiatus. I'll resume two updates a day starting today.

Chapter 317 Appropriate Expression

2023-06-08

Amosta's muttering was so low it was almost a whisper, but the office was so quiet you could hear it.

Who would think that Amosta Blaine, the Hogwarts Head of Student Safety who had been silent for a long time, was previously unknown to the world but would become famous after tonight, was simply curious about who the Ministry of Magic official who presided over Sirius Black's trial was?

Ms. Burns frowned, while Fudge's expression subtly changed.

After Amosta muttered this, the office did not erupt into heated discussion; instead, it fell into an even more eerie silence.

"Amosta--"

Dumbledore stroked his beard and asked calmly,

"Perhaps you can also share your thoughts."

Amosta finally stood up, rubbed his slightly uncomfortable back, took a few steps and pushed open the window by the fireplace. As the cold night wind blew in, the stuffy air in the room immediately became fresh and clear.