Hogwarts' Golden Glory

"And then, Sirius's mother removed him from the family tree!"

"You should know! Sirius Black's later problems arose because of his conflict with his parents' belief in the supremacy of pure blood."

"How could someone like that become that person's subordinate?"

Lupin suddenly spoke.

Everyone present fell silent.

Even if that person is already dead.

They still felt fear when they thought of each other.

She even felt a touch of respect for the man who was being judged in the middle.

"When we graduated, that person was already at the peak of their career! We chose to fight against them together."

Lupin continued, "In the winter of 1979, our intelligence network began to collapse."

His voice was so deep it seemed to come from underground, "Every time they operate, the Death Eaters seem to have prior notice."

The air in the courtroom suddenly became heavy.

Several Wizengamo members even unconsciously sat up straight.

"The operation in Yorkshire..." Lupin took a deep breath. "We were supposed to meet up with the Longbottoms, but we fell into an ambush. Five Death Eaters surrounded us from three directions. James' broom was at least fifty feet off the ground when it was struck by the spell."

Mrs. Longbottom was also listening intently to what was going on about her children.

"Sirius immediately turned his broom around," Lupin's voice began to tremble, "and weaved between at least three streaks of green light. By the time he pulled James up, the back of his robes had been burned away... but he was still joking, 'Pitchfork, you need to lose some weight.'"

Harry saw Sirius lower his head.

His disheveled black hair obscured his expression, but the slight trembling of the chains betrayed his emotions.

"But that very night..." Lupin's voice suddenly became dry.

"We discovered the safe house has been raided. All spare keys, all contact lists—all in enemy hands."

A restless commotion arose in the courtroom.

Fudge suddenly straightened his back, a hint of smugness appearing on his round face.

"Suspicion spreads like poison." Lupin closed his eyes in anguish. "Sirius started acting alone, James became quiet, Peter... Peter was always crying and saying he was scared. And me..."

His voice choked, and his thin shoulders trembled slightly: "I was sent on a mission by Dumbledore. Before I left, Sirius came to see me one last time, and his eyes... I had never seen eyes like his before."

Sirius suddenly raised his head.

A painful glint flashed in his gray eyes: "I'm sorry, Remus, I shouldn't have doubted you."

"It's alright," Lupin replied softly.

After all, he had doubts about Sirius Black in the past.

Harry's heart clenched with pain.

He couldn't imagine that friends who had once shared life and death would eventually become so wary of each other.

"Everyone knows what happened after that, even I, for twelve years, believed that Sirius betrayed James."

"Until a few days ago, I saw that photo in the Daily Prophet."

The courtroom erupted in uproar.

After all, they had seen the newspaper article, and it was safe to say that Sirius's innocence was common knowledge.

Most of the people present understood that they were just going through the motions today.

And he's received the money, so Sirius Black will go out as a hero this time.

I just don't know why, but in the Daily Prophet, he was portrayed as a figure who set things right.

Why am I constantly going against Sirius today?

Fudge's round face flushed instantly, and his chubby fingers slammed on the table: "But where is Peter Pettigrew now?"

"minister?"

Kane Malfoy slowly rose to his feet. "Then may I ask, Minister, weren't you in that photograph that appeared on the front page of the Daily Prophet the other day?"

Fudge's forehead was beaded with sweat: "That...that was just..."

"Just what?"

Kane's voice suddenly turned sharp.

"Insufficient evidence!" Fudge suddenly stood up as if he had remembered something, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

"You think you can overturn a verdict from twelve years ago based solely on the testimony of one werewolf?"

Felix, a member of Wisengamo.

I just received a gift from Yaxley a few days ago.

The courtroom began to clamor at this moment.

Kane narrowed his eyes—the Galleons of House Yaxley were starting to take effect.

He was prepared, but Fudge's betrayal came sooner than he expected.

"Minister," Kane said with a hint of doubt in his voice, "you confirmed yesterday that you would support a retrial."

That was his last chance for Fudge.

If the other party relents, then we can stay in this position for a couple more days.

otherwise......

Fudge's bow tie seemed to tighten suddenly: "As Minister for Magic, I must ensure justice is served!"

"Well said, Mr. Fudge."

Kane suddenly clapped, the applause instantly silencing the noisy courtroom.

But it was particularly jarring in the silence.

"Then please explain why a 'hero' faked his death for twelve years? Why did he hide in the school his best friend's son attended?"

Pete Payne slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly: "Enough! Malfoy brat, this is none of your business—"

The other party was also from Yaxley's side.

"Whose turn is it to speak?"

A calm yet powerful voice came from the back of the courtroom.

Everyone turned to look—Albus Dumbledore was standing in the doorway.

The blue eyes behind the crescent-shaped glasses gleamed with a sharp light.

Beside him, a short, fat man was bound by magical ropes and trembling.

"Peter Pediru!"

Sirius let out a sound that was somewhere between a roar and a sob.

The chains binding him rattled loudly!

Fudge's face turned deathly pale, and his obese body involuntarily shrank back: "Albus...this...this isn't appropriate..."

He didn't realize that he himself had sent people to stop Dumbledore!

Why was he able to get here?

He targeted Sirius Black precisely to ensure that Dumbledore couldn't come.

He wanted to show Dumbledore who the Minister of Magic really was!

But now, the other party's arrival has made him panic!

"Inappropriate?" Dumbledore walked slowly into the courtroom, each step causing Fudge to break out in a cold sweat.

"Does it mean that revealing the truth was inappropriate, or that interrupting your performance was inappropriate?"

Sirius Black was practically bursting out of the water.

Peter Pettigrew's eyes were filled with fear: "He forced me! The Dark Lord will kill...kill..."

"Shut up, you worm tail."

Sirius said hoarsely, his voice sounding like sandpaper as he recounted the injustices he had suffered over the years, "Your acting is still so clumsy."

Dumbledore gently waved his wand, and Peter's right sleeve suddenly tore open—revealing his right hand missing its index finger.