Hogwarts' Golden Glory

"The jewels were stolen, of course!"

Fudge's voice sounded particularly sharp in the night sky.

His fat fingers trembled as he pointed to the empty display stand.

Then it pointed to Lockhart.

"Lockhart saw it all!"

Dumbledore did not immediately refute this.

His blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped glasses narrowed slightly.

His aged fingers gently stroked his beard: "Connelly, sometimes what you see with your own eyes isn't necessarily the truth."

"Yes, sir, I also believe that the thief just now was not Mr. Kane."

Lockhart heard Dumbledore say this.

This also affirmed her own thoughts.

Just then, Kane Malfoy stepped out from the crowd.

Under the moonlight, his grey-blue eyes were as calm as a deep pool of water.

"The minister wanted to see me?"

Seeing the boy's calmness, a hint of panic flashed in Fudge's eyes.

He then became even more ferocious.

"Kane Malfoy! What were you just doing?"

"I was just playing chess with Draco on the east wing terrace."

Kane spoke calmly and deliberately, "There are at least twenty guests who can testify."

Fudge's face turned a deep purplish-red as he picked up a strand of blond hair from the ground. "This was found at the crime scene! Even Mr. Lockhart said he saw you just now!"

"Or do you mean Mr. Lockhart is wrong about you?"

A gasp went up from the crowd.

The strand of hair shimmered with a platinum-gold luster in the moonlight, just like Kane's.

Lucius's face instantly darkened: "This is a frame-up!"

"Framed?" Fudge grinned as he turned to Kane.

"So, the thief specifically stole your hair to look like you so he could steal from you? Then explain why the thief would have your hair?"

Kane did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept over that strand of hair.

Then he looked behind Fudge—several Ministry of Magic officials were quietly recording everything.

"I request to be tested," Kane said calmly.

"No need!" Fudge interrupted sharply. "The evidence is conclusive! In my capacity as Minister for Magic, I declare that Kane Malfoy is involved in the theft of valuable artifacts from the Ministry of Magic and must be executed immediately..."

"Minister!" Dumbledore suddenly raised his voice.

"It is procedurally incorrect to charge a minor wizard without any formal investigation."

A flicker of panic crossed Fudge's eyes, but he quickly hardened his expression: "Albus, you're being too protective of your student! This isn't just a small matter!"

"Please look, everyone!"

Fudge's wand suddenly pointed at Kane.

A blinding purple light burst forth from the tip of the wand.

The light wove together in the night sky into a complex magical network.

Finally, they converged on Kane's cuff—where faint blue lights were shimmering.

"A tracking mark specially made by the Ministry of Magic!"

"I set a special spell on the gem; anyone who touches it will leave a mark! Remember, I just invited them, and they didn't even touch it! Now the evidence is conclusive—Kane Malfoy is an accomplice of the jewel thieves!"

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

Draco's face was filled with shock: "Merlin! This...this is unbelievable!"

Fleur looked at Kane, then at Fudge's confident expression.

"Explain yourself, young Master Malfoy?"

Fudge grinned, revealing his uneven teeth. "Why do you have gem tracking magic on you?"

The night wind suddenly became biting.

All eyes were focused on the tall, handsome young man.

Lucius stepped forward, shielding Kane: "This is blatant framing! I demand immediate contact tracing!"

"Of course!" Fudge eagerly waved his wand. "Spotlight!"

The blue light suddenly intensified, tracing a blurry path in the air.

It does seem to connect Kane and the stolen gem.

More whispers arose from the crowd.

"This is impossible..." Even Lucius's eyes flashed with panic at this moment.

Draco, his face deathly pale, clutched the hem of his brother's robe: "Kane, what is this...?"

"Brilliant magic, Minister," Kane suddenly spoke, his voice eerily calm.

"However, there is a small problem." He slowly raised his right hand.

The cuffs of the garment suddenly turned a glaring scarlet.

"My teacher modified my clothes; he will record any tracking magic marks."

Fudge's smile froze on his face: "Wh...what?"

"In other words," Kane tapped his wand lightly, and a crimson light suddenly projected an image.

Umbridge was secretly sprinkling some kind of blue powder on Kane's seat.

"Your subordinates tried to put a tracking mark on me three hours ago."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

It was hard for the crowd to believe that the Minister of Magic of a country would target a child.

"This...this is a fake!" Fudge waved his wand wildly. "He's twisting the truth!"

Umbridge was also deathly pale at this moment.

"Yeah?"

Kane took a crystal bottle from his pocket.

It contained residual blue powder. "Should we have a potions expert analyze its composition?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat at the opportune moment: "In fact, the formula for this tracking powder is very special, and only the higher-ups in the Ministry of Magic can obtain it."

Large beads of sweat appeared on Fudge's forehead.

He looked at Umbridge for help, only to find her quietly moving to the back of the crowd.

"Even...even so!" Fudge suddenly pointed to the strand of platinum blonde hair on the ground.

"How do you explain the compound herbal potion used by the thief? Besides the Malfoys, who else could provide such a pure bloodline sample?"

"That's an interesting question."

A voice with a heavy French accent suddenly broke in.

Director Montclair stepped forward gracefully.

"In fact, our Department of Magical Creatures Management just seized a batch of smuggled hair samples last week—including those from members of the Malfoy family."

Fudge clung to it like a lifeline: "See! I told you—"

"And these stolen goods," Montclair interrupted coldly.

"It was seized from a smuggler named Mundungus Fletcher."

He pulled out a document stamped with the French Ministry of Magic's wax seal.

"Arrest records show that this person recently received a large remittance from the UK."

Fudge's face turned deathly pale instantly.

His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a complete sound.

Only then did he realize that something was wrong!

Montclair betrayed him!

"What's even more coincidental," Kane added slowly and deliberately.

"I just happened to find out that the remittance came from Minister Fauci's private account."

The situation was completely out of control.

The Aurors looked at each other, unsure of who to arrest.

The French delegation collectively stepped back, indicating that they were distancing themselves from Fouché.

Lockhart had already hidden behind a statue, with only the tip of his golden braid showing.

He likes to show off, but things have turned out differently than he expected!