Archaeologists at Hogwarts

Chapter 225 People who have tasted Gamp’s old social wine

It turns out Kingsley is Grindelwald's man

This makes sense - why the coffins in Azkaban disappeared inexplicably. At that time, there were few living people on the island who could move freely, and the original guards were all on the edge of the island, far away from the prison.

I don't want to deal with dementors, lest I be treated as food.

This is also the reason why the Ministry of Magic attaches so much importance to Dementors. They have greatly reduced the number of people guarding the prison. If this were not done, the number of Aurors who came to "escort" the people on trial today would not be so large, at least there would be fewer.

More than half.

Therefore, the person who stole the coffin could only be Auror Kingsley.

But could this be a coincidence?

Kingsley appeared in front of him in a swaggering manner, with just the right timing, just when he was riding the elevator, and then deliberately revealed the location of the Department of Mysteries on the ninth floor.

After arriving on the tenth floor of the Ministry of Magic, the Aurors were almost blatantly guarding against Toby, with people staring closely at him in front and behind him.

They came to the bottom of the stairs and ran forward along a corridor. This place was very similar to the underground corridor of Hogwarts: rough stone walls, with torches stuck on brackets. The doors they passed were all heavy wooden doors.

, with an iron door latch and keyhole embedded in it.

Finally, they stopped in front of a gloomy black door with a large iron lock, and everyone except Toby was waiting there.

Under the gaze of a large number of Aurors, Dumbledore made his final instructions to the Weasley family in a calm tone: "There is no need to hide anything, you just need to truthfully tell the origin of Scabbers. Believe me, it will happen soon."

It will be over."

"Aren't you going in with us?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a panic.

"I should be the second group of people to be tried." Dumbledore looked at Scrimgeour, indicating that he had finished speaking.

Scrimgeour glanced at several people. An Auror unscrewed the heavy iron handle on the door and pushed the wooden door open. Two more Aurors escorted them into the trial room.

Angela took a look inside the opened door. It was a hall made of black stone. Under the illumination of torches, many dark and gloomy figures appeared. Some were whispering in low voices, and more were extremely angry.

Solemn.

"Wizengamot." Dumbledore introduced.

"What?" Angela turned back curiously: "Wei-what?"

"This is an organization that originated from the predecessor of the Ministry of Magic. It can also be said to be a very special department in the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore began to describe the history of the Wizengamot in detail, as if he was really talking about a person.

Visitors from far away make introductions.

Strangely, Scrimgeour, who was watching this scene carefully, did not interrupt or stop him, but allowed Dumbledore to continue speaking.

"Before the Ministry of Magic was formally established, it was called the Wizards' Council. After the passage of the International Federation of Wizards' Secrecy Act in 1692, the wizarding world urgently needed a more organized and complex management system to support wizards' confidentiality work.

and regulations. Therefore, the functions of the Wizards' Council were replaced by the newly established Ministry of Magic in 1707, and the first minister of the Ministry of Magic, Ulric Gamp, served in the Wizards' Council as the Chief Magician of the Wizengamot."

"The Wizengamot now occupies a variety of responsibilities, such as overseeing court proceedings, such as today's court hearings, and occasionally deciding whether to award honors to wizards, such as the Order of Merlin - only decisions made by the wizarding community

Only wizards who have made great contributions can receive this honor."

"Oh, that sounds really interesting." Angela was able to come up with such a description. She looked at Toby for help, but Toby didn't have the slightest eye contact with her. He was leaning against the wall with his head lowered.

Her long hair falls in front of her eyes, and she doesn't know whether her eyes are open or closed.

"Chief Magician?" She had to ask: "Who is the current Chief Magician? Is he also the British Minister of Magic?"

"No more." Scrimgeour said abruptly; "The person standing in front of you is the current chief magician, and not only that, he is also the current president of the International Federation of Wizards. He obtained the title just when he was in school.

The Barnabus Finkley Award for Excellence in Spellcasting Techniques, the Wizengamot British Youth Representative, and the Gold Medal for Pioneering Contribution at the Cairo International Alchemy Congress.”

Scrimgeour knew so much about Dumbledore's past that he told it all at once.

Angela looked at Dumbledore in surprise. She only knew that he was very powerful, but she didn't expect him to be so powerful.

"Wait a minute." She blinked her bright silver eyes and said: "Since you are the chief magician of the Wizengamot, are you standing in the wrong position? You should not be judged, but stand in the room and judge us.

Right?"

Dumbledore laughed cordially, not seeming to be nervous about the upcoming identity change at all. On the contrary, the Aurors around him became wary.

"I suddenly thought of an interesting story." He said: "It was probably in 1544. If I remember correctly - there was no Ministry of Magic at that time, only the Wizards' Council. At that time, there was a wizard named Garrus.

Hobart, the inventor of the Levitation Charm."

"One day, this man had a sudden idea and invited the then chief magician of the Wizengamot to watch his display of the Levitation Spell. But it failed because he tried to use the Levitation Spell to fly, but the Levitation Spell is not a flying spell."

Angela gradually became fascinated by what she was listening to. The Aurors behaved similarly. One of them cast an unabashedly curious look and almost urged Dumbledore to hurry up and continue talking.

Dumbledore didn't keep them waiting long.

"After this failure, Hobart learned from the experience and finally discovered the true principle of the levitation spell, so he arranged a second demonstration. This time he finally succeeded, using the levitation spell to make the chief magician's hat hang up. The result -

—He accidentally took off the chief magician’s wig. This was a huge secret at the time, and it wouldn’t take long for it to spread throughout the magical world.”

"The Chief Magician was annoyed and started a duel with Hobart - which was very common at the time. Hobart was no match for him, but he managed to use the Levitation Charm to suspend the Chief Magician's robes and block his

Then I got a chance to escape."

The story was finally finished, and Angela couldn't help but laugh. But no matter how stupid she was, she still knew that she shouldn't laugh at the other's senior in front of a chief magician, let alone such an Auror staring at her.

Eh? But why would Dumbledore choose this moment to tell the story?

"Puch." I don't know where the laughter came from.

"Who?!" Scrimgeour looked over angrily and found that the person laughing was the lady who had been guarding Angela - her hair had now turned silver, but unfortunately it was a bit short and did not look so elegant. The length was only

to the back of the neck.

"Sorry." Tonks said seriously immediately, her stomach still trembling.

Scrimgeour stared at Tonks with a cannibalistic gaze, and then looked at Dumbledore with undisguised hostility in his eyes.

He seems to dislike Dumbledore very much. I can only say that Dumbledore's character is the strangest. He actually has the leisure to tell jokes at this time.

For an Auror Office Chief who had to deal with extremely serious matters every day, this was extremely unacceptable.

Scrimgeour didn't get any of the reactions he wanted from Dumbledore - he was now telling Angela more jokes about the Ministry of Magic.

"By the way, there is Gamp, the first chief magician I mentioned and the first minister of the Ministry of Magic. After the implementation of the International Federation of Wizards Secrecy Act, he realized that the wizarding world had entered a new era.

In extremely difficult times, the wizards' psychological needs for venting also needed a haven. So, he not only allowed the Leaky Cauldron to continue operating, but also allowed the bar owner to let people enter Diagon Alley from the bar's backyard."

"This seemed to be an extremely risky move at the time. Although many powerful hidden spells were used and all customers who came to the bar were required to behave appropriately, in fact the risk was not less at all."

"Out of gratitude, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron at the time created a new beer brand - Gamp's Aged Social Wine. But the beer was so unpleasant that no one could drink it even if he could get a reward of 100 galleons.

Next pint.”

"I haven't been to the Leaky Cauldron yet." Angela looked like she really wanted to give it a try.

"So there is such wine," Tonks muttered, earning another glare from Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour walked up to Toby with a lame leg and looked at him closely, as if to say - look, this is the Dumbledore you have decided to serve.

Suddenly, Toby finally spoke.

He said softly: "You know, I made a very difficult decision when I just graduated. I gave myself an extra chance. As long as I could drink a pint of Gamp's old social wine, I would do anything.

No matter what, I will be willing to give up all my ideals and other things, and stay in the UK without hesitation."

"This is not a simple decision. You have also experienced that period. It was when the mysterious man was growing in power. No one could do anything to him, and no one could catch him. A Muggle-born like me was very

It's dangerous, and he might be captured by those lunatics one day. Then the next day, the newspaper will publish that the body of a recent graduate was found in a trash can. Some people may feel sorry for it, or they may sneer at it.

It’s all possible.”

Scrimgeour stared at Toby with a strange look, as if even he didn't expect Toby to tell such a story at such a time, but he couldn't help but want to continue listening - Tonk on the side

Si came over quietly, raised his ears and listened.

"As you can see." Toby continued: "If you know what happened to me later, you should know that I failed and failed to drink the pint of Gamp's old social wine. That was simply my fault.

The worst thing I’ve ever drunk, whether it’s my homemade Black Devil wine or magma sparkling wine, it’s not that exciting.”

"I think this is Gamp's deep meaning - he is the first Minister of the Ministry of Magic. Any decision may lead to disaster for the wizarding world. He needs something that can help him make up his mind."

"Sometimes, I couldn't help but guess that Gamp invented this drink himself. Whenever he started to hesitate, he would go and have a drink alone, and then make a choice that he had already prepared -

—It’s not easy to make up your mind.”

"Have you ever tasted that wine?" Toby suddenly asked.

Scrimgeour's eyes shone with an inexplicable light, but Tonks, who was eavesdropping, shook her head subconsciously.

"You should go have a drink."

Toby said: "If I were the Minister of Magic, I would issue a rule-any wizard, no matter who he is, should personally taste Gamp's Old Social Wine on the first day of their adulthood. It doesn't need to be too much."

More. A pint is enough."

Scrimgeour heard something different in these words.

"So your prepared decision is to leave the UK? To become an archaeologist?" He asked with deep meaning: "You have never thought about staying in the UK - was it Dumbledore who forced you to leave? I

I’ve heard some rumors, very interesting rumors.”

I don’t know since when, the entire corridor became silent, the laughter disappeared, and the voice telling stories also disappeared.

Toby was silent for a while, and then suddenly sneered.

"If I had left willingly, I wouldn't have drank Gamp. It's really hard to drink, but it's easy for people to make a dilemma without leaving any room."

Just when the atmosphere gradually became tense, Toby suddenly said: "But you are wrong. Scrimgeour. Albus Dumbledore has never been my enemy. The mysterious man is - yes

, I can tell you this right now, you are wrong, you must clearly distinguish the difference between enemies and friends,"

Scrimgeour withdrew his gaze. He saw Toby's determination and finally gave up on inviting him to join the Aurors.

"I also have a story." He said briefly: "Fudge didn't plan to open the court with such a big fanfare at first. He didn't even want to invite the Wizengamot members, but had a good chat with you in the conference room. However,

, it’s you, Dumbledore——”

He turned around and said, "It was you who rejected this decision and, as the chief magician of the Wizengamot, forced all members to participate in this trial."

This is different from what many people imagine.

After all, it was Fudge who was the first to show weakness. If Dumbledore agreed to his opinion, then this "exchange" would leave more room. In fact, many people present could imagine that since Fudge raised this opinion, he

He had already agreed to part of Dumbledore's request in disguise.

"But it's far from enough." Dumbledore replied calmly: "The problem must be solved one day. Toby is right in what he said, you should all try Gamp's old social wine, so

You will understand that procrastination cannot solve any problem."

Angela looked over curiously, all the questions she wanted to say were written on her face.

Dumbledore smiled kindly and said: "I also tasted it once, and it was indeed very unpleasant to drink."

Many people are curious about what difficulties Dumbledore encountered that made him willing to taste that terrible wine.

Only Scrimgeour seemed to really know something, saying meaningfully: "You will regret this decision, Albus Dumbledore."

As soon as they finished speaking, before they could continue speaking, the heavy wooden door was suddenly pushed open. The Weasley family followed the accompanying Aurors. They walked out in a daze, looking very confused.

"I don't know, Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley said in confusion. He looked back at the hall. There were waves of whispers coming from inside, but the atmosphere was more solemn than before.

"They didn't ask any difficult questions. They were all related to Banban. It was just a mouse bought from a pet store. I don't understand."

"You're doing a good job." Dumbledore nodded. Toby stepped forward and blocked the Aurors who wanted to push their family, and protected both Ron and Percy. Angela stood there

beside him.

"Take them away, they have nothing to do here." Scrimgeour ordered, not choosing to get angry over such a trivial matter.

"Go in." He said again, and the Aurors in the corridor also started to move, as if they planned to keep a close eye on these people from the beginning.

Dumbledore took the lead, with Toby and Angela following behind him. Scrimgeour was carrying Scrimgeour's cage, followed by more Aurors, and a group of people passed through the wooden door in a mighty manner.

The surrounding walls were made of black stones, and the light from the torches was dim and eerie. On both sides of them were rows of empty benches that were gradually rising, and in front, on the highest benches, many black figures suddenly appeared.

Huhu's silhouette.

The heavy door slowly closed behind a few people. Four chairs stood in the center of the room. On the armrests of the chairs were iron chains on the left and right.

Dumbledore sat calmly on a chair in the middle, Scrimgeour placed the cage on another chair in the middle, Toby sat on the other side of the mouse cage, and Angela, wearing hard gloves, sat

The relatively safest location is next to Dumbledore.

The chains jingled menacingly, but did not tie them up. Not only did this not stop the whispers, but it actually became more noisy - many wizards sitting on the bench, wearing purple robes, they all

He stood up and protested loudly, feeling aggrieved by Dumbledore's treatment.

"Crazy! Everyone is crazy!"

Toby saw an old man with hair like dandelions shouting: "What on earth do you think? Do you regard Dumbledore as the defendant? Albus Dumbledore?"

Fudge sat in the middle of the row of benches in front of him. He had an embarrassed look on his face and had been staring at Dumbledore since he entered the courtroom.

The Aurors looked at Scrimgeour for a while, then at Fudge, and finally Dumbledore took the initiative to stand up and calm the excited members.

"It won't be long before we know the answer," he said.

Anyone can see that he is more convincing than Fudge.

"Good," Fudge said through gritted teeth, "the remaining defendants have finally arrived—"

"It's a witness!" a Wizengamot member protested.

"No!" Fudge was determined to go against these people. He roared and shouted: "You don't understand and you don't understand Albus Dumbledore at all!"

Toby frowned and stared at Fudge.

For a moment, not only the Wizengamot members present, but also Toby himself felt in a trance because of Fudge's next words——

"The trial of September 20th." Fudge shouted over all the voices: "The trial of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore for violating the International

Confidentiality Act case, and his suspicion of manslaughter.”

"Let me ask you," he said, looking directly at Dumbledore: "Do you have a sister named Ariana Dumbledore? When did she die? And who killed her?!"

"Is that you?! Albus Dumbledore!"