Archaeologists at Hogwarts

Chapter 226 Witness

The courtroom fell silent for a moment, with shocked expressions on everyone's faces, and it turned into a denunciation in a very short period of time.

"Look what you're saying?!"

"Merlin, I think I should go. This is a complete waste of time."

"How dare you slander a great magician like this!"

No one thought Fudge was telling the truth, they all thought he was crazy.

"quiet!"

A square-jawed witch sitting to the left of Fudge shouted to maintain order. When the noise finally stopped, she looked at Fudge, who was always staring at Dumbledore, and said: "I have not received a temporary change of case notice, Minister.

This is inconsistent with the Wizengamot Charter of Rights and is not part of the policies of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Fudge stared at Dumbledore without blinking, but he didn't see any expression on Dumbledore's face that he wanted.

"In fact, Director Bones, these two cases are the same thing."

Fudge said with a gloomy look: "You will find out soon - now, open the cage and let the mouse return to its original form."

Toby was about to open the cage, but was stopped by Scrimgeour who came over.

"Sit still," Scrimgeour warned, and looked at Dumbledore extra vigilantly.

He opened the cage and placed the sleeping rat inside on the floor. The members of the Wizengamot craned their necks to look at it - they had already known the origin of the rat during the Weasley family's trial.

Then this is absolutely normal, just an ordinary pet, but it lives an extra long time, longer than an ordinary mouse.

Scrimgeour held his wand against the mouse and whispered the spell.

With a flash of light, the sleeping mouse gradually transformed into human limbs. This man was short and fat, and he was still sleeping. Before coming to the Ministry of Magic, Toby gave him a lot of sleeping pills.

.

Some jurors recognized the man's appearance.

"Peter Pettigrew, this is impossible, he is obviously dead."

"I recognize him. I was the examiner for his ordinary wizard level examination back then. I will never admit his mistake."

"But how could it be."

"Quiet." Fudge said impatiently: "Wake him up quickly, there are still a lot of questions waiting to be asked to him."

Scrimgeour took out a small bottle from his pocket and put it under Peter's nose for a while. Soon, his eyelids trembled slightly and he woke up from his sleep.

Pettigrew looked around in horror. He recognized Fudge at a glance. He lay on the ground and twisted his head, and saw Toby, Dumbledore, and Angela sitting in their seats.

"I didn't" he said in a panic, but Scrimgeour couldn't wait that long. He forcibly lifted Peter up and pressed him onto the chair where the cage was originally placed - the chain shook for a while, unlike the other three, it

Pettigrew was immediately tied up tightly, unable to move.

Fudge took out a pile of parchment that had been prepared and began to interrogate.

"Are you Peter Pedillo?"

"I, I, I am." Peter stuttered, the expression on his face becoming more and more frightened.

"Twelve years ago, in 1981, you were the one who assumed the role of James Potter and Lily Evans' Secret Keeper, right?"

This is different from the generally known facts. The tragedy about the Potters has long been resolved. The news circulating in the wizarding world is that Sirius colluded with Voldemort and persecuted the Potters.

There was a lot of discussion in the high seats. Ms. Bones stabilized her monocular eyes and refused to let go of Peter's abnormal behavior.

Peter's whole body was shaking, his eyes were filled with tears, and the chains were wrapping around him tighter and tighter.

"I can't breathe"

He begged, but Fudge just stared at him coldly, took out another piece of parchment and asked: "According to the verdict from twelve years ago, a whole street of Muggles were killed by the bomb. Do you leave any traces at the scene of the crime?"

There was only one finger left in the body, and the last criminal was identified as Sirius Black - Do you have anything to defend this case? Was it the mysterious person you colluded with and put all the blame on Sirius?

·On ​​Blake?”

The other three people immediately noticed Fudge's choice of words - mysterious person.

Even now he still wants to throw Grindelwald out of this case.

Peter began to cry loudly, with tears and snot covering his face, and he could not utter a complete sentence.

Toby leaned aside with a look of disgust on his face, and Fudge took the time to quickly question Peter, as if he wanted to solve the case as soon as possible.

In fact, there is almost no need for any other evidence - there is something wrong with the sudden appearance of a dead person, and even a fool can realize that there is something wrong with Peter Pettigrew.

As the person who really arrested Peter, Toby also described how he secretly changed Peter from the dormitory without telling a lie. Angela was his witness. When Peter showed his true form in the office

, she was also present.

Her status as the vice-principal of Wagadu gained her a lot of points and she got many nods of approval.

"I declare that the vote will now begin," Ms. Bones said.

Somehow, I suddenly came to this point.

Toby looked at Dumbledore uneasily, but he remained silent.

Fudge and most of the jurors were also looking at him, and even Ms. Bones's words seemed to be asking Dumbledore.

If that were the case, there would be no need to summon all the Wizengamot members with such fanfare - there was no need for a vote now, everyone believed Peter was guilty.

"One thing is not accurate."

Finally, Dumbledore spoke, and his tone was calm and frightening: "Threat, or maybe the person Peter Pedillo is loyal to is not Voldemort."

He said the man's name in Fudge's eyes, which was about to burst into anger.

"It was Gellert Grindelwald who forced Peter Pedro to persecute the Potters."

Deathly silence once again filled the entire courtroom.

The jurors, as well as Ms. Bones, all thought they had heard the name wrong. Fudge seemed so angry that he was about to rush out and ask Dumbledore why he had to do this.

He had already given Dumbledore a warning!

Isn't Ariana's name enough?!

"Yes." Dumbledore seemed to have finally figured something out. He became more relaxed and continued to say in a steady voice: "I know this is hard to believe, but who can say for sure?

Who could have guessed that at the same time as Voldemort was rising, there would be another Dark Lord secretly making plans?"

"Is what he said true?!" Fudge stared at Peter fiercely and said, not like he was asking at all, but forcing him to immediately deny this statement.

Immediately afterwards, Fudge added: "You have to know that once you admit this statement, you will be sent to the International Court of Justice for reasons involving Gellert Grindelwald. Not every country's Ministry of Magic will

There are Azkabans where prisoners are held - like the MACUSA - and what they will do to you is not just the separation of soul and body, it's not a dementor's kiss, it's real execution."

Peter was frightened. He just wanted to keep his life, but his reaction when he heard about Gellert Grindelwald was seen by many people.

"Are you inducing the defendant to make false claims, Minister?" Ms. Bones asked calmly.

"You should ask him." Fudge said fiercely: "Ask him whether this is true or false."

"Who are you referring to?" Bones asked again.

She wasn't nitpicking, because Fudge turned his attention to Dumbledore again.

"I am what he is referring to, ma'am." Dumbledore said, "I know this is somewhat out of order, but I fully accept any questioning."

"Then tell me!" Fudge immediately asked: "Why do you think it was Peter Pedillo who was instigated by Gellert Grindelwald? Do you have any evidence?"

"I am the evidence." Toby suddenly said: "Angela was also present at the time, and these were all said by Peter Pedillo himself."

"Then why doesn't he answer now?!"

"If you are willing to calm down your belly that is about to spread out on the table, I think he will be willing to answer."

Fudge's face turned the color of pig liver, he sat back in his seat, and after taking several deep breaths, he said: "I have a different story here, Rufus, please bring the witness over, she should have arrived.

"

It seems that this is why Rufus Scrimgeour was so confident before - Fudge actually had other witnesses.

Toby had silently prepared himself mentally. He recalled one by one the wizards he had encountered that he could not deal with. Well, it might not be a wizard, a dominatrix, a giant, or even a werewolf. Of course, it is essential.

A fairy.

As long as he confirms his identity as the Black Devil and produces a lot of so-called incriminating evidence, the testimony from Toby's mouth will naturally be less convincing.

After a while, Scrimgeour returned, followed by not just one person but three women.

Toby knows the person on the left as Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet, but the people on the right and in the middle are unknown.

Standing on the right was a woman who looked like a large pale toad. She was short and fat, with a broad, saggy face. Like Vernon, her neck was invisible, and her mouth drooped downward. She

His eyes are large, round, and slightly bulging outward.

She and Skeeter were walking very slowly, supporting an old woman in the middle, one on the left and the other on the right.

"She needs help." said the woman who looked like a toad, her voice as fussy as a little girl's, shrill and thin.

"Yes, Minister Umbridge, we can see that. We have had a hard time on the road. Let's turn her into a chair."

Fudge said proudly as if he had won.

The old woman caught in the middle was sitting on the sofa chair. She seemed to have lost consciousness of everything around her. Her eyes were motionless and she seemed to be in a daze.

After she sat down, the two people next to her did not leave, but stood on the left and right next to her, which made a small number of jurors dissatisfied.

"Bathilda Bagshot." Fudge introduced loudly: "You should all have heard of her name. Yes, she is the author of "A History of Magic." But only a few people know that Bathilda Bagshot is also

Gellert Grindelwald's great-aunt, they are related. Moreover, Grindelwald lived in her house for a short time, and she also knew the Dumbledore family who lived in Godric's Hollow."

Ms. Bones looked at Fudge suspiciously, and then she began to do her job.

"Is what Secretary Fudge said true?" she asked.

Bagshot had no reaction at all, but he didn't look like he was frightened.

At this time, it was Umbridge again, she said in a high voice: "Bathilda Bagshot suffers from severe Alzheimer's disease and can only regain consciousness for a few hours throughout the day. Unfortunately,

She can't answer your question now."

Bones frowned and said, "Then how should she perform her duties as a witness?"

"It's all been sorted in advance." Skeeter suddenly took out a pile of rolled parchment from his handbag and sent it to the people in front. He added: "Don't accidentally break these.

It’s still useful for me to record.”

Dumbledore was always calm, and Toby was staring at the roll of parchment, but Ms. Bones did not look at it, but looked at Fudge and said: "This is not in accordance with the procedure."

"Then just take these parchments and ask Dumbledore." Fudge took away the parchments angrily. He obviously knew what was written on them, and without even reading them, he directly asked Dumbledore angrily:

"Do you admit that you have a sister named Ariana Dumbley?"

There were many dissatisfied voices in the jury box, and now it was back to Fudge's original offense against Dumbledore.

"That's right." Dumbledore said calmly.

The noise suddenly became quieter.

Fudge continued: "She never went to school?"

"Not really." Dumbledore said again, calmly and a bit scary.

Toby slowly widened his eyes - he thought of a previous conversation with Dumbledore.

That conversation involved the content of ancient magic classes and was related to the Obscurus.

Suddenly, before Fudge could ask again, Dumbledore said frankly: "We have been using her poor health as an excuse to evade all things that might lead to her exposure, including Ms. Bagshot's friendly invitation."

"But in fact, my sister - Ariana Dumbledore - she is an Obscurial."

There was silence for the third time, this time without any noise.

Angela covered her mouth in surprise, and Toby's fists clenched unconsciously.

At this time, Dumbledore suddenly stood up, Fudge looked at Scrimgeour in fright, and the Aurors quietly clenched their wands - Toby also stood up, and then Angela.

"It's okay." Dumbledore turned his head and signaled. He walked up to Fudge alone, stretched out his hand and asked, "Can I see what is written on these parchments?"

No one knew what the consequences of refusal would be. Even Fudge dared to take such a risk. He just tried to persuade him tremblingly: "I advise you not to mess around. This is the Ministry of Magic."

"I don't intend to mess around." Dumbledore said, taking the parchment over and slowly opening it one by one.

Everyone just waited quietly, no one made a sound to disturb.

To be honest, this was the first time Toby had seen such a powerful moment from the principal outside of school, and it was much more scary.

Ten minutes later, the sound of turning the paper finally disappeared. As Dumbledore put down the parchment, the oppressive atmosphere disappeared. Fudge didn't dare to reach out to pick it up, but just motioned to put it on the table.

The faces of the jurors showed fear and anxiety, and Dumbledore saw their expressions one by one.

"Although there are some errors and omissions." He said softly: "But one thing it says is correct. I am indeed suspected of killing my sister."

The silence lasted for nearly half a minute.

Fudge didn't expect Dumbledore to admit it so quickly. He didn't ask Dumbledore to return to his original position. Perhaps he didn't dare to do so. Instead, he directly said more of his own words: "Then you also admit the matter."

Do you want to blame Grindelwald for revenge?"

Many people didn't understand this sentence. Not everyone knew about the duel between Grindelwald, Aberforth, and Dumbledore. Fudge was interrupted before he could finish.

.

Dumbledore looked at Fudge and said, "I want to know where the minister got the clue?"

Umbridge, standing far behind him, said: "Who else can it be? The witnesses are already here."

"No." Dumbledore shook his head slowly: "The witness is not her. You know this very well, Fudge, and you -" He turned his head and said: "Scrimgeour, you are making a deal with the devil.

.”

Scrimgeour took the wand in his hand and made no secret of it.

Fudge stuttered and said: "I don't understand what you are talking about - if you ask me, your students are the real devils. Toby Highmore, do you know how many crimes I found about him? Do you want to

Want to see it with your own eyes?"

Fudge took out piles of files from under the table. The piles were taller than an adult, but this seemed not to be enough. Under the long row of tables, it seemed to have become a bottomless pit, and he could not finish it.

"This is not the key." Dumbledore shook his head and said, his disappointment in Fudge getting deeper and deeper: "The real key is that Grindelwald has control of Azkaban and the threat of thousands of Dementors, but

But you are indifferent to this scene."

"In addition, I also have a witness who can prove that what I said is true."

There was a sound from outside the heavy wooden door.

"It seems he has arrived." Dumbledore said. Toby and Angela looked at each other, and then looked back together.

The wooden door was pushed open, and a total of two people walked in - one of them was probably in his fifties, with a straight back and stiff movements. His short black hair was neatly styled, and the slit in the middle was a bit unnaturally straight.

His narrow toothbrush-like mustache looked like it had been trimmed with a sliding ruler.

The other person is a little old man with a kind smile on his face. He is wearing the same white robe as Angela. Just looking at him makes people feel good about him.

"Crouch?" Fudge asked in surprise: "Why are you here? It's been so long since Sirius's case. Although it was your verdict, even if the responsibility is pursued, it can't be traced to you. After all,

You're not in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement anymore—"

"But the Minister of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation." Barty Crouch answered seriously: "I am not here for today's case, but to receive this guest - please allow me to introduce, Babajide

·Ajinbad, the principal of Wagadu, he came as a witness."

Ajinbad smiled and greeted everyone, especially when he looked at Angela and Toby, his smile was particularly cordial.

His English is very poor, but fortunately he can be heard clearly, but the content he speaks is not so easy for people to accept.

"I have brought the body of Sirius Black."

He said: "Of course, it was not me who committed the murder. He was already dying at that time and I could not save him."

"Before he died, Sirius Black told me that the reason he was able to escape from Azkaban was because Gellert Grindelwald seduced the dementors in the prison, allowing him to escape easily.

After this, Black refused to succumb to Grindelwald's threats and successfully escaped again."

"What threat?" Ms. Bones asked in horror.

Ajinbad glanced at Toby, and then said gently:

"Of course it's the threat of another war - Grindelwald wants to use dark magic and blood to purge the entire wizarding world. Isn't this something he did once?"

"Now, he has to repeat the process again."