Chapter 171 Trial of Riddle is difficult

Dumbledore saw through Fudge's so-called sacrifice, which was just to use Ron's life to cover up Tom's news.

He whispered to Fudge: "If you want to destroy the Horcrux, you can use the snake venom of the Basilisk. It can penetrate matter and act directly on the soul."

Fudge and Malfoy looked at each other, basilisk's venom? They had some doubts in their minds. Could it be that Hogwarts had a way to destroy Horcruxes?

Rogge was not surprised. The principal's research on magic items was definitely far beyond ordinary people. Looking at the magic books on the wall, in addition to controlling the knowledge of Horcruxes to avoid creating a second Voldemort, you can also understand the dangers of Horcruxes and find ways to destroy them.

If all of Voldemort's Horcruxes cannot be found and destroyed, then the Dark Lord will never truly die. Unfortunately, Dumbledore still doesn't know how many Horcruxes Tom has made. There are only two that appear in front of him: Riddle's diary and Harry Potter's suspected Horcrux.

Fudge took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Albus, in that case, kill the basilisk in Hogwarts now and use its venom to destroy the diary. Otherwise, I will take it back Ministry of Magic, hand it over to the Department of Mysteries for disposal."

"It will take some time to find the secret room. Ron can let Madam Pomfrey treat him first. As long as he no longer comes into contact with Riddle's diary, his life will not be in danger." Dumbledore declined Fudge's request politely. .

If Fudge doesn't announce that Tom's Horcrux has appeared, then the diary must stay at Hogwarts. This is evidence that the darkness is never far away, and Fudge can never hide the truth or whitewash peace in front of it.

Some of the time the principal mentioned could be a day, a month, or even a year... As for how long it would take, it didn't depend on Dumbledore, but on when Fudge was willing to face the threat of the mysterious man.

Both Rogge and Malfoy could see that this was a game. The greatest white wizard and the British Minister of Magic represent different forces in the game. Poor Weasley became a pawn that needed to be sacrificed in the game.

But he was lucky, at least Dumbledore had ensured that he would not die. If Fudge takes the diary back, he will have to prepare Weasley's funeral.

Malfoy began to calculate in his mind, which one would be more beneficial to him. If Dumbledore's ideas were followed, the wizarding world would definitely be in turmoil, and even ostracize and be hostile to them, the former Death Eaters.

On the contrary, if Fudge wins, he can destroy the diary and ensure that Riddle will not return. Everyone is still living a peaceful and stable life, and you can make more preparations for the future.

Then Malfoy spoke: "Dumbledore, for the sake of the stability of the wizarding world, I support Minister Fudge's approach. Give Riddle's diary to the Department of Mysteries."

"Malfoy, that is just self-deception." Dumbledore shook his head, "Since there is the first Horcrux, there will be the second and third... The clouds of war have not left, and the power of darkness has begun to emerge. .

I remember that the Ministry of Magic recently promulgated new Muggle protection laws, which require strict inspection of dark magic items. As long as we make the diary public, all wizards will be on guard. "Dumbledore said.

His purpose is to use the diary to make everyone face the problem, and then start preparing for war. Fudge sat back and took a deep breath. He stared at Dumbledore, thinking of the dead Fletcher, a member of the Order.

Fudge has experienced the days of fighting against the mysterious man, and he knows that if war comes. No matter how hard the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic work, Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix is ​​still the benchmark for the entire wizarding world.

A large number of wizards surrounded Dumbledore, and only the old wizard in front of them looked at him. During the last war, the reputation of the Ministry of Magic was declining compared with the Order of the Phoenix.

Today, everyone only knows about the Order's contribution to defeating the mysterious man. The McKinnon family, the Potter family, the Neville family... However, how many people still remember the Aurors who died in the war? It seemed that throughout the war, they, the Ministry of Magic, were like outsiders watching the fun.

After the war, Dumbledore disbanded the Order of the Phoenix. But Fudge dared to say that as long as Dumbledore called, those people would come back to him.

The Wizengamot has escaped the control of the Ministry of Magic. If war happens again, will the Ministry of Magic headquarters have to move? Moved from London to the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts.

Fudge couldn't let that happen. He must find ways to contain Dumbledore in order to ensure the authority of the Ministry of Magic in the wizarding world. Even if all the power is used to suppress Hogwarts and Dumbledore, the peace and stability of the wizarding world must be maintained.

The atmosphere in the room gradually became tense, and Fudge's eyes were fixed on the diary without moving. He was considering whether to snatch Riddle's diary directly.

"Actually, Li Huo is fine. After all, it's called Soul Fire." Rogge muttered in a low voice, as if he accidentally let something slip.

Dumbledore's glasses couldn't help but light up, and he looked back at the magic book on the bookshelf. All the books about Horcruxes that can be found in the British wizarding world are here. Logically speaking, he should not be exposed to this forbidden knowledge.

However, judging from Rogge's reaction, his understanding of Horcruxes was far beyond that of ordinary people, even too much. Dumbledore took a deep breath, feeling that he had overlooked something important.

Suddenly, he smiled. Rogge had contact with Voldemort last year and heard from Snape that some deals were reached. It is not an easy task to make Tom feel defeated. Maybe Tom wanted to lead Roger to fall, so he taught him the knowledge of Horcruxes.

"Li Huo? Rogge, are you sure?" Fudge looked back at him.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, "Yes, Li Huo can certainly do it."

"Great, I will use the fire spell to destroy Riddle's diary now." Fudge took out his wand and excitedly cast a spell on the notebook. As long as the evidence in front of you is destroyed, no one will know that the person was there.

"I object." Rogge took the notebook away, and Fudge looked at him puzzled.

"Roger, you have to understand what this book represents! Do you want the entire wizarding world to be in turmoil?" Fudge pointed out, "I can't resist Dumbledore, and I can't clean up the mess?"

"I'm not refusing you to destroy it, but in what name." Rogge slapped the diary on the table and stared at the minister with burning eyes.

Since I said I would judge him, I judged him.

"In name? Could it be that it is a mysterious man's Horcrux, an extremely evil black magic tool? Isn't that enough?"

"Of course it's enough, but this is only secondary. He is Tom Riddle, Voldemort himself. He is burdened with sin, even though he has died... from the magic of love." Rogge hesitated for a moment before saying this extremely shameful word. .

"But for the numerous crimes he committed, no formal trial or execution has been carried out against either the wizarding world or Muggles. I told him that he would be tried."

"Ha, don't be naive, kid!" Fudge shook his head. The magic world can only accept the definition of black magic items, and must not allow the news that the mysterious man can be resurrected to spread.

"Your attitude is not important. I, Cornelius Fudge, the British Minister of Magic. I decided to destroy it on the spot. Isn't my identity enough? Can't I represent the entire wizarding world to execute the ruling?" Fudge thinks he can represent the entire wizarding world. The will of the world.

"Not even enough." Rogge shook his head.

"You!" Fudge glared at Rogge, not expecting that a student would dare to challenge his authority.

"Fudge, listen to Rogge." Dumbledore suddenly spoke, causing Fudge to hold back his anger.

"You and I both know that countless people have died because of his family, and there are many victims in St. Mungo's Hospital. Minister, shouldn't we give them an explanation?" Rogge asked.

"Okay, what you said makes sense, but some people will definitely raise objections. That was a crime committed by the mysterious man later. What does it have to do with Riddle during the Hogwarts period? Even if they are one person, legally You cannot use future sins to judge wizards who have not committed crimes." Fudge turned to look at Malfoy, you are one of the former leaders of Death Eaters.

"I firmly support the decision of the Ministry of Magic. It is better to destroy the dark magic props left by the mysterious man." Malfoy was expressionless, and after a brief agreement, he remained silent.

"Objection? Why do they have objections?" Rogge smiled coldly, "Voldemort has committed so many unforgivable crimes. Those who remain silent about the trial are potential Death Eaters, and those who express opposition are real Death Eaters. .Isn’t this a great opportunity to clean them up?”

Rogge doesn't care whether past crimes or future crimes can be investigated. He supports the Virgin's right to show mercy to the devil, but I also have the right to send the Virgin to meet the devil.

"Mr. Minister, there is no doubt that the trial of the Wizengamot was absolutely fair, rigorous and comprehensive. But now it has only been more than ten years. Has the wizarding world surrendered to Voldemort? Or is it that his supporters are getting more and more popular? The more, so that he cannot be tried for his crimes?" Rogge secretly mocked Fudge for his negligence.

"As for sins in the future and people in the past, what's the problem for us? We are his future. If he has to come out of history and do evil in our time and space, we have the right to judge him! What's the point? Problem?"

After hearing Rogge's words, the three people present fell into deep thought.

As the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore is well aware of the laws of the wizarding world. Indeed, under current law, it would be difficult to hold Riddle accountable and put him on trial. But Rogge's argument is novel.

He directly raised the trial to the dimension of time and space. Since Tom's crime has never been tried, the magic world has the responsibility to hold him accountable. In the past, he died in history, and everyone was helpless. But now that he is returning, he will naturally be judged by the magic world.

Each Horcrux requires the killing of a wizard to make, which means that no matter how many times Tom returns, he needs to be judged. Until complete death!

Malfoy took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "Even so, his crimes were only opening the secret room, releasing the basilisk, and at most killing Myrtle. It would be better to treat him as a black magic tool and destroy him directly."

"That's right." Fudge nodded, "Even if everyone agrees with your statement, he is only 16 years old after all, and he is still not legally qualified to be tried."

"Huh? Why?" Rogge was confused.

Fudge chuckled lightly, with a rather proud smile on his face: "Did you know that the British wizarding community has abolished the death penalty and enacted a law for the protection of minor wizards. Otherwise, why did Hagrid just be expelled?"

He looked at Dumbledore pointedly and said quietly: "Albus was a transfiguration teacher back then and a member of the Wizengamot. When the Ministry of Magic unanimously agreed to severely punish Hagrid, in the end it was unable to implement it due to legal obstacles. .”

He didn't say who brought out the law to hinder the Ministry of Magic's execution, but everyone was not a fool and could hear what he meant.

Fudge asked the magic teapot to make tea and stared at Dumbledore with interest. Didn't you use various legal provisions to defend Hagrid and make the Ministry of Magic's decision unenforceable? This time I want to see what other tricks you have to stop yourself from taking away the diary.

Fudge couldn't help but feel happy at the thought of embarrassing Dumbledore. This is like shooting yourself in the foot, you deserve it!

"Child, I understand your thoughts, and I hate the mysterious man as much as you do." Seeing everyone's silence, Fudge began to play the emotional card, "Of course I also want to put the mysterious man on trial, but the law does not allow it."

"Listen to me, it is a dark magic item. I will rule according to the Muggle Protection Act: burn it with strong fire. Your friend Weasley can return to normal, and the hidden danger in the wizarding world has been eliminated."

Fudge turned to look at Malfoy: "I think the school director can also understand this matter and revoke the temporary suspension order."

Rogge pouted, Weasley's safety had nothing to do with him. If Dumbledore hadn't rescued him, Ron would have been a useless person at this time.

"Ahem..." Dumbledore coughed and said softly: "There was indeed something fishy about what happened back then. If we had strictly followed the Ministry of Magic's decrees, it would have caused irreparable mistakes. This is also the reason for the abolition of the death penalty. Let us return the favor. There is an opportunity to correct mistakes.”

"It turns out that Tom was the real murderer of Myrtle. The punishment Hagrid received was just an unjust case. He was indeed wronged!"

Dumbledore's words made Fudge look ugly. Indeed, it stands to reason that the Ministry of Magic should have continued the investigation, rather than hastily blaming Hagrid.

"The so-called unjust case, it is not the Ministry of Magic that should really reflect on it, but you Hogwarts!" Fudge raised his voice, anger in his voice.

As a politician, he can show different attitudes and expressions anytime and anywhere. Since Dumbledore mentioned this matter, don't blame him for threatening him.

"The one who reported Hagrid was a student of your school, and the one who confirmed this statement was also the headmaster of Hogwarts at the time. We, the Ministry of Magic, were misled by you and made a judgment based on the testimony you provided. Is this the so-called unjust case? ?"

Fudge became agitated and paced back and forth. He would never admit that the Ministry of Magic had made any miscalculations. The compensation to Rogge had already made the Ministry of Magic very painful, and he wouldn't be able to bear it again.

"I must state that the Ministry of Magic has always acted in a fair and objective manner in this case. After we received the report, we immediately dispatched Aurors to conduct a thorough investigation, and with the cooperation of Hogwarts staff, we determined that it was a member of our school. What you did.”

"When your student Riddle reported it, we gave Hagrid ample time to defend himself. He himself admitted that he had secretly kept forbidden magical creatures."

Fudge stopped and looked at Dumbledore seriously: "Albus, which step in the above process is wrong? We discuss the matter as it is, we don't sugarcoat it, we only care about the facts and the law. If there is any injustice, I will represent the Ministry of Magic today. Apologize publicly!”

"But the fact is that you, Hogwarts, should be the ones to review. After the death of the student, in order to avoid closing the school, you not only hastily attributed the crime to an innocent person, but also did nothing in the follow-up, allowing the real culprit to go free. I heard that you also He was given an award.

Without your training and irresponsibility, the magic world would never have endured such a horrific disaster! Now that the matter has been revealed, you want to put all the blame on the Ministry of Magic? "

Fudge slammed the table: "I must say. This kind of behavior is extremely irresponsible and immoral! It's simply unbelievable that a school can be so indifferent to the lives of students and want to frame them!"

"If we had let go and investigated thoroughly, and found out that Riddle was so indifferent to life, things would have been different a long time ago. Hogwarts has a major responsibility in the Wizarding War!" Fudge's face turned red and he gasped for air. He made serious accusations against Dumbledore.

"But why didn't we use Veritaserum?" Dumbledore clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "The child has already stated that he has never harmed Myrtle. It only takes three drops to know the truth."

"You have preconceptions. Have you really investigated?" Dumbledore's sharp eyes made Fudge feel guilty.

He smacked his lips and immediately changed his attitude: "I admit that the Ministry of Magic did discriminate against mixed-race giants back then. But since Hagrid can be protected by laws, we cannot bypass the laws and publicly judge the mysterious man's diary."

Fudge rolled his eyes, squinted and said: "Albus, what happened fifty years ago has passed. Even the headmaster at that time has been hung on the wall. The Ministry of Magic can correct the mistake and restore Hagrid's wizarding rights. Regarding the public trial It’s absolutely impossible.”

"No one will be at ease if the diary leaves this room." He turned to look at Rogge, "Listen to me, right here, destroy it with fire. As for the basilisk, you can do whatever you want with it. How to deal with it."

"The Ministry of Magic can even help and find an executioner to execute it." Fudge gave a compromise strategy, "I can even put pressure on the Daily Prophet to stop Rita from reporting on this matter."

"What if it's not the law of the British wizarding world?" Rogge said suddenly.

"you mean?"

"Check to see if the wizards or Muggles who were killed back then were from other magical worlds, and try them according to the laws of other magical worlds."

"I object!" Fudge looked at Dumbledore, "Why do you have to try it in public? And you're not old enough!"

"In what name does Mr. Minister object? It involves international crimes." Rogge shook his head. "As for age, we can calculate it based on the diary: How about 50 years old?"

"I agree with Rogge." Dumbledore took off his glasses, "The International Federation of Magicians decided to conduct a joint investigation."

Facing the death trial, Riddle's diary trembled and he appeared in front of everyone.