Chapter 557: The Partial Minister

"Although there is some truth in it, it sounds like a quibble." Mrs. Longbottom frowned and muttered softly.

"If everyone's crime can only be defined by law, doesn't that mean that they are innocent before trial?" Her voice was low, but every word was sonorous and powerful. "If we follow this statement, then we can't fight against the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters."

"Well, in theory." Lucius folded his hands elegantly and placed them on the silver snake head of the cane, as if he was stroking a precious work of art.

He said in a long tone, with a bit of sarcasm and complacency in his tone, "Since the law is the only measure, morality is not so important, isn't it?"

He turned to the side, his eyes hiding cunning: "Mr. Dumbledore, as the former chief wizard of the Wizengamot, you must agree with my point of view. After all, you understand the importance of the law better than anyone else here."

"Here, the law and evidence will determine the good and evil of wizards. Kindness, courage, love and the like are all footnotes to morality, thin and powerless, and have nothing to do with justice."

Lucius suddenly seemed to remember something important and took a breath softly. A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said in a yin-yang tone: "Sorry, how could I forget such an important thing."

His gray eyes slowly swept over everyone in the room, and his gaze finally stopped on the members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"As staunch defenders of the Statute of Secrecy, you will certainly not disagree with my point of view, right? After all, we all know how this law...conveniently protects certain people."

This is quite beautiful, like a gorgeous hat inlaid with pearls, which is placed impartially on Dumbledore's head.

As the former chief wizard of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore is well aware of the majesty and unshakability of the law. To deny this is tantamount to shaking the foundation of the entire magical world.

However, behind those blue eyes, there is no mechanical, old-fashioned, and conventional old pedant.

Dumbledore gently stroked his long beard, with a gleam of wisdom in his eyes.

In his heart, in addition to what a wizard does, his character is equally important. Even the nobility of the mind is more precious than the flawlessness of behavior, a typical case of judging by the heart rather than the deeds.

During the mission, Roger did cause the death of a survivor. His behavior is legally questionable and morally condemnable.

However, Dumbledore knew that in such a critical situation, this might not be the only way, but it was the most effective way.

Dumbledore slowly raised his head, and his blue eyes stared at Lucius through his half-moon glasses. His voice was calm and firm, as if stating an indisputable fact: "Mr. Malfoy, abiding by the law is important, but moral persistence is often more difficult."

"Nobility is a path that requires great courage. It is not just as simple as abiding by the law, but making the right choice in a complex reality. The law is the cornerstone of our society."

After hearing this, Lucius flashed a trace of disdain in his eyes. He snorted coldly and mocked himself in his heart: "Here we go again, this old man always likes to talk about some high-sounding principles." But he wisely chose to remain silent and just raised his eyebrows contemptuously.

Amelia knocked the gavel hard, and the crisp sound instantly quieted the noisy courtroom. Her sharp eyes swept over everyone present, and finally stopped at Roger.

"I agree with Mr. Roger's objection," Amelia announced in a serious voice, "but this does not mean that we will ignore the problems in the case."

"The Elk Mission is a large-scale rescue operation launched by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement across the Atlantic during Christmas. Our goal is to rescue the wizards and Muggles who have lost their freedom from the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters..." She paused and adjusted her words: "Rescue the wizards and Muggles who have lost their freedom."

"Among them, there are 327 wizards and 2,316 Muggles. This arduous task was jointly proposed by Roger Travis and the Goblin King Bellingrum. , under the command of the Ministry of Magic and with the cooperation of all staff, it was successfully completed. "

"During the mission, we successfully destroyed 15 Death Eater virus laboratories. More importantly," her voice became excited, as if there was a dragon crystal magic mirror in front of her: "We killed the American black wizard who developed the snake virus."

She deliberately emphasized the last few words, and her eyes swept in the direction of the American wizard intentionally or unintentionally, "He is Baldwin, the professor of potions at Ilvermorny School of Magic."

These words were like a bomb, causing a commotion in the courtroom. The American wizards were immediately on pins and needles, and began to whisper and discuss in a low voice. Some looked unhappy, while others looked worried.

This was obviously a scapegoating behavior. Before the questioning officially began, the British Ministry of Magic tried to shift part of the responsibility to the American magic community.

James, the chairman of the American Magic Congress, frowned, forming a deep "chuan" character. Although his heart was churning, he still maintained diplomatic etiquette and did not have an outburst on the spot.

He looked at Amelia with a sharp gaze, as if to say, "We'll see."

Amelia was very satisfied with the effect of her bombshell. She paused for a moment to let the news ferment in everyone's minds, and then continued to read the following content: "At the same time, Rogge used severe fire to burn all the research data on the virus. The second-generation snake-man virus that was about to succeed was completely destroyed."

"This decision saved countless lives!" Her voice rose an octave, as if telling a heroic epic: "On the way back, they defeated the Death Eater pursuers and killed the dark wizard headed by the werewolf."

Amelia deliberately put the destruction of the virus and the pursuit of Death Eaters together, deliberately creating a "truth": because of the destruction of the virus, the Death Eaters were so angry that they chased and killed them.

Rogge, who was sitting below, understood what the minister meant, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he even wanted to applaud and cheer for her: As expected of (for journalism students, cross out) the Minister of Magic!

"This operation was almost perfect. No Auror died. The only casualty," she couldn't help but chuckle, "was an overly excited wizard who accidentally sprained his ankle when landing."

After saying that, Amelia put down the red folder in her hand, picked up the water glass gracefully, and took a slow sip. Her expression seemed to say, "My statement is over."

"Chief Madam." Little James had to remind him, with strong displeasure in his voice: "You didn't mention a word about the wizard Mr. you killed!"

"Sorry, please forgive my oversight." Amelia responded to him in a politician's usual tone, with a smile on her face, as if to say: "That's what I was going to say."

"On the way back, Delis and his team were chased and intercepted by Death Eaters. At a critical moment of life and death, the rescued wizards asked Aurors to give up key magic props such as wands and flying broomsticks, more than once."

"After several fruitless negotiations, the situation began to get out of control. Rogge tried to calm the situation with words. However... he was insulted by the other party, which intensified the conflict. In the end, tragedy occurred. One hostage fell from a high altitude and died. ”

Amelia sighed quietly, and said in a nostalgic and regretful voice: "Little James, I sincerely apologize. Our Auror failed to protect [your wizard]."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples. The Wizengamot burst into laughter, drowning out the sadness of the reported death.

The judges above exchanged meaningful glances, while the audience behind them pointed at the American Aurors unabashedly. Their eyes were full of contempt, as if to say: "Look, this is the level of American wizards. In the end, it is us British wizards who have to save people."

Little James sat there with a gloomy expression on his face. He was holding back a lot of bitterness in his heart, but he had no way of talking about it. Amelia does describe what happened, but her narrative deftly avoids the important and portrays the tragic event caused by Roger as an inevitable accident.

In her words, Rogge is no longer a sinner waiting to confess, but a hero who hides his merits and fame.

"Support! This is naked support!" The anger of the American wizards finally broke out. They shouted in unison, slapping the table in unison, their voices echoing in the courtroom.

Amelia's face instantly darkened, and her eyes flashed with cold light, as if she was ready to cast a curse at any moment. She raised her gavel high and struck it hard: "Quiet! (Order...)"

As the core figure in this interrogation, Rogge was sitting quietly on the trial chair like a melon-eater, watching their battle with interest.

He could see that Amelia herself did not want to hold an inquiry. But under some pressure, the subpoena had to be issued. However, as the Chief Magician of the Wizengamot, she can control the process and direction of the inquiry.

"Master, this is your favorite Portuguese egg tart." Beibei put on cotton gloves and held a plate of steaming golden egg tarts.

Although the Ministry of Magic's magic can prohibit disapparation, it is powerless against elves.

In an instant, all disputes came to an end. The wizards stared at this scene dumbfounded, as if struck by a petrifying spell. Some people rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating.

"This is blasphemy!" An older wizard finally broke the silence, his voice trembling with anger: "A serious blasphemy against the Wizengamot and the law!"

"I propose that Rogue and his house elves be held in contempt of court."

In the face of everyone's accusations, Rogge seemed unusually calm. He shrugged, took the egg tart, and motioned for Beibei to go back first.

"So?" Rogge shrugged, "You called me here while I was still sick. Look at your watch, it's 2:30 in the morning. Besides, I haven't eaten in three days."

"If contempt of court means starving to death, then I ask you to sentence me to death now." After saying that, Rogge opened his mouth indifferently and began to enjoy the egg tart in an elegant and quick way.

The crispy shell made a slight sound in his mouth, and the mellow taste mixed with eggs and milk seemed to make him forget the hustle and bustle around him for a moment.

Everyone present watched this scene intently, swallowing silently. Rogge almost ate up the entire plate of egg tarts in two bites at an astonishing speed.

For this little farce, Amelia finally decided not to impose any punishment on Rogge based on the information sent by the clerk.

She tapped the table lightly and continued: "Roger, you need to take this question seriously. The International Magical Federation, the British Ministry of Magic, the Magical Congress of the United States of America and other participating members will all ask questions about the course of the operation and the death of the hostages. ”

"You need to swear to Merlin that every word you say is true."

Rogge licked the food at the corner of his mouth, savoring the aftertaste of the egg tart. He stood up slowly and straightened his back: "I, Roger Travis, hereby swear an oath to the great Merlin. I will be responsible for everything I say in this inquiry and guarantee its authenticity. If any False words, willing to be punished.”

Amelia nodded with satisfaction. Her eyes swept across the entire court. Although her voice was soft, it contained unquestionable authority: "Each member has five minutes to ask questions. After the questioning, we will hold a vote to decide. Is Roger Travis responsible for the hostage deaths?"

After that, she sat back down in her seat.

As Minister and Chairman of the Wizengamot, her responsibility is to maintain order and control the pace of questioning, and does not participate in questioning.

As everyone expected, James Jr., President of the Wizarding World of America, stood up impatiently. His hair was meticulous and his expression was as serious as a statue. His gaze was like a sharp sword, pointed directly at Rogge: "When did you first see Brown?"

The clerk in the audience wrote furiously, faithfully recording every detail of the inquiry.

Little James held up a magical photo, guaranteed for all to see. The photo showed a warm family portrait: a wizard hugged his wife and held an innocent little girl in his arms. This wizard was the poor man thrown from the hanging basket by Rogge.

"Brown?" Rogge leaned forward, as if he wanted to see more clearly, "Sir, you should know. When we rescued the hostages, they were all in bad condition. The look of this man... Well~ To be honest , a little different from the person in the photo.”

"I remember that the man was a tall and thin wizard. As for the face..." He shrugged, "Sorry, I really can't tell the difference."

"Hahaha..." Laughter echoed in the room, and someone whispered: "Indeed, it is not easy for people of different races to recognize the faces of other races." There was a subtle sense of superiority in this laughter.

A hundred years ago, even if all such wizards were thrown into the Atlantic Ocean to feed the fish, no one would pay attention.

Little James clenched his fists unconsciously and secretly warned himself to stay calm. He took a deep breath and continued: "He is the wizard who was thrown to death by you, Brown. Because of your actions, you caused a wife to lose her husband and a child to lose his father."

Rogge's expression suddenly became serious. He looked directly into James's eyes, with sincerity in his voice: "I'm sorry. Are Brown's wife and children here? I am willing to apologize to them in person and provide compensation and Maximum help.”

"This..." Little James' face tightened, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Brown was captured by the Death Eaters, and one can imagine what happened to his family.

Silence cannot replace the answer, time passes by minute by second. Little James had no choice but to say: "They have been killed by Death Eaters."

He hurriedly changed his strategy and tried to reverse the situation: "Do you think the other party's demands are unreasonable? Just answer, yes or no."

A barely detectable smile appeared on the corner of Rogge's mouth, and he gave an unexpected answer: "Or."

"If you're referring to our wands and broomsticks, my answer is 'yes'. Otherwise, it's 'no' or 'or'."

"Ahem, little Mr. James, your time has come." Amelia knocked on the table, mercilessly signaling the next questioner to get ready.

Little James hammered the table hard and subconsciously crumpled the photos in his hands into a ball.

"Ouch..." The entire court suddenly gasped in surprise. All eyes were focused on little James's hand - the family photo of the ravaged victim.

At this moment, it was as if a bolt of lightning flashed through everyone's minds: "It turns out that MACUSA doesn't really care about the wizard named Brown."

Amelia did not add insult to injury and calmly announced: "Next."

The second questioner stood up, also an American Auror. She wears a pair of fiery red glasses, and her mature and charming temperament makes people look at her more.

"Mr. Rogge," her voice was as sweet as honey, but also had a hidden edge, "the report pointed out that you were the first to use words to ridicule the survivors, saying that they were dragging down the team."

"What's more noteworthy is that the victim you chose is a black wizard. Does this mean that, in your eyes, he is the most useless wizard in the team and the one most worthy of being abandoned?"

Rogge narrowed his eyes slightly, this witch's question was very tricky. She ostensibly asked about a value judgment, but actually suggested that Rogge was racist.

There is only one answer for this kind of thing in the hearts of most purebloods, but with Dumbledore's efforts, it can no longer be said openly.

Like cotton and watermelon, although they go well together. But for the sake of politeness, you have to be restrained. Especially during questioning, you cannot publicize it without scruples, otherwise you will be morally disadvantaged.

"At that moment, in my eyes, they were all a burden. In terms of value, they were more troublesome than Muggles. Due to legal restrictions, we couldn't use magic to keep them quiet. At the same time..."

"Sir, my question is, did you have to throw Brown down at that time?"

Rogge looked straight into her eyes, his voice firm and calm: "Yes."

"Wow!" There was an exclamation around, and many people whispered: "Too cruel..."