Chapter 576 Scorched Earth Reconstruction Plan

"Bad news?"

"Yes!" The therapist took a deep breath and nodded firmly. His eyes scanned the thick medical record book, as if confirming something, "The so-called witch you sent here is actually..."

He paused to prepare the other party: "She is just a Muggle."

"This is impossible!" Harry and Sirius shouted in unison, looking at each other in disbelief.

"Gentlemen, I am just telling you the facts." The therapist raised his hand to interrupt them, his tone firm and professional: "She does not have magical talent, but interestingly, there are traces of magic on her body. Magic traces other than the Imperius Curse."

"Conservatively speaking, it may be that a wizard cast a spell on her."

"I don't believe it, give me the medical record book!" Sirius suddenly became irritable and snatched the book away.

In the densely packed medical records, the diagnosis of "Lily" is clearly visible. She was indeed controlled by the Imperius Curse, but there were traces of magical transformation all over her body.

"Merlin's beard..." Lupin muttered to himself, his face turned pale. "Do you think it could be..."

Several people suddenly thought of a possibility, that Voldemort might have transformed others into Lily's appearance, specifically to disturb them.

Unfortunately, he did not expect the wand and the betrayal of Bella and others, which led to the failure in the end.

"But, but..." Harry took the medical record with trembling hands and shouted in a state of collapse: "I can clearly feel that she is my relative. This feeling cannot be wrong!"

"Relatives?" The therapist frowned slightly when he heard this, thinking, "Do you mean that you feel a blood connection?"

"If you use your immediate family members, such as uncles, you can also achieve a similar effect." The other party's words were like a flash of lightning, hitting Harry's heart.

Harry was stunned when he heard this, he staggered back, and a terrible idea emerged in his mind. He vaguely realized who the "mother" in the ward was.

"Aunt Petunia..." He whispered the name, his voice trembling and almost inaudible. Suddenly, a dizziness hit him, and the ceiling and walls began to spin in front of his eyes.

Although Voldemort disappeared, the troubles he left for them were far more than that.

In the newly opened courtroom, Barty was locked in an iron cage full of spikes, but there was no regret on his face.

On the contrary, he shouted loudly: "I am not a prisoner, I am a hero who saves the wizarding world."

"Everything I do is to kill Voldemort!"

A member of the Wizengamot asked coldly: "You mean the murder of former Minister Fudge, the murder of wizards and Muggles, and a series of other crimes are all for this purpose?"

"Yes, for a greater ideal." Barty nodded enthusiastically, with a crazy light flashing in his eyes, "This is a way to gain trust. When you reveal that he is a bastard, we are ready to kill him."

The brightly lit courtroom suddenly became quiet, and everyone secretly looked at Dumbledore. Barty's views on ideals seemed to be the ideas believed by the old wizard.

The purple-robed wizards took turns asking questions, trying to expose Barty's lies, but he always insisted that he was a hero. "Without our counterattack, Voldemort would never have exploded."

"Bella, what about Buck and the others? Why didn't you run away with them?"

"I don't know." Little Barty spread his hands, looking like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, "Maybe they think I'm not qualified to run away with them."

Amelia sighed helplessly, realizing that she couldn't get more information from this cunning Death Eater.

She cleared her throat and announced: "Next, Cedric Diggory."

Cedric was escorted in by the Aurors with a sunny smile on his face. He turned to the audience and waved to his father Amos Diggory who was sitting there with tears in his eyes.

Then, he walked calmly to the judge's seat and sat down, waiting for questioning.

"Where were you on June 24, 1995?" Amelia pushed her glasses and looked at Cedric with sharp eyes.

"I was participating in the last game of the Triwizard Tournament."

"What happened specifically?" She asked calmly.

Cedric's eyes became deep, as if he was recalling a distant and terrible memory.

He whispered: "Harry Potter and I touched the Goblet of Fire together. But it was not an ordinary trophy, but a portkey. We were teleported to a desolate cemetery."

"Cemetery?" People's hearts tightened suddenly, "Tell me more specifically."

Cedric nodded and continued: "That was Tom, the cemetery where Voldemort's father was buried. You should know that he is a half-blood, and his father is a Muggle."

"His servant Wormtail set up a trick to capture me and Harry Potter. Well, mainly Harry. Then use his blood to help Voldemort restore his body..."

"Cedric, what did you do during this period?" The wizard on the podium raised a yellowed parchment, and his voice echoed in the silent courtroom: "There are clear witnesses and evidence that you defected to Voldemort and killed two Muggles. Do you admit this accusation?"

"I have to do this, otherwise Voldemort will kill me." His fingers tightly grasped the armrests of the chair, as if it was his only support.

Under the high platform, the clerk's quill was writing quickly on the parchment, making a rustling sound.

"In other words, you admitted that you committed the crime of murdering Muggles. Moreover, this was a spontaneous act on your part and was not controlled by the Imperius Curse."

Cedric lowered his head, his eyes filled with pain and regret. He could choose to lie, but finally confessed: "At that moment, I was terrified. For the first time, I discovered that there is something more terrifying than the Imperius Curse in the world."

"Its name is fear, and it drives me to commit vicious acts."

"Every night, I wake up with nightmares in the middle of the night." He choked in a low voice. "I can't forgive all the crimes I have committed."

"I am willing to accept any punishment." He slumped in his chair dejectedly.

This honest statement caused a commotion on the high platform. The members of the Wizengamot were talking a lot, and their opinions were obviously divided.

Some people loudly called for Cedric to be severely punished, believing that killing Muggles was an unforgivable crime.

Others were more sympathetic, arguing that Cedric was clearly truly repentant and that the young man should be given a chance to mend his ways.

Amelia thought for a moment, then banged her gavel hard, and the sound drowned out the noisy discussion.

"In view of the complexity of the case," she announced solemnly, "this court has decided to delay the outcome of the trial. We need more time to weigh all factors."

With the sound of the gavel again, the trial came to an end for the time being. As Cedric was led out of the courtroom, his eyes met his father's.

Amos's eyes were filled with complex emotions, but mostly unconditional love for his son. In front of this kind of love, the lives of a few Muggles don't matter.

The trial continued, and the third, fourth... surrendered Death Eaters were brought to court one by one.

"It's better to throw them to America." After the interrogation, an older wizard suggested, "There happens to be a volcanic eruption there."

"That's right. After Azkaban was abandoned, we lacked enough cells to house prisoners." Someone echoed, "There are also prisoners already in custody, which is a big burden on the Ministry of Magic's finances."

"But can MACUSA agree?"

"Them? Hey, America has been torn apart by volcanoes, does MACUSA still exist? Do we still need their consent?"

Amelia was silent, her eyes turning to Dumbledore, as if seeking his opinion. However, the other party just listened to the discussion quietly and did not express any opinions.

Maybe Dumbledore regrets it. If he had taken action earlier, or even killed Voldemort himself more than ten years ago, perhaps he would not have caused these subsequent disasters.

Voldemort believed he was responsible for the crimes he committed.

"For the final decision, I have an immature proposal." Jessica suddenly raised her hand, her voice echoing clearly in the hall, "These Death Eaters, they joined Voldemort's camp for various reasons. . Some were coerced, and some actively followed."

"We may not be able to peek into their true inner thoughts, but their actions will not deceive."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think we should simply exile them. These people must pay for the mistakes they made." Jessica looked around and said firmly: "Everyone knows that Voldemort ordered the goblin Narlak to create Catastrophic volcanic eruptions are destroying surface ecology across North America.”

"When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent. No matter how they excuse themselves, they must be held responsible for this catastrophe."

Dumbledore frowned when he heard this. He wanted to say: The volcanic explosion had nothing to do with these Death Eaters. But when the words came to his lips, he found that he could not express this fact.

Those souls who died tragically at the hands of Death Eaters and their relatives would never accept a simple acquittal. And is exile not a manifestation of the incompetence of the law?

Jessica raised her hand and pressed it down, "The Fairy King Belinrum already has a plan to contain the volcano from continuing to erupt. After the volcano calms down, we can send these Death Eaters to implement the scorched earth reconstruction plan. Let them repair them with their own hands. The land that was once destroyed.”

"A scorched earth reconstruction plan?"

The suggestion caused a stir in the courtroom. Some people agree that this is a win-win solution that both punishes criminals and is conducive to reconstruction; others oppose it, fearing that it may bring more pain to the families of the victims.

"This is a reconstruction plan for the New World." Jessica moved her wand, and a stack of thick parchment flew to everyone present. "According to our conservative estimates, if left unchecked, the impact of magma and volcanic ash will last at least Half a century.”

"During this period, the entire American continent was uninhabitable for Muggles and ordinary creatures."

"According to this plan, Barty Jr., Cedric and others will return to the scorched earth and use magic to restore the natural ecology."

"This is both punishment and atonement. They must use their actions to prove that they are worthy of being readmitted to the wizarding world."

Dumbledore carefully read the scorched earth plan in his hand, his blue eyes shining with thought behind his half-moon glasses. He vaguely felt that something was not quite right, but for a while he could not grasp the key point.

"What, Belinrum asked for the restoration of the right to use the wand?" A sharp voice broke his thoughts, "How dare he!"

"Cunning goblins! They are taking advantage of the situation. I would rather the Yellowstone volcano erupted for a hundred years than allow the goblins to regain their wands!"

"If it really erupts for a hundred years, we wizards may not be able to survive."

"Apart from goblins, are there no other ways for us wizards?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Dumbledore. Their eyes were full of expectations, hoping that this great white wizard could stand up and say something reassuring, and it would be best if he could go to the American continent in person to subdue those violently erupting volcanoes.

"I agree with Madam Jessica's scorched earth reconstruction plan." Dumbledore did not respond, and said in a gentle voice, "Regarding the right of goblins to use wands, I personally tend to lift the ban."

"Looking back at history, every rebellion of goblins stems from the frequent oppression of wizard society. If we can welcome them with an equal attitude, I believe that goblins will become a trustworthy member of the wizarding world."

"Impossible..." The old wizard stood up suddenly, and after realizing his gaffe, he quickly changed his words, "I, I mean that goblins will drain wizards' wallets."

"They are close-knit and good at lending. Without effective supervision, goblins dare to sell a piece of bread for 500,000 Galleons."

"No way!"

"Why not. They are the most treacherous and greedy goblins."

A commotion suddenly broke out in the courtroom, with voices of support and opposition coming one after another. The focus of the debate quickly shifted from punishing Death Eaters to the rights of goblins.

Amelia had to bang the gavel to draw everyone's attention back: "We can arrange a special meeting to discuss the issue of goblin wands."

"As for the treatment of the Death Eaters." She paused and took a deep breath: "Please raise your hands if you agree with the scorched earth reconstruction plan."

Swish...

The pure-blood wizards raised their arms in unison, and their movements were so consistent that people couldn't help but feel suspicious.

The other wizards frowned and repeatedly looked through the plans in their hands, trying to find loopholes in them, but found nothing.

This reconstruction plan has no conspiracy, only naked conspiracy. When the wizards restore the scorched earth to normal, they will never allow Muggles to get involved.

In the end, with more than two-thirds of the votes, the punishment of Barty Jr. and others was passed.

"I won't go!" Cedric shouted after learning the trial result, "I was in America before I betrayed, and I was still in America after I betrayed. Isn't that a betrayal in vain?"

"Mr. Diggory, please correct your wording! You are not betraying, you just happened to stand on the side of justice!"

"So what!" Cedric raised his arms and clenched his fists to resist: "I want to report, report Bella and others' plan!"

"They kidnapped Newt and want to build a pure-blood city in the Arctic Circle!" His words were like a heavy hammer, shattering the peace in the courtroom.

"What!"

Everyone was shocked, and Dumbledore stared at him closely: "Cedric, please tell me more."

Cedric was unmoved: "You want me to be acquitted!"

"It depends on how important your information is."

Cedric pondered for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he decided to tell the whole story: "Bella and the goblin Narrak built an underground city."

"They held Newt's family hostage and forced Newt to create a suitable living environment. Just like his suitcase, it contains various terrains."

"How did you know?"

"I... I overheard it." Cedric responded immediately, his eyes flickering, "I promise it's true. If it's not enough, I have..."

He wanted to say something, but found that his soul was shaking violently. It seemed that if he uttered one more word, he would die.