Chapter 404

"You're late. "

A man's voice echoed grimly through the courtroom.

"I'm sorry," Harry said nervously, "I'm ...... I don't know how the time has changed. "

It was full of people, and Harry didn't know who had just made the voice, so he could only justify himself as best he could, he had just learned from Mr. Weasley about the consequences of being late.

"That's not the fault of the Wizengamot. The voice said, "We've informed you in advance, it's your problem......"

"We should be more tolerant of minors. Alright, Harry, sit down. Harry had heard the voice, it was Fudge's.

Harry lowered his gaze to the chair in the center of the room, the arm of which was covered with chains on the left and right. He had seen the chains suddenly burst up and tie the man sitting in the middle. His feet walked across the stone floor, echoing loudly. He sat cautiously on the edge of his chair, and the chain rattled menacingly, but it did not bind him. Harry felt dizzy and nauseous, and looked up at the men sitting on the upper bench.

As far as he could see, there were about fifty of them, dressed in fuchsia robes with a delicate silver "w" embroidered on the left chest. They all looked down at him, some with stern expressions, others with undisguised curiosity.

In the middle of the row of benches in front of him, sat Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. Fudge was a big fat man who often wore a dull yellow-green bowler hat, though he didn't wear it today. Besides, the kind smile he had always had on his face when he used to speak to Harry was gone. To Fudge's left sat a broad, square-chin witch with short gray hair, a pair of monocles, and an intimidating expression on her face. To Fudge's right sat another witch, but she sat too far back on the bench, her face shrouded in shadow.

Don't look at Fudge's serious appearance now, in fact, he is also bitter in his mouth now. He didn't want to put up such a big battle because of such a trivial matter as casting spells outside the school. If someone who doesn't know the situation sees the staffing in the room now, they must think that Voldemort is being judged.

But what can Fudge do? It's true that he's the Minister of Magic, but he doesn't have the final say in everything. Just like this hearing, although Fudge is also a member of the Wizengamot, he has no say in whether or not to convene the entire membership, and the Wizengamot has its own system that is not subject to the Minister of Magic.

Fudge, as both a minister and a member of the Wizengamot, presided over the hearing. Fudge knew what those people were up to, Harry Potter's hearing was not a secret, it would be known to the public sooner or later, and when the people knew that the Ministry of Magic would use such a big battle against a little wizard, Fudge could imagine their anger, and if not surprising, the voice that would step him down would sound again - Fudge himself was already prepared for this.

As a politician who has been on the ground for so many years, Fudge may be a little cowardly and afraid, but he is definitely not a fool. He knew what he was in, the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort had begun, and he was the first victim.

Many wizards within the Ministry of Magic are leaning towards the Death Eaters - after all, they are more or less related by blood or interest, which is understandable. They took the opportunity of this hearing to force people to take sides, and at the same time, it also involved Dumbledore's time and energy, and by the way, they continued to make Fudge's reputation as a minister, and with a little guidance in the newspapers, ordinary people would shout for the incompetent Fudge to step down, and finally they replaced one of their people as minister.

Fudge saw all of the above things clearly, but he didn't have the means to solve the problem. There was no one under him who could be used, and the woman he had picked up was sitting beside him at this time, most of her body hidden in the shadows.

Dolores is no longer his own...... Fudge sighed inwardly. Fudge was going to fool the matter around first.

"The trial of 12 August," Fudge said in a resounding voice, in the case of Harry James Potter, who lives at 4 Privet Road in Little Whinging, Surrey, for violating the Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards Act and the International Secrecy Act. "

Harry then realized that the seat in front of Fudge was actually Percy, his best friend's own brother.

"Interrogator: Connelly, Minister of Magic. Oswald. Fudge: Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement: Amelia. Susan. Senior Deputy Secretary: Dolores. Simple. Umbridge. Trial Recorder: Percy. Ignatius. Weasley—"

Miss Bones was Dumbledore's man, and Umbridge was on the Death Eater side, and both men were manned in important positions.

"Witness for the Defence: Albus. Percival. Wolfrick. Brian. Dumbledore. "

Harry turned his head sharply, nearly spraining his neck.

Dumbledore strode over calmly, dressed in a black and blue robe, with an extremely serene expression on his face. He walked parallel to Harry, looked up, and looked at Fudge through half-moon-shaped glasses perched on the bridge of his hooked nose, his long silver-white beard and hair glistening in the light of the torches.

The members of the Wizengamot were all whispering to each other. All eyes were on Dumbledore. Some people looked annoyed, others seemed a little scared, while others welcomed and many more were expressionless.

As soon as he saw Dumbledore, a strong emotion rose in Harry's heart, making him feel grounded and full of hope, just as the Phoenix Fawkes' singing once gave him.

The members of the Wizengamot are still talking to each other, fidgeting one by one. Dumbledore drew his wand and shook it slightly, and a soft burnished chintz armchair appeared next to Harry out of thin air. Dumbledore sat down, his long fingertips butt together, his eyes looking at Fudge from above.

"Mr. Minister, you can continue. "

"Alright," Fudge said, moving the file in front of him around, "Alright then. Now it's – the accusation. "

He pulled out a piece of parchment from a pile of papers, took a deep breath, and read it aloud: "The accused has previously received a written warning from the Ministry of Magic for similar charges, and this time, knowing full well that his actions were illegal, he deliberately and knowingly cast a Calling Charm in front of a Muggle in two Muggle settlements at 9:23 p.m. on August 2, in violation of paragraph 3 of the Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards Act of 1875 and the Article 13 of the International Confederation of Sorcerers' Secrecy Act. "

"You're Harry, who lives at 4 Privet Road, Little Whinging, Surrey. Jimmy. Potter?" Fudge asked, glaring at Harry from above the parchment.