Chapter 485: The Revealing Charm
Chapter 485: The Revealing Charm
Fortunately, Diana's gaze did not linger on Kyle for long and instead fell directly on Peter, the little dwarf.
"Is it him?"
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you, Diana. I trust that you will uncover the truth for the innocent."
"I'll do my best...if he is indeed the traitor who sold out Lily." Diana said softly: "But we'll have to wait a little longer. I'm missing an important prop...Oh, they're here."
As she spoke, she turned her head towards the door.
Two more witches, clad in identical black cloaks, entered from outside. Floating in front of them was a square water tank, filled with a dark green liquid, no larger than a briefcase, yet the two witches carried it with great difficulty.
Not only were their hands, which held the wands, trembling, but there was also a layer of fine sweat on their foreheads.
Some of the younger employees present couldn't help but wonder at the sight.
"Is this the best the Department of Mysteries can do? Transporting something this small has exhausted them so much. I'm sure any student from Hogwarts in their third year or above could do better," they thought to themselves.
Sadly, no one bothered to explain anything to them.
The two witches slowly made their way to stand before Peter and carefully placed the water tank on the ground.
A dull thud resounded, as if someone had set off a particularly stubborn Bombarda spell in the room. Clearly, the weight of the object was completely mismatched to its size.
"That was a challenge..." One of the witches, Bode, wiped her sweat and panted, "The duration is set for thirty minutes, which should be enough."
"It's enough," Diana assured them. "Thank you, Bode, and Croak."
"It's nothing," Croak, with his head of golden hair, waved his hand. "To be honest, I'm also a Gryffindor graduate, and I'm just one year above Lily. She really was a good girl. It's a pity..."
He sighed, and it was unclear if he was lamenting her death at Voldemort's hands or regretting that she had ultimately married James Potter...or perhaps both.
Once the two witches had stepped aside, Diana wasted no time. She brandished her wand and gently tapped the water tank.
The tranquil surface of the tank suddenly rippled, as if something was slowly rising from the dark green liquid.
Kyle couldn't help but lean forward in anticipation.
Finally, something white emerged.
It looked like a brain, but it had many long tentacles attached to it, resembling a jellyfish in the shape of a brain.
"That's...the thing kept in the Brain Hall of the Department of Mysteries," someone blurted out. "I saw it when I went there to deliver documents..."
Crouch frowned, about to say something, but Dumbledore stepped forward first.
"I believe everyone here is eager to uncover the truth, and this is the most effective way," he said. "Memories can be falsified, but the soul never lies...I assure you, as a Level One Medal holder of the Order of Merlin, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Chief Wizard of Wizengamot."
The courtroom fell silent.
After what felt like an eternity, Fudge finally reacted. He rapped a hammer on the table and said, "I can also vouch for that."
"As can I," added Ms. Bones.
"Let's proceed with the vote. All those in favor of having a Pensieve examine the soul of the little dwarf, Peter Pettigrew?" Fudge rapped his gavel again.
"I vote yes," he raised his hand first, followed by Ms. Bones.
On the raised platform, more and more witches and wizards raised their hands in agreement, and the number quickly exceeded half, and then some.
For some, their reason for agreeing to send Peter Pettigrew to St. Mungo's was simply to ensure the integrity of his memories and uncover the truth.
Now that a better option was presented, they had no reason to object.
As for Crouch and Bizita, their silence became irrelevant.
"Sixty-seven in favor," Ms. Bones announced. "Then let's begin."
Diana nodded and, with a wave of her wand, directed the brain-like creature with tentacles towards the top of Peter Pettigrew's head.
Everyone held their breath and watched intently, curious about this unique magic that even Ministry officials rarely witnessed.
Especially since this involved the soul...
Just then, a deep blue mist appeared out of thin air, encircling Diana and obscuring everyone's view.
"What's happening...?"
"What is this...?"
The courtroom erupted in chaos, with some even drawing their wands to try and dispel the blue mist.
"Please, everyone, remain calm." Croak, the Pensieve, stepped forward. "This is a normal occurrence. To prevent any influence from abnormal magic or other factors...I believe you all understand the necessity for caution when dealing with the soul. Even the slightest error can have severe consequences, and we are taking every precaution."
"Then how are we supposed to know what's happening?" someone asked coldly.
"There's no need to worry." Croak pointed to the water tank in front of him. "Just watch this."
At that moment, they noticed a long, slender tentacle extending from within the mist and connecting to the water tank.
The dark green liquid was gradually replaced by a sky-blue mist, transforming the tank into what resembled an oversized prophecy sphere.
The mist swirled gently, capturing everyone's gaze.
Kyle, too, stared intently at the tank.
After a few minutes, something else appeared within the blue mist.
Peter Pettigrew came into view, looking much younger than he did now, kneeling respectfully on the ground.
But it was the other person who appeared that caused everyone to suck in a breath.
Even after twelve years, they couldn't forget his appearance—the pale face and snake-like, blood-red eyes.
Voldemort!
The sound of people swallowing their saliva filled the room.
Fortunately, the vision didn't last long.
It seemed that someone had stirred the mist with their wand, and when it regrouped, Voldemort had disappeared.
In its place were a few golden words.
"I...Peter Pettigrew...voluntarily conceal the location of number seventeen, Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow, within my soul...and pledge to keep this secret...forever."
(End of Chapter)
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