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Chapter 486: Accusations Withdrawn
Chapter 486: Accusations Withdrawn
Upon seeing the golden words, the older wizards in the chamber, who had lived through those turbulent times, immediately stood up in anger.
They knew all too well that this was the Fidelius Charm, for when a pact was formed, these words would transform into golden symbols and hide within the soul of the caster.
Many in this room had narrowly escaped death thanks to this method, so they were well aware of its significance.
It was now certain that Peter Pettigrew, the little coward, was the true Secret-Keeper, not Sirius Black!
"Damn it!" Curses filled the chamber.
Senior Auror Crouch's face darkened. Despite Dumbledore's testimony, he still didn't believe in Black's innocence. He was more inclined to think that Fudge had set him up and deceived Dumbledore.
After all, everyone knew back then that Potter and Black were as close as brothers. No matter how you looked at it, the Secret-Keeper couldn't possibly be the weak and timid Peter.
But they had done it anyway, as if they had no brains at all. The brain that had just spoken should have been in his head.
"Traitor..." Crouch clenched his fists, and the quill in his hand snapped in two.
The chamber buzzed with growing discussions.
The fog quickly dissipated, and Diana emerged. "Then, Professor Dumbledore, the rest is up to you."
"Of course, it's our responsibility," Dumbledore smiled. "Thanks to you this time, or Sirius might have been in trouble..."
"I just wanted to help Lily, not some self-righteous idiot," Diana said without even glancing at Black.
"And, Mr. Maxim, if I'm not mistaken, Hogwarts doesn't have a policy allowing fifth-year students to leave school on weekends, right?"
Dumbledore's smile froze on his face, and he calmly replied, "That's what I believe, but this is the Minister's invitation, and Kyle insisted on coming, so... Well, I couldn't stop him."
"Is that so..." Diana glanced at the corner again.
Kyle, who had been keeping a low profile, suddenly shivered. He cautiously raised his head and saw Diana and the other two Mutes leaving the chamber, taking the water tank with them.
"Phew..." He breathed a sigh of relief and sat up straight again.
After that, the trial proceeded more smoothly.
With clear and compelling evidence, those who had opposed Sirius earlier fell silent. Although some still held onto Sirius's prison break, Fudge skillfully dragged out the discussion, using his expertise in muddying the waters.
Despite his curiosity about how Sirius had escaped from the heavily guarded Azkaban, it wasn't the right time to discuss it.
There would be time for that later; they had all the time in the world.
Finally, to expedite the retrial, Sirius even volunteered to take Veritaserum or undergo Legilimency to prove his innocence.
Fudge agreed, and since it was a voluntary request, there was no need for another vote.
Soon, Scrimgeour brought a small bottle.
"I think one drop should be enough," Dumbledore said. "We don't need to ask too many questions."
"I know," Scrimgeour replied.
As a drop of Veritaserum was poured into his mouth, Sirius's cheeks relaxed, and his unfocused gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"Can you hear me?" Scrimgeour asked.
Sirius' eyelids twitched slightly.
"I can hear you," he said softly.
"I hope you can tell us," Scrimgeour said calmly, "Who was the Secret-Keeper for the Potters twelve years ago?"
Sirius took a few trembling breaths and began speaking in a flat, emotionless tone.
"It was Peter Pettigrew, he was the Secret-Keeper."
"Why did you choose him?"
Sirius' eyelids twitched again, "Because I thought it would be safer this way, with me as the decoy, no one would suspect the cowardly Peter."
"And who blew up the Muggle street after that?" Scrimgeour asked again.
"It was also Peter Pettigrew..."
Under the influence of Veritaserum, Sirius recounted the process of changing the Secret-Keeper in detail.
To be honest, after hearing the story, most people's first reaction was not sympathy, but rather they had the same thought as Crouch... Sirius was really missing a brain.
I should have asked those Mute people just now if they could apply for one for him.
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It's a simple matter, why make it so complicated? It's unnecessary.
But after cursing him in their minds, everyone sighed.
Anyway, he did spend twelve years in Azkaban for nothing, and he paid the price for his foolishness.
After Sirius finished speaking, Scrimgeour poured a bottle of potion into his mouth with a complicated expression.
He had been thinking about whether to invite Sirius to the Auror Office after his acquittal, but now he decided to reconsider.
After all, the Aurors don't just value strength.
After drinking the potion, the bewilderment in Sirius' eyes gradually disappeared, and he shook his head, regaining his clarity.
"I think things should be clear by now," Fudge said from the podium, "So, those who support the innocence of Sirius Black, please raise your hands."
Hands were raised one after another, and in the blink of an eye, more than half of the room had their hands up, even Crouch slowly raised his arm.
"Ninety-five votes!" Ms. Bones said in a loud voice.
"Very good, very good," Fudge stood up and said with a smile, "On behalf of the Ministry of Magic, I hereby announce that the charges against Sirius Orion Black in 1981 are officially dropped, the wanted notice is invalidated, and he will be released without guilt starting today, and his right to possess a wand is restored."
Applause broke out in the Chamber of Judgement, and everyone stood up, clapping vigorously.
Sirius sat there in a daze, looking around at everyone, and then at Peter lying on the ground, feeling a sense of unreality, as if everything was so surreal.
He, was free?
Sirius took a few heavy breaths, then looked up at Dumbledore, wanting to confirm something.
"So what are you waiting for?"
Dumbledore smiled and said, "If you have enough Galleons on you... Well, do you want to take a stroll down Diagon Alley? It's quite different from twelve years ago.
And I've inquired, Ollivander didn't go out today to find the materials for his wand, you should be able to pick a suitable wand for yourself there."
"Of course... of course, Professor Dumbledore," Sirius' eyes instantly became moist, and he said with a mix of laughter and tears, "I've been dreaming of going to Diagon Alley."
...
(End of Chapter)
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