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Chapter 595: Reversal
Chapter 595: Reversal
Upon seeing the three individuals who stood up, Chris finally understood everything.
Macnair could be disregarded, but the remaining two...
Ivor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, or at least he still held that position for the time being, thus carrying significant influence in the wizarding world.
And Lucius Malfoy, the favorite of the Ministry of Magic, who knew how much gold he had poured into their pockets.
No wonder the Ministry was taking this so seriously if these two were to be the witnesses.
However, Chris had thought that Karkaroff had fled the country after the end of the Triwizard Tournament. He didn't expect the man to dare to return.
"Well, even so, what about the notification?" Chris' eyes glinted, and he said coldly, "We only received the notification about the Restraining Spell. Therefore, we have the right to refuse any additional charges..."
As he spoke, he pulled Kyle and prepared to leave.
"I'm afraid not." A sharp voice interrupted.
Another person stood up.
Dolores Umbridge, with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.
"Someone believes that you may cover up the most critical evidence, so it is strongly recommended to conduct an ambush review in this manner."
Her voice was high and piercing, as if someone was pinching her throat, and her pretentiousness was evident.
Kyle swore that he would rather listen to a Diricawl sing all day than hear Umbridge say a word.
But she herself was blissfully unaware of this.
"The Minister has agreed to this." Umbridge smiled maliciously, "Unless you want to go against the Ministry, you must undergo the review today.
"Of course, you can also leave now, but as per the rules of the Wizengamot, you will be deemed guilty as soon as you walk out that door, and the Aurors will arrest you immediately.
"Rufus, I believe the Aurors are waiting, aren't they?"
Scrimgeour's eyes twitched a few times, as if he was forcibly suppressing some emotion, but he held it in and squeezed out a single word.
"Yes."
"Good." Umbridge smiled smugly.
However, Chris' expression eased up at that moment, and his hand moved subtly, causing something to fall into his palm, which Kyle noticed.
From its shape, it appeared to be a wand.
Kyle quickly took two steps forward and subtly shook his head at Chris.
"Are you sure you want to conduct an interrogation in a manner that completely disregards the rules?"
"I think I made myself clear." Umbridge shrieked, "This is permitted by the Minister."
"Well then, I must remind you of something."
Kyle looked at her and smiled, "Apart from being a student of Hogwarts, I have another identity... a Level Two Meritorius of the Order of Merlin, and every recipient of the Order of Merlin, Level Two, is an honorary member of the Wizengamot.
"I think you understand what this implies."
The fake smile on Umbridge's face vanished, and her entire demeanor turned gloomy.
"It seems you do understand." Kyle continued, "Yes, I have the right to request a hearing by the full Wizengamot."
As Kyle's words landed, a rustling of whispers filled the room, and some people started to get restless.
It was one thing to deal with a student, but if that student was a member of the Order of Merlin, then the situation called for careful consideration.
The full Wizengamot hearing... if the charges didn't stick, then the consequences would be significant.
"Damn, how could I forget about this?" An elderly wizard muttered in annoyance, "If I had known, I would have attended Harry Potter's trial."
It wasn't surprising that he forgot, as Kyle didn't have the same savior complex as his neighbor, and his reputation was multifaceted.
Just to name a few,
Triwizard Tournament champion, the one who collapsed a meticulously constructed maze with a single curse, revealer of the Sirius Black incident, mitigating a significant mistake by the Ministry of Magic...
They seemed to hear Kyle's name every year, and the Order of Merlin honor had been awarded several years ago, so it was understandable that they didn't make the connection right away.
Even Umbridge's expression changed, and she couldn't help but glance at Lucius Malfoy.
"Of course, we are well aware of that."
Karkaroff stepped forward, stroking his goat-like beard, and said righteously, "But we would rather not let considerations of personal gain prevent us from speaking the truth we have witnessed. As the headmaster of Durmstrang, I refuse to harbor such cowardly thoughts."
"So, Principal Karkaroff, you are such a noble wizard." Kyle said, "Then why won't you admit that you're a Death Eater? You didn't have this noble attitude when you were kneeling before a certain someone, begging for forgiveness."
Karkaroff's hand paused, and he ended up pulling out a few strands of his beard.
But he ignored the pain and shouted, "You're talking nonsense! The Dark Lord hasn't resurrected, and you and Dumbledore are spreading rumors! I suggest the Aurors arrest you immediately..."
"Don't get excited, Principal Karkaroff." Kyle waved his hand, interrupting him, "I never said the Dark Lord has resurrected. It was you who said that... Oh, I understand now. You're trying to shift the blame onto me and use this method to hide yourself... Tsk tsk, very clever.
Then he ignored Kyle and turned to Umbridge and Amelia Bones.
"Ladies, don't fall for his tricks. I, Lucius Malfoy, swear that we indeed witnessed him killing Mr. Theodore Nott with our own eyes."
Seeing the serious expressions on Lucius and Karkaroff's faces, Umbridge finally relaxed and put on her sickeningly sweet smile again.
"How about a Legilimens charm?" Kyle suddenly spoke up. "It's a bit too ridiculous to just take their word for it. Let's have an Auror examine their memories; that will make everything clear, won't it? Of course, if you agree, I will also consent to the same examination. This way, we can save a lot of time."
Lucius remained silent, and Karkaroff closed his mouth.
A Legilimens charm? Letting the Aurors see that they had surrounded Voldemort and attacked Kyle of their own accord?
That was a joke. If their memories were truly examined, the Aurors would probably arrest them on the spot.
They were here to deal with Kyle and strike a blow to Dumbledore, not to turn themselves in.
Fortunately, Amelia Bones defused the situation.
"The use of Legilimency in interrogations has been prohibited by the International Confederation of Wizards since 1975, so that method cannot be employed."
"What a shame." Kyle smirked at the three people on the stand.
This caused Karkaroff to tug at his beard anxiously again.
"There's no need for Legilimency." Umbridge jumped in once more. "Rufus, go ahead and inspect his wand."
Scrimgeour, his face gloomy, stood up and walked over to Kyle.
But just as he was about to reach out, he seemed to remember something and withdrew his hand.
"Accio wand inspection table!"
After about ten seconds, a strangely shaped table flew into the room, crashing into the door.
It looked more like a square stool than a table, covered in dust. However, one could vaguely make out a groove on its surface.
"Scourgify!"
Scrimgeour cleared his throat and said solemnly, "According to the rules, we need to inspect your wand. Now, please place your wand on the inspection table."
"No problem."
Kyle nodded and placed his wand horizontally on the groove of the table.
Then Scrimgeour took out his own wand.
"Prior Incantato!"
Kyle saw the groove on the table light up slightly, and a gray mist emerged from where the two wands met.
"Lumos!"
Then another mist appeared.
"Accio!"
"Reparo!"
"Lumos!"
One shadow of a spell after another flew out from the wand tips, capturing everyone's attention.
The expressions on their faces varied: some were tense, indifferent, expectant, or sneering...
Until a particular spell caused a shift in the attitude of some people in the room.
It looked like a ball of fire, and the flames extended forward, forming a wide passage.
"I think that's enough," Kyle said first. "Everyone knows that this is the spell I used in the Triwizard Tournament. Before that, I had been at Hogwarts all the time.
"Or do you think I skipped school specifically to kill... Nott?
"Of course, if you feel it's necessary, I don't mind."
"That won't be necessary." Scrimgeour put away his wand.
"No!" Karkaroff shouted. "He's deliberately using a low-level spell to cover up the Killing Curse. We must continue the inspection!"
It had to be admitted that he was starting to panic.
Wait a minute, where was the Killing Curse? How come it wasn't there!
"So you're saying," Kyle looked at him and said calmly, "that I used a large-scale fire spell outside of school, and the Ministry hasn't found any traces of it yet? Is that what you're implying?"
Now, even more eyes turned to him.
"That won't be necessary," Scrimgeour said coldly.
He, of course, knew this spell well. It had a wide range and was extremely powerful; if it had been used, there was no way there wouldn't be any signs of it.
Moreover, he had already been to St. Kachibor Village, and there were no traces of any spells there.
At the same time, he also knew that Kyle had been at home ever since the holiday began and hadn't gone anywhere. The only time he had left the house was when he had gone to the Leaky Cauldron via the Floo Network, but he had returned soon after.
So, what Karkaroff was implying was that the Aurors were incompetent, and naturally, Scrimgeour was displeased.
"You're talking nonsense; that's not what I meant..." Karkaroff became more and more agitated, his face turning deathly pale.
This wasn't right! He had clearly seen Kyle cast that spell, so why was it suddenly gone?
(End of Chapter)
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