https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-960-Professor-McGonagall-s-Concerns/12946744/
Chapter 959: Witness, Lucius Malfoy
Chapter 959: Witness, Lucius Malfoy
Kyle was no stranger to the Hearing Chamber of the Ministry of Magic, having been there twice before.
The first time was for the trial of Peter Pettigrew, to uncover the true informant from seventeen years ago.
And the other time, the Death Eaters tried to turn the tables and pin the murder of a wizard on the Ministry..."
Kyle narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering the mastermind behind it all... those three damned Death Eaters.
Karkaroff had never shown his face again, likely killed by Voldemort.
And the other one... who was it again? Oh yes, Walton McNair, a member of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures and the most ostracized position within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
However, this was also the main reason McNair could continue working at the Ministry despite being suspected of being a Death Eater.
After all, this position, along with the House-Elf Relocation Office, belonged to the most deserted departments, with pitifully low salaries and hardly any new recruits in decades.
And unlike the House-Elf Relocation Office, which included the department head, there was no one in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures who wanted to deal with the person in this position.
The lack of volunteers allowed McNair to take advantage of the situation.
But it seemed he hadn't shown his face again either, whether he was in hiding or had been killed.
Of the three Death Eaters, only Malfoy remained alive...
Kyle suddenly felt a twinge of regret and muttered softly, "That damned guy, I shouldn't have let him off so easily before."
"What did you say?" Professor McGonagall, sitting beside him, glanced over.
"Oh, nothing," Kyle shook his head. "Hasn't the hearing started yet?"
"It should be about to begin," Professor McGonagall said, looking into the chamber.
The tiered seats were already filled with people, and Amelia Bones had arrived as well.
"Let's go in," Professor McGonagall said, leading the way, with Conna and Kyle following closely behind.
Compared to the Tenth Trial Chamber where Peter Pettigrew was tried, this chamber seemed a bit smaller and lacked the eerie atmosphere of the former.
Perhaps it was due to the presence of more windows.
The Tenth Trial Chamber had only a small window the size of a palm, relying on wall-mounted oil lamps for lighting, but here, the windows were of a normal size, enchanted to let in bright sunlight, making the chamber resemble a slightly larger classroom at Hogwarts.
Snape was also inside.
Since this was a hearing and not a trial, Snape was not confined to a specially made iron cage like the other Death Eaters.
There wasn't even a basic iron chain on his chair; instead, he sat with several wizards on the opposite side of Amelia.
Conna was assigned to a specific position on the left, while Professor McGonagall sat next to Snape.
As for Kyle, he was to sit on the tiered seats with the other members of the Wizarding Council.
There were about thirty people attending the hearing, all dressed in purple-red robes, curiously observing Snape below and Professor McGonagall beside him.
As Kyle made his way to the last row, the two people beside him were whispering to each other.
"I heard this Severus is with Albus..."
"Who knows? Dumbledore has been dead for a long time. Perhaps he's just trying to escape blame."
"Not necessarily. If that were the case, Minerva wouldn't be working so hard to help him."
"True, but I still find it hard to believe that someone could be an undercover agent beside the Dark Lord and remain undiscovered."
"Let's see what evidence they bring forth."
...
The two spoke while curiously sizing up Kyle.
"I recall you're the one who came in with Minerva..."
"This is the seating area for the Wizarding Council members. Accompanying personnel sit on the left below."
"Then I'm in the right place," Kyle said, turning to show the Second-Class Order of Merlin badge hanging on his chest.
"Oh, the Order of Merlin..." One of the elderly wizards exclaimed, "I know, you must be Kyle, the youngest recipient of the Second-Class Order of Merlin, as mentioned by Dug."
"If there isn't another person with that name, then it's indeed me," Kyle nodded politely.
The "Dug" he mentioned was likely Dug MacPhail, the Minister of Magic a hundred and fifty years ago, who became a leisurely member of the magical community after retirement and was renowned for his extensive social connections.
Kyle had met him through Nicole, and they had exchanged letters frequently in recent years.
"It's a pleasure to meet you here.
The old wizard chuckled and extended his hand.
"It's an honor," Kyle said.
"I didn't expect that not only Professor McGonagall but also you would be here," another old wizard leaned in, "Severus Snape, he must be quite popular at Hogwarts, it seems. Perhaps he truly was Albus' choice."
"Well... that could be said," Kyle vaguely agreed.
Snape was indeed popular, but only within Slytherin House. As for the other three Houses, especially Gryffindor, they dreamed of expelling Snape from the school.
If this hearing passed, they would probably be heartbroken to tears.
"Very well."
At this moment, Amelia Bones' voice came from below, "Since everyone is here, let's begin."
"It's time for your statement," she looked at Snape, "You claim to have worked for Dumbledore, and we need to know the detailed reasons and process."
"You will record this, Mr. Weasley," she said, turning to the other side.
"Yes, Minister," Percy shifted his gaze from Snape.
To be honest, as a Gryffindor, Percy also disliked Snape. After all, Snape was always quick to deduct points from Gryffindor, especially after Harry's enrollment, ensuring their perennial last place in the House Cup.
This also made Percy feel a bit embarrassed when facing the other Heads of Houses.
However, deep down, he still hoped that the Hogwarts professor wasn't a Death Eater.
Percy adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses and held a quill, ready to record.
"That was seventeen years ago," Snape began, "Sibyll Trelawney made a prophecy about the future savior at the Hog's Head, and I happened to overhear it..."
Snape's voice was calm as he recounted the events of that time.
"Wait a moment..." After a few minutes, Amelia suddenly interrupted him.
"You mean, you revealed the content of the prophecy to Voldemort."
"Yes," Snape clenched his fist, and for the first time, his voice became hoarse, "But at the time, I didn't realize that the person Voldemort would believe to be the one in the prophecy was... Lily Evans."
Amelia's eyes flickered, "Well, continue. Additionally, we need more detailed evidence."
The subsequent events unfolded exactly as they had been seen in the memories.
However, Kyle noticed that Snape deliberately concealed his feelings for Lily Evans.
No, to be precise, he redirected this affection into a more ordinary friendship, and only the wizards present didn't realize it.
Perhaps, in their eyes, it was a perfectly normal occurrence for two wizards with exceptional talent in Potions to become friends.
Of course, it was also possible that Lily had already married.
But not everyone thought so.
Take, for example, the two old wizards who had been chatting with Kyle earlier. They sat there, listening intently to Snape's words, and unlike the others' serious expressions, they occasionally burst into a chorus of hehehe laughter.
"Love..." one of them whispered,
But the voice was too soft, and even Kyle, who was close by, couldn't make out the rest of the words.
After about half an hour, Snape finally finished speaking, and a buzzing discussion broke out on the platform.
How to put it... if one were to go by what Snape said, he didn't seem entirely innocent.
Because he had once been a Death Eater and had leaked the most important secret... the content of the prophecy about the savior.
For this alone, he should have been sent directly to Azkaban.
But it was because he told Voldemort about the prophecy that Voldemort later targeted the Potter family, and the savior, Harry Potter, as an infant, killed him.
So, in a sense, Snape had contributed to the fulfillment of the prophecy.
This made it a bit unclear whether Snape should be credited or blamed.
"Please be quiet," Amelia tapped a wooden hammer on the table.
She had known all this beforehand, so she remained calm.
"Next, we need you to provide more detailed evidence to support your claims."
"Here," Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a sparkling bottle.
"This is Albus Dumbledore's memory, which can prove that Severus Snape is not lying."
At Bones' signal, a large mirror, already prepared, was carried in.
The mirror was ancient, seemingly existing for many years, and faded runes similar to those on the Pensieve were engraved on its frame.
Professor McGonagall poured the memories from the bottle onto the mirror, and the surface immediately displayed the scenes from the memories like a movie projection.
Kyle leaned forward with interest, but after watching for a while, he sat back down.
This mirror could also play memories, but it was limited to visuals, and it was far inferior to the Pensieve, which allowed one to experience the memories firsthand.
However, in this situation, the mirror was more useful.
The content of the memories was largely consistent with what Snape had said, but there were some differences.
"Voldemort once captured Harry Potter during the Triwizard Tournament?" Some people were startled by this news and couldn't help but glance at Bones at the front.
"We've already questioned Harry Potter, and it's true," Bones said softly, but her words immediately sparked a chaotic discussion in the hearing chamber.
Until the second bombshell...
"Didn't he realize that the Dark Lord intentionally lured him to the Department of Mysteries?"
Department of Mysteries...
"Oh, I remember now. The first appearance of the Dark Lord was at the Ministry of Magic, and Dumbledore stopped him."
"I remember that too. That battle destroyed the atrium and nearly tore down the entire Ministry."
"Was it him who informed Dumbledore about this?"
The discussion among the people grew louder.
And when the word 'Horcrux' was mentioned, the discussion turned into a noisy uproar, almost lifting the roof of the hearing chamber.
Now they finally understood why Voldemort was able to make a comeback, and it turned out to be due to Horcruxes.
The memory ended at this point, and Amelia Bones had to strike the wooden hammer several times before everyone reluctantly quieted down.
"For this part, we need to verify the authenticity of the memory before making a judgment."
"No problem," Professor McGonagall agreed without hesitation.
"We also need more supporting evidence."
"Of course." Professor McGonagall, well-prepared, took out a thick stack of parchment.
"Here are all the records related to Horcruxes over the past few years. This is what Albus Dumbledore has been working on."
"I believe many of you have had similar doubts. The reason why Albus Dumbledore didn't go after the Death Eaters is that he has been searching for and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes."
Under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze, some people lowered their heads guiltily.
Kyle was surprised that Snape's hearing was also helping to restore Dumbledore's reputation a little.
But then again...
Most of the Horcruxes were destroyed by Dumbledore, and he only found the Resurrection Stone...
Oh well, Dumbledore is Dumbledore, Kyle thought to himself. It's good to put it this way. Even if others find out what Horcruxes are, they will only think that Dumbledore found them.
At the same time, no one will know that the crown, the cup, and the locket have always been in his possession.
Although he might receive the Order of Merlin, First Class for this, it pales in comparison to those three items.
At the same time, Professor McGonagall casually tossed the parchments from the podium, and they flew in all directions, precisely landing in front of everyone.
For the next while, everyone quietly read the contents.
"These are just your statements and cannot be used as direct evidence."
"It's fine. We have a witness." Professor McGonagall said, "He's outside."
Percy glanced at Bones and, upon receiving an affirmative response, voluntarily walked towards the door.
A moment later, he returned, followed by... Lucius Malfoy.
He kept his word and not only came to the Ministry of Magic voluntarily but also as a witness.
Kyle narrowed his eyes and sighed softly.
What a pity. He actually hoped that Lucius wouldn't keep his promise.
Was this coward too timid? Why not solve the problem with Galleons like before? Did he really want to go to Azkaban?
Moreover, he is now a professor at Hogwarts, a man of status. Even if Lucius broke his promise, Kyle wouldn't be able to rush into Malfoy Manor and kill him.
What was there to be afraid of?
Furthermore, it seemed that Lucius had found Professor McGonagall in advance and reached some agreement with her, which was why he appeared here as a witness at this time.
Kyle tapped his fingers lightly on his leg.
How did this guy suddenly become so smart...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
