Chapter 960: Professor McGonagall's Concern
Chapter 960: Professor McGonagall's Concern
"Your name," Minister Borens asked.
"Lucius Malfoy," he replied, his voice slightly trembling, and he glanced up at Kyle, who was seated at the top.
"And I was also a Death Eater."
His words were like a bomb dropped in the interrogation room, catching everyone off guard, including Minister Amelia Bones.
"My wife, Narcissa Malfoy, and I were both under the influence of the Dark Lord and committed grave mistakes."
A buzz filled the room.
"So, you're here to boast that you weren't caught?" Minister Borens glared at him.
She never expected Lucius to say such things.
Although everyone knew the Malfoy family were Death Eaters, the Aurors couldn't find any evidence to arrest them.
Among the Malfoys, only Draco Malfoy was wanted for killing Dumbledore.
As for Lucius and Narcissa, since the last time they were taken away by Voldemort at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, they seemed to have disappeared completely.
Even during the final battle at Hogwarts, no one saw them participate.
They didn't show up, and naturally, the Aurors had no reason to look for them.
Of course, if the Aurors wanted to, they could have searched further back and surely found a reason... But with a pile of captured Death Eaters yet to be tried, they didn't want to add more work for themselves.
Unexpectedly, before the Ministry took action, Lucius had voluntarily come forward.
Such foolish behavior—was this the Malfoy they knew? But he had spoken, and they couldn't take it back.
Minister Bones slammed her hand on the table, and a team of Aurors immediately stepped forward, wands raised, ready to restrain Lucius at any moment.
"No, not at all, believe me, the Malfoy family will never provoke the Ministry," Lucius said quickly, eyeing the approaching Aurors.
"Then what do you mean!"
"We regret everything we've done," Lucius said earnestly. "Last time, I chose to escape, but not this time. I'm willing to accept punishment and atone for my past actions."
Lucius's tone and expression were sincere, but those around him showed looks of bewilderment.
If they didn't know the Malfoys, they might have believed him.
But they were all too familiar with the Malfoy family, and such a person would never willingly come forward to accept punishment.
Even Minister Amelia Bones, who had witnessed countless scenes, momentarily doubted if Lucius was under the Imperius Curse.
Otherwise, how could he say such... such words that commanded respect...
Minister Bones subconsciously looked at Kingsley, the soon-to-be Head of the Auror Office, who shook his head slightly, indicating that Lucius seemed normal and showed no signs of being controlled by the Imperius Curse.
But this was strange; how could a Malfoy, known for shifting with the wind, suddenly become so responsible... And this guy wasn't like this before.
Minister Bones felt perplexed; what was supposed to be a simple hearing had suddenly become complicated.
"So, you're surrendering yourself?" Minister Bones asked, her voice filled with doubt as she regained her composure.
"Of course, Minister," Lucius placed his hand on his chest and spoke with conviction. "I deeply regret my past actions. The honor of the Malfoy family constantly reminds me, and I cannot choose to escape."
For some reason, many of the Wizengamot members in attendance suddenly felt a toothache.
Honor... Did the Malfoy family have such a thing?
They should have preferred gold, shouldn't they!
But they couldn't refute it, so they sat there, gritting their teeth as they watched Lucius.
"But before that..." Lucius raised his head, regaining his previous serious expression, "I cannot stand idly by while a truly courageous wizard is slandered as a Death Eater."
"Are you willing to testify for Severus Snape?" Minister Bones finally remembered the main purpose of this hearing.
"Yes, I am," Lucius nodded. "I discovered long ago that Severus Snape wasn't a pure Death Eater. But since he is my son's godfather, I didn't reveal this to Voldemort.
"Now it seems that this was one of the most correct decisions I've made."
At this, not only the surrounding elderly wizards but even Kyle and Professor McGonagall couldn't help but twitch their lips.
Did Lucius discover Snape's identity?
Chapter Nine
He found a hammer.
If Voldemort were to learn of what Narcissa and Snape had said, it would be enough to kill them ten times over.
Given Lucius Malfoy's cautious nature, he would never dare take such a risk if he truly knew Snape's identity.
On the other side, Professor McGonagall also tilted her head, hesitating over whether to abandon Lucius as a witness.
She needed Lucius's help, but this task wasn't essential. If he continued speaking like this, it might become a case of overdoing it and ruining everything.
Fortunately, Lucius didn't persist.
"Additionally, I can testify that the Dark Lord did possess a Horcrux," he declared, "because I once kept one."
"What did you say?" Bones frowned, "You kept a Horcrux?"
"Yes," Lucius replied, "and I'm willing to undergo a Veritaserum test."
Bones' eyes widened slightly, and her breathing became more pronounced.
"What was it?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
"A notebook," Lucius answered, "It was a notebook used by the Dark Lord during his school days. Later, it was confirmed that he had killed a witch named Tawny at school and created this Horcrux."
"I can attest to that," Professor McGonagall said, producing a stack of parchments and a worn diary.
"These are the detailed records from that time, along with the Horcrux."
Many people stood up, seemingly eager to get a closer look at the legendary object that could bring someone back from the dead.
Although the diary was damaged, it had once carried Voldemort's soul, and traces of residual magic could still be seen at this moment.
The diary was brought before Bones, and she instinctively tilted her head back, as if Professor McGonagall had handed her a tenfold larger dungbomb.
The others felt the same, as it was evident that they resisted touching this most dark and terrifying creation of Dark Magic... but they couldn't resist their curiosity and chose to watch from a distance.
More and more people stood up from their seats, and to maintain order in the courtroom, Bones had to ask the Aurors to take away the diary.
"I have one more question, and it's the most important one," she said, turning to Snape again.
"After the final battle, did you take Voldemort away?"
"Yes!" Snape replied after a long silence.
"Why?" Bones asked, "If you claim to be working for Dumbledore, why did you take him away?"
"I... don't know," Snape said, "I wasn't aware of what I was doing at the time, and it's possible that the Dark Lord discovered my identity and used the Imperius Curse on me."
Kyle was taken aback, never expecting Snape, who had been telling the truth all along, to lie at this point.
What was he trying to do?
"The Aurors have performed Legilimency checks on my memories," Snape continued, "They can testify that I'm not lying."
"Indeed," Kingsley nodded.
Bones remained silent.
Of course, she knew this outcome and had also seen Voldemort's death from Severus Snape's memories.
The memories included Kyle, an unknown witch, and... the already deceased Dumbledore.
They initially suspected that Snape's memories had been altered until the portrait in the Minister's office, which was one of Hogwarts' Headmasters, Everard, told them that Dumbledore was indeed not alive, and this was his clever plan, a plan against Voldemort.
Bones found it hard to comprehend, as portraits wouldn't lie to the Minister of Magic... so she treated it as a special kind of magic, similar to the kind Lily Evans used on Harry Potter.
However, this matter required further scrutiny. Before confirming Voldemort's death, she temporarily refrained from making this information public.
Bones raised her head, and the whispers around her gradually ceased.
"Now, let's begin the first round of voting," she said in a loud voice, "Those who believe that Severus Snape is not a Death Eater, please raise your hands."
Hands went up one by one.
But Kyle didn't move, as he wasn't a full member of the Wizengamot and only had observer status without voting rights.
A round of applause filled the room, but Kyle noticed something intriguing amidst the clapping.
"First round... temporarily revoked..."
It seemed the matter of Snape wasn't entirely concluded.
Nonetheless, Kanna was thrilled with the outcome. She jumped from her seat, her fists clenched in excitement.
"Congratulations," Minister Borens stood up, exchanged a few words with Snape, and hurried out of the interrogation room as if pressed for time.
"I knew it. Attending a hearing is far more interesting than questioning Death Eaters."
"Indeed. If possible, I'd rather not attend those dull interrogations again."
The two elderly wizards beside Kyle also left their seats and quickly exited the room alongside others.
As they had mentioned earlier, members of the Wizengamot didn't just attend one hearing; they also participated in the questioning of Death Eaters.
Now, they were off to another interrogation room to make up the numbers.
Soon, only a few people remained in the room—Professor McGonagall, Snape, Kanna, and Kyle, who didn't need to be told, were definitely staying.
Lucius was also there, and as Kyle approached, he instinctively took a few steps back, his body beginning to tremble slightly.
Fortunately, Kingsley grabbed his arm and led him out.
According to Lucius's earlier statement, he was also due for questioning... naturally, he couldn't stay.
With that, the interrogation room was completely empty.
Snape's expression was complex. He first expressed his gratitude to Professor McGonagall, then glanced at Kyle and said, "I'll be staying at Hogwarts. Come find me tomorrow. Until then... don't talk about this."
Kyle shrugged, agreeing.
To be honest, he didn't mind Snape's final lie. If necessary, he could even have Snape take credit for killing Voldemort himself.
"It's finally over," Professor McGonagall sighed with relief as Snape left with Kanna.
Previously, when such situations arose, Dumbledore, as the Headmaster, would handle them, leaving her to focus on managing the school.
This time, she had truly taken over Dumbledore's role, transforming from Professor Minerva McGonagall into the Headmistress of Hogwarts.
It was a bit more complicated than she had imagined.
"Professor," Kyle looked at her and asked, "Is the matter with Snape really over?"
"Yes," Professor McGonagall replied, "but after this, we can essentially confirm Severus's identity.
"He just needs to cooperate with the Ministry's investigation into a few minor matters, and the special Trace can be removed."
"Trace?" Kyle was puzzled. "Isn't that only for underage young wizards?"
"That's why I said it's a special Trace."
At that moment, Mr. Weasley entered from outside.
"I've heard all about it," he smiled, "I knew Dumbledore's judgment was sound."
"Who would disagree?"
"Would you like to join us for dinner, Minerva, Kyle?" he asked. "Molly would be delighted."
"Next time, Arthur," Professor McGonagall said, "I have some matters to attend to back at school."
"Alright then," Mr. Weasley said, "you're always welcome."
"Thank you, Arthur, and please convey my thanks to Molly as well."
"I will," Mr. Weasley opened the door, "Let me escort you to the main hall. I'm on my way to find Bob, too."
"Okay," Professor McGonagall nodded. Just as she prepared to step outside, she paused, her expression turning slightly unpleasant.
"Professor, is something wrong?" Kyle asked.
"No, nothing," Professor McGonagall replied, but it was evident that she was forcing herself to give this answer.
Moreover, she seemed distracted afterward, misusing the elevator and almost splitting during Apparition.
When the two appeared in Hogsmeade, a strand of hair floated down.
"Professor..." Kyle caught the hair, furrowing his brows, "Are you sure you're alright?"
Who would believe that the Headmistress of Hogwarts, the Transfiguration Master, Professor Minerva McGonagall, had split during Apparition?
"Alright," Professor McGonagall sighed, "I suddenly realized we might have made a mistake."
"No..." Kyle thought for a moment, "Everything went smoothly."
"It's a Horcrux," Professor McGonagall whispered, "The temptation of immortality is too great. We shouldn't have exposed this secret to so many people."
(End of Chapter)
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