A magical journey that begins in Azkaban.

Chapter 557: The Partial Minister

"Although there is some truth to that, it sounds like quibbling." Mrs. Longbottom frowned and muttered softly.

"If everyone's crimes can only be defined by law, doesn't that mean they are innocent before trial?" Her voice was low, but every word was powerful. "If that's the case, then we can't fight the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters."

"Well, that's the theory." Lucius folded his hands elegantly and placed them on the silver snake head of the cane, as if he was stroking a precious work of art.

He said in a long tone, with a hint of sarcasm and pride in his voice, "Since the law is the only measure, morality doesn't seem to be that important, does it?"

He turned aside, his eyes hiding cunning, and said, "Mr. Dumbledore, as the former chief wizard of the Wizengamot, you must agree with my point of view. After all, you understand the importance of the law better than anyone else here."

"Here, the law and evidence will determine whether a wizard is good or evil. Kindness, courage, love, and the like are just footnotes to morality. They are thin and powerless and have nothing to do with justice."

Lucius suddenly seemed to remember something important and took a breath. A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said in a sarcastic tone: "Sorry, how could I forget such an important thing."

His grey eyes slowly scanned each person in the room, finally resting on the members of the Order.

"As staunch defenders of the Statute of Secrecy, you will surely not disagree with my point of view, right? After all, we all know how this law...conveniently protects certain people."

These words were said quite beautifully, like a gorgeous hat inlaid with pearls, fitting squarely on Dumbledore's head.

As the former chief wizard of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore knew the majesty and unshakability of the law. To deny this would be tantamount to shaking the foundation of the entire wizarding world.

However, behind those blue eyes, there is definitely no mechanical, old-fashioned and conservative old scholar.

Dumbledore gently stroked his long beard, his eyes sparkling with wisdom.

In his heart, in addition to the wizard's actions, his moral character is equally important. In fact, the nobility of the soul is more precious than the flawlessness of behavior. This is a typical example of judging by the heart rather than the deeds.

Rogge did cause the death of a survivor during the mission, and his actions are legally questionable and morally reprehensible.

However, Dumbledore knew that in such a critical situation, this might not be the only way, but it was the most effective way.

Dumbledore slowly raised his head, his blue eyes staring at Lucius through his half-moon glasses. His voice was calm and firm, as if stating an indisputable fact: "Mr. Malfoy, abiding by the law is important, but upholding morality is often more difficult."

"Nobility is a path that requires great courage. It is not just about obeying the law, but about making the right choices in a complex reality. The law is the cornerstone of our society."

After hearing this, Lucius' eyes flashed with disdain. He snorted coldly, secretly mocking himself: "Here we go again, this old man always likes to talk about some high-sounding principles." But he wisely chose to remain silent, just raised his eyebrows in contempt.

Amelia banged the gavel hard, and the crisp sound instantly quieted the noisy courtroom. Her sharp eyes swept over everyone present, and finally stopped at Roger.

"I agree with Mr. Roger's objections," Amelia announced, her voice serious, "but that doesn't mean we will ignore the issues in this case."

"Mission Elk is a large-scale rescue operation launched by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement across the Atlantic Ocean during Christmas. Our goal is to rescue the wizards and Muggles who have lost their freedom from the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters..." She paused and adjusted her words: "to rescue the wizards and Muggles who have lost their freedom."

"Among them, there are 327 wizards and 2316 Muggles. This arduous task was jointly proposed by Roger Travis and the Goblin King Bellingrum. Under the command of the Ministry of Magic and with the cooperation of all staff, it was finally successfully completed."

"During the mission, we successfully destroyed 15 Death Eaters' virus laboratories. More importantly," her voice became passionate, as if there was a dragon crystal magic mirror in front of her, "we killed the American dark wizard who developed the snake-man virus."

She deliberately emphasized the last few words, and her eyes swept in the direction of the American wizard intentionally or unintentionally, "He is Baldwin, the potion professor of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

This statement was like a bomb, causing a commotion in the courtroom. The American wizards immediately felt uneasy and began to whisper to each other. Some looked unhappy, while others looked worried.

This is clearly an attempt to shift the blame. Before the inquiry officially began, the British Ministry of Magic tried to shift part of the responsibility onto the American wizarding community.

James Jr., the president of the Magical Congress of the United States, frowned, forming a deep "chuan" character. Although his heart was churning, he still maintained diplomatic etiquette and did not lose his temper on the spot.

He looked at Amelia with a sharp gaze, as if to say, "We'll see."

Amelia was very satisfied with the effect of her bombshell. She paused for a moment, letting the news ferment in everyone's mind, and then continued to read out the follow-up content: "At the same time, Rogge used the Fiendfyre to burn all the research data on the virus. The second-generation Snakeman virus that was about to succeed was completely destroyed."

"This decision saved countless lives!" Her voice rose an octave, as if she was telling a heroic epic: "On the way back, they defeated the Death Eaters and killed the dark wizard led by the werewolves."

Amelia deliberately put the destruction of the virus and the pursuit of the Death Eaters together, deliberately creating a "truth": it was because the virus was destroyed that the Death Eaters were so angry that they chased them.

Roger, who was sitting below, understood what the minister meant. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he even wanted to applaud and cheer for her: She is worthy of being the (journalism major, crossed out) Minister of Magic!

"This operation was almost perfect. No Aurors died. The only casualty," she couldn't help but chuckle, "was an overexcited wizard who accidentally sprained his ankle during landing."

After saying that, Amelia put down the red folder in her hand, picked up the water glass gracefully, and took a sip slowly. Her expression seemed to say, "My statement is over."

"Madam Chief." Little James had to remind him, with strong displeasure in his voice: "You didn't say a word about the wizard you killed!"

"I'm sorry, please forgive my negligence," Amelia responded in the usual politician's tone, with a fake smile, as if to say, "That's what I was going to say."

"On the way back, Dawlish and his team were chased and intercepted by Death Eaters. In the critical moment of life and death, the rescued wizards asked the Aurors to give up key magic props such as wands and flying brooms, and this happened more than once."

"After several fruitless negotiations, the situation began to get out of control. Rogge tried to calm things down with words. However... he was insulted by the other party, which led to the intensification of the conflict. Eventually, tragedy occurred, and a hostage fell from a high altitude and died unfortunately."

Amelia sighed and said in a nostalgic and regretful voice, "Little James, I sincerely apologize. Our Aurors failed to protect [your wizards]."

This statement was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples. The Wizengamot immediately erupted in laughter, destroying the sadness brought by the death in the report.

The judges above exchanged meaningful glances, while the audience behind them pointed at the American Aurors without disguising their opinions. Their eyes were full of contempt, as if to say, "See, this is the level of American wizards. In the end, it is us British wizards who have to come to the rescue."

Little James sat there, his face uncertain. He had a lot of bitterness in his heart, but he didn't know where to start. Amelia did describe what happened, but her narrative cleverly avoided the main point and portrayed the tragedy caused by Roger as an inevitable accident.

In her words, Rogge is no longer a sinner waiting to confess, but a hero with hidden merits and fame.

"Defense! This is naked defense!" The anger of the American wizards finally erupted. They shouted in unison, slapping the table in unison, and the sound echoed in the courtroom.

Amelia's face darkened instantly, and her eyes flashed with cold light, as if she was ready to cast a curse at any time. She raised the gavel high and knocked hard: "Quiet! (Order...)"

As the core figure in this questioning, Rogge was like a spectator at this time, sitting quietly on the judge's chair, watching their fight with great interest.

He saw that Amelia did not want to hold the inquiry. But under some pressure, she had to issue the subpoena. However, as the chief wizard of the Wizengamot, she could control the progress and direction of the inquiry. "Master, this is your favorite Portuguese egg tart." Beibei put on cotton gloves and held a plate of steaming golden egg tarts.

Although the magic of the Ministry of Magic can prohibit Apparition, it is powerless against elves.

In an instant, all the arguments came to an abrupt end. The wizards stared at the scene in amazement, as if they were hit by a petrification spell. Some rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating.

"This is blasphemy!" An elderly wizard finally broke the silence, his voice trembling with anger: "This is a serious blasphemy against the Wizengamot and the law!"

"I move that Rogue and his house-elves be held for contempt of court."

Facing the accusations from everyone, Roger seemed unusually calm. He shrugged, took the egg tart, and motioned Beibei to go back first.

"So?" Roger shrugged. "You called me here while I was still sick. Look at your watches. It's 2: in the morning. Besides, I haven't eaten for three days."

"If contempt of court means starving to death, then I ask you to sentence me to death now." After saying that, Roger opened his mouth nonchalantly and began to enjoy the egg tart in an elegant and quick manner.

The crispy shell made a slight sound in his mouth, and the rich taste mixed with eggs and milk seemed to make him forget the hustle and bustle around him in an instant.

Everyone present watched this scene intently, silently swallowing their saliva. Roger almost finished the entire plate of egg tarts in two bites at an astonishing speed.

Regarding this little farce, Amelia finally decided not to impose any punishment on Roger based on the information sent by the clerk.

She tapped the table lightly and continued, "Rogge, you need to take this inquiry seriously. The International Confederation of Magic, the British Ministry of Magic, the American Magical Congress and other members attending the meeting will all ask questions about the course of action and the deaths of the hostages."

"You need to swear to Merlin that every word you say is true."

Roger sipped the food from the corner of his mouth, savoring the aftertaste of the egg tart. He slowly stood up and straightened his back: "I, Roger Travis, swear to the great Merlin. I will be responsible for everything I said in this questioning and guarantee its authenticity. If I lie, I am willing to be punished."

Amelia nodded with satisfaction. Her eyes swept across the entire courtroom. Although her voice was soft, it contained unquestionable authority: "Each member has five minutes to ask questions. After the questioning, we will hold a vote to decide whether Roger Travis is responsible for the death of the hostages."

After that, she sat back in her seat.

As Minister and Wizengamot Chair, her duties were to maintain order and control the pace of questioning, and she did not participate in questioning.

As expected by everyone, James, the president of the American Magic Society, stood up impatiently. His hair was neatly combed and his expression was as serious as a statue. His eyes were like sharp swords, pointing directly at Roger: "When did you first meet Brown?"

The clerk in the audience wrote furiously, faithfully recording every detail of the questioning.

Little James held up a magic photo, making sure everyone could see it. It was a warm family photo: a wizard hugged his wife, holding an innocent little girl in his arms. This wizard was the poor person that Roger had dropped from the hanging basket.

"Brown?" Roger leaned forward, as if he wanted to see more clearly. "Sir, you should know that when we rescued the hostages, they were all in a terrible condition. This person looks... well, to be honest, he is a little different from the person in the photo."

"I remember that man was a tall and thin wizard. As for his face..." He shrugged, "I'm sorry, I really can't tell the difference."

"Hahaha..." Laughter echoed in the room, and someone whispered, "Indeed, it is not easy for people of different races to recognize the faces of other races." There was a subtle sense of superiority in the laughter.

If it were a hundred years ago, even if all these wizards were thrown into the Atlantic Ocean to feed the fish, no one would pay attention.

Little James clenched his fist unconsciously, secretly reminding himself to stay calm. He took a deep breath and continued, "He is the wizard you left to fall to his death, Brown. Because of your actions, you made a wife lose her husband and a child lose his father."

Roger's expression suddenly became serious. He looked directly into James' eyes and said sincerely, "I'm sorry. Are Brown's wife and children here? I am willing to apologize to them in person and give them compensation and the greatest possible help."

"This..." Little James' face tightened, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Brown was captured by the Death Eaters, and it was easy to imagine what would happen to his family.

Silence could not replace the answer. Time passed by. Little James had to bite the bullet and said, "They have been killed by the Death Eaters."

He hurriedly changed his strategy, trying to turn the situation around: "Do you think the other party's demands are unreasonable? Just answer yes or no."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Roger's lips, and he gave an unexpected answer: "Or."

"If you mean the demand to seize our wands and broomsticks, my answer is 'yes'. Otherwise, it's 'no' or 'or'."

"Well, Mr. James, your time is up." Amelia knocked on the table, mercilessly signaling the next questioner to get ready.

Little James pounded the table and subconsciously crumpled the photo in his hand into a ball.

"Wow..." The entire courtroom suddenly gasped in surprise. Everyone's eyes were focused on the hand of little James - the family photo of the ravaged victim.

At this moment, it was as if a flash of lightning flashed through everyone's mind: "It turns out that the Magical Congress of the United States of America does not really care about the wizard named Brown."

Amelia didn't add insult to injury and calmly announced, "Next."

The second questioner stood up, also an American Auror. She wore a pair of fiery red glasses, and her mature and charming temperament made people look at her a few more times.

"Mr. Roger," her voice was as sweet as honey, but also sharp, "The report pointed out that you were the first to ridicule the survivors, saying that they were dragging down the team."

"What's more noteworthy is that the victim you chose was a black wizard. Does this mean that, in your eyes, he is the most useless wizard in the team and the one most worthy of being abandoned?"

Rogge narrowed his eyes slightly. The witch's question was very tricky. On the surface, she was asking about value judgments, but in fact, she was implying that Rogge was racist.

There is only one answer to this kind of thing in the minds of most pure-bloods, but thanks to Dumbledore's efforts, it can no longer be said openly.

Just like cotton and watermelon, they go well together, but for the sake of politeness, we should restrain ourselves. Especially during questioning, we should not speak out without scruples, otherwise we will be at a disadvantage morally.

"At that moment, in my eyes, they were all a burden. Worse in value than the Muggles. Due to legal restrictions, we couldn't use magic to keep them quiet. At the same time..."

"My question, sir, is whether you had to throw Brown down at that time."

Roger looked directly into her eyes and said in a firm and calm voice, "Yes."

“Wow!” A cry of surprise rang out from the surroundings, and many people whispered to each other: “Too cruel…”

(End of this chapter)