Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 183, Section 182: A Warm Friend and Fudge's Concession

This is puzzling. We all know that Azkaban is a hellish environment. No sane person would want to live in such a place, let alone be imprisoned there for twelve years.

[But for twelve years, a full twelve years, Sirius Black kept his mouth shut and never revealed the truth. Was he enjoying his time in Azkaban? That doesn't make any sense.]

[...Suddenly, I realized another possibility: could this be a form of atonement? According to James, the idea of ​​changing the Secret Keeper was Sirius's suggestion. In other words, if they had kept Sirius as the Secret Keeper as originally planned, the Potters' address would not have been exposed, and the Man Who Reveals would never have been able to find them...]

[...Everything seems to be making sense now. We all know that the four bandits had a deep bond back then. Well, okay, maybe one of them wasn't so sure, but it's now confirmed that Sirius Black and James did indeed have a deep bond...]

[...So everything stemmed from guilt; he couldn't bear the reality that his best friend's family had died because of his idea, and therefore wanted to punish himself... Imagine a person in despair...]

Rita suddenly became sentimental, describing Sirius's feelings from his own perspective. Her writing was very ornate and moving, which was her forte—and she wasn't even lying, because what she wrote was exactly what Harry had told her from Sirius's perspective.

However, Rita did not directly reveal Harry's involvement in this matter, nor did she mention that this mental journey was something Harry learned from Sirius after going to Azkaban.

[...In any case, I believe that Sirius Black's case should be retried, a trial that is lawful, procedural, and just. We should never allow a righteous soul to suffer in darkness; that is precisely where my nobility as a human being lies, our conscience...]

[...In my opinion, even though it's a case from many years ago, it wouldn't be difficult to reopen it at all. The words of James Potter, this deceased hero, are the best proof of that...]

Sirius Black probably wouldn't refuse such an opportunity to prove himself, and once he takes the Truth Potion, everything will be proven... just thinking about the orphaned child growing up alone in the outside world, his godson, Harry Potter...

Rita's words were extremely sentimental and tear-jerking. At least the middle-aged witches couldn't resist such words. Just imagining a child who had lost both parents and grew up alone in a relative's house, with his godfather in prison to atone for his sins, made them burst into tears.

Harry... found this part a bit awkward, so he skipped it and went straight to the part where Rita bombarded the Ministry of Magic.

Yes, we must acknowledge that during that dark period twelve years ago, we had to respond with equal cruelty to the ruthless methods of the Mystic and his followers in order to win. At that time, Aurors were even allowed to use dark magic, which was considered unforgivable. Similarly, Mr. Barty Crouch, who was then the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, wielded enormous power during the war.

Not only were they ruthless during wartime, but when they believed the evidence was conclusive, they could even send a person directly to Azkaban—just like Sirius Black.

Yes, I still acknowledge that such methods were necessary during that dark period of war, because the Death Eaters were extremely cunning. However, we must also admit that such practices inevitably led to some wrongful convictions.

[During the period of victory and the extremely busy time immediately following the war, we might be able to temporarily overlook the existence of this group of people, but what about after the war is completely over?]

Why not reopen cases that haven't undergone trial and investigation, or even had their verdict verified by truth serum? Never let a bad person go unpunished, nor wrong an innocent person—that's the Ministry of Magic we want to see, and that's what the Ministry of Magic should be.

[...Without a doubt, Mr. Barty Crouch failed in his duty in this matter...]

Harry closed the newspaper. He had seen everything he wanted to see in today's paper. Rita had done a good job and hadn't interfered with anything.

Next, he just needs to wait for things to develop.

....................................

Dumbledore must have done something.

Harry waited three days without receiving a public statement from the Ministry of Magic declaring himself a dark wizard researching soul magic, nor did the Wizengamor, the highest authority in the British wizarding world, make any statement.

It was a celebration for Rita and the Daily Prophet. To be honest, when they published that day's paper, they were already prepared for pressure and threats from the Ministry of Magic, but they still published Rita's article anyway.

No one in the news industry doesn't want to create a big news story.

Well, after spending a whole day on high alert in the office only to have the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic burst in and arrest them all, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet finally breathed a sigh of relief.

And then?
Then, of course, we will continue to increase our efforts.

From a journalist's long-term perspective, releasing three major news stories that are enough to dominate a period of time is a waste, but isn't it all because they're afraid of the Ministry of Magic interfering? And since the Ministry of Magic won't interfere, the next thing to do is follow up with reports.

Ancestral magic, whether Muggles who can use shamanic magic are still considered Muggles, whether Squibs are still considered Squibs, and calls for a retrial of the Sirius Black case...

Very lively.

Even Hogwarts, far removed from wizarding society, became lively, with students excitedly discussing the articles in the newspapers—to be honest, with their experience and mindset, if they hadn't seen these reports, they wouldn't even have realized the meaning behind what they saw that day; they were just curious.

Those who hadn't managed to establish a connection with the earth element were determined to try again next year. Even though they weren't shamans themselves, it couldn't dampen their enthusiasm for discussing these matters. The students who had become shamans were surrounded wherever they went, wanting them to try and see if they could invoke the presence of their ancestors. Of course, the main discussion revolved around the Sirius Black case; for teenagers, this was precisely the age when they enjoyed stories with plot twists.

A hero falsely accused of being a Death Eater was unjustly tortured by Dementors in Azkaban for twelve years, all to atone for his past mistakes—that's pretty cool.

If Sirius Black is seen by students as a lone hero in the darkness, then Peter Pettigrew's reputation is utterly ruined... It's no exaggeration to say that even a student's pet owl would spit at the mention of his name.

If the owl has phlegm.

As a result, wherever Harry goes in the castle, people look at him with teary, sympathetic eyes, which makes him feel somewhat helpless... but these are all well-intentioned feelings, and he can't refuse them.

The gifts from his students had filled a corner of his office, and were increasing in tandem with the daily volume of newspaper articles.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that he had to attend other professors' classes every day, Harry wouldn't really want to go inside the castle. It would be nice to just be outside with Hagrid in peace and quiet... well, although Hagrid was also teary-eyed when he saw him.

The tight hug almost blew the air out of Harry's lungs.

Everyone who saw Harry would put on a comforting expression, trying to cheer him up as much as possible. Many people even vowed to write letters to their parents to support Harry. The wizarding community wasn't large, and many people's parents either worked at the Ministry of Magic or in many industries closely related to wizarding life, so they could really make a difference.

Even the professors were like that. Lockhart, the flamboyant and showy professor, was another example. He brought Harry a big bag of candy and said a lot of strange things... Because they were so strange, Harry forgot them all after hearing them.

It would be a waste of space to leave memories for such a clown.

However, the other professors' concern was much more genuine, especially Professor Flitwick, a little old man whose personality was much more endearing than Dumbledore's. He even jumped onto the podium after the second-year Charms class, patted Harry on the shoulder, sighed deeply, and comforted Harry not to be too sad.

Finally, they even invited Harry to join them at the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade over the weekend, where the professors were having a gathering—and Harry, of course, wouldn't refuse.

Overall, Harry's days had been quite busy. Although it was awkward and he didn't really need all this comforting, he was still very touched by the concern of so many people.

As for the owl letters sent from all over the wizarding world, they were either letters expressing concern and reminding him to take care of his health, or letters supporting him in fighting another lawsuit against the Ministry of Magic to rescue Sirius Black…

Very simple and unpretentious.

Harry's apprentices, of course, were concerned about their mentor, especially his friends. These past few days, they had been following him around as if they were afraid he would do something foolish, as if he were about to set off to destroy the Ministry of Magic or Azkaban and rescue Sirius Black, which made Harry want to laugh.

Rita did not return to Hogwarts, but instead reported her progress—specifically, the progress of internal matters concerning the Ministry of Magic—to Harry via letter.

Rita has contacted Fudge and, as she and Harry had discussed, analyzed for him the benefits of exonerating Sirius Black, which is a major reason why the Daily Prophet has not been subject to strict control these past few days.

Since taking office two years ago, Fudge's life as minister has been far from easy. Rita's constant reporting on Harry, and Harry's lawsuit against a department under the Ministry of Magic last summer, have greatly shaken the Ministry's credibility and authority.

In particular, Harry's lawsuit against the Department of Magical Law, which prohibited the abuse of magic, gave a voice to many people who had suffered unfair treatment from the Ministry of Magic in the past but had nowhere to turn for redress. During that time, Rita specifically chose to report on these people, giving them a good venting of their anger.

Therefore, in Fudge's eyes, the past year can be described as a turbulent year. Harry Potter, the boy who survived so many calamities, was simply a jinx. From the day he entered the wizarding world, he had never encountered anything good. No, this boy even caused a huge mess on the very day he entered the wizarding world, destroying his Muggle uncle's house.

No matter how wronged Fudge felt, especially those who had been unfairly treated by the Ministry of Magic before he even took office, ordinary wizards didn't care about such things.

As a result, Fudge's approval rating continued to decline in several surveys, which further undermined his authority as Minister of Magic. Within the Ministry of Magic, there were quite a few dissenting voices against Fudge, mainly divided into several factions.

One is the Oro Office, headed by Rufus Scrimgeour, and the other is the Director of the International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Department, Barty Crouch, who has been the focus of the newspapers these days and has been heavily criticized.

Compared to Barty Crouch, Scrimgeour's threat was nothing to Fudge. The main concern was Crouch—if it weren't for his reliance on Dumbledore three years ago, and the fact that Crouch's son had become a Death Eater, which was a major stain, he would never have won the election back then.

Even though he didn't become minister, Barty Crouch was relegated to a powerless department by himself, but Fudge knew that there was always a group of people around Crouch in the Ministry of Magic who were unwilling to obey his orders.

But now—after privately meeting Rita, the reporter he hated so much, Fudge finally realized that he seemed to have found an opportunity.
An opportunity to completely crush Crouch and render him no threat.

In Rita's letter, she detailed Fudge's foolish reaction to his threat to throw them into Azkaban, and then said that through her efforts, Fudge finally understood the crux of the matter and agreed to help in the matter.

(End of this chapter)