Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Chapter 116 Evidence

"Wait, I never killed any wizards, it was all Grindelwald who did it, at most I'll be charged with assault!" Lux was so anxious that she was incoherent, after all, she didn't want to transfer to Azkaban.

"I know you weren't behind this, son." Dumbledore's eyes held a reassuring tone, but deeper worry. "Aamon and I both believe this material likely originated from Grindelwald himself."

"Why would he do that? He even tried to get me involved!"

"That's exactly what he wanted."

Dumbledore looked at Lux: "He's going to drive you to the brink. If you become infamous in the British wizarding world and face life imprisonment or even worse, Hogwarts and I will no longer be able to openly protect you. Only then will he lend you a hand." Do you have any other choice? This is his usual tactic: eliminating dissidents, or—forcing those with potential to work for him.

Lux felt a sense of suffocation. Grindelwald's move was extremely vicious, using a seemingly legal procedure to drive her to her death.

Because most of the details of her trip to the Soviet Union are ambiguous, if you really want to delve into it, Lacus would definitely have to live in Azkaban for decades.

"While Amon doesn't believe the entire report, especially the part about your involvement in the attack," Dumbledore continued, "the evidence in the material regarding your illegal entry and presence at the crime scene is too compelling for him to handle, and—"

'

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "I am currently just a member of Wizengamo, not the chief mage, and my influence is limited. Although Principal Dipett strongly opposes it, he can hardly completely stop the process from starting when faced with such conclusive evidence."

The office fell into a deathly silence.

"Then what should I do?"

Dumbledore stood up, walked to the fireplace, and looked at the flickering flames: "I can't let them take you away from Hogwarts like this. Once it enters the Ministry of Magic's process, many things will be out of our control. We need time, we need evidence to refute these accusations."

He turned around, his eyes hardening again: "They can't force their way into Hogwarts to arrest anyone until the official arrest warrant is issued. We'll use this time. I'll contact my friends in Wizengamor and elsewhere, and do my best to mediate. As for you, Lux—"

He looked at her intently: "You need to stay at the school and not go anywhere. At the same time, carefully recall every detail of your time in the Soviet Union. Don't overlook any clues that might prove your innocence or point to Grindelwald. This will be a tough battle."

Lux nodded blankly, her mind a jumbled mess.

Prove her innocence? She was only focused on escaping and stacking steel at the time, how could she have any evidence?

Are we expecting Eve or Vova to testify?

How much weight can the testimony of a vampire and a Soviet-born hybrid wizard carry in the eyes of the old fogies of Wizengamo?

Dumbledore seemed to see through her helplessness and gently patted her shoulder: "Go back and rest first. Don't think too much. Remember, as long as you're at Hogwarts, I will do my best to protect you, but—be prepared for the worst."

After saying that, Dumbledore took a key from his office drawer and placed it in front of Lux.

"Keep this safe. If things get out of control, you'll have to leave England."

Lux accepted the key. "Where does this key lead?"

"In America, this Portkey belongs to Newt. He spent some time there, and his friends there made some Portkeys for him. As a memento, he gave me one. At this stage, the British Ministry of Magic will not choose to pursue wizards across borders."

Lux left the vice-principal's office somewhat anxiously, unable to even remember how she got back to the Gryffindor Tower.

The common room was brightly lit and noisy. Anna and Phoebe were arguing about a transfiguration assignment when Vera saw her and immediately ran over with her books.

"Lux, you're back! Why are you so late today? Hmm, you look terrible—"

Lux forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. I discussed some magical issues with Professor Dumbledore."

She couldn't tell Vera the truth; that would only make the sensitive girl more panicked. She went straight to the girls' dormitory, wanting only to bury herself under the covers.

Pushing open the dormitory door, the scene before her eyes made her already bad mood even worse.

Eve was sitting on Lux's bed, holding her textbook, tilting her head, and poking at the dancing mandrake illustrations on the pages with her sharp fingernails.

Meanwhile, Amber, the little owl by Vera's bedside, was huddled in the farthest corner of its cage, its feathers ruffled, watching Eve with terror.

Hearing the door open, Eve looked up, her bloodshot eyes devoid of emotion. She simply handed the book in her hand to Lux and said dryly, "The pictures move."

Lux sighed, walked over, and snatched the book from her hands: "Eve, I've told you so many times, don't touch my things without permission, especially books."

She glanced at the startled Amber and added, "And don't frighten Vera's owl."

Eve blinked, seemingly not quite understanding what she meant, but she obediently nodded and then turned her gaze to Lux's neck, where the bite mark had healed and was now just a light pink one. Lux's throat moved slightly, and she subconsciously touched her neck.

In this precarious situation, maintaining Eve's stability is more important, especially since she has a rune on her body. Lux is trying to find a way to extract the rune without causing too much damage to Eve.

She skillfully pricked her fingertip and brought it to Eve's lips.

Eve leaned closer and carefully sucked on it; the cool, soft touch gave Lux goosebumps.

After feeding her blood, Lux collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, staring blankly at the canopy above the four-poster bed.

She opened the system panel, looked at her pitiful health points, and suddenly remembered a crucial question: if she really was imprisoned in Azkaban, would there still be any "hero units" there that would allow her to stack steel? Should she just punch a Dementor? Do they even have health bars?

No, what is all this about?!

Lux shut down the system in frustration. Now was not the time to think about these things; she needed to find a way to break the deadlock quickly.

Grindelwald — Announcement — Evidence — She sat up abruptly.

No! No matter how detailed that report is, it can't be perfect. There must be loopholes, such as the timing or certain details that only the parties involved would know!

No matter how powerful Grindelwald is, he could never completely reconstruct all the events of that time, especially what happened between her, Eve, and Vova.

And then there's LeBlanc! LeBlanc is Grindelwald's subordinate, but she's also his alter ego! Could she have some kind of backup plan?

Lux's mind raced, one idea after another popping up, only to be rejected.

She needed more information, she needed to know exactly what that damn report said.

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Her mind felt like a tangled ball of yarn that Peeves had crumpled, a jumble of terrible possibilities: the cold iron bars of Azkaban, the Dementors' suffocating kiss, Grindelwald's return with runic power...

Dumbledore faced it all alone —

Exhaustion and anxiety overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, and her consciousness sank into a chaotic darkness.