Hogwarts magic is justice

Chapter 76 After-Dinner Mini-Theater

The wizarding world always likes to create some supernatural and ghostly things that sound eerie and terrifying, but that's really how it is. For example, there's this screaming thing, and legend has it that there are werewolves in it.

Sure enough, there was no werewolf, but there was a fugitive. Sirius saw the little wizard suddenly appear in front of him and instinctively tried to hide, but he couldn't. He was sucked into a tornado and spun around for a full half hour.

"Mr. Black, don't worry. I've read your case file and I know why you tried to escape. So I'll cooperate with you to get you into Hogwarts and then, in front of everyone, arrest that person. At the same time, the Ministry of Magic will also cooperate to clear your name. But you have to help me."

"What do you want me to do?"

Although still a little dizzy, Sirius remained vigilant and prepared to hear what conditions Irving would propose.

"You should know everything on this list, right?"

Sirius pulled over the parchment that floated over, glanced at it, and his eyes widened: "What do you want these things for?"

"Do you know about Horcruxes?" Owen conjured a chair for himself and sat down opposite Sirius Black. "Voldemort may have turned these things into Horcruxes, so I need to find them and destroy them."

Upon hearing this, Sirius perked up: "So that's what it was for. Then it's not a condition, consider it a favor I owe you!"

But how do you know these are Horcruxes?

"Because I found Ravenclaw's crown and confirmed that it had become a Horcrux. I dealt with it a few days ago. As far as I can confirm, two Horcruxes have been dealt with. So, there are at least five more to go. This needs to be kept secret. I don't want everyone to know about the Horcruxes."

"Can!"

"Then it's a deal. You can come to the Great Hall for dinner tomorrow, but I hope you can remain calm and not cause any trouble."

"—Okay, I will, um—Harry—"

"He's fine, but he needs the right guidance. As his godfather, Mr. Black, you have a responsibility and obligation. However, this is a private matter between you two. I'm just making a suggestion; whether you listen or not is up to you."

Sirius suddenly covered his face, his voice becoming hoarse: "I will, I will—Potter, Lily—"

Stepping out of the house and listening to the crying coming from inside, Owen sighed deeply. More than a decade ago, so many tragedies had unfolded. Even after so much time had passed, the sorrow had not disappeared; it had simply been suppressed in people's hearts.

But this time—Voldemort can't start another wizarding war. I'll show him what it means for times to change!

The next morning at breakfast time, a notice was posted in the common rooms of the four colleges and in the main hall, saying that after dinner that night, everyone should stay in the hall temporarily because there was something to announce. It was signed by Owen Carrot.

This was quite exciting, but no one expected that after school that evening, before dinner time, the Ministry of Magic personnel quietly entered the castle. As soon as they entered, they saw Sirius Black drinking pumpkin juice.

However, no one took out their wand; instead, they sat on the other side and waited for the outcome.

The people at the Ministry of Magic are really not in a hurry. They're going to take one of them away today anyway—either Peter or Sirius Black. There won't be any surprises.

Sirius Black wasn't in a hurry anymore; Irving had already promised to let him personally capture the traitor!

The professors, who had been notified long ago, seemed somewhat dazed, because both Peter and Sirius were once students of Hogwarts, and some were even classmates.

Snape sat there expressionless. He had no good feelings towards Lupin, Sirius, or even Peter, but—anyway, Snape's feelings were very complicated right now.

Everyone ate dinner quickly and in silence. Harry watched Owen standing on the stage, his expression changing back and forth. He didn't know what Owen was going to do, but thought he would be punished for his impulsiveness.

So he made up his mind that even if it meant apologizing to Irving in front of the entire school.

"Everyone, after dinner, please listen to a story I'll tell you, a story that happened more than ten years ago. Please listen carefully, as this can be considered a mini-lesson."

"then----"

The story wasn't long; Irving only started with the case, without mentioning the grudges and feuds involved. Everyone listened very attentively.

"So now, everyone, does anyone know what kind of spell was used for the explosion in this case?"

"It's the Explosion Curse, Mr. Owen."

Owen nodded: "That's a good answer. It's an extremely dangerous spell. Besides its immense power, its real danger comes from the spell's inherent flaws. For example, it's easily reflected back. You might use this spell on an enemy, only to end up being blown up yourself."

The students in the auditorium burst into laughter; this was Irving's habit in class—he didn't like overly serious learning atmospheres.

"Now, let me tell you all that in this case, a total of twelve Muggles were killed in the explosion, and one of them, a wizard, was left with only one finger; the rest of his body was completely reduced to ashes. Do you think that's possible?"

"I think so —"

"No, absolutely impossible!"

Hermione stood up: "The most dangerous part of the Explosion Curse isn't the explosion itself, but the shockwave! Besides, the Explosion Curse isn't enough to blow a person away. If it could blow a body away, it wouldn't leave a single finger behind!"

"Very good! Miss Granger, it's a pity I can't give you extra points outside of class."

He couldn't, but the professors sitting on the stage could, especially Professor McGonagall, who cheerfully announced, "Gryffindor gets five points, for Miss Hermione!"

Applause erupted, and the little witch, already in third grade, still blushed.

"Now, please bring on the criminal in this case, Mr. Black. I think he has something to say."

Sirius came out, and because he had eaten beforehand, taken a shower, and changed his clothes, he didn't look particularly disheveled.

He walked up to Owen, bowed to him, and said, "When I arrived, the tragedy had already happened. I saw the scene of the bombing, the dead, and—that finger. I recognized the finger; it was Peter's. Before I could use the revealing charm, the Aurors arrived and assumed I was responsible."

"Mr. Blake, did you ever try to defend yourself at the time?"

"I—no, because I thought I had lost another good friend—"

Irving nodded and said to the students, "People can become aphasic when they are in extreme emotional states. So, Mr. Black, why didn't you think about escaping after you entered Azkaban?"

"Because I was heartbroken, the deaths of my friends were a huge blow to me, and at that time, I didn't want to live anymore."

"But why did you try to escape from prison the other day?"

Sirius's tone suddenly sharpened: "Because I accidentally saw a newspaper, and in that newspaper, I saw a man who should have died ten years ago, but he's still alive!"

Irving smiled. "Then let's bring out the one who's still alive."

Without using magic, the big cat Molly ran over with a cage in her mouth, put it down, and sat down next to Owen.

"Blemishes?"

Ron, sitting in the audience, almost jumped up, but he quickly made the connection—the fingers—Spotty, was also missing a finger—

"All curses have ended!"

With a loud "bang!", the cage burst open, and the little mouse, Spotted, instantly transformed into a human. The students didn't recognize him, but the professors and the Aurors who had been waiting for a long time did: Peter Pettigrew!

Knowing he couldn't escape, Peter gritted his teeth, leaped up behind Owen, and grabbed Owen's throat with one hand: "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!"

This was normal procedure, but Peter noticed that the way he looked at him after he finished speaking was somewhat off.

It was a look that was—hesitant to speak, yet with a hint of something more to say?

Before he could even figure out what was happening, he felt the world begin to spin, then a sharp pain shot through his back. With a simple over-the-shoulder throw, Owen successfully pulled himself out of the hostage position.

Everyone else looked like they knew it, but Sirius and the Aurors were shocked. They had no idea that Owen possessed such formidable attack power even without a wand and in a situation where there was no time to use magic.

That's still considered good. If Peter were standing in front of Irving, it wouldn't be an over-the-shoulder throw, but a powerful hook, a swing, or even a straight punch—in any case, he wouldn't get any advantage.

Owen looked at Peter, who was lying on the ground groaning. He took out a potion from his pocket, first stepping on Peter's neck, and then poured the potion into Peter's mouth after he opened it. After doing this, he waved to the Aurors: "I have confiscated his Animagus. Now, please take the prisoner away."

The Ministry of Magic had already made preparations, and the news of the public trial had been sent out; all that was missing was the criminal himself.

The Aurors arrested the man and took him away, along with Sirius Black, who was no longer a fugitive but a witness.

Finally, after everyone had left, Owen smiled and said, "Everyone, I let you witness this with your own eyes to tell you that sometimes we can be deceived by our own eyes. So, when you encounter anything, please stay calm and never jump to conclusions. Okay, that's all for now. You can all go back and rest."

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