Chapter 153
News, Law
Chapter 153 News, Law
The sales of the location-based friend book invented by Wade were just mediocre. Only some parents would buy it and put it on their children, using it like a talisman.
Of course, Wade himself also has friend books with various templates.
After he got the Marauder's Map, he improved the Friends' Positioning Book based on the magic pattern circuits he learned from the map, making it smaller in size, displaying a more accurate position, and making the magic fluctuations more concealed.
After capturing Peter Pettigrew, Wade used a sticking spell to stick a friend's locator book to the back of the man's head.
He used a shrinking charm to shrink the Book of Friends so small that even if Peter Pettigrew turned into a mouse, he would probably be regarded as a speck of dust that had accidentally stuck there.
With this, Vader could keep track of Peter Petillo's location in real time.
In the eyes of Percy, Ron and others, everything would be fine if they handed Peter over to the Ministry of Magic, but Wade didn't think so.
Even the reason why he chose to take the risk to catch Peter with the Weasley brothers instead of asking Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall for help was based on the same logic.
As for the Ministry of Magic, Wade neither believed in their ability nor their character, let alone their responsibility.
Although Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the world, he has a "self-imprisonment" mentality.
Even though he could kill Fudge and Umbridge with one hand, in the plot, he always tolerated the two of them using various ridiculous laws to restrict his power and persecute the teachers and students of the school.
Not only that, starting from his second year, the Ministry of Magic repeatedly invaded Hogwarts, arrested people who Dumbledore believed to be innocent with high-sounding reasons, forced Dumbledore to leave the school more than once, and later slandered him as an old lunatic.
And what about Dumbledore?
He always gives in.
Dumbledore would move the needle slightly within the rules to make things develop in the direction he wanted, but he would never turn the table over outright.
Under the influence of Dumbledore, most of the professors in the school - such as Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, etc., have similar ways of doing things.
So if Peter Pettigrew is caught, Dumbledore will interrogate him privately, but in the end it will always be handed over to the Ministry of Magic for investigation and trial.
He has his own expectations for the results, but he will not use his power arbitrarily to interfere with the results of the Ministry of Magic's investigation and force Fudge and others to make judgments according to his own wishes.
Even if the final result runs counter to his expectations, he will first try his best to fight for it within the scope permitted by the law, instead of directly saying: "Fudge, this matter must be done this way, otherwise I will ask you to get off the stage!"
It is undoubtedly a great blessing for ordinary people that those who possess the most powerful power have always been abiding by the law and exercising self-discipline.
But when the person standing opposite him is an incompetent person who breaks the rules in the name of the law, is power-hungry but dares not take responsibility, Dumbledore's "law-abidingness" becomes depressing.
Vader couldn't place his hopes on Dumbledore.
He also couldn't be like the trio in the original plot, who naively looked through the legal provisions to try to change the result when the Ministry of Magic made an unfavorable ruling, or regretted missing the best opportunity when things got worse.
Because he knows that regret is useless and that making mistakes will come at a price.
……
At the Umbrella Room party the next day, Harry told everyone what had happened in detail, with Fred and George supplementing his comments.
Since the Battle Royale game started, the twin brothers also joined the SSC. Their spell skills improved by leaps and bounds, and when they didn't have classes, they would study alchemy with Wade.
"You should have asked us to get involved in such a big thing," Michael complained to Wade.
"You can't enter the Gryffindor common room." Wade said, "and if you want to succeed in something, you must first keep it secret. What if Wormtail overhears everyone's discussion?"
“So… the former hero is the traitor, and the person in jail is actually wrongly accused?” Ryan concluded.
"Yeah..." Harry said sadly, "Lupin told me that Sirius Black is actually my godfather. I wonder what kind of person he is."
Theo said sympathetically, "Merlin, he spent eleven years in Azkaban... I can't even imagine it."
"What is Azkaban like?" asked Harry.
"It's the most terrible place in the world. It's a wizard prison." Theo lowered his voice unconsciously and said, "It's guarded by Dementors."
"Dementors?" Harry still didn't understand.
"A pleasure-feeding monster that brings back the most horrible memories."
Theo shuddered unconsciously. "I had an uncle who spent three months in Azkaban. When he came out, he was almost crazy. He said he would rather die than go back to that place."
A look of worry fell over Harry's face.
I almost went crazy after just three months, so what about eleven years?
Could his godfather... have become a madman?
Even so……
Harry thought.
Even so...I will take good care of him...
Because even if Sirius Black became a madman, it was only to protect their family.
This is his responsibility and what his parents would want him to do.
……
For several days, Ron felt like vomiting whenever he mentioned Scabbers, until Harry asked Lupin to buy an owl for Ron as compensation for the loss of his pet.
This is a very beautiful owl, with eyes that sparkle like night pearls, radial feathers that look like pointed cat ears, and mottled brown and yellow feathers that look like a leopard, which looks very majestic.
The joy of getting a new pet instantly overwhelmed the disgust and frustration brought by the previous pet. Ron was very happy and showed off his owl all day long.
Harry was also very happy. He was almost counting the days until the godfather would be released.
Marchionne had to postpone his meeting with Wade over the weekend because he was busy with work.
So Wade and the others went to Hogsmeade through the Vanishing Cabinet. When they arrived at Lupin's house, they all saw that Lupin had hung the photo on the wall again, but this time Peter Pettigrew's face was covered.
Sirius, who finally showed his face, looked handsome and elegant, with messy black hair hanging in front of his eyes and a pair of striking gray eyes with a smile.
"He has grey eyes like you!" Michael said in surprise.
"Yeah." Wade was also a little surprised.
Harry studied the photo, looking at it again and again, an involuntary silly smile forming on his face.
Lupin looked at him, his smile tinged with worry.
"What happened?" Vader asked him.
"I don't know... but I feel bad." Lupin said vaguely: "I applied to visit Sirius, but was rejected. And there are some unfavorable rumors..."
"Rumors?"
"Someone has proposed a theory..."
Lupin lowered his voice so that no one else could hear: "Sirius and Peter both served Voldemort... Eleven years ago, James and Lily were killed, and they pushed Sirius out. Peter lay in wait for his chance..." "Eleven years later, Peter was exposed, and it was Peter who exonerated Sirius... To ensure that there was always a loyal Death Eater working for Voldemort outside..."
Even Wade was stunned for a while before he said half in admiration and half in mockery:
"What an imagination... Didn't they ever think about why they couldn't escape together back then?"
"Yes, there are people who believe such a ridiculous statement."
Lupin could barely conceal his emotions: "Most importantly, the Ministry of Magic seems to support this view..."
"Who is so stupid?" Michael heard it and came over to naturally interrupt the conversation.
"Minister of Magic Fudge, I heard he gave important testimony."
Lupin smiled bitterly and said, "He was the Deputy Minister of the Department of Magical Disasters back then. They were the first to arrive at the scene after Peter killed someone."
"He testified that... when the bodies were scattered all over the ground, Sirius stood there laughing wildly. He was still laughing when he was arrested, like a madman desperate for revenge because of his master's failure..."
"Except for Sirius, almost all of the Black family are staunch supporters of pure blood and have always supported Voldemort. Sirius has a younger brother who willingly joined the Death Eaters before he even graduated from school."
"So Fudge doesn't think Sirius is innocent. He seems to think...if Sirius is released, he will find a way to return to You-Know-Who. This loyal and crazy servant will definitely help You-Know-Who make a comeback..."
"Hasn't the Ministry of Magic always believed that the You-Know-Who has been defeated?" Wade asked.
"That's what they said during the promotion." Lupin shook his head. "Fudge said... he just raised a possibility... a possibility that would make him shudder with just a little thought..."
"No one except the Death Eaters wants You-Know-Who to come back."
Michael said objectively: “Considering this situation, the trial may develop in an unfavorable direction.”
"If they were meaner still, they would have suggested that Peter Pettigrew testify against Blake..."
Lupin's face turned paler, his brows were furrowed, and he looked extremely heavy.
He whispered, "Ved, the one we prepared before..."
Wade thought for a while before nodding: "I originally wanted to suppress the news... but now it seems that perhaps now is the most appropriate time..."
Lupin's tense expression relaxed a little, and he couldn't help but say, "Fortunately you prepared in advance... I originally thought that this was unnecessary..."
"What else did you do?" Michael asked curiously.
"I found a few reporters and prepared to make a big news." Wade said briefly.
If they had waited a little longer and released the news during the public trial at the Ministry of Magic, it might have dealt a greater blow to the prestige of Fudge and others and forced them to step down early.
But that way, there are more variables.
The most important thing is that although Fudge looks timid, he is a ruthless person who dares to "kill and silence". If the situation is very unfavorable to him, he may have Sirius and Peter killed together.
It is not uncommon for criminals to commit suicide in prison. Fudge can at most find one or two "temporary workers" to shirk responsibility. At that time, even if Dumbledore is dissatisfied, what can he do?
No matter how angry Dumbledore was, he could not break into the Ministry of Magic and kill Fudge, which was why the minister provoked the white wizard repeatedly and unscrupulously.
Before returning to school, Wade contacted Marchionne.
Early the next morning, Marchionne sent Wade some newspapers.
France, the United States, Germany, New Zealand, Italy...
Similar news was published in the most popular newspapers in several countries, telling a dramatic and confusing story that took place in the UK.
In the wizarding world, distance doesn’t mean much, and the news reached England in the blink of an eye.
How can the British mainstream media tolerate others stealing their front-page headlines?
On the third day, the Daily Prophet published a piece of news in very conspicuous words:
"Hero or traitor? Peter Petillo's crimes exposed after eleven years!"
There were two huge photos on the front page.
One was Sirius Black, with his sunken face and tangled long hair.
The other was Peter Petillo, a bald, round-faced, timid man.
Wade was satisfied to see that the reporter had copied the foreign reports almost verbatim, narrating the entire story in a way that was repeatedly questioning and particularly gripping.
I believe that everyone who has read this report will come to their own conclusion - Peter Pettigrew, who once won the Order of Merlin, is the real traitor, and the Ministry of Magic made a huge mistake in this case.
After the newspaper was delivered, the whole auditorium was filled with discussion and the students had almost no appetite for their meals.
The professors in the classroom also each held a newspaper and discussed in low voices from time to time - except for the few people who participated that day, most of the professors in the school did not know that Peter Petillo had been arrested.
Wade finished his meal in a hurry, returned to the Room of Requirement, and opened the slightly warm friend's book.
[Marchioni: A reporter contacted me and Fudge was very dissatisfied with their report. The Ministry of Magic forbade them to promote Sirius as an innocent hero, which put a lot of pressure on the newspaper.]
[Weider: Wasn't it Barty Crouch of the Law Enforcement Department who sent Sirius Black to prison without trial? If we put the blame on him and downplay Fudge's role, the Ministry of Magic will probably not be so opposed.]
【Marchioni: Don't you want to undermine Fudge's prestige? 】
[Ved: This is just a temporary solution. There will be plenty of opportunities to bring this up again in the future.]
Marchionne carefully drew a thumbs-up sign on the paper and wrote:
【Marchioni: This will cause much less resistance. I will convince them to cooperate.】
【Ved: Tell them I can add money. 】
【Marchioni: ...That's fine.】
【Marchioni: But I have another question, is that okay? 】
【Vade: Please speak.】
[Marchioni: Why did you do so much to exonerate Sirius Black? You don't even know him.]
After a long while, Wade wrote on the paper:
[Ved: Laws are set up to protect the innocent. If the rules are not in place, order will collapse.]
[Weide: If those in power use the law to persecute innocent people at will, and if we have the ability to change but turn a blind eye. When this kind of persecution comes to you and me, who can speak for us?]
After a long time, Marchionne's reply appeared:
【Marchioni: Looking forward to seeing you next weekend, Wade.】
[Two in one, one update today]
There has been something going on in the past few days, so the update may not be very stable.
If I take a leave of absence, I will indicate it in the related work.
(End of this chapter)