What was the Ministry of Magic's biggest concern during the series of events?
It must not be that Sirius is innocent, nor is it that Peter, who was awarded the Order of Merlin First Class and died as a hero, is actually the real criminal. Overall, what the Ministry of Magic is most concerned about is how Sirius Black Escaped from Azkaban.
Azkaban, guarded by dementors, a creature that is deeply feared in the human heart, is a sharp knife in the hands of the Ministry of Magic. This place is disgusting and no one likes it, but it is precisely because of this that the Ministry of Magic is popular Awe.
Just like Hagrid or Remus Lupin, they are both good wizards in terms of strength. They may not be afraid of death, but Azkaban and its guards are definitely afraid of them. exist.
And now, a wizard can actually escape from Azkaban, which is said to be absolutely inescapable. This has shaken the foundation of the Ministry of Magic to a certain extent!
Therefore, after receiving Sirius from Amosta and Dumbledore, Fudge immediately ordered Rufus to clarify this issue.
Barty Crouch was one of the top three most powerful officials in the Ministry of Magic, and he was involved in this incident. He knew all the secrets in this series of events, but no one expected that he would turn against them.
Dumbledore didn't look particularly shocked. It could be said that he had grown up watching these senior officials in the Ministry of Magic. He knew very well how they would respond to various situations. In comparison, Fudge's performance could be described as panicked.
"We--we agreed, didn't we?"
Fudge said angrily,
"If you don't pursue this matter, you should be punished for these twelve years of wrongful imprisonment!"
Amelia also frowned and stared at the side face of her old colleague, very annoyed by his unauthorized actions that violated the results of the previous discussion.
Barty Crouch didn't seem to realize that he had become the focus of everyone. He looked coldly at Sirius, who was also caught off guard in the audience,
"Sirius Black, I assume you are aware that the Ministry of Magic has laws governing the dangerous transformation magic of Animagus, yes?"
"Yes I know--"
Sirius in the audience frowned and answered. He glanced at Dumbledore and Amosta behind Barty Crouch and found that both of them looked calm. It seemed that they were not surprised at all that Barty was acting out of common sense. As a result, his tense mood suddenly calmed down, and he stared at Barty Crouch without showing any signs of weakness.
"You know that the first transformation of an Animagus must be under the supervision of the Ministry of Magic and, if successful, must be registered?"
"Yes I know."
"Do you know that those who violate this rule will face prosecution from the Ministry of Magic?"
"Yes I know--"
"When did you master this magic?"
"Sixteen years old, when I was at Hogwarts."
Barty Crouch stopped asking domineeringly, and the jury all showed surprise after hearing Sirius's answer.
You must know that the difficulty of Animagus magic should be regarded as the top of all transformation magic. Sirius, including Peter Pettigrew who was just taken down, these guys only relied on their own ability when they were still little wizards. He successfully completed the transformation through hard work, which can truly be called a genius.
"The quality of teaching at Hogwarts is commendable, Albus--"
In the noisy crowd, someone raised a thumbs up to Dumbledore and whispered.
"Thanks for the compliment, but Hogwarts didn't give them much help in this matter -"
Dumbledore blinked and smiled playfully.
Most people are still surprised by Sirius's magical talent, but there are smart people in the trial room. They have realized why Barty Crouch pursued Chen in Peter's trial, where people's attention was highly concentrated. Old things come up.
When Sirius was arrested, Barty Crouch was still the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was enthusiastically welcomed by a group of people for his tough attitude towards the dark forces. It was he who ordered Sirius to be thrown directly into Azka. Class, even the necessary trial procedures are skipped.
Barty Crouch put his hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked at Sirius condescendingly, his carefully combed mustache tilted upward.
"Sirius Black, you were convicted by the Ministry of Magic as the murderer of the Potters twelve years ago and were thrown into Azkaban to serve a permanent sentence. During this process, did you reveal to anyone that you were not the murderer of the Potters?" The Potters' secret keeper?"
"No, I was--"
Sirius had already realized that something was wrong, and he wanted to avoid the question, but he could not resist the intimidating questioning from a high-ranking and powerful official of the Ministry of Magic.
"Excuse me!"
Barty Crouch looked cold and stern,
"Is it understandable that you knew you were innocent but did not explain it to anyone? Is it because you were afraid that the Wizengamot Tribunal would conduct an in-depth investigation of you and that you would be exposed as an illegal Animag? Si?"
"That's not the case at all!"
Sirius finally roared,
"I didn't say it because I thought I was guilty. I mean, I killed James - no, James and Lily died because of my stupid advice, and I thought I needed forgiveness. That's what I thought at the time !”
Dumbledore sighed helplessly. Sirius's thoughts and actions were indeed contrary to ordinary people. Although Peter was now confirmed to be innocent, Sirius's own confession had no weight in the eyes of most members of the Wizengamot Tribunal. Still not big.
Dumbledore stood up and was about to say something, but Amosta suddenly held his arm and shook his head imperceptibly.
"There is no need to intervene, principal, someone will handle it."
"I object!"
As soon as Amosta finished speaking, Ms. Bones stood up. Her brows were deeply furrowed, and the monocle stuck in her eye sockets made red marks. Amelia Bones stared at her with indifference and indifference. She looked at Barty Crouch and said sternly,
"Your questions are seriously misleading, and your conclusions lack reliable factual basis, Mr. Crouch!"
There was an uproar in the courtroom, and the jury members stared in disbelief at the two senior officials of the Ministry of Magic who were facing each other tit for tat below.
This can be regarded as a very serious political incident. In the Wizengamot Inquisition, under the watchful eyes of many members present, the two department chiefs who were regarded as the right-hand men of the Minister of Magic actually openly confronted each other. The impact of this incident Very nasty.
There were drops of sweat on Fudge's forehead, and his cheeks were swollen red.
"Barty, I think that Amelia's view is correct. You-"
Barty Crouch's back was straight and his eyes were bulging.
"I don't think there is any problem with my questions and conclusions, Ms. Bones. As we all know, no one is afraid of Azkaban and its guards. The only possibility is that Sirius Black concealed the truth about the death of Mr. and Mrs. Potter." It is that he carries a deeper sin. He himself is an illegal Animagus, which is proof that he is not a decent wizard. His confession cannot be trusted. As the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ms. Bones , you should have a keen eye for detecting crimes, and I suggest that the Ministry should re-interrogate Sirius Black to find out what he is trying to hide!"
"That's ridiculous--"
Fudge gasped and shook his head.
"I know what you want, Barty, you want to prove that you were right in sending Black to Azkaban twelve years ago, but"
"This is a serious slander, Secretary Fudge!"
Barty Crow interrupted Fudge. He raised his head and stared at the talking jury above, with cold anger in every syllable.
"Some people may think that I am avenging a personal vendetta, but everyone should remember that throughout my long career, there is much evidence that I have always hated and hated lawbreakers. Of course, I do not want to cover up the decision made because of the death of Mr. and Mrs. Potter." Sending Sirius Black to Azkaban is the wrong decision, right now!"
Crouch's eyes sparkled and he shouted loudly to everyone in the courtroom,
"--In order to take responsibility, I announced that I will withdraw from the Wizengamot Trial Institution immediately, but please seriously consider the opinions I just expressed about Sirius Black himself!"
(End of chapter)
