Hermione's Visit to the Ministry of Magic (III)

Turning right upon entering, a few people were already seated at the back of the room, seemingly there to observe the proceedings. Mr. Weasley led Hermione to a seat in the gallery, and only then did Hermione get a clear view of the entire courtroom.

The deep, circular dark room resembles a hemisphere with its cross-section facing upwards, divided into three parts. The outer ring consists of rows of seats that gradually rise in elevation, while the lowest point in the recessed center is where a chair is placed, with iron chains on the left and right of its armrests.

Everyone's gaze could be unobstructed over there, to the trial panel.

A square, black wooden table stood directly in front of the room, behind which stood Umbridge, the Senior Deputy Minister of Magic, dressed in a black inquisitor's robe and a square-shaped judge's hat. He looked much more pleasing to the eye than in his pink suit.

On either side of her were several Ministry of Magic staff members dressed similarly to her; Hermione guessed they were recorders or something similar. Their tables, however, were not as grand as Umbridge's. Around them were about thirty other people, dressed in crimson robes with a delicate silver "W" embroidered on their left breasts.

"Those people are members of Wizengamot," Arthur explained in a low voice. "Procedurally, fifty Wizengamot members should be involved in the trial, including Dumbledore. But not so many are needed to try Willie Wedsin."

The courtroom was silent; everyone spoke in hushed tones until a man with bandages wrapped around his hands walked to the chair in the center of the room and sat down.

All the whispering stopped abruptly, and an ominous silence enveloped the entire courtroom.

"The defendant is here, let's begin!" Umbridge's voice was still shrill, like an annoying young girl, as she asked a recorder beside her, "Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," a cold male voice said.

The room was too dark, and half of the recorder's face was obscured by shadows; Hermione could only see the outline of his horny-framed glasses.

"The trial on March 27th," Umbridge's shrill voice echoed in the courtroom, "Is the trial of Willie Widsin for violating the Secrecy Law."

"Interrogator: Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Deputy Minister of Magic: Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement..."

The string of titles and names that followed went into Hermione's left ear and came out of her right. Hermione only noticed that this Umbridge had the same middle name as her; the little Witch's full name was Hermione Jane Granger.

She felt ashamed about it and planned to discuss changing her middle name with her parents when she went home for vacation.

Umbridge finished reciting a long string of nonsense, pulled a parchment from a pile of documents in front of her, and read aloud, "The accused is charged with the following offense: The accused has previously received a written warning from the Ministry of Magic for similar charges, and this time, fully aware that her actions were illegal, she deliberately and knowingly replaced a working toilet in a restroom at noon on March 20th in a Muggle supermarket. This act violates the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy..."

Arthur whispered to Hermione, "He's a repeat offender, an anti- Muggle prankster who's done similar things before."

"Then why wasn't he tried before?" Hermione asked in a low voice, her eyes carefully observing Willie Widsing in the dock.

"That's right, he used to just hide in the toilet and use Levitation Charm to randomly throw his excrement..."

Arthur paused for a moment, "In short, since it didn't cause such big trouble or serious consequences, no one is holding onto his past."

"... The evidence is conclusive. Based on the ' Wizengamot Charter of Rights ' and the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy,' Willie Widsing is hereby sentenced to a six-month ban from leaving his wizarding residence, a three-month ban from engaging in alchemy-related work, a five-year ban from contacting Muggle, and a fine of 300 Galleons..."

"Those who support the charges, please raise your hands..."

"Raise your hand if you agree that the charges are unfounded..."

"I now declare that the charges against Willie Wedsin are valid!"

The trial proceeded much faster than Hermione had anticipated. Those in the front row quickly packed up their documents, picked up their briefcases, and left. Willie Wedsing was taken away by two Ministry of Magic employees. In the blink of an eye, the courtroom was empty.

"Is that all?" Hermione looked at Arthur in confusion.

Arthur was somewhat indignant. "The sentence is too lenient, it shouldn't be like this, he doesn't even need to go to Azkaban!"

"Wasn't it like this before?"

"Absolutely not. Because of this incident, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes sent a large number of people, the Obliviation Command, and the Muggle Relations Committee were all mobilized. According to past regulations, he would be imprisoned in Azkaban for at least a year!"

"Then why is this happening this time?"

Arthur angrily slammed his fist on the armrest. "It must be because the presiding judge is that Umbridge guy. She deliberately ignored the most crucial Muggle Protection Act and didn't even mention it in court!"

"The people who came to Wizengamot today were pre-arranged; most of them are people who don't understand specific sentencing. They just need the charges to be upheld, and with Umbridge's inducement..."

Arthur sighed deeply. He felt ashamed that today's events had unfolded in front of the little Witch, a disgrace to the Ministry of Magic, and even more so to wizards.

"It's all Umbridge's fault. She's gone too far since she took office, and Fudge just trusts her."

Upon hearing Mr. Weasley's words, a strange thought rippled through Hermione's mind.

The once enigmatic Ministry of Magic was now completely exposed before her. Aside from the mysteries of the Department of Mysteries of Mysteries, the legal system, human rights, and so on, the wizarding government's institutions were far more rudimentary than she had imagined.

Countless unspoken thoughts formed a seed, which was planted deep in Hermione's heart without her even realizing it...

Hermione, unsure how to comfort Mr. Weasley, instead said, "Mr. Weasley, shouldn't we go and meet up with Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"Oh, meet up, yes, meet up." Arthur took a quick breath, composed himself, and led Hermione out of the Seventh Courtroom and upstairs.

Upon reaching the ninth underground level, they saw Dumbledore waiting outside the Department of Mysteries. Mad-Eye Moody was nowhere to be seen; he seemed to have already left.

Seeing them, Dumbledore withdrew his gaze from examining the elevator gate, put his Derby Hat back on, and asked, "How did the trial go?"

"Don't mention that!" Arthur said bitterly. "Umbridge didn't mention the Muggle Protection Act at all. The other judges don't know that a poor Muggle's ass was bitten into seven pieces. Willie Widshin won't have to stay in Azkaban for a single day!"

Dumbledore nodded, then looked down at Hermione: "What did you learn from listening to the wizarding trial, Hermione?"

Legal loopholes... discretionary power...

Many thoughts flashed through Hermione's mind in an instant, and she seemed unable to find a starting point, unsure where to begin. She nodded, then shook her head.

Dumbledore seemed to smile, but said nothing.

The elevator appeared with a clatter, and the group stepped into it, ascending along the shaft.

Without Mad-Eye's intimidation, when they returned to the Eighth Floor Underground, where the Main Hall was located, strangers were going up and down in the elevator again, and Dumbledore and Hermione remained silent.

For a moment, only the indifferent woman's voice could be heard in the elevator. "Seventh floor, Department of Magical Games and Sports, including the Britain and Ireland Quidditch League Command, the official Gobstones Club, and the Office of Patents for Funny Products."

"The sixth floor, the Department of Magical Transportation, includes the Floo Network Authority, the Broom Regulatory Control Bureau, the Portkey Office, and the Apparition Test Center."

Apparition?

Hermione's eyes flickered, and she glanced curiously outside.

Just then, several paper airplanes whizzed into the elevator, hovering slowly above the group's heads. The light purple paper was stamped with the "Ministry of Magic" seal.

Arthur patiently explained, "Those are notes used to pass messages between departments. We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable... there was feces everywhere on the desks."

Arthur suddenly remembered something and looked at Hermione enthusiastically. "I heard that you Muggle have a kind of Fax Machine that can transmit letters to other places through electricity. Do you know how it does it? Can you tell me?"

Hermione moved closer to Dumbledore: "It's not electricity, it's a signal, similar to the principle of a telephone. But I don't know the specifics."

"I really want to see it for myself; it's even more amazing than magic!"

Mr. Weasley seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness of the moment and was immersed in the surprise brought by the Muggle creation.

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't tell him about the emails and printer, as that would have made things more complicated to explain.

The elevator continued to ascend, and the indifferent female voice continued its announcements.

"The fifth level is the Department of International Magical Cooperation, which includes the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Law Office, and the British Branch of the International Confederation of Wizards."

"The fourth floor Magical Creature Management and Control Department, which includes the offices for beasts, outcasts, and ghosts, the Goblin Liaison Office, and the Pest Advisory Bureau."

"The third level Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, which includes the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, the Obliviation Command, and the Muggle Relations Committee."

"Let's go, the information we're looking for is on this floor." Dumbledore led Hermione out of the elevator.

Arthur was a little slow to snap out of his reverie about the Fax Machine and hurriedly caught up. He glanced back and saw the paper airplanes with notes still circling the lamp.

"This is a note from the Department of Transportation. It only says the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Minister's Office. It must be documents sent to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Arthur said thoughtfully.

His expression immediately turned indignant. "This time the efficiency was quite fast, it must have been Umbridge who specifically instructed us to do so."

Dumbledore and Hermione both looked at him with questioning eyes.

"It's about Willie Wedsin. They just announced restrictions on his movements, and the Department of Transportation's documents regarding adjustments to his family's Floo Network have already been sent to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Umbridge wants to close the case quickly, she..." Arthur pursed his lips, not uttering the more unsavory speculation.

The lenient sentence, the hasty conclusion of the case, and Umbridge's deliberate bias towards the defendant all point to a power-for-money transaction.

"Forget about this." Arthur shook his head, clearing his mind of all the random thoughts. "Dumbledore said you want to see Wormtail Peter's old files. Come with me."

Hermione looked up sharply at Mr. Weasley, then at Dumbledore. In an instant, as if she understood something, her face turned pale.

Arthur led them down a corridor with doors on both sides. Unlike the dark and quiet floors below, this floor had windows that let in bright sunlight, and there were many people coming and going.

"Back then, the Dark Lord's followers went everywhere seeking revenge on Wormtail Peter because they knew their master had taken Peter's advice to attack the Potter family." Arthur sighed softly, his mood becoming somewhat somber.

"Black was also hunting him down, and when Wormtail Peter was trapped in a crowded street corner, he used his wand to create an explosion, severing one of his right fingers to escape."

"That incident caused a huge uproar. The entire street of Muggle witnessed it, and twelve Muggle died on the spot. Barty Crouch and Cornelius Fudge, who had not yet become Minister for Magic, led the team to handle the matter."

Hermione felt her heart slowly freezing, all the warmth in her body flowing there through her blood, bringing with it even more coldness.

The bright sunlight streaming through the window seemed lifeless.

"Almost everyone in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes has been mobilized, including the Time Reversal Team and the Obliviation Command— "

They turned a corner and came to a heavy double oak door with a sign that read: Archives.

Pushing open the door, Mr. Weasley said in a deep voice:

"In particular, the Muggle Relations Committee consulted with the Muggle Government for half a month in an attempt to cover up the disaster, and finally issued a notice stating that it was a series of traffic accidents and a gas leak."

The Archives, as large as Library, exuded an oxidized, musty smell from the piles of old papers.

Thanks to the magic that kept it safe, there was no musty or insect odor, but as Hermione faced the room, her breathing suddenly became labored and difficult. It was as if all the water in the Black Lake had poured into her body from above, rushing and then solidifying into cold, hard lumps that made it impossible for her to move forward, and she dared not step into the Archives.

Dumbledore patted Hermione on the shoulder and took her hand. The old man's warm palm made Hermione feel a little better.

She heard Dumbledore whisper to Mr. Weasley, "We're not going in, Arthur. Could you please bring out all the documents from back then? We'd like to find a place where we won't be disturbed to look at them."

Mr. Weasley seemed to scratch his head. "Of course, those files have been sitting there for years. Nobody even looked at them when Wormtail Peter was arrested. Wait a moment, I'll take you to my office. Nobody will bother you there."

He turned and strode into the Archives, emerging a few minutes later...

Hermione followed them upstairs with a cold sadness and arrived at a dim and shabby office.

In the cramped space, the filing cabinets crammed with papers, car advertisements, and hand-drawn engine blueprints all appeared blurry and dim. All the sounds and images were separated from Hermione by a barrier like ice; she was underwater, and those things were on the ice.

When Dumbledore placed a piece of paper from the file in front of her, a train-like roar suddenly filled the dimly lit room. The words on it, like the Sword of Gryffindor, shattered the ice that had solidified within the girl's body.

List of victims:

... Amelia Morgan, Orlando Morgan...