A Certain Scientific Harry Potter

Chapter 9: The Law Must Not Be Trampled Upon

A short while later, the current Prime Minister of England and the Minister of Justice, having been notified, arrived at Buckingham Palace in a flurry.

When they learned that Prince Charles had actually encountered Harry, they both wore expressions of equal parts shock and delight.

The real British Royal Family and government were, naturally, not foolish enough to be completely ignorant of matters concerning the wizarding world.

In fact, Harry Potter was just as famous to them as he was to anyone else.

However, when Prince Charles gave them a rough outline of his arrangements for Harry, the two of them simultaneously frowned and fell into deep thought.

"Your Highness... if I may be blunt, while Harry Potter is the savior known to everyone in the wizarding world, he is, after all, just a child, and he belongs to the wizarding world by nature. I fear he may not be able to meet your expectations."

After a moment of reflection, the Minister of Justice was the first to voice his dissent.

Prince Charles's intention was for the government to step forward and put the Dursley Family on trial, while simultaneously helping Harry find a suitable new family for adoption.

Following this, the Royal Family would fully cover all of Harry's expenses until he reached adulthood, providing him with the maximum possible support.

Prince Charles hoped to use this method to curry favor with Harry and cultivate him into a key figure capable of checking the Ministry of Magic and elevating the authority of the British government within the wizarding world.

Yet, in the eyes of the Minister of Justice, this idea was somewhat wishful thinking.

"The problem isn't just that; in my view, whether this child will even choose to join the wizarding world in the future is a question in itself!"

Though she was over sixty, the Prime Minister, still as sharp and spirited as ever, hit the nail right on the head!

As a perennial fixture in British politics, the current Prime Minister had seen countless people in her time, and she did not believe for a second that Harry, who acted with such meticulous care, could be ignorant of his own background.

By deliberately clinging to the great tree that was Prince Charles, he might well have long harbored the desire to escape the wizarding world entirely!

"My dear Prime Minister, and Minister of Justice, your concerns are a bit excessive." The Prince waved his hand with a smile. "Sponsoring Harry will not become a burden on the Royal Family, and all we are doing is simply showing him goodwill."

"In my opinion, Harry is a child who values freedom but also respects the law... believe me, he and that group of self-important, pedantic fellows at the Ministry of Magic could never get along!"

"Therefore, if he can establish himself in the wizarding world, or even attain a high position with our help, it will be of great benefit to the entire British government. At the very least, those arrogant wizards would never dare to look down upon this country's government again!"

"As for him not wanting to join the wizarding world... Prime Minister, sometimes people are simply not masters of their own fate. Even if Harry can escape Dumbledore's control for a time, he will never be able to escape it for a lifetime!!"

The Prince's plan, summarized, was actually quite simple: take the initiative to show favor, then wait for the returns.

This was a long-term investment; even if the final plan failed, the only thing they would lose was a small amount of capital invested by the Royal Family.

But once the plan succeeded, the British government would absolutely reap a massive profit in the form of a promising future!

Having grasped this logic, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice no longer had any reason to refuse. After roughly discussing the follow-up plans with the Prince, they left to make their respective arrangements.

Back in the drawing room, Prince Charles once again revealed his meaningful smile.

Supporting Harry might help the British government better restrain the already lawless Ministry of Magic, or even the entire wizarding world.

But the Prince's expectations for Harry were not limited to just that.

Prince Charles, and his eldest son William, as members of the most authentic royal lineage, both had the name 'Arthur' in their titles!

The legendary history that wizards had once shamelessly altered to gild their own faces was finally time to be set right!

Gathering evidence, controlling the suspects, and organizing the relevant legal statutes... under the personal intervention of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, Harry's lawsuit progressed quite smoothly.

He hadn't even been at Highgrove House for two days when he received news from the returning Prince that the Dursley Family was about to be put on trial.

However, when Prince Charles brought this up with Harry, his expression appeared somewhat troubled.

"Harry... I am very sorry to tell you this, but in truth, the trial against the Dursley Family has encountered some resistance."

Prince Charles's brows were tightly knit, and he seemed quite conflicted internally. "I did not expect the Dursley family to have such powerful backing, enough to make even the Minister of Justice feel very difficult. Moreover, the other party seems to have the intention of reaching an out-of-court settlement with you..."

"A settlement?" Harry's eyes narrowed gradually. "May I ask, what kind of settlement are they proposing?"

"They can provide you with a large sum of compensation and guarantee that the Dursley Family will never mistreat you again, but the condition is... you must drop the charges against them and continue to be adopted by them."

Prince Charles paused, then advised with a look of concern, "Harry, when all is said and done, they are your only living relatives, so..."

"Impossible!" Harry interrupted the Prince without a second thought. "Your Highness, I could never agree to such an absurd out-of-court settlement!"

"I don't want any of those shady compensations, nor the damages I would be entitled to after the trial! But every person involved in this case, especially the Dursley Family, must face the judgment of the law. They must be sent to prison after standing trial!"

"Since I have chosen to resort to the law to protect myself, I must uphold the dignity of the law at all times! In my eyes, the law is solemn and sacred; it is something that no one is allowed to trample upon!!"

As a former quasi-legal worker, Harry naturally had his own persistence regarding judicial justice.

However, the reason he was so determined to send the Dursley Family to prison was not just to maintain the dignity of the law as he claimed.

He had been able to live so comfortably these past few days only because he was at Highgrove House, the private residence of Prince Charles.

Once he left the Prince's protection, he would likely be abducted again by those lurking in the shadows!

Dumbledore had made it clear that he wanted to keep him confined to the Dursley home, and how could Harry ever let him have his way?!

As for the freedom that was already within his grasp, he would never give that up!!

"Oh, Harry, your awareness truly surprises me!" The Prince patted Harry on the shoulder with emotion. "If you had been born a dozen years earlier, I would certainly have bet on you becoming the Minister of Justice for this country~"

"Your Highness, you are far too kind." After calming his emotions, Harry thanked him as politely as a gentleman, though he didn't care for the Prince's praise at all.

Minister of Justice?

He really had no interest in that.

Although Harry felt that leaving the Dursley Family to become either a detective or a doctor would be fine, he preferred being a doctor.

The reason he resorted to legal means to extricate himself was that while the Dursley Family were detestable, they were not exactly guilty of heinous crimes.

Therefore... Harry did not need to jeopardize his own future by using "doctor" methods to deal with them!

Chapter 10: Teammates Are Indeed Unreliable

Everyone belonging to the British, and indeed the entire European magical community, knew that near a certain black lake in the Scottish region of Britain, there stood an ancient and imposing castle that had been standing quietly for a thousand years.

The area around this castle was protected by special repelling charms; ordinary people could not approach it, and even if they passed by, they would only see a pile of dilapidated ruins.

But for the magical world, this was the alma mater of almost every wizard in Britain: the famous Hogwarts!

At this moment, in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, an old man with a white beard was carefully reading a letter that had just been delivered to him by owl.

"My dear Albus, I trust you are already aware of the massive trouble that the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, has caused recently!

Oh, I never expected him to be such a cold-hearted child... He actually rejected our proposal for an out-of-court settlement and is dead set on sending his Muggle relatives to prison!

And this kid is surprisingly good at hiding; he spent some time hiding in various Muggle pubs in London, and later even hid directly in the residence of the Muggle Crown Prince! We even mobilized the Office of Misinformation, but we just couldn't find an opportunity to drag him back! Do you know, Albus... I even considered sending Aurors!

Now, the Muggle government's Minister of Justice has personally issued a statement saying they will hold a public trial for that foolish Muggle family in front of all the Muggles in London! It is a pity that we are now powerless to protect that family of foolish Muggles. Even the Squib social workers and some other officials who serve us will all be implicated... Heavens, look at the mess that child has stirred up!!

However, I know how important Harry Potter is to you, so I have already sent someone to notify the Muggle Prime Minister, informing them of our adoption requirements for the child. In any case, whoever adopts him in the future must be a pure-blood or half-blood wizarding family!

Even if there is a slight hiccup now, he will certainly become a new student at Hogwarts when he turns eleven! So please rest assured, Albus, before I retire, I will certainly handle this matter properly!!

Finally, I wish you all the best.

Your sincere friend, Millicent Bagnold, respectfully~"

Beside the desk, after reading this "sincere" letter, Dumbledore's face turned ashen, his cheeks twitching involuntarily, before he suddenly crumpled the letter in his hand into dust!

After that, he quickly returned to his usual kind and benevolent expression.

A miscalculation...

The Dursley Family were indeed incredibly stupid, but his friend, the soon-to-be-retired Minister for Magic, had not appeared much smarter when dealing with Muggle affairs.

The fact that Harry had wandered the streets of London for so many days without being found by either Muggle police or the people sent by the Ministry of Magic showed that his actions had been meticulously planned.

Moreover, he must have known about the magical world and wizards for a long time!

Did Petunia tell him, or did Mrs. Figg or someone else accidentally let it slip...

Dumbledore did not yet know how the information had leaked, but he was now very clear about one thing: Harry's impression of the magical world was definitely not high!

The child had carefully orchestrated this "escape" and even involved the Crown Prince; it was definitely not, as the Muggle Minister of Justice claimed, just a simple desire to use legal aid to get away from the Dursley Family!

His true goal was actually to completely rid himself of the influence... and surveillance of the magical world!

Unfortunately, no one in the Ministry of Magic, including his old friend Millicent, had been able to see it.

Under these circumstances, if they continued to pressure the Muggle Prime Minister, hoping to use a wizarding family's guidance to force Harry back toward the magical world, the result would only be counterproductive!

Dumbledore sighed slightly, a trace of exhaustion rising from the bottom of his heart.

They are unreliable...

From now on, he would have to find a way to solve Harry's problem himself.

But before that, there was one thing that needed to be confirmed...

If it really evolved into that situation, it would be best to entrust him to take a look.

Thinking this, Dumbledore quickly spread out a piece of parchment on his desk and began to write furiously.

In January 1990, a few days after the New Year, the British government held an unconventional public trial in front of the Wales Criminal Court on Old Bailey Street.

The ones on trial were naturally the Dursley Family: Vernon, Petunia, and even Dudley.

As a negative example of those who dared to defy the law just one year after the Children Act was passed, the Dursley Family obviously attracted countless attention from all walks of life, so this public trial had a very high viewership.

When the family of three appeared, the various accusations and insults from the surrounding crowd were truly overwhelming!

If it weren't for the police cordon around the square and the heavily armed bailiffs standing guard, some radical citizens might have already rushed over to beat them up.

Child abuse—this was a sin that every British person with a conscience... no, even if extended to the world, this was a crime that deserved to go to hell!

After the criminal family of three was escorted beneath the statue of the Goddess of Justice, which symbolized judicial fairness, the dignified judge slowly raised the verdict in his hand.

"This court now sentences: After verification from multiple sources, Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley are found guilty of child abuse, and the circumstances are extremely egregious! Vernon Dursley is hereby sentenced to five years in prison, and Petunia Dursley is sentenced to four years and six months, effective immediately!!"

"Additionally, Dudley Dursley, having recently committed crimes of assault and bullying against the plaintiff Harry Potter, is sentenced to two months in prison, to be adopted and cared for by his aunt Marge Dursley after his release, effective immediately!!"

"Harry... you bastard! You bastard!! I will never let this go... I swear it!!"

While the judge was reading the verdict, Vernon's roaring was consistently unpleasant.

Harry stood on the plaintiff's stand not far from him. Since the detained Vernon could not rush over personally, he could naturally only use this method of shouting to vent his hatred in vain.

Likewise, Petunia's screaming was equally unbearable to the ear.

Dudley, on the other hand, kept incessantly protesting and arguing to the judge.

"Harry hit me too! And he stole our car! Why aren't you charging him?!"

"Harry Potter did indeed commit the acts you mentioned, but this court believes that was a means taken out of self-defense. Furthermore... he is only nine years old! According to British law, children under the age of ten cannot be held legally responsible!!"

The judge's stern voice completely crushed the last shred of Dudley's hope. Upon learning that his family's prison sentence was unavoidable, his previous sophistry turned into desperate, ghostly wailing!

The public trial had ended!

Great!

Everything was finally over...

Watching the Dursley Family being led away by bailiffs, the massive boulder that had been weighing on Harry's heart shattered into pieces!

He had finally... personally sent those three detestable people to prison!!

"Harry, His Royal Highness the Prince has asked me to take you to Buckingham Palace." After the public trial concluded, the Prince's adjutant pushed through the celebrating crowd and found Harry, who was still somewhat dazed. "His Highness wishes to discuss some matters regarding your adoption."

"Alright."

Harry knew what kind of matters awaited him after the public trial, so he readily set off with the adjutant.

As it happened, he also intended to thank Prince Charles in person for all the trouble he had gone through on his behalf.