Chapter Nine: The Law Must Not Be Trampled Upon / Chapter Ten: Teammates Really Couldn't Be Relied On ...

Chapter Nine: The Law Must Not Be Trampled Upon

A short while later, the current British Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, who had been summoned, arrived at Buckingham Palace in a great hurry.

When they learned that Prince Charles had actually met Harry, they both looked surprised and delighted.

The British Royal Family and Government in the real world could hardly be so foolish as to know nothing about the Wizarding World.

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

However, after Prince Charles gave them a rough outline of his plans for Harry, they both frowned and fell into thought.

"Your Royal Highness... forgive me for speaking plainly, but although Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived, known to everyone in the Wizarding World, he is still only a child—and he already belongs to the Wizarding World. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to meet your expectations."

After thinking it over briefly, the Minister of Justice was the first to voice his misgivings.

The Prince's idea was for the Government to prosecute the Dursley family and help Harry find a suitable new family to adopt him.

Afterward, the Royal Family would cover all of Harry's expenses until he came of age, supporting him as much as possible!

Prince Charles hoped to use this gesture of goodwill to win Harry over and groom him into a key figure who could keep the Ministry of Magic in check and help increase the British Government's authority in the Wizarding World.

But in the Minister of Justice's view, the idea was somewhat wishful thinking.

"That's not the only problem. In my opinion, there's no telling whether the boy will even choose to enter the Wizarding World when he grows up!"

Though she was over sixty, the woman Prime Minister remained remarkably spirited. She cut straight to the heart of the matter.

A veteran of British politics who had seen countless people come and go, the current Prime Minister didn't believe that Harry, who had acted with such meticulous care, knew nothing about his background.

He had deliberately attached himself to Prince Charles, a powerful ally. Perhaps he had already decided to flee the Wizarding World as far away as possible!

"My dear Prime Minister, and Minister of Justice, you're worrying too much." The Prince waved a hand with a smile. "Supporting Harry won't burden the Royal Family. All we need to do is show him a little goodwill."

"In my view, Harry is a boy who cherishes freedom but also respects the law... Believe me, he could never get along with those self-important, hidebound fools at the Ministry of Magic!"

"So, if he can make a place for himself in the Wizarding World, or even rise to a high position with our help, it will greatly benefit the British Government as a whole. At the very least, those wizards who think the world of themselves won't dare look down on this country's Government so openly anymore!"

"As for him not wanting to enter the Wizarding World... Prime Minister, people sometimes have no choice in the matter. Harry may escape Dumbledore's control for a while, but he can't escape it forever!"

In summary, the Prince's plan was very simple: offer Harry their goodwill, then wait for the returns.

It was a long-term investment. Even if it failed, all they would lose was the small amount of capital the Royal Family had put in.

But if it succeeded, the British Government would reap a future well worth looking forward to!

Once they understood that, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice had no reason to refuse. After discussing the next steps with the Prince, they left to make their respective arrangements.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles, still in the reception room, once again wore a smile that hinted at deeper thoughts.

Supporting Harry might help the British Government keep the increasingly lawless Ministry of Magic—and even the entire Wizarding World—in check.

But the Prince's hopes for Harry went beyond that.

Prince Charles and his eldest son, William, belonged to the most legitimate line of the Royal Family. Both their names contained "Arthur"!

The wizards had once shamelessly rewritten the legendary history to glorify themselves. It was high time that history was set straight!

Gathering evidence, taking the suspects into custody, organizing the relevant laws... With the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice intervening in person, Harry's lawsuit proceeded very smoothly.

He had been at Highgrove House for less than two days when the Prince returned and told him the Dursley family would soon stand trial.

But when Prince Charles brought it up with Harry, he looked somewhat troubled.

"Harry... I'm sorry to tell you this, but the trial against the Dursley family has run into some resistance."

The Prince's brows knitted together, and he seemed deeply conflicted. "I didn't expect the Dursley family's backers to be so powerful. They've even put the Minister of Justice in a difficult position. And it seems they want to reach an out-of-court settlement with you..."

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

"They're willing to offer you a large sum in compensation and promise that the Dursley family won't mistreat you again. But in exchange... you would have to drop the charges against them and continue living with them as their adopted child."

The Prince paused, then advised him with concern, "Harry, when all is said and done, they're your only relatives, so..."

"Impossible!" Harry interrupted without a moment's hesitation. "Your Royal Highness, there's no way I'll agree to such a ridiculous out-of-court settlement!"

"I don't want any of that money from who knows where, or even the compensation I should receive after the trial! But everyone involved in this case—especially the Dursley family—must face the law. They must be tried and sent to prison!"

"If I've chosen to protect myself by turning to the law, then I'll uphold its dignity at every turn! To me, the law is solemn and sacred. It is something no one may trample upon!"

As someone who had once worked in a legal field, Harry naturally had his own convictions about judicial fairness.

However, his determination to send the Dursley family to prison wasn't solely about upholding the dignity of the law, as he'd said.

The only reason he'd been so comfortable these past few days was that he was staying at Highgrove House, in Prince Charles's private residence.

If he left the Prince's protection, someone watching from the shadows might kidnap him and take him back again!

Dumbledore had made it plain that he wanted to keep Harry confined to the Dursley home. How could Harry possibly grant him his wish?

And he was even less likely to give up the freedom that was already within his grasp!

"Oh, Harry, your sense of justice is truly astonishing!" The Prince patted Harry on the shoulder with a sigh. "If you'd been born a dozen years earlier, I'd have had high hopes of seeing you become this country's Minister of Justice~"

"Your Royal Highness, you flatter me." Once he had calmed down, Harry thanked him with the politeness of a gentleman, though he didn't take the Prince's praise to heart.

The Minister of Justice?

He had no interest in that.

Harry thought that after leaving the Dursley home, he'd be happy as either a detective or a doctor, but he preferred being a doctor.

He had turned to the law to get himself out of trouble because, although the Dursley family were despicable, they weren't exactly guilty of the most heinous crimes.

So... Harry had no need to sacrifice his future and use a doctor's methods to deal with them!

Chapter Ten: Teammates Really Couldn't Be Relied On

Everyone in the British Wizarding World—and even the wider European Wizarding World—knew that somewhere near a certain Black Lake in Scotland stood an ancient, imposing castle. It had stood there quietly for a thousand years.

Special Banishing Charms had been cast around the castle. Ordinary people couldn't get close, and even if they passed by, all they could see was a pile of ruined buildings.

But to the Wizarding World, this was the alma mater of nearly every wizard in Britain: the famous Hogwarts!

At that moment, in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, a white-bearded old man was carefully reading a letter that had just been delivered to him by owl.

"My dear Albus, I imagine you've already heard what a mess that Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, has made recently!

"Oh, I never thought he could be so cold-hearted... He actually rejected our offer of an out-of-court settlement and is dead set on sending his Muggle relatives to prison!

"And the boy is remarkably good at hiding, too. For a while, he kept out of sight in various Muggle pubs around London, and later he went straight into the residence of the Muggle Prince! We even sent the Office of Misinformation out, but couldn't find a chance to bring him back! Do you know, Albus... I even considered sending in Aurors!

"The Muggle Government's Minister of Justice has now issued a statement in person, saying they'll publicly try that foolish Muggle family in front of all of London's Muggles! I'm afraid we can no longer do anything to protect those foolish Muggles. The Squib social worker who has been helping us, along with some other officials, will be implicated as well... Good heavens, just look at the mess that boy has made!!

"But I know how important Harry Potter is to you, so I've already sent someone to inform the Muggle Prime Minister of our request to adopt the boy. No matter what happens, he must be adopted by a Pure-blood or Half-blood wizarding family!

"Even if things have gone a little awry for now, he'll still become a Hogwarts student when he turns eleven! So don't worry, Albus. I'll make sure this is all taken care of before I retire!!

"Finally, I wish you all the best.

"Your sincere friend, Millicent Bagnold~"

Beside the desk, after reading this "heartfelt" letter, Dumbledore's face darkened. His cheek twitched twice before he suddenly clenched the letter in his hand and crushed it to pieces!

Afterward, he quickly returned to his usual kind, gentle expression.

A miscalculation...

The Dursley family were certainly fools, but his friend Millicent, the soon-to-retire Minister for Magic, hadn't shown much more sense when dealing with Muggles.

Harry had spent so many days wandering the streets of London. Neither the Muggle police nor the people the Ministry of Magic had sent to find him had turned up anything. Clearly, he had planned his movements carefully.

And he must have already known about the Wizarding World and wizards!

Had Petunia told him? Or had Mrs. Figg or someone else let something slip by accident?

Dumbledore didn't yet know how the secret had got out, but he was now quite sure of one thing: Harry had little affection for the Wizarding World.

The boy had carefully planned this escape, and had even involved the Prince. It couldn't be, as the Muggle Minister of Justice had suggested, that he simply wanted legal help to get away from the Dursley family!

His real goal was to break free of the Wizarding World's influence... and its surveillance!

Unfortunately, not a single person in the Ministry of Magic—including his old friend Millicent—had seen it.

In that situation, if they continued pressuring the Muggle Prime Minister, hoping to use a wizarding family to steer Harry back toward the Wizarding World, it would only backfire!

Dumbledore sighed softly, a trace of weariness rising from deep within him.

They couldn't be relied on...

From now on, he'd have to find a way to deal with Harry himself.

But before that, there was something he needed to confirm...

If things really came to that, he should ask him to take a look.

With that in mind, Dumbledore quickly spread a sheet of parchment across the desk and began writing furiously.

In early January 1990, a few days after the New Year, the British Government held a public trial unlike any other outside the Wales Criminal Court on Old Bailey Street.

The defendants were, of course, the Dursley family: Vernon, Petunia, and even Dudley.

As the first notorious example of people breaking the Children Act barely a year after its passage, the Dursley family had attracted enormous attention from every corner of society. As a result, the trial drew a large audience.

When the three of them appeared, accusations and curses from the surrounding crowd poured down on them like a storm!

If the square hadn't been cordoned off and guarded by heavily armed court officers, some of the more aggressive citizens might already have rushed over to beat them up.

Child abuse was a crime that deserved hell in the eyes of every decent Briton... no, in the eyes of decent people around the world!

After the criminal family of three were escorted beneath the statue of Lady Justice, the symbol of judicial fairness, the dignified judge slowly raised the verdict in his hand.

"This court hereby finds: after a thorough investigation, Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley are guilty of child abuse, and the circumstances are extremely serious! Vernon Dursley is sentenced to five years in prison, and Petunia Dursley to four years and six months. The sentences take effect immediately!"

"Furthermore, Dudley Dursley recently committed assault and bullying against the plaintiff, Harry Potter. He is sentenced to two months in prison. Upon his release, he will be adopted and cared for by his aunt, Marge Dursley. The sentence takes effect immediately!"

"Harry... you bastard! You bastard!! I won't let this go... I swear!!"

Vernon's furious shouting continued throughout the judge's reading of the sentence.

Harry stood in the plaintiff's seat not far away. Since Vernon was in custody and couldn't charge at him, he could only vent his fury in this futile way.

Petunia's shrieks were just as unbearable.

Dudley, meanwhile, kept protesting to the judge.

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

"Harry Potter did, in fact, commit the acts you described. However, this court considers them to have been acts of self-defense. Furthermore... he is only nine years old! Under British law, children under the age of ten are not legally responsible!"

The judge's stern voice crushed Dudley's last hope. Once he realized his family's sentences were unavoidable, his excuses turned into desperate wailing!

The public trial was over!!

Chapter Eleven: Finding the Right Adoptive Family Was a One-in-a-Hundred Quest

Wonderful!

It was finally over...

As he watched the Dursley family being led away by the court officers, the boulder that had weighed on Harry's heart shattered with a roar!

At last... he had personally sent the three people who were even more despicable than he was to prison!!

"Harry, His Royal Highness would like me to take you to Buckingham Palace." After the trial, the Prince's aide pushed through the jubilant crowd and found Harry, who was still a little dazed. "His Royal Highness wants to discuss some matters concerning your adoption."

"All right."

Harry knew what awaited him after the trial, so he readily went with the aide.

He also wanted to thank Prince Charles in person for all the effort he had put in on his behalf.