Caught Skipping School?

Peter's unusual behavior quickly attracted the attention of those around him, mainly because his current state was too abnormal.

If Scrimgeour hadn't already checked the other person's identity beforehand, some people would have even thought he was Transfiguration of Dumbledore.

Or perhaps, they've been controlled by Imperius Curse... While this idea might seem absurd, it's not entirely impossible.

Soon, Scrimgeour went over again.

But he was, after all, just an Auror, not a healer at St Mungo's's, and didn't know exactly what to do in this situation, so he could only use a few detection spells as usual.

"No problem." Scrimgeour shook his head and said, "I think he probably suffered some kind of shock and can't accept it right now, which is why he's like this."

Fudge breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, his worst fears hadn't come true.

"I suggest suspending the retrial!" Crouch suddenly said. "He is clearly not in a condition to be interrogated right now. I think we should send him to St Mungo's's first, and then resume the retrial when he can communicate normally."

On the steps behind him, some people immediately raised their hands in agreement.

"I agree..."

"Agree..."

"Let's send it to St Mungo's's first."

He has many supporters.

Fudge narrowed his eyes and said, "Barty, I don't think it's necessary."

His sudden decision to reopen the trial was precisely to catch Crouch off guard, so of course he couldn't agree to suspend the trial.

"Amelia Bones ..." He looked at a bespectacled witch beside him and asked, "I remember that in this situation, you should be able to use Veritaserum, right?"

After a moment of silence, Amelia Bones, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, nodded and said, "Alright."

Although Veritaserum is not a standard trial tactic, it can be used if the person being tried refuses to cooperate or is unable to cooperate.

Or it can be used directly in cases with significant impact.

And these two... Peter Pettigrew seems to fit both criteria.

"I object!" Crouch said angrily. "I don't deny that Amelia Bones is familiar with the Wizengamot Trial Law, but I think you've overlooked one point, Minister: more than half of the judges must agree before Veritaserum can be used."

"Then let's start the vote. I think we should still send Peter Pettigrew to St Mungo's's."

As he spoke, he was the first to raise his hand.

On the platform behind him, people gradually raised their hands to agree with his point of view, but the number was small, only about one-third.

"Don't forget..." someone sitting behind Crouch suddenly said, "Veritaserum also has drawbacks. If Peter Pettigrew's memories have been altered, then his words will become completely unreliable. Sending him to St Mungo's's will also allow us to examine his memories."

A moment later, more people raised their hands.

There's no need for statistics; it's obvious at a glance that there are now more people opposing the use of Veritaserum.

Seeing this, Fudge panicked a little and started glancing Dumbledore.

Neither Dumbledore nor Sirius Black spoke; they simply watched quietly.

The statistics came out quickly.

Of the one hundred judges present, fifty-nine opposed the use of Veritaserum.

"More than half the votes are against it," Amelia Bones said. "The proposal to use Veritaserum is rejected. The trial continues."

Fudge panicked even more. He didn't understand. He had planned everything out... First, expose Peter Pettigrew Pettigrew's fake death in public, then use the Veritaserum to reveal the truth of what happened back then, and finally settle things and deliver a heavy blow to Crouch.

But why would such a perfectly planned scheme go wrong?

Now that the Veritaserum is unusable, who knows when Peter Pettigrew's sent to St Mungo's's? If it drags on for a year or two... no, even just a few days, giving Crouch time to prepare, then all his good cards will be completely wasted.

He looked at Dumbledore again, seeking help.

But Dumbledore still didn't look at him.

"And..." After the plot twist, the man continued with a smug look on his face, "Have you forgotten about Black's prison break?"

"But he did it to clear his name," said an elderly witch. "Dumbledore has already explained that he saw it in the newspaper and recognized Peter Pettigrew's Animagus, and wanted to..."

However, before she could finish speaking, she was rudely interrupted, and the man said coldly:

"Regardless of his motives, this incident has seriously damaged the credibility of the Ministry of Magic, because of him we receive at least three Howler every week."

"I suggest that during Peter Pettigrew's treatment at St Mungo's's, our primary task should be to get him to confess how he escaped."

And just in case... he must also return to Azkaban and be kept under the close watch of the Dementor!

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone present could tell that this person was practically accusing Dumbledore perjury.

It seems that he had already accepted in his heart that Peter Pettigrew was the innocent one.

It implies that Dumbledore altered his memories and committed perjury... How could he dare to do that?

Some people's expressions turned grim.

Even Crouch frowned, seemingly feeling that this was somewhat inappropriate, but he ultimately remained silent and calmly said:

"Then let's begin the second round of voting: whether to suspend the retrial, send Peter Pettigrew to St Mungo's's first, and wait until his memories are examined..."

"Oh, sorry, please wait a moment."

At this moment, Dumbledore had been silent all along, finally spoke.

He stepped forward and stood in front of everyone.

"Mr. Bichita, I understand your concerns."

"Of course, you're right. Before undergoing the most authoritative examination, I myself have no evidence to prove that I haven't altered Peter's memory."

When he saw Dumbledore step forward, Bichita was still a little flustered, but after hearing these words, he breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down.

Regardless, unless it can be proven that Peter's memory is intact, the retrial cannot proceed.

Even Dumbledore wouldn't act unilaterally, otherwise he would be deliberately undermining Wizengamot's authority, which he wouldn't and couldn't do.

Bichita was quite confident about this, because standing there was Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard.

Fudge's heart sank to the bottom.

But just when everyone thought the retrial would end abruptly...

"However, we don't necessarily need Veritaserum."

Dumbledore calmly said, "All magic has its patterns, especially magic like the Fidelius Charm, which involves the soul."

When a wizard decides to bury a secret within his soul, that secret will stay with him for life and can never be erased.

"What are you trying to say?" Bichita seemed distracted. "If you want to attend classes, I suggest you take that student back to Hogwarts..."

"Oh, you've misunderstood."

Dumbledore said, "I just want to tell you that no matter how well-hidden magic is, it is never completely safe. There is always a way to find some trace of it, and the Fidelius Charm is no exception."

"That's impossible!" Crouch said. "In my knowledge, there is no way to break the protection of the Fidelius Charm."

"That's the normal situation."

Dumbledore said, "But when the Secret Keeper deliberately goes against his original intentions, and the secret no longer needs to be protected, then the spell is no longer unbreakable."

"Fortunately, I had just met a nice friend before coming to the Ministry of Magic, and she agreed to do me a small favor."

He looked at Fawley and said cheerfully, "Cornelius, can we let her in? I think she should be outside the door right now."

"Oh, of course, no problem," Fudge said hastily.

The heavy door was opened once again.

A person dressed in a black robe strode in. The cuffs and the edge of the hood of the black robe were each decorated with a ring of golden magic patterns.

"That outfit... belongs to the Unspeakable!" someone exclaimed.

Kyle's eyes widened, his head buzzing.

He never imagined that the person Dumbledore was talking about was actually Diana!

"I'm so glad you could come," Dumbledore smile. "The rest is up to you."

"Okay." Diana nodded, glancing at Kyle as if intentionally or unintentionally.

Kyle quickly shrank his neck.

Strictly speaking, his presence here constitutes truancy.

Although he was brought out by the principal, he still couldn't help but feel a little flustered when his own mother caught him.