Challenging the Ministry of Magic

Lucius and Karkaroff were very flustered.

Framing Kyle and getting him expelled from Hogwarts was Voldemort's first task after his resurrection.

They thought it was a sure thing, so they accepted it without hesitation.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Lucius went to great lengths, using a large sum of gold to persuade Fudge to lure Kyle to the Ministry of Magic with an absurd excuse, intending to catch him off guard.

But the result was different from what they expected.

How could Kyle's wand not have a record of casting Fiendfyre? There must be some mistake... or perhaps Fiendfyre is still to be cast.

Therefore, they naturally could not agree to stop the inspection.

Seemingly to discourage them, Kyle didn't stop them.

After the Firestorm the way, a dozen or so more spells appeared, but they were all just ordinary, commonly used incantations.

A fine layer of sweat had already appeared on Karkaroff's forehead.

"Keep going, keep going!" he shouted.

But at that moment, Kyle pressed his hand against his wand, and with that, the effect of the Prior Incantato was immediately terminated.

"Principal Karkaroff, that's a bit shameless of you," he said slowly. "If we can't find the spell you're looking for, are we going to waste a whole day or a month here?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine. Anyway, there's still more than half a month before school starts, so I have plenty of time."

"But the problem is, the others here are different. They have a lot of important things to deal with every day. Are you asking them to waste their precious time playing this kind of boring game with you? Isn't that a bit too much?"

"You're feeling guilty!" Karkaroff shouted. "The next one will definitely be Fiendfyre. You must be feeling guilty to be afraid to continue."

However, before Kyle could speak, Amelia Bones, sitting in the middle, said calmly:

"Please remain silent, Mr. Igor Karkaroff. I believe the existing evidence is sufficient to show that he has not used any illegal Dark Magic."

"If you can't produce other evidence..."

"Yes, Veritaserum!" Macnair, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "If we get him to drink the Veritaserum, then the truth will come out."

"I think it's fine," Umbridge immediately agreed, then looked at Kyle and said insincerely, "If you didn't kill Mr. Nott, you wouldn't refuse to use Veritaserum to prove your innocence, would you?"

"No, I refuse." Kyle smiled. "Also in 1975, after discovering that memories could be altered, the International Confederation of Wizards simultaneously abolished the use of Legilimency and Veritaserum in interrogations."

"But in special circumstances, such as when the prisoner refuses to confess, it can still be used," Umbridge said coldly. "The Ministry of Magic has that right."

"As far as I know, no," Kyle said, his expression unchanged. "Veritaserum can only be used for final confirmation when there is sufficient evidence, but do you have any evidence now? Just a few people saying a few words? That won't do."

"I now strongly suspect that they conspired together to get revenge on me for beating Durmstrang in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Therefore, I believe they should be given Veritaserum to determine the veracity of their testimonies."

Amelia Bones tapped her fingers lightly on the table, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Macnair, who had just spoken, looked at her and subconsciously took two steps back.

There were no fools among those present; they could tell at a glance that he dared not drink the Veritaserum.

But Umbridge chose to ignore her, still looking at Kyle, and asked, "May I take this as a rebellion against the Ministry of Magic?"

"Bang!"

Just then, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Professor McGonagall stormed in, blocked by several Auror.

"You don't represent the Ministry of Magic." She retorted to Umbridge without any politeness, then looked at Kyle.

"Sorry, Kyle... Someone told me twenty minutes ago that the location had changed, and I waited in an empty room for over ten minutes before realizing something was wrong. Thank goodness..."

Professor McGonagall paused here before continuing, "I only found out you were here thanks to someone's help."

"It's alright, Professor," Kyle said. "Perhaps someone doesn't want you to come."

"I think you're right." Professor McGonagall turned to look at the crowd on the stage... especially Macnair, Malfoy, and Karkaroff, their lips pressed tightly together.

"I never knew the Ministry of Magic could change the content of an interrogation on the spot," she said sternly. "This practice is utterly ridiculous!"

"I must remind you, Minerva McGonagall, this was approved by the minister," Umbridge said.

"I don't recall the Minister for Magic having the authority to arbitrarily change the rules of Wizengamot," Professor McGonagall retorted. "But it doesn't matter, Dumbledore is here, and I'm sure he'll be here soon. Perhaps he can clear things up for us."

Yes, Dumbledore is at the Ministry of Magic right now.

Kyle suddenly stopped panicking, or rather, he started thinking about how to stall for time.

"Mr. Scrimgeour," he said with a smile, "I suddenly realize that what Principal Karkaroff said earlier makes a lot of sense. Maybe my next spell will be Fiendfyre. Shall we continue our examination?"

Karkaroff's hands and feet were ice-cold. The last person he wanted to see was Dumbledore. Even though Dumbledore couldn't attack him, just thinking about the battle he had experienced on the mountaintop that night made his legs go weak.

As for Macnair next to him, he was almost unable to stand.

The only one who can still remain somewhat calm is Malfoy.

He knew perfectly well that Professor McGonagall was just trying to scare them. The matter with Harry Potter wouldn't be resolved so quickly, and even if Dumbledore came, it wouldn't be now, unless he was willing to abandon the Chosen One Harry Potter.

"Blood Debt!" Malfoy suddenly exclaimed, "The Prior Incantato can be interfered with, but the Blood Debt Spell can't. We can use the Sphinx Mirror to see if he has killed a wizard."

Malfoy had his reasons for doing this. While Dumbledore was terrifying, at least he wouldn't kill them outright. But if they failed to complete the mission, the Dark Lord wouldn't be so easy to deal with.

They'll be badly injured, if not killed.

Kyle frowned.

Sphinx Mirror? Blood Debt?

He was now increasingly certain that Diana must have known about their plans all along, which was why she had sent him to the Ministry of Magic ahead of time; otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

Before Kyle could think for long, Chris stepped forward.

"Madam Bones, I think they should first prove that their testimony is without fault."

"That's right," Professor McGonagall said without hesitation. "Changing the interrogation content at the last minute is already a serious mistake. I will absolutely not allow you to continue to frame Hogwarts students without cause."

Her attitude was very tough; she looked like an angry lion.

"I disagree as well." Kyle nodded in agreement.

Although he no longer needs to worry about this thanks to Diana's help, it doesn't mean he should cooperate with Malfoy and be led by the nose.

This passive situation is not the outcome Kyle wants to see.