"As an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I knew he had the authority to meet with distinguished members of the Wizarding Kingdom."
He defended himself.
The judge remained noncommittal. "You mean a former senior official who faked his death and harbored ulterior motives?"
Darcy swallowed with difficulty. "Yes-no, that's not it. He had no ill intentions."
"Mr. Darcy, I hope you understand that you illegally established a Floo Network connection and brought the most dangerous King of Agents in the nonmagical world into a Wizard community."
"This man also developed a large arsenal of anti-Wizard weapons. Now, because those weapons were not properly secured, they are being used to hurt our fellow Wizards."
"And you call that having no ill intentions?"
The judge's cutting words drained the color from Darcy's face.
"In my view, you have already done enough to spend the rest of your life in Azkaban." The judge struck his gavel to silence the spectators, then interlaced his fingers and looked steadily into Darcy's eyes. "Do you have anything else to say?"
"I..." Darcy's mind raced.
For the first time, this employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs felt his mind working so nimbly.
He was certainly more clearheaded than after drinking at a tavern.
Just as the judge was about to bring down his gavel, Darcy's racing mind produced an answer, and he shouted, "I know about those weapons!"
The judge stopped and looked at Darcy.
Darcy spoke rapidly. "Fury-no, Nick Fury told me a few things."
"Those weapons weren't put into service because development wasn't finished yet. There's a fatal flaw in them."
"Then tell me what that flaw is."
"The flaw, the flaw is..." Darcy broke into an anxious sweat, but ultimately could not answer.
A flicker of disappointment crossed the judge's eyes.