Chapter 808 Hearing (4)

…

Harry felt a little tight in his chest, and Fudge's fast-paced questioning caught him off guard.

"Yes," said Harry annoyed, "but I did the magic because we were—"

The monocle-wearing witch interrupted Harry in a rapid tone.

"You cast a full Patronus spell, right?"

"Yes," said Harry, "because..."

"A tangible Patronus magic, right?"

"Once...what?" Harry said.

"Does your Patronus magic have a clear image? I mean, it's not a puff of steam or smoke, right?"

"Yes," said Harry, now feeling impatient and slightly disappointed, "it's a stag, it's always a stag."

"Always?" cried Mrs. Bowness. "Have you cast Patronus magic before?"

"Yes," said Harry, "I've been able to do this magic for over a year."

"So you were 15?"

"Yes, and-"

"You learned it in school?"

"Professor Lupine taught me this when I was in third grade, because that-"

"Impressive," said Mrs. Bowness, staring down at Harry. "To do a real Patronus magic at that age... it's very impressive."

Some of the wizards and witches around her were whispering again; some nodded, but others frowned and shook their heads.

"It's not a question of how impressive this magic is," Fudge asked in a grumpy voice. "In fact, the more impressive it is, the worse it is. I think that the magic performed by this child has been destroyed by a Muggle." I saw it clearly!”

The wizards who had frowned a moment ago were now murmuring in agreement, but it was Percy's mock holy nod that spurred Harry to speak.

"I do magic because of Dementors!" Harry shouted before anyone could interrupt him. He had expected more commotion, but the jury's silence seemed even stronger than before.

"Dementors?" Mrs. Bowness asked after a moment, her bushy eyebrows raised until her monocle almost fell off. "What do you mean, kid?"

"I mean there were two Dementors that showed up halfway and they attacked me and my cousin!"

"Ah," Fudge said again, looking around at the jurors with an unhappy smirk, as if asking them to share in the joke.

"Yeah, yeah. I think we heard something like that before."

"Dementors appear in Little Whinging?" Mrs. Bowness asked in a very surprised tone. "I don't understand——"

"I also do not understand……"

"Don't you understand, Emira?" Fudge was still giggling. "Let me explain. He has thought about this thoroughly and feels that the dementors can be used to make up a very realistic cover story. Muggles can't see Dementors, can they, kid? That's convenient, convenient... so that's just your opinion, there are no witnesses..."

"I'm not lying!" Harry's loud voice drowned out another burst of whispers in the Inquisition. "There were two of them, rushing out from both ends of the alley, and it was getting dark and cold, and my cousin felt them and ran over-"

"Enough! Enough!" Fudge said with a arrogant expression on his face, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I'm sure this is just a pre-arranged story-"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the jury fell silent again.

"In fact, we have a witness who witnessed the Dementors appearing in the alley," he said, "I mean someone other than Dudley Dursley."

Fudge's chubby face slackened, as if someone had sucked the air out of it. He stared at Dumbledore for a moment, and then, as if someone were drawing him back, he said: "I'm afraid we don't have time for any more lies. I'm going to deal with it quickly—"

"I may be wrong," said Dumbledore cheerfully, "but I am sure that the jury charter is correct and that the defendant has the right to provide eyewitnesses to his case? Isn't that the policy of the Magical Enforcement Office, Mrs. Bowness? ?" He pointed at the witch wearing a monocle and continued.

"Correct," said Mrs. Bowness. "Very true."

"Oh, good, good," Fudge said suddenly, "Where is this man?"

"I brought her," said Dumbledore. "She's right outside the door. Can I—?"

"No - Weasley, go ahead," Fudge growled at Percy, "tell her to come here immediately, walk from the Inquisition Hall to the stone steps, and then pass quickly without looking at Harry or Dumbledore."

Soon, Percy returned, followed by Mrs. Figg. She looked frightened and weirder than before.

Harry hoped she hadn't forgotten to change out of her men's slippers. Dumbledore stood up and gave his chair to Mrs. Figg, then magically changed it for himself.

"full name?"

Fudge asked loudly as Mrs. Figg sat nervously on the edge of her chair.

"Arabella Dolin Figg," said Mrs. Figg in a trembling voice.

"Who exactly are you?" Fudge asked in a bored and condescending tone.

"I am a resident of Little Whinging, near Mr. Harry Potter's residence," replied Mrs. Figg.

"Apart from Mr. Harry Potter, in our records there is only Verlin Elle who left a year ago. There are no other wizards or witches living in Little Whinging," said Potter. Mrs. Nice said immediately, "That location was always too close to the monitor, providing... providing past events."

"I'm a Squibb," said Mrs. Figg, "so you didn't register me, did you?"

"A Squibb, huh?" Fudge looked closer to Mrs. Figg and said, "We will investigate. You give the details of your parentage to my assistant Weasley. By the way, Squibb can see Dementors?" He added looking around.

"Yes, we can!" Mrs. Figg said angrily.

Fudge looked down at Mrs. Figg, his eyebrows raised, "Very good," he said coldly, "What's your story?"

"I went out at about 9 o'clock on the evening of August to buy cat food at the shop on the corner of Wisteria Walk," Mrs. Figg said immediately and hurriedly, as if she had carefully learned what to say, "but I heard a commotion in the alley between Mulan Back Street and Wisteria Walk, and as I approached the intersection I saw a dementor running—"

"Running?" Mrs. Bowness said sharply, "Dementors can't run, they glide."

"That's what I'm saying," Mrs. Figg said quickly, a flash of pink appearing on her withered face. "They were gliding down the lane, looking just like two children."

"What do you think they look like?" Mrs. Bowness frowned so deeply that her monocle fell off her face.

"Yes, one of them is very fat and the other is very thin-"

"No, no," Mrs. Bowness said impatiently, "Dementors... describe Dementors."

"Oh," said Mrs. Figg, the blush now creeping up her neck. "They were big. Huge and cloaked."

Harry felt his stomach drop horribly at this moment. Whatever Mrs. Figg said, it sounded to Harry as if the most she had seen were pictures of Dementors, and they didn't convey what they actually looked like: the terrifying way they moved, floating inches above the ground. ; Or the smell of their putridity; and the awful clicking sound they made as they sucked the air around them... In the second row, a squat wizard was siding aside to whisper to his neighbor. The wizard has a huge black beard, while his neighbor is a curly-haired witch. The witch smirked and nodded.

"Tall and cloaked," Mrs. Bowness repeated dryly, as Fudge snorted mockingly, "I see. Anything else?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Figg, "I felt them. Everything went cold around me, mind you, it was a very hot summer evening. And I felt...as if all the happiness was out of this world. It disappeared...and I recalled...fearful things..." Mrs. Figg's voice was trembling and lifeless.

Mrs. Bowness's eyes widened slightly. Harry could see a blush appearing under Mrs. Bowness's brow where her single eye had once rested.

"What were the Dementors doing?" asked Mrs. Bowness.

Harry felt a glimmer of hope again.

"They rushed the two children," Mrs. Figg's voice was louder now and more confident, and the pink color receded into her face.

"One of the children fell. The other boy backed away, trying his best to fend off the Dementors. That boy was Harry. He tried the spell twice, but only released a puff of silver vapor. On the third try , he finally cast a complete Patronus magic, which repeled the first Dementor, and then, with Harry's efforts, the magic drove the second Dementor away from Harry's cousin. Gone. And that's what happened."

Mrs. Figg ended her statement somewhat incompletely. Mrs. Bowness looked at Mrs. Figg silently. Fudge didn't look at her at all, but he was flipping through the documents anxiously.

Finally, Fudge opened his eyes and said aggressively: "That's all you have to say, isn't it?"

"That's what happened," Mrs. Figg repeated.

"Very well," said Fudge, "you may go."

Mrs. Figg glanced at Fudge and Dumbledore with fearful eyes, then stood up and walked slowly towards the door. Harry heard the door slam shut behind her.

"That's not a very credible eyewitness," Fudge said haughtily.

"No, I'm not sure yet," Mrs. Bowness said quickly. "She obviously described the impact of the Dementor attack very accurately. I can't imagine if the Dementor hadn't appeared in Privet Drive. , why did she say that.”

"But a dementor wandered into a Muggle area and met a passing wizard?" Fudge snorted contemptuously. "The possibility is very, very small. Even a salesman would not dare to bet -"

"Well, I don't think any of us would believe that the Dementors happened to be there," Dumbledore said softly.

The witch sitting to the left of Fudge, the one whose face was hidden in the shadow, moved uneasily, but the others still sat quietly and motionless.

"What does this hypothesis mean?" Fudge asked coldly.

"That means I think the Dementors were sent there?" said Dumbledore.

"I think we have records to check to see if two Dementors were ordered to patrol Little Whinging!" Fudge growled.

"These days, it is not ruled out that the Dementors are under orders from others outside the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore said calmly, "I have provided you with my opinion on this matter, Cornelius."

"Yes, you provided it," Fudge said aggressively, "but I have no reason to believe that your point of view has any credibility. The dementors are now staying in the Azkaban Magical Prison and are faithfully carrying out the orders we ordered. All orders.”

"Then," Dumbledore said calmly and clearly, "we must ask ourselves why someone at the Ministry of Magic would order Dementors to go to the Alley on August Day."

After hearing these words, there was silence in the Inquisition. The witch on Fudge's right leaned forward, so Harry could see her clearly for the first time.

He thought the witch looked like a pale, huge toad. Almost squatting on the chair, the witch had a broad, flabby face, a thick, short neck like Uncle Vernon, and a wide, dull mouth. Her eyes were large, round and bulging. Even the black velvet bow fastened on her curly short hair gave Harry the feeling that it was a big fly she was trying to catch with her long slimy tongue.

"This is Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Under Secretary of the Ministry of Magic," Fudge said.

The witch spoke in a trembling, girlish, high-pitched voice that made Harry's hair stand on end; it sounded to him like a toad.

"I definitely didn't understand you, Professor Dumbledore," she giggled, but her big, round eyes remained as cold as ever, "But, oh... I'm so stupid. But, if I didn't If you heard it wrong, it sounds like you felt that the Ministry of Magic ordered the attack on this child!" She let out a clear laugh, which made Harry's pores stand up.

Several other members of the jury laughed at her. But to be more precise, none of them actually laughed.

"If it is true that the Dementors now only take orders from the Ministry of Magic, and two Dementors did attack Harry and his cousin a week ago, then the next logic is that someone from the Ministry of Magic ordered this attack ," Dumbledore said politely, "Of course, it is also possible that these additional dementors are beyond the control of the Ministry of Magic -"

"There are no Dementors outside the control of the Ministry of Magic!" Fudge roared, his face turning the color of liver.

Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"Then there is no doubt that the Ministry of Magic must launch a full investigation into why two Dementors stayed away from Azkaban, and why they attacked without orders."

"It's not your turn to decide what the Ministry of Magic should or shouldn't do, Dumbledore!" Fudge's face now had the purple color that Uncle Vernon was so proud of, and he roared loudly.

"Of course not," Dumbledore said gently, "I was just expressing my determination that this incident cannot just go undisturbed."

Dumbledore stared at Mrs. Bowness, who also adjusted her monocle and stared back at Dumbledore with a slight frown.

"I would like to remind everyone here that if the actions of these dementors are really not the subjective imagination of this child, then it is not the topic of discussion in this hearing!" Fudge said, "Our purpose here is to examine Harry Potter's violation of the rules restricting magic for minors."

"Of course we are," Dumbledore said, "but the presence of Dementors in the alleys is a very critical issue. Article 7 of the Gen Family Magic Constitution Regulations stipulates that magic is allowed to be performed in front of Muggles under special circumstances. Those Special circumstances include situations where the life of the magician himself is threatened, or the life of any other magician or Muggle is threatened——"

"We know what Article 7 of the Constitution says, thank you very much!" Fudge said angrily.

"Of course you know," Dumbledore said kindly. "Then we must agree that Harry's use of Patronus magic in this situation fully complies with the provisions of the Constitution regarding special circumstances."

"I doubt whether Dementors existed at that time!"

"You have just heard it from an eyewitness," Dumbledore interrupted. "If you still doubt the veracity of her testimony, then call her back. Ask her again and I'm sure Mrs. Figg won't object."

"I - that - no need -," Fudge said angrily. In front of him lay the useless document. "It's just—I wanted to be here today, Dumbledore!"

"But naturally, if you are worried that this choice will lead to a serious error in the trial, you can question the witnesses as many times as you like," Dumbledore said. "A serious mistake, my God!" said Fudge at the top of his voice. "Do you even believe and distress a child's cock-and-bull story? Dumbledore, do you really want to blame him outside school?" Are you condoning the illegal use of magic? I guess you have forgotten about his use of hovering magic three years ago—"

"That wasn't me, that was a house elf!" Harry said.

"You see?" Fudge growled, gesturing nonsense in Harry's direction. "A house elf! In a Muggle house! Let me ask you..." (To be continued)