Ravenclaw's Blue Gem

"The second issue?" Harry looked at Cedric and saw confusion in his eyes. "I never heard that there is a second issue. Isn't we here to keep Siegel's innocence? , Don't let her enter Azkaban?"

Umbridge seemed to have heard their doubts a long way away, and continued: "As stated by Minister Cornelius Fudge at the very beginning of the trial, apart from being suspected of using the Unforgivable Curse and The black wizard is suspected to be tried. Based on the results of this trial, we will decide whether to restart the plan that was suspended in the past-that is, to evaluate the degree of danger of the defendant Zoe Siegel and redistribute the defendant’s rights and freedoms. , Guardian candidates, academic standards—"

"Excuse me, ma'am." Dumbledore said loudly, "I think the Ministry of Magic does not have the right to interfere with the personal freedom and basic rights of a free person. I will act as the defendant's guardian based on her grandfather. , I am also the former patriarch of the Siegel family, who wrote the will by myself. As the current principal of Hogwarts, I cannot allow the Ministry of Magic to interfere with the student registration arrangements for Hogwarts." His words It's smooth, but beyond doubt.

"The Ministry of Magic has a record, Mr. Dumbledore." Umbridge said smoothly. "During your tenure as Minister of Magic, you were restrained by Barty Crouch, the former director of the Magic Law Enforcement Department. The defendant was able to gain some freedom and had signed many clauses with the Ministry of Magic. For example, one of them: The Ministry will not continue to actively interfere with Zoe Siegel, and will also stop strict and systematic surveillance activities, as long as she comes on time The Ministry of Magic reports and conducts a simple review, but she should abide by the terms with the Ministry of Magic, and must not have emotions or behaviors such as rebellion or confrontation."

"It did happen, but after our new minister came to power, such an unequal treaty was stopped." Dumbledore said.

"But there is also a record above: if the defendant violates the above clauses during the contract execution, all her rights and freedoms granted by the Ministry of Magic will be immediately taken back. The Ministry of Magic will have the right to monitor, review, and punish the defendant. Act and treat it as a dangerous person, your guardian rights will also be taken back by the Ministry of Magic, and the Ministry will arrange new candidates." Umbridge giggled, "That is to say, once the beast is free from her restraint Prison, everything about her will be taken back, and even the person holding her chain will change... We should have done this from the beginning."

Dumbledore frowned: "Do you want to exercise the right to a contract that is already lapsed? And it was yours to revoke it on your own initiative. Zoe Siegel has never had any violation of the rules and records of this matter. You know nothing more. What do you want to do with this waste paper?"

"It should be said that she has never had a foul record of'recorded on the surface'." Umbridge said, "If you don't get caught, you can do it quietly, even things that shouldn't be done...but those traces will always be there. , Will never disappear, because the evidence is there, whether it is physical evidence or-personal evidence."

"Next, we want to invite a witness in." Umbridge stared at Zoe, hoping to see how she would react after hearing the name. Umbridge became excited when he thought of this. Shaking all over.

"Witness, Lucius Malfoy, come in to testify."

*************

Ears humming.

Noisy and chaotic.The tremor ran straight up the spine. Zoe shuddered. She seemed to be split. Her sanity had accepted Umbridge’s declaration, but her emotions seemed to have become deaf, listening to everything. Don't go in; it's like becoming a fool again, unable to receive any signal.

But when the tall, thin, and always haughty figure that she was very familiar with appeared on the opposite witness stand, when she watched Lucius calmly answering Fudge's identity review, she was completely lost. I felt that I was about to slip off the chair and collapse to the ground.

Even the vision became blurred, his voice was dry and dumb, and his voice was like unlubricated gears, and he couldn't speak at all.Zoe felt that his breathing was so hot that he could spit out flames all the way to his brain.But the body was as cold as frozen in the ice, completely losing his intuition.

With a big hand on her shoulder, she looked at it tremblingly, not knowing when Dumbledore was already standing next to her, looking at the opposite person with a cold face, but his one was on Zoe's shoulder. As if trying to transmit power to her, his hand stood still.

If it is placed in the past, Zoe can also respond to Dumbledore, so that he can also feel at ease.But now she feels painful even raising her hand, let alone insisting on showing that she can do it.She lowered her head helplessly, her eye circles were hot, but somehow she felt more empty than she wanted to cry.

The moment Lucius appeared, she understood the plan of the other person and knew what Lucius would say when he came to power.Perhaps only she and the Malfoys knew the secrets. Even Dumbledore could not know all of them. It could even be said that this was because she trusted Lucius to ask him for help.

"Your name?" Amelia took off her glasses."Lucius Malfoy." There was not a trace of confusion in Lucius's voice. He seemed to be speaking in front of everyone, his voice was steady, but he slashed in Zoe's heart."Identity and purpose?" "Malfoy family patriarch, testify." Lucius's attitude was colder than ever.

"Let me ask, Amelia." Umbridge said to Amelia, and when the latter sat down, she looked at Lucius.

"Tell everyone what you know about Zoe Siegel, how he violated the terms during the execution of the terms."

Lucius nodded, he turned slightly, faced the judges present, and took out a small pile of lists from his arms.

"What is this?" Umbridge said as if she already knew what it was.

"This is the record of some magic items I purchased between seven years ago and five years ago-including magic items or related books." Lucius shook the list in his hand and took out the magic wand. The lists were in order. The ground flew to every judge, including Amelia, Fudge and Umbridge.

"What is your purpose for using this certificate?" Amelia frowned after carefully checking the list. "According to what I can see, there are no prohibited items on it. They are all entry-level items."

"Yes, because the Malfoys are always willing to respect the law, it is impossible to do something illegal." Lucius respectfully said, "These are magic items purchased through my hands, and only passed through me." He Repeated."But the point is not on the items on this list, but because—"

"Because I asked Mr. Lucius to purchase these things." A weak voice sounded. Zoe took the initiative to speak in this trial for the first time. Her raised hands were still shaking, but she was unwilling to raise her head to talk to Lu. Hughes looked at each other.And she didn't see it, Lucius also avoided her direction, pursing her lips and staring at other places.

"Oh? Miss Siegel, are you sure?" Amelia's eyes became severe. "You must know that everything you say now will be used as a reference when voting, even if the defendant is still paying attention to yourself Is responsible for his remarks."

Zoe chuckled: "Of course...I know exactly what this means, but I have been in the dock since I was four years old, and the combined time at the Ministry of Magic is even longer than at home..." She clenched her fists, "For a long time I just wanted to die, because life is so tiring, and I have to face the pressure that can knock me down every day... Well, it's meaningless to say this now. Really, what's the meaning of being alive? What?"

"It's better for me to do it myself, so that at least it will be better..." She stood up, staggered and almost fell, but she still stood firmly on the arm of the chair, "What is on the list, I Probably I can still remember. I was banned by the Ministry of Magic from contacting and learning magic, and even connecting to related books and magic props was not allowed. But I couldn’t help but satisfy my curiosity, so Crouch later After my husband stepped down, the enforcement of the terms was not so strict at the time, so I asked Mr. Lucius-because of the well-known relationship between Malfoy and Siegel-and he was very good to me, so I asked him to bring me Some of the most basic gadgets to satisfy my growing thirst for knowledge."

She looked ahead. The densely packed little people made her feel more irritable, but she still decided not to let others, but to let her own destiny: "I know that it violates the terms, and Mr. Lucius also dissuaded me. , But I will go my own way... Obviously I could not escape. Then now, I will face punishment."

Chapter 23 Judgment

"In other words, you also certify the authenticity of the evidence presented by the certifier Lucius Malfoy?" Fudge was very proud. "You did do this when you knew you had violated the terms, because You think that the contract signed with the Ministry of Magic cannot restrain you. You can do whatever you want and do whatever you want, right?"

"Even with adult self-control, forced to make such unreasonable terms, have to succumb to power, and even have to be oppressed by the outside world to survive, it is impossible not to have a strong sense of humiliation and rebellion. Magic. That tough so-called contract is such a thing, Connelly, there is no way to really make people obedient, I think we have reached an agreement on this long ago." Dumbledore said loudly.

"I would be happy to help you at the time because she had shown meekness enough to persuade others during those years, but if I knew early in the morning that she was secretly defying the Ministry of Magic, these conditions would not exist." Fudge was confident. Said, "And we all know that the number of times a person violates the rules is only zero and countless times. As long as she has a rebellious heart, then the mistakes she will make will only get bigger and bigger. We have given Her opportunity is wasted by her own choice!"

"No matter how unreasonable the treaty at the time, but since the contract is signed, it must be abided by. This is the prerequisite for all dialogue." He turned to the judges, "Everyone, will you be tolerant to those who break the contract? Can you treat her? Have you turned a blind eye to the mistakes you made? Since we talk about the law and the rules, should anyone who violates the rules accept the punishment she deserves?"

He turned around again and looked at Dumbledore: "What else do you want to say?"

Dumbledore shook his head, and the people next to him trembled slightly."Then, please start voting." Amelia Burns stood up, "First of all, please take the first accusation-the use of the unforgivable curse against the defendant, and assisting the Death Eaters to interfere in the tri-power battle. Match and run the black magic ritual, attack the former Ministry of Magic official-Minister, what else do you want to say about this? I remember that we did not discuss related matters." Amelia looked at Fudge .

Fudge shook his head and pointed to the paper airplane that had floated to his desk. It was one of the methods used by the Ministry of Magic to transmit information internally: "Just cancel this sub-accusation. Something happened to our witness. The news came just now that he was making a fuss in St Mungo, and was knocked out by the wizard on duty there, unable to point us to the prisoner." Umbridge clearly saw his mouth muttering something silently, like a "lunatic" A class of words.

"Let's go ahead. Regarding the above crimes, those who are in favor of the unfounded accusation, please raise their hands—" She just finished her voice, raising one hand silently, except for the wizards who were still serious and sitting in their seats looking at the girl. In addition, many people have accepted Dumbledore’s remarks, including Amelia herself.

"It must be more than half." Cedric whispered to Harry privately, but even if they had the advantage, the two of them looked uncomfortable, because they had already realized that the Ministry of Magic simply abandoned the original plan. The sharp blade was hidden on the next thing.

"Those who agree with the accusation, please raise your hands—" This time the number of people who agreed can even be counted at once. Fudge and Umbridge seem to have completely ignored the fact that they lost in the accusation, Umm. Rich smiled expectantly, she yearned for the next scene to happen.

"The first accusation is unfounded!" Amelia took a deep breath and waited for a few seconds before speaking again. "Then there is the second accusation-after the defendant actively violated the rules during the contract enforcement period, the Ministry of Magic Have the right to choose to enforce the punishment regulations. Those who support the unfounded charges, please raise their hands—"

After a moment of silence, the scene seemed to be frozen in the portrait, without raising a hand.Amelia waited for a while, but she did not raise her hands.Fudge winked triumphantly with his co-conspirator, and looked at Zoe with his head bowed condescendingly.

"Those who are in favor of the accusation, please raise your hands—" There is no need to confirm, Lucius closed his eyes wearily, and put all the pain and guilt into the darkness, but the voice of the announcement still reached his ears. ."The second accusation is established!" Then came the sound of multiple people getting up, the sound of mixed footsteps, and the shouts of Fudge, who slapped his shoulders vigorously, mixed with the sounds of celebration.

He was upset with this man who had always been deliberately pleased, but even so, when Fudge regained his trust in him, he still had to smile at him and personally congratulate him on the pretty good results.

"Lucius, let's go for a drink next time?" Fudge was excited, although he could not get the best result, but now they have won a staged victory in the duel with Dumbledore.By controlling Zoe, they will have more choices, whether it is to gain Dumbledore’s weakness through coercion and lure, or to radiate Dumbledore’s image by corrupting Zoe’s image.

Fudge insisted that Dumbledore was unbelievable, and even thought he was trying to seize the throne of the Minister of Magic. He would never forget that when he and Dumbledore came to visit at the same time, everyone would always see the latter first.Just because Dumbledore publicly stated to others that he would support Fudge, Fudge took his current position without any hindrance.And he worked hard and worked overtime, but he was never recognized. Dumbledore's shadow completely enveloped him. As long as Dumbledore is still a day, he will never be able to establish his own glorious image.

He once also admired Dumbledore very much, taking the latter as his own benchmark and an object worth learning, but gradually, the old man only got in the way in his eyes.Since he couldn't climb this mountain in his life, he would flatten it and blow it up.

Zoe Segal’s existence is not just a sword that pierced Dumbledore, because Fudge himself knew that after tearing his face, they were unlikely to draw this girl into their camp, let alone be shaped by them. Become a vanguard against Dumbledore.But as long as they had this hostage in their hands, Dumbledore would not be able to take action against them, and he would still be able to sit firmly in this position, and when the time was right, Dumbledore had only one way to go.

"My honour, Minister." Lucius replied calmly, "but I think I need to go home first, and then leave first..." Before he could finish his words, the young man shouted in horror. .

"Siegel! Siegel!"

With a heartbeat, this surname alone was like a heavy mountain. Lucius couldn’t help but look back and saw the people around the pale-faced girl trying to support her body and not let her. Continue to slip to the ground.

"Zuo--!" He restrained himself from continuing to look there, nor did Fudge notice his feelings.Now that you have decided to betray, you shouldn't continue to pretend to be emotional.As the Dark Lord said, even if the broken trust is repaired, it is impossible to return to its original state. Perhaps by the end of his generation, the trust relationship between the two families should also enter the grave.

Lucius sullenly followed the crowd and left the courtroom from the gate, determined not to meet anyone's eyes. When he turned to an empty corner, he could no longer stand upright.Leaning against the wall to keep himself from kneeling on the ground, the cold sweat had already wetted his robe, stretched out his hands, Lucius covered his face, he would never be able to face the child again in his life.

**********

My stomach hurts a bit, irritating my stomach little by little like a fire, and my body can't help but shiver, without any strength.There was a shout in his ear, but it seemed so far away, even if he was forced to help him, he still couldn't restrain himself from trying to slide down, and he couldn't control it.

Zoe knows why this is very clear. From the time Lucius appeared, his mentality suffered a severe blow, and he didn't have a body that stored much energy. In addition, the diet and living environment were very bad for the past two months. The damage that came finally came.

Although she joked to Hermione a few months ago that she needed to exercise, she was worn down before she even started.Wizards are not as afraid of diseases as Muggles, because they have many ways to eliminate diseases and prolong life, but this does not mean that they are out of human status, they will still get sick when they are sick, let alone Zoe's body Health is worse than many people.

The indoor pie who doesn't like sports, such a fragile body stayed in Azkaban for two months, even if the monsters' ability to absorb human happiness had little effect on her, it was not completely absent.Not to mention Azkaban's diet and treatment, as the investigator once said, the Ministry of Magic does not intend to tolerate those condemned prisoners at all.