Chapter 807 Hearing (3)

Harry was panting now; all he could do now was save himself.

He had once entered a dungeon that was almost as terrifying as this one. Harry had never seen this before. Never been here either.

However, he had visited this place with Fanlin in Dumbledore's memory basin, where he saw Barty Crouch Jr. sentenced to life in Azkaban.

The walls were made of black stone, and torches gave off a dim light.

On either side of him were empty benches, but on the tallest bench above him there were many shadows.

They were all talking quietly, but as the door slammed shut behind Harry, an ominous silence filled the hall. A cold voice sounded in the courtroom.

"you are late."

"I'm sorry," Harry said nervously, "I-I didn't know the time had changed."

"It was not the jury's fault," the voice said. "An owl was sent to your house this morning. Sit down."

Harry lowered his head and looked carefully at the chair in the middle of the courtroom. There were shackles hidden on the armrests of the chair. He had seen the shackles pop up as if alive and immobilize anyone who sat in the chair.

As he walked across the stone floor, the echo of his footsteps was particularly loud. The shackles jingled menacingly as Harry sat cautiously on the edge of the chair, but they did not lock him.

Harry felt even more uncomfortable and looked up at the people sitting on the benches above. Judging from the number he could see, there were about fifty people sitting there. They were all wearing plum-colored robes, with a beautifully crafted silver "" embroidered on the left side of the chest. Those below stared at him, some with meticulous expressions on their faces, while others looked very curious.

Sitting in the middle of the front row was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, also known as the Minister of Magic.

Fudge is a fat man who often wears a gray-green magic hat, but he took it off today; today he also took off his usual indulgent smile when talking to Harry. This change made Harry had an almost dislocated feeling...

A broad, square-jawed witch with a monocle and a terrifying expression sat to Fudge's left. To Fudge's right was another witch, but she was sitting far back on the bench, so her face was entirely hidden in shadow.

"Very well," Fudge said. "The defendant has arrived - albeit the last one - let's get started. Are you ready?" he asked everyone present.

"Yes, sir," said an enthusiastic voice familiar to Harry. Ron's brother Percy was sitting on the far side of the front bench. Harry looked up at Percy, hoping to see some sign from him, but there was no response. Percy's eyes were hidden behind horn-framed glasses. He had a piece of parchment in front of him and a large quill in his hand.

"The disciplinary hearing on August," Fudge said in a loud voice, and Percy immediately started taking notes, "will hear Mr. Harry Potter's violation of the Rules on the Restriction of Magic by Minors and the International Statute of Magical Secrecy. Disciplinary breach, Mr. Harry Potter is now a resident of 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

"Questioner: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Amyra Susan Bowness, Director of the Enforcement Department of Magical Regulations; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Minister of Magic Deputy Chief. Court Recorder: Percy Agnatis Weasley——"

"Defense counsel, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," a calm voice sounded behind Harry. Harry turned his head quickly and twisted his head. neck.

Dumbledore was walking across the room peacefully. He was wearing a dark blue robe and had an extremely calm expression on his face. His long silver beard and hair shone in the torchlight.

Dumbledore stood next to Harry and looked up at Fudge through his glasses. His half-moon glasses were set in the middle of his long aquiline nose. The members of the jury began to whisper among themselves.

All eyes were now on Dumbledore. Some people looked distressed, while others were slightly frightened; while the two older wizards in the back row waved their hands in welcome.

When Harry saw Dumbledore, a powerful emotion rose from his chest. The feeling of hope was no less than hearing the Phoenix Song.

He wanted to see Dumbledore's eyes, but Dumbledore didn't look at him; he kept staring at Fudge, who was clearly in a state of distress.

"Ah," said Fudge, looking completely panicked. "Dumbledore. Yes. Have you - um - got word that we - um - have changed the time - um - and location of the hearing?"

"I was definitely going to miss the hearing," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "However, thanks to a lucky mistake, I arrived at the Ministry of Magic three hours early, so I didn't lose anything."

"Yes - well - I think we need another chair - I - Weasley, could you -?"

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," Dumbledore said happily; he took out his wand and made a small gesture, and a soft chintz armchair appeared next to Harry.

Dumbledore sat down, with the ends of his long fingers spread out, and he looked at Fudge carefully with an interested look through them.

The members of the jury were still whispering, looking flustered and fidgeting; they fell silent until Fudge spoke again.

"Yes," Fudge slowly looked through his notes and said again: "Okay, then. Therefore. Accusation. Yes." Fudge pulled out a piece of parchment from the pile of documents in front of him and took a deep breath. , and then began to read.

The charges against the defendant are as follows: The defendant knowingly used Patronus magic in a Muggle-inhabited area despite having been issued a written warning for similar magical charges and should have been fully aware that his actions were illegal. It was performed in front of a Muggle at 9pm on August 1st. The defendant's behavior violated the provisions of the Regulations on the Restriction of Magic by Minors established in 875, and also violated the provisions of the International Union of Wizards' Regulations on Magical Secrecy.

"Are you Mr. Harry James Potter, who lives at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge asked, staring at Harry from above the parchment.

"Yes," said Harry.

"You received a formal warning from the Ministry of Magic about illegal magic three years ago, didn't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"But you still cast the Patronus Charm on the night of August, right?"

"Yes," said Harry, "but—"

"You know that children under the age of 7 are not allowed to use magic outside of school, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"You know you're in an area full of Muggles, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"You were fully aware that you were very close to a Muggle, right?" (To be continued)