Chapter 616 A Business Deal

Draco Malfoy, a relative of the suspect, followed the guidance of the female staff of the Ministry of Magic and sat down in the audience seat. The bench was cold and hard, and the position was low. He had to look up slightly to see the high-ranking judges in front of him, the Wizengamot, the ministers and senior officials, which was the power center of the Ministry of Magic.

For wizards from pure-blood families, Ministry of Magic staff and Aurors were just ordinary jobs, and even a little bit inferior, but those who sat in the seats, the directors of various departments and members of the Wizengamot were the real power figures, and they needed to communicate with them in gold galleons to guide them to formulate policies that were in line with the interests of the family.

Law Enforcement Department, International Affairs Cooperation Department, Transportation Department, Sports Department...

Lawmaking, commercial trade, traffic supervision, Quidditch competition...

Draco's mind flashed with Lucius's teachings to him in the past. He took a deep breath and began to look around the room.

The walls around the courtroom were made of black boulders. There were no portraits or decorations on the walls. The lighting on the rough brackets was not magic lamps, not even magic candles, but simple torches. The flames burned quietly, and sometimes swayed back and forth due to the convection of air, causing the shadows in the whole room to sway, making it even darker and more gloomy.

The stepped seats gradually rose from the inside to the outside. Except for the judges in front and three or two employees of the Ministry of Magic, there were no other people listening.

The dark figures sitting in the trial seats were whispering, and when they quieted down, an ominous silence enveloped them.

"Tsk... Do you think that looking at them this way, they look like some dark magic creatures, such as Hinckley Punk, hiding in the shadows of the cave and ready to attack at any time." A low and teasing voice sounded on the right.

Draco looked sideways and saw a strange man sitting next to him at some point. He had dark pupils, ordinary clothes, and a faint smile on his face. Maybe it was because he also had platinum-blonde hair, Draco always felt that this person was vaguely familiar.

It should be an employee of the Ministry of Magic. Draco didn't care. He came to his senses and looked forward. Minister Scrimgeour had already sorted out the case materials. He tapped his wand on his neck, and then a majestic voice spread throughout the courtroom:

"The trial begins."

Draco lowered his eyes and looked at the chair in the middle of the room. It was the lowest position in the whole room. Everyone could clearly see the chained chair in the middle of the room, which meant that the person sitting on the chair needed to look up at everyone else in the room.

There were rustling footsteps, and the door at the corner of the dungeon at the side and back opened. Three people came out. The person in front was the suspect, and the two behind were the escorting Aurors.

Draco's breathing stagnated, as if his heart was grasped by a cold hand. He almost couldn't recognize that the person with messy hair, dusty white skin, and a sloppy face was his mother. Narcissa Malfoy, born in the Black family, joined the Malfoy family, and once would complain about him for a long time even if there was a footprint on the carpet.

The idea of ​​dropping out of school to run for his parents to get out of prison as soon as possible emerged uncontrollably, and Draco's eyes flickered as he thought about the feasibility of the plan.

Bribing the members of the Wizengamot with money, there is no need to win the support of everyone, as long as more than half of them recognize that they were coerced, as long as a fine is paid, the parents can escape trial...

After a few seconds, Draco took a breath lightly, and the luster in his eyes dimmed.

His parents would not agree with him doing this, the Dark Lord is still active outside, and only staying in Hogwarts can ensure safety.

"Very good. I heard that the guards and escorts of the suspects were Dementors..." The man next to him began to mutter in a low voice again, "Before the formal trial, let the Dementors take a few puffs, so that they are in a trance. When they are unconscious, they are brought up and they answer whatever they are asked. Even people with a clear mind will be afraid of that kind of taste and confess to reduce the sentence in Azkaban."

Narcissa seemed to be in good spirits. She stroked the sticky hair on her forehead, sat down on the chair silently, put her hands on the armrests, let the chains wrap around her arms like snakes, looked up at the judge with a calm expression.

Draco straightened his body and clenched his fists, as if he felt the same as the person on the chair.

"April 25, the trial of Narcissa Malfoy's involvement in the attack on the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic, the interrogators are Rufus Scrimgeour, Amelia Bones, Bertha Jorkins, and the trial recorder is Percy Weasley..."

Scrimgeour read the relevant information on the file coldly.

Those members wearing purple robes with the Wizengamot logo embroidered on their chests all stared at Narcissa with their eyes downcast. Some had stern expressions, some had curious eyes, and some had sarcasm on their faces. The red-haired recorder shook his feather pen bitterly, and his eyes hidden behind horn-rimmed glasses moved back and forth between the copy paper and the file.

Just as Draco was concentrating on analyzing the case information, the weak voice sounded beside him again: "Not good, Scrimgeour is a hardliner, always advocating ruthlessness towards dark wizards... How come Jorkins is still the assistant minister? He has made such great contributions but he has not been promoted. Tsk... Bones has been promoted to senior deputy minister. I wonder who will be given the position of the Law Enforcement Department... Kingsley Shacklebolt has a chance, but he may replace Scrimgeour as the head of the Auror Office..."

Listening to him muttering these job information, Draco felt a little irritated.

"Narcissa Malfoy." Her thick eyebrows were tightly furrowed, with a hint of gray in them, and her eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were sharp and piercing. "I hope you will cooperate with the Ministry of Magic, confess the crimes of the relevant personnel, the identities of the hidden personnel, and explain the whereabouts of Voldemort. In view of the fact that your actions did not cause casualties and major losses, we can appropriately forgive your crimes."

Hearing that name, some Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic staff showed horrified expressions on their faces, and the courtroom was filled with whispers. Draco clearly heard a female staff member in the back row exclaiming softly.

Narcissa's face also turned pale, and she suppressed her fear and whispered: "Please don't call that name directly. You know, that name is enchanted."

Scrimgeour did not continue to dwell on the name: "Is there anything you can tell us?"

Narcissa recalled her husband's instructions not long ago, and the fear in her heart slowly faded. She trembled and took a deep breath: "Mr. Scrimgeour, you should know that the man who can't even be named is still wandering outside..."

Scrimgeour was silent for a moment. He knew what Narcissa didn't say.

This was a difficulty that had not been encountered when the Death Eaters were tried sixteen years ago. At that time, Voldemort had fallen. In order to get a reduction in sentence, many people rushed to reveal information, confessed their accomplices and related crimes. In order to escape trial, those members of pure-blood families generously paid fines to enrich the Ministry of Magic's treasury.

The current situation is completely different. Voldemort is still active outside. No one dares to confess or reveal anything. No one can afford the revenge of the most powerful dark wizard in history. The Ministry of Magic may be able to do it, but the Ministry of Magic staff can't, and the prisoners of the Ministry of Magic can't do it even more.

The results of the previous trials of other Death Eaters were the same. In addition to some Death Eaters keeping secrets out of loyalty, more people were afraid to speak out of fear.

Scrimgeour stretched out his hand to signal Percy to stop recording, then looked at Narcissa and asked in a deep voice: "The following conversation will not be included in the file. I will order everyone to keep it secret. Do you think this is okay?"

"How can this be?" A member of the Wizengamot in the second row of the trial seat exclaimed.

Scrimgeour waved his hand to signal them to keep quiet and wait for the answer from the chair.

Draco's breathing was a little rapid. He knew that the Minister of Magic was willing to negotiate.

"This new Minister is very capable..." The stranger next to him spoke again.

However, Narcissa shook her head, with obvious distrust on her face: "Only a few people can keep secrets in front of the Dark Lord, and... when more people know, the secret is no longer a secret."

"You are right, Mrs. Malfoy." Scrimgeour nodded, his brown hair drooping like an old lion, "I will reconsider your case, and I hope you can reconsider our cooperation opportunities."

"The trial is postponed."

Accompanied by a calm and powerful announcement, the suspect Narcissa was taken back to the dungeon.

The members of the Wizengamot left the table one by one, whispering to each other, and seemed not surprised by the result. It has been almost five months since the attack on Christmas. Except for a few timid Death Eaters confessing their crimes, there has been no progress in other directions of investigation.

Why did the Death Eaters search for the blond man, why did Voldemort come back to life, and what is the truth of the Crouch case?

These questions still have no answers.

But these cases are still secondary. The most critical issue is Voldemort's whereabouts.

Some experienced senior Aurors had tried to use extraordinary means under the instruction of the top leaders to interrogate several core dark wizards with serious crimes, including Rookwood, Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers.

It is said that the wailing of the Lestrange brothers scared seven mice to death. Rookwood could still curse the interrogators at first, threatening them to return tenfold and a hundredfold in the future, but in the end he was completely unconscious and still said nothing.

The most frightening thing was that crazy woman Bellatrix, who laughed shrilly, and the more she was tortured, the louder she laughed. In the end, even the Aurors were frightened and stopped interrogating.

There were rumors that Dumbledore knew the truth and told Minister Scrimgeour part of the truth, but the hard-line minister still pursued evidence and wanted the Ministry of Magic to investigate the case in the Ministry of Magic's way.

…

"Please go this way."

The female staff with a steady voice dutifully led Draco to the corridor on the ninth floor of the underground Ministry of Magic.

After the Azkaban jailer rebelled and the prisoners escaped en masse, the Ministry of Magic could no longer trust these inhuman Dementors, so instead of sending all the Death Eaters to Azkaban, it expanded some of the courts without leaving a trace and transformed them into temporary prisons for detention.

The conditions were simple, the facilities were rough, the underground was damp and cold, and the temperature was even lower at night. Most of the Death Eaters were no longer young and strong. The patrolling Aurors could hear some low cries every night, but no one pitied these Death Eaters. After all, overall, this place was much more comfortable than Azkaban.

For the Ministry of Magic, it was safer to guard nearby and it was more convenient to bring them to trial at any time.

For some criminals with less serious crimes and the possibility of cooperation, the Ministry of Magic appropriately opened relatives to visit... Draco flashed the above information in his mind.

"I didn't expect it to be so big down there." The voice from the side was already somewhat familiar.

Draco couldn't help but glance to the side. He couldn't understand why this chattering strange wizard could visit his parents. He didn't remember any direct relatives in the Malfoy family.

The young female staff member didn't find it strange. The hair color of these two people showed that they were relatives. She took them to a few corners in the underground corridor. After a series of inspections and confiscating their wands, they were sent to a narrow room.

In order to prevent improper conversations or any behavior that endangers the safety of the Ministry of Magic during the visit, she did not leave, but followed behind to monitor.

Waiting in the room were Narcissa and her husband, whose trial had just been postponed. Although they had been in prison for several months, their mental state was still okay, but their bodies still revealed some traces. Lucius's hair color was lighter and slightly white, his waist and back were slightly hunched, and he exuded a faint sour smell.

The couple sat behind a rough square wooden table, staring at the door with empty eyes. The moment they saw their son enter the door, their eyes burst into a strong brilliance, and they straightened their backs instantly, showing a happy smile: "Draco!"

"Dad, Mom..."

The family of three immediately threw themselves together, crying and laughing.

The useless concern of the young son, the mother's low voice of admonition, the father's occasional inquiries about school life, obviously some nagging but no useful information, but the heavy family affection was conveyed in such voices, even the two outsiders standing next to them could feel it.

It was more than ten minutes after the three of them expressed their feelings.

Lucius, the head of the family, was the first to restrain his emotions and regain his rationality. After calming down, he quickly noticed the other two people in the room.

The female employee of the Ministry of Magic stared at the wood grain on the table intently, but the experienced Lucius found that her eyes were dazed and she had obviously lost consciousness.

As for the other man, he did not wear the badge of the Ministry of Magic on his chest, so he should not be an employee. His face was unfamiliar, but he had platinum-colored hair, which made people unable to help but look at him a few more times.

Loren, who used Transfiguration to hide his face, looked at the inquiry in his eyes, smiled gently, and said softly:

"Mr. Malfoy, I am here to discuss business with you on behalf of an old friend, regarding a debt during last Christmas."

Lucius' pupils suddenly contracted.