bioinnovel Chapter 213 Weighing the Pros and Cons
Chapter 213 Weighing the Pros and Cons
Chapter 213 Weighing the Pros and Cons
In a private booth at the Three Broomsticks pub, Cornelius Fudge slumped in a chair, looking flustered and sweating profusely.
As Belvina said, the eyewitness accounts of Muggles are not very credible; what they hear and see may be illusions created by wizards.
In accordance with normal trial procedures, the testimony provided by Muggles needs to be thoroughly verified, and Sirius Black also needs to be interrogated to prove his guilt before a corresponding verdict can be made.
What did the Ministry of Magic do at that time?
The Ministry of Magic did nothing; it didn't follow any of the proper procedures.
Then-Chief of the Enforcement Division, Buddy Crouch, directly convicted Sirius Black and sentenced him to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
Now that Belvina has brought up the old story again, questioning whether the trial was reasonable and legal, and even bringing up Dumbledore to support her, and even saying crazy things like Peter Pettigrew didn't die, Cornelius Fudge panicked. He hadn't verified the Muggle eyewitness testimonies.
Sirius Black has been imprisoned in Azkaban, the case is closed, and there is no need to verify the authenticity of his testimony.
Furthermore, the death of Peter Pettigrew has also not been confirmed.
Only a piece of Peter's finger was found at the scene, leading to the conclusion that he had lost his life like the innocent Muggles.
If what Belvina said was true, Peter Pettigrew was not dead, Sirius Black was innocent, and the unreasonable and illegal trial twelve years ago was actually a miscarriage of justice, Cornelius Fudge dared not think any further. He was terrified by the scene he had imagined, and for a moment he was completely flustered. This made the current Minister of Magic look like a frightened child rather than a politician.
"Minister?" Belvina reached out and gently patted Fudge's hand. "Minister, are you alright?"
"This can't be true, absolutely impossible." Cornelius Fudge said instinctively, regaining his senses. "Peter is dead. He was killed by Black, and the Ministry of Magic posthumously awarded him the Order of Merlin, First Class."
Even so, Fudge's trembling hands betrayed him, and his eyes darted around, not daring to look at Belvina who was so close.
"No, absolutely not."
Fudge said in a panic, "The Ministry of Magic cannot withstand such a blow! Conspirators will say that the Ministry deliberately fabricated a case, intentionally imprisoning the last male member of a pure-blood wizarding family, causing the Black family line to die out! The Ministry of Magic cannot afford such a blow!"
Cornelius Fudge kept muttering "No, absolutely not" while shaking his head, his round face looking sweaty.
"Here's an idea," Fudge said hastily. "You've already caught Black, haven't you? Let's send him back to Azkaban first, and then sneak him out after the escape is over."
Fudge slapped his thigh excitedly, saying, "This way, the Ministry of Magic's reputation is preserved, and Black can regain his freedom—as long as he doesn't appear in public, no, as long as he's not recognized. A win-win situation!"
True to his name, the panicked Cornelius Fudge's first thought was to cover it up, sparing no effort to conceal the injustice caused by the Ministry of Magic.
In response, Fudge even proposed an utterly absurd solution.
Belvina sighed inwardly. She really wanted to grab the wine jug on the table and smash it hard on Fudge's head.
Can freedom that fails to clear one's name and clear one's name be called freedom?
If this counts as freedom, why bother overturning the verdict? Why not just let Xiao Tianhenxing go?
"Minister," Belvina said patiently, suppressing her anger, "Overturning the verdict will indeed damage the Ministry of Magic's reputation, but it's not as serious as you think. Besides, this isn't the only case in which the Ministry of Magic has made wrong judgments or missed judgments."
"Belvina, watch your words!" Cornelius Fudge exclaimed, staring at Belvina in disbelief.
How can you just say things like that?!
"Minister!" Belvina immediately raised her voice. "You and I both know how many Death Eaters have escaped trial by using the Imperius Curse. Some of them still hold positions in the Ministry of Magic today!"
Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, McNeil, and Lucius Malfoy, among others, these Death Eaters who should have been imprisoned in Azkaban, all managed to escape jail by claiming they were under the influence of the Imperius Curse.
It must be said that the Ministry of Magic has never disappointed in terms of being disappointing; the ruling institution of wizarding society is just that incompetent.
"Minister," Belvina continued, "someone needs to step forward and correct the Ministry of Magic's mistakes, someone needs to lead the Ministry out of the mire and regain the public's trust."
"No, Belvina, no," Cornelius Fudge muttered. "What we need is stability. Stability is the foundation of prosperity! Re-examining Blake's case would undermine this hard-won stability."
Belvina raised her glass of mead again and said slowly, "Minister, don't you want to be the one to set things right? Don't you want to lead the Ministry of Magic to new heights?"
It's best to leave it at that; some things can't be said too explicitly. Cornelius Fudge isn't an idiot; he'll figure it out himself.
Belvina fell silent, closing her eyes to inhale the enticing aroma of the mead, as if she had run to the Three Brooms just to savor a cup of mead.
Cornelius Fudge, sitting opposite him, frowned in thought.
After the initial panic subsided, Fudge's political instincts gradually returned, and his intelligence came back online.
The wrongful conviction occurred twelve years ago. The minister at the time was Millison Barnold, and the presiding judge was Barty Crouch.
At that time, Cornelius Fudge was still working in the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters as the deputy director, and his role in this miscarriage of justice was not significant.
Thinking of this, Fudge suddenly opened his eyes wide, his fluffy gray hair revealing strands of excitement.
Yes, the main person in charge of the case was Barty Crouch. He sentenced Blake without trial and personally sent him to prison.
Barty Crouch bears primary responsibility for this miscarriage of justice; all the mistakes were caused by his arbitrary decisions, and all the blame can be placed on him!
Connelly Fudge became increasingly excited. Not only could he stay out of it, but he could also use this miscarriage of justice to suppress Barty Crouch, or even completely crush him.
No, that's not right, it's not just that.
Suppressing the loser Barty Crouch was a petty gain; the benefits Fudge received from this miscarriage of justice were immeasurable.
Although the Ministry of Magic's reputation will be damaged by the wrongful conviction, Minister Cornelius Fudge's personal reputation will be greatly enhanced, establishing him as a fair and just figure.
Cornell Fudge thought it over and over, but he really couldn't see any harm in this miscarriage of justice.
However, for Fudge to become the biggest beneficiary, there is one important prerequisite: the retrial of the wrongful conviction must be led by him and must be successful.
Seeing that Cornelius Fudge was no longer flustered, but instead showed a hint of joy, Belvina put down her glass at the right time, the mead in the glass not decreasing at all.
Belvina said with satisfaction, "Minister, it seems you've made up your mind."
"If the case is reopened, how confident are you?" Cornelius Fudge asked with concern. "Once the process begins, there's no turning back."
As Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge had to be careful. Belvina could be carefree about making mistakes, but Fudge couldn't.
If Fudge falls because of this wrongful conviction, he will face an abyss.
"I have absolutely no chance tonight," Belvina said calmly. "But when the case reopens..."
I'm absolutely certain.
Belvina stood up, holding onto the back of her chair with confidence, and said, "Minister, we all know that truth serum cannot guarantee that wizards will tell the truth. The people in the ministry will not believe Azkaban's crimes, so we need to capture Peter Pettigrew first."
"Is Peter Pettigrew really still alive?" Cornelius Fudge asked nervously. "You said he's at Hogwarts. What are your chances of catching him?"
Belvina slowly walked to the other side of the chair and said, "I'm certain Peter isn't dead; he's hiding somewhere in Hogwarts. We'll need the Minister's help to catch him."
"What do I need to do?" Fudge asked. "Or rather, how do I need to cooperate with you?"
"What the minister has to do is very simple," Belvina said confidently. "The Aurors and the Brawler will catch the fugitive Sirius Black soon, and the minister's job is to keep him at the school for the time being."
This was too easy for Cornelius Fudge, and he answered without hesitation, "Sure, no problem."
"At that time, have Ferguson from the law enforcement team lead the team to cooperate with your plan."
"Wait a minute," Fudge suddenly said, "Why did you deliberately create the illusion that Blake was captured?"
"Of course, it's about luring and capturing Peter Pettigrew, who's hiding. Only by bringing the dead back to life can we gain the upper hand."
"Can you catch Peter? If he's really still alive, it means he's been hiding for twelve years. Will he really fall for it? And what if you fail to catch him?"
Belvina picked up her mead, downed the glass in one gulp, and said matter-of-factly, "Didn't the minister already capture that infamous Little Rascal Black?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cornelius Fudge looked stunned and asked incredulously, "Did I hear you wrong, or did you say something wrong?"
'
If they fail to capture Peter, they will turn the illusion of Black's capture into reality and re-imprison Black in Azkaban.
This decisiveness and ruthlessness deeply shocked Connelly Fudge, and even the warm smile on Belvina's face sent chills down the minister's spine.
"Minister, there's no need to be so surprised. This is my sincerity," Belvina said with a smile. "I'm confident I can catch Peter Pettigrew."
A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Belvina's eyes. Cornelius Fudge was being far too cautious, too afraid to risk his life for something big.
Before Fudge could even begin his fishing plan against Peter Pettigrew, he was already thinking about his escape route if things went wrong, and even demanding an explanation from Belvina.
What could Belvina possibly say? Even if she were so wicked as to abandon Sirius, Dumbledore and Lupin would not agree.
Furthermore, although Belvina frequently beat and scolded Sirius, she never considered sending him back to Azkaban.
If all else fails, secretly release Sirius Black so he can fly far away.
"Minister, whether or not you succeed in clearing Sirius's name, you're guaranteed to profit," Belvina said, her warm smile vanishing completely.
Connelly Fudge picked up his rum, smiled, and said, "Then I'll await your good news of success."
The clinking of glasses rang out, but there wasn't a drop of mead in Belvina's glass.