69novels Page 211
Page 211
Another murmur rippled through the room.
The members of Wisengamo discussed and nodded in agreement.
Clearly, Umbridge's words resonated with them.
Peter Pettigrew huddled in his chair, pale-faced and drenched in cold sweat.
Faced with the reality that he is alive, any explanation seems pale and powerless.
Crouch wanted to ask more questions, but Fudge beat him to it.
"Since the evidence is conclusive, let's vote."
Chapter 232 Verdict
After seeing that the jury's opinion had largely shifted in favor of Sirius...
Fudge immediately decided to end the questioning and proceed to the voting stage.
This is also how the Ministry of Magic exerts influence over the judiciary.
In the magical world of the Underworld, judicial power is indeed in the hands of Wizengamo; every case must be decided by a Wizengamo jury through a vote.
However, this does not mean that the Ministry of Magic cannot exert influence over the case.
After all, the Ministry of Magic is the organizer of the court proceedings, and they can choose how to proceed with the trial.
This is like two people racing on the same track, chasing each other. When the race stops, the one who ran the furthest wins.
One of them can decide when to stop the game.
He could have waited until he got ahead and then immediately called a stop.
In such situations, as long as one's strength isn't completely overwhelmed by the opponent, there's always a way to win.
Fudge is using this tactic now.
Upon hearing that a vote was to be taken, the Wizengamots in the stands began whispering among themselves, exchanging their opinions on the case.
In the dock, Blake nervously stared at his toes.
His heart seemed to swell up, pounding wildly under his ribs.
He had expected the interrogation to take longer, and he didn't know if he had made a good impression—in fact, he hadn't said much.
He should explain in more detail how he made the decision to change the liaison, how he was deceived, and how he was tricked while tracking Peter.
He looked up at Fudge twice, opened his mouth as if to speak, but his swollen heart made it hard for him to breathe. Both times he just took a deep breath and looked down at the shoes on his feet.
The whispers stopped.
Blake wanted to look up at the judges, but then felt it would be much easier and more comfortable to continue studying his shoelaces.
Fudge turned to the stands: "Now, jury, please pay attention... those who agree to acquit Sirius, please raise your hands..."
Blake looked up and was surprised to find that, apart from Crouch, most of the jurors had raised their hands, and some others, after hesitating, chose to follow suit when they saw so many others had raised their hands.
Then Fudge jumped to the next charge: "Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Potters; blew up a Muggle street, causing the deaths of many Muggles; and framed Sirius Black, resulting in his unjust imprisonment in Azkaban for thirteen years."
Levin noticed that when Barty Crouch heard about being "unjustly imprisoned," his face darkened even more than Snape's usual expression.
Cornelius Fudge had finished listing Pettigrew's crimes and called out, "Raise your hand if you agree that the charges are valid."
Hands were raised, and quite a few...more than 70%!
Blake's breathing quickened as he tried to count properly, but before he could finish, Fudge said, "Raise your hand if you agree that the crime is not established."
Crouch looked around and saw six or seven other people looking at him; they were all his staunch supporters who hadn't raised their hands before.
But Crouch read difficulty on their faces.
His hand twitched slightly, but he ultimately didn't raise it.
Seeing this, Fudge smiled triumphantly. "Mr. Crouch, you (ICJ) didn't raise your hand twice. Do you have any other opinions on this case?"
Crouch seemed to have something stuck in his throat and remained silent.
“Alright,” Fudge’s tone was noticeably relaxed, and he didn’t intend to provoke the other party any further, “Alright, then I can assume you have no objection to the verdicts for the two of them?”
Crouch took two deep breaths, his voice trembling as he desperately suppressed his anger: "...Of course."
“Excellent. We have reached an agreement on the trial outcome. Sirius will be acquitted and should receive reasonable compensation. We will discuss the specific amount of compensation after the meeting.”
"Now, we need to decide whether Peter Pettigrew should be punished."
Having said that, he looked at Jaina beside him: "As the deputy director of the Department of Law Enforcement, I need to consult you. According to the existing laws, what crime should Peter Pettigrew be convicted of?"
Jaina immediately realized that this was the final stage of the war.
The verdict against Peter Pettigrew effectively reflects the attitude towards Crouch.
It's enough to symbolically embarrass him, slap him in the face, and establish one's own authority.
We still need to completely crush this opponent who wields considerable influence in the Department of Law Enforcement.
It was all contained in her words.
If she chooses the former, then Peter will receive a lighter sentence, such as life imprisonment.
If it is the latter, then Peter should be sentenced to death.
Only in this way can we prevent future reversals to the greatest extent possible.
After thinking for a moment and glancing at Fudge, Gianna finally made a decision.
"He betrayed his friends, sided with the Dark Lord, and murdered innocent Muggles and framed his companions for his own selfish gain. His cruel acts are utterly inhuman; mere imprisonment in Azkaban is insufficient punishment." She declared loudly, "I believe that Peter Pettigrew, for these crimes, should be sentenced to imprisonment in Azkaban."
The ultimate punishment in the class—a Dementor's kiss!
If Levin hadn't mentioned that Voldemort was about to return and the Death Eaters would reappear...
Jaina wouldn't make that decision.
The first cohort of graduates from the Erudite Society have not yet arrived, and her position within the Ministry of Magic is not yet secure.
Rushing to kill Crouch at this point could very well result in a severe backlash.
But when combined with Levin's "prophecy," everything changes.
When the Death Eaters reappear and signs of Voldemort's return appear, the wizarding world will surely descend into chaos.
In that time, stability will naturally take precedence over everything. Whoever can fight against the Dark Lord and provide a stable order will be able to rise to power.
In that situation, doves like Fudge would be at a disadvantage.
These hawks from the Department of Law Enforcement will receive more support.
In this respect, Crouch and she occupy the same ecological niche.
Both are advocating for the fight against the Dark Lord, so why would others choose to support a young woman instead of the highly decorated Barty Crouch?
Therefore, the right thing to do is to take down Crouch before anything happens.
Even if it backfires on you, the so-called backfire will naturally disappear when the crisis arrives.
On the other hand, Fudge's attitude clearly also indicated his desire to completely eliminate Crouch.
Making this decision myself could actually allow me to reach a temporary cooperation with Fudge, which could slightly mitigate the losses caused by the backlash.
As expected, Fudge was quite satisfied with Jaina's attitude.
He looked at the jury: "I personally agree with Deputy Chief Judge Gianna's judgment. Does Wizengamo have any dissenting opinions? If so, please raise your hand."
The jury remained silent.
The Dementor's kiss was truly terrifying.
But Peter Pettigrew's actions were indeed too cruel.
"Isn't a Dementor's kiss too harsh a punishment?" Professor Dumbledore suddenly said. "How about sentencing him to life imprisonment?"
Jaina glanced at Dumbledore.
This greatest white wizard of all time must have been unable to bear it.
Moreover, he consistently opposed cruel punishments like the Dementor's Kiss.
But instead of directly rejecting Dumbledore's proposal, nor expecting to interfere with his decision, she turned to the other Wizengamo members and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, think about what you just saw, think about what Sirius went through."
"What would have happened if Levin Green hadn't captured Peter Pettigrew and revealed these truths, and instead Black had been captured by the Dementors?"
As the deputy director of the Legal Enforcement Division, she had previously explicitly opposed sending Dementors.
She is the most suitable person to say this.
Everyone knows the answer to this question.
Without a doubt, if the Dementors had captured Black, he wouldn't have faced a trial like today, but rather a Dementor's kiss.
Fudge's face turned ashen; those words had been a slap in the face to him.
But it did convince quite a few people.
People on the jury began to raise their hands, and more and more of them did.
Mr. Crouch still didn't raise his hand, but this time, everyone ignored his opinion.
“Then, it’s quite clear,” Fudge’s face revealed an unprecedented decisiveness and coldness, “this punishment will be carried out immediately.”
"and many more!"
Suddenly a voice sounded.
It was Sirius Black!
"Blake, do you have any objections?" Jaina asked in surprise.
She never dreamed that it would be Blake who would stand up against her.
What did Levin do? Didn't he say he had already dealt with Blake?
Little Pettigrew stared blankly at the man beside him, tears streaming down his face. They used to be good friends.
A glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.
Blake gave him a disgusted look, turned away, and shouted, "I'd give all my compensation for a chance."
Everyone looked at Blake with curiosity.