Ministry of Magic.
"What a truly peaceful day."
Arthur Weasley slung his briefcase over his shoulder.
Blending into the crowd of commuters heading home for the day, he sighed with lighthearted contentment.
There were no exploding trash cans, no biting snuffboxes, and certainly no toilets making regurgitating noises.
Everything was so peaceful, so wonderful.
It was as if all the troublemakers had unanimously decided to be good children today.
It allowed him, for once, to get off work right on time.
"What shall we have for dinner tonight? Perhaps a savory beef pie, sprinkled with plenty of cheese."
Arthur couldn't help but lick the corner of his mouth as he felt his stomach rumble.
At that moment.
Following the flow of people, Arthur reached the position of the fountain statues in the Atrium.
The statues depicted a wizard, a centaur, a mermaid, and a goblin, painting a picture of harmonious coexistence.
Though what the reality was, well, that was hard to say.
Arthur thought for a moment, then tossed a silver Sickle into the water, speaking piously:
"Thank you for Merlin's blessing, allowing me to spend a beautiful and peaceful day—"
He hadn't even finished his sentence.
Up ahead.
Suddenly, a cacophony exploded!
It was as if someone had thrown a heavy artillery shell into the crowd.
People began to scream and shout clamorously.
"What happened?"
Curious, Arthur stood on his tiptoes and craned his neck to look, joking, "Haha, making such a fuss, you'd think a Dark Wizard was attacking."
"—Extra! Extra! Gringotts has been blown up! A dragon flew out from underground!"
Arthur: ?
"The mastermind behind the attack is that new Savior, Ethan Vincent! Along with a group of students from the Enlightenment Society led by him!"
Arthur: ??
Arthur's smile froze on his face.
...If he remembered correctly, all four of his children currently at school were members of that "Enlightenment Society"!
Arthur instantly panicked!
His leisurely state of mind vanished into thin air. He desperately pushed through the crowd, squeezing forward:
"Sorry, sorry! Coming through—Ah!"
In his haste, he tripped and fell to the ground.
At the same time.
Whoosh!
A streak of emerald green fire shot up from the personnel-only Floo Network channel.
It brought with it a slight wave of heat.
The crowd, which had been incredibly noisy just a second ago, suddenly fell silent.
Silence spread like a rising tide. Within just a few breaths, the entire Atrium became so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."
Arthur propped himself up, feeling dizzy.
Just as he was trying to climb to his feet.
A pale, slender hand suddenly reached out to him.
The knuckles were distinct, the nails well-trimmed. It had the firmness of a young man.
However, the fingers were stained with a faint color, as if they had been soaked in it for years and it could no longer be washed away.
Arthur: "Oh, thank you!"
He spoke gratefully and looked up.
He was met with a gentle and handsome face.
Ethan "The Culprit" Vincent smiled amiably. "You're welcome, Mr. Weasley. What a coincidence meeting you here; I was just on my way to the courtroom."
Arthur: "..."
Don't talk about going to the courtroom like you're going to the market to buy vegetables!!
Auror: "You've arrived at the perfect time, Mr. Weasley."
"Since you are connected to this 'Gringotts Attack,' please come with us as well."
Arthur: ???
—Who? Me?
Arthur tilted his head back, dumbfounded.
He felt as though he were watching his punctual clock-off time and his savory dinner flapping their wings and flying far away.
...Can I get the money I threw in the fountain back?
Compared to Ethan, he'd rather it be a Dark Wizard attack!!
Sob QAQ!!!
They went all the way down.
To the deepest part of the Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot courtroom.
Ethan sat in the defendant's chair in the center, his hands firmly bound by enchanted iron chains.
The high, tiered seats surrounded him from all directions, creating an immense sense of oppression.
Ethan couldn't help but sigh. "How nostalgic... I'm back here again."
The wizards: "..."
Could you please act a little bit like a criminal?!
A very comical scene unfolded within the courtroom.
Ministry officials in dark purple robes sat with tense faces, staring fixedly at the prisoner tied to the chair.
The prisoner, however, looked completely at ease.
The Aurors were even more on edge, acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Their wands were all pointed straight at the center.
It seemed they were facing not a student, but a human-shaped Dementor!
Or perhaps, something even more terrifying.
Bang!
The unlucky official who had been called upon to act as the judge banged the gavel heavily.
Sweating profusely, he read aloud with a trembling voice:
"Ethan Vincent! You are accused of attacking Gringotts this morning, causing severe financial and reputational damage to the bank!"
"There are countless witnesses!"
"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Ethan did not answer immediately.
Instead, he used those cobalt-blue eyes to coldly scan the judges' bench.
His gaze landed on the newly appointed Minister for Magic, who was sitting in the back with a stiff face, not saying a word.
Slowly, Ethan grinned.
He spoke, enunciating every word clearly:
"Do you remember where the last person who sent me to this courtroom ended up? Minister Scrimgeour~"
—Ruined and disgraced, the former Minister who was still hospitalized at St Mungo's.
Cornelius Fudge!
Minister Scrimgeour's face darkened.
His fingers gripped the armrests tightly.
Gloomy and cold, he locked eyes with the smiling boy below.
...Clearly, the other party was the one tied up.
Yet, it gave Scrimgeour the feeling that he had invited a wolf into his home!
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up!
But the cooperation had already shattered.
War had been declared without smoke. In the game of power, there could only be one winner.
And that had to be him!
Just like Fudge, Scrimgeour had failed to understand one thing from the very beginning.
What Ethan sought was never "power."
Scrimgeour ordered in a low voice, "Now, read the sentence."
"Ah, cough!"
The judge snapped back to reality.
He banged the gavel hard and glanced at Ethan with pity.
Following the pre-arranged procedure, he spoke:
"Er—Since the prisoner has no desire to defend himself! The verdict is as follows:"
"Effective immediately, Ethan Vincent is to be transferred to Azkaban! He will remain there until the second hearing commences!"
As the words fell.
Arthur, who had been "escorting" them, widened his eyes in shock and shouted in astonishment:
"What? Azkaban?!"
"Are you crazy! Ethan is just a child! Azkaban has never imprisoned a child who is still in school!!"
However, what responded to him was a cold silence.
It was like speaking to an iron wall.
As for the so-called "second hearing."
Who knew if it would ever happen?
Wasn't the Sirius Black case settled exactly like this, fading into nothingness?
"Please observe courtroom order, Mr. Weasley," the judge said gravely.
In his heart, he sighed secretly:
No matter who it is, once they enter Azkaban, they will be tortured beyond recognition by the Dementors...
What a pity for such a brilliant young man.
Success due to genius, failure due to genius.
If only he could "assess the situation" like that outstanding Hogwarts graduate, Percy Weasley.
If he didn't have so many dangerous ideas, wouldn't he be able to rise smoothly through the ranks?
What they didn't know was that former Minister Cornelius Fudge, just like them, had prioritized his own career.
He had concealed a key piece of information—
That Ethan could kill even Dementors!
Arthur: "Dumbledore won't allow this! How can you—"
"Save your breath, Mr. Weasley."
Ethan spoke, interrupting him.
He turned his head and smiled.
"I have no objection to this verdict."
Mr. Weasley froze.
He stared blankly at Ethan.
In those always-calm cobalt-blue eyes, he actually saw...
A flicker of amusement?
It seemed... not only did he have no objection to the sentence, he was practically overjoyed!
—Why refuse a government-funded trip to Azkaban?
It just so happened he was running out of "experimental subjects" from Knockturn Alley~.
Hearing this, Minister Scrimgeour actually frowned.
Sitting high upon the judges' bench, he looked down at the quiet Ethan below.
He had originally prepared for Ethan to resist.
He hadn't expected Ethan to be this "cooperative."
...He felt like something wasn't quite right.
But he thought it through.
Dementors were born without emotions; they were the nightmare of wizards.
Even that rough, fearless half-giant Hagrid shivered at the mere mention of Dementors.
No wizard could deal with them.
Including Ethan.
Thinking of this, Scrimgeour nodded secretly to himself.
He relaxed.
The corners of his hard mouth curled up slightly, and a flash of victors' pride and smugness passed through his eyes.
Bang!
The gavel fell heavily.
The judge let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly announced:
"Then the verdict is effective immediately! The executioner shall be..."
The judge looked around.
The officials and Aurors who met his gaze suddenly seemed to develop a profound interest in the courtroom's decor.
They looked at the ceiling, at the floor, at the chandelier.
Anywhere but at him.
Hilarious.
Escorting other prisoners might just get you ambushed and killed.
Escorting Ethan? That was truly stepping into hell—one slip up and you'd become part of a "Great Work of Art"!
Just as the judge was about to play "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" to pick someone.
"I will escort him."
Everyone, including Ethan, turned to look.
A graceful figure stepped out from the shadows.
The light spilled over her chest, casting a large shadow over her abdomen.
Her black hair was pinned up, fully revealing a beautiful face that mixed maturity with youthfulness.
She looked like a rose waiting to bloom.
Her eyes were deep, revealing a touch of exotic allure.
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
He recognized this woman.
She was one of the Aurors who had been stationed at Hogwarts.
She regarded him as a fanatic hero idol.
At this moment.
Those distinctive bright red eyes had shed their previous naivety and clarity.
They had become calm and steady.
"Miss Rosier?" The judge was surprised, looking her up and down hesitantly. "Are you sure you have the ability..."
Before he could finish.
Miss Rosier suddenly raised her hand!
The wand in her hand transformed into a pitch-black, glossy whip. With a crack, it shattered the chains binding Ethan!
It coiled around Ethan's wrist and dragged him over in one go!
It was as if a gorgeous, enchanting rose had suddenly exploded, revealing the violent nature within.
The glamorous female Auror lifted her chin.
Her red lips parted, and she said coldly:
"Ethan Vincent is under my supervision."
"Is there a problem?"
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