No one understood how to argue against the Ministry of Magic better than Eda.
The disturbances at the World Cup had already left the Ministry humiliated, making the British wizarding representatives unable to hold their heads up at the International Confederation of Wizards.
The equally unsuccessful Triwizard Tournament had made the Ministry of Magic a laughingstock for a time.
At a time like this, if Eda were to go traveling from country to country, even if the other countries refused to accept her complaints, the Ministry's reputation would be ruined anyway. They might as well disband on the spot.
Like pushing a millstone while naked, going around in circles and humiliating yourself.
This time, Eda had hit the Ministry right where it hurt, while the Ministry had little it could do about her.
For the sake of international reputation, were they really going to detain her? On what charge? Defamation? Making a false accusation against Minister Fudge?
Don't forget, Dumbledore was still out there! Detaining two of Dumbledore's beloved students at once might solve the immediate problem, but what about afterward?
Did they really think the Headmaster of Hogwarts would not lose his temper?
Besides, the Ministry of Magic was not a single unified entity, nor was it a place where Fudge had absolute authority. The Minister was merely sitting in the Minister's seat while surrounding himself with a bunch of people seeking personal gain.
The moment Fudge's position became unstable and something went wrong, these people would be the first to abandon him.
How could they possibly live or die alongside Fudge? They would only viciously trample him into the ground and make sure he could never rise again.
Everyone present looked toward Eda. She simply stood there, neither moving, speaking, nor smiling.
Yet everyone realized that the threat coming from this girl was not an empty one. If she said she would do something, she would do it.
Everyone turned toward Fudge and began putting pressure on the Minister. It was only a Squib witness, so just let her come in! How much time could that possibly take?
But Fudge refused to give in, and he had no intention of giving in.
He was the Minister of Magic, the leader of the wizarding world! Yet a mere student of Dumbledore's had managed to put him in such an embarrassing position. The Minister was not willing to accept this!
Just as the two sides were deadlocked and Eda's patience was nearly exhausted, someone finally spoke.
If nobody said anything soon, Eda was already considering forcibly breaking Harry out of prison. After all, there was not a single person present who could put up a fight.
"Let the witness come in," Madam Bones said. "Harry Potter's case is full of doubts and inconsistencies. Having a witness testify will make it easier for us to reach a proper judgment and prevent another wrongful conviction."
"Weasley, you go," Fudge said roughly, venting all the anger in his heart on Percy Weasley.
Watching Percy run down from the judge's bench and hurry outside, Eda felt that Percy looked remarkably like a dog at that moment.
Eda did not understand why Percy would rather be a lackey who could be beaten and cursed at by anyone than stand on the side of his family and the truth.
Was power really that tempting? Could it make someone disregard everything like this...
A moment later, Percy returned, followed by Mrs. Figg. She looked frightened.
But even though her voice trembled, Mrs. Figg still testified without hesitation. Under the contemptuous gazes of everyone present and Fudge's rough and rude questioning, she nevertheless told the truth and described everything she had seen.
Although Mrs. Figg was a Squib whom everyone looked down upon, Eda felt that she was better than many of the people present. She was a respectable person.
With Madam Bones's help, whose questioning was actually more like guidance, Mrs. Figg completed what she needed to do.
Through her testimony, she proved that Harry Potter had not used magic for no reason, but had done so to protect himself and defend against the Dementors' attack.
"I told you, the testimony of a Squib is difficult to believe," Fudge said coldly.
At this moment, Mrs. Figg had only just left the courtroom. The courtroom door had not even been closed, so she could clearly hear the insults coming from the Minister for Magic.
"Not necessarily," Madam Bones retorted in her deep, resonant voice. "Mrs. Figg described the Dementors very accurately. I cannot imagine why she would say such things if they had not been there."
"Dementors do not go to Muggle residential areas, much less attack a wizard for no reason," Fudge said contemptuously. "All Dementors obey the Ministry of Magic."
Listening to Fudge's words and observing the expression on his face, Eda believed that the Minister was most likely genuinely unaware of what had happened. Pitiful, pathetic, and rather laughable.
"The witness has already given her statement and been questioned. This is enough to prove that Harry Potter was attacked by Dementors and only cast magic when his personal safety was under threat," Eda said loudly. "I really cannot see which law the defendant has violated."
Fudge looked at Eda. He said, "Dementors would not appear in Little Whinging! Harry Potter has previously performed the Hover Charm for no reason, and he has also used magic to inflate a Muggle. I have reason to believe..."
"Please forgive me, Minister," Eda loudly interrupted Fudge. "Those two incidents have nothing to do with this case."
"The Hover Charm was cast by a house-elf, not me!" Harry shouted. "He's at Hogwarts right now!"
"See? You're making things up again! Why would a house-elf appear in front of Muggles?" Fudge shouted along with him. "Why would it cast the Hover Charm?"
Since Fudge wanted to argue about these things, then Eda was more than happy to argue them properly. She was not going to indulge Fudge's bad habit of dredging up old matters. As if she could not dredge up old matters too!
"In 1994, at the World Cup campsite, the defendant was attacked by subordinates of the Ministry of Magic. Their reason was that they suspected the defendant had cast the Dark Mark." Eda smiled, her expression filled with mockery. "Harry Potter, who defeated Voldemort, cast the Dark Mark!"
Merely mentioning Voldemort's name was enough to make everyone present shudder. This was the Ministry of Magic, the Ministry that supposedly led the wizarding world, yet a single name was enough to make them tremble in fear.
"In 1993, Dementors acting under the orders of the Ministry of Magic broke into the Hogwarts grounds and attacked the defendant, causing him to fall from a height of dozens of feet. If Professor Dumbledore had not been there, the defendant might have been smashed into a pile of flesh. Yet the Ministry of Magic could not even come up with a decent explanation."
"Do I need to continue?" A cold smile appeared at the corner of Eda's mouth as she continued, "I have reason to suspect that in 1995, which is the year of this case, someone deliberately ordered the Dementors to attack the defendant. As for the reason, I won't say it... You all know perfectly well."
Eda's words caused an uproar throughout the courtroom.
Previously, although Eda had also been implying that the Ministry of Magic wanted to kill Harry Potter, and Madam Bones had subtly directed suspicion toward Fudge, those had only been hints. Everyone could simply pretend they did not understand!
Now, however, Eda had laid everything bare. She had only stopped short of pointing at Fudge's nose and saying that he was the murderer and mastermind behind it all. How were they supposed to continue pretending to be deaf, dumb, and stupid?
Madness. This girl was completely insane! Only that old lunatic Dumbledore could teach such a little lunatic!
Fudge clenched both fists, and he was practically crushing the little wooden gavel in his hand.
His face had turned the color of liver, and the muscles on his face twitched with rage. The Minister was furious.
He was furious at himself for bringing up those old matters for no reason. By bringing them up, he had practically dragged himself into the mess as well.
At this point in the hearing, with the other side being so completely fearless, even Fudge, no matter how stupid he was, knew that what the other side had said was the truth.
The Dementors really had attacked Harry Potter, without the knowledge of the Minister himself!
All the Wizengamot members and Ministry officials present remained completely still and silent. They were all waiting for Fudge to make a decision.
Would he stubbornly insist that Harry Potter had performed magic outside school, or would he admit defeat and declare Harry Potter innocent?
If Dumbledore were standing here, the professor might still consider the bigger picture and use reason and the law to force Fudge into submission.
But Eda was different. She had her own way of doing things. She could make an argument out of nothing, let alone when she actually had the facts on her side.
Esmeralda Twist was a remarkable woman who dared to compete with Snape in verbal viciousness, dared to debate Grindelwald, and dared to disregard Dumbledore. Fudge, how many teachers did he have?
Looking at the silent crowd, Eda only wanted to ask one thing:
Who else?!
At that moment, the witch sitting to Fudge's right, her face hidden in shadow, moved slightly and let out a soft, girlish cough.
___
Ahh, our favourite pink toad wants to say something xD
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