"If I hadn't killed him, more students would have died."
Liam's voice rang clearly through the courtroom.
"You can ask the witnesses. Plenty of people saw that Death Eater using the Killing Curse."
He leaned back slightly.
"And unless Hogwarts has suddenly started teaching Unforgivable Curses to third-years, I find it difficult to believe that Kurat Vannier somehow learned the Killing Curse on his own."
A few members of the Wizengamot nodded.
The logic was difficult to dispute.
Liam's gaze shifted toward Fudge.
"Or perhaps you're confident enough to face someone casting the Killing Curse and still calmly select the perfect non-lethal spell in response."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"If that's the case, Minister, I'd be happy to test your skills personally."
Whispers immediately spread throughout the chamber.
The judges seated behind Fudge began quietly discussing the matter among themselves.
As Liam had pointed out, nobody present truly believed they would hold back if someone aimed the Killing Curse at them.
Fear of death was universal.
More importantly, Liam's position as a victim was becoming increasingly obvious.
Unlike the Ministry of Magic, the Wizengamot was an independent judicial body.
Many of its members held their seats due to reputation, influence, or achievement rather than political appointment.
Fudge and Umbridge were members of the court.
They did not control it.
In many ways, the Wizengamot stood above the Ministry itself.
Fudge's face immediately turned pale.
Liam's challenge sounded suspiciously close to a threat.
The Minister knew exactly how dangerous the boy sitting before him was.
Twenty Aurors.
That number still haunted him.
If he continued insisting that Liam should have used non-lethal force, the conversation might eventually lead somewhere he didn't want it to go.
"This..."
Fudge hesitated.
"I think further investigation may be necessary."
His instinct was simple.
Delay the verdict.
Buy time.
Find a different way to trap Liam later.
Unfortunately, Liam wasn't interested in helping him.
"Please make your ruling."
The interruption was immediate.
Liam's expression remained perfectly calm.
"I don't believe this is a particularly complicated case."
His silver eyes swept across the courtroom.
"You've already wasted enough of my study time. I don't have endless free afternoons available to sit here while people ask pointless questions."
Several judges couldn't help smiling.
Fudge's expression darkened further.
Realizing there was no way to postpone matters without appearing ridiculous, he reluctantly raised his hand.
"Very well."
His voice carried obvious irritation.
"Those who believe Mr. Hale is guilty of murder at Hogwarts, raise your hands."
Immediately, Fudge raised his own.
Umbridge followed.
A handful of Ministry-aligned judges reluctantly did the same.
Then...
Nothing.
The rest of the courtroom remained motionless.
Most members of the Wizengamot didn't even consider the matter debatable.
The evidence overwhelmingly supported Liam's actions.
A Death Eater had been using the Killing Curse against students.
The threat had been neutralized.
Case closed.
Fudge stared at the sea of unmoving hands.
His face twitched.
Then he slammed the gavel onto the desk.
"Innocent."
The word sounded as though it physically hurt him.
Without another sentence, he stood and stormed out of the courtroom.
Liam watched him leave.
His expression remained cold.
The moment Fudge's incompetence allowed Voldemort's soul fragment to escape, the Minister had already entered Liam's list of enemies.
The attempted framing only confirmed it.
Still, removing Fudge immediately would be a mistake.
The wizarding world was already unstable.
If the Minister for Magic suddenly died, chaos would follow.
And chaos would benefit Voldemort far more than anyone else.
For now, the Ministry's Aurors were still searching for Voldemort across Britain.
Even if they weren't particularly effective, they at least limited the Dark Lord's freedom to recover.
There was another problem as well.
Liam currently had nobody suitable to replace Fudge.
Hermione was brilliant, but she was only eleven years old.
She had barely begun studying magic.
Placing her in the Ministry was impossible.
Gilderoy Lockhart had fame, but very little competence.
Replacing one problem with a larger problem wasn't an improvement.
If Liam removed Fudge only to have another capable politician take power, things could become even more troublesome later.
No.
For now, Fudge could keep his position.
Let him enjoy it while he could.
Another person occupied Liam's thoughts.
Kingsley Shacklebolt.
During their conversation on the Hogwarts Express, Liam had sensed something.
Potential.
Kingsley clearly had expectations regarding him.
More importantly, Kingsley possessed genuine ability.
Among Aurors, he was unquestionably one of the best.
Fearless.
Capable.
Intelligent.
Several months earlier, if Kingsley hadn't personally led the operation, Liam doubted the Ministry would have succeeded in sending him to Azkaban.
But now wasn't the right time to recruit him.
Interest was not loyalty.
Respect was not allegiance.
And trying to control someone like Kingsley through magical coercion would be a disaster.
His willpower was far too strong.
Any attempt at forced control would likely create an enemy rather than an ally.
No.
Kingsley would have to be won over naturally.
By actions.
By results.
By proving that following Liam was the correct choice.
When the time came to hunt Voldemort, Kingsley would see exactly what kind of person Liam was.
The Auror valued justice.
As long as Liam continued acting in ways Kingsley considered right, the man would eventually move closer on his own.
Liam rose from the defendant's chair and left the courtroom.
The hallway outside was empty.
Kingsley had apparently departed with Fudge.
After leaving the Department of Mysteries, Liam headed toward a nearby Ministry restroom.
A moment later, a gray vortex appeared.
Space twisted.
Then he vanished.
Deep within Knockturn Alley, another gray vortex opened inside Borgin's shop.
Liam stepped out.
The instant Borgin saw him, a broad smile spread across his face.
"Our celebrity returns!"
The dark wizard rubbed his hands eagerly.
"I haven't seen you in a while, but I keep hearing stories about your adventures at Hogwarts."
Liam ignored the greeting.
With a casual wave of his hand, a sign reading CLOSED appeared on the front door.
The locks immediately clicked into place.
Borgin's smile slowly faded.
He understood.
This wasn't a social visit.
"There's a traitor inside the Ministry."
Liam got straight to the point.
"Voldemort wasn't executed. He escaped."
Borgin's eyes widened slightly.
Liam continued.
"If my guess is correct, someone has already come to you looking for another fake Philosopher's Stone."
"That's true."
Borgin nodded slowly.
"The buyer used concealment magic. I couldn't identify them."
"It doesn't matter who they were."
Liam shrugged.
"They were Death Eaters."
The explanation was obvious.
"They intend to use the Philosopher's Stone to create a new body for Voldemort."
A smile slowly formed on Liam's face.
"Unfortunately for them, I replaced the real stone before they got their hands on it."
Borgin burst out laughing.
"Beautiful!"
He slapped the counter enthusiastically.
"I knew you were lucky."
His eyes immediately began shining with greed.
"So..."
He leaned forward.
"Did you come here to sell the real Philosopher's Stone?"
Borgin ran a hand through his hair.
The excitement in his expression was impossible to hide.
The genuine Philosopher's Stone was one of the rarest magical treasures in existence.
A priceless artifact.
The kind of item capable of making a dealer wealthy beyond imagination.
Naturally, the possibility left him practically vibrating with anticipation.
....
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