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Chapter 887: Old Courtroom Ten
🕑 Added 2023-09-30 11:17:02 +0000 UTCEvan didn't really mind; even if he were temporarily expelled from Hogwarts, it wouldn't matter much.
He could take advantage of this time to explore other places, or go directly to Norway to find Sirius to solve the vampires’ troubles.
He’d really thought about leaving Hogwarts for a while some time ago...
Anyway, he had nothing to deal with urgently at Hogwarts. Naturally, it went without saying that the fourth year course was too simple for his current level, without any difficulty or significance.
He hadn’t studied the devil altar under the kitchens yet. Considering the power of the demon he’d seen in Dijon, he felt it was best not to summon the demon easily until everything was clear.
The treasure key and the Time-Turner left by Ravenclaw could wait until the time was right.
With the war looming, Evan did not intend to waste a precious year dealing with the obnoxious Umbridge.
He was looking for an opportunity to temporarily leave Hogwarts for a while, but there was no good reason.
Under Umbridge's watch, Dumbledore could not give him a few months of vacation for no reason like last term.
Pretending to be sick was not a good way, although there were many infectious diseases that could make Evan isolated in his home.
Not long ago, he'd specially read about the student exchange programme between schools, but the most basic condition for him to become part of the programme was to pass the Ordinary Wizarding Level, and Sirius didn't approve of Evan leaving school at this time.
Evan hadn't spoken to Dumbledore yet. He hadn't seen him at all recently, and he hadn’t thought about what to say.
Evan had no good reason, and with his understanding of Dumbledore, the latter would certainly not agree.
Finally, after thinking about it, he decided to use this time to help Hermione and the others improve their strengths. He would also seize the time to fully grasp alchemy and other magic books of the Black family. By then he would act according to circumstances.
With Umbridge's ability to make trouble, it was only a matter of time before Dumbledore would be driven away.
Then, he would find another chance to leave Hogwarts.
But unlike Evan, Harry could not leave Hogwarts, it was not safe, and he had nowhere else to go. So, they couldn’t let Fudge expel him...
Mr. Weasley dragged them out, skidded to a halt beside the lifts and jabbed impatiently at the down button.
"Come on!" He said anxiously, "I really don't understand why they’ve changed the time and place before the hearing and used old Courtroom Ten. But thank goodness we got here so early, if you’d missed it, it would have been catastrophic!"
The lift clattered into view and they hurried inside. Every time it stopped Mr. Weasley cursed furiously and pummelled the number nine button.
“Those courtrooms haven’t been used in years,” said Mr. Weasley angrily. “I can’t think why they’re doing it down there. Those people are crazy, why are they doing that? Unless … but no…"
A plump witch carrying a smoking goblet entered the lift at that moment, and Mr. Weasley did not elaborate and kept urging her to hurry up.
“The Atrium,” said the cool female voice and the golden grilles slid open. The plump witch got out and a sallow-skinned wizard with a very mournful face got in.
“Morning, Arthur,” he said in a sepulchral voice as the lift began to descend. “Don’t often see you down here …"
“Urgent business, Bode,” said Mr. Weasley, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet and throwing anxious looks over at Evan and Harry.
Evan and Harry ignored Bode, who looked at the two curiously and his eyes finally fell on Harry.
“Department of Mysteries,” said the cool female voice, and left it at that.
"Quick, Evan, Harry," said Mr. Weasley as the lift doors rattled open.
They sped up a corridor that was quite different from those above. The walls were bare; there were no windows and no doors apart from a plain black one set at the very end of the corridor.
Mr. Weasley seized them by the arm and dragged them to the left, where there was an opening leading to a flight of steps.
“Down here, down here,” panted Mr. Weasley, taking two steps at a time. "Evan must have been here before when he got to Azkaban. The lift doesn’t even come down this far … why they’re doing it there; I really …”
"Azkaban?!" snapped Harry abruptly, as if someone had punched him hard.
He wanted to know what was going on, but no one explained it to him.
They reached the bottom of the steps and ran along yet another corridor, which bore a great resemblance to that which led to Snape’s dungeon at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and torches in brackets. The doors they passed here were heavy wooden ones with iron bolts and keyholes.
“Courtroom … ten … I think … we’re nearly … yes."
Mr. Weasley stumbled to a halt outside a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock and slumped against the wall, clutching at a stitch in his chest.
"Go on," he panted, pointing his thumb at the door. "Get in there. They’ve put the two hearings together. Indeed, it’s the same thing, so be careful.”
“Aren’t … aren’t you coming with …?” Harry asked.
“No, no, I’m not allowed. Good luck!” said Mr. Weasley.
"Come on, Harry, it’s nothing we can’t do, we’re not guilty anyway," said Evan. He turned the heavy iron door handle and pulled Harry inside the courtroom.
Evan looked around, nodding not really surprised, this place was really big. Behind him, Harry gasped visibly, unable to help himself.
The large dungeon he had entered was horribly familiar. He had not only seen it before, he had been here before.
This was the place he and Evan had visited inside Dumbledore’s Pensieve, the place where he had watched the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, and where the madman Barty Crouch Jr, had been tried...
The walls were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches.
Empty benches rose on either side of them, but ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy figures, looking at them indifferently, looking extremely scary.
They had been talking in low voices, but as the heavy door swung closed behind Harry an ominous silence fell.
