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Chapter 183: The Order of Merlin
🕑 Added 2018-07-28 00:13:14 +0000 UTCNext thing, all started moving in the right direction.
The following morning, Evan just woke up when he saw Ron apologizing to him, Harry, and Hermione endlessly.
He burst into tears and said that he was a jerk. He said that he had been controlled by Peter Pettigrew. He said he should not stop believing everyone that comes like him.
Although Evan felt that Ron had concealed some details, he eventually forgave him like Harry and Hermione.
After all, not anyone could successfully break away from the control of the Imperius Curse.
Ron’s last night’s performance was enough to prove that he was different from Peter Pettigrew. He is worthy of being a hero.
Ron didn't stay in the school for too long. With Madam Pomfrey's suggestion, at 7 o'clock in the morning, after breakfast, he was sent to the St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for examination. He should probably spend the rest of the Christmas holidays there.
Although everyone was very worried, Madam Pomfrey repeatedly promised that he should recover, without keeping any sequelae.
Just after being separated from Ron, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, walked into the ward accompanied by Dumbledore. Behind them, there were three adult wizards, one man and two women, who were all in their forties to fifties.
Evan’s eyes wandered between the three, and the lady who followed Fudge was wearing a black robe, she was a square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle.
For this person, Evan didn't have any impression at all.
But when he saw the witch next to her, he had a clump in his heart, a bad feeling. Wouldn’t she be the legendary Umbridge?!
Umbridge wore a fluffy pink cardigan. She was a short squat woman resembling a large pale toad. She had a broad, flabby face, a wide, slack mouth, and little neck. Her eyes were bulging and pouchy.
Even the black velvet bow worn in her mousy brown hair reminded Evan of a big fly, and it was as if she was about to stick out her sticky long tongue to catch it.
Behind Umbridge, there was a serious wizard; he was a stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp robe. The parting in his short gray hair was almost unnaturally straight, and his narrow toothbrush mustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide rule. His shoes were very highly polished. Evan had never seen a wizard who was so strict like this. If he was not wearing a robe but a suit, he could simply pretend to be a Muggle bank manager.
This guy is absolutely the object of Percy’s worship.
In Evan’s impression, there was only one person who could be the object of Percy’s worship in this respect, that is, Barty Crouch, who was finally killed by his Death Eater son Batty Crouch Junior.
Evan looked closely at him, wondering if he had already hidden Barty Crouch Junior at home.
If possible, he would like to report it or say something about it, but he knew that no one would believe him.
As an influential Ministry of Magic official, Bartemius Crouch had a very high reputation. If it was not for his son, he would now probably be the Minister of Magic.
When Evan looked at the three people, they also looked seriously at him, Harry, Hermione, and especially at Harry, for a longest time.
"Good morning, children!" Fudge looked tired and in a poor mental state. It seemed that he didn't sleep last night. He said with a low voice. "It's unbelievable. Everything was actually done by Peter Pettigrew. Black is innocent. Look at what we have done, the Ministry of Magic is going to be a laughingstock, and the Daily Prophet can have a chance to laugh at it, if others know about it..."
"We are now a laughingstock, Minister!" Bartemius Crouch interrupted him, with a hint of impatience in his voice. "We actually shut Sirius Black in Azkaban for 12 years. Who knows how many innocent people are inside it?”
"Yes, you are right!" Fudge seemed to understand what he meant, he hesitated and said with vigilance, "This is indeed the consequence of our negligence, but I remind that you were Head of the Department of Magic Law Enforcement, the allegations against Death Eaters at the time, were all presided over by you..."
"Thank you for your reminding, Minister!" Bartemius Crouch said dryly, "No matter if it was me personally, or the Wizengamot, this is a shame that will never be washed. Fortunately, the children have given us the opportunity to make up for this mistake.”
"It's really fortunate." Fudge didn't seem to be happy at all. He pointed to the three wizards beside him and briefly introduced them to Evan, Harry, and Hermione. "Children, this is Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation; the two ladies are Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic.”
Crouch did not look at them, he kept staring at Dumbledore. Bones showed a smile to Evan, Harry, and Hermione, and she looked more cordial.
As for Umbridge, she had a fake smirk on her face, and then she said hello to the three of them, and made a bell like laughter. The hairs on the back of Evan’s neck stood up.
Harry and Hermione had a bad face, especially Hermione. Under Umbridge's gaze, her small body shrank as much as possible into the bedding she was laying upon.
"Well, children, about Black's case, Wizengamot has set up a special investigation team, and all five of us are members of it." Fudge said shortly, "although I have just heard Albus say it, we still want to hear more about what happened last night.”
Evan, Harry, and Hermione looked at each other, and finally Evan spoke again about what happened last night. He deliberately concealed the details concerning Ron, the Time-Turner and the Centaurs, but said that he caught Peter Pettigrew in the Forbidden Forest.
"It’s shocking, at your age! I couldn’t, all by myself, catch an evil Dark wizard.” Umbridge looked at Evan, speaking with a simpering high-pitched voice that was girlish and breathless.
"It's just luck, ma'am!" Evan replied cautiously.
"There is nothing to be modest about, Evan, you have always been excellent." Fudge turned his hat and continued, "Things are similar to what I imagined. The problem now is if someone is asking you about how you caught Peter Pettigrew, you know..."
"I know, Minister!" Evan nodded. He knew what Fudge was going to say. "Although I finally caught Peter Pettigrew, the Ministry of Magic made a lot of efforts in this matter, like last year’s incident of the Basilisk. I would have told you if I had the chance."
"Thank you, Evan, you have helped us a lot." Fudge breathed a sigh of relief. For him, as long as it did not affect the reputation of the Ministry of Magic and his career, there was no problem with Black’s innocence.
"You have done very well this time. You three besides the boy of the Weasley’s family have just been mentioned. The Ministry is going to apply for the Order of Merlin, Third Class for all four of you!" Fudge continued, "Especially you, Evan, even if I have to fight for it; I think the Second Class will be most fitting.”
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