Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 68: Ms. Marchbank: Too lazy to listen
"Ninth floor, Department of Mysteries."

When Melvin and the principal walked out of the elevator, the cold female voice was still echoing in the elevator.

Outside the elevator was a straight corridor without any curves. The walls were dark and rough. There were no doors or windows on either side. There was only a slightly gloomy black wooden door at the end of the corridor.

Melvin looked across the corridor at the unremarkable black door. Wright had told him that the Ministry of Magic's top-secret scientific research project was hidden inside.

"The work of the Unspeakables is top secret, and we believe their research will change the world." Dumbledore introduced softly.

"Hmm..." Melvin remained noncommittal.

From the Egyptian and Mayan civilizations of the classical magic era to the modern MACUSA and Ministry of Magic, every era and every country's wizarding governing body has similar departments, all claiming to explore the true meaning of magic, the boundaries between life and death, the nature of time and space...

It may take a few hundred years at the shortest, or nearly a thousand years at the longest. Anyway, I haven't heard of any progress so far.

Some research has side effects. The hieroglyphic magic symbols have been cut off, leaving only runes to be passed down with difficulty, and the more ancient magic has almost been completely lost.

After leaving the elevator, turn left and enter a gap. Below is a dark and cold stone staircase. Under the stairs is another corridor, which is very similar to the basement of Hogwarts, with rough stone walls, torches stuck on the brackets, and thick and heavy wooden doors on both sides, inlaid with iron bolts and keyholes.

The doors on both sides of the wall lead to the courtrooms, numbered from one to ten, and the later the number, the more serious the case.

Melvin and the principal's trial today is in Courtroom 4.

Because it was still early, the jury had not yet arrived. After arriving, Melvin and Dumbledore did not enter the courtroom, but waited in the adjacent waiting room for their summons. The staff they met were very measured, and their words and actions were not disrespectful, and they even treated them with respect, not as if they were defendants or suspects.

"Don't worry, Headmaster Dumbledore. Umbridge is suing you because she's desperate for a promotion. The Minister is out on a visit and hasn't returned yet. Otherwise, she would have stopped this ridiculous trial. However, the other members of the Wizengamot are well aware of her intentions and will not let her succeed."

"Professor Lewynter, your name is widely known in every pub on the British Isles. My colleagues and I always go to the pub for a drink after get off work. We all agree that the Shadow Mirror is a great invention that has changed the wizarding world."

"My pleasure……"

Melvin and several staff members expressed their gratitude politely.

Dumbledore didn't say much after entering the waiting room and was in a low mood.

Melvin noticed this, and out of concern for the elderly wizard, he comforted him, "Don't worry, we made a plan during the Christmas holidays. The trial won't take too long and will be over soon. I'm sure you'll be able to return to school and sit in on Harry's Dark Lord introductory class."

"I just feel a little sorry..." Dumbledore said softly, "Cornelly was once a very good wizard. In less than two years, his heart has shriveled and withered, turning into a hairy heart that craves power."

……

"quiet."

The shrill, piercing voice of a little girl echoed in the courtroom. It was deliberately artificial and sickening, especially knowing that this childish voice came from the throat of a middle-aged witch. Most wizards in the room felt very uncomfortable and awkward.

The principal and professor on trial were unaffected. They stood in the middle of the room, looking around the courtroom calmly.

This is a spacious underground circular hall with an overall stepped sunken structure. The outer circle is the jury and audience seats, and the inner circle is a low stone platform. In the center of the stone platform is an iron chair with shackles and copper locks on it. The unique structure creates an oppressive feeling of being watched and scrutinized.

There was a slight dampness in the air. The walls, floor and dome were all made of black stone. Torches and oil lamps were of little use. Bright light poured down from the skylight, illuminating the dark tables and chairs in the courtroom.

Behind the high table in front stood the presiding judge, Umbridge, wearing a black square-edged wizard hat and black judicial robes. Her forehead was covered with neatly curled hair. She was short and fat, with loose skin, unhealthy pink cheeks, and a false and friendly smile on her face, like a low-quality work in a wax museum.

On both sides, you can see many Wizengamot members wearing purple robes, with an exquisite silver "W" embroidered on the left chest. They look down at the two people in the field, making subtle sounds when they talk in low voices.

Melvin saw several familiar faces, Ms. Marchbank and Professor Tofty from the Wizarding Examinations Authority, Scrimgeour from the Ministry of Magic, and Crouch and Bones, whom he had never met but had seen their photos in the newspaper.

Some nodded to the old principal, some looked apologetic, and some looked away guiltily with a glimmer in their eyes.

Although he knew that Dumbledore was prosecuted on his own initiative, Melvin still felt a little guilty. If he had not been implicated by the Shadow Mirror, as the chief wizard of the Wizengamot, he should have sat on it instead of being watched and scrutinized.

"The trial on February 2nd." Umbridge shrilled again, her eyes fixed firmly on Dumbledore, slightly wide apart, like a toad. "Presiding Judge: Dolores Jane Umbridge of the Office of the Improper Use of Magic, Clerk: Nymphadora Tonks..."

Tonks, who was in charge of recording the trial, winked at the old headmaster and then at the professor, expressing her apology.

"The trial of Melvin Ryan Levent, Professor of Muggle Studies." Umbridge paused, her eyes sweeping over the names of the suspects about to be read out, her voice trembling with excitement, "and the current headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Percival -"

"Sorry to interrupt."

Melvin's cough interrupted the speech, and before Umbridge could finish reading the headmaster's name as the suspect, he came to the presiding judge's desk and looked at him. His voice, like a bell, was clearly heard by the wizards present:
"Ms. Jurors, I believe everyone here is aware of the origins of today's accusations, and that this case lacks any procedural due process.

"According to Article 19, Paragraph 3 of the Ministry of Magic's Regulations on Legal and Disciplinary Procedures, any illegal sale of prohibited magical items by foreign wizards must be investigated by the Department of International Magical Cooperation, which will issue a written notice to the wizard. The case cannot be escalated to a criminal trial until the investigation and evidence collection are complete."

"This case was initiated by Director Umbridge and skipped the preliminary hearing.

"If the director of a secondary department can, due to personal emotions, bypass due judicial procedures and unscrupulously bring ordinary wizards and the chief wizard of the Wizengamot to trial, then what is the point of the British Ministry of Magic establishing the Wizengamot?"

This was a plan that Melvin and Wright had agreed upon long ago. With the help of the identity of foreign wizards, the authority and responsibility for hearing the case would be transferred to the Department of International Affairs Cooperation, eliminating the influence of Fudge and Umbridge.

Barty Crouch, the director of the Department of International Affairs, lost his position as minister because of his Death Eater son, but he had a good reputation in his job and Wright believed that he could handle it impartially. If the director lacked integrity, Melvin happened to know some secrets and could provide some insignificant help.

Crouch was sitting in the jury box at the moment, unaware that he was being watched, with no particular expression on his face.

The Shadow Mirror is a recent magical invention and is not prohibited if you look closely. If it weren't for its special function that made it a target of Umbridge, Professor Lewynter and Monk Stanley should have been nominated for the Order of Merlin.

The Wizengamot members of the jury were discussing among themselves. Many wizards had not expected that this foreign professor would directly challenge them, and he was very familiar with the laws of the Ministry of Magic.

Ms. Marchbank looked at the young professor on the scene. Although he was standing low and looking up, he had an air of superiority over the presiding judge.

The entire jury was divided into three factions: one group was close to Dumbledore, one group supported Umbridge at the instruction of Minister Fudge, and the other group was independent of both.

"you!"

Umbridge gritted her teeth and tried to suppress her anger, forcing herself not to show any other expression. The muscles on both sides of her neck were tense, and her whole face seemed to be strangled. After a pause of a few seconds, she squeezed out the coquettish voice of a little girl:

"Mr. Lewynter, I know you have a lot to say, and you can put it in your self-defense. Now, please allow me to continue presiding over the trial. Perhaps you are not familiar with the normal procedures. After all, you graduated from Ilvermorny, a school with a short history and a hasty establishment. Oh, I forgot, you are a dropout, and your major is also the vulgar Muggle Studies..."

Marchbank, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but frown and stared at the witch presiding with a serious expression.

Melvin's question was quite insightful. Recently, a few old guys at the Wizarding Examinations Authority had read about the Muggles' views on procedural justice, and they wanted to hear more of Melvin's opinions on Wizengamor and the Ministry of Magic. But now, a discussion about the system had been reduced to vulgar personal attacks by Umbridge. This kind of witch wasn't qualified to debate with a special advisor to the Wizarding Examinations Authority, and Marchban couldn't be bothered to listen to her nasty chatter.

Marchbanks was over two hundred years old and had no patience for anything that was annoying. She cleared her throat and said, "This case is indeed not in compliance with the regulations. In accordance with Article 5 of the Amendment to the Ministry of Magical Judicial Procedure Convention, I propose to initiate the voting procedure immediately—"

Umbridge's face turned grim, and she shouted in a shrill girlish voice, "You are contempt of court and contempt of the presiding judge!"

Without even glancing at her, Marchbank said casually, "Those who think that shadow mirrors are illegal items, please raise your hands."

"I don't agree!" Umbridge shouted angrily, and her shrill girlish voice broke a little, like the shrill cry of an old crow.

The last time the Ministry of Magic tried to interfere with the teaching changes at Hogwarts, it was this old guy who directly mobilized the Wizengamot for a vote. This time, it was this old man who was examining the Shadow Mirror again!

One was a director with two hundred years of accumulated prestige, his expression was calm and composed, the other was an office director who had been promoted recently, he was angry and had an ugly posture. There was almost no suspense in the dispute between the two. The members of the jury who were close to the principal quickly expressed their opinions, and the neutral jurors did not hesitate much.

"Please raise your hands if you think that shadow mirrors are not prohibited items."

More than half of the wizards on the jury raised their hands, and the situation became extremely clear.

Scrimgeour, who was sitting on the right, had a complicated expression on his face as he looked deeply at the two people in the field.

Was this arranged by Dumbledore?
It should not be.

Ms. Marchbank's words clearly favored Lewynter. She voted on whether the shadow mirror violated the rules. Dumbledore and Lewynter were never treated as criminals.

The group of old wizards from the Wizarding Examinations Authority were obviously helping their special advisor, Professor Lewinter, who had been here for less than a year and had already quietly built up his own power.

Scrimgeour thought so and cast his vote, believing that Shadow Mirror was legal and compliant.

Except for a few members of the ministerial faction, no one cared about the presiding judge's opinion. The jury quickly completed the statistics, and less than one-third of the members believed that the shadow mirror was in violation of the rules.

"You are in contempt of court and the Ministry of Magic!"

Seeing that Umbridge was still taking a breath to calm her anger, the muscles in her neck were twisted, Ms. Bones of the Law Enforcement Department stood up and announced: "The charges are not established and are dropped!"

"..."

There was a commotion in the courtroom, and the jury members left the courtroom one after another.

"Wait for the minister to come back, just wait for the minister to come back..."

Umbridge muttered softly, lowering her head to hide the shame and resentment in her eyes, and turned away without looking back.

“Delightful results!”

Ms. Marchbank deliberately raised her voice. She caught a glimpse of the director quickening his pace in irritation. She couldn't help but smile, trembling as she left her seat and walked to the platform below in the rotunda. "Melvin, I just happen to have some questions about procedural justice..."

"..."

Melvin still didn't react.

He had made sufficient preparations for this trial, spending a lot of time reviewing laws and regulations and files, and was fully looking forward to arguing with the witches in the courtroom and harvesting some magic power at the same time.

But he never expected that Ms. Marchban would be unreasonable and would use her power to overpower others, ending the trial in less than ten minutes.

He had absolutely no room to play.

Without waiting for Melvin to answer, Dumbledore smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Professor Marchbanks, but we have some things to do and must get back to school as soon as possible."

"Goodbye, Professor Marchbank."

Melvin waved goodbye hastily and followed the principal.

Marchbank looked stunned as he watched the old principal and the young professor walk away, then turned around and left the rotunda silently.

After leaving the courtroom, the two did not take the elevator to leave the Ministry of Magic. Instead, they found a random room where no one would disturb them. Dim shadows enveloped them. The old headmaster stood beside Melvin, one hand raised flat, and called softly, "Fawkes."

"squeak!"

Along with a clear cry, a bright orange flame appeared out of nowhere in the dim room, and the flames instantly engulfed the two of them.

Two figures disappeared in the flames.

……

"Miss Granger, Dumbledore and Professor Lewynter received an urgent letter from the Ministry of Magic this morning and have already arrived in London. Their time is precious."

"Potter, I don't know how you found out about the Philosopher's Stone, but don't worry, no one can steal it. It's well protected."

"That's enough, Weasley. This is not something you should get involved in. I suggest you go outside and get some sunshine."

"..."

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked through the corridor on the fourth floor, Professor McGonagall's instructions still echoing in their ears. The Vice-Principal's attitude was very firm, and no amount of persuasion was of any use. Now they had to find a solution on their own.

When they came outside the room, they saw the half-open door. The three little faces were tense and their expressions were solemn.

Harry's face paled slightly, but his eyes were more determined. "It doesn't matter whether we lose points or not, and it doesn't matter whether we are expelled or not. We must go through that trapdoor and try to get the Philosopher's Stone first."

"You're right, Harry," Hermione said softly, with the candy given by Professor Lewynter in her pocket.

Ron nodded heavily.

The three of them put on the invisibility cloak together and pushed open the door.

(End of this chapter)