HP: For a better world

Fudge looked at Snape, then looked down at Winston who was speaking.

"Child, if you are hallucinating because you are going crazy with pain and want to attract attention, then admit it." Fudge's eyes were full of pity. His gaze swept across the name written on the head of the bed and said gently, "Winster, please allow me to call you that. Believe me, it's no big deal. As long as you are willing to admit that you just had hallucinations, we all understand... and accept... the fear werewolf is not--" something that cannot be said.

Fudge sighed.

"Oh?" Winster interrupted him coldly, "I'm afraid I'm still some distance away from becoming a werewolf, Minister." He saw the politician's face carved in Fudge's eyebrows and eyes, and he was not too surprised. He just felt a wave of fatigue coming over him.

The Ministry of Magic is not trustworthy, is it? It's just that Winston confirmed this point again. At least their violent institutions, Aurors and Azkaban, are still enough to deter, and it should be enough to lock up a disabled Wormtail.

Snape's and Madam Pomfrey's voices echoed one after the other.

"Based on your words alone, Mr. Minister," Snape said coldly, "can I assume that you are inducing my students to change their testimony?"

"No, I don't mean that!" Fudge waved his hand and denied it quickly. He could deny Snape's evidence because he vouched for the identity of the former Death Eater and the person who vouched for Peter was Dumbledore.

All the good and bad things were said by Dumbledore. Such unilateral evidence is not credible and physical evidence is needed. Otherwise, who knows what Dumbledore wants to do just by his words.

"Are you questioning my medical skills?" Madam Pomfrey raised her voice. "I am sure that White is very sane." She said sarcastically, "At least much more sane than your thoughtless remarks just now."

"Minister of Magic?"

She snorted heavily.

"I was the one who treated you when you got into a fight in the corridor and were sent to the hospital wing! Feeling your bones, I wonder if my medical skills are not enough to confirm a student's sobriety—"

Hermione and Harry looked at Fudge with strange eyes, revealing an expression of "It turns out that the Minister of Magic also violated school rules in the past."

Fudge broke out in a cold sweat. This was the bad thing about being in Hogwarts. Without realizing it, you might meet a professor who used to teach you and knew all your dark history.

Even saved you.

Fudge had no words to say, so he could only change his tone quickly, "How could that be, Madam Pomfrey?" He complimented, "You are the most famous healer who has retired from St. Mungo's, and they still want you back."

"Madam" Pomfrey, who had not been married when Fudge was in school, snorted again, which was considered tactful.

"As a Slytherin student, I am responsible for every word I say," said Winster.

Fudge hesitated.

"If you still don't believe it, Fudge." Pomfrey said bluntly, "Then I will vouch for this child. I have watched him for several years. Winster is a good boy. I believe in his honesty in this matter."

"I don't mean to disbelieve it," Fudge sniffed and spread his hands in embarrassment, "but Peter Pettigrew has been dead for a long time. Even the remaining finger and the Merlin First Class Badge were sent to his mother by me."

"You want me to deny Sirius Black's charges and admit that Peter is a criminal. Then this Merlin badge must be taken back. You must give me a good reason. The Ministry of Magic cannot easily revoke a person's honor, especially when he is a well-known hero."

Fudge said.

"I can't just declare Black innocent. How will others view me and the British Ministry of Magic?"

"People are waiting for us to catch Blake and give him a kiss."

Harry stepped forward, wand in hand, aggressively.

"But, when Sirius is innocent, then this kiss should not belong to him, but to a dirtier and more despicable traitor -"

"Peter Pettigrew." Winston said softly.

"Peter Pettigrew." Harry nodded heavily.

Fudge said unceremoniously, "But that's what you said, understand? I won't admit your words until I see the definite proof that Peter Pettigrew is still alive."

"——But I have, I have evidence." Winster whispered.

"Harry," Winston called suddenly, and Harry turned around, "Do you remember the crystal ball I dropped on Christmas Day?"

"Crystal ball?" Harry repeated doubtfully. "The crystal ball you dropped six months ago?"

Harry, recalling the hole in the Shrieking Shack's lobby and the damaged furniture planks, answered in the affirmative.

"I remember it, but I didn't see it in the Shrieking Shack - is it related to this?"

"In fact, I found it next to Crookshanks. I don't know when it was turned on and it's been running ever since. I don't think you noticed it at all, did you?"

Winster curled the corners of his mouth, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Hermione's eyes widened as she remembered Winston playing with a grey crystal ball while Peter cried.

"That's very kind of you, Mr. White." Dumbledore pushed open the door and walked in with a booming voice.

"As it happens, I brought our gamekeeper here, and he just caught a mouse with both legs missing. I think we have all the evidence now... Hagrid?"

"I have brought Scabbers here, Headmaster Dumbledore. Where is the traitor you mentioned?" Hagrid's angry voice shook everyone's ears. "I can't wait to deal with that traitor--"

"I'm sorry, Hagrid," said Dumbledore. "I'm afraid we still have a few things to sort out, some answers that are completely contrary to our understanding - please put the cage with the mouse on the ground between us... Yes, there it will be."

Hagrid's big hand, like a palm leaf fan, carefully pulled out a small wicker cage from his body, pinched the top and placed it among the crowd.

There was a disabled mouse lying inside in despair.

There were traces of bites on the vine, and it was obvious that he had struggled.

Dumbledore smiled at Winston, "I think you would be willing to tell us where the crystal ball is now."

"If nothing unexpected happens, I think it's still in the Screaming Shack, sir," said Winster. "To prevent any accidents, I left it there and hid it, planning to get it during the day - now it seems that my move was very wise."

"Very prescient," Dumbledore praised.

"I can go get it right now!" said Harry happily.

In fact, if he had time, Winster had originally planned to make a replica.

"No, Harry," said Winston. "Just a Summoning Charm."

As soon as Winston's hand moved, Snape suddenly held it down.

"You think you're not dying fast enough?" Snape glanced at him in disapproval, and then glanced at Dumbledore and said openly, "There are so many wizards here, there's no need for a sick person like you to take action."

Dumbledore cooperated by moving his wand, indicating that he would be happy to do it for him.

"…It's just a spell," Winster said helplessly. "I believe I can cast a spell." He said, "and it's my magic item. Only I can summon it."

Snape looked like he wanted to shout that he regretted using the spell and ask someone to find him right away.

But Winster didn't have the time to wait.

He looked at Snape. "It's just a Scythe."

Snape then reluctantly raised his hand and loosened the shackles on Winster, but his expression was still very unhappy.

Winster stretched out his hand and followed his heart. To enhance the effect, he chanted the spell: "Crystal ball fly over."

The originally gray-black magic power responded to Winster's call as if his arm was pointing. Perhaps because his body was weak now, the gray-black magic power turned into a dull light gray and flowed out of his fingertips.

Dumbledore stepped aside in due time.

The crystal ball jumped into Winster's hands.

He flicked the crystal ball.

The crystal ball began to flicker and a sound came from inside.

There was a murmur of noise, followed by some yelling from Harry.

Winster paused, fiddled with the crystal ball and pressed fast forward. He skipped some unimportant content and went straight to the point.

A cat's meow was heard first.

"It's Crookshanks!" Hermione shouted. Then a voice more familiar to the people in the room.

Winster, Snape, Black... and Peter.

Hagrid's hands suddenly clenched, making a crackling sound.

[“Then I let go—3, 2, 1—” Winster said.]

["Restore your true form!" Snape and Black shouted in unison.]

[“No, it wasn’t me… I was just scared—scared.”]

[“——I just want to live! He who shall not be named forced me——”]

Peter's cries echoed in the hospital wing.

Dumbledore shifted his gaze to Fudge and made a gesture to the crystal ball, wondering what other reasons he could come up with.

Fudge was speechless. After a while, he squeezed out a sentence like squeezing toothpaste: "...I don't know if anyone of you is coercing him--"

"If he said these words under pressure from you..."

Fudge's frightened face was in stark contrast to his pale words. He looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, and his entire body was soaked in sweat from panic.

There was only one sentence echoing in Fudge's mind now.

It was over. He was going to step down because of Sirius's wrongful conviction. He couldn't believe what kind of impression he would leave in wizard history if the people who supported him knew about it.

A Minister for Magic who had locked up an innocent man for twelve years - even though he hadn't been Minister when the Sirius incident happened.

But no one will pay attention to this, just like the Wizengamot will not try to tell whether there is any fantasy in the testimony of an underage wizard. No one will try to tell which government wrongly accused Black after the case is overturned. They will only remember that it was the British Ministry of Magic.

He murmured, "Fake... all fake..."

"That's enough, Fudge," said Dumbledore, interrupting his hesitant excuses. "Tell me why you don't want to believe it."

Harry and Hermione couldn't help looking at him with disappointment. Winston didn't say anything, but just lowered his eyes slightly, feeling bored.

He had expected Fudge's tough talk, hadn't he?

Winster had originally intended to use this recording to threaten Fudge to release him in exchange for Harry's godfather's secret release.

As long as Peter was there, there would be doubts in Blake's case. Plus the explanation in the recording that Blake had changed the secret keeper - the case would definitely be retried. It was just a matter of how long this process would be delayed by Fudge who didn't want it to happen during his term.

Without Peter, this recording would have a huge loophole. After all, it was not recorded by law enforcement personnel, and there is a possibility of forgery. Since even memory is unreliable in the magic world, the same is true for audio and video recordings. Human body deformation, transformation potions... can change a person's voice and appearance from the inside out, making it impossible for even the closest family members to tell the difference.