This was a rather narrow room, with nothing else in it except a small bed and a wall lamp.
The wallpaper on all four walls was peeling, which made them look dirty. There are no windows in the wall, just a small vent installed in a corner.
The whole room looked dark and depressing.
Maka has been in this Ministry of Magic holding cell for nearly a week, but no one has asked him to assist in the investigation. In fact, the conventional procedures such as recording a confession were not even followed.
His hunch seemed to come true.
"Is it Lucius Malfoy? Or... someone else?" Maka secretly guessed.
He knew that this matter could not be rushed. Dumbledore must be helping him arrange these things outside right now. And this will always take time.
Although this time it was a bit rushed, everything was still planned.
A few more days passed, and finally someone showed up.
Two wizards with serious faces came. They led Maka through the corridor and into the elevator without saying a word, and then the elevator continued to go down, and then down.
When Maka saw the number on the elevator jump to "9", the telescopic elevator protective door finally opened.
The two wizards held Maka on their left and right, and walked forward silently, and soon came to a dark staircase descending.
Going one floor further down, Maka discovered that the walls on both sides of the corridor had been replaced by rough stone walls, with torches stuck at intervals.
On both sides of the corridor, heavy wooden doors were lined up one after another. The doors were equipped with iron latch and gleaming keyholes.
The two brought Maka to the wooden door numbered "7". One of them took out a key from his waist, inserted it into the keyhole and twisted it hard.
With a soft "click", another person pulled the iron door latch open, and the door opened...
The environment inside is slightly dark, probably because of the traceless stretching spell. The space is very large, but it is only illuminated by torches, which makes people feel a certain solemn atmosphere.
There are rows of stepped benches on all sides, arranged from low to high, and all seats can clearly see this side.
At this moment, there were many wizards and wizards wearing purple-red robes with a delicate "W" embroidered on their chests. Most of them had solemn faces and looked calmly.
In the front row of these seats, Maka saw Dumbledore. His expression was also very serious. He was pressing his lips tightly and staring at Maka carefully, as if he was getting to know him again.
And right in front of Maka, in the middle of a square space that wasn't too big, there was a chair with a chain fixed to the ground.
There is no doubt that this is the seventh courtroom of the Wizengamot.
Maka had no intention of asking why she was brought here—this behavior was meaningless. Maybe if you wait a little longer, he will understand naturally.
"The one on trial, bring Maca McLean!" Beside him, one of the wizards who brought him over shouted loudly.
"Sit down!"
A cold man's voice echoed in the courtroom.
Maka glanced at the chair in the center of the room again. On the armrests of the chair were chains on the left and right. He walked across the rough stone floor and sat down with a calm expression.
Just as his butt landed on the cold chair, the iron chains around him suddenly jumped up, tying him up tightly with a clanging sound of metal.
He frowned but didn't say anything.
"The second paragraph of Article 9 of the "Reasonable Restraint of Minor Wizards" stipulates that minor wizards do not need to be chained when being tried..." A witch who looked very old suddenly frowned and said.
"Yes, that's right... However, the 'underage wizard' in front of you is a particularly dangerous subject of trial, and the relevant regulations do not apply." The wizard who spoke before said in a cold tone.
"Okay," he continued, "Minister of Magic Fudge, please get started!"
With a clear cough, Maka turned her attention to Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting in the first row, sitting next to Dumbledore.
Fudge is a fat man. He often wears a dark yellow-green bowler hat, but he didn't wear it today. In addition, the greasy smile that always appeared on his face when he spoke before disappeared today.
He stared closely at Maka, who was trapped in chains, and spoke loudly.
"Good," Fudge said, "The defendant is finally here, let's get started... Are you ready?"
"Of course." Maka replied coldly.
His calmness about his situation seemed to irritate Fudge, who immediately began to read out the pre-trial records impatiently.
"The trial on June 24th," Fudge said in a loud voice, and the secretary beside him immediately started writing quickly, "the trial of the murder of Peter Pettigrew by Makar McClane, a third-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "
"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Rufus Buttu Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office …”
After announcing some of the customary contents of the trial, Fudge adjusted his tie and picked up a document on the table.
"The defendant is accused of the following crimes: Because the defendant was involved in the Hogsmeade murder case on June 1, when the Ministry of Magic law enforcement officers were rounding up the suspect, he interfered without authorization in the search and round-up operation, and killed the suspect on the spot in the chaos. According to The Auror Command verified that the suspect was not the real murderer of the murder case, and the defendant was confirmed to have committed intentional homicide... "
"Three days ago, the identity of the suspect was identified. It was Peter Pettigrew who narrowly escaped death when Sirius Black destroyed Muggle streets and massacred Muggles on November 13, 1981—"
As soon as these words came out, the members of the Wizengamot Review Team at the scene suddenly became commotion, and almost everyone started talking to each other in low voices.
"Quiet!" The wizard with a cold tone suddenly said loudly, and the scene immediately calmed down slightly.
At this time, Fudge raised his head, looked at Maka and asked loudly: "Are you Maka McClain, a third-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
"Yes." Maka nodded.
"Did you indeed intervene without authorization in the roundup of suspects by the Aurors and Strikers of the Ministry of Magic that day in Hogsmeade?"
Maka pursed her lips, but nodded, "Yes."
"So, did you finally kill Peter Pettigrew?"
"I didn't know that it was Peter Pettigrew at the time. He was filled with black energy at the time -" Maka said calmly, "I only knew that he had endangered my life at that time, and I had to resist to protect myself."
"However, according to the testimony of the law enforcement officers present at the time, there was no evil spirit at that time! Moreover, the law enforcement officers had already stopped you at that time, but you did not stop immediately!"
Not far to the left of Fudge, a wizard with a stern face, sharp eyes, and long brown hair suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Maka looked at him and looked at him unceremoniously.
"I am Rufus Scrimgeour, currently serving as Head of the Auror Office." The wizard answered his question seriously.
"As far as I know, isolated confessions do not have evidentiary effect," Maka said calmly, "Please provide relevant evidence to support your account."
"The defendant's relevant requirements are valid. Please provide effective concrete evidence." The cold male voice appeared again.
Scrimgeour nodded and said loudly: "I apply for the admission of witnesses."
"agree."
After a while, the wooden door was opened again, and a wizard whom Maka didn't recognize was brought in.
"Name of witness?"
"My name is Edmund George Wells." The wizard looked a little scared and he replied timidly.
"What testimony do you want to confess?"
"Oh... yes," Wells shrank, "that night there were many dementors patrolling Hogsmeade, and there were also groups of Aurors coming and going. Our whole family couldn't sleep... At that time It must have been about 11 o'clock in the evening. I was reading by the window of my bedroom, and then I heard a fierce fight outside... "
He tremblingly recounted the situation at that time, and most of what he said was actually correct. However, when he explained what happened after the flames on Peter's body were extinguished, he stated with certainty that there was no black energy wrapped around Peter's body.
Moreover, he also mentioned situations where law enforcement officers blocked people.
He said it with certainty, as if it was true.
"Does the defendant have any objection to the witness's account?"
"..." Maka was silent for a moment, then raised her head and said, "May I ask the witness, how did the flames on his body go out?"
"Uh... just a gust of wind?" Wells said, even he felt a little uncomfortable, and then added nervously, "It's a big wind! I saw it from a distance."
While he was speaking, Maka's eyes kept wandering on the faces of the members of the review team.
"I have nothing more to ask." He looked away and ended the question suddenly.
"Then do you plead guilty?" Fudge asked loudly.
"I do not plead guilty to intentional homicide because I do not recognize the appearance of Peter Pettigrew." Maka replied calmly, "Peter Pettigrew was a figure who was active more than ten years ago, when I was just born; and these For years, as a little-known wizard, it was impossible for me to know him."
"Perhaps you happened to know it from somewhere else?" Fudge couldn't help shouting.
"Please provide relevant evidence." Maka looked at him and said.
Fudge opened his mouth and looked at Scrimgeour, the director of the Auror Office, only to see the other person shake his head slightly.
"Then... you did kill someone, right?" Fudge had to take a step back.
Maca paused, glanced at Dumbledore who remained silent, and then nodded and replied: "Yes."
Not long after, after a show of hands vote by the review panel, Maka was found guilty of manslaughter and received a final punishment of 5 years in prison and half of the penalty for minors.
As for the place of punishment, it is naturally Azkaban Wizard Prison.
"The laws of the magical world are indeed much less perfect than those of the Muggle world..." Maka, who was brought back to the detention room, was still in the mood to ponder such an insignificant matter.