bacchusnovels Chapter 265 Sean takes up residence in his most loyal Azkaban
Chapter 265 Sean takes up residence in his most loyal Azkaban
Chapter 265 Sean takes up residence in his most loyal Azkaban (Important)
The moment Sean arrived at the Ministry of Magic with several Aurors and saw the Ministry building...
He was somewhat lost.
As a high-ranking senior advisor to the Minister of Magic and a former headmaster of Hogwarts, he not only faces a fabricated trial two years later, but is now being treated as a suspect and taken to the hospital for questioning.
The contrast in treatment is quite surprising and hard to accept.
The Ministry of Magic is doomed.
This is Sean's truest feeling.
The group boarded the elevator together, which stopped on the second floor, which Sean knew best.
They walked through the busy corridors and finally arrived at a long, narrow room—the interrogation room.
The interrogation room door was pushed open, and Sean recognized the room at a glance.
Although time has turned back two years, nothing here has changed.
Sean was instructed to sit behind the iron table, while several Aurors stood around the room. The leader of the Aurors sat behind a table opposite Sean, staring intently at him.
A moment later, the door was opened again.
A familiar face to Sean walked in—Scrinker.
He's still the same as ever, just like a lion.
To be honest, Sean thought Snape was the right person to partner with Scrimgeour.
If he becomes Minister of Magic in the future, he will definitely invite Snape to work with Scrimgeour.
It's anyone's guess what kind of sparks will fly between the two of them.
Sean couldn't help but reveal a slightly amused smile, but he quickly composed himself, as Scrimgeour had already sat down.
The interrogation began.
"Name," Scrimgeour said in a hoarse voice.
Without hesitation, Sean gave the name that had been with him all year: "Humphrey Hack."
"Age," Scrimgeour continued, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, as if trying to discern any suspicious detail in Sean's expression.
"27".
"Gender." Scrimgeour's voice remained cold as he continued his routine question.
"male."
Scrimgeour nodded slightly, a fleeting, enigmatic look in his eyes.
He placed the file on the table, clasped his hands together, and kept his gaze fixed on Sean. "You just said you are Humphrey Hack, 27 years old, male. So, Mr. Hack, please tell me, why were you in that cabin today? We don't often see someone like you loitering in that kind of place."
Sean repeated his previous statement.
But Scrimgeour's brow furrowed slightly, revealing an expression almost identical to that of the previous leading Auror.
That expression clearly screamed two big words: disbelief.
Admittedly, that place was in the middle of nowhere, and few people would linger in the vicinity.
Scrimgeour leaned forward slightly, his suspicion deepening. "So, how do you explain your contact with those dark wizards? They seemed quite interested in you, even going so far as to frame you. This isn't the kind of trouble an ordinary wizard would encounter."
Sean also wanted to know what the dark wizard's purpose was in framing him.
He shrugged helplessly and explained, "I'm confused too, but I think maybe they mistakenly think I know something they're interested in."
Scringer seemed somewhat surprised by the answer.
His gaze lingered on Sean's face for a moment, as if trying to catch any subtle change in Sean's expression.
However, Sean's answer was swift and decisive, leaving him no room for doubt. This reaction caused Scrimgeour to frown slightly, clearly deep in thought.
After a moment of silence, Scrimgeour slowly raised the manuscript the dark wizards had found, his expression growing even more serious. He tapped lightly on the corner of the manuscript with his fingers, his voice low and authoritative as he asked, "Do you know what this is?"
"I don't know." Sean's answer was swift, almost without hesitation.
Because he simply couldn't figure out what Lily had that was worth other people's attention.
Scrimgeour did not immediately continue asking questions, but instead looked away from the manuscript and stared at Sean.
His expression was somewhat complicated, as if he were weighing something.
Finally, he sighed softly, his tone carrying a subtle warning: "This is a prophecy."
"A prophecy?" Sean frowned as well.
How did Lily get involved with prophecies or anything like that?
Seeing Sean's reaction, Scrimgeour's gaze softened slightly.
He clearly saw genuine confusion in Sean's reaction, rather than deliberate concealment.
So he put away the manuscript, placed it in a file folder to the side, and then slowly stood up and said to Sean.
"Given the lack of conclusive evidence that you have a direct connection with these dark wizards," Scrimgeour continued, "I have decided to release you temporarily. But please remember that you remain under our surveillance, and any suspicious activity will trigger a more in-depth investigation."
"Of course, I will strictly abide by your rules," Sean readily agreed.
Immediately afterwards, Scrimgeour turned and left the interrogation room, clearly having lost interest in continuing the interrogation.
He really didn't want to waste his precious time on a clueless wizard; he had much more to do.
After Scrimgeour left, the other Aurors also left the interrogation room, their footsteps fading into the distance until the room fell silent.
Only one rather thin Auror remained, seemingly to handle the final cleanup.
He looked slightly nervous, perhaps because the oppressive aura emanating from Scrimgeour had made him feel uneasy.
He slowly approached Sean, gently waving his wand to release the magical chains binding Sean on the chair.
As the chains loosened, Sean felt his limbs regain their freedom. He slowly stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders.
The Auror gave a slightly apologetic smile, clearly trying to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Mr. Huck, this is Lester. I'm so sorry to have put you through all this," Lester said, his voice tinged with nervousness. "We were just doing our job, and I hope you can understand."
Sean smiled slightly, appearing very calm and cooperative, with no hint of blame in his eyes. "It's alright, I understand your duties."
Lester visibly relaxed, his tension easing slightly as he saw that Sean hadn't shown any hostility after the interrogation. He quickly pulled a small notebook and a quill pen from his pocket, clearly preparing for the next steps.
"You may need to come with us to give a statement," Lester said cautiously, his tone pleading, as if he didn't want Sean to feel pressured. "It will only take a few minutes, it won't take up too much of your time."
Sean nodded, maintaining his gentle and restrained demeanor.
"Of course, I'm willing to cooperate," he replied politely, a barely perceptible hint of deep thought flashing in his eyes.
If... he remembers correctly, there doesn't seem to be a step in the normal interrogation process where a written statement is taken.
Taking notes is something that only exists in the Muggle world. When did the Ministry of Magic start doing this?
Could it be that the Auror office procedures were different two years ago and are different now?
Hearing Sean's words, Lester's expression relaxed again, clearly surprised by how smoothly Sean cooperated.
He led Sean out of the interrogation room and down the Ministry of Magic corridor toward the room next door where dark wizards were being held temporarily.
According to the relevant laws and regulations of the Ministry of Magic, the Auror Office has special law enforcement powers when handling cases involving dark wizards.
This special power allows Aurors to bypass normal legal procedures and take direct action when facing dark wizards.
This means that once the Aurors have identified someone as a dark wizard, they can imprison them in Azkaban without going through the Wizengamor court.
From a procedural standpoint, this is clearly an unreasonable thing to do.
According to the legal procedures of the magical world, everyone, even criminals, should enjoy basic legal rights, including the right to a fair trial.
As the highest judicial body in the wizarding world, Wizengamor's duty is to ensure that all cases are tried fairly and justly.
The Auror Office's practice of directly sending suspects to Azkaban bypassed this process, making the entire judicial process one-sided and lacking in transparency.
This unreasonable situation has drawn considerable criticism, especially from human rights advocates who believe that judicial procedures should be strictly followed.
They worry that if the Auror Office's power is not properly overseen and limited, it could lead to abuses of power.
In fact, the history of the Ministry of Magic is full of examples of wrongful convictions. Some innocent people were sent directly to Azkaban because they were wrongly accused of being dark wizards. These cases have profoundly exposed the drawbacks of this clause.
Furthermore, some critics have pointed out that such legal loopholes could be exploited by malicious individuals.
Framing is not without precedent in the wizarding world. If someone uses the special law enforcement powers of the Aurors to frame an innocent person as a dark wizard, the framed person may be sent directly to Azkaban without any warning and live an unimaginable life of suffering.
However, this clause was originally established to address the imminent threat posed by dark wizards.
Dark wizards typically possess extremely dangerous dark magic and are swift and cunning.
If they were to be brought before the Wizengamot court for trial each time through the normal procedures, it could result in a significant waste of time and could even give dark wizards the opportunity to escape or continue their evil plans.
Therefore, this special law enforcement power is considered to some extent a necessary means to ensure the safety of the magical world.
Meanwhile, in the next room, the dark wizards imprisoned were waiting for the relevant Aurors to send them to Azkaban.
Upon entering the room, Lester gestured for Sean to sit at a long wooden table, then sat down opposite him, ready to begin taking notes.
The quill pen moved lightly across the parchment, making a soft rustling sound, and the atmosphere in the room immediately quieted down.
"Mr. Harker, we just need to confirm some basic information, and then you can leave," Lester said gently while taking notes.
He clearly wanted to finish the job as soon as possible so that Sean could leave this unpleasant place sooner.
Sean smiled and nodded, calmly answering Lester's question.
While Lester was busy taking notes, he suddenly seemed to remember something, took a teacup from the cabinet next to him, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Sean.
Although Lester's movements were relaxed and natural, his unintentional hesitation stirred something in Sean's heart.
He had been observing Leicester ever since he came in.
He: What are you trying to do?
When Lester handed the water glass to Sean, his fingers trembled slightly, as if he was trying to remain calm. "Mr. Huck, you must be tired from your journey. Have some water."
Sean took the water glass, his gaze briefly lingering on the water's surface.
He noticed an unusual fluctuation without making a sound; the faint trace of the potion was almost imperceptible in the water—a sleeping potion.
However, Sean's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining a calm smile.
He took a sip of water, pretending to be completely unaware, and then drank the whole glass in one gulp.
Lester observed Sean, seemingly waiting for some kind of reaction, but he maintained a polite smile and continued to answer questions calmly, as if he were completely unaware of the problem in the water.
Lester's shoulders relaxed slightly, clearly relieved by Sean's reaction.
He lowered his head and continued writing on the parchment, his movements returning to normal.
The note-taking was completed quickly in a question-and-answer session. Lester carefully put away the notebook, then gave Sean a friendly smile. "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mr. Huck. You are now free to leave, but please remember that we may contact you again if needed."
Sean smiled and nodded, preparing to politely say "thank you" and hand the teacup to Lester, but the moment he opened his mouth, his eyes suddenly became unfocused and his body swayed slightly.
Then, he loosened his grip, and the teacup slipped from his fingers with a crisp clinking sound before rolling to the edge of the table.
Sean seemed to have lost all his strength, as if all his energy had been drained away. He slumped softly into the chair, his head tilting limply to one side, as if he had completely lost consciousness.
Lester immediately stopped what he was doing, his expression instantly tense, but he quickly regained his composure. He glanced at Sean's condition, confirmed that he was unconscious, and breathed a sigh of relief.
He had clearly anticipated this, and his earlier tension was simply due to uncertainty about whether the medication would be effective.
"Looks like the medicine is working quite well," Lester muttered to himself, his voice low and tinged with satisfaction.
He put down his quill, stood up, walked around to Sean's side, checked his breathing and pulse, and confirmed that he was indeed in a deep coma.
"Mr. Huck, I'm sorry, but this was a last resort," Lester said in a low voice.
It seemed that such an apology could make up for his conscience.
He pulled a piece of parchment from his robe, quickly wrote a few lines, then rolled it up and stuffed it into his pocket.
Then, Lester strode to the door, gently opened it, and peeked out to check the situation in the hallway.
After confirming that no one had noticed the commotion, he quickly left the room and went into the adjacent room where the dark wizard was imprisoned.
A moment later, Sean, who was lying on the ground, felt the door to the room being gently pushed open again, and then heard several heavy footsteps.
Sean tried his best to maintain his feigned unconscious state while trying to catch as many sounds as possible from his surroundings.
The footsteps stopped beside him, and then he heard Lester speak in a low voice, with a hint of urgency and unease.
"Time is of the essence, we must get this done as soon as possible," Lester said. "Give me your hair, I'll feed him the Polyjuice Potion, and he'll go to Azkaban in your place, then you can leave here."
"Once he's in Azkaban and his appearance has returned to normal, will I be discovered?" another person asked cautiously.
Sean recognized the voice; it was the voice of the dark wizard who had framed him in the cabin.
Lester paused, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, then whispered reassuringly, "Don't worry, the effects of the compound remedy will last long enough for us to complete the next steps."
"Once he's imprisoned in Azkaban, we'll have plenty of time to cover up your escape. By the time he's back to normal, it will be too late. Those Dementors won't know who's innocent and who's a criminal."
"That:
"
"Stop talking and get to work," Lester said impatiently. "Your boss only gave me a pittance of Galleons; it's not enough to compensate for the risks I took."
Upon hearing this, the dark wizard quickly plucked a hair from his head and handed it to Lester.
Lester took the hair and quickly put it into the prepared compound decoction. The color of the decoction changed instantly, becoming cloudy and emitting an unpleasant odor.
He frowned, but still resolutely poured the medicine into a small bottle and walked to Sean's side.
"Open his mouth," Lester commanded, his voice urgent.
The dark wizard sighed impatiently, but did as he was told.
He roughly pried open Sean's mouth and forced the compound decoction down his throat.
Sean tried hard to control his reactions so that they wouldn't realize he was still partially conscious.
The moment the medicine slid down his throat, Sean felt a violent wave of nausea, but he forced himself to endure it to avoid giving himself away.
A few seconds later, Sean's body began to convulse violently, a sign that the compound decoction was starting to take effect.
His face began to contort and change under the gaze of Lester and the dark wizard, and his bones also began to change.
In no time, his appearance completely transformed into that of the dark wizard, who then revealed a satisfied smile.
While the two were chatting, Sean quietly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to rid the British wizarding community of these two scourges, he inadvertently noticed the mirror next to him.
It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized: this dark wizard was the same one who would identify him in court two years later!
So, what happened two years later—
A sudden realization dawned on Sean.
He continued to think deeply along this line of thought, connecting the current time, the location in Azkaban, and the memory of "himself" rescuing Bella a month later.
A bold guess quietly surfaced in his mind.
Thus, by a twist of fate, on May 1, 1991, Sean Phillips adopted the alias Humphrey Hack.
He officially took up residence in his most loyal Azkaban.