The same Ministry of Magic, the same Courtroom II.
The number of people attending the hearing this time was even greater than the first time. The step-like seats were packed with people, making it impossible to move in.
Voldemort had just fallen and there were still a large number of Death Eaters waiting in line for trial. In this busy period, it was hard to imagine that so many members of the Wizengamot would have the free time to attend such a small hearing.
But this had nothing to do with Kyle. He still got the qualification to attend the class with his second-level medal and sat quietly on the last row of stone steps.
Coincidentally, sitting next to him were the two old wizards he met at the first hearing.
Unlike the others, they seemed to be there just to watch the fun and gossip, and they brought with them roasted melon seeds and a bag of snacks.
"What a coincidence, it's you again." The old wizard next to Kyle handed over the bag in his hand with a smile.
Kyle thought about it and didn't refuse, so he grabbed a handful of roasted melon seeds.
…
Just as I had guessed before coming here, this hearing was just a formality. Although there were twice as many people, the efficiency was much higher than the first time.
Minister of Magic Amelia Bones seemed to be in a hurry to go through the process... presenting the evidence, voting, and confirming the result all in one go.
She then announced on the spot that Snape was not a Death Eater and dropped all the accusations against him by the Death Eaters.
Bones also praised Snape for his level-headedness, resourcefulness, and courage, and promised to nominate him for the Order of Merlin.
Kyle couldn't help but want to laugh. Saying that a Slytherin student was brave and fearless...wasn't that insulting? As for the Order of Merlin...Kyle thought she was just saying it casually. After all, Snape didn't stand on Dumbledore's side from the beginning.
Just because he revealed the prophecy, it was impossible for him to receive the Order of Merlin.
But Snape didn't care. He just wanted an identity that could stand out in the open... This was also what Dumbledore promised him.
So he was still very satisfied with the result.
As soon as he came out, he quickly left his seat and walked outside with Kanna, without giving anyone a chance to approach and talk to him.
In fact, his behavior was inappropriate, but Minister Bones pretended not to see anything and pretended to look down for something. When Snape was about to grab the door handle with one hand, she looked up in time and announced the end of the hearing.
Someone quickly stood up, but by then, Snape had already walked out of the room.
When he opened the door, he was greeted by the complicated face of Sirius... He had been waiting outside.
Snape showed an undisguised look of disgust, as if he saw someone throw a disgusting pile of dirt on the ground.
The next second, Sirius also showed the same expression tacitly.
I forgot everything I wanted to say before, and the first thing I said was, "You're lucky, you snotty bastard."
He knew that Snape was fine. If he was identified as a Death Eater, he would only be escorted by the Aurors and would not be able to walk out on his own.
"Oh, you dirty stupid dog." Snape retorted unyieldingly.
Neither of them stopped, and Sirius had no intention of stopping him. He just watched him walk into the elevator.
When some people came out to chase them, the elevator started and took Snape and Connor away from this floor.
Sirius didn't leave in a hurry, but waited outside for a while.
Mr. Weasley had just told him that Molly had gone to King's Cross Station to pick up Harry, so he was in no hurry to go back.
After some irrelevant people, Amelia Bones came out of the house and nodded to Sirius as a greeting.
Next came Professor McGonagall. She looked relieved. After this, the matter of Snape was completely over.
This was her first time acting as the Headmistress of Hogwarts, and she had accomplished it successfully.
"Sirius..." Professor McGonagall looked at him, "Why are you here? Is it also because of Severus' memory?"
"Yes." Sirius nodded, "I heard that this memory is related to James and Lily."
"Then why don't you go in?"
"I wasn't invited," Sirius said casually.
Professor McGonagall did not say much. There were indeed a lot of people at this hearing. It was also the first time she saw that there were not enough seats in the courtroom. Even Kyle, who was holding the medal, almost couldn't get in.
"Okay, so you came here, do you know something?"
"It was before, but now..." Sirius paused for a moment before continuing, "I heard some content and came here just to confirm whether it was true or not. Now I know."
Sirius spoke in a low voice. He had been looking for the person who leaked the prophecy. After knowing that person was Snape, his hatred reached its peak.
But then he learned that Snape had been protecting Harry all these years.
This behavioral contradiction made him fall into the same dilemma as Harry, not knowing what attitude to use towards Snape.
But just now, Snape helped him make the choice.
At this time, another wave of people came out.
"Hey, Kyle!" Sirius waved his hand and took the opportunity to change the subject: "Minerva, Molly has prepared a sumptuous dinner to celebrate Harry and Ron's graduation. Why don't you come along? Everyone will be very happy."
"I'm afraid Mr. Potter and Weasley won't be happy if I attend," Professor McGonagall said half-jokingly.
She was well aware of the grudge between Sirius and Snape, but Sirius didn't want to talk about it, so she pretended not to know.
This matter is too complicated. Even if Dumbledore were here, he probably wouldn't be able to come up with a perfect solution.
Professor McGonagall left the Ministry of Magic, and Kyle came over after hearing someone calling him.
"Sirius? Didn't you go get Harry?"
"Molly's gone," said Sirius. He was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "This hearing... so he's fine, right?"
There were things he didn't want to say to Minerva McGonagall, the Headmistress of Hogwarts, but that was no problem for Kyle.
Sirius couldn't explain why, maybe it was because of his unusual experience... Kyle not only helped him clear his grievances, but also brought back his brother Regulus from the cliff cave.
This also made Sirius' trust in Kyle reach a very high level.
And Kyle was smart enough, which was certified by Dumbledore, the former headmaster had said so more than once.
Subconsciously, he also wanted Kyle to help him come up with some ideas.
"Well... you can say that." Kyle glanced at him, "Do you still want to avenge them?"
Sirius said nothing, just kept his head down.
Kyle didn't urge him, but just took him to a place where there were not many people.
The afternoon sun poured in through the enchanted window, shining obliquely on half of Sirius' face.
After a long time, he finally asked, "Do you think I should take revenge?"
"I have to say, you're asking the wrong person." Kyle shrugged. "You know, Snape is Connor's only uncle. It's hard for me to be fair in this matter."
"Actually, I suggest you ask Harry," Kyle said.
"Harry is still young..."
"He's already an adult wizard," Kyle said. "Besides... Sirius, I personally think Harry is more suitable to make this decision than you."
Sirius looked up.
“I know you don’t think so, but that’s how I see it.
"Harry suffered a lot of rejection and hardship at the Dursleys' house. His mind is much more mature than his peers. Although he has many shortcomings, his merits outweigh his flaws."
"As for you, Sirius...for the so-called atonement or self-punishment, you abandoned your godson and willingly went to Azkaban.
"Honestly, I still can't figure out how you made this decision. To paraphrase Snape, do you have some troll bloodline?"
"Hey, I'm the real Black!" Sirius said in an exaggerated voice.
But it is not difficult to tell from his face, which turns pale and red, that he is not in a calm mood.
Perhaps he couldn't figure out why he hadn't thought about what Harry would do...
When he heard that the Dursleys were not kind to Harry, he almost went to their house with his wand and cast a few blasting curses. At the same time, he wanted to cast a few on himself as well.
"Go and discuss it with Harry. It's better than being stuck here." Kyle said again.
This time, Sirius nodded.
He took a deep breath and said, "Kyle, you should also prepare to go home after this, back to St. Catchpole Village."
“That’s right,” Kyle said.
Speaking of which, he found that he had not been home for a long time. Now that Voldemort was dead and the crisis was over, he naturally had to go back and take a look.
The two walked into the elevator.
"Are you going back to number twelve, Grimmauld Place?"
"No, I'll come too. Molly has prepared a celebratory dinner, and I have to rush back to attend it."
"At the Burrow?"
"There are more people there." Sirius said, "I think Harry would like that atmosphere too."
Arriving at the main hall of the Ministry, the two went to the room across from the fireplace and Apparated back to St. Catchpole's Village.
…
The area around the Burrow was very lively. The sounds of the Weasley family playing and fighting could be heard from a long distance away. Fred and George's voices were the most obvious. Harry was also among them, fighting goblins with Ron.
This game has been played since before Kyle went to school, and it is still a popular activity in the Weasley family.
Sirius looked at the excited Harry in the garden, and suddenly became a little hesitant. He stood there and did not move forward.
"What's wrong?"
"No, nothing." Sirius stammered, "I'm just wondering, does Harry really want to make this decision?"
"Who knows?" Kyle shrugged.
"Then let me go find him."
"I'm just saying that if you want revenge, you'd better ask Harry's opinion first." Kyle said word by word, "My focus is on you, not Harry!"
"You...I..." Sirius stared at Kyle in a daze, unable to speak.
"Of course, as a friend, I am not unwilling to help...
"Well, if you finally reach an agreement and want revenge, I can give you Snape's address."
Sirius paused.
"Why, aren't you worried that I killed Snape... If Connor knew that you gave us the address, how would you face her?"
"You think too much." Kyle waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Are you so confident that you think Connor won't blame you?" Sirius laughed. "Confidence is a good thing, but being too confident is not a good thing."
"No, I am sure of this..." Kyle looked at him, "Anyway, even if I told you the address, you can't be a match for Snape, so what does it matter?"
Sirius paused for a moment, his expression instantly becoming serious.
Kyle has touched his weak spot, bottom line, and principles!
"You said I can't beat that snotty guy?" Sirius danced and gestured, "I can hang him up and beat him!"
"Hey...don't be shameless." Kyle glanced at him, "Even if we are friends, you can't insult my intelligence like this."
"You don't believe it?" Sirius screamed and took out his wand, "Come on, tell me the address now, and see if I can hang him up and beat him!"
His voice was so loud that it soon alarmed Harry and the Weasley children, and they all ran over here.
"Hang it up... If you mean the Fuchsia spell, it was invented by Snape."
Sirius looked like he had been punched, and he was unable to speak.
"He invented at least five spells before he even graduated. What about you..." Kyle punched him again.
"I, I know Animagus."
"I mean the self-created spell... Well, this round is a draw for you." Kyle said casually.
"What about the twelve years you wasted in Azkaban? Snape became the youngest headmaster of Hogwarts. "Do you think a weak wizard can be recognized by all the Slytherin House?"
"Besides, he openly joined Dumbledore, but he was able to successfully join the Death Eaters again after Voldemort's comeback. You don't think Voldemort is a fool and didn't doubt Snape at all.
"But nothing happened to him. Can you do it if it's you?"
With every word Kyle spoke, Sirius turned paler.
He knew he couldn't do it.
He also knew that he might not be able to beat Snape. It was already rare that his strength had not declined after he came out of Azkaban.
Although his strength has improved a lot in the battles with the Death Eaters in recent years, Snape has not stood still either. In fact, he is under more pressure.
Even with Harry, they might not be Snape's match, but he didn't want to admit it, nor was he willing to admit it.
"Maybe what I said can help you find a way out." Kyle looked at him, smiled, and turned to walk towards his home.
(End of this chapter)