Veritaserum wasn't something that existed only in the wizarding world—even in Muggle society, there were truth serums. The difference was that Muggles used injected anesthetics to put a person into a special sedated state, allowing them to answer questions accurately while unconscious.
The wizarding version of Veritaserum wasn't an anesthetic; it was a kind of potion. This colorless, odorless liquid could make a person answer all your questions, without any worry about them lying.
However, despite their usefulness, both types of truth serum—whether in the wizarding world or the Muggle world—were considered unethical to use, and in some places, even illegal.
The Veritaserum in the crystal vial Eda had taken out wasn't hers, of course. One day, she had just happened to pass by Snape's private storage room, just happened to notice a bottle of Veritaserum—and so she had conveniently "borrowed" it.
The reason she brought it along was to prevent Peter Pettigrew from stubbornly refusing to confess. After all, she couldn't exactly use the Cruciatus Curse in front of Dumbledore.
Compared to thumbscrews, Veritaserum was much easier to use.
Seeing Eda take out the Veritaserum, Dumbledore showed no reaction. The headmaster was already used to it. By now, no matter what strange or unusual thing Eda pulled out of her pocket, he wouldn't find it surprising.
Minister Fudge and Senior Undersecretary Umbridge, however, were not so well-versed. The sight of the Veritaserum placed on the desk made both of them break out in a cold sweat.
Fudge even tried to recall whether he had taken a sip of the tea in front of him. After thinking for a moment and confirming he hadn't touched the cup, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
But this was only the beginning. Did placing the Veritaserum on the desk mean Eda was done? Of course not—she directly removed the stopper from the crystal vial, making as if to drip a few drops into the teacup.
Judging by her posture, it didn't look like just a few drops. If Peter Pettigrew drank that "enhanced" tea, he'd probably spend the rest of his life as a fool.
This was exactly why the use of Veritaserum was considered unethical—if taken in excess, it could damage the brain, and the damage was irreversible.
"Child… child, put down the Veritaserum. There's no need to be so extreme," Fudge hurriedly said, stopping Eda, afraid that if he so much as blinked, she might pour the entire bottle down Peter's throat.
Only after Eda put the Veritaserum back into her pocket did Fudge stop staring at her and turn to Dumbledore. His gaze was fixed, as if asking: are students these days all this reckless?
Dumbledore clasped his hands, looking helpless, his wandering gaze seeming to respond to Fudge: absolutely not—don't overthink it. There's only one of her kind, no second example.
The headmaster and the Minister locked eyes, sparks almost flying between them, yet neither spoke first.
Dumbledore wasn't in a hurry at all. Peter Pettigrew was lying right there on the desk; the truth was laid out plainly—whether one wanted to admit it or not. As for who was anxious, that was obvious.
Since the headmaster wasn't anxious, the Minister had to be. Dumbledore had clearly come prepared—he had already captured Peter and clarified everything. Wasn't this just leading someone into a trap?
There was no way for Fudge and his Ministry to deny it. If they dared to, Dumbledore would certainly expose the matter and make it known to everyone.
Even with the truth right in front of him, Fudge still didn't want to admit that Sirius was innocent, nor did he want the Ministry to bear the disgrace of having created a wrongful conviction.
The reasoning was simple: admitting this could deal a severe blow to both the Ministry and Fudge's own authority.
When Voldemort had been at his height, the Ministry of Magic had not become the leader in resisting the darkness. Instead, it had been infiltrated like a sieve, beaten down by Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Logically speaking, with the Ministry being so thoroughly crushed, Voldemort's reign of terror should have spread across the entire British Isles. Yet there were still those who dared to resist. The Order of the Phoenix, a civilian organization led by Dumbledore, became the main force opposing Voldemort, fighting on the front lines against the dark terror.
Nothing invites comparison more than this. Once compared, the difference was obvious—the Ministry was not only crushed by Voldemort, but also outshone and overshadowed by the Order of the Phoenix.
The Ministry's reputation among the public plummeted. The Minister for Magic, who should have been the leader of the British wizarding world, instead became little more than a foil to Dumbledore. It was only after the war, through the pursuit of remaining Death Eaters and a series of trials, that public support was gradually restored.
But just as the Ministry began to regain support, many criminals claimed they had been under the Imperius Curse, forced to assist Voldemort. Determining who had truly been controlled and who was merely pretending in order to escape punishment became the Ministry's greatest challenge.
Mishandling the Imperius Curse cases caused the Ministry's support to decline once again. Not long after, the scandal broke that Barty Crouch Sr.'s son was a Death Eater, dragging the already tarnished Ministry even deeper into the mire.
Only in recent years, after more than a decade of peaceful living, had the Ministry's situation begun to improve. But at just this moment, Sirius Black managed to escape from prison, causing the Ministry and Fudge to be harshly criticized by the public once again.
Because they had been unable to capture the escaped prisoner for so long, cries of "the Ministry is incompetent" and "Fudge must step down" rang loudly. Every day, Fudge received anonymous Howlers, along with cursed letters carrying malicious spells.
And now, suddenly telling everyone that Sirius Black was innocent, and that the real culprit was the so-called hero Peter Pettigrew—how were people supposed to react?
How incompetent must the Ministry be to wrongfully accuse Black and imprison an innocent man in Azkaban for twelve years? Many people couldn't endure even a single day in Azkaban—twelve years was practically a death sentence.
It was like someone's head had already fallen to the ground, and now you were saying the Ministry had killed the wrong person. What, were the officials of the Ministry all fools?
From another perspective, Sirius Black was the heir of a pure-blood family, the last male of his line. Locking him up for twelve years—what was the Ministry trying to do?
Were they trying to wipe out pure-blood families entirely? In the future, would they just throw any family's heir into Azkaban whenever they found them displeasing, leaving them to rot?
The relationship between the Ministry and the powerful pure-blood families had always been complicated. Any Minister who failed to consider the interests of pure-blood families wouldn't last long in office.
There had been a few Ministers in the past who leaned more toward Muggles and Muggle-born wizards, and they were quickly forced out of office. Some were even secretly harmed by pure-blood families.
Now, telling those powerful pure-blood families that the Ministry had wronged the heir of a pure-blood house, nearly causing an ancient family to die out—how were they supposed to react? Did Fudge even want to keep his position?
Moreover, Sirius Black had been sent to Azkaban back then without a trial.
If Black had been wrongfully accused, then what about the other prisoners who were imprisoned without trial? Could some of them also have been wronged? And if more wrongful convictions were uncovered, what then? What if officials used the opportunity to overturn cases for their own benefit?
Admitting that Sirius Black had been wronged and publicly restoring his innocence would bring enormous consequences and repercussions. Fudge didn't even dare to think it through—because the more he thought, the more afraid he became.
"Albus, I'm willing to believe that Black is innocent," Fudge said after a moment of silence, his tone heavy. "But have you thought about it—from our perspective, from the Ministry's perspective?"
"Of course, Cornelius. It is precisely because I have considered things from your perspective that I came to see you privately," Dumbledore said. "Rather than going directly to the Wizengamot or the International Confederation of Wizards."
Albus Dumbledore was not only widely recognized as the greatest wizard of the age—he was also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. It could be said that every word and action of his could influence the entire wizarding world.
If Dumbledore had no intention of negotiating with the Ministry over Black's wrongful conviction, he could have simply bypassed the Ministry—or even replaced it. He just chose not to do so.
"Are you really going to destroy all the hard work the Ministry has built over the years for the sake of one man—Black?" Fudge asked again. "Have you thought about what it would mean if the Ministry lost the public's trust?"
After turning Peter back into a rat, Dumbledore continued, "The consequences are not as severe as you imagine, Cornelius."
"No—the consequences are far more severe than I imagine!" Fudge slammed the desk and shouted.
____
Nailed Fudge's way of thinking, right? Or is he just stupid?
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel