Leaving the Leaky Cauldron, Aiden arrived at Whitehall in London.
He stepped into a familiar red telephone booth, picked up the receiver, and dialed '62442'. With a clunk, a pass dropped out of the coin return slot, and then the old telephone booth began its descent, sinking deep into the earth.
He emerged into the expansive main hall of the Ministry of Magic, where a figure was already waiting.
"Haha, Dragon, you've come to play with me again?" The Director of the Department of Mysteries greeted him with a wide smile.
"Sigh, why do you always call me Dragon?" Aiden sighed, a familiar complaint.
"Can't I?" The Director feigned innocence, though Aiden could clearly sense the mischievous glint in his eyes beneath the hood of his platinum robes.
"Whatever," Aiden said, pushing past him. "I don't have time for pleasantries today; I'm here on business."
He inserted his visitor card into the ticket machine and stepped into the bustling hall. A long queue had already formed at the visitor's desk, and it seemed Aiden wouldn't be seen anytime soon.
"Heh heh," the Director chuckled, falling in step beside him. "You'll need me to lead the way. That visitor card only allows you to make an appointment in the lobby. And, Dragon, if you insist on going through the proper channels, you'll probably have to wait until next week." He gave Aiden a suggestive wink. "Why don't you just join us? Then you could come and keep us company every day."
"No way," Aiden said, rolling his eyes. "I'll just go up myself."
"Fine, you killjoy Dragon," the Director conceded. "I'll take you up. Wouldn't do for you to start a fight with these... insects later. Although they're incompetent, their absence would only amplify the chaos." He led Aiden to a secure elevator, swiped his own card, and the lift slowly ascended.
"How did you know where I wanted to go?" Aiden asked, genuinely curious.
"Of course I knew," the Director explained. "Because our Dragon's friend has been caught, and we've been keeping a close eye on the situation."
"You...?" Aiden suddenly felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
"Oh, Dragon, you probably don't realize," the Director said, his lips curving into a mysterious smile, "but you have quite a few admirers in the Department of Mysteries."
"You people are chasing stars?" Aiden felt a flicker of incredulity. "Wait, I'm not a celebrity."
"But you are connected to our work, and you are... aesthetically pleasing," the Director deadpanned. "Many of the young ladies in the Department are clamoring for me to bring Dragon back for a visit."
Aiden wanted to ask more, but with a soft click, the elevator reached the second floor: the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"We're here," the Director announced. "You go ahead; I should return to my duties." He didn't give Aiden a chance to ask more questions, operating the elevator to send himself back down.
On the second floor, a witch strode up to Aiden and extended her hand.
"Hello," she said, her voice crisp and authoritative. "I'm Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Hello, Director Bones," Aiden greeted, shaking her hand. "I'm Aiden Prewett."
The witch scrutinized him carefully. "Besides being good-looking," she stated, "there's nothing particularly special about you. How did you get that old man from the Department of Mysteries to personally escort you up here?"
It seemed the rumors of her efficiency and decisive nature were quite accurate.
"Perhaps we have a common enemy?" Aiden ventured tentatively.
"Hmm?" Amelia Bones looked puzzled.
"Never mind," Lady Bones said, getting straight to the point. "Let's not waste time. Tell me the purpose of your visit."
"Lady," Aiden explained, "I need to access the trial records of Rubeus Hagrid from fifty years ago."
"Hmm, a case that has already been concluded," Lady Bones mused, looking up at Aiden. "Tell me, why should I grant you access to the records of this particular case?"
"Lady," Aiden began, his voice earnest, "Magical Law, Article Two: The task of the law is to ensure the accurate and timely ascertainment of the facts of the crime, the correct application of the law, the punishment of criminals, and the protection of innocent people from criminal prosecution. Article Six: The Department of Magical Law Enforcement must base its criminal proceedings on facts and adhere to the law. All wizards are equal in the application of the law, and no privileges are allowed before the law." Aiden recited the articles with conviction, his dragon eyes, piercing and direct, fixed on Director Bones.
"So, you mean to say that your friend was wronged?" Bones instantly grasped Aiden's implication.
"How about I show you his memories?"
Aiden then summoned the Pensieve he had borrowed from Dumbledore with his wand. He took out the glass bottle containing Hagrid's memories, poured them into the Pensieve, and the device began to replay the events of fifty years ago.
After Director Bones had reviewed Hagrid's memories, she fell into deep thought.
"This is indeed an oversight by the previous Director," she stated, her voice tight. "We convicted an innocent person and subjected him to injustice."
Director Bones immediately called her subordinates and led Aiden into the archives, where they began searching through the records from fifty years ago.
"Oh, Merlin, whom I can no longer see," Lady Bones gasped, her eyes widening in horror as she opened Hagrid's file. "They... they actually..." This woman, who had dedicated her life to fighting for law as a belief, suffered a profound blow.
"Oh, what did the previous generation of fools do?" she muttered, her voice trembling. "Torture to extract confessions, fabricate evidence, tamper with testimony. These idiotic bureaucrats didn't even bother to erase their corrections to the testimony cleanly!" Looking at the farcical records before her, Lady Bones seemed to have had her resolve shattered, slumping into her chair.
"Allow me to offer you a suggestion," Aiden's voice purred, his draconic influence subtle but pervasive.
"Tell me," Lady Bones said, her keen political sense already feeling the undercurrents behind this case.
"First of all," Aiden began, "the imprisonment of a wizard who has not been convicted was done by Minister Fudge. And the trial of the innocent wizard Hagrid was an oversight by the previous Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. So, my suggestion is that you, Lady, do nothing at all." Aiden's eyes curved into crescents, his heterochromatic pupils shining like twin jewels.
"Do nothing?" Lady Bones stood up, issuing a stern rebuke. "You mean to tell me to sit idly by while an innocent person suffers injustice?"
"No, no, no, Lady," Aiden said, waving a dismissive hand. "Minister Fudge's seven-year term is still a very long way off. It's unwise to confront him head-on at this time. What we need to do is bide our time. And specifically for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, we only need to publicly declare that a fifty-year-old scroll has been lost." Aiden subtly shifted his pronouns, drawing her into his plan. The Dream Walker's ability, combined with his words, made his arguments utterly irresistible.
"What effect can a single scroll have?" Lady Bones was puzzled.
"This mysteriously lost scroll," Aiden explained, "will be accidentally picked up by a professional. Someone will then analyze the past actions of the Ministry of Magic from it, and then somehow inadvertently leak it to various media outlets. The wizards' simple sense of justice will drive them to criticize the Ministry of Magic. And at that opportune time, the righteous Department of Magical Law Enforcement will respond to the wizards' demands and come forward to investigate this case. Everything is so logical, isn't it?"
Aiden lightly touched his fingers together, observing Lady Bones through the gaps in his palm.
"Hmph," Lady Bones scoffed, though a small smile played on her lips. "Are you really a Ravenclaw, you little devil?" She seemed to agree to his cunning plan.
"Perhaps the Sorting Hat believes I no longer need to draw nourishment from Slytherin," Aiden winked at her. "Then, pleasant cooperation?" He extended his hand.
"Pleasant cooperation," Lady Bones replied, shaking his hand firmly.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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