"If I am guilty," Ethan slowly spoke, raising his eyes to sweep across the officials sitting on the judgment bench. His gaze seemed to carry tangible weight, making their hearts tighten with unease.
"Then my crime is defending my right to life under the threat of death!"
Word by word, each landing with tremendous force. Like drumsticks striking hearts, making the wizards on the judgment bench tremble involuntarily!
"Fascinating..." Rita's eyes lit up with predatory excitement, her Quick-Quotes Quill dancing frantically across the paper!
The accused criminal has actually turned the tables to denounce the Ministry's dark secrets in court! Using his razor-sharp words to expose the darkest secrets of this trial... This is unprecedented...
"Bang bang bang!"
Umbridge finally reacted, desperately banging her gavel, her cheeks purple with rage as she screamed: "Silence him! Tie him up! Aurors!"
The chair shot out several chains, trying to bind Ethan to it again. But Professor McGonagall was quick with her response, shooting a spell that transformed the chair into a grunting pig.
She stood straight-backed, her thin frame like an unsheathed sword. Her authoritative and sharp gaze shot toward the Aurors, as if saying, Who dares approach?
The Aurors looked at each other meaningfully. They all decided to play deaf and dumb, symbolically firing a few spells that missed by impressive margins.
What a joke. Most of them were Hogwarts graduates. They were Professor McGonagall's former students. With their mentor present, who cared what the pink toad was spouting? They had graduated, but they weren't abandoning their humanity.
"You..." Umbridge trembled with impotent rage.
This wasn't right! It shouldn't have turned out this way. This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
Below the platform, Ethan shot Professor McGonagall a grateful look. Then he raised his chin, proudly and fearlessly glaring at Umbridge!
"You can seal my throat with spells, you can cut out my tongue with a knife, you can even throw me in Azkaban and have Dementors give me a fatal kiss..."
"But that only proves how afraid you are of what I'm about to say!"
"Well said!" A cheer rang out from the judgment bench. A wizard stood up, excitedly clapping.
Then, under the strange looks from around him, he sheepishly sat back down, coughing twice to cover his embarrassment, his face flushing red.
"Thank you," Ethan politely nodded to him.
Then his eyes shifted. No longer paying attention to the completely speechless Umbridge, his gaze shot directly toward the instigators of this trial: the Carrow couple.
At this moment, they seemed to sense the situation was turning against them and stood up, hurriedly trying to leave. But Ethan wouldn't let them off so easily.
"The Aurors who brought me here said you swore to make me pay for what happened to your son. Then..." Ethan's voice rose with righteous fury.
"In the years when Voldemort ran rampant, what price will you pay for how many families were torn apart?!"
At these words, the courtroom fell into deathly silence.
Clatter.
Rita's quill fell to the floor. Her red lips gaped wide, but she didn't dare write down those three forbidden words.
If before, some officials had watched this farce with detached amusement, now they were completely stunned. Even Professor McGonagall looked at Ethan in shock and amazement!
Why did this child dare speak the Dark Lord's name so directly?! Was it youthful fearlessness, or had his inner courage trampled the Dark Lord's intimidation underfoot?
The Carrow couple stiffened, then shouted with ashen faces: "You... you madman! I'll sue you for slander! We did nothing..."
"Yes," Ethan interrupted.
His eyes shot toward them like blazing fire, making them tremble involuntarily. In his skull, the tiny golden lamp swayed gently, transforming into power and flowing into Ethan's words.
"You did nothing. When other wizards fought evil with all their might, you did nothing! What face do you have to stand here and shamelessly claim you 'did nothing'?!"
In that instant, Ethan's words seemed to transform into golden arrows, piercing straight through everyone's chests! Shattering their inner prejudices. Making them truly face the child before them who had barely started school.
A barely perceptible golden light flashed in Rita's eyes. She was dazed for a moment. Somehow, she crossed out what she had just written, Madman Ethan Vincent speaks wildly and changed it to Used reason and wisdom to counter pure-blood family accusations.
The Carrow couple began trembling all over. They wanted to say something but were held by an invisible force. Unable to move or speak a word.
Umbridge sputtered desperately: "Arrest him, the verdict takes effect immediately. Throw this madman in Azkaban right now..."
However, before she could finish speaking, the courtroom doors were slammed open with a tremendous bang! Crashing heavily into the wall, making everyone jump.
"Who said they would throw my student in Azkaban?"
A weathered but undeniably authoritative voice, like rolling thunder, echoed through the courtroom. Instantly silencing everyone.
White-haired Dumbledore strode in with obvious anger, his robes billowing dramatically behind him. Behind him followed the bowing and scraping Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
Seeing this scene, Umbridge's heart skipped a beat as she nervously gripped her gavel.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall turned her head in delight, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Now she wasn't worried about what the pink toad might do to Ethan. She was afraid Ethan might blow up the entire Ministry!
Dumbledore strode toward Ethan, standing before him and blocking off the high, encircling judgment bench like a protective wall.
"My apologies, Mr. Vincent. I'm late because I wanted to understand the situation as thoroughly as possible," Dumbledore bent down, speaking with genuine remorse to Ethan.
"My child, you must have been terrified. I promise you won't be harmed again."
The judgment bench collectively thought: The one truly being harmed is over here!
"Damn..." An official covered his forehead, muttering in frustration: "When that old fox Lucius found excuses to refuse appearing in court, I should have realized this wasn't simple..."
Who would have thought this little prodigy would be so formidable! Single-handedly overwhelming everyone! Leaving those who were supposed to judge him speechless! He even managed to convict the arrogant Carrow family.
Dumbledore turned his head, looking at Minister Fudge with quiet authority, saying calmly but undeniably: "I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer."
"Of course, of course, Headmaster Dumbledore! This was an error in our work..." Cornelius Fudge smiled nervously, constantly wiping sweat from his forehead.
Turning his head, he glared coldly at Umbridge sitting in the judge's position: "Our staff made a serious error, hastily opening court without careful review. Dolores Umbridge."
"Suspended from duty."
Four words fell like a heavy hammer, deciding Umbridge's fate. In an instant, her face turned as pale as parchment.
It was over. Everything was over.
Her figure swayed unsteadily, and she didn't even hear Cornelius Fudge's subsequent mentions of fines and investigative procedures.
Clearly, clearly it had been tacitly approved...
Hearing her colleagues whispering around her, she finally couldn't hold onto the gavel in her hand. It slipped powerlessly and fell onto the table with a final, decisive thud.