When guilt is ambiguous—when an argument could go either way—the key to judgment lies not in the case itself, but in whether the verdict and its precedent will bring harm to the wizarding community.
And on that point, Dumbledore made his choice: to place his trust in the child, and in his own judgment and discernment.
As the court adjourned, a figure slowly approached Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore, you're going to have some trouble coming your way," said an elderly man in Wizengamot robes, his tone low and grave. He looked just as old, if not older, than Dumbledore himself.
"I'm already prepared," Dumbledore replied calmly. He understood exactly what his longtime friend was referring to.
In truth, the American Magical Congress didn't care much about Roger Virgil's case. The Congress's interests didn't always align with the United States as a whole. Their attention was opportunistic—testing waters, looking for weaknesses. Dumbledore didn't see them as difficult to handle.
The real problem was the Middle East. One of Roger's crimes was falsely posing as a religious prophet during wartime—but the truth was, he really *was* one.
Some in the Middle Eastern magical world genuinely believed Roger was the prophesied holy figure.
Though the wizarding world seemed separate from the Muggle world, wizarding jurisdictions often followed national borders. Every year, countless Muggle-born children experienced magic outbursts and entered the wizarding world.
Some pure-blood wizard families even held noble titles granted by Muggle monarchies.
Despite the International Statute of Secrecy, the boundaries between the wizard and Muggle worlds weren't as clear as they appeared.
And in a world where most countries had dominant religions, many wizards were influenced by those same beliefs—some due to upbringing by religious Muggle families, others who harbored resentment toward churches due to the historical witch hunts.
In the Middle East, both sides existed—those who saw Roger as the real prophet and those who wanted him dead.
Part of the reason Roger's case was tried in Britain was due to his nationality. But another part was because the infighting in the Middle Eastern magical factions had reached a stalemate. Neither side could convince the other, so they dumped the problem on Britain.
Now, with Dumbledore's silent abstention tipping the vote to 30 to 20 in Roger's favor, he had been declared not guilty and released on the spot.
But it was far from over.
The old wizard who had known Dumbledore for decades understood his nature well. Dumbledore, soft-hearted yet stubborn—if he decided to protect Roger, he would do so until the end.
Tensions between the British and Middle Eastern wizarding worlds were likely to flare.
The old man said nothing further. He merely nodded and left.
If Dumbledore said he was prepared, then there was no need to worry.
After all, this was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and the greatest British wizard of the century.
He believed that his old friend could handle anything the world threw at him.
.
At that moment, Roger stood at an intersection in London.
Behind him stood one of the entrances to the Ministry of Magic, disguised as a telephone booth.
He felt an overwhelming sense of unreality.
He had been fully prepared to be sentenced to Azkaban—to suffer under the torment of Dementors, to survive by any means necessary, to beg, barter, and steal magical knowledge from fellow prisoners, to endure seven years of imprisonment, all in preparation for Voldemort's return and the mass prison break of the Death Eaters.
…He hadn't read the Harry Potter books, and he'd only watched up to *Order of the Phoenix*. The tone of the later films had felt too different from the earlier ones, so he lost interest. He'd only seen brief clips on short video platforms.
But since the Death Eaters eventually returned, didn't that mean Voldemort did a "general pardon"?
He didn't know for sure, but life always needed hope.
And yet, against all expectations, a light had shone through the darkness.
He was… free?
"Feeling a bit lighter now?" came a warm voice from beside him.
Roger turned. Dumbledore had appeared at his side, quietly.
He was still dressed in his Wizengamot Chief Warlock robes, apparently not having had time to change. But the stern courtroom aura had vanished—he now looked like a kindly grandfather from next door.
"It really is an intoxicating feeling," Roger admitted truthfully.
"Mr. Dumbledore, I won't say more, but I will never forget what you've done for me."
Roger looked up at the tall figure, over six feet in height, with deep sincerity.
If this was truly the same Dumbledore from the films he'd seen, then his offer of help was in character. But Roger had never taken anyone's kindness for granted.
He would remember this favor always.
Seeing Roger's serious expression, Dumbledore simply smiled and gently ruffled his smooth golden hair.
"You're only eleven. You're still a child. Don't be so serious all the time," Dumbledore said gently. "You're free now. You're safe. If possible, I hope you can live like any other child—laugh more, play more."
Roger lowered his head in silence.
To live like a child…?
After everything he'd experienced, he didn't just feel different from children—he felt distant even from most adults.
Noticing Roger's silence, Dumbledore paused and then withdrew his hand, changing the subject.
"So, Roger, what are your plans now?"
Just as the elder in the Wizengamot had predicted—since Dumbledore had chosen to save Roger, he would see it through to the end. He wouldn't just pull him from prison and leave him on the street.
Britain might be a peaceful country, but not peaceful enough to let a child wander the streets without concern. There were still vagrants, illegal immigrants, gangs, rogue wizards, magical creatures… too many uncertainties.
"First, I'll try to contact my mother's side of the family. My father was an orphan. Only my mother's relatives are possible."
"Her business was based in Kuwait. With the destruction of her company and breach of contracts, it's likely the company's gone bankrupt."
"If I inherit anything, it'll probably be debt. I've had almost no contact with her side of the family in four years since I moved to Kuwait at age seven. I have no idea how they feel about me now."
Roger's tone didn't shift at all as he spoke about his fall from noble Roman wealth to penniless wanderer.
In his view, it wasn't worth getting emotional over. His greatest asset was the knowledge in his mind.
With foresight of the future, he had countless ways to build wealth.
More importantly…
"Even if they don't welcome me, they wouldn't ignore my mother's affairs entirely. I brought back a little money from Kuwait—not much, but enough to handle funeral arrangements."
"As a minor, I'll need their help to handle legal matters. Once the funerals are over, I'll devote myself to one thing."
"And that is?" Dumbledore asked gently, seeing the distant look in Roger's eyes. He sighed inwardly. It seemed the road to helping this child live a normal life would not be easy.
"To find out if I'm truly a wizard."
"And if I am, I'll find a way to learn magic."
Yes—now that this world was confirmed to have magic, the most important thing was to *learn it*.
Not chasing wealth.
Dumbledore blinked. "Hm?"
Roger understood Dumbledore's confusion and explained, "Even though I've been accused of magical crimes, I'm still not sure if I *can* actually use magic—if I *am* a wizard."
"From what I learned in detention, a normal magical outburst in young wizards is brief. Mine was different. Aside from sensing danger related to myself, I have no other abilities."
"Sometimes, I wonder—does this ability of mine even count as magic? I've heard there are other beings in the world with special powers—ghosts, centaurs, vampires, trolls…"
As he spoke, Roger's expression flickered.
After everything he'd been through, he understood the value of power—and what he truly desired.
If he ended up having no connection to magic after all…
That would be a heavy blow.
"You think too much, child," Dumbledore said, shaking his head with a slightly exasperated smile.
"If the Ministry charged you with magical crimes, they must've had irrefutable evidence."
As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled a pristine white envelope from his robes and placed it in Roger's hands.
Then he said:
"For all children born or raised in Britain, if they possess magical talent, their names appear on the enrollment list of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"This is your Hogwarts acceptance letter."
"Roger, without a doubt—you are a wizard!"