Homecoming from Hogwarts

Ambrosio Froome and his wife run a candy store in Hogsmeade village that is well-known in the wizarding world and is especially loved by young wizards.

Harry and the other two were all very familiar with him.

Not only because they often visited his shop, but also because there was a secret passage in his shop warehouse leading to the fourth floor of the main castle of Hogwarts, and the three of them as well as Fred and George often used this secret passage.

"Well, Flume--"

Fudge was very kind to the witness. He looked at him kindly and said,

"Please tell the jury members of the Wizengamot, do you know the three defendants behind you?"

Flume looked back at Harry, with a look of reluctance on his face, but he still nodded.

"Yes, Minister, they are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they are students at Hogwarts. Like everyone else, they frequent my shop."

No one commented for the time being, and Ms. Bones just looked at Froome sternly.

"Frum, do you remember that on January 27 of this year, the three defendants visited your shop?"

Fudge then asked.

"Yes, I remember."

Froome hunched over Fudge.

"Froome—"

Ms. Bones looked suspicious.
"As far as I know, your candy store is very popular among young wizards, and many students visit your store every open day. How do you remember that the three defendants visited your store half a year ago?"

Harry opened his mouth, and some memories that he had almost forgotten were about to come out, and fear flashed in Hermione's brown eyes. She stared blankly at the owner of Honeydukes candy store, as if she had remembered something.

"Because Mr. Potter was generous that day--"

Froome gasped as he spoke.

"No student has ever spent so much gold on me at once this year. A total of thirty gold Galleons plus five silver Sickles and twelve copper Knuts. It was a big deal, so I gave him a discount and only charged him thirty gold Galleons."

Boom!

The Wizengamot jury listened intently to what Flume said, but a thunderbolt suddenly sounded in the minds of Harry, Ron and Hermione!

They finally remembered what they had done that day!

The strength in Harry's body quickly disappeared, and he leaned limply against the cold stone chair, despair in his green eyes.

So the Ministry's accusation against him wasn't just that he had done something stupid and violated wizarding law.
"How do you prove your words, Flume?"

Amelia quickly glanced at Amosta, who was standing still with his eyes lowered. She had a bad feeling in her heart, but she couldn't stop and continued to look for flaws.

"Oh, I have a sales record. I use it to file taxes with the ministry."

Froome said, then looked eagerly at Dawlish.

"Record this, Minister, and fellow Wizengamot jurors."

Dawlish said in a high-pitched hoarse voice, and in full view of everyone, he pulled out a thick, old account book from his windbreaker.

Dalish opened the heavy notebook and carefully turned to the page of January 27, which was densely packed with the sales records of that day.

He presented the book to Fudge, but Fudge did not accept it. He just waved his hand lightly and indicated that he should hand it to Ms. Bones.

Nothing to defend.

The book was magically stamped with the date, and every member of the jury had acknowledged the evidence.

"Very good, Flume--"

Fudge looked at Amosta with a haughty look.

"You can go down now."

"sorry"

With a sad face, Frum whispered something to Harry and the other two, and then left the eerie courtroom as if fleeing.

"Now, the three defendants, do you dispute the fact that on January 27th, you visited Honeydukes Candy Store in Hogsmeade Village?"

Fudge's majestic gaze covered the three pale-faced little wizards.

The irrefutable facts were there, and there was no room for argument. Harry opened his mouth, but his throat was so hoarse that no sound came out.

"I thought you might be wondering—"

Fudge suddenly raised his voice.
"It is perfectly normal for the three defendants to patronize Honeydukes Candy Store. It does not violate wizarding law. So why did the Ministry of Magic bring charges against them?"

The buzzing sound gradually rose like waves under the moon.

"I do expect a reasonable explanation, Connelly," said Ms. Bones.

Then, another witness was brought up by Dawlish.

This time it was a wizard who was about fifty years old and very thin.

Like Frum, he was also afraid of this interrogation room that defended the majesty of magical law.

"I'm Zadley Kern—"

Facing all the wizards of the Wizengamot, the thin and weathered wizard introduced himself respectfully.
"I am employed by the Wizarding Post Office, Department of Magical Transportation, Ministry of Magic. I am a Registrar at the Hogsmeade Post Office -"

"Well, Kern—"

Fudge's voice became lighter and lighter.
"What can you tell us about the three defendants?"

"On January 27th of this year, three wizards, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each brought a large package into the post office, paid the money, and asked us to send the three packages to London."

Amosta glanced at the wizard post office clerk who answered fluently, and he knew clearly that this scene had probably been rehearsed many times.

"Be specific."

At this point, Amelia already knew what was going on. She sighed inwardly.

"Where did they send the package?"

Dawlish took out another booklet and opened it, a grim smile appeared on his face, and he said loudly:
"According to the Auror's investigation, Harry James Potter, Ronald Bilius Weasley, and Hermione Jean Granger sent their packages to a Muggle orphanage in London!"

Boom!

The greatest round of unrest since the trial began occurred.

Many wizards looked at Harry and the other two in disbelief. Some looked at Dumbledore, who was sitting in the front row, with puzzled expressions.

Donate wizard stuff to a Muggle orphanage?

Doesn't Hogwarts teach any legal knowledge at all? !

Amostas, who was the focus of everyone's attention, was like a statue, not saying a word.

Dumbledore also sat there quietly, but a barely perceptible hint of helplessness emerged on his old face.

"How did the Auror Office come to the idea of ​​investigating the Wizarding Post Office, Dawlish?"

Ms. Bones looked coldly at Dawlish who was showing the post office records to everyone.

"You will remember, Ms. Bones—"

Dalish stared at his superior without hesitation.

"At the time, the Auror Office was ordered to investigate the attack on Hermione Granger in Hogsmeade. We knew that the cursed package Hermione Granger received was sent from the post office. When we retrieved the post office records, we unexpectedly learned that the three defendants sent a package to the Muggle orphanage in London on the same day."

When he said this, Dalish's eyes flickered.
"We immediately realised there might be a risk and rushed to investigate. But when we arrived in London, we found the orphanage had not received the package."

Didn't receive?!
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stared at Dawlish, wondering where their packages had gone.

"After investigation, we found that the packages of the three defendants were taken to the Muggle police station. Please allow me to explain to you that the Muggle police station is where the Muggle Aurors are stationed!"

The package went to the police station and not to the orphanage?!

Harry's eyes widened in horror as he looked at Dawlish, who turned around and looked at him with a grim expression.
"Why? Those three parcels sent from the Hogsmeade Post Office were confiscated by the Muggle Aurors. Oh, we conducted a thorough investigation, Mr. Potter, do you want to know the answer?"

Dawlish put on a sad face.

"Tell everyone, what is the reason?"

Fudge did not look at Dawlish and Harry, but looked at the silent Dumbledore and Amosta, with a sneer on his face, excited and incomparably loud voice.
"Tell the members of the Wizengamot jury the terrible consequences of Harry Potter's foolish actions!"

"that is because!"

The high-pitched voice of Dawlish and the echo of Fudge's voice echoed in the dark courtroom. Add to that the sharp, impatient urging of Dolores Umbridge, and everyone seemed to see that Hogwarts was doomed to fail!

"An innocent Muggle postman who raised two children was delivering Harry Potter to a Muggle orphanage. An accident occurred on the way. A chocolate frog got into the throat of the poor postman and suffocated him to death. The Muggle Aurors believed that the packages were important clues to the murder case, so they confiscated them, Harry Potter!"

Dawlish glared at Harry, who was slumped over in despair, and shouted angrily,

"You killed someone!"

Click!

It was as if a bolt of thunder had flashed by, and the jury members stared at Harry with tears in his eyes. They had not expected that the Ministry of Magic's prosecution of Harry Potter was actually true!
"Oh, please don't jump to conclusions—"

Amosta revived from his statue state, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and a brisk voice rang out in the solemn and quiet courtroom.

"I do have some questions." (End of this chapter)