Hogwarts: Wizards of Eternity

Because of its special nature, the specific details of Roger's case were not made public, but they were not a secret to the upper echelons of the wizarding society.

Many family cores of pure-blood families who controlled resources, and powerful wizards, discussed this matter during their leisure time.

Although the lawyer was not considered to be in that circle, he had a friend who was... Without connections, how could he become big and strong in the legal profession? As the saying goes, the key to a court's judgment lies outside the courtroom.

And the rumors he heard were not good.

"At the age of 10, he formed a decent team in the chaotic and terrifying Muggle hot weapon war, led his team to kill so many people, and retreated completely from the cruel war. His mental state, leadership, decision-making, and execution were all incredibly displayed."

"And people who have brushed shoulders with death will better understand the value of life."

"So, what if one day, because he wants to gain the ability to protect himself, or for other reasons, he wants stronger power, and goes to learn dark magic?"

"His heart is very strong, and the power of magic is greatly related to the mind, and he is also a... Seer!"

"This world doesn't need a second Grindelwald, nor does it need a second Voldemort!"

— These words were heard by the lawyer from his friend. How many years has it been since the shadow of Voldemort left the British wizarding society? The survivors who experienced that terrifying era are still alive.

This little bit of time is not enough to smooth out the scars and restore the courage of everyone who was frightened by Voldemort.

Is there a possibility that Roger Virgil will grow into the second Voldemort who slaughters wizards?

Unknown.

But even if there is only a 10% chance, it is unacceptable to many people.

In their eyes, Roger is indeed a talent, but the wizarding society is not short of talents.

In fact, they even hate such talents.

Voldemort, Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, Merlin, the four founders of Hogwarts... New powerhouses want to come to the table, new powerhouses want the era to obey their will, and new alchemy techniques and magic want to change the world.

The changes they bring are both good and bad, but without a doubt, every time such a person appears, it will cause turmoil in the wizarding society.

There are many people who hate turmoil, they hope everything remains unchanged.

Will Dumbledore risk causing resentment from so many wizards and pure-blood families, and use his 'power' to 'acquit' Roger?

The lawyer thinks it's unlikely.

Knock knock knock!

A heavy knock on the door came.

Then came the voice of the prison guard: "Mr. Roger Virgil, Mr. Wick, the trial will begin in 5 minutes. Have you finished communicating? If you're done, let's go to court."

As soon as the words fell, the lawyer stared at Roger.

But Roger didn't say anything more, just stood up calmly and walked towards the door.

"Roger!" the lawyer called out to him.

"Hmm?"

"You should have heard how terrible Azkaban is in the detention center, aren't you afraid?" After hesitating for a moment, Wick asked the question he was wondering about.

The young figure of the 11-year-old child was reflected in his pupils. He couldn't understand why Roger was so calm.

Does he have any trump cards?

Or, did he foresee something as a seer?

Well, one of Roger's charges is posing as a religious seer, but he really has the ability of a seer, which is also mentioned in the file.

Roger Virgil was able to survive the war with the people around him who believed in him by constantly predicting the future.

Roger said with a smile an answer that was beyond Wick's expectations: "I'm very scared, my heart is racing, and my muscles are trembling."

"I haven't been exposed to Dementors, and I don't know what kind of harm Dementors will bring me, but there are still people alive in Azkaban, aren't there?"

"From the moment I returned from hell twice, I was determined never to give up hope of life."

"I will fight forever, until the moment of my death."

"Before that, nothing will crush my will." There was no impassioned speech, Roger just stated in a very calm and natural tone.

At this moment, the lawyer understood.

The young seer has no trump cards.

He just has the courage to face it, even if the front is hell, even if his heart is full of fear.

At the same time, the lawyer felt... fear!

The lawyer also understood why some of the upper echelons of the wizarding society, even though they knew that the probability of Roger becoming the next Voldemort was not high, still did not want Roger to be acquitted.

Once such a determined person believes that wizards or Muggles are enemies...

Squeak—

The door was opened, and Roger walked out. The four wizard prison guards waiting outside once again put on the encirclement formation as before.

The group left the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which was originally located on the 2nd floor of the British Ministry of Magic headquarters.

Normal small cases are pronounced here, but Roger's case is not pronounced here, he has to go to another place.

From the 2nd floor of the seventh floor all the way down, they arrived at the 8th floor located on the first floor of the Ministry of Magic.

The floor numbers of the Ministry of Magic are very strange. The top floor is the 1st floor, the first floor is the 8th floor, and the first floor underground is the 9th floor where the Department of Mysteries is located, and the location Roger is going to is even lower than the Department of Mysteries.

There, it is one of the apexes of the British wizarding society, the Wizengamot, which holds legislative and supreme judicial power!

.

.

.

One document after another was displayed in front of everyone.

One interrogator after another asked questions, allowing all the Wizengamot members to better understand Roger and the details of the case not on the documents.

While Roger was answering, he was also paying attention to everyone around him.

The Wizengamot's trial is very different from a normal court trial.

Its trial process is that the interrogator asks questions, the interrogated answers, and 50 Wizengamot members then raise their hands to vote on whether they believe the interrogated is guilty based on their own considerations.

The minority obeys the majority. If there is a special situation of 25:25, then the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot makes the decision. The position of this Chief Warlock is roughly equivalent to the speaker of this council.

Well, Wick has nothing to do with it throughout the whole process.

Normally speaking, if the interrogator's own language expression ability is not very good, he can entrust a lawyer or other more professional person to speak and defend himself on his behalf.

But after Roger met with Wick and talked for a while, he felt that it might be better for him to face these questions in person.

It's not that Roger has any opinions on Wick's professional ability, but there are other reasons.

First, through the previous communication, Roger keenly realized that Wick did not show absolute support for his case... This is very normal, defense is just a job, and it does not mean that he approves of his behavior.

Just like an employee cursing in his heart, he still has to work overtime and toast.

In the case of ordinary cases, this doesn't matter, but this is the Wizengamot, and the voting method here means that the attitude of the respondent will have a significant impact on the verdict. If Wick shows a little hesitation on a certain key issue, it will be a fatal blow to him.

The second is that Roger doesn't want to leave his fate to others to decide.

Since no matter who argues, the possibility of achieving a happy end is slim, it is better to do it yourself.

"Yes, after I awakened my ability, that is, the divination magic you call magical power riot, I believe that only by borrowing the name of a local influential religion can I most likely survive."

After listening to Roger's answer, Albus Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, then asked the next question with a serious expression: "According to our investigation, at the end of 1990, the intensity of the war had already decreased. With your power and resources at the time, you had a complete chance to get rid of the quagmire of war and return to England. Why didn't you come back, and still stayed in Kuwait as a religious seer until the spring of 1991, when the Gulf War completely ended before returning?"

At this moment, Dumbledore's expression was not as kind and amiable as when he was the headmaster of Hogwarts, but with the solemnity and majesty of being the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

And the question he asked was also very critical.

The reason why many of Roger's charges were established, in addition to the fact that some magical forces in the Middle East were trying to make trouble, there was also an important reason, that is, Roger did not return when he had the ability to get rid of the war, which had already exceeded the scope allowed by 'emergency avoidance'.

The so-called emergency avoidance means that when a person's life is seriously threatened, doing certain illegal things will not be held criminally responsible, such as self-defense and killing a thief, eating protected animals when starving to death, etc., are all included in this category.

As soon as Dumbledore's words fell, the wizards of the Wizengamot locked their eyes on the little wizard who was standing in the defendant's seat, with smooth golden hair, handsome appearance, thin figure, and height about the waist and abdomen of most wizards, looking weak, helpless and pitiful.

But Roger's answer to this question was not at all soft, weak, or pitiful: "At that time in Kuwait, many people followed me because I used the name of a religious seer. They firmly believed that I was the seer and firmly believed that I could lead them to survive, and the fact that they could survive was indeed inseparable from my predictive abilities."

"Landmines, bombs, bullets, missile attacks, I can feel the arrival of things that can threaten me. I can always be one step ahead of death and avoid the pursuit of death."

“I had already accumulated enough resources during the mid-war to get myself out of the war, but what would happen if I left? Losing the 'Seer,' this mental pillar, would drive many people crazy. Those guys in the队伍 who suppressed their ambitions because of my existence would seize the opportunity for power and profit, and more chances of survival, tearing the队伍 apart. People might even kill each other.”

“Not to mention, in order to protect them, we have had friction with various armies. Without my 'prophecy,' how would they be able to evade missile attacks and pursuits from other armies?”

“Many people would die.”

Speaking of this, Roger paused.

“I hate lies, and I hate death.”

“When I was weak, I had to borrow lies to gain strength, protecting myself by bringing death to others.”

“And at that time, there were tens of thousands of people who believed in me. I had weapons and manpower. I became strong.”

“Having to do things you hate when you are weak, and still having to do things you hate after becoming strong, watching those who believe in you die… What is the meaning of me becoming strong? What is the meaning of me trying my best to survive? Is it just to keep doing one disgusting thing after another, endlessly?!”

“People shouldn't live to constantly disgust themselves; this is not the life I want.”

“I don't like farewells and deaths, so I refuse its appearance. I won't allow it to appear before my eyes or befall those around me.”

“I don't like lies. I promised them I would lead them through this war, so I won't leave before the war ends.”

This was Roger's answer, and also his true feelings.

A great man can bend and stretch. Bowing his head when weak is not for surrender but to gather strength for a counterattack. When strong, he naturally wants the world to operate according to his will, instead of continuing to be a deserter, a coward!

“Hmm.” Dumbledore responded noncommittally, then continued with the next question.

“During the Gulf War, you personally killed 98 people. What do you think about this?”

As soon as this question was asked, Roger immediately felt the air in the entire room seemed to become heavier.

Obviously, the wizards were more concerned about this issue than why Roger pretended to be a religious prophet.

Roger's case had many controversial issues, but the legal provisions could always be clarified one day. The reason why this case was to be judged by the Wizengamot, this 'Supreme Court,' besides the international disputes involved in the case, was that they wanted to understand what kind of person Roger really was face-to-face.

Many wizards who knew about this case believed that Roger was a talented person.

Among them, some were wary of the birth of powerful wizards because of the mysterious man.

Naturally, there were also people who hoped that more powerful wizards would appear and were willing to cultivate talents.

If Roger's essence was not 'evil,' some people didn't want Roger to go to Azkaban just like that.

For the Wizengamot, which had legislative power, their judgment was no longer about whether a crime had been committed, but about 'right and wrong.' They had more complex things to consider.

Magic and wizards had evolved from the barbaric and bloody ancient curses to the more sophisticated and civilized era of today, requiring one powerful wizard after another to add bricks and tiles.

Controversy had always existed. Although one faction had the upper hand, the voice of the other faction could not be ignored, so there was this trial with a strange atmosphere.

And under this heavy atmosphere, Roger replied: “Madmen whose families died in the war and whose spirits collapsed, scumbags who wanted to do evil in the chaos, invaders from Iraq, and the American army who spared no effort for their strategic goals. Among the people I killed, 54 wanted to kill me.”

“And the other 44 wanted to kill other people around me.”

“Do you think it is a crime to attack the person wielding the butcher knife in order to save someone about to be killed?” After answering, Roger calmly asked a question in return.

“If you think this is a crime, then I don't think I have anything to say next.” Roger knew that after they asked about the people he had personally killed, they might ask about the people who died because of him.

Roger simply answered with a question, answering the upcoming question in advance.

After Roger's words fell, there was a rustling sound from the Wizengamot seats in the courtroom. They discussed in hushed voices, and the next question from Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore followed closely, not giving the wizards more time to discuss.

“Roger Virgil, you have killed so many people, do you feel guilty for ending the lives of others?”

This question was also within Roger's expectations, and Roger gave the answer he had already thought out on the battlefield: “No.”

Roger's tone was as firm as cutting nails, without the slightest hesitation.

“He who kills shall be killed. From the moment they picked up the butcher knife, they should have been prepared to face all of this. I know that they may be someone's sons, husbands, fathers, or even sisters and brothers. Some people will be sad for them. Perhaps they don't think their actions are evil. They are fighting to protect national interests and the lights of thousands of families behind them, but this is not a reason why they can naturally carry out slaughter without bearing the consequences.”

“I will not feel the slightest guilt for killing them.”

“Life is priceless. One life should not be nobler than another, and a hundred lives should not be more precious than ten lives, and vice versa. Life is not something that can be placed on a scale.”

“If someone hates me because I killed them and wants to kill me, then come on. The same is true for me. I don't have double standards. From the moment I started fighting, I was already prepared to face death.”

“However, no matter how deep their hatred or how appropriate their reasons, I will not show mercy to those who raise their weapons against me.”

When Roger finished speaking, he noticed that some of the wizards in the courtroom had strange expressions.

Obviously, some wizards couldn't accept Roger's remarks.

But he didn't care.

And Albus Dumbledore, as the Chief Warlock, obviously noticed those wizards' reactions. A strange look flashed in his eyes, which seemed serious and solemn on the surface.

Then he asked a question that seemed not very relevant to the case: “Mr. Roger, you should have communicated with your lawyer before the trial. If you are found guilty, it will definitely be a serious crime, and the British Ministry of Magic generally detains serious criminals in Azkaban.”

This question seemed inexplicable, but Roger understood Dumbledore's subtext.

Roger's originally calm gaze fluctuated slightly, but he suppressed it.

“I know that I am a child, much weaker than any wizard present. You don't even need to use magic. Your strong bodies can knock me to the ground with one hand. If I say some soft words, or even shed a few tears and cry bitterly, it might be more helpful to my situation.”

After hearing Dumbledore's question, Roger knew that this white-haired, elderly wizard was not the kind of guy who was so evil that he was festering in some conspiracy theories in his previous life. He was vaguely telling himself that his statement might be detrimental to the verdict.

He… actually wanted to help him get acquitted?

Roger felt Dumbledore's kindness, but he still planned to go his own way.

“But I don't want to.”

“This is the Wizengamot, everyone. You are powerful wizards who control the legislative and supreme judicial power of the entire British wizarding world. I know that being able to sit in this position, you must have your own extraordinary qualities.”

“Vast knowledge, long-standing bloodlines, outstanding wisdom, powerful strength, deep and wide influence and connections… I don't think you with these qualities would be easily deceived, and I also hate lies.”

“You have asked me many questions, but my answer has always been only one. During the Gulf War, all my actions and all the consequences that arose were only because I wanted to save myself, I wanted to save those who believed in me, and I wanted to fulfill my promise to lead everyone to survive. I have no regrets. Even if you find me guilty and give me a chance to reverse time and return to that battlefield, I would still choose to fight.”

“All my answers come from my heart, without half a lie. If you have the means to read minds and detect lies, as long as it doesn't hurt me, you can verify them to your heart's content.” Roger said extremely frankly.

After the words fell.

The Wizengamot courtroom was silent.

All the wizards were staring at the child whose eyes were calm and who met their gazes calmly.

Although he was so weak, all the wizards could feel it at this moment.

Under that young body was an indestructible soul that had been tempered by war and killed its way back to the world from the piles of dead in hell!

With such a will, even if he was thrown into Azkaban, it would probably be difficult for the Dementors to destroy him.

According to the procedure, Chief Warlock Dumbledore should have had some more questions to ask.

But at this moment, Dumbledore felt that asking or not asking would not make much difference.

Just as Roger said, he had already answered all the questions.

“Then…”

Dumbledore, sitting in the central seat of the Chief Warlock, hesitated for a moment and said, “Members who agree that the charges are valid, please raise your hands.”

Some people raised their hands, and some people did not act.

And if someone had prior knowledge of these Wizengamot members, they would find something very interesting.

Many of those who held strong opinions against Roger before the trial and were determined to solidify his guilt did not raise their hands.

Conversely, a significant number of those who believed Roger was an innocent child and wanted to exonerate him actually raised their hands in agreement to his guilt.

Of course, even more people did not immediately express their opinions but instead turned their gaze towards the center of the courtroom, towards Albus Dumbledore.

And Dumbledore…

Remained completely still!