novelhk Page 212
Page 212
"I want the chance to witness the execution up close! I want to see him accept the Dementor's kiss with my own eyes!" Blake shouted, seemingly venting thirteen years of grievances and resentment.
"That scared me. As long as he doesn't live," Jaina breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Fudge.
The Minister of Magic nodded without hesitation: "Of course. I think Mr. Black's request is reasonable and does not require any compensation in exchange."
The jury members nodded in agreement.
In a situation like Blake's, it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest personally carrying out the execution, let alone just stand by and watch.
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Chapter 233 The Dementor's Kiss
After hearing the final verdict, the light of hope in Peter Pettigrew's eyes went out, and he slumped into his chair like a lump of mud.
Soon, at the Auror's arrangement, a Dementor floated into the trial chamber and went straight to Peter Pettigrew.
Wherever they passed, frost rose in the air.
Many Wizengamors, including Dumbledore, seemed unable to bear the scene and left the courtroom.
Only a few people, along with the Ministry of Magic staff, remained to watch the execution alongside Sirius Black.
At first, as if making a final struggle, Little Pettigrew twisted its body desperately and howled like a madman.
But this was destined to be futile.
Levin's Copy Charm was quite perfect; the chains firmly secured him to the chair.
As the Dementor drew closer, Pettigrew seemed frozen in fear, his eyes fixed on the Dementor's head.
By this time, Blake's chains had been removed, and he was free.
But he remained motionless, staring intently as the Dementor approached Peter Pettigrew, watching it lift its hood, revealing its dark, gaping head, and open its mouth to slowly suck away all of Peter Pettigrew's joy, along with his sinful soul.
Upon seeing this, Blake covered his face, knelt down, and burst into tears.
He felt all his endless grievances and anger flow out with his tears.
Seeing his appearance, all the wizards present were deeply moved.
Even the unbearable pain of witnessing Peter's execution seemed to lessen considerably.
This down-on-his-luck wizard before me was once so vibrant and full of youthful vigor.
As a result of trusting Peter, his best friend and his entire family were killed, and he himself suffered thirteen years of dark and hopeless imprisonment.
In a corner where no one was watching, Snape silently hid himself in the shadows, his long sleeves unconsciously wiping his eyes.
After a long while, Levin walked toward Sirius Black.
He bent down and gently patted Blake on the shoulder.
Blake raised his tear-streaked face and met the boy's pitying gaze.
Although he didn't say a word, a strong emotion rose in Blake's heart: gratitude, respect, and a sense of security.
The seeds that Levin planted have begun to sprout slowly.
"Get up, Black, Dumbledore is waiting for you outside," Levin urged.
"But...your payment..."
Blake opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Levin.
"There's no rush. Your collection is there anyway, it won't run away. We can talk about the payment later."
“I understand,” Blake nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said to Levin with concern, “You shouldn’t watch this kind of execution; it’s too early for you.”
He felt that although Levin was very strong, he was still a minor wizard and should not have witnessed such a cruel scene.
“Thank you for your concern, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve long had my own views on death. The Thestrals at Hogwarts are proof of that,” Levin explained. “But you, I always feel you haven’t completely let go of the past.”
“Relief… How can thirteen years of suffering be so honorable to be relieved?” Blake sighed. “Death may be a punishment, but the pain of having one’s soul sucked away is not enough to compensate for all of this!”
After he finished speaking, Sirius was also surprised that he had actually opened his heart to a child.
Perhaps it's because of his calm demeanor and formidable strength.
Perhaps it was because he had indeed helped him, whether by arresting Peter or by clearing his name.
Blake observed the relationships between Auror Captain Tonks, Deputy Chief of the Legal Enforcement Division Jaina, and the boys.
They worked hard on this case, and Blake could feel it.
All of this is thanks to Levin's influence.
In his mind now, Levin's status, though not comparable to Dumbledore's, is almost that of a very reliable friend.
Looking at Sirius's still somewhat pained expression, Levin replied earnestly, "You're right, justice delayed is justice denied."
"However, in my opinion, Peter Pettigrew has already been punished for his mistakes."
"For thirteen years, he could only live as a rat, hiding in a wizard's family, living in constant fear. This was not an easy thing. The pain and torment this experience brought him may have far exceeded the damage caused by accepting the kiss of the Dementor."
Blake took Levin's words to heart, and the pain and resentment that had been lingering in his heart seemed to be lessened.
"Alright, stop worrying about that," Levin said encouragingly. "Your priority is to take a shower, change into some nice clothes, have a good meal, and get ready for your new life." The boy helped him up encouragingly. "Your friend Lupin and your godson Harry are waiting for you at Hogwarts."
Blake nodded vigorously, following the boy's advice.
Levin watched him leave the courtroom, where he was picked up by Dumbledore.
At that moment, Jaina came to Levin's side.
"Let's go, little Levin, let's get out of here."
As the deputy director of the Department of Law Enforcement, the princess of Kul Tiras disliked this gloomy courtroom.
But Levin didn't move; he looked towards the audience.
A witch was sitting in the back row, actually writing something, and she hasn't left yet.
Following Levin's gaze, Jaina spotted her immediately.
Her golden hair was styled into elaborate, stiff, and oddly curly waves. She wore a magenta robe and jeweled glasses, and an automatic quill pen was rapidly moving across the paper.
This is Rita Skeeter, the chief reporter for The Daily Prophet, who previously worked with Levin.
“Sister Jaina, that’s Rita I mentioned. If you need media publicity or anything like that, you can talk to her,” Levin whispered a reminder.
Jaina nodded in understanding and walked towards Rita.
Upon meeting Gianna, Rita Ski was briefly taken aback, but then they struck up a pleasant conversation.
Levin wasn't worried at all that Rita would write something inappropriate.
She is a pragmatic person and will not easily provoke those in power.
Especially since Jaina had just exonerated Sirius Black, severely damaging Barty Crouch's power.
A true newcomer to the power structure
She's just a junior reporter; the only thing she can do with this kind of person is to befriend them.
Levin ignored what they talked about, and after leaving the Ministry of Magic, he used teleportation to return to the entrance of Hogwarts, and then walked towards the school.
0???????
But just as he was about to enter the castle, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.
He turned his head and saw Professor McGonagall.
The other person looked at him with a serious expression, and Lu Ping next to him also looked anxious.
Harry and Hermione followed behind the two professors, talking about something... Oh right, and Luna too, what's she doing here?
Why did they gather together?
Levin stepped forward and was immediately grabbed by Professor McGonagall for questioning:
“Mr. Grimm, you’re finally back at school after a day. Although I’ve received a notification from the Ministry of Magic, I’m still very curious about what you were doing before,” Professor McGonagall asked eagerly.
"I went to the Ministry of Magic to assist with a case," Levin explained simply.
“I see,” Professor McGonagall nodded. “On the night you left, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy both disappeared. Do you know anything about them?”
"I don't know, Ron and Malfoy are both missing?" Levin asked, barely suppressing a laugh.
“Yes,” Professor Lupin nodded heavily. “We are looking for them because they disappeared at the same time as you, and we thought it was related to you.”
“I came here with them to find you,” Luna added.
Levin, not wanting to reveal himself, deflected the question by saying, "Have you asked Professor Snape? He went to the Ministry of Magic with me, and perhaps he saw them before that."
However, this method of diverting the blame to other areas failed.
"The Ministry of Magic has informed us of this as well. We have naturally contacted Professor Snape, but for some reason, the owls we sent out haven't returned yet," Professor McGonagall explained.
Of course they can't find it!
At this very moment, in Godric Valley,
Professor Snape stood motionless before a tomb made of white marble, the inscription on the tombstone seemingly gleaming in the darkness.
You don't need to kneel down, or even get very close, to see the inscriptions clearly.
James Porter
Born on March 27, 1960
Died on October 31, 1981
Lily Potter
Born on March 30, 1960
Died on October 31, 1981
The last enemy to be eliminated is death.
Peter Pettigrew died; he avenged Lily.
He thought,
But so what?
Lily's rotting corpse lay beneath the ice and stones, cold and lifeless.