Minister Fudge soon arrived at the school with a group of Aurors.
He appeared quite cheerful, and as soon as he entered the headmaster's office, he took off his round hat and outer robe, hanging them aside. He then shook hands with Dumbledore with a hearty smile, as if the previous tension between them had never existed.
"Who could have imagined?" he sighed dramatically, expressing his regret with exaggerated emotion. "Someone would betray their friends in such a way—faking their death in front of Muggles, framing Black, and even fooling all of us."
Jane Yu was surprised by his words.
Given Fudge's usual style, she had expected him to be displeased. After all, a wrongful conviction like this was hardly good for the Ministry's reputation.
"This must be quite a headache for you, Cornelius," Dumbledore remarked, showing no trace of the previous discord between them.
"Helping to restore the reputation of an innocent man—how could that be called a headache?" Fudge declared righteously, though Jane detected a hint of glee in his tone. "I think we can withdraw all those Dementors back to Azkaban. There's no point in chasing after an honorable man, is there?"
"Besides," he added with a wry smile, though there was a sly glint in his eyes, "Albus, you know, back then I was merely a junior undersecretary in the Department of Magical Catastrophes. I had no power to influence the trial—old Barty was far too reckless. How could he wrongfully convict someone so easily?"
Jane finally understood why he was so pleased.
This was a win-win-win situation for him. He could easily gloss over the fact that Sirius Black had escaped and remained at large, bolster his own image as a champion of justice by overturning a wrongful conviction, and conveniently place the blame for the mistake on the previous administration.
After all, what did a wrongful conviction under Barty Crouch Sr.'s leadership have to do with Cornelius Fudge?
Soon, Fudge turned his smiling face toward Jane, giving her shoulder a gentle pat in a show of goodwill toward her and Dumbledore.
"Raising snakes, what a delightful little hobby!" he exclaimed, thrusting a copy of Fantastic Serpents and How to Care for Them into her hands. His words, however, were directed at Dumbledore. "Such a young child helping the Ministry catch a criminal—Albus, you've got a remarkable student here!"
At these words, Dumbledore finally broke into a genuine smile.
The Animagus was soon escorted away by the Aurors, looking so pitiful that even his master would have shaken his head in dismay.
...
"Well then," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair as if a great burden had been lifted, "I believe some rewards are in order!"
At this point, he was certain he had fully understood Jane Yu's intentions.
She must have noticed something unusual about Ron's pet rat long ago and had orchestrated the snake-keeping plan to force it to reveal itself!
Not only had she captured the true culprit, but she had also cleared Sirius Black's name... Who would have thought a thirteen-year-old could pull off such a feat?
What a brilliant strategy! With ease, she had exposed an Animagus!
The other professors had clearly reached the same conclusion and began to express their admiration:
"So breaking down barriers was just the first layer—capturing Pettigrew was the deeper goal. Truly... astonishing..."
Snape's expression had returned to normal. Having personally administered several doses of Veritaserum and Draught of Living Death to Pettigrew, along with a partially completed batch of Sectumsempra, he felt a sense of vengeance fulfilled. In high spirits, even the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Headmaster, I believe Miss Yu's strategy fully merits a Special Contribution Award," he suggested to Dumbledore with genuine sincerity.
Before Dumbledore could respond, the other professors chimed in with agreement, looking as though they were ready to hand Jane the trophy on the spot.
"Of course, of course! She uncovered a criminal hiding within the school, ensuring the safety of the students—a tremendous contribution."
Dumbledore readily agreed, adding 200 points to Slytherin with a smile so wide it deepened the wrinkles around his eyes. His gaze at Jane was filled with affection.
Jane had no doubt that if she asked for the stars and the moon at this moment, her guardian would find a way to fetch them for her!
"Um... I don't think I deserve this... You might be overthinking it..." she tried to deny, sensing the professors' gazes growing increasingly peculiar.
But Snape immediately cut her off, seizing every opportunity to award points:
"Modesty, prudence, and humility—for Miss Yu's exceptional qualities, Slytherin gains another 10 points!"
Jane was dumbfounded.
Her words caught in her throat, and she awkwardly closed her mouth.
She felt that the more she said, the worse it would get.
It was as if her efforts only made things more ironic.
Meanwhile, Snape shot a sideways glare at Harry, not missing the chance to criticize him:
"Mr. Potter, why can't your reckless, arrogant brain learn from Miss Yu?"
Though Harry was tempted to retort, he had to admit that Jane's strategy was indeed unparalleled and worthy of emulation.
Besides, she had helped capture the true culprit behind his parents' deaths—he was nothing but grateful to her!
"Ahem..." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I suppose I should also reward Ron. His snake played a crucial role in this incident."
He had intended to award points to Gryffindor for Ron's corn snake, but Ron had a different request.
"Sir, could I forgo the points and keep it instead?"
The corn snake was already coiled around Ron's hand. His words were filled with guilt toward the snake and Jane:
"Yu gave me this snake. She must have noticed something off about Scabbers and wanted it to protect me—"
"And yet I never realized it—instead, I kept defending that murderer!"
The snake gave his ear a playful nip, making Ron wince and hiss in pain, but he continued resolutely:
"I'll learn Parseltongue from Harry... I won't let it roam the castle and bother others..."
Dumbledore, even more delighted, immediately granted his request and praised him generously.
"As for Harry," Dumbledore mused, "I believe you already know you have a godfather—Sirius Black."
Harry asked eagerly, "So... where is he?"
Dumbledore fell silent.
Yes, where was Sirius?
Perhaps only time would tell when he decided to reveal himself!
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