Just as Howl had said, all of Fudge's subsequent rebuttals were weak and pale.
He tried to dig out the investigation file from fifty years ago, but it only recorded the incident of Hagrid raising an Acromantula.
This made him think he had found a lifeline.
But unexpectedly, Newt Scamander stepped forward to refute him.
It was impossible for an Acromantula to be the murderer of Myrtle. The autopsy characteristics recorded fifty years ago, and the testimony of Myrtle's ghost presented by Dumbledore, all pointed the facts of the case to the Basilisk.
"Evidence! Only with evidence can this case be settled!" he yelled hoarsely in the courtroom.
In the back row, some Wizengamot members chose to leave.
Fudge's desperate resistance was fully observed by them.
As for siding with Dumbledore? To them, it was even more absurd; the interests he represented were fundamentally different.
So they chose to leave and watch how things unfolded.
The tide had turned.
"Minister, this is not your fault." A greasy voice spoke with extreme affectation.
"They are essentially accusing the former Ministry of Magic, those people from fifty years ago, not you," Umbridge said. "Just take all the blame, then shift the responsibility to the former Ministry of Magic officials, and use the taxpayers' money to compensate…"
Fudge gritted his teeth, only able to nod helplessly.
However, at this moment, Amelia on the stand was in a dilemma. Next to her was a series of pamphlets.
Inside were various laws promulgated by the Ministry of Magic over the years.
Yes, she needed to look through them on the spot, trying to find applicable legal provisions.
The Ministry of Magic being sued required corresponding compensation. The method of compensation and the amount of compensation were all matters she needed to consider.
To be honest, while the argument was ongoing below, or more accurately, while Fudge was clamoring below, she had already started flipping through the law books.
"Damn it… regulations targeting the Ministry of Magic… how could there be such a law…"
"Regulations for assessing damages in defamation and reputation infringement cases," Dumbledore said faintly. "Don't get hung up on the Ministry of Magic point."
As he spoke, he smiled gently: "After all, what's so special about the Ministry of Magic?!"
These words made some people's expressions turn even gloomier.
After a long while, Amelia finally found the relevant legal provisions, but then another difficulty arose.
The point about restoring the plaintiff's reputation in public media was undeniable.
But when it came to the amount of compensation, it stumped them.
Just as Howl was about to appeal in court to increase the compensation amount, an unexpected situation occurred.
A Wizengamot member actually asked Hagrid in court how much compensation he needed.
Howl looked up at the woman who spoke.
It was none other than the one he had slapped earlier. At this moment, she was slightly lowering her gaze, with a face that seemed to be looking at a beggar.
"How much compensation do you think is enough? Is three thousand Galleons enough?"
Her demeanor was as if she were shooing away a beggar.
"What?" Fudge exclaimed from the other side, feeling the pinch.
That was "his" money.
"Three thousand? Keep it for yourself to buy a comfortable burial plot," Howl said, shaking his head. "Thirty thousand."
"Impossible!" Amelia immediately rejected Howl's words.
Although she herself wanted to show more favoritism towards Hogwarts, this figure was too terrifying. At the very least, the Ministry of Magic could not produce it in a short time, otherwise many ongoing affairs would come to a standstill.
"I don't care," Howl said like a hooligan.
"Fifty years, do you know how I, no… how my client lived these fifty years? Everywhere he went, people called him a murderer, and some would even throw vegetable leaves at him. As a Wizard, he had no right to wave his wand!"
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