Chapter 320: Mock Trial

The next day after lunch, Hannah suddenly ran over to find Harry.

"Professor Snape asked me to tell you that tonight's Potions remedial is canceled," Hannah said. "He's lying in the school infirmary."

"The infirmary?" Harry was startled—he hadn't realized Snape was injured so badly.

"It's not serious," Hannah tilted her head. "He just had a mishap during a spell experiment. Madam Pomfrey says a week's rest will do. Oh, and he also told me to pass on that he'll be discharged next Monday and resume your Potions remedial next Tuesday."

"Alright, I get it," Harry understood Snape was hinting he and Slughorn wouldn't be at the weekend meeting. "But why are you the one telling me?"

"Oh, I went to visit Madam Pomfrey and happened to see him," Hannah said casually.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Harry thought he'd gladly use his free time to visit Hagrid—if only Hagrid hadn't returned briefly and then rushed out again.

Without Snape looming in his thoughts, school life was still quite full and interesting. Before he knew it, Friday arrived, and Harry was invited as a juror to participate in the mock trial. Arnold promised that starting next week, students who performed well in the mock trial would get a chance to visit and intern at the Ministry of Magic. At first, Harry joined the mock trial only to fill his three club quotas, but now he suddenly thought perhaps Humphrey or Hack might be worthy masters of Occlumency.

Harry entered the classroom arranged as a mock courtroom. Arnold gestured for him to put on the purple-red robe hanging by the door, its left chest embroidered with a silver "W." Ron followed close behind. They sat down on two long benches and glanced curiously at the defendant's bench.

On the defendant's bench sat the blue-robed defense team. Harry wasn't surprised to see Hermione and Elina among them: if selecting top students as lead defenders, their inclusion was entirely reasonable.

Opposite them, seated on the long bench in green robes, was the prosecution team. As expected, Harry noticed Draco and Pansy among them.

"Alright, since everyone's here, we can begin," Arnold waved his wand, and a rabbit doll half his height landed on the prosecution's seat.

"As you can see, the defendant, Miss Barbieti, is present. I will now state the case…"

"Objection!" Elina suddenly stood up.

"What is it?"

"Is the defendant a rabbit—or a human?" Elina asked.

"A clever question, transfer student," Arnold showed no irritation at the interruption. "As you see, this is merely a rabbit doll. But in truth, we ask you to imagine it as a Muggle-born witch. We use the doll because I don't want anyone, even in role-play, to be genuinely harmed by the mock trial."

Harry nodded. It was a clever solution.

"Very well. We proceed with the case of Miss Barbieti Jane Lebit, residing in Little Whinging, Surrey, accused of violating the Statute of Secrecy and the Regulation on Reasonable Restraint of Minor Wizards. The defendant previously received a written warning from the Ministry for similar offenses. This time, fully aware the act was illegal, she deliberately cast a Patronus Charm on January 4th at 9: 3 p. . in a Muggle residential area, in front of a Muggle. This violates both the Regulation on Reasonable Restraint of Minor Wizards and the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Therefore, the Ministry's Misuse of Magic Office has filed charges, demanding expulsion, wand destruction, and three months' detention for Miss Barbieti."

"So the prosecution is bringing criminal charges?" Students murmured among themselves.

"Cough, cough!" Draco feigned a dramatic cough, but the jury paid him little mind, still whispering. Arnold merely smiled, watching it all.

"So!" Draco raised his voice to drown out the murmurs. "The defendant was formally warned three years ago for illegal magic use, correct?"

The jury fell silent. Hermione flipped through the case file and answered for the rabbit: "Yes, we do not deny this."

"What illegal spell did she use three years ago?" Ron asked loudly.

Draco smiled—he was glad someone had asked for him. "Three years ago, Miss Barbieti, in a fit of anger over an argument, cast the Swelling Spell and the Levitation Charm on her aunt, causing her to float like a balloon. It took the Ministry's Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to resolve it."

A strange feeling rose in Harry's chest. He couldn't help wondering if Zhang Qiu had come.

Ron sat down muttering, seemingly unimpressed by Hermione's position.

"And on the evening of January 4th, she cast a Patronus Charm again, fully aware she was under seventeen and forbidden to use magic outside school."

"Yes," Hermione admitted openly, adding, "And the defendant cast a full Patronus, which persisted for over half a minute."

"Knowing she was in a densely populated Muggle area with a Muggle standing nearby, she allowed it to last over half a minute—" Draco continued smugly.

"But that's a Patronus!" a voice interrupted—Ernie from the jury. "We all know the Patronus Charm is an advanced spell. To produce a full Patronus and sustain it for over half a minute—I mean, many senior Aurors can't even do that."

"Yes, Ernie, it's highly advanced," Draco said irritably. "And the more advanced the spell, the worse it is. If she'd used a simple Stunning Spell, it might be explainable. But a Patronus—this advanced magic, impossible through Muggle means—appearing before a Muggle is a grave violation of the Statute of Secrecy."

"I argue the defendant's situation qualifies under the principle of necessity," Hermione immediately countered. "When she cast the Patronus, two Dementors were present and had already attacked another Muggle. First, any wizard has the right to protect themselves or others from harm. The Patronus Charm did not exceed the necessary limit to repel Dementors, so necessity applies. Second, because the Muggle was rendered unconscious by the attack, there is no definitive eyewitness—meaning the Patronus caused no actual harm. Third, even if a third-party witness existed and the Statute was breached, responsibility lies with whoever caused the Dementors to appear."

Ron leaned close to Harry and whispered, "Why not self-defense?"

Harry whispered back, "Because Dementors are mindless, like beasts. Self-defense must be against unlawful human aggression."

"Besides, the Dementors attacked the Muggle first. We can't know if they would've continued targeting Barbieti," Harry added. "Self-defense is strictly judged and often fails if the defender isn't the direct victim. Necessity is far more lenient. And since the Patronus Charm isn't inherently aggressive, it's easy to fit under necessity."

"If we accept the Dementors' existence, Hermione's argument is nearly unassailable," Harry concluded.

"We must present evidence," Draco said. "Evidence shows that on January 4th, every Dementor at Azkaban had a duty log. In other words, either no Dementors were near the scene—or they were wild Dementors."

"But we confirm Dementors were present at the scene," Hermione stated firmly. "We need to summon witnesses."

Under Arnold's control, a half-tall cow doll entered the classroom and began speaking in a raspy old woman's voice, describing how she witnessed Dementors attacking two boys.

Normally, Muggles cannot see Dementors. The cow, representing Mrs. Dally, claimed to be a Squib—living in a Muggle community yet able to see Dementors. Unfortunately, her description was vague, and under Draco's questioning, she grew uncertain. Harry doubted the credibility of her testimony.

But Hermione and Elina argued fiercely, insisting the Dementors were real and had attacked Barbieti. They pounded the table repeatedly shouting "Objection!" Elina even pointed at the bench. Their confident tone strengthened their credibility.

"Alright," Draco, seeing he was losing ground, smoothly shifted topic. "Assume these two Dementors truly existed. But the Ministry never deployed any—meaning they were wild Dementors, appearing by chance in that location."

"Objection—" Elina started to rise, but Hermione held her back.

"Under the necessity clause, if danger arises from natural causes, and the defensive action is excessive or inappropriate, causing unnecessary harm, the actor must bear civil liability," Draco said. "According to Ministry reports, over twenty Muggles claimed they saw 'unusual silver light' that night."

"Now I ask: how long must a Patronus last to repel two Dementors?"

One or two seconds would suffice, Harry thought. If the Dementors were close, half a second might be enough—the Patronus would scatter them instantly.

"Therefore, we have reason to believe that after repelling the Dementors, the defendant, proud of her Patronus, deliberately allowed it to persist for over half a minute," Draco declared. "This is a serious act of contempt for the Statute of Secrecy."

In the end, the first charge—expulsion and wand destruction—failed to pass. But the second charge—one month's detention and fifty house point deduction—received half the votes.

Hermione was clearly dissatisfied. Their original goal had been full acquittal. Now, reducing criminal punishment to civil punishment fell far short of her expectations.

"Why?" Harry moved to comfort her when he heard her complaint. "Why can the Ministry's Director openly transfer to become Minister of Defense, yet a student facing mortal danger can't keep her Patronus alive for half a minute longer?"

Many students nodded in agreement—even Draco and Pansy openly admitted the case was poorly designed. Yet Arnold, the true architect of this flawed case, still wore his eternal, faint smile, watching the children discuss and gradually leave.