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The weight of Sirius's noble title was heavy, but Fudge already knew the kind of political monsters he'd be up against when he came here.
And, showing that he had the stubbornness of a cockroach in an argument, he didn't stay quiet for long.
"Look, I can understand your caution and defensive attitude toward me, but you can't deny one thing — the fact that he looks incredibly suspicious!" he said, pointing at me.
"Suspicious? What did he do to look suspicious?" Dora asked, confused, unable to stop herself from joining the conversation.
"What did he do?" Fudge turned to her with a scowling expression. "He caused chaos, panic, and insecurity among the population! He made many people distrust and resent the Ministry! And on top of that, he refused to tell us everything that happened in that graveyard!"
"This deliberate concealment of vital information for the Auror investigation can only mean one thing..."
"That he's definitely hiding something from us!" Fudge accused me.
"Am I?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly would that be?"
"Oh, I don't know...maybe who killed Peter Pettigrew and Walden Macnair!" he replied fiercely.
Hearing that, I blinked.
"Oh, that was me."
...
...
...
"W-what?" Fudge stammered, stunned.
"I said I was the one who killed them both," I repeated slowly. "And I just didn't mention it earlier because no one asked me. Besides, I thought it was obvious." I shrugged nonchalantly.
"This... I... No..." Fudge froze, his mind clearly short-circuiting.
He definitely hadn't expected me to confess to those murders so easily — and now that I had, he had no idea how to proceed.
Those around me — except Harry — all had stunned expressions as they looked at me.
Most of them didn't know, or weren't sure, that I was the one responsible. And now, with that confirmation, they were shocked... and a little uneasy.
They looked frightened and distressed... but not because of me. They felt that way because it was simply unbelievable that a fourteen-year-old boy had been forced to kill just to survive.
The rest — mainly my family — had already suspected it, but still couldn't help being surprised by how casually I confessed it.
"You... killed them?" Fudge asked, still somewhat dazed.
"I thought my previous answer had been clear enough, Minister," I replied impatiently.
"But that..." he stammered, his legs trembling slightly. His expression as he looked at me was one of fear and disgust.
"Y-you... You're a mur—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" my mom cut him off with a furious roar, silencing Fudge instantly.
She took a step forward, her face twisted into a murderous glare, looking as if she might lunge at him any second.
"C-calm down... D-don't do anything rash..." the Minister stammered, backing away, pale.
"Don't. Tell. Me. To. Calm. Down," my mom said, word by word.
"You should be going after the ones who kidnapped and tried to kill my son! Instead, you're here harassing and accusing him, treating him as if he were the culprit and not the victim!"
"But he killed people!" he retorted.
"He was defending himself!" she shouted, growing angry again.
"Ethan was forced into a situation of danger and stress, with his own life at risk! Under those circumstances, to get out safely with Harry, he unfortunately had to resort to such extreme measures!"
"So, Minister, don't you dare try to twist his actions into something wrong or criminal! Everything he did was in self-defense — something your own law permits and considers justified!"
She then took another step forward, her eyes blazing with indignation.
"And besides, if you want to blame someone for this mess, blame the incompetence of your Ministry and the tournament's organizers, who allowed this to happen right under your noses!"
"And in fact, after all this disaster, we have every right to sue you. And we can and will do it!"
"Wait! You want to sue us?!"
"What do you think, you idiot?" my mom replied coldly. "Because of you, my son almost died! And if you think I'm going to let that slide, you're even more foolish than you look."
"So get ready, Minister, because soon we'll see you in court... and I'll make sure to destroy you and your little Ministry."
Saying that, my mom shot Fudge one last deadly glare before stepping back to my side, holding my arm protectively.
The silence that followed was heavy and intense.
For the second time that night, all eyes were on my mom — a mixture of shock, fear, and admiration in their gazes.
So harshly criticized and even threatened, Fudge could do nothing but stand there, speechless. Deep down, a flicker of fear toward the Muggle woman before him began to grow.
He realized then that he wasn't just arguing with Sarah Night, a furious, protective Muggle mother — but also with Mrs. Night, the fierce lawyer specialized in criminology and politics.
For not the first time that night, he deeply regretted coming to the tournament alone... and even more, confronting my family.
After so much arguing and shouting, he finally understood this was a battle he was destined to lose.
On his side, there was only himself — a greedy, conservative politician.
On the other, there were three lawyers, a lord from a noble house, and two of the most influential people in all of France and the wizarding world.
And to make things fairer, I'm not even counting Fleur's parents, who held great influence in the French Ministry of Magic, or my friends — most of whom were heirs and heiresses of powerful wizarding families in Britain.
Knowing he had been spectacularly defeated in this argument, Fudge clenched his fists.
Then, trying to keep what little dignity he thought he still had, he puffed out his chest and put his green hat back on... a bit more forcefully than intended.
*Rrrrip!*
With the sound of fabric tearing, an awkward silence echoed through the tent. Fudge's expression remained unchanged, but I could feel his irritation and embarrassment.
"Hmph!" he huffed, pretending nothing had happened.
Without looking at anyone, he spun on his heel and marched toward the exit.
No one tried to stop him. And without glancing back even once, he pushed through the tent flap and disappeared, leaving only my family and friends behind.
...
...
...
...
After Fudge left, a calm — yet victorious — silence settled over the medical tent.
Everyone exchanged proud, satisfied smiles, and no one could hide the joy of watching that stupid man suffer a defeat at our hands.
Even the stress and tension caused by tonight's incident were slightly eased by that small victory.
The silence lasted for a few more seconds before being broken by Madam Pomfrey, who turned to the large group.
"Alright, now that the main nuisance is gone, I'll ask everyone to remain quiet from now on," she said, drawing everyone's attention.
Her face carried a severe expression, showing just how irritated she was by the situation that had disrupted her work.
The matron's gaze then fell on my mom. "And Mrs. Night, please, no attacking public figures or Ministers this time."
Hearing what was essentially an order disguised as a request, everyone quickly nodded, while my mom muttered under her breath, "That depends on the next idiot who walks in."
Pretending not to hear her comment, Madam Pomfrey turned to Harry and me. "As for you two, back to your beds immediately... and don't you dare get out until I say so!"
"Uh, I don't think that's really necessary, Poppy... Look, I'm fine," I said, unwilling to go through all those tests and check-ups.
To prove I wasn't lying, I stretched lightly, even lifting my shirt a bit to show I had no injuries — much to the delight of two certain blonde girls.
"Hmph, I'll be the one to decide whether you're fine or not," she said, crossing her arms, clearly unconvinced.
"Now, don't make me repeat myself, or else..." The matron narrowed her eyes, slowly reaching for her wand.
Seeing that, I took a step back. "Uh... You know what? I think I might be feeling a little sore in my arm. Maybe I should get a few tests done... just to be safe," I said with a nervous laugh.
Not wanting to risk the strict witch actually following through on her threat, I quickly turned around, ready to go back to my bed.
But as soon as I looked forward, I saw that Harry 'brave Gryffindor' Potter had already run ahead of me, without looking back once.
'Damn cowardly lion!' I clicked my tongue before starting to run too.
End.
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