"No!"
Dazed from a punch by the Gummy Bear, Crabbe watched as the red Gummy Bear stomped down hard toward him. Trembling, he crossed his arms in front of his face to block it.
Bang! Crack... The sound of a violent impact and the sound of bones breaking rang out simultaneously. After a half-second delay in reaction, Crabbe's agonizing wails echoed through the sky above Hogsmeade.
Both of his arms had been completely snapped by the Gummy Bear's stomp, and they now lay limply across his chest.
Amanda gave her wand a light flick, and the Gummy Bear immediately bent down to scoop him up, walking back into Honeydukes Sweetshop to return to Amanda's side.
Hermione also gave her wand a light flick to dispel the surrounding Shield Charms, offering a smile to the Young Wizards and shop assistants present as she did so.
"I'm sorry for interrupting everyone's shopping. As an apology, the Ministry of Magic will cover your expenses in this shop today. You can send your dated receipts to the Ministry, and the Ministry of Magic will reimburse you for the Galleons spent."
"It's fine, it's fine! We support Senior Granger's work!"
"Thank you, Minister Granger! Minister Granger, I love you!"
Amanda, who had been inspecting Crabbe, turned her head sharply upon hearing this, her gaze locking onto the Gryffindor girl who had just shouted it.
The Gryffindor girl stared back at Amanda without a hint of fear; instead, with an expression full of sweetness, she shouted again.
"The respectful kind of love!"
Fine then. Amanda raised an eyebrow and withdrew her gaze, while pulling a sufficient amount of Galleons from her wizard robe pocket to hand to the shopkeeper.
"This is the money to buy the Gummy Bear."
"Miss Amanda, we can't..." The shopkeeper shook his head firmly, not wanting to accept Amanda's compensation.
After all, if it weren't for Amanda and Hermione, it was uncertain if they would even dare to keep the shop open now. How could they have the face to take her money?
"Take it," Amanda said with a smile, pressing the Galleons into the shopkeeper's hand. "Damages should be compensated for; this practice must start with me. Otherwise, in the future, when the Ministry of Magic's Aurors go on missions and cause damage, they might find excuses not to compensate others."
Having deeply "tasted" the greed of human nature, Amanda never underestimated it. Therefore, starting with herself, she intended to keep human greed strictly restrained.
After pressing the Galleons into the owner's hand, Amanda turned back and walked out of Honeydukes Sweetshop with Hermione, the Gummy Bear following behind them with Crabbe in its arms.
With both arms broken, Crabbe's face was pale with pain. He was gasping for breath, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Amanda stopped and glanced back. Hmm, his heavy breathing sounded quite vigorous; he wouldn't die.
Looking at the Young Wizards and various shopkeepers gathering from the surrounding stores and streets, Hermione spoke up to tell them what had just happened.
"Crabbe, a Slytherin sixth-year. His family refused to join the fight against Voldemort and has openly sided with Voldemort's faction."
"He himself just used Polyjuice Potion to transform into Draco Malfoy, attempting to hand a dangerous Dark Arts item to a Hogwarts student."
"His behavior is heinous and unforgivable. Therefore, he is being arrested immediately and will face trial tomorrow morning."
After saying this, Hermione smoothed her long hair, listening to the surrounding Young Wizards and shopkeepers cursing Crabbe one after another.
In the crowd, only Draco Malfoy's face was pale, and he looked completely stunned.
Goyle, standing next to him, shook him with some concern. "Are you okay?"
Draco snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and shook his head. "I'm fine."
After hesitating for a few seconds, he couldn't help but step out of the crowd and quickly approached Amanda.
"Did Crabbe really... do that? And, he did it while disguised as me?"
His voice was uncontrollably trembling. Draco's gaze fell on Crabbe, who was being held by the Gummy Bear. He didn't want to believe that the friend he had grown up with since childhood, someone he regarded as a brother, would treat him like this.
"I'm afraid so, Draco," Amanda sighed, seeing his hurt expression. "It's the truth."
"Oh, oh..." Draco murmured in response. "I thought, I thought we were friends."
"Who's friends with you?" Crabbe managed to choke back his wails. Even while enduring the pain, he forced himself to turn his body toward Draco. "You only ever saw us as lackeys, didn't you! We've been your lackeys since we were kids!"
"We're all children of Pure-blood families, all noble Pure-bloods. Why should we be the lackeys? This time, the Dark Lord gave me, gave my family, the best opportunity."
"As long as we cause casualties in Hogsmeade and throw everything into chaos, we'll gain supreme glory. As long as I use Amanda and the others' hands to get rid of you, I'll no longer be your lackey!"
"Lackey?" Draco looked with a bitter smile at Crabbe, who was firmly restrained in the Gummy Bear's arms. "In your eyes, I looked at Goyle and you as two lackeys?"
"What else?" Crabbe snorted coldly, but his expression immediately contorted again from the pain in his arms.
"Heh..." Draco lowered his head and laughed softly. He had known Goyle and Crabbe since they were small.
He believed he had treated these two companions well; he truly regarded them as lifelong friends.
The two of them loved to eat; whenever he got something delicious, they were absolutely the first people he thought of.
He usually spoke to them quite normally. Aside from the inevitable touch of arrogance he had toward everyone, he had no intention of bossing them around.
As it turned out, "It was my fault for not considering your feelings more."
Draco said softly, turning to walk back into the crowd.
"It's not that you didn't consider his feelings," Hermione said, glancing sideways at Crabbe, who was still gasping from pain. "It's that he himself believed he was just a lackey by your side; he never considered himself your equal friend."
"This isn't your fault. If you don't believe me, you can ask Goyle."
"I certainly never felt like a lackey." Goyle had actually been a bit confused when he heard Crabbe's words. Lackey? In his impression, both he and Crabbe were Draco's friends. How could they be lackeys?
Now hearing Hermione speak, Goyle couldn't help but step out and stand before the dejected Draco.
"I've always considered you my friend, and I've always understood that you didn't look down on us."
"Though, you are indeed my boss; I'm willing to admit that."
Goyle spoke with a somewhat dim-witted smile. Draco looked up at Goyle and, with slightly red eyes, gave a smiling scold.
"Idot, I'm not your boss, I'm your friend."
With that, Draco gave Goyle a hug. The surrounding Young Wizards giggled and cheered, while only Crabbe, held by the Gummy Bear, looked at the scene with a twisted expression.
Half was due to the pain, and half was due to his warped hatred for Draco.
"Miss Amanda, Miss Granger," a serious yet gentle voice rang out. The crowd consciously parted to make a path as Professor McGonagall walked over quickly and nodded to the two girls. "I just ran into Miss Katie; she told me everything."
Having just heard what Katie said and still feeling relieved that Katie hadn't actually been cursed, she heard the commotion here. After rushing over, she saw the scene that had just unfolded.
"Are you planning to send Mr. Crabbe to the Ministry of Magic for trial?"
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione inquiringly. Hermione nodded without hesitation, though she still felt a bit of awe facing her own Dean.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall. About this... I'm sorry, but I cannot let Hogwarts handle this internally."
Crabbe helping Voldemort harm people made him essentially equivalent to a Death Eater. This was no longer an internal Hogwarts matter.
Hermione certainly wouldn't let the Ministry of Magic interfere with Hogwarts' internal affairs, but for something like this, it truly required the Ministry's handling.
"Of course, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall nodded. "I don't have any objections in that regard. It's just that if you're taking away a student of Slytherin House, you might need to notify Professor Snape."
"I am not one to interfere with the Ministry's normal work."
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione with a rare flash of mischief. Hermione's face turned slightly red. "Of course, Professor, of course you aren't..."
By Merlin, it seemed that no matter the time, a student is just a student in front of a Professor—always a student.
"We'll take Crabbe back to Hogwarts first. After speaking with Professor Snape, we'll take him to the Ministry of Magic for trial."
"Very well." Professor McGonagall nodded pleasantly, watching Amanda and Hermione walk toward the direction of Hogwarts Castle.
"The students have grown up; teasing them is even more interesting now." The usually serious woman murmured softly. If the Young Wizards heard what she said, it would surely make many jaws drop.
Amanda and Hermione brought Crabbe to the door of Professor Snape's office. Amanda raised her hand and knocked, saying in a flat, steady tone:
"Professor Snape, Professor Snape, are you in? We have something to tell you."
Click—the sound of a lock opening came through. Amanda and Hermione exchanged a look and pushed the door open.
Professor Snape was sitting behind his desk processing Potion ingredients. He took a moment to look up, pausing slightly when he saw the massive Gummy Bear and the clearly severely injured Crabbe it was holding.
"Perhaps Miss Amanda can explain to me why you've suddenly come here to disturb your poor old Potions Professor's weekend, and why Mr. Crabbe is so... seriously injured?"
"Of course, Professor Snape." Amanda complied softly, then concisely and clearly explained the whole sequence of events to Professor Snape.
"A foolish choice, and foolish behavior, Mr. Crabbe."
Professor Snape's dark eyes fixed on Crabbe as he drawled his reprimand.
"You cannot see the situation clearly, you cannot distinguish right from wrong, and you cannot recognize sincerity. To call you a Troll would be an insult to Trolls."
"After all, even a Troll knows to seek benefit and avoid harm, staying away from things that will cost its life. You, however, do not."
Since Voldemort's resurrection this time, he had clearly been on the losing side—the kind of losing side that was being completely crushed. Snape, as an undercover agent among the Death Eaters, didn't even need to go undercover anymore.
And yet, Crabbe, just like his father, dove headfirst into the mud pit of the Death Eaters. Truly foolish.
"You betrayed the Dark Lord!" Crabbe glared at Professor Snape with bloodshot eyes.
"You'll regret it, you'll definitely regret it! Once the Dark Lord succeeds, he will grant me magic power, status, and glory beyond your imagination!"
"Merlin's high-waisted jeans," Hermione rolled her eyes, looking not at all like a lady. "Grant you magic power? If Voldemort really had that kind of ability, he wouldn't be getting suppressed by Amanda."
"He doesn't even have enough magic for himself, yet he's going to grant you some?"
"You—how dare you slander the Dark Lord! You Mudblood! The Ministry of Magic letting someone like you become Minister for Magic is simply an insult to magic. Someone like you doesn't deserve to learn magic at all!"
"Looking for death." Amanda's gaze instantly turned cold. With a thought, the Gummy Bear holding Crabbe raised a 'hand' and punched him hard in the stomach.
"Argh! Cough, cough, cough..." Crabbe cried out in pain, his body trembling uncontrollably from a violent coughing fit.
"I come from the Muggle World, so what?" Hermione shrugged. "I'm proud of my origins. And you—I'm sorry, you won't have the chance to see the day Voldemort triumphs."
"Not just because he absolutely will not triumph, but because you won't have the chance to watch."
"What... what do you mean?" Crabbe asked, gasping for breath, his eyes now filled with terror as he looked at Hermione.
Shouldn't he be locked up in Azkaban? What exactly did this Hermione Granger want to do?!
"Scared now?" Amanda gave a mocking laugh. Even as a Death Eater, he wasn't a Death Eater with any backbone.
Hermione stepped forward, looking down at Crabbe in the Gummy Bear's arms. "You didn't think that for those of you who remain obsessed and follow Voldemort to harm others, I would be like previous Ministers for magic and just lock you up, did you?"
That would be far too easy on these Death Eaters. They had harmed the Wizarding World and the ordinary citizens of the Muggle World, committing crimes beyond count. And they thought just being locked up could offset that evil? What a joke!
She, Hermione Granger, was not like those previous'saints' of Britain. She wasn't that merciful, wasn't that soft-hearted.
The Death Eater families who had decisively turned away from the darkness before were one thing; she could consider that as redeeming themselves through service. Making them spend their lives promoting equality between Wizards and Muggles could count as their punishment.
But for those who remained unrepentant, there would be no such favorable treatment.
"Vincent Crabbe, congratulations. Your trial will be the first time the Ministry of Magic introduces the concept of the death penalty. It will also serve as the basis for the Wizarding World's revision of the Underage Wizard Protection Act."
"Likewise, your case will be used as a reference by the Muggle World for the restoration of the death penalty. It will also lead to revisions of the Muggle World's Juvenile Protection Act, serving as a classic case for preventing juvenile crime."
After this long string of words, Crabbe's body was already shaking like a leaf. Losing his life... He had thought he might be imprisoned separately by Amanda like Lucius Malfoy and the others, or that he might be sent to Azkaban.
He just never thought he would actually lose his life. He hadn't—the Wizarding World had never had such a thing before!
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