"Oh! My god! He admitted he's a Death Eater!"
Regulus Black's very first sentence caused a stir in the courtroom.
"You admit you're a Death Eater?"
The Chief Judge, a witch, looked sowhat tense at this mont.
"Do you need to repeat what I just said, madam?"
Regulus Black's words might as well have been: Are you an idiot? Was I not clear enough?
"I think we can proceed with the verdict. Send him to Azkaban for life imprisonnt!"
Minister Fudge couldn't wait to voice his opinion—perhaps hoping this would beco one of his career achievents.
In truth, if Fudge hadn't spoken up, so of the judges might've indeed acted on impulse and gone straight to sentencing.
However, as judges of proper standing and discernnt, sharp judgnt is the bare minimum of their professional integrity—so Fudge's comnt was promptly ignored.
Now that they had regained their composure, several judges began to reconsider Regulus Black's earlier words.
"Please explain clearly—what did you an by 'before death'? What do you an by 'resurrected'?"
The room instantly fell silent. All the wizards were now focused, trying to determine whether the accused Death Eater was lying.
Minister Fudge tried signaling with his eyes to a judge he was close with, but received only a slight shake of the head in response.
Regulus Black maintained his usual cold and distant deanor. Looking at the Minister of Magic, who behaved like a clown, he prepared to teach them all a lesson.
"Since you've asked so sincerely, I shall be rciful and enlighten you."
Regulus Black straightened his black aristocratic suit slightly, adjusting the lace on his cuffs and lapels.
"Over a decade ago, when Voldemort ruled the magical world, many mbers of pure-blood families either voluntarily or unwillingly joined the ranks of the Death Eaters. I believe so of you were involved in that very trial and should rember—among them were many who joined for all sorts of reasons. They weren't inherently evil, but were forced by circumstances, often to protect their families."
"As for —I had just graduated from school back then. I joined the Death Eaters for the sake of my family. Unlike my older brother, I didn't have the courage to betray our family, abandon my duty, and forsake our honor for the sake of his friends. He even endangered our family by standing on the front lines against Voldemort."
"My death... he bears much of the responsibility. He kept appearing in Voldemort's line of sight, and so the entire Black family was dragged down because of him. You probably have no idea how many compromises I made with Voldemort just to save that foolish brother of mine."
Regulus Black's voice echoed through the Wizengamot courtroom. Rather than imdiately defending himself, he began by blaming his older brother, Sirius Black—with purpose. As the saying goes: "Explanation is just another form of covering up." So things can't be clarified with an explanation. If he gave his own version of the story, others might doubt it. But if he frad it in a way others wanted to believe, they'd be more than willing to accept it.
"You're wrong. Sirius Black was a Death Eater. He was sentenced to life imprisonnt for killing twelve Muggles on a street."
"And he also killed Peter Pettigrew. Not to ntion, he betrayed his friend Jas Potter and his entire family."
Two different voices spoke up—clearly judges who had participated in Sirius Black's trial back then.
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea about what you're saying—because I was already dead by then. What I do know is that, at least before I died, Sirius Black was still a mber of the Order of the Phoenix. And the Peter Pettigrew you ntioned was in fact a formal Death Eater. He was the one who leaked information to Voldemort. My foolish brother handed him the role of Secret Keeper—and that's what got killed. I didn't even know why Voldemort wanted to kill . I died completely unprepared."
His words imdiately caused another stir. mbers of the Wizengamot began whispering to one another—expressions of doubt and shock were everywhere.
After a while, one of the female judges finally rembered to ask the most pressing question.
"I'd like to know—how did you co back to life? As for your brother Sirius Black, we'll discuss that later."
"Voldemort had a cave where he stored many Dark artifacts. After I died, my body was discarded there. I've existed as a Yin Corpse for more than ten years. It wasn't until yesterday that I was resurrected. I don't know the exact reason why. After that, I summoned my house-elf, Kreacher, and returned to the old Black residence." 2
"Voldemort had a cave where he stored many Dark artifacts. After I died, my body was discarded there. I've existed as a Yin Corpse for more than ten years. It wasn't until yesterday that I was resurrected. I don't know the exact reason why. After that, I summoned my house-elf, Kreacher, and returned to the old Black residence."
"Yin Corpse! You don't mind if we examine your body, do you?"
The one speaking was the sa female judge from earlier. Judging by her behavior, she was likely from Ravenclaw. She had been the first to raise questions before. As she spoke, she stepped down from her seat and walked over to Regulus Black, raising her wand.
"Oh... my god! How is this possible? Body temperature is faint, no heartbeat, blood circulation is nearly still... It seems you've consud so food, yet your digestive system is functioning normally…"
"You—go fetch that house-elf."
Minister of Magic Fudge took the opportunity to exert so authority, waving for the Aurors to carry out the order.
"My five senses function normally. I still have standard physiological responses. Strength, stamina, and endurance are virtually unlimited—but if I exceed normal limits, I will injure my own body."
Regulus Black added this calmly, but the smile he gave the female judge was filled with deeper aning.
Looking at his handso face with that wicked grin, the young female judge felt her heart skip a beat. She steadied her emotions with effort before returning to her seat and began discussing the situation with those beside her.
"This court accepts your earlier statents. However, since you have already admitted to being a Death Eater, you cannot avoid trial."
The Chief Judge's stance was clear—they would proceed with Regulus Black's trial as a Death Eater. Although his previous claims had been acknowledged, it did not change the fact that he must still face judgnt.
"I cannot agree with your view. What stands before you is a Yin Corpse. The person I used to be has already died once. As a Yin Corpse, I was only just resurrected. It's as if I were a newborn—I haven't done anything yet, and you're already trying to burden with past cris?"
Regulus Black glanced around the courtroom and saw that many of the judges were now harboring different thoughts about his unusual condition.
"Do you truly believe it's fair to try the new under such circumstances?"
There was a long silence before the Chief Judge finally spoke again.
"But no matter how you fra it, you are still Regulus Black. Whether resurrected or not, since you were a Death Eater, then it is only logical that you be judged accordingly."
"No! You're wrong. Let's put aside my reasons for joining the Death Eaters—surely you heard all sorts of justifications from others during the trials more than a decade ago. And throughout my ti as a Death Eater, I played more of a symbolic role. I committed no evil acts. Even now, I am fully cooperating with your investigation, because I have a clear conscience. I believe that, after more than ten years since Voldemort's fall, the mbers of the Wizengamot can evaluate my situation with reason."
The Minister of Magic looked visibly uneasy. It was clear that no one present was paying him any attention—all were ignoring his presence completely.
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