Chapter 595: Reversal
As the three men stood, Chris immediately pieced everything together.
Macnair wasn't much of a concern, but the other two were a different story.
Karkaroff, still holding the position of Durmstrang's headmaster, was well-known in the wizarding world, lending credibility to any testimony he gave. And Lucius Malfoy—arguably the Ministry's most influential figure—had undoubtedly spent an enormous amount of gold securing his standing.
With these two as witnesses, it was no surprise the Ministry was treating the situation so seriously.
Still, Chris was baffled. He had assumed Karkaroff fled after the Triwizard Tournament—he never imagined the man would dare to return.
"Fine, even if that's the case, where was the notification?" Chris said coldly, his eyes flashing with irritation. "We were only informed about the Restraint Act. In the face of additional charges, we reserve the right to refuse."
He grabbed Kyle's arm and turned to leave.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," came a sickly sweet, high-pitched voice.
Another figure rose—Dolores Umbridge, wearing her trademark saccharine smile.
"It was deemed necessary to conduct a surprise inspection," Umbridge said in her cloying tone, "to ensure you wouldn't hide the most crucial evidence."
Her voice was shrill and grating, like nails on a chalkboard. Kyle silently vowed he'd rather listen to a Fwooper sing endlessly than endure another word from her.