Trick 47: Making a statement in court!

One day, Ace was talking to Dumbledore about the library situation.

Currently, Ace was in the Ministry with Hagrid and Dumbledore, mainly because he had expressed his concerns about the library and Dumbledore told him that the Ministry also had an extensive library.

So he was here to ask for permission to browse it. Not only that but also for Hagrid's hearing on the topic of Buckbeak attacking Malfoy. Ace had also read the Monster Book and didn't agree that Buckbeak was a dangerous creature.

And thus, he was here.

Hagrid was all dressed up and they walked into the hearing courtroom.

Ace noticed quite a few people were already here, preparing. Lucius Malfoy was also here. Ace walked over and shook hands with Lucius, smiling "How have you been, Mr. Malfoy? All good I hope?"

Lucius did not seem pleased to see Ace and reluctantly shook his hand, replying "Could be better… Mr… Brand, was it?" Ace smiled happily and nodded, "You remembered!" he sat next to him, asking "I heard that Dementors were causing quite the problem this time, isn't the Ministry supposed to handle them?"

Lucius was reluctant to speak but decided to talk to Ace for a bit, "The control over Dementors by the Ministry has always been troublesome." he gave a face full of disgust, adding "Then again, as it would be working with such vile creatures."

Ace nodded in agreement, replying "They are not too pretty to look at, no. It's really ridiculous that they were released onto Hogwarts grounds just to look for one man. I mean, they attacked Harry Potter, who's to say they won't attack other students as well?"

He shook his head and Lucius frowned "They attacked Potter?" Ace nodded and said "It's not the first time either." Lucius replied, "That's troubling." Ace nodded again and the Minister announced that the hearing was commencing.

Ace smiled at Lucius and said "Farewell!" before walking over to Dumbledore in the viewing area, sitting next to him as the hearing started.

The board members took turns explaining why they were there.

Ace nearly fell asleep as he heard the members of the hearing basically say the same thing over and over again. Buckbeak, the Hippogriff, attacked a student, Draco Malfoy.

Hagrid went on to explain that Buckbeak was not a dangerous and bloodthirsty creature. He cleaned his feathers and was a good Hippogriff, however Hippogriffs are very proud creatures that need a certain etiquette to approach.

However Lucius was not having it, saying that he wanted action done against this creature immediately. He claimed that it was clearly not well trained and that it could potentially injure another student again.

Ace didn't agree with him, however it was Draco who was injured so he assumed Lucius was furious. Hagrid tried to protest but the Minister sided with Lucius. Dumbledore interjected, asking "If I may, Mr. Brand is Hogwarts' librarian, perhaps he can shine some light on the incident as well?"

The Minister looked at Ace, who was a bit stunned at the event, before nodding "I'll allow it." everyone turned to Ace as the Minister said "Please approach the podium, Mr. Brand."

Ace walked up and looked back at Dumbledore, who winked at him, before turning back, saying "Ahem! Hello! I'm Ace Brand… self claimed Librarian of Hogwarts haha…" The room was silent and Ace cleared his throat muttering "Tough crowd."

He grabbed the podium and got serious, explaining "As detailed in many literary works, the Hippogriff is a very proud creature. As Mr. Hagrid explained just before, there is an etiquette required to even approach a Hippogriff. Many scholars have gone on record to detail the consequences of not following this rule, the worst of the circumstances being death."

Ace paused and thought for a moment before continuing, "In light of the attack on Draco Malfoy, I feel that while Mr. Malfoy's concerns are valid, it is simply absurd to punish a creature for the negligence of a young boy." The Minister looked at a few papers before speaking "Can you detail the so-called etiquette, Mr. Brand."

Ace nodded and explained "To my knowledge, you must bow towards the creature and should it return the bow, you may approach slowly. The Hippogriff will allow you to touch it by approaching you slowly. Fast movements may startle the creature and give reason for it to attack as it believes you are a threat and will defend itself."

The Minister took off his glasses and spoke, "Therefore it is reasonable to assume that this creature is volatile to attacks?" Ace was caught off guard and replied "Yes, but-" the Minister continued "Then this creature should not have been the topic of a class, regardless of proper etiquette resulting in no consequences."

Ace retorted "Perhaps, but Minister, this cannot be held above the head of an innocent creature." Lucius retorted "Innocent? He attacked my son!" Ace looked over and nodded, "I understand and while that is a bad thing, I don't believe severe punishment is necessary."

He turned back to the Minister and continued "I've been at Hogwarts for 3 years now, I think I know Mr. Draco Malfoy quite well. He is a very proud boy, a very bright boy, but very very proud. As such, I surmise that the Hippogriff felt threatened by the boy, resulting in the attack. However, I was not on the scene, and cannot testify to whether the boy conducted the proper etiquette."

Hagrid spoke up, "He didn't! That's why I'm tellin' ya, Buckbeak's just as innocent as Draco!"

The Minister held up his hand and looked at Hagrid before turning to Ace, who continued "For a proud creature such as a Hippogriff, another being's pride is comparable to an insult or threat… The meaning is not well enough understood by the wizarding community as of yet, however it is theorized that it could mean either or both."

The Minister looked at Ace and nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Brand. You may return." Ace nodded and returned to his seat. Dumbledore looked at him and nodded with a smile, Ace smiled slightly and turned to the Minster with a slight frown.

He felt a bit ignored, like the Minister didn't really care about what he had to say. Almost like the hearing was just a formality…

Sure enough, the Minister cleared his throat, saying "After reviewing the testimonies and evidence, we've come to a conclusion." He looked at the other members before being passed a paper as he put on his glasses, declaring "The board has declared that the Hippogriff, Buckbeak, is a dangerous creature unsuitable for any form of education or researchable purposes and shall be hereby sentenced to death."

Ace was shocked and stood up, saying "Minister, please! This is too severe!" The Minister raised his hand and replied "This is the consensus of the board, Mr. Brand, please mind your manners." he turned to Hagrid, knocking a gavel down as he said "This hearing is adjourned. That'll be all."

Hagrid was stunned and Dumbledore sighed, walking over and consoling him. Ace was frowning as he stood next to Hagrid, he crossed his arms and muttered "This is too cruel."

Dumbledore replied "This is the Ministry's verdict, nothing we can do." Ace looked at him and asked "We can't appeal it or something?" Dumbledore shook his head and Ace was shocked, "What kind of system of government is this? Whatever they say goes?"

Dumbledore looked at him and said "You're more than welcome to try and convince the Minister yourself." Ace froze and muttered "I don't think that's going to work…"

Lucius walked over and snorted at Dumbledore, saying "I see you've been neglecting the safety of the students…" he looked at Hagrid, adding "Hiring an oaf to teach, clearly was not the right choice. Perhaps you're getting a bit confused during your older years?"

Dumbledore smiled, replying "How I ran Hogwarts is none of your concern, Mr. Malfoy. The safety of every individual on the grounds is my top priority, I can assure you." Lucius looked him up and down before snorting once again, "I truly hope that is the case." After which, he walked off, glancing at Ace as he left.

Ace watched him go and frowned, "What's his problem?" Dumbledore shook his head and said "Forget it. We should go see the Minister." Ace remembered about the library and nodded.

A while later