"Severus Snape."

Bagnold's voice echoed through the courtroom.

"According to Patty Somerset's testimony, the charges against you under the Muggle Protection Act have been dismissed. However, regardless of the victim's willingness, you must still answer for your subjective violation of the Obstructing Auror Law Enforcement Act."

"On the day you were found by Kingsley Shacklebolt, why did you not tell him the truth about the missing potion?"

Severus turned his gaze toward the Minister of Magic, whose demeanor and appearance somewhat resembled Minerva McGonagall's, and replied.

"Because I wanted to catch the culprit myself. The incident had escalated so severely due to the potion I lost that my first thought was to resolve the trouble on my own."

"And after making that decision?" Bagnold pressed further, "On the very night you arrived at Badminton Manor, you used a Confundus Charm on a Muggle police chief from the local station, then obtained what you believed to be a crucial lead on the suspect through him, correct?"

"Yes." Severus admitted without hesitation.

"The following morning, you visited Horace Slughorn's home. According to his testimony, you felt the truth about the potion's origin could no longer be concealed, so you went to Slughorn and instructed him that if the Aurors came knocking, he should stop covering for you and simply reveal the truth. Is that correct?"

"Yes. By then, I was confident I had the upper hand in capturing the culprit."

"Yet shortly after leaving Slughorn's residence, you received an extortion letter from Sanguini Brujah and Eldred Worple. They had kidnapped Dudley Dursley, the student who had been accompanying you, and used him as leverage to force you into brewing the antidote to revive Patty Somerset. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"You dealt with them effortlessly and learned the whole story from them, but in the end, you did not turn them over to the Aurors. Instead, you actively conspired with them, planning to kidnap Patty Somerset directly from the Aurors' custody! Is that correct?"

The tone of the questioning grew increasingly oppressive, and the atmosphere shifted noticeably from the earlier leniency.

Sanguini and Worple nervously turned their heads toward Severus, who remained composed in the center, and once again affirmed.

"Yes."

"And after successfully kidnapping the victim, you directed Sanguini Brujah and Eldred Worple to go into hiding, causing the Ministry to misjudge your movements. As a result, the highest-level wanted order was issued. During this period, you repeatedly resisted Auror arrests with force. Is that correct?"

"That is indeed what happened."

Severus fully admitted to all the accusations Bagnold had leveled against him which made the situation he faced at this time starkly different from Sanguini and Worple. Anyone could see how dire his current situation was!

The jurors began whispering among themselves, casting glances his way, while Bagnold's gaze sharpened.

She locked eyes with Severus and continued her interrogation in a stern voice.

"Regarding everything you've admitted to, do you have anything you wish to declare before the court?"

Severus merely looked at her calmly and asked sincerely, "Madam Minister, I would like to ask you… if I had handed Sanguini and Eldred over to the Aurors back then, would they have been brought here to stand trial as well?"

Bagnold's expression remained unchanged as she gave an ambiguous reply.

"Whether the Wizengamot convenes depends on the charges involved and the attitude of the jurors."

"An unknown wizard, a discriminated-against vampire, involving a victim who was merely a Muggle." Severus didn't seem to expect her to give a definitive answer, "The Ministry wouldn't waste time and effort gathering all of you here for them. As long as it was confirmed they were the ones who administered the potion, they would have been thrown straight into Azkaban."

"They would have died there."

"Patty Somerset would have eventually committed suicide at home one day."

"As long as I make that decision and decide to hand them over to the Ministry directly, three lives would have been indirectly lost by my hand."

The entire courtroom was utterly silent, and everyone was staring at Severus, who is seated in the chair at the center.

A beam of light streaming in from the ventilation shaft near the ceiling happened to fall upon him at that moment, bathing him in its glow.

At some point, Bagnold had averted her gaze from Severus, and Severus also no longer looked at her. Instead, he raised his head and fixed his eyes on the white-bearded old man seated in the highest row at the center.

Locking eyes with Dumbledore's bright blue ones, his voice echoed through the courtroom once more.

"Some might say… how could someone with a shameful past like mine dare to speak such sanctimonious words?"

"They're right. A person's worth isn't measured by what they say, but by what they do."

"In the years after graduating from Hogwarts, I was lost, stumbling down the wrong path. I made many mistakes, and in the end, it was only by Albus Dumbledore's guarantee that I was spared punishment."

"After returning to Hogwarts, I became a professor in name, a Head of House… but in truth, my bad character did not bring much care and proper guidance to the students."

"People resented me. Students despised me. And they were right to. A flawed man deserves such treatment."

"But after the start of this summer holiday, during a rare quiet night, I reflected on my inglorious past. I realized I couldn't go on like this."

"I sincerely repent for the mistakes I've made. I apologize to those I've hurt. I want to change… completely."

His words left the room in stunned silence. Even the radio host, who was broadcasting the live broadcast nearby, only gaped and stared at Severus blankly.

At this moment, all the wizards in the British Wizarding Word, who were listening in front of the radio were silent, which was in sharp contrast to their earlier excitement.

"So when I learned of the plight facing Sanguini and Eldred, I made a choice. They had done nothing wrong. They were just doing it for their loved ones and friends. I chose to help them, even if it meant bearing the consequences myself."

"I accept all charges against me for violating the Obstructing Auror Law Enforcement Act."

Severus's declaration sent shockwaves through the room.

As murmurs finally erupted in the courtroom, his voice rose above them once more, "Whatever judgment the Wizengamot delivers, I will accept it."

"I will temporarily resign as Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts. I will ask Professor Horace Slughorn, who has already done so much for me, to help his former student one last time by returning to Hogwarts and filling the vacancy I leave behind."

At this moment, the uproar from the high benches grew even louder. Several members even shot to their feet in shock.

The same reaction rippled through British Wizarding World. Gasps erupted from countless wizards as the wireless broadcast carried Severus's words!

Only Dumbledore remained calm.

His piercing blue eyes met Severus's gaze, deep and unreadable… impossible to guess what thoughts lay behind them.