HP: Embrace the Darkness

"In that case, let's get started."

Bruce gestured in a direction, and the lively men and women around him instantly scattered, while the rest of the people gathered around. A group of neatly dressed people, both men and women, walked out of the castle.

"It's Ases. It's rare to see you here. What's up? Have you thought it through and decided not to follow your old-fashioned elders?"

The woman walking over wearing high heels leaned against Ases softly.

Ases took two steps back, his tone gentle but unyielding: "Please don't come near me, I still smell of blood."

As if unaware of Ases's refusal, the woman went further: "Is it because the blood smell is not dealt with properly or because you are unwilling to deal with me."

As soon as these words were spoken, the people who were wearing the least fabric and the most casually started to make a noise.

No bad intentions, just having fun.

From Snape's perspective, he could clearly see the smugness and determination on the woman's face after they started to make trouble.

Sure enough, he still hated the Americans who were so playful and philandering.

Ases frowned and was about to speak when a voice spoke first.

"Okay, Mary, now is not the time to make a fuss. I'll come to your room later." Bruce stepped forward to smooth things over and gave Mary a suggestive look.

Mary smiled charmingly, "No, I have a date tonight."

"Then tomorrow night." Bruce said nonchalantly, and turned to explain to Aces, "Mary was just joking. You know, she has been unwilling to accept being rejected by you."

The sound was so quiet that only Athis and Snape heard it.

Aces nodded slightly and said nothing.

"Thank you." Bruce raised his hand and called everyone, "Let's talk upstairs. It's not convenient here."

A group of people walked upstairs in a crowd.

Snape took a quick look and found that there were not many faces he could recognize, but the few faces he recognized were all well-known figures in the wizarding world.

There was a large conference room upstairs, which was a good place to talk, but Bruce led everyone into the dimly lit banquet hall next door. Unlike ordinary banquet halls, this banquet hall had three long tables placed at an angle and were equipped with chairs.

There was no one else in the banquet hall. The drinks and food were quietly placed on the table, and next to them was a sign whose function was unknown.

The organizer of this event is Asseth.

He took off his coat slowly, took his name tag from the door, and sat directly in the main seat, his posture lazy but not rude.

The rest of the people took their seats.

……

An hour later, this informal trade fair ended. Everyone exchanged what they wanted and left satisfied.

Some returned to the same place to continue today's banquet, while some wizards who did not want to join in the fun left directly.

Therefore, the wizards who stayed behind were all people who loved to have fun, and the circumstances at the banquet were even more open, with people kissing on the left and touching on the right. Aces, who was sitting alone and drinking alone, looked out of place.

Many people were moved and looked over secretly, with hints and invitations, but they were all ignored by Ases.

"Why don't you try it?" Bruce left the flowers and held two glasses of wine, saying meaningfully, "Maybe you'll like the taste."

"I know my taste, thank you." Ases picked up the wine on the table and touched Bruce's glass lightly.

Bruce's disappointment was palpable. Unwilling to give up, he raised the wine closer and said, "Try it first. It doesn't matter if it doesn't fit."

Ases took the wine and put it on the next table, with an impeccable smile on his face: "I appreciate it, thank you."

"Asais is amazing. He refused the same drink so many times."

The man who was inseparable from Bruce came over, and it was unclear who he was being sour about. His tone was tinged with sourness, and his words were not very friendly. It was hard to tell whether it was Yin-Yang Ases or Yin-Yang Bruce, or both. Anyway, both of them felt uncomfortable after hearing it.

"You can try if you have the ability." Bruce picked up the wine that Ases put down and handed it to the man.

The man didn't answer.

Silent smoke filled the air.

Ases drank the last sip of wine, stood up gracefully, and let them leave the battlefield.

"I'm leaving now. See you next time."

"and many more."

The two men tried to keep him in unison, and after looking at each other, they saw the same meaning in each other's eyes - it was a rare opportunity for Ases to come, and they must not let him leave before he had drunk some wine.

After reaching a consensus, the two men put aside the smoke of war and tacitly surrounded the enemy from the left and right.

"See you."

Ases was faster than them and disappeared as soon as he finished speaking.

It was late at night and the streets were empty. Ases didn't bother to hide his presence and simply appeared out of nowhere, turning to the door of a house.

The owner of the house was an old man. He was not surprised to see Ases through the glass window. He smiled kindly and opened the door.

"You're still here to see Tina so late today?"

Ases stood at the door and didn't go in. He smelled too much of alcohol. "On the way, if she's asleep, don't wake her up. It's too much trouble."

"That child misses you every day. If she knew that I didn't wake her up when you came, she would probably get angry with me." The old man poured a cup of black tea and handed it to Ases, "Wake her up."

Ases took it and drank it all.

He wasn't drunk, but his throat was a little dry and itchy due to drinking too much. The old man's cup of black tea came at the right time.

"She won't know." Ases returned the quilt to the old woman. "I'm a little busy these days, so I won't be here next month. Remember what I said, if someone wants to take her away, ask for the name. If it's the person I mentioned, let Tina go with him, and I'll pick her up when I come back."

The old man responded solemnly, and then curiously asked, "Are you happy today? Your smile is more genuine than before, and not so mask-like."

"Happy..." Aces paused, "Did it look like a mask before?"

"Have you forgotten what I am best at?" The old man pointed to his eyes. "I am old, but my eyes are not. I can see that."

"Very impressive." Ases praised sincerely, lowering his eyes deliberately. Fortunately, the roadside was not too bright, which covered the strangeness in his eyes. "I won't disturb your rest. I'll leave first."

"Be careful." The old man waved his hand at Ases. "Also, drink less alcohol. It's not a good thing."

"Ah."

Asseth wandered the streets of London alone until late at night, slept directly in his property in London, and sent his patronus to the basement of the safe house to use drinking as an excuse to explain why he was living outside.

After delivering the explanation, the guardian angel did not leave. After walking around the basement, he stood guard beside the ice coffin, swinging his tail and making the sound of Ases from time to time.

The next day, sunlight streamed into the room.

The man on the bed frowned and opened his lifeless eyes.

As soon as Ases woke up, he felt a dull pain in his brain due to a hangover, but this pain was nothing to him. He rubbed his brows, got up from the bed, washed, changed clothes, had breakfast, and then picked up today's Prophet Daily to listen to the four news items that occupied the front page.

Nothing much has happened these days, with newspapers mostly reporting on the purge of Death Eaters and post-war settlements.

For example, the trial of double agents is being held today, at the newly built Ministry of Magic.

In addition to the hearing, there was also an honorary review meeting, and Ases had to attend both meetings. Just at this moment, two owls flew in from the window, put down two invitations, and automatically and consciously ate the food prepared by Ases on the windowsill.

With the help of alchemical props, Ases distinguished the two invitations. The time was eight o'clock, and now it was half past seven.

This is a bit contrary to common sense. Normally, the invitation letter would be sent at least three days to a week in advance to allow the wizards who accept the invitation time to prepare.

"There are still too many people trying to fish in troubled waters."

Athis put down the invitation, went back to his room to change his clothes, and Apparated to the hall of the Ministry of Magic. The wizard who was in charge of guarding the door to prevent the Acting Minister of Magic from being harassed by Dumbledore and others saw Athis standing out from the crowd at a glance.

Recalling the rumors that were circulating in the department, he shuddered and hurried forward.

"Master Cavendish, who are you looking for? I am Rockdi, and I can lead the way for you."

Ases took out the invitation letter and said, "I think the trial should start now?"

"Yes, they should be ready to enter now. Do you need me to take you there?"

"Trouble."

The two took the elevator up and walked all the way to the Wizengamot courtroom.

There were many people going on trial today. Many courtrooms had lights on, and sounds of quarrels and discussions could be heard through the doors that were not closed tightly.

In the corridor, the official leading the way looked at Ases curiously. In his impression, Ases didn't seem to need to stand in the position of being judged, and he couldn't associate Ases, who was dressed as luxuriously as if he was going to a banquet, with the person being judged who was arguing over a trivial issue.

The two men came to a huge iron gate. The hideous pattern on the iron gate did its best to intimidate anyone who approached him under the dim firelight. Ases grabbed the heavy door handle without changing his expression, turned it, and walked in.

The people inside looked over quickly.

Having lost his vision, the most Ases could do was to use his magic to "see" the different magic in each person's body and their large movements. He really couldn't "see" small movements like whether the other person was looking at him. Therefore, in the eyes of everyone, facing hundreds of gazes, Ases just sat in his seat with an indifferent expression.

Snape walked beside him and looked around. There were many important figures attending the trial, including Dumbledore. He did not look at Aces like the others, but lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking.

Sitting next to him were Ases' grandfather and grandfather. The two old men looked at Ases below with concern, as if they had sensed something was wrong.

"quiet!"

The wizard on the stage knocked on the table with a small hammer, and the murmuring sounds of discussion below gradually died down.

Carter stood up from his position as the Minister of Magic and said in a loud voice: "The case of Severus Snape's involvement in Voldemort's destruction of the wizarding world is now in court. We are verifying the identities of the persons appearing in court. Minister of Magic: Aaron Carter..."

Then came a string of names.

Finally, Carter paused.

"Defendant's attorney and witness: Aessus von Cavendish... and witness: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Everyone was shocked. They were already surprised by Athis alone, but now there was also Dumbledore.

Dumbledore took off his purple robes, came down the stairs and stood beside Athis.

Carter cleared his throat and was about to speak, but the white-haired wizard beside him, who had been frowning and looking at Aces coldly, interrupted him: "Wait, our defendant doesn't seem to be present yet. What's going on? Do you have the final say here? You can get away with it without even the defendant being present."

Hearing this, Ases slowly raised his head and "looked" in the direction of the voice.

"Mr. Snape was injured when he destroyed Voldemort's last Horcrux and is currently in a coma. However, before the war began, he entrusted me with the full authority to handle any of his affairs. In other words, I am standing here as the defendant."

"I have already informed the Supreme Wizarding Court and the Magical Law Committee about this. Since Mr. Austin is sitting in the court, has he not received any notice from the Supreme Wizarding Court and the Magical Law Committee? In addition...please be careful with your words. This is not about escaping guilt, but about being innocent."

The white-haired wizard choked. Could he say that he had not seen the letter from the Supreme Wizarding Court and the Magical Law Committee? Of course not. He could not afford to lose face.

Austin snorted and raised his hand to signal Carter to continue.

Carter quickly completed the initial process, and without waiting for Austin to interrupt, he directly listed the current accusations against Snape, from assisting Voldemort in harming the wizarding world to murdering students, with an emphasis on the abuse of the Savior. Then, Carter took a deep breath and asked Athis if he needed a rebuttal.

Aces nodded and refuted each of them in a deep voice. He had prepared sufficient evidence, not to mention that there was a living witness, Dumbledore.

Both of them were good at speaking. After a while, Carter thought it was very reasonable. Most people also thought it was very reasonable. Only Austin and a few others were unwilling to believe it, especially Austin. He gritted his teeth and continued to ask: "So you mean that Snape has been--"

"Please add Mr. or Headmaster, Mr. Austin." Aces suddenly interrupted him and said forcefully, "Mr. Snape is still in a coma to protect the wizarding world. You should give him the respect he deserves."

Austin's face turned black, but he had to compromise. "Okay, so you mean that Mr. Snape has always obeyed Mr. Dumbledore's orders and your orders-"

"I'm sorry." Arces interrupted him again, "This is not an order. Mr. Snape and I are partners. Please be careful with your words."

Austin's expression became even uglier after being interrupted one after another, but then he thought of something and stared at Ases with ill intentions.

"Collaborator? I don't think a collaborator is qualified to stand here and argue for Mr. Snape. Words are not enough. Mr. Snape is in a coma and cannot refute. Naturally, what you say is what it is. But this is not a place for you to cover up everything unless you have evidence to prove what you say."

Aces said nothing.

This was the first time he fell silent throughout the entire trial.

Seeing this, Austin was even more proud: "Whether it is witnesses or physical evidence, as long as you produce any one of them, we will believe what you say."