Priori Incantatem works on wands. If magic is cast silently and wandlessly... there is no way for an opponent or investigator to reverse the spell.
When neither of the young wizard's wands showed any trace of Unforgivable Curses, while the four poachers' wands showed nothing but Dark Magic—and one wand even revealed its last spell was the Killing Curse—the public hearing didn't need to continue.
Not a single person in the audience believed that a wizard under the age of thirteen could cast an Unforgivable Curse without a wand.
Coupled with the investigation report from Hogwarts... everything pointed to one conclusion: these Dark Wizards were framing the boy. There was nothing more to say. Straight to Azkaban. Forget their other crimes; simply using Unforgivable Curses was enough to seal their fate.
The young wizard was the first to applaud. "I've heard the professors say that the Ministry of Magic is the most just place, that you would never wrong a good person nor let a bad person go free. After experiencing it myself, I see it's true. Thank you, everyone."
Look at that. How could such a polite, well-behaved young wizard possibly use such evil magic?
Everyone at the Ministry smiled. They personally escorted Owen and Dumbledore out the main doors, assuring them that if they ever needed help, they could contact the Ministry directly.
Dumbledore wasn't in a hurry to return to school. He walked with Owen for two blocks until they reached a Muggle-run café. He ordered two coffees, then proceeded to dump ten sugar cubes into his own cup.
Owen let out a long sigh. "Headmaster, I'm still not used to lying."
Dumbledore chuckled. "My dear boy, sometimes lies aren't inherently wrong. A white lie can help us solve many unnecessary problems, don't you think?"
Owen fell silent. He took a sip of his coffee. So bitter!
That's right. Every word he said at the Ministry hearing was coached by Dumbledore, specifically instructing him to deny using the Cruciatus Curse.
Actually, Owen had planned everything before he even cast the curse. He wanted to use this opportunity to get sent to Azkaban. He had two goals: first, to see the most terrifying wizard prison for himself; second, to chat with the Death Eaters and hopefully get their consent to experiment on them.
After all, to research a counter-curse for an Unforgivable Curse, you first need someone to be hit by it, right?
He couldn't exactly conduct human experiments on students at Hogwarts. That would be unethical.
Besides, if he went in, he wouldn't stay long. Dumbledore would definitely find a way to bail him out.
But he didn't expect Dumbledore to snuff out his plan just as it started. If he had known, he would have experimented on the four poachers instead of handing them over to the Ministry.
Dumbledore looked at the disappointed young wizard and smiled...
Everyone called him the greatest wizard, the leader of the Light. But they didn't know he wasn't as rigidly righteous as they imagined. Once he confirmed that Dark Magic had no adverse effects on Owen, he didn't forbid the boy from learning it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken Owen to meet his old friend.
"My dear, don't feel guilty about your lies. We merely let others know a part of the truth. After all, from beginning to end, we never admitted that you know Dark Magic, did we?"
True. Whether in the Hogwarts investigation or the Ministry hearing, no one ever explicitly stated that Owen didn't know Dark Magic. At Hogwarts specifically, the professors and students simply didn't believe Owen needed to use the Cruciatus Curse to defeat his enemies.
In their eyes, using such magic would be "beneath" him. They also refused to believe Owen had to exert "great effort" to win, because if Owen really wanted to win, those guys wouldn't have even had the chance to cast a spell.
Regardless of the method Owen used, he would have won. But they were certain he wouldn't stoop to using Dark Magic.
"Owen, to become a qualified Headmaster, you still have much to learn. A person who only knows how to follow rules cannot handle this job."
Well, since it was put that way, Owen had to pause his little scheme. If he couldn't go to Azkaban, so be it. The world was full of Dark Wizards, and there were plenty of Death Eaters still at large. It wasn't strictly necessary to go there. At worst... he could visit Knockturn Alley during the next holiday.
There were plenty of Dark Wizards there willing to dedicate themselves to science.
Owen suddenly thought of something and looked up at Dumbledore. "Headmaster, I can confirm that Lockhart is a fraud. He doesn't have the competence to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Why did you invite him to Hogwarts?"
If any other student had asked, Dumbledore would have just smiled and let them guess. But since it was Owen, it was different.
"There are some lessons that, no matter how the school teaches them, don't stick well. But if students see it with their own eyes and uncover the truth themselves, the memory will be profound."
Ah, I see. Experience is the best teacher. But Owen wasn't entirely satisfied. "But Defense Against the Dark Arts is a critical subject. If they waste another year..."
"It won't take a year. Very soon, a new professor will arrive."
Alright then. Inviting a buffoon like Lockhart was a deliberate move to teach by negative example, and the replacement was already lined up. That was setting someone up to fail spectacularly!
If he wanted to be Headmaster, this skill of benevolent manipulation was something he had to learn.
Coffee finished, feeling like the young wizard had taken another solid step up the stairs to headmastership, Dumbledore summoned Fawkes. The phoenix whisked them both back to school, timing it perfectly for lunch.
Seeing Owen reappear in the Great Hall, the staff and students smiled collectively, then acted as if nothing had happened, returning to their meals and conversations.
However, after lunch, Professor Snape appeared. He dragged the young wizard to his office and tossed several sheets of parchment onto the desk. "Starting today, learn this!"
Sectumsempra. A Dark spell invented by Snape himself. Extremely powerful. If it didn't have a counter-curse, it would easily qualify as a fourth Unforgivable Curse.
Owen didn't need prompting. He studied it intently. Once he mastered this spell, he would be like a master swordsman capable of cutting steel, or a cultivator launching invisible sword qi!
Power aside, the main point was: it was cool!
If I want you dead, I'll slash your mouth first so you can't even speak the counter-curse. If I don't want you dead, I'll slash somewhere else. Even if it heals, you'll experience what true pain feels like.
"Professor, you're putting a lot of pressure on me..."
After a long while, Owen finally lifted his gaze from the parchment, looking at the composed Snape with a smile. "To surpass a genius like you, I'm going to need more time."