It took some time, as Simon used a mixture of intimidation and careful manipulation to convince Fudge to allow the trial.
Because of the high position Umbridge held, she was taken into immediate custody and her trial was scheduled for a day before the third task.
Amelia allowed herself a small smile that reached her eyes as she watched the screaming toad being dragged away by several Aurors of her department while Simon stood beside her.
"Impressive work with the Minister, Lord Hawthorne. Though, I will ask you to knock on the door of my office if you wish to enter it next time." Amelia said as she turned her head toward Simon.
His sudden appearance from the shadows inside her office earlier had given her quite the scare and forced her to reconsider how secure her working space truly was.
Simon nodded to Amelia before leaving, his imposing wolf walking beside him.
Amelia turned toward the Ministry library, already thinking of ways to improve the security of both her office and her home.
Meanwhile Simon whistled a quiet tune as he took out an intricate golden pocket watch to check the time.
"Come on Volkrin, I have an important meeting to attend," he muttered to the wolf before stepping into a quiet dark corner of the Ministry and vanishing.
He stepped out of the shadows again and appeared before a shabby, poorly maintained house standing alone in a remote area.
He could even sense advanced magic surrounding the place, spells meant to deter Muggles and even other wizards from approaching.
"Mr Rowle. I am Simon Hawthorne. You requested a meeting with me," Simon said, knocking twice on the door before glancing toward Volkrin.
The wolf understood the message immediately and nuzzled Simon for a moment before turning into a streak of lightning and rising toward the clouds to enjoy a walk through the sky.
Simon had asked the wolf to do that because there was no need for intimidating the person they were about to meet.
A moment later, the door was thrown open in a hurry and Simon found himself face to face with a disheveled middle aged wizard wearing loose robes and holding several parchments.
"A pleasure Mr Hawthorne. Please come in," Cassian Rowle said hurriedly as he extended his hand to shake Simon's.
"Oh, pardon me," he muttered when he noticed the parchments still in his hand. He quickly set them aside and extended his hand again, which Simon shook with a light chuckle.
Simon stepped inside the house and immediately noticed that the roof was nothing but a series of glass panels. Most of them were open at the moment, revealing the night sky in all its brilliance.
Looking further into the room he saw a plethora of telescopes scattered throughout the house, each pointed toward a different window while star charts covered nearly every wall.
"Intricate work, Mr Rowle," Simon complimented as he examined the precise and beautifully drawn charts.
"Thank you, my lord. I have dedicated my life to the sky. It would have been rather unfortunate if I were shit at drawing the stars," the middle aged man replied while clearing a table and arranging two chairs.
"Forgive my crude words," he added suddenly when he realized what he had just said.
"Nothing to forgive. I prefer honest expression," Simon replied, waving the apology away as he took the offered seat.
"Would you like some tea, my lord?" Cassian asked before glancing toward his kitchen. "Although do I even have tea?" he added quietly to himself.
His quiet questioning continued as he tried to recall when he had last eaten anything and what that meal had been.
"There is no need. I brought my own," Simon said, interrupting the man who had been muttering to himself for nearly a minute.
He waved his hand and two cups of tea appeared on the table along with several finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones.
"Oh, thank you," Cassian whispered gratefully. He took a sip of the tea and devoured a scone in a single bite before taking another sip and standing up again.
"I shall waste no more of your time," he said before grabbing a few finger sandwiches and pointing toward a star chart mounted on a large canvas.
"You see, I have devoted most of my life to astronomy," he began, pausing to take a bite of the sandwich in his hand. "Mm. These are quite good," he muttered while lifting another one.
Simon nodded in thanks while the man continued speaking.
"It was during these studies that I began to wonder. What effect do the stars have on magic?" he continued, spreading his hands slightly as he looked toward the sky through the glass above, his mouth half open.
He remained standing in that pose for several seconds before Simon spoke and pulled him out of the quiet trance he had drifted into.
"A fascinating question," Simon said.
"Indeed," Cassian replied with an eager nod, jolting out of his state.
"Rituals, potions, divination. All of them require the stars, the moon, or the season to be at a precise point. Why is that?"
He leaned forward in his seat, watching Simon closely.
"You tell me," Simon replied with a small shrug.
Cassian used that moment to swallow another scone in two quick bites.
"Well, I do not know. But I have been trying to find out for years," Cassian admitted before standing up again.
At this point most people would have lost their patience and hexed the man into silence.
Simon did not.
He knew that the man had discovered something that was about to change the future of the magical world, so he sat and waited patiently.
"It was during one of those nights that I found something interesting," Cassian said before gesturing for Simon to follow him to a particular place inside the house.
Simon obliged while Cassian pulled several colored looking glasses from a drawer.
"Focus on that star, my lord," Cassian murmured as he pointed toward a section of the sky.
Simon could not clearly identify which star he meant, so he simply looked in the direction Cassian had indicated.
The middle aged man raised the colored lenses before Simon's eyes, turning the sky into a shifting field of color.
For a moment Simon saw nothing unusual.
Then he noticed something strange.
Most of the stars had dimmed noticeably while others burned brighter, and one of them shone with a vivid yellow glow.
"That, my lord, is magic radiating from that star. There are seven planets orbiting the star, All of them rich with magic," Cassian explained eagerly.
"You believe there is life within that system?" Simon asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Magical life, my lord. Perhaps civilizations centuries more advanced than our own world," Cassian whispered with wonder in his eyes as he continued staring toward that distant star in the night sky.