Chapter 483: Retrial begins
Chapter 483 The retrial begins
Kingsley sent them to the door and returned to the Auror headquarters. Then Dumbledore twisted the iron handle on the door and walked in with Kyle.
After the door was opened, the noise suddenly became louder.
Kyle couldn't help but look around. The walls of the courtroom were made of black stone. There were a few small windows near the ceiling. The weak sunlight poured in from the outside, lighting up the room. It seemed very depressing.
On both sides of him were rows of empty benches that were gradually rising, filled with people whispering.
"Albus, you are finally here." Fudge walked over quickly, "Now there is a troublesome thing. I don't know if the owl has contacted Black... but if he cannot be present, this retrial will be useless. Meaningless.”
"Don't worry, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly, "He's already here."
"What..." Fudge subconsciously looked behind Dumbledore.
With a burst of fire, the phoenix Fawkes appeared out of thin air, flapped its wings and landed on Dumbledore's shoulders.
At the same time, it also brought another thin, pale man, none other than Sirius Black.
He is still the same as before, with messy hair and beard, and wearing dirty and torn old clothes.
Furthermore, his face was very pale, and his legs were trembling, as if he might fall to the ground at any time.
Kyle understands Sirius's current state very well...it's the same for people who were Apparated by the Phoenix for the first time.
Fudge finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the person coming. He had been worried that Sirius Black would not be able to attend. If that was the case, this retrial would become a joke.
Fortunately he is here.
Fudge glanced at Dumbledore with an inexplicable expression, then turned back to the high platform.
Without Fudge's shield, everyone else in the room could see Black's face, the discussion became louder, and the huge courtroom was as lively as a Quidditch pitch where a game was taking place.
Kyle even heard someone calling Aurors to catch the fugitives...Does this person not know what they are here to do?
“Quiet!” Fudge shouted, “We’ve finally arrived, let’s get started.”
The courtroom fell silent instantly.
Sirius took a deep breath and walked step by step to the chair in the middle under everyone's gaze.
"I don't understand, Mr. Minister." A cold voice said: "You caught the fugitive and just threw him back to Azkaban or handed him over to the dementors. Why waste time and conduct a retrial? ."
"Don't worry, Barty..." Fudge said calmly, "I have received strong evidence that Black is probably innocent."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was discussion again.
"Nonsense!" Barty Crouch's face looked so ugly that he looked like he had been slapped. "Twelve years ago, all the Muggles in the street knew that he betrayed the Potters and even killed them. Peter Pettigrew came to question him.”
"But as far as I know, they just heard someone yelling, and no one saw it with their own eyes." Foley said, "And, if I tell you, Peter Pettigrew is still alive."
"This is impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible." Fudge ignored Crouch's increasingly ugly expression and shouted toward the door, "Bring him in."
The door was pushed open again, and Delis walked in from the outside.
Everyone looked at him, but after noticing that he was the only one coming in, everyone's eyes turned to the cage wrapped in chains in his hand.
Crouch frowned. He saw Delis opening the cage and pouring out a half-dead mouse.
“Don’t tell me this is Peter Pettigrew!” he asked coldly.
Fudge didn't speak, he just looked at Dumbledore, as if he was asking something.
“Leave it to me,” Dumbledore said, stepping forward and taking out his wand. “Reveal quickly!”
A blue light fell on the mouse, and it began to twist rapidly and keep getting bigger. A head came out, and limbs also came out...
After a moment, a short man appeared in front of everyone. His sparse hair was messy and there was a large bald patch on top. His pointed nose and mung bean eyes still had the characteristics of a mouse...
There was a buzzing sound all around for the third time, and some wizards stood up from their stools in surprise, apparently recognizing that the person in front of them was Peter Pettigrew.
"This is impossible…"
“Isn’t he dead?”
“Damn, what happened...”
Crouch also stood up, his face as gloomy as if it could drip water.
A group of Aurors walked over and began to check Peter's identity.
Kyle noticed that the moment Peter transformed back, Sirius clenched his fists suddenly, his eyes flashed with unforgettable hatred, and he kept breathing heavily, as if he wanted to kill the person in front of him immediately.
But fortunately he endured it.
“Everyone…”
Soon, Head Auror Scrimgeour put away an empty potion bottle and said loudly: "He is indeed Peter Pettigrew himself."
“Very good…” said Fudge.
He did not go to see Crouch, but followed the procedure and talked about himself.
"Everyone is here, I now declare that because the death of the witness is not established, a retrial will now begin regarding the incident in November 1981, when Sirius Orion Black betrayed the Potters and blew up the streets, killing twelve Muggles. One case.
"Interrogators: Minister for Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Director of Legal Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones, Director of International Magical Cooperation...Barty Crouch! Trial Recorder: Scudderbert Wimpole.”
"Witnesses: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Dumbledore stood up and said.
Just when Kyle was hesitating to stand up, an invisible force suddenly struck him. It was as if someone had put a hand on his shoulder.
Kyle glanced at Dumbledore, seemed to understand something, and continued to sit there without moving.
Fudge glanced this way quickly, but didn't say anything. He nodded to Dumbledore, "Then, please state your testimony, witness Mr. Dumbledore. When did you find out that Peter Pettigrew was still alive?" ."
“This is also thanks to an outstanding student who, with his keen insight, discovered a deeply hidden Animagus…”
Dumbledore pointed his finger at Kyle, making him the focus of everyone's attention instantly. However, everyone seemed to be more interested in what Dumbledore said after that, so most people just glanced at Kyle and then looked away.
And Dumbledore stood there and said again what he had said to Fudge before.
During this period, the judges had different expressions.
Some people are surprised...some are angry...but most are still skeptical...
Especially after hearing Dumbledore say that Peter was the Secret Keeper twelve years ago, he was the one who betrayed the Potters and put the blame on Black, Crouch stood up again.
"Where's the evidence!" He interrupted Dumbledore rudely, "Peter concealed the news that he was still alive, maybe because he was worried about being retaliated by the Death Eaters. This does not mean that he did everything."
As he spoke, he also looked at Peter Pettigrew, as if waiting for the other party to defend himself.
But he soon became disappointed. From now on, Peter just lay on the ground blankly, saying nothing, and even if others called him, he would not respond.
(End of this chapter)