Chapter 483: The Retrial Begins
Chapter 483: The Retrial Begins
Kingsley escorted them to the door and headed back to the Auror Headquarters. Dumbledore twisted the iron handle on the door and walked in with Kyle.
As the door opened, the commotion inside grew louder.
Kyle couldn't help but glance around. The walls of the courtroom were made of black stone, with a few small windows near the ceiling, allowing weak sunlight to filter in, giving the room a gloomy atmosphere.
On both sides were rows of ascending benches, filled with people whispering to each other.
"Albus, you're finally here," Fudge hurried over, "There's a problem. I don't know if the owl has contacted Black... But if he doesn't show up, this retrial will be meaningless."
"Don't worry, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly, "He's already here."
"What..." Fudge subconsciously looked behind Dumbledore.
A flash of light appeared, and Phoenix Fawkes materialized out of thin air, flapping its wings and landing on Dumbledore's shoulder.
At the same time, it brought another man, thin and pale, who was none other than Sirius Black.
He looked the same as before, with unkempt hair and beard, wearing dirty and tattered old clothes.
His face was also very pale, and his legs trembled as if he might fall to the ground at any moment.
Kyle understood Sirius' current state; this was how people often appeared after being transported by a Phoenix.
Seeing Sirius, Fudge finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Sirius might not show up, and if that were the case, this retrial would have become a joke.
Fortunately, he had arrived.
Fudge glanced at Dumbledore with an unreadable expression and turned back to the podium.
Without Fudge's obstruction, everyone in the room could now see Black's face, and the whispers grew louder. The large courtroom buzzed with excitement, like a Quidditch stadium during a match.
Kyle even heard someone shouting about the Aurors capturing a fugitive... Did this person not understand why they were here?
"Silence!" Fudge said loudly, "Everyone is here, let's begin."
The courtroom instantly quieted down.
Sirius took a deep breath and, under everyone's gaze, walked step by step to the chair in the middle.
"I don't understand, Mr. Minister," a cold voice said, "You've captured the fugitive, just send him back to Azkaban or hand him over to the Boggarts, why waste time with a retrial?"
"Don't be hasty, Barty..." Fudge said calmly, "I've received compelling evidence suggesting that Black might be innocent."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in whispers again.
"Nonsense!" Barty Crouch's face turned as if he had been slapped, "Twelve years ago, the entire street of Muggles knew that he had betrayed the Potters, and he even killed the questioning Peter Pettigrew."
"As far as I know," said Scrimgeour, "they only heard someone shouting this, and not a single person saw it with their own eyes. Moreover, if I tell you that Peter Pettigrew is still alive..."
"That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible," Fudge ignored Crouch's increasingly unpleasant expression and shouted to the door, "Bring him in."
The door was pushed open again, and Delores Umbridge entered from outside.
Everyone looked at her, but when they noticed that she was the only one who entered, their gazes shifted to the cage wrapped in chains in her hand.
Crouch frowned as he saw Umbridge open the cage and a half-dead rat fall out.
"Don't tell me this is Peter Pettigrew!" he asked coldly.
Fudge didn't speak but looked at Dumbledore as if asking a question.
"I'll take care of this," Dumbledore said, stepping forward and raising his wand.
"Reveal yourself!"
A blue light fell upon the rat, which began to twist and rapidly grow. A head emerged, followed by limbs...
After a moment, a short man appeared before everyone, his sparse hair disheveled and a large bald spot on his head. His pointed nose and green bean-like eyes still retained some rat-like features...
A hum filled the room for the third time, and a group of wizards rose from their seats, clearly recognizing the man before them as Peter Pettigrew.
"This is impossible..."
"Isn't he dead..."
"Damn, what's going on..."
Crouch also stood up, his face dark as if it could drip water.
A group of Aurors approached and began examining Peter's identity.
Kyle noticed that as Peter transformed, Sirius clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred, breathing heavily as if he wanted to kill the man before him immediately.
But thankfully, he held back.
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"Ladies and gentlemen..."
Soon, Auror Chief Scrimgeour put away an empty potion bottle and announced loudly, "He is indeed Peter Pettigrew himself."
"Very well..." Fudge said.
Without looking at Crouch, he followed the procedure and said, "Now that everyone is here, I declare that since the fact of the witness's death is not established, we will reopen the trial regarding Sirius Orion Black's betrayal of the Potters and the destruction of the street, killing twelve Muggles in November 1981."
"Questioner: Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation Barty Crouch! Recorder: Scabberty Wembly."
"Witness: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Dumbledore stood up and said.
As Kyle hesitated about whether to stand up as well, an invisible force suddenly patted him on the shoulder. It felt as if someone had placed their hand on his shoulder.
Kyle glanced at Dumbledore, seemingly understanding something, and remained seated without moving.
Fudge quickly glanced in his direction but didn't say anything.
"Your testimony, Mr. Dumbledore, when did you discover that Peter Pettigrew was still alive?"
"This is also thanks to an excellent student who, with his keen insight, discovered a deeply hidden Animagus..."
Dumbledore pointed to Kyle, momentarily drawing everyone's attention, but most people seemed more interested in what Dumbledore would say next, so they only glanced at Kyle before turning their attention back to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stood there, repeating the words he had previously said to Fudge.
During this time, the expressions of the judges varied.
Some were surprised... some were angry... but most were skeptical...
Especially after hearing Dumbledore say that Peter was the Secret-Keeper twelve years ago, and that he had betrayed the Potters and framed Black, Crouch stood up again.
"Where's the evidence!" he interrupted Dumbledore's words harshly. "Peter concealing his survival could also be due to fear of Death Eater retaliation, which doesn't prove that he did it all."
As he spoke, he also looked at Peter Pettigrew, seemingly waiting for him to defend himself.
But soon, he was disappointed. From the start, Peter had been lying on the ground in a daze, silent and unresponsive, even when others called out to him.
(End of Chapter)
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