"You're late." A cold male voice echoed in the courtroom.
"I'm sorry!" Harry said hurriedly, looking nervous. "I-I didn't know the time had changed."
He looked down at the two chairs in the middle of the room, the arms of which were chained to the left and right.
He had seen these chains suddenly spring up and bind the man who sat in the centre.
Harry looked up again and saw about fifty people in purple-red robes with a delicate silver "w" embroidered on the left breast.
They all looked down at the two of them, some with stern expressions, others with undisguised curiosity.
In the middle of the row of benches in front of them sat the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
Fudge was a big fat man who often wore a dark yellow-green top hat, but he wasn't wearing one today.
In addition, the kind smile he used to have on his face when he spoke to Elwyn and Harry was gone today.
In its place was a cold expression, so cold that it was frightening. Perhaps this was what he really looked like.
To Fudge's left sat a broad-shouldered, square-jawed witch with short gray hair, a monocle, and an intimidating expression on her face.
To Fudge's right sat another witch, but she was too far back on the bench and her face was shrouded in shadow.
"That's not Wiesengamo's fault," Fudge said. "An owl was sent to inform you this morning."
"Obviously, we didn't receive a letter from Wiesengamo, Minister!" Elwyn looked around and his eyes fell on Fudge. "In fact, we probably didn't expect a minor matter of underage use of magic and the authenticity of a report to be tried by the Supreme Criminal Court of Wiesengamo. I've read many books on this, but there's never been any mention of this. "
There was an awkward silence, and Elwyn noticed a few wizards shifting uneasily in their chairs.
They hadn't expected Elwyn to say something like this, and they weren't prepared for it at all.
Obviously, his words had hit the nail on the head.
If word of what happened today were to spread, the Ministry of Magic and Vesengamo would be too embarrassed to put up such a show against two little Wizards.
"Also, if I remember correctly, Rita Skeeter, the special correspondent of Hogwarts Magic, applied to the Ministry of Magic for an interview on this trial, but I didn't see her," Elwyn continued.
"Her application wasn't granted. Don't think I don't know what you're up to," said Foggy irritably.
"Our plan is to report the progress of this case truthfully and objectively. As far as I know, for a case of this level, other people are allowed to accompany them. For the sake of fairness, the Ministry of Magic doesn't seem to have the right to reject Rita's interview," said Elwyn with a smile on his face.
"We don't need you to remind us what we should do. You …"
"Minister!" The witch on his right reminded him softly, revealing a toad-like face. "I hope the two of you can sit down first, Mr. Mason. We have to judge Potter's use of magic first. You can watch, but please remain silent."
"No problem. Obviously, you have the final say here," said Elwyn.
There was another awkward silence. His feet echoed loudly as he walked across the stone floor.
Harry followed him and sat carefully on the edge of the chair.
The chain clanged dangerously, but it didn't tie him up.
He swallowed, feeling dizzy and nauseous. He looked at Elwyn, and then up at the people sitting on the bench.
In just a few seconds, Foggy and Umrich seemed to have reached a consensus. Leave Elwyn alone and convict Harry first.
As long as it was proven that Harry had used magic illegally, then Elwyn's Hogwarts Magic Newspaper would naturally be a false report.
It would be much easier to settle everything then.
Otherwise, if Elwyn continued to ask questions like this, today's trial would very likely become a joke.
Elwyn asked two questions in a row, and many of the members of Wiesenjammer could no longer sit still. They thought that the treatment of the two children today was too much, and they didn't approve of Foggy's actions in the first place. Now, they were being pointed out by a child.
"Alright!" Foggy said angrily, trying not to look at Elwyn. "The defendant is finally here. Let's begin."
"By the way, are you ready?" he asked loudly toward the end of the bench.
"Yes, sir," a familiar voice said eagerly.
Elwyn narrowed his eyes and saw Ron's brother, Percy, sitting at the end of the front bench.
Harry also looked at Percy, thinking that he would show an expression of recognition, but there was no expression on his face.
Percy's eyes, hidden behind his horn-rimmed glasses, were staring intently at the parchment in front of him, a quill in his hand ready to write.
"The trial on August 12th!" Foggy's voice boomed, and Percy hurriedly began to take notes. "Trial of Harry Jaime Potter, residing at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, for violation of the Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards Act and the International Secrets Act."
"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald de Foggy, Minister of the Ministry of Magic; Amelia Susan Burns, Director of the Department of Magic Law Enforcement; Senior Deputy Dolores Jane Umrich. Trial Recorder: Percy Ignace Seuss Weasley … "
"Defense Witness: Albus Percy Val Woolfric Brian Dumbledore."
A calm voice sounded behind them. Harry turned his head sharply and almost sprained his neck.
Elwyn also turned his head and saw Dumbledore striding over calmly.
He seemed to have just manifested himself, and no one knew how he calculated the time so perfectly.
He wore a dark blue robe and had an extremely serene expression on his face.
Dumbledore walked to a place parallel to Elwyn and Harry, raised his head, and looked at Foggy through the half-moon glasses perched on the bridge of his hooked nose, his long silver beard and hair gleaming in the light of the torches.
The next second, the members of Weisengamore whispered to each other, all eyes on Dumbledore.
Some looked annoyed, some seemed a little afraid, and the two elderly witches sitting in the back actually waved in welcome.
Seeing Dumbledore, Elwyn knew that he didn't have to say anything today and would just sit back and watch the show unfold.
As soon as Harry saw Dumbledore, a strong emotion rose in his heart, making him feel at ease and full of hope, just like how the phoenix Foggy's song had once made him feel. He wanted to meet Dumbledore's gaze, but Dumbledore didn't look in his direction and continued to look at Foggy, who was clearly panicking.
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