"My child, I'm here," Mrs. Pettigrew called out to Peter Pettigrew through her tears.
He heard it, and a flash of regret crossed his eyes.
But he never looked at his mother.
Mrs. Pettigrew clutched her chest in obvious pain.
After today's court hearing, everything will return to its original course.
The only difference is that she went from being the mother of a hero to the mother of a murderer.
But whether he was a hero or not didn't matter to her; all she wanted was for her son to live a good life.
But this hope was destined to be dashed.
Judge Bones proceeded quickly, with evidence, witnesses, and testimonies being submitted one after another.
It was called a trial, but it was more like going through the motions.
First, there's the evidence: a wand that actually belongs to Wales.
Scrimgeour testified in court.
"Your Honorable Judge and Jury, I swear on my more than twenty years of career fighting against Dark Magic that the magical aura remaining on this wand is one hundred percent a match for Peter Pettigrew."
The Wizengamot jury members remained silent, coldly observing the presented evidence.
More than half a month has passed, and the lingering aura of Dark Magic can still be felt.
It was an aura of violence and destruction; one can imagine what Peter Pettigrew was feeling when he cast the spell.
The second piece of evidence was a Muggle car that had been bombed beyond recognition.
Scrimgeour testified again, followed by Vincent and Hermione as witnesses.
"Mr. Wayne, Miss Granger, could you please recount what happened?"
"Of course, Your Honor and Jury."
In Vincent's extremely solemn and serious account, Peter Pettigrew kept using Apparition to try to escape. Fortunately, he had trained in Side-Along Apparition during the summer vacation, otherwise he would not have been able to track him down and successfully catch him.
Presiding Judge Bones glanced at the documents on the table. "Mr. Wayne, you learned Apparition from Mr. Sam Chavez, a senior Auror of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, is that right?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
Bones opened the file and took out a letter. "This is a letter in Mr. Chavez's own handwriting, isn't it?"
Vincent's expression remained extremely serious. "Yes, if it weren't for the emergency, I would never have used Apparition without obtaining the certificate."
He looked at the jury and said, "Your Honorable Judge and Jury, I am willing to bear all the consequences of using Apparition without permission."
Bones picked up another document. "Mr. Wayne, the Magical Congress of the United States of America has vouched for you, and you are not responsible for this matter."
She paused, then added, "However, after the trial, you will need to go to the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible to obtain your Apparition certification."
Vincent nodded with unprecedented seriousness. "I certainly will, Your Honor."
Bones looked at Hermione. "Miss Granger, you used an alchemical weapon several times when you were tracking Peter Pettigrew to the Muggle Museum, didn't you?"
Hermione glanced at Vincent, and her initially flustered mood quickly calmed down.
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Miss Granger, could you tell me why you chose to use this alchemical weapon?"
"Okay." Hermione took a deep breath.
She looked at Peter Pettigrew, her delicate face revealing fear.
"My magical abilities are limited, and to conserve as much energy as possible to continue the pursuit, I have no choice but to use this gun that Mr. Vincent Wayne crafted through Alchemy."
Bones Gunblade. "Miss Granger, this alchemical firearm was officially registered on April 20, 1992, so you are not responsible for the damage caused to the Muggle Museum."
Hermione secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Vincent had predicted that the Ministry of Magic would not pursue the matter, she was still somewhat worried.
Now that everything is alright, I can finally testify with peace of mind.
Bones then asked McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape about some minor details.
As outstanding students at Hogwarts, Vincent and Hermione discovered the Batman Family's movements early that night.
While they were waking up the three professors to prepare for an ambush, they unexpectedly encountered Peter Pettigrew, who was fleeing out of the school.
At the time, everyone, including the professor, only knew that he, who had turned into a rat, was Scabbers, the pet rat who had disappeared again.
McGonagall successfully trapped him with her Transfiguration, but Lupin recognized him.
"Professor Lupin, you and the prisoner were in the same class and were very good friends, right?"
Lupin clenched his fist. "Your Honor, we used to be friends."
"So, Professor, when did you begin to suspect what happened back then?"
"It started with a notice posted at the school's Owl Court Club looking for Scabbers."
Bones looked at Sirius Black on the other side of the witness stand. "Mr. Black, you escaped from Azkaban because you saw the Evening Prophet from June 17th, am I right?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
A rat missing a toe on its forelimb is nothing special. The key point is that Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form is also a rat, and he only had one finger left after the Blasting Curse.
Sirius Black thought he was dead, but when he saw that day's newspaper, he learned that he had faked his death to escape and had been hiding in the Weasley family.
Arthur and Molly, sitting in the audience, glared at Peter Pettigrew was sitting on the iron chair.
This traitor from the Order of the Phoenix actually had the nerve to hide in their house. They should have thrown him out the moment he barged in, instead of keeping him as a pet for Percy.
Bones asked Sirius Black the most crucial question, "Mr. Black, the protector of the Fidelius Charm back then wasn't you, but the culprit Peter Pettigrew. What specific evidence do you have to support your claim?"
"Only four people know about this." Sirius Black closed his eyes, his expression filled with deep sorrow.
"I was one of the heirs of the Black Family, and everyone knows that my cousin and younger brother were loyal Death Eaters. Although James Potter and Lily — the Potters —trusted me implicitly, I..."
He suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at Peter Pettigrew on the iron chair.
"But I eventually succeeded in persuading the couple to replace the traitor with the Secret Keeper agent! Because he was discreet and timid enough that he wouldn't attract the attention of those Death Eaters!"
Bones tapped the table lightly. "Mr. Black, please try to control your emotions."
Sirius Black took a deep breath. "I apologize, Your Honor and Jury."
We all underestimated this traitor. I chased him all the way to the Muggle community, and he said he was afraid of Voldemort—he wasn't as brave as us, and he couldn't refuse him.
He turned to look at Dumbledore Vincent.
"As for evidence, I know a very obscure spell that can determine who the Secret Keeper was back then."
Everyone's attention turned to the two of them.
One is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and the other is the representative of Wizengamot's Britain youth.
If they were to testify, most of the wizards present, including the presiding judge and the jury, would be convinced.