This trial was quite lengthy.
The whole morning passed without any evidence that could be detrimental to the men.
During halftime, Snape kept a close eye on Vincent the entire time.
They watch you when you go to the toilet, when you drink water, and even when you eat.
Even though he wasn't intimidated at all, he still kept an eye on things when the trial continued in the afternoon.
"Ahem—" Dumbledore, sandwiched in the middle, reminded them to be mindful of the impact, and only then did they restrain themselves slightly.
"Witness, please stand up."
Rita closed her notebook and stood up very ladylike.
Several enlarged newspapers floated up in the courtroom; they were the original versions exposing the Wizard Cards scam.
"Ms. Rita Ms. Skeeter, what is the basis for your conclusion that this is a scam?"
"Based on the two pieces of evidence I have submitted."
Bones' expression instantly became unnatural.
If it were two months ago, or even just one month ago, those two Muggle books wouldn't qualify as evidence at all.
But if we don't acknowledge it now, that would be blatantly politically incorrect.
The evidence was not presented; instead, the text appeared in the air through Magical Projection.
One is "The King of Fraud: The Autobiography of Charles Ponzi" and the other is "The Intelligent Investor".
Rita exchanged a very subtle glance with Vincent.
She cleared her throat. "Gentlemen of the jury, after receiving an anonymous tip, I specifically sought out these two Muggle books."
At the beginning of this century, a notorious new scam emerged in Muggle society, and over the decades it has evolved into countless variations.
Unlike con artists who make a quick buck and run, Charles Ponzi was a more audacious and daring "King of Con Artists".
They initially claimed they could profit from the price difference by buying certain postal notes in Europe and then reselling them to the United States.
Even Muggle with a little financial knowledge know it's a scam, but Ponzi later devised a century-old scam that made countless financial elites "voluntarily fall into the trap."
As long as you invest money, you can get a 40% return within 90 days.
Once the initial group of investors received the promised returns, those who joined later chose to follow suit in large numbers.
The poor who don't understand dream of getting rich, while the rich who do understand feel they can safely exit the game.
The first batch, the second batch, the third batch...
Ponzi is considered one of the three greatest Italy, alongside Columbus and Marconi.
Behind the frenzy, however, is the ever-increasing number of investors, with new funds no longer sufficient to generate returns.
Ponzi eventually went bankrupt and was sentenced to five years in prison.
After his release from prison, he returned to his old ways, but he was never able to live the luxurious life he once had.
In 1949, the inventor of the "Ponzi scheme" died in a charity hall in Brazil.
Ironically, he died penniless.
In the same year, Benjamin Graham, the "godfather of Wall Street," published "The Intelligent Investor."
"Investing is based on keen quantitative analysis." This passage was amplified as Rita spoke.
"Speculation, on the other hand, is based on sudden ideas or conjectures. The key difference between the two lies in their different views on stock prices."... Substitute the value of Wizard Cards into stock prices, and then treat the customers who draw cards and the card merchants as "investors".
"Nonsense!" Old Flint in the defendant's dock yelled at Rita:
"We don't determine the value, so why do you think it's a scam!"
"Quiet." Bones glanced at him, then gestured for Rita to continue.
Rita forced a smile, but seemed somewhat hesitant.
If we continue like this, we'll offend the men to death.
Vincent glanced cautiously at the audience seats, then smiled and met her gaze.
Fame comes at a price.
Moreover, they were already in the witness stand, standing on the opposite side of the gentlemen.
"The Wizard Cards look a lot like Ponzi's stamps." She flashed her signature bright smile again.
"I'm pretty sure this is a scam because of the release of the collector's edition."
From selling individual cards to drawing cards, to the final pity system and the official high-price buyback.
Wizard Cards have high costs and low profits to begin with.
"What are they after? Are they doing charity?"
Not only in the audience, but also on the jury, a few soft chuckles rippled through the room.
The men in the defendant's dock looked extremely grim.
"Quiet!" Bones shouted several times.
"Witness, do you have anything to add?"
"That's all." Rita quickly sat down.
For a fleeting moment just now, I was genuinely panicked.
But it really feels good to say it out loud.
A brave and renowned journalist steps forward to confront six powerful and wealthy wizarding families.
His reputation, which recently plummeted due to "fabricating lies," is likely to rebound.
"Six defendants, do you have any objections to the witness's statement just now?"
"Yes!" Madam Zabini rose gracefully and scanned the witness stand, the jury, and the audience seats one by one.
She glanced at Vincent, biting her lower lip lightly. "We are innocent. We were framed."
The jury immediately began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Defendant Lucretia Madam Zabini, do you have any evidence to suggest that you were framed?"
Madam Zabini was silent for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"I didn't, but as long as we capture Yamamoto Tsukumo, we'll definitely find out who framed us."
Following her resentful gaze, I saw Vincent Wayne, the Founders of Wizard Cards and a fellow practitioner.
This is getting interesting.
Strictly speaking, The Wizard Cards copied the ideas of Gwent from the very beginning.
Whether it's cards that can Transfiguration, battle styles that are nearly 90% similar, or card pools where cards are randomly generated by throwing them into Gold Galleons.
They're clearly victims no matter how you look at it.
Admittedly, with the Wizard Cards game falling, Gwent is the biggest beneficiary.
But what Madam Zabini wanted to express was an absurd "victim blaming theory."
Is it because you were plagiarized that you want revenge?
Lucius gently rubbed his chest.
Is it acceptable to openly express such a superior idea?
Voldemort has been out of power for many years, and the powerful families of the Wizarding World have been purged to the point that very few remain.
What if the Ministry of Magic decides to accuse the Zabini family of something?
What if we were even more ruthless and wiped out all of them at once?
Before Bones, whose face was dark, could speak, he quickly turned his head and glared at him.
However, Madam Zabini remained unmoved. "Gentlemen of the jury," she said, "I hope you will focus your investigation on—"
"Shut up!" Lucius, quite flustered, stood up and blocked her way.
"I'm very sorry, her opinion has nothing to do with us; she can only represent herself."
The entire courtroom fell eerily quiet.
Malfoy is still the same Malfoy.
They have been able to maintain their prosperity for thousands of years because they know when to make which choices.
Madam Zabini made absurd remarks, it was imperative to immediately distance herself from her.
.