The Great Hall buzzed until Dumbledore tapped the glass in front of him.
Once everyone had quieted down, he addressed all the young wizards, saying, "Even the finest soup turns unpleasant when it cools, so let's enjoy it while it's hot."
If the young wizards continued making noise like that, they would surely have to attend their first class on an empty stomach.
"Professor, now that the true culprit has been captured, does that mean the Dementors will be removed?" Fred asked aloud.
After receiving an affirmative answer, the Great Hall erupted in excitement once again.
Although the Dementors hadn't affected the lives of the young wizards much, their removal was good news. After all, the Dementors near Hogwarts were a direct threat to the students and professors. Now that this threat had been eliminated, it was surely a good thing.
Dumbledore's words didn't make the students eat in silence. On the contrary, they were still discussing the Black case in hushed voices.
In the wizarding world, unexpected twists in the news were rare. But when they did happen, it was definitely big news. Like today's news about the popular author Gilderoy Lockhart turning out to be a fraud, something similar was happening in the news today.
Some young wizards from wizarding families were excitedly sharing the details of what happened back then. Some of the young wizards' parents were members of the investigative team at the time, so some details were especially authentic.
"My uncle thought there would be a big battle, but when he got there, Black didn't offer any resistance, he just stood there laughing like a madman."
"My father said the same thing, and guess who was one of the ones responsible for arresting Black at the time. The current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge! He was scared to death, and only when my father reminded him did he remember to order his arrest..."
"Whether you believe it or not, my mother always thought this case was suspicious. Peter Pettigrew didn't really die, how is it possible that only a finger remained after the explosion and no other part of his body was found? At that time, she thought Peter might have gone into hiding..."
Everyone was discussing animatedly.
"Caught on Saturday, brought in on Sunday, trial on Tuesday, the Ministry of Magic is really efficient." After reading the report, Hermione learned that Peter Pettigrew's case would be tried the next day.
"It's a shame we can't go to the trial." She sighed. She still hoped to see with her own eyes how that traitor who betrayed her friends was punished.
"There's not much to see." Tom wasn't interested in Peter's case; he was more interested in future developments.
The news of Sirius Black's case spread throughout every corner of the British wizarding world thanks to the Daily Prophet's messenger owls, causing a great stir.
Tuesday, Ministry of Magic Courtroom.
Dumbledore arrived early at the Ministry of Magic. He was now sitting quietly in a chair in the front row, waiting for the trial to begin. He wore a long robe of black and blue, and behind him were about fifty members of the Wizengamot jury, dressed in robes of purple and red, with a delicate silver "W" embroidered on the left side of their chests.
In front of the Wizengamot jury, there was a group of Ministry of Magic officials dressed in black robes. The middle seat in the front row was empty, with Amelia Bones seated on the left and Umbridge, Fudge's confidante, on the right.
Although there were more than a hundred people in the room, there was absolute silence, hardly anyone whispered, only the sound of rain hitting the skylights could be heard, as it was raining again in London.
At nine o'clock, Fudge entered the courtroom.
When Fudge's eyes landed on Dumbledore, he briefly displayed an expression of surprise and panic, but quickly concealed it.
He headed straight to his seat. Once seated, a small podium appeared in front of him with a small hammer. Fudge took the hammer and struck the table, and a chair rose from the floor in the center of the room.
The chair was secured with several iron chains, keeping Peter Pettigrew firmly restrained. He seemed to be dozing off and was unaware of what was happening around him.
Fudge looked towards a plump, balding man who was sitting in a corner. The man understood Fudge's intention and quickly stood up, walking towards Peter Pettigrew and giving him a sip from a bottle of potion.
With the potion's ingestion, Peter immediately woke up.
"I..." just as he was about to say something, a wizard next to him was faster and cast a spell that glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth.
Peter could no longer speak, only emit whimpering sounds.
"Thank you, Horace," Fudge thanked the wizard and then looked at those present. "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the Wizengamot jury, today we will conduct a trial."
"A man who was supposed to be dead has come back to life, deceived everyone in the wizarding world. His name is Peter Pettigrew, winner of the Order of Merlin, First Class." Fudge stared at Peter Pettigrew with a cold and chilling look.
'Damn bastard, even if you did something like this, why didn't you go far away? Why didn't you hide? Why did you have to show up and cause me trouble?' Fudge held a deep resentment towards Peter.
At one point, Fudge considered ordering the Dementors to give Peter a Kiss immediately, but then he abandoned that idea, as Peter and the case behind him were not worth breaking the rules and confronting Dumbledore.
Peter still hadn't touched his core interests.
"Let's begin, the trial of December 18th," said Fudge with a resonant voice as the stenographer by his side began taking notes.
"The case of Peter Pettigrew, the Death Eater who violated seventeen laws, including the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy." Fudge didn't want to continue with more explanations and directly started the trial. As for the method of interrogation, it was simple and brutal: Veritaserum.
Horace Slughorn, the Potions Master, whom Fudge had invited in advance, produced a small bottle with a clear liquid: the famous Veritaserum. They administered it to Peter Pettigrew. Peter struggled frantically in the chair, but it was in vain.
After receiving the potion, Peter had a vacant look and loose cheeks, sitting still in the chair.
Fudge began asking questions.
"Can you hear me?"
Peter replied quietly, "I can hear you."
Fudge asked a few more simple questions to confirm Peter's identity and ensure that the Veritaserum was working correctly.
"Peter Pettigrew, I hope you will tell us if James Potter and Lily Potter chose you as their Secret Keeper." Fudge stared at Peter and asked.