Ivan frowned at this rule, unsure if the other party was deliberately making things difficult for him.
After a moment's hesitation, Ivan decided to hand over his wand, as he could still fight without it.
Furthermore, Dumbledore was also present, so the other party would not dare to act recklessly.
The Auror retrieved his wand and led the way.
Ivan strode inside, the noise of the crowd reaching his ears, and found an enclosed space.
The walls are made of dark stone, and the light is dim, except for the magical fires that stand on either side, lighting the way…
Sirius and Pettigrew were sitting on two chained seats, hands and feet cuffed, on a specially vacated platform in the centre of the room.
They were accompanied by their advocate, Dumbledore, and Mrs Peter.
"I believe I have made my point, Inquisitor!" Dumbledore's voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the sealed courtroom.
"Ah! Yes!" said the white-robed Inquisitor, standing on the dais and staring at Dumbledore for a moment before turning to Ivan, who had just reached the platform.
"Mr. Ivan Hals! Just now, Black's advocate said that you were the one who discovered Peter's true identity. Is that correct?"
"Right!" Yvonne said, nodding.
"Please repeat what you saw!" the presiding judge demanded, his eyes fixed on Ivan.
"It starts with a name I found on the Marauder's Map a year ago…" said Ivan, recounting the story he had told several times.
Though riddled with falsehoods, Ivan was experienced enough to keep a straight face, and even to have his expression fluctuate depending on the situation.
As soon as Ivan finished speaking, several members of the alchemical staff stepped forward to inspect the Marauder's Map, which Ivan claimed was enchanted to show the names of people in an area.
"Very good!" Hearing the response from the staff, the Inquisitor turned her attention from Ivan to Pettigrew, who was now bound to his seat.
'So what else did Mr Peter have to say?'
Pettigrew's expression was blank, and his face was changing constantly.
He naturally understood what Ivan had said, and his mind was filled with scattered memories, but none of them connected, which made him unable to retort.
At that moment, the old witch behind him slammed her walking stick down and roared.
"Counter!"
Madam Peter looked around at the Wizengamot committee members sitting on either side of her.
"Ladies and gentlemen… a year ago, a second year child was able to see through an Animagus transformation? And somehow break it? This is ridiculous! He's lying, he has to be lying!"
Madam Peter looked at Ivan with hatred, as if she wanted to eat him alive.
The committee members discussed the matter among themselves, finding Mrs Peter's words reasonable. A second-year student could not possibly know so much about Animagus Transfiguration, let alone break it.
"Ma'am, I must remind you that Mr. Hales is very good at Transfiguration. He was as good as any adult wizard in his second year!"
Dumbledore's high-pitched voice drowned out the discussion and successfully drew the attention of the committee members.
"Is that so? Prove it!" The presiding judge eyed Ivan suspiciously, not trusting Dumbledore's words.
"Just give me a wand! I'll show you…" Ivan was undaunted. Transfiguration was his speciality.
The Inquisitor shot a look at the Auror, who knowingly returned the wand to Ivan.
For a moment, all eyes were on Ivan as the committee members whispered among themselves.
Ivan took the wand and tapped a nearby torch.
The ghostly blue flames leapt up and disappeared with a bang, and the iron base beneath it melted rapidly, changing shape like fluid.
In just a few moments, the fluid began to solidify. Another dwarf, tied to a chair, appeared in front of them with a confused look on his face, just like Peter's. He opened his mouth to speak, but an unintelligible roar escaped his lips.
Ivan put away his wand and looked at the "dwarf" and shook his head. It was so hard to conjure a living person.
Because each individual had its own characteristics, they were easy to distinguish, unlike the shapeshifters, who only needed to be roughly the same. More importantly, the shapeshifted living person had too little intelligence, like a retard, so Ivan considered this attempt a failure…
However, the others present disagreed, and Peter's mother's eyes widened.
There was little difference between the real Peter Pettigrew and the "Dwarf" that Ivan had transfigured into, and it would have been difficult for her to tell the difference without opening her mouth.
The presiding judge and the committee members who were seated around the table could not hide their shock.
"What a wonderful Transfiguration… If it hadn't been right in front of me, I'd hardly have imagined a third-year child releasing it…"
"Yes, absolutely flawless! That's above most Aurors."
"Not even I could conjure a living person, let alone an Auror!"
…
The discussion grew louder and louder, and the Wizengamot wizards swept their questioning gazes away. Several wizards even stood up in excitement, and would have gone to the platform to get a closer look if Aurors hadn't stopped them!
Dumbledore was equally amazed by Ivan's improvement in Transfiguration in such a short period of time, and lamented that, at this rate, Ivan would surpass him in a few years.
"I think this should be enough to answer your doubts!" Ivan didn't care about the crowd's praise. He casually waved his wand to change the torch back to its original form, then looked at Peter's mother and continued.
"Also, as far as I know, your child Pettigrew completed the transfiguration of his Animagus before he even graduated, so please trust him more next time and doubt him less…"
Before the old witch could reply, Sirius scoffed.
"That's because James and I helped him. Otherwise, Peter would never have had the guts to do it!"