Ivan shot Sirius a quick look; this was no time to sulk.
Sirius pursed his lips and said nothing…
"How dare you insult my son!" Mrs. Peter was furious and waved her walking stick in an attempt to hit Sirius.
However, the walking stick was caught in mid-air, and Dumbledore stared at the old witch with anger.
Madam Peter's anger was doused, and she trembled as she tried to pull her walking stick away from Dumbledore.
"Silence! Stop! This is a courtroom, not a place to cause trouble!" The presiding judge slammed the table angrily.
Dumbledore let go, and the walking stick fell to the floor.
Madam Peter trembled slightly as she squatted down to pick up her walking stick. She bent her body and looked at the presiding judge on the stage.
"Your Honor, please forgive my rudeness. As a mother, I have been separated from my child for more than ten years. Today, I finally managed to see him again… I… I can't be separated from him anymore…"
In the end, Mrs Peter burst into tears, telling the story of how her only child "died" and how she was left all alone in the wizarding world…
Combined with Madam Peter's white hair, her aged face, and her well-mended robe, she made those who heard her cry…
Yvonne frowned. Mrs. Peter was talking nonsense that had nothing to do with the case, and the presiding judge had no intention of interrupting. It was a very obvious bias.
Remembering what Dumbledore had told him about the Ministry-elected presiding judge, Ivan understood.
Apparently, the truth is far less important to some people than a political struggle, and Fudge would do anything to cause trouble for them.
Noticing that the committee members around her were vaguely moved and sympathetic to Mrs Peter's cries, Ivan knew that he could not wait any longer!
The rules of court in the wizarding world are very different from those in Ivan's previous life.
The votes of the committee members greatly affected the outcome of the final judgement, and the presiding judge generally did not go against the decisions of the committee members, let alone when even the presiding judge was not on Sirius's side.
Ivan wasn't sure how many of the committee members present had been bribed or how many had remained neutral, but the situation was bound to get worse if Mrs Peter kept talking.
Realizing this, Ivan decisively interrupted the old witch's cries.
"Mrs. Peter, you are mistaken! Your child, Peter Pettigrew, was a Death Eater! He shamefully revealed the Potter family's hiding place to You-Know-Who, failing his best friend, who was willing to trust him with his life, and nearly destroying the entire wizarding community!"
Ivan's impassioned tone made the committee members, who had been sympathetic to the old witch, remember Peter's ugly deeds.
Ivan, however, had no intention of stopping. He looked at everyone present and continued in a sharp voice.
"Harry Potter saved the wizarding world, saved us all, and saved us from the tyranny of You-Know-Who! But such a hero should have had a happy family, loved his parents, and enjoyed the glory he deserved!
All of this was destroyed by Peter, the despicable traitor and You-Know-Who's henchman! You have no idea what kind of life our hero has led for over a decade!
He was adopted by one of his Muggle relatives! A Muggle family who loathed wizards and anything beyond their comprehension!
Poor Harry was treated unjustly as a child because he was different from the rest of the world! He was forced to live in a storeroom that was only a few square metres in size, doing a lot of housework, wearing clothes that others didn't want, being bullied by his peers, and often going hungry…"
Ivan's bleak account of Harry's life in the Muggle world succeeded in making most of the committee members angry at his tragic fate.
"How dare those Muggles? It would be a great honour to adopt Harry Potter! How dare they… how dare they treat him!"
"God, I never knew Harry suffered so much as a child. I thought the Ministry would have arranged the best place for him!"
"What was the Ministry doing? Why didn't they care about Harry Potter for years?"
…
The members of the committee seated on both sides of the table were furious and began to curse.
They had long since forgotten about the slight grievances of Mrs Peter's life, and were more notable for their discrimination against wizards and the unjust treatment of heroes.
And there are no new generations of wizards to sit here! Every one of them has lived through the last Wizarding War and experienced the horrors of You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters, and they are grateful to Harry for ending You-Know-Who.
Many of the infected witches looked at Peter with disdain, disdain, and anger, but one witch with some sense stood up and questioned him.
"Mr. Harls, can you guarantee that everything you just said is true?"
"Yes, ma'am! Harry Potter is in the holding room and will be testifying, so you can ask him yourself!" Yvonne replied politely.
Ivan's words convinced even the more dubious members of the committee that he was telling the truth, as no one tells a lie that is quickly revealed.
Madam Peter witnessed Ivan destroy the atmosphere she had painstakingly created with just a few words, instantly reversing the situation. She immediately understood that she had met her match today!
She was in awe of Dumbledore, but not afraid of him.
This was because important people like him cared about their reputation. They would not act shamelessly like others, and more importantly, they were born to be powerful, which would help them create a sense of helplessness as the weak and gain the sympathy of the committee members.
However, the young wizard in front of her did not have this consideration. Mrs Peter understood that her usual strategy might not work today…
Ivan was also looking at Madam Peter with tears in her eyes and a playful expression on her face.
Isn't it just acting pitiful? Come on! Who's afraid of who! I have plenty of stories here!