Although Grindelwald's calm demeanor surprised Picquery, the arrow was already nocked to the string—it had to be loosed.
Besides, they had already discovered Abernathy's little tricks and corrected everything afterward.
Even if Abernathy had escaped in the end, there should be no issue with the witnesses this time!
No matter how calm Grindelwald appeared, it couldn't change the facts.
Just as President Picquery was convincing herself of that, an Auror approached and reported,
"Madam President, all the witnesses have taken Veritaserum and are ready to testify at any time."
"Good... Begin immediately," Picquery said as she glanced at Grindelwald, who was still smiling. Then she turned and returned to her seat.
"Witness One, Morton Weber!" Picquery announced, looking toward the first person to step forward.
It was a short, plump wizard, his expression dull—the typical state of someone under the effects of Veritaserum.
"Before today, have you ever met Gellert Grindelwald?" Picquery asked.
"I have," Weber nodded.
"When did you see him?"
"On the day my brother was murdered—he was at the scene!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire courtroom erupted in uproar.
And for the first time, President Picquery smiled.
Sure enough, Abernathy's tampering had been completely corrected!
If that was the case, there was nothing left to worry about.
Picquery glanced at Grindelwald again. She wanted to see just how long that bastard could maintain his calm expression.
"Order!" Picquery struck the gavel again, trying to restore silence to the courtroom.
After some difficulty, when the crowd had finally quieted down, she asked, "Who killed your brother?"
"He was killed by a member of the Grindelwald faction... one of Grindelwald's subordinates," Weber replied with a blank expression.
At that, the courtroom burst into chatter again.
Even with Picquery hammering her gavel repeatedly, it did little to help.
Grindelwald was present, and his follower had committed murder!
Even if he hadn't done it himself, if he had ordered it, that would practically count as direct evidence!
No one could say for sure whether this witness was a planted fake by the Magical Congress, but even so, this alone was enough to forcibly pin the murder charge on him.
Even if Grindelwald appealed later, that would be a matter for the future—and by then, it would never cause the same uproar as this public trial.
Because if this trial, orchestrated so publicly by Grindelwald himself, turned into a farce, his prestige would be nearly wiped out.
Now, the last nail in the coffin..
As the courtroom gradually quieted again, President Picquery asked urgently, "Weber, did you personally witness Grindelwald ordering his subordinate to murder your brother?"
At those words, the courtroom fell completely silent.
Everything now hinged on the witness's answer.
Of course, most people already thought they knew what that answer would be.
After all, the American Magical Congress clearly intended to throw fairness out the window and frame him directly… There shouldn't be any unexpected twists.
"No, I did not," Weber replied.
At that, everyone stared at him in shock.
Eh..? President Picquery, seated high in the chief seat, was utterly stunned.
"Witness! Please repeat your answer!"
"No, I did not," Weber replied again, his expression vacant.
The courtroom erupted once more. The witness's answer had taken everyone completely by surprise!
So far, the testimony actually seemed to favor Grindelwald? What on earth was the American Magical Congress doing?
"This… how is this possible…" President Picquery collapsed back into her chair, feeling as if all the strength had drained from her body.
She looked once more at Grindelwald.
He stood calmly in the defendant's seat, the faintest trace of a smile still on his face.
It was as if everything happening was unfolding exactly according to his plan.
But… how could that be?!
"The person who murdered your brother was a member of the Grindelwald's Alliance, and Grindelwald was indeed present—then what was Grindelwald doing at the time?" President Picquery pressed on, unwilling to give up.
Even if all the previous answers had caught her off guard, as long as Grindelwald had been there! Even if he hadn't said a word, she could still frame the Grindelwald movement's crimes as something he had silently condoned!
That meant she still had a way to pin the crime on Grindelwald!
"The one who killed my brother was indeed a follower of Grindelwald, because my brother opposed Grindelwald's ideology at the time. As for Grindelwald—he was trying to stop his follower from attacking my brother… unfortunately, the Aurors interrupted him before he could act," Weber answered calmly.
The moment those words left his mouth, the courtroom—still buzzing from the earlier testimony—fell instantly silent.
Up to this point, the testimony from the first witness had not only failed to convict Grindelwald—it had even… altered the public's perception of him?
Wasn't he supposed to be a ruthless Dark wizard? And yet he had tried to save someone from his own followers?
And according to the witness, if the Aurors hadn't barged in and attacked Grindelwald, Weber's brother might not have died at all?
President Picquery slumped in her seat, completely unable to make sense of how things had turned out this way…
She suddenly turned her gaze toward the Aurors.
When they had reported back, they had clearly stated that the witness's memories had been fully restored!
And now the testimony sounded like this?
She had every reason to believe that one of the Aurors she trusted most had betrayed her!
But the Aurors she glared at were now wearing the same expressions of confusion and disbelief.
This left President Picquery momentarily unable to tell who the real traitor was.
Or perhaps… it was all of them?
At that thought, President Picquery felt a chill run down her spine.
Grindelwald looked toward Weber on the witness stand and said with an apologetic expression, "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Weber, that I failed to save your brother… My followers misinterpreted my ideology. That's my fault. In my view, we should seek common ground while respecting differences. To harm someone simply because of differing beliefs is truly unjustifiable… I won't shirk responsibility. I'll ensure the Alliance makes reparations to you… even though no amount of compensation can make up for the pain of losing a loved one—"
"Silence! You shut your mouth!" President Picquery snapped coldly. "You are not permitted to speak to the witness without authorization!"
"My apologies," Grindelwald replied, again without argument—just a simple apology, before falling silent once more.
President Picquery's heart was sinking fast.
If the first witness had turned out like this, what about the rest?
Still, clinging to a shred of hope, she decided to continue calling the remaining witnesses…
Thirty minutes later, her expression was completely unreadable.
Except for one witness—Cybo Wright—who insisted that Grindelwald had harmed his Muggle wife. The rest of the witnesses—none of their testimonies were able to convict Grindelwald.
On the contrary, in their accounts, the ruthless and merciless Grindelwald had somehow become a responsible, upright party leader…
Meanwhile, the Aurors ended up portrayed as the ones distorting truth and flipping right and wrong.
The courtroom had descended into utter chaos, resembling a marketplace more than a formal trial.
The witnesses' statements were simply too shocking.
If these witnesses had indeed been prepared by the Magical Congress in advance to frame Grindelwald…
Then having only one person actually accuse him of a crime made it feel as though MACUSA had shot itself in the foot.
Originally, people had been skeptical of the credibility of the testimonies. But with one conventional accusation mixed in, it instead lent more authenticity to the rest.
Down below, Dumbledore let out a deep sigh. He looked at Grindelwald on the stand—silent, smiling faintly—and felt a complex mix of emotions.
The only actual crime was harming a Muggle, and even then, he hadn't killed them… From the perspective of American legal norms, that hardly counted as a serious offense.
Given Grindelwald's influence, if he negotiated with the victim and paid sufficient compensation, he might not even need to serve time.
And even if he did, it would be only a few years at most…
What about after those few years? If Grindelwald were released, what would the world become?
The Muggle world was already descending into the flames of war. The wizarding world likely wouldn't remain peaceful either…
...
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