As Dumbledore was, his seat was naturally at the very front.
Because Dumbledore had two younger children with him, the Magical Congress of America had specially arranged seats for them.
While navigating the crowd and finding their seats,
Li Wade keenly overheard people discussing Dumbledore being monitored by the Magical Congress of America.
It was clear that Picqueli had made all the preparations; if the plan failed, information about Dumbledore would definitely be leaked.
Of course, Picqueli still hoped the plan would succeed.
Because in this way, Grindelwald wouldn't be able to escape punishment, and she wouldn't need to offend Dumbledore…
Just as the three of them sat down, many more people entered the Great Court.
Soon, the entire Great Court was full.
However, even though it was full, people continued to enter through the doors, watching from a distance…
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a loud crash came from a doorway at the bottom.
The door was flung open.
A series of Great Court officials walked in from behind that door.
Chairwoman Picqueli walked at the front.
She would be the presiding judge in this trial.
Today, it could be said that everyone from the judge to the jury was her person!
Coupled with the underhanded tactics she had employed, she didn't believe Grindelwald could clear his name under these circumstances!
Chairwoman Picqueli sat in the center, glancing around before her gaze settled on Dumbledore in the front row.
Dumbledore looked back at her, his azure eyes calm and serene.
He smiled and nodded at Chairwoman Picqueli.
Chairwoman Picqueli couldn't help but look away guiltily.
She took a deep breath and nodded to the Auror beside her.
Then, the door opened again.
And then, Grindelwald walked in…
Upon seeing Grindelwald, almost everyone stood up, craning their necks to see him.
Countless flashes went off, and the reporters who had been waiting at the door began taking pictures.
Surrounded by a group of Aurors, under the flashing lights and everyone's gaze, Grindelwald walked towards the judge's bench.
Grindelwald was no longer the disheveled figure he had been in the dungeon.
He was now wearing the same well-tailored suit he had worn when he surrendered, and the scars on his face had disappeared.
Even his hair was meticulously combed.
If it weren't for the handcuffs on his hands… he would look like he was attending a banquet.
Clearly, the methods Congress had used on him couldn't be made public.
So, he had been specially groomed for his court appearance.
He smiled calmly as he walked to the dock, ignoring the wands pointed at him by the surrounding Aurors.
As Grindelwald reached the dock, he finally saw Dumbledore in the front row.
Of course, he also saw Livid and Tom beside Dumbledore.
Livid and Tom's presence surprised him.
He stopped on the steps, looking at Livid with a meaningful smile.
Livid winked back.
Dumbledore frowned and warily pulled Livid, who was standing to the side, behind him.
After Grindelwald stepped onto the dock, the wizards sat down again.
"Gellert Grindelwald, you are charged with over seventy crimes, including murder, kidnapping, intimidation, organizing an illegal group, and more..." Chairman Picqueli began.
Grindelwald smiled slightly, "Not bad, fewer than I expected."
"It's not your turn to speak yet!"
Chairman Picqueli said angrily.
Grindelwald smiled and shrugged.
Chairman Picqueli grew increasingly uneasy.
Grindelwald was far too calm!
He had remained this way since his imprisonment.
Even under severe torture, he hadn't changed color...
At this moment, a buzz of discussion arose throughout the courtroom.
Clearly, Grindelwald's composure had surprised everyone else.
"Silence!"
Chairman Picqueli took a deep breath, "Now, let's begin with the first murder case..."
Immediately, one piece of evidence after another was brought forward.
It was also the first time Li Wade had seen what the wizarding world called court evidence.
He discovered that in the wizarding world's courts, the so-called evidence consisted mainly of memories that could be projected...essentially, a witness's memories were displayed to everyone like a projector.
Of course, these memories underwent rigorous testing to ensure they wouldn't be altered.
However, Li Wade was quite certain that these memories hadn't been modified much.
Because none of these memories contain direct evidence to accuse Grindelwald himself.
The perpetrators in these memories are all Grindelwald's sorcerers!
Since they can't be used as direct evidence to accuse Grindelwald, there's no need to modify them.
Given this… then Picqueri's direct evidence to pin Grindelwald down must lie in witness testimonies!
Indeed, alterations to memory evidence are too obvious.
Experienced wizards can even spot the clues during the projection process.
Witness testimonies are the easiest to manipulate…altered memories aren't immediately apparent; they require thorough examination.
However, given that Picqueri intends to frame Grindelwald, how could he possibly allow a thorough examination?
As the last memory projection ended, Chairman Picqueli stared at Grindelwald and asked, "What else do you have to say?"
"I'm sorry, Chairman Picqueli, I'm sorry, gentlemen, too many of my fanatical followers have misinterpreted my thoughts and beliefs, leading to excessive actions… This is indeed my fault… If I can clear myself of these unfounded accusations, I will certainly regulate my thoughts and beliefs more, for example… publish a book or something."
As Grindelwald said this, his gaze swept over Livander.
Livander, in turn, perfectly displayed a hint of doubt,as if Grindelwald's idea surprised him.
Tom, standing beside him, curled his lip; he was truly used to Livander's ever-present theatrical performance.
"Publish a book?"
Chairman Picqueli's eyes widened.
Without direct evidence, Grindelwald's unwillingness to plead guilty was predictable.
But, he just said he wanted to publish a book?
To regulate his thoughts?
Chairman Picqueli's vigilance instantly reached its peak!
Absolutely! He couldn't be allowed to escape punishment!
Meanwhile, the wizards who heard Grindelwald's words couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves.
Grindelwald publishing a book might seem insignificant at first glance.
However, to far-sighted wizards, the purpose of this move was obvious.
None of the wizards present were foolish; they could naturally see his intentions.
And most importantly, since he had considered such a long-term plan, didn't that mean he was truly confident of escaping punishment?
"Silence!" President Picqueli struck her gavel again.
After everyone quieted down, President Picqueli stared at Grindelwald and said, "So, you're saying your denial of these crimes is related to you?"
"President Picqueli, as the president of the Magical Congress of America, you must be an outstanding and excellent wizard, and surely many people are willing to follow you. If these people accidentally broke the law, shouldn't we punish you instead of them?"
Grindelwald smiled.
"Write it down: Grindelwald refuses to plead guilty!"
President Picqueli said coldly.
Grindelwald didn't argue, only smiled at her.
"If you have any concrete evidence to prove my guilt, please produce it as soon as possible."
"Of course I do!" Chairman Piqueli looked up at the doorway.
"Call witnesses!"
All eyes turned to the doorway again.
Everyone knew that whether Grindelwald could be convicted depended on these witnesses.
They had initially thought the trial would last a long time, but now it seemed…the evidence against Grindelwald had been thoroughly cleaned up when he surrendered!
It all happened so quietly!
By the time everyone realized what he was up to, it was too late!
Who could have known that a criminal who had just suffered a major defeat and was recuperating would choose to surrender directly?
And everyone subconsciously assumed that evidence against Grindelwald was everywhere!
Therefore, no one bothered to protect it.
This resulted in almost all the usable evidence being quietly destroyed; very little was left…
At this moment, the door opened again.
A series of people walked in…
Everyone discussed the matter in surprise again.
Originally, everyone thought finding just one or two witnesses would be a great achievement.
But now… there are so many witnesses?
So many people proving Grindelwald's guilt… what's the point of exonerating him then?
Even if all these witnesses are fake, Grindelwald's hopes of being acquitted today will be dashed!
Before, everyone was anxious and frustrated because they couldn't find any evidence.
But now, suddenly so many witnesses have appeared! Direct witnesses at that!
Everyone guessed one possibility…so many people! Isn't this blatant framing?
Everyone turned their attention back to Grindelwald.
Everyone wanted to know how Grindelwald would react to the almost blatant "framing" by the Magical Congress of America.
But to everyone's surprise, Grindelwald remained calm, showing no sign of panic.
"To be fair, all witnesses will begin their testimony after taking a truth serum!"
Chairman Piqueli said.
So, the Aurors busied themselves serving the witnesses truth serum.
While everyone was busy, Chairman Picqueli came down, seemingly casually approaching Grindelwald.
She whispered, "You think I didn't discover that traitor, Abernathy?
You must think… Abernathy has altered everyone's memories, right? Well, you don't know that we've seen everything Abernathy did!
The witnesses' memories have been restored… So, you're dead today!"
Grindelwald smiled slightly, "Is that so?
So you discovered Abernathy… What a pity."
"What do you mean?"
Not seeing any panic on Grindelwald's face, Chairman Picqueli had a bad feeling again.
Nothing… I just wanted to say I'm looking forward to your evidence.
As for Abernathy… may he live a long life." Grindelwald smiled elegantly.
Chairman Picqueli stared intently at Grindelwald; at that moment, she suddenly remembered something.
Just as they were about to arrest the traitor, Abernathy had suddenly disappeared…
This is not a good sign!
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