"Accused, are you willing to admit that you opened the secret room on October 30 and November 10, and attacked -"
"I didn't!" Lockhart was so excited that he wanted to stand up, but the chains only tightened around him.
"Everything has nothing to do with me. I just happened to be unlucky."
Ogden was silent for a moment, "Accused, do you mean that you are just an accomplice?"
"I'm not an accomplice, I'm a victim!"
This is indeed the case.
But looking at Fudge's calm expression, it seemed that he had expected something like this to happen.
"The accused——" Bones on his right stood up slowly.
"There is a witness in court who can prove that you are not a victim. Do you want to hear his testimony?"
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Lockhart's gaze crossed Snape and Dumbledore and rested on Vincent's face, which suddenly dawned on him.
"Accused, please answer my questions directly."
He looked away unnaturally, "Commissioner Bones, I am innocent."
"Please answer my question directly." Bones' tone was a little cold, "Your performance in court will affect the final trial.
If you continue to avoid questions, please understand that we may think poorly of you."
"Let the witnesses tell." Lockhart stared at Vincent fiercely.
"I won't feel guilty or scared, because those are all fake!"
Vincent was puzzled.
He is here to prove the diary and the basilisk, not to prove innocence.
"Witnesses are invited to speak."
Dumbledore slowly stood up and smiled under Lockhart's disbelieving gaze.
"His testimony is absolutely valid." Bones looked around the courtroom, "I don't think anyone thought he would commit perjury, right?"
Defeat Grindelwald and establish the Order of the Phoenix to resist the Death Eaters. If such positive characters are untrustworthy, all wizards in the magical world will be untrustworthy.
"First of all -" Dumbledore met Lockhart's anxious gaze,
"I need to first explain the reasons why I invited Geed, the Accused, to teach at Hogwarts.
I believe all committee members know that I know many wizards, and I happen to know two wizards who were harmed by the accused."
Lockhart looked flustered and did not dare to look into those blue eyes.
"They were cast with a particularly powerful forgetting spell, forgetting how they dealt with the werewolf and the Wanlun female ghost."
Dumbledore shook his head regretfully, "Of course I didn't know who did it at first, until this year's Order of Merlin investiture ceremony."
Every wizard's magical aura is different.
Although a powerful wizard can hide, everyone, including Lucius and others, knows that he can still see through it at a glance.
"No - I didn't do it -" Lockhart defended somewhat crazily:
"Someone must be setting me up, definitely!"
Ogden raised a wand high,
"Accused, do you admit that it belongs to you?"
Nine inches, cherry wood, dragon heart nerve.
Coupled with the expensive appearance, Lockhart's denial was useless.
"While investigating with the pre-flashback spell, we not only discovered some evil black magic, but also discovered many forgetfulness spells."
The flashback spell can cause the wand to recall the last spell, while the pre-flashback spell can cause continuous flashbacks.
The Oblivion Curse cannot be defended, but those black magics were indeed not used by him.
Especially the one that can absorb life force.
Once he admits it, he may be trapped in Azkaban's prison.
"I admit that I used the Forgetting Curse on those two wizards, and I also admit that I appropriated their great contributions to the magical world-"
Lockhart's pale face became increasingly rosy, "Those magics, those evil black magics, were all performed by Tom Riddle!"
Although they had been mentally prepared for it, many people in the court still took a breath of cold air.
There are not a few people who know Voldemort's real name. All 40 committee members know it.
Fudge motioned for Bones to sit down, "Accused, how do you explain this evidence?"
In his hand was a black diary that was almost split in half.
"It - it just appeared in my pocket."
"Really? Then do you know who put it in?"
"I-I-" Lockhart hesitated for a long time.
"It seems he doesn't know." Fudge looked down at the witness box with a smile.
"We happen to have a witness who can testify to its origin."
Vincent knew it was time to put on the mask of hypocrisy.
Since he was so determined to use Lockhart as a scapegoat, no matter what he said, it would be useless.
"I believe I don't need introductions." Fudge motioned for Vincent to stand up.
"He is a rising star in our wizarding world and the only nominee to be the British Youth Representative for the Wizengamot next year."
In fact, there is no need to hint, Vincent knows what to say.
"Witness, please tell the truth where you found this dark magic item."
He glanced at Lockhart first and said, "In the early morning of September 10th, I had some Defense Against the Dark Arts-related questions that I wanted to ask the accused."
"This is a clear violation of school rules! His testimony cannot be trusted!"
Fudge didn't need to speak, and the remaining committee members all looked at him coldly.
Lockhart, who still wanted to say something, kept his mouth shut.
Continuing to interrupt the speech will only deepen the court's bad feeling.
"Witness, please continue."
The sympathy in Vincent's eyes was disappearing little by little.
Before Lockhart became a victim, he was already a complete perpetrator.
Throw pebbles like the masses?
Tell the truth about Voldemort?
There was no justice in the hearings under Fudge, only hypocrisy to cover up the brutal truth.
"I knocked on the door many times, but I never heard any movement inside the office."
Vincent's eyes became cold, "Finally I went in and saw the accused lying on the bed asleep."
Fudge nodded slightly, "Witness, we will not pursue you for violating school rules. Please tell us how you found the evidence."
"Okay." His voice also became cold, "I didn't open the drawer on purpose, I just noticed something unusual."
"Because of what?"
"I am a born master of Occlumency, and I always have all kinds of weird luck."
"What's in the drawer?"
"Some small ornaments, and a diary that is the same as the evidence."
Without Fudge's constant guidance, Vincent knew where this hearing was going.
"Is there anything in it?"
"No, just faint traces of dark magic."
"Is it signed?"
"The paper is all blank, including the cover."
Tom didn't want to be discovered by Vincent, who he couldn't influence, and Lockhart couldn't prove that the diary didn't belong to him.
But as long as it is proven that the Tom Riddle in the diary is the real Tom Riddle, the accusations about the secret room and the basilisk can be completely reversed.