Kingsley walked them to the door and returned to the Auror headquarters. Then Dumbledore turned the iron handle on the door and walked in with Kyle.

After the door was opened, the noise suddenly became louder.

Kyle couldn't help but look around. The walls of the courtroom were made of a black stone. There were a few small windows near the ceiling. The faint sunlight coming in from outside made the room look very depressing.

On either side of him were rising rows of empty benches filled with people whispering to one another.

"Albus, you're finally here." Fudge walked over quickly. "Now there is a problem. I don't know if the owl has contacted Black... But if he can't be present, this retrial will become meaningless."

"Don't worry, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly, "He's here."

"What..." Fudge subconsciously looked behind Dumbledore.

With a burst of fire, the phoenix Fawkes appeared out of thin air, flapped its wings and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.

At the same time, it also brought another thin and pale man, Sirius Black.

He was still the same, with messy hair and beard, and wearing dirty and torn old clothes.

His face was also very pale, and his legs were shaking, as if he might fall to the ground at any time.

Kyle understood Sirius' current state very well... This was the case for everyone who was Apparated by the Phoenix for the first time.

Fudge finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the person coming. He had been worried that Sirius Black would not be able to be present. If that was the case, this retrial would become a joke.

Fortunately, he came.

Fudge looked at Dumbledore with a puzzled look, then turned back to the podium.

Without Fudge's obstruction, everyone else in the room could see Black's face. The discussions became louder, and the huge courtroom was as lively as a Quidditch field where a game was in progress.

Kyle even heard someone shouting for the Aurors to catch the fugitives... Didn't this person know what they were doing here? "Silence!" Fudge said loudly, "Everyone is finally here, let's get started."

The courtroom fell silent instantly.

Sirius took a deep breath and, under everyone's gaze, walked step by step to the chair in the middle.

"I don't understand, Mr. Minister." A cold voice said, "You caught the fugitive, why not just throw him back to Azkaban or hand him over to the Dementors? Why waste time on a retrial?"

"Don't worry, Barty..." Fudge said slowly, "I have received strong evidence that Black is very likely innocent."

As soon as he finished speaking, discussions arose again around him.

"Nonsense!" Barty Crouch looked as if he had been slapped in the face. "Twelve years ago, all the Muggles on the street knew that he was the one who betrayed the Potters, and he also killed Peter Pettigrew who came to question him."

"But as far as I know, they only heard someone shouting, and no one saw it with their own eyes," Foley said. "And what if I told you that Peter Pettigrew is still alive?"

"This is impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible." Fudge ignored Crouch's increasingly ugly expression and shouted to the door, "Bring him in."

The door was pushed open again and Dawlish walked in from outside.

Everyone looked at him, but after noticing that he was the only one who came in, everyone's eyes turned to the chained cage in his hand.

Crouch frowned as he saw Dawlish open the cage and dump out a half-dead rat.

"Don't tell me this is Peter Pettigrew!" he asked coldly.

Fudge didn't say anything, but just looked at Dumbledore, as if asking something.

"Leave it to me," said Dumbledore, stepping forward and taking out his wand.

A blue light fell on the mouse, and it began to twist rapidly and grew larger. A head appeared, and then limbs appeared...

A moment later, a short man appeared in front of everyone. His sparse hair was messy, and there was a large bald spot on his head. His pointed nose and green eyes also had some mouse-like features...

A buzzing sound was heard for the third time, and some wizards stood up from their stools with screams, apparently recognizing that the person in front of them was Peter Pettigrew.

"This is impossible..."

"Isn't he dead..."

"Damn it, what on earth just happened..."

Crouch also stood up, his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

A group of Aurors walked over and began to check Peter's identity.

Kyle noticed that the moment Peter turned back, Sirius clenched his fists, his eyes flashed with deep hatred, and he kept breathing heavily, as if he wanted to kill the man in front of him immediately.

But fortunately he held back.

"Everyone..."

Soon, Head Auror Scrimgeour put away an empty potion bottle and exclaimed, "It is indeed Peter Pettigrew himself."

"Very good..." said Fudge.

He didn't look at Crouch, but followed the procedure and spoke to himself.

"Everyone is here. I now declare that, because the death of the witness is not a fact, a retrial will now begin regarding the case in which Sirius Orion Black betrayed the Potters and blew up the street, killing twelve Muggles in November 1981.

"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry, and... Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation! Trial Recorder: Scudderbert Whymple."

"Witnesses: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Dumbledore said, standing up.

Just as Kyle was hesitating whether to stand up, an invisible force suddenly patted him, as if someone put a hand on his shoulder.

Kyle glanced at Dumbledore, seemed to understand something, and continued to sit there without moving.

Fudge glanced over here quickly, but didn't say anything. He nodded to Dumbledore and said, "Then please state your testimony, witness Mr. Dumbledore. When did you find out that Peter Pettigrew was still alive?"

"This is all thanks to an outstanding student who, with his keen insight, discovered a very hidden Animagus..."

Dumbledore pointed at Kyle, instantly making him the focus of everyone's attention. However, everyone seemed more interested in what Dumbledore said next, so most people just glanced at Kyle and then looked away.

And Dumbledore just stood there and repeated what he had said to Fudge before.

During this period, the judges had different expressions.

Some were surprised... some were angry... but most were skeptical...

Especially after hearing Dumbledore say that Peter was the secret keeper twelve years ago, and it was he who betrayed the Potters and framed Black, Crouch stood up again.

"Where's the evidence!" He interrupted Dumbledore rudely, "Peter concealed the fact that he was still alive, perhaps because he was worried about being retaliated by the Death Eaters. This doesn't mean that he did everything."

As he spoke, he looked at Peter Pettigrew, as if waiting for him to defend himself.

But he was soon disappointed. From then on, Peter just lay on the ground in a daze, not saying a word, and did not respond even when others called him.

(End of this chapter)