Chapter 238
"Marasmus Borgin," was the flat reply.
"What is your relationship with Caractacus Burke?" Mulciber asked, getting into the actual questions.
"The man was my business partner. He founded Borgin and Burkes back in the 1800s and helped my father and then me run it till he passed away."
Mulciber nodded, plastic sympathy oozing out of his expression, "It was recorded that he died in the Knockturn Alley fire back in the summer. But that isn't the truth is it?"
"No."
"Then how did your dear partner die, Marasmus? Tell the court everything."
And Borgin obeyed.
He spoke of how a hooded little girl came to the shop, asking for potion ingredients so Dark and illegal that they would make everyday wizards retch with disgust. Of how his partner told her to get out. To leave and never come back again.
He told them of the bone-chillingly cold voice of the girl as she haggled with him, and how Burke angrily grabbed the girl's arm. He described in vivid detail the nightmarish screams that followed from the man he had known his entire life, and how even those screams; that gave him the dubious relief of knowing that his partner was alive as he trembled behind the counter; were silenced with two simple words from that girl's mouth.
He spoke in the same flat voice of how he was forced to get her all she wanted, how his hands trembled as he handed everything to her before she wiped his mind and knocked him unconscious.
And how the next morning, all there was left was ashes.
There was only silence after Borgin finished talking.
Harry's mind was filled with all kinds of horror. Horror at what Lisa had been through, horror at the extents Voldemort could go to, horror at the fact that their defense was probably not going to stand up to this…
"And do you recognize that girl Marasmus?" Mulciber asked quietly.
"I do. It was the girl who is standing trial. It was Lisa Turpin."
Mulciber let that sentence hang in the air before he turned to the Judge, and quietly said, "Lisa Turpin is guilty. I, therefore, demand that she be brought to justice for all her crimes. The Prosecution rests the case, your Honor."
The Judge looked at the Prosecutor for a second, before turning to Dumbledore and asking, "Does the Defense have any questions for Mr. Borgin?"
"It does."
"Go ahead then," the Judge approved.
Dumbledore swept forward towards the witness stand, immediately asking with an urgent tone in his voice, "At any point during those events, did you see Miss Turpin's eyes?"
"I did."
"And what color were they?" he asked. A wave of curious mutterings spread through the crowd.
"Red. Bright red."
Dumbledore turned to look up at the Wizengamot around him.
"Let it be noted that Miss Turpin's eyes are brown in color and that changing of the eye color into an unusual shade of color is the primary symptom of possession. This more than anything else proves that Miss Turpin was possessed. Do not let an innocent be punished for the crimes of the guilty. The Defence rests the case as well your Honor."
Silence hung in the courtroom as the Judge picked up his quill and noted down some more things on his parchment.
Harry turned to look at Nicholas, who was leaning back with a decidedly proud smile on his face. Harry didn't blame him for it. He was having trouble containing his joy himself.
Dumbledore, the bloody genius that he was, had gotten the last word in and managed to take one of the most devastating things the Prosecution had against them and turn it around to support their side.
The judge put his quill down and broke the silence, his cold voice echoing around the room.
"We have reached the end of today's proceedings. Both sides have presented their arguments for the final times, and both sides have rested their case. I would like to ask the esteemed members of Wizengamot to take this day to put aside their emotions and consider the evidence in its entirety, as well as decide on their vote. Tomorrow's convening of the court will be final, and we will have a verdict and a decision by the end of it no matter what. I wish to make sure that this is perfectly clear."
He looked around at the people of Wizengamot, as if to hammer the point in, before he continued.
"You can collect a copy of the transcripts of the proceedings from the Court Scribe if you wish to peruse them. Remember to send in your votes by owl if you are unable to attend tomorrow. Please leave in an orderly fashion. Court dispersed!"
Ping!
Due to witnessing a trial to its completion, a skill has leveled up!
Politics Lv- 5 (2%)
This is your ability to maneuver in political situations by methods of persuasion, blackmail, guile, and manipulation. The higher the level, the more chance of success!
(Lv of Lying + Lv of Bullshitting)% chance of success, less based on how extreme the motive is.
Harry quickly waved that window away.
"THUNK!" sounded the gavel, and for all intents and purposes, it was over.
"So this is it?" Harry asked Nicholas as they stood and waited for the Wizengamot members to leave before they could head out of the courtroom.
"More or less. Wizengamot trials are almost always brief," Nicholas replied back in a hushed tone, "The one day break period before the voting is common for almost every criminal case. It is usually done as a formality. The official reason is to give the voters the time to consider the evidence, but it's mostly used by families to network and bribe and test the waters with their allies and enemies to make sure their vote matches the interests of those who benefit them."
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