At the same time, in the box where the Ministry of Magic officials were located.

"Are there a few too many people? Professor McGonagall—"

Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, said worriedly.

She was standing at the edge of the box, looking towards…

The Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts had undergone a special magical transformation. Countless seats surrounded the oval Quidditch pitch, arranged in a stepped pattern, rising upwards. Thousands upon thousands of wizards were gradually taking their seats—this was much more crowded and noisy than the trial of Peter Pettigrew last year.

"Yes, obviously—fortunately, the school has taken these into consideration."

Professor McGonagall said with a smile, pointing to the seats radiating a faint glow around them, and proudly introduced.

"Hogwarts Castle is a magical castle. Not long ago, we found a way to make it 'active'."

"With the help of Hogwarts' magic, we temporarily transformed the Quidditch pitch. Between the original grandstand pillars, we used magic to create extra spectator seats. The maximum capacity of the Quidditch pitch has been expanded from the original two thousand people to about thirty thousand."

"Of course, I admit there may be a few too many visitors today, but we have other contingency plans—"

Professor McGonagall pointed around the Quidditch pitch, preparing to introduce the real-time broadcast and audio-visual synchronization functions of the magic crystal ball.

Hogwarts' "Magic Network" is not just a "Squib Gospel," it allows many alchemical achievements that originally existed only in theory to have a realistic foundation—the alchemical blueprints in Nicolas Flamel's alchemy workshop alone can construct a miniature magical Eden.

As a member of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall quickly understood the charm of those new-era magical achievements.

However, Amelia Bones apparently didn't have the mood to learn about those epoch-making products at the moment.

"You may not understand my meaning, Professor McGonagall."

Ms. Bones shook her head, looking seriously at the crowded stands below.

"Gilderoy Lockhart is suspected of possessing 'Dark Lord level' strength. A public trial is actually a very dangerous thing."

"Whether it's Lockhart's own uncontrollability, or some behaviors that may occur in the surrounding crowd..."

"Rest assured, Hogwarts is the safest place in the magical world now."

Before Ms. Bones could finish speaking, Cornelius Fudge said with a smile, his tone particularly relaxed.

"Before the trial, Kingsley and I came to the school to specifically inspect Hogwarts' protective measures."

"Did you see that stone platform below? Yes, the one with the interrogation table."

Cornelius pointed below. From their high vantage point, a small, special area was marked out in the center of the field.

"Lockhart will be on trial there later. That area has undergone special magical protection. If any accidents occur with Lockhart or outside the field, we can directly activate the magical protection of that area, instantly cutting off all connections inside and outside the barrier. The gentlemen from the Magical Catastrophe Department and the Aurors have assessed the protection strength—even wizards like Dumbledore cannot break through that area within forty-five minutes."

"Why forty-five minutes—"

Ms. Bones frowned, looking at Cornelius Fudge with some confusion.

"Because that magical barrier can only last for half an hour," Professor McGonagall shrugged. "Of course, the shortest time is also forty-five minutes. Once activated, no one can break it—whether from the outside or the inside. The person who created this magic called it…"

Professor McGonagall looked thoughtfully towards a certain box next door, and said softly with some admiration.

"...Hogwarts' Magical Amber."

"Forty-five minutes is enough time for us to deploy enough manpower to surround this area three layers deep."

Cornelius Fudge said smugly, taking out a glass bead that was surrounded by a faint glow from his chest.

"This is the barrier switch. I, Professor McGonagall, and Kingsley each have one."

"If a special situation really occurs, we can immediately activate the magic and lock that guy into that... um, Magical Amber."

"But…"

"Oh, is that Mr. Ogden over there? I think we'd better go down now—"

Ms. Bones seemed to still have some concerns, but Cornelius Fudge had already stood up at this time.

In the entrance walkway below, more than a dozen wizards wearing purplish-red wizard robes filed in one after another—they were members of the Wizengamot Wizard Court.

The Wizengamot Court was established even earlier than the Ministry of Magic, and is equivalent to the high court and parliament of the magical society, second only to the International Confederation of Wizards in status. Even Cornelius Fudge has to treat them with caution... his impeachment proposal will also be decided by the Wizengamot.

Of course, today he and the gentlemen of the Wizengamot Court are on the same side:

Lockhart's words and deeds have seriously threatened the International Statute of Secrecy, and the International Confederation of Wizards has issued a death order to severely punish him.

…………

At the same time, in the Quidditch player tunnel.

Lockhart was undergoing the final routine inspection under the supervision of the Aurors.

The person in charge on site was Kingsley, and next to him were six or seven Aurors holding wands.

As the "Acting" Head of the Auror Office, Kingsley had to confirm not only that Lockhart was not carrying dangerous weapons—especially a wand, but also that his mental state and body were not subject to magical interference and manipulation, and to provide the inspection results to the Wizengamot before the trial.

A very small number of mainstream, verified news media were granted filming permission to record the entire process.

"Ahem—please be quiet for a moment..."

Kingsley Shacklebolt frowned, waving his hand to signal the reporters on the side to temporarily stop discussing.

"Alright, Mr. Lockhart."

He looked at Lockhart, cleared his throat, and said with a serious expression.

"According to the Wizengamot Court and the Ministry of Magic regulations, now, I will give you a final notification of matters."

"As the defendant in this trial, you must truthfully and clearly answer the questions of the presiding judge."

"Any deliberate disruption of order, violence... and other illegal acts may cause the Aurors on the sidelines to take emergency measures."

"After the trial, the Aurors on site will decide whether to return your wand or confiscate the wand and send you directly to Azkaban Wizard Prison, in accordance with the judgment of the Wizengamot Court and the Ministry of Magic. During this process, any of your spellcasting intentions or behaviors will be judged by me as malicious attempts."

"Do you have any questions now? If not—"

"There are a lot of people outside, right? The venue is big, right?"

Lockhart raised his head, looking at the light outside the tunnel.

"Are you sure the audience on the sidelines can hear my voice?"

"This is a public trial, not a dumb show, or a performance by the Ministry of Magic, right?"

"After Minister Fudge announces the start of the trial, an Auror will cast a Sonorus charm for you."

Kingsley Shacklebolt said calmly, glaring sternly at Lockhart while raising the wand in his hand.

"Don't get any ideas, I'll be watching you like a hawk—"

"Oh, I'm not a bad person, Mr. Shacklebolt."

Lockhart said with a smile, turning his head to give a smile to the reporters who were taking snapshots on the side.

Then, he stood up from the chair and slowly tidied the wrinkles on his robes.

"I have no other questions, can we leave now?"

"Of course, the gentlemen from the Wizengamot have arrived."

Kingsley said in a deep voice, nodding to the surrounding Aurors.

Under the supervision and escort of a group of Aurors, Lockhart pushed open the door and strode towards the outside field.

The new era... he is coming.

————

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*Gulu*