"Antonio Olario," Harold's loud voice boomed across the large hall, snapping Antonio out of his daze. "Take your seat."
Antonio gave a curt nod and walked to the chair placed in the centre of the well and seated himself with composure. Whatever nerves he has had before entering the hall had all settled. He was calm and composed.
"Who is going to present the case for the Ministry?" The Minister asked.
"I will," answered a stern looking man as he stepped into the well from the front row where he had been seated. It was Barty Crouch Sr., Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"And who will present your case, Antonio Olario?" The Minister turned to him.
"I will defend myself," Antonio replied, still seated in the chair.
A faint frown creased the Minister's face. It looked like as if he would have preferred otherwise and did not want Antonio to argue his case. But he had no authority to object. This was an established norm. Many a people chose to defend their cases themselves.
The Minister turned toward Dumbledore and gave the old wizard a nod. The Chief Warlock responded with a serene dip of his head.
He then picked up the wooden gavel and struck it against the table, the sharp sound echoing across the vast chamber. It was the official beginning of the trial.
"Antonio Olario," Dumbledore's voice rang clearly through the hall, "you stand accused of murdering two wizards. Amcus Marius and Velona Vixe. These killings occurred one week ago. Representing the Ministry is Lord Barty Crouch Sr., current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You, Antonio Olario, have chosen to defend yourself."
The official announcement had barely ended when the Minister turned his head slightly.
"Lord Crouch," he said firmly. "Please proceed."
Barty Crouch Sr. gave a nod and stepped forward, coming to a halt beside Antonio's chair.
"As the Chief Warlock stated," he began, his voice crisp and authoritative, "Antonio Olario stands accused of murdering two wizards. But before I continue with my arguments, I would like the esteemed members of this Council to view a piece of memory. The memory had been extracted from an eyewitness to the entire incident."
"Proceed," the Minister said with a nod of assent.
Within moments, a Pensieve was brought forward and placed in the centre of the well. Crouch cast a spell on it, causing a large, silvery projection screen to shimmer into view above the basin. He then uncorked a small vial and poured the swirling contents into the Pensieve. The memory flared to life.
It began from the moment Antonio came face to face with the Death Eaters for the first time. The hall watched, eyes transfixed, as the events unfolded. Antonio's confrontation, the deadly exchange, the overwhelming display of magical prowess.
By the time the memory ended, the entire chamber had fallen into a stunned silence. Though many had already read or heard of the incident, few had witnessed it firsthand.
Seeing it now, with their own eyes, was an entirely different experience. The sheer precision, brutality, and power on display had left the Wizengamot visibly shaken.
Barty carefully siphoned the memory back into the glass vial, and the Pensieve was promptly carried away by an assistant.
"Lord Olario," he began, turning toward Antonio with a measured tone, "can you confirm whether the memory that was just presented is accurate or not? Has it been altered or fabricated in any way? Was there any part of it that was modified? Do you accept that the memory is authentic and as real as it could be?"
"Yes, the memory is accurate," Antonio replied calmly. 'But it starts midway… it does not shows the spells which had struck the roof of my inn' was what he had wanted to add, but Barty gave him no chance.
"Let the record show that Lord Olario accepts the authenticity of the memory just displayed," Barty declared.
Antonio remained composed, making no effort to interject. He knew his opportunity to speak would come in due time.
"There are several key inferences that can be drawn from the memory just viewed," Barty began, addressing the Wizengamot with clarity.
"It has been undeniably established that the group of six wizards were the ones to initiate the confrontation with Lord Olario."
He paused for emphasis before continuing, "However, it is equally clear that they did not cast the first spell. One of them merely instructed Lord Olario to kneel and accept his punishment, claiming his life would be spared. It was Lord Olario who fired the first spell. Not a simple spell but a spell which killed Amcus Marius in one go."
"In other words," Barty continued, his voice calm but deliberate, "we are possibly looking at a situation where Lord Olario had committed some prior offense serious enough in their eyes to warrant immediate judgment. And let us not overlook this crucial point. They made no initial attempt to harm him. If their intent was truly malicious, they would have launched spells the moment they saw him. Instead, they spoke first."
Even though Antonio had expected something like this, he was still surprised at the shamelessness of Barty and how easily he had been twisting and turning the facts as per his convenience.
"The only possible counterargument Lord Olario may offer," Barty boomed, "is that his actions were in self defence. That what he did was to protect his life."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle over the chamber.
"But as the memory clearly showed, it was no act of defence. It was an offensive strike initiated by Lord Olario."
"With the level of power he demonstrated," Barty continued, his voice rising, "Lord Olario could have easily overpowered all six wizards. He had ample opportunity to capture or subdue them and to take them alive."
"Instead," he said with finality, "Lord Olario made the conscious decision to kill. It was he who made the first move, not as a shield of self preservation, but with intent and purpose. Every spell he used had a singular purpose and that was to kill the wizards standing in front of him. Even when, the remaining four of them tried to escape, Lord Olario showed in hesitation in trying to kill another one and severed his arm in process."
"He with full awareness killed two wizards and took two sons from their fathers," Barty said gesturing towards a certain middle aged man seated among the lords. Alicus Marius, father of Amcus Marius.
It was conclusion of the first round of arguments from Barty's side and now it was time for Antonio to present his side of arguments.
"Lord Olario, it is your turn," the minister announced. Antonio gave a nod and stood up from his seat.
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