A snide young wizard has “gone on trial” in Aberdeen accused of using a forbidden curse to seriously wound an endearing sidekick.
Pupils at Kittybrewster Primary School took part in the Aberdeen Law Project’s latest initiative to get children interested in a career in the legal profession, a mock trial set in the world of Harry Potter.
The law group has already brought the magical scheme to more than 300 pupils across the Granite City, and is now considering bringing the initiative to Inverness.
During the mock trial, Harry Potter’s nemesis Draco Malfoy was accused of assaulting the young wizard’s best friend, Ron Weasley, with one of the nastiest spells in the wizarding world – Sectumsempra.
The curse, invented by Hogwarts teacher Severus Snape, causes cuts to appear all over the body of its victims.
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The pupils took on the roles of judge, court clerk, defence lawyers, prosecution lawyers, and the accused.
Four also acted as witnesses to the incident, appearing as Severus Snape, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and police constable McGonagall.
They were then provided with scripts to read out during the fake legal proceedings, and run the trial by themselves by applying what they learned in workshops with the law project team.
Laura Pirnie, P7 class teacher at Kittybrewster Primary, said staging the “trial” in the world of JK Rowling’s famous books really cast a spell on the pupils.
She said: “It was really great to see children volunteer themselves for positions outwith their comfort zones.
“It challenged them to read aloud and embrace a role they may not have considered.
“The whole class was involved and supportive of each person, helping them to fulfill the character description to their full potential.
“After participating in the Hogwarts mock trial, I can’t wait to see what the Aberdeen Law Project comes up with next.”
Raoul Rosca, from the law project, added: “It is a real privilege for us to be able to reach out and provide the next generation with legal knowledge and skills from such an early age.
“Our aim has always been improving access to the legal profession by inspiring pupils to pursue a career in law through fun and innovative methods.”