This Man Made a Horcrux?

"Be careful of what?" Cornelius Fudge turned around and immediately saw a shadow looming over him.

He quickly took a step to move aside, but he missed a step and tumbled down the stairs.

Even faster than him was the top hat tucked under his arm, which drew a curve in the air and flew into the middle of a group of students ahead.

He tumbled down the marble stairs onto the flat ground, the pain making him howl in agony.

Hagrid seemed to be supported by something, and he managed to stand firmly on the marble stairs.

When he saw Fudge tumbling down the stairs, he still waved his hands in terror, saying, "I didn't bump into him, he fell down on his own! I really didn't bump into him!"

"Oh... Minister Fudge, what's wrong with you?" Lockhart asked with exaggerated concern, appearing before Cornelius Fudge at some point.

With Lockhart's help, Cornelius Fudge struggled to his feet, hurriedly straightened his robes, took the top hat Lockhart offered, and put it on his head.

He caught his breath and yelled at Hagrid, who was already walking down the stairs, "You saw it all! You attacked me in public! You'll be spending the rest of your life in Azkaban!"

Harry suddenly stiffened his neck and shouted, "Hagrid didn't touch you at all!"

His voice was like opening Pandora's box, and the students around him began to whisper among themselves, their opinions basically the same as Harry's.

Cornelius Fudge's face flushed red, but his eyes no longer wandered, as if he had made up his mind.

"This is what Hogwarts is like now..." Parkinson's face showed obvious disgust, "It has lost some basic respect..."

"They are simply stating the facts." Dumbledore's smile faded. "We cannot always reinforce things that should not be reinforced by framing others."

"The former... Hogwarts Headmaster's last admonition, wasn't it?" Yaxley scoffed. "Cherish your last moments at Hogwarts..."

Dumbledore's tone was slow and firm. "I will only truly leave Hogwarts when everyone else has abandoned me."

Watching Cornelius Fudge and his group walk away, Anthony said confidently, "Lockhart's appearance is definitely intentional!"

Wizet nodded in agreement; he had been observing the expressions on those people's faces.

When Lockhart came out, Parkinson and Yaxley both looked over, their expressions becoming somewhat subtle.

Anthony's guess was soon proven correct.

A few days later, the Daily Prophet published a statement from the Ministry of Magic announcing the reopening of the investigation into Hogwarts;

The investigation even explicitly identifies Rubeus Hagrid, the "murderer" of the Chamber of Secrets mystery fifty years ago, as well as Dumbledore has just left the school.

The discussion surrounding this statement was unanimous, at least within Hogwarts, with everyone believing that Dumbledore was framed and, incidentally, that Hagrid was not the real murderer.

Outside of Hogwarts, there are probably many wizards who hold similar views, at least the sales of "The Quibbler" have seen a slight increase again.

Xenophilius was even considering publishing a compilation of previous speculations and evidence regarding Cornelius Fudge into a single issue of "The Quibbler".

Wizet returned to the Mirror World, where Salazar Slytherin, no longer asleep, emerged from his statue-like state and stood before him.

Salazar Slytherin, seated atop the Basilisk, looked Wizet up and down. "I can sense that you've changed quite a bit..."

Wizet. "Through the Animagus, I have gained a deeper understanding of the soul."

As Salazar Slytherin observed him, he was also observing, "Slytherin Headmaster, your condition... doesn't seem very good?"

The simplest proof is that Salazar Slytherin was able to see what he was thinking and what he had been through when they first met.

Now, this ability to see through everything seems to have disappeared, Salazar Slytherin can only "feel" that he has grown up again.

"I can already sense that you've made this progress..." Salazar Slytherin nodded. "You've indeed made significant progress; your growth has exceeded my expectations."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Wizet quickly asked, "Slytherin Headmaster, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Help me?" Salazar Slytherin blinked, a smile playing on his lips.

He looked at Wizet deeply, then shook his head. "It's good that you have the thought, but my situation is complicated and not so easy to resolve."

"Let's get back to the point! I had a vague feeling that you came here to find me... So, what's your purpose...? Are you in trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Wizet finally understood.

Salazar Slytherin is probably not fully recovered, and I'm afraid they won't have much time to speak.

"Slytherin Headmaster, last year I met someone like that... He could possess other people and influence them, forcing them to do things they didn't want to do..."

"It can even extract the life force of others to gain more power and make itself more mobile... What kind of magic can achieve this effect?"

"That's right! He was defeated more than ten years ago, and many wizards thought he was dead... but judging from the current situation, he is still alive!"

"Draining life force and possessing another's body?" Salazar Slytherin raised an eyebrow. "Defeated and killed more than a decade ago... and now you're back?"

"That's quite a unique situation, to be able to possess someone..." He stroked his beard and looked at Wizet, asking, "The person you're talking about... did he create Horcrux?"

"Created Horcrux?" Wizet pondered the word, combining it with his knowledge of Compound Magic, Dark Magic, and other concepts and principles to speculate on the function of such a thing.

"Something beyond...something important..." He frowned. "Slytherin Headmaster, the Horcrux you're talking about...is it a magical artifact that can leave the body and preserve the soul?"

"Yes, you can think of it that way." Salazar Slytherin nodded. "Tearing the soul Soul Tear ...and then sealing it away, isn't that an interesting magical tool?"

"Soul Tear the soul?" Wizet couldn't help but take out her notebook, taking notes as she asked, "Won't doing this... have any negative effects?"

"It seems you understand that the soul can be altered..." Salazar Slytherin nodded in satisfaction as he watched Wizet's actions.

"Of course, it will have negative effects... Usually, after a wizard Soul Tear, the soul becomes unstable..."