Hagrid's Arrest

The third Friday of December is the day when the young wizards leave school to go home for the holidays.

Actually, there was still almost a week until Christmas. In order to give the young wizards who lived far away time to travel, and in addition, the reformed courses were not as intense as before, Professor McGonagall simply gave them a week's break early.

The festive atmosphere grew stronger, and the Great Hall was decorated in a magnificent manner. Hagrid brought more than a dozen Christmas covered in silver frost from the forest, along with a thick ribbon of mistletoe and holly crisscrossing on the ceiling.

Percy outwits Peeves to put up the confetti, and it's said that the professor even casts some decorative magic on Christmas Eve.

Out of concern for their own safety, almost all the young wizards chose to go home, leaving only the Weasley family siblings, Loren, and Hermione in Gryffindor.

Outside the Great Hall, the corridor leading to the Entrance Hall was crowded with young wizards dragging suitcases. They were about to cross the grass to the station to board the Hogwarts Express and embark on their journey home.

At the Gryffindor long table, Seamus Finnigan, shoulders slumped and looking listless, played a game of Confringo with Harry and Ron. He had arranged to get on the train together with Neville, but Neville had left a box full of candy wrappers on his bed and was going back to his dormitory to retrieve it, leaving Seamus to kill time.

Hermione spread out her notebook and meticulously reviewed and memorized the knowledge of the Transfiguration Club, filling in any gaps in her understanding.

Loren sat beside her, tilting his head to look at her notes, his head almost completely resting on the girl's shoulder.

Hermione's cheeks were flushed, and she rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. She had clearly placed the notebook between the two of them, but this person was still sidling up to her side. It was so annoying.

"Bang"

Another muffled thud was heard, and Seamus's hand was already numb from the explosion.

He slumped down on the table, listlessly putting down his cards, and muttered to the four people around him, "I don't want to go home, I want to stay at school for Christmas!"

Ron said in surprise, "Who wouldn't want to go home for Christmas? We want to go back but we can't."

"I think spending Christmas in the Castle would be nice," Harry said, looking at the Great Hall decorations with anticipation.

Harry felt a sense of relief and peace because of the upcoming holidays. At least no one would be murdered during the Christmas holidays, no young wizards would stare at him with strange eyes, and he wouldn't hear those unpleasant whispers for a long time.

They can freely come and go in the Gryffindor Tower, enjoy the entire lounge, and play loudly with Confringo cards without disturbing anyone.

He didn't want to go back and face the Dursley; in fact, he thought it would be nice to spend Christmas at school. Not only because of the Chamber of Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk, but also because Sirius Black couldn't spend Christmas with him.

A few days ago, Sirius Black wrote to him with some news. He said that the Malfoy family had recently made some big moves, sending invitations to many Ministry of Magic officials. He planned to find an opportunity to sneak in and try to find out where the Malfoy were hiding those shady things in the manor.

Seamus argued, "If all four of you stay at school at the same time, there's bound to be some exciting adventures. Ah—I wish I could stay! But my mother says that if I don't come home for the holidays, she'll write to the professor and ask him to put me in the stocking by her bedside."

Loren chuckled softly, "Your mother has really big feet."

Hermione rolled her eyes and slapped him. "You're rude."

"Seamus, let's go!" Just then, Neville called out from the corridor.

Seamus looked around at the decorations with lingering reluctance, and before leaving, he suddenly seemed to remember something and whispered to them, "Although I don't know what you're planning, be careful of Crabbe from Slytherin. Many people in Slytherin House say he's acting strangely. I suspect he's connected to the Chamber of Secrets and the Heir."

Three young wizards remained at Slytherin: Malfoy and his two henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle.

After saying that, he dragged his suitcase and ran away quickly.

Loren watched his retreating figure thoughtfully, never expecting that the well-informed Seamus had stumbled upon the truth by accident. He gazed wistfully at the colorful candles floating in the air; Dumbledore's grand scheme was truly coming to an end during the Christmas holidays.

Ron tidied the deck of cards on the table and sighed, "Basilisk, the Chamber of Secrets, Malfoy, Hagrid, and the mysterious Tom Riddle, and now Crabbe has joined the fray..."

Hermione closed her notebook, her expression turning serious. "Don't limit your focus to Malfoy. Tom Riddle might have passed on the method to open the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets to Crabbe. You guys should review the information you got from Hagrid last time."

At the mention of Hagrid's reaction, Harry's brows furrowed, his face full of confusion, and he began to recount what had happened at the Hunting Lodge: "Back then, while everyone was in the Great Hall for an event, we slipped out of the Castle..."

That day, they braved the heavy snow to reach Hagrid's Wooden House, where Hagrid warmly welcomed them inside.

Before Ron could even sit down, he eagerly asked in a loud voice, "Hagrid, do you know someone named Tom Riddle?"

Hagrid's hand, which was adding firewood to the fire, froze for a moment. The giant's shoulders, which almost filled half the room, suddenly slumped down, filled with embarrassment and panic.

"You've found out what happened fifty years ago, haven't you?" Hagrid explained frantically. "It wasn't me, it really wasn't me. I just kept Aragog, and I never let it out of the cupboard. It wasn't it that killed that little girl..."

Fang sensed its owner's mood and nudged his leg.

"Hagrid!" Harry shouted. "Listen to us, Dumbledore believes you, and we believe you too!"

"Yes, Hagrid, we're here to investigate this man named Tom Riddle." Ron took the firewood from him, poked at the fire, and found a suitable spot to put the firewood in.

The two men offered some words of comfort, which prevented the three-meter-tall Half-Giant from bursting into tears.

Hagrid rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "Tom Riddle... he was an excellent student, and like Percy, he got along well with almost all the professors and students. After graduation, he apparently found a job in Knockturn Alley, and then we never heard from him again."

"Knockturn Alley!"

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, confirming once again that Tom Riddle was no good wizard; what good wizard would be looking for work in Knockturn Alley?

Harry glanced discreetly at his Pink Umbrella, then at the big guy who seemed carefree and thoughtless.

He had only been mistaken for Heir of Slytherin for two months, while Hagrid had been mistaken for one for fifty years. The thought of Hagrid having to pretend to wear that ridiculous Pink Umbrella for nearly fifty years made his heart ache.

That's a grievance that hasn't changed in fifty years...

Harry patted Hagrid's large hand. "Hagrid, we suspect that fifty years ago, Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets, and he framed you."

Ron nodded. "Yes. Perhaps he is the Heir of Slytherin."

"He is the Heir of Slytherin!" Hagrid's pupils contracted sharply, and he stood up abruptly, knocking over a pile of Rock Cake.

"He is the Heir of Slytherin ... He... that man graduated from Hogwarts ... No wonder, no wonder... no one knows... his name..." Hagrid seemed to have figured something out, muttering some incoherent words.

He seemed somewhat agitated, trying to pick up the tea to calm himself, but his thick arm trembled uncontrollably, spilling the tea and sending up a plume of white smoke in the fire.

Harry and Ron thought he had suddenly learned the truth about being wronged and was so excited that he couldn't control himself.

"Hagrid, what are you thinking about?" Harry asked curiously.

Hagrid took a few deep breaths, looked down and stared intently at Harry, at the scar on his forehead, tears welling up in his eyes, but he forced them back. "Yes, I remembered something very important."

Harry exclaimed excitedly, "Tell us quickly! Maybe we can catch the real killer, and that Tom Riddle, soon. We can help you clear your name!"

Hagrid nearly ground his teeth to powder. He stroked Harry's hair and said resolutely, "This is none of your business. I'll talk to Dumbledore. And you're not allowed to get involved in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets anymore. Dumbledore will handle it."

Harry was stunned. "Hagrid, what are you saying?"

"I said, this is not something you should get involved in. Go back."

On the long table in the Great Hall, the colored candlelight shone on Harry's face, illuminating his gloomy expression. "Later, no matter how much Ron and I tried to persuade him, Hagrid kept repeating that sentence."

Ron couldn't understand either. "Yeah, doesn't Hagrid want to clear his name?"

Loren listened from the side, his thoughts a complex mix of emotions.

Fool, Hagrid doesn't not want to clear his name. He clearly understands that Tom Riddle is Voldemort and doesn't want you involved in Voldemort's affairs.

That foolish giant, for their safety, swallowed decades of grievances.

A sound of flesh colliding with wood came from behind. Hedwig, covered in cold air, stumbled through the skylight and landed hurriedly in front of Harry. Snowflakes were mixed in with her snow-white feathers, and she kept making cooing noises, her voice filled with anxiety.

It was clear the situation was urgent, so the group gathered around, and Harry unfolded the note Hedwig had brought:

Hagrid's Hut, come quickly.

Harry's heart sank. Without a word, he ran out of the Great Hall and hurried toward Hagrid's Hut. Hermione and Ron quickly followed.

Loren lagged behind, picked up the note on the table, and glanced at it.

The note was unsigned, and the handwriting was rather plain, almost stiffly neat. It seemed the messenger didn't want to reveal their identity.

Loren had seen Hagrid's handwriting before; it was crooked and wild, full of a natural, untamed quality—to put it bluntly, it was like scribbles.

In any case, this handwriting doesn't seem like something Hagrid could write.

"It feels like Dumbledore is up to something." Loren put the note in his pocket, grabbed his wand, and chased after him.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran through the vegetable garden toward the Greenhouse, dodging the Whomping Willow at full speed and into the woods. They weaved through the bushes, following the edge of the woods, and just as they were about to see Hagrid's front door, they heard the voices of many people.

Harry and Ron caught their breath, panting. They quickly slipped behind a large oak tree and peered out from either side of the trunk.

Loren arrived last and saw the three men sneaking around, peeking out from behind the tree trunk. He was speechless.

He took out his wand and tapped each of them, and ripples like flowing water spread across their bodies, causing them to disappear into the vast snowfield.

"Disillusionment Charm!" Hermione's voice trailed off. In Loren's Magic Sight, Hermione recognized the curse and quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

"Shh~" Loren instructed, "There will be footprints in the snow. Let's carefully go around them and get a closer look to see what happened."

They slowly approached the Wooden House, skirting the fence around the pumpkin patch. The Wooden House door was open, and Hagrid, wearing his Moleskin Coat, was surrounded by strangers in uniform.

Ron lowered his voice and said, "That's Aurors, and it looks like someone from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Dumbledore, dressed in white robes, was talking to another stranger, who appeared to be the leader of those people.

The man was short and stout, with messy gray hair and an anxious expression. His clothes were a strange hodgepodge: a pinstripe suit, a bright red tie, a black cloak, and purple pointed boots. A dark green top hat was tucked under his arm.

"That's my dad's boss!" Ron's voice trailed off. "Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic!"

Loren sized up the Aurors and the Minister for Magic.

The Aurors ' Magic Power fluctuations were not strong, at least much weaker than those of the Hogwarts professors. They had identical Magic Power orbs on their wrists and waists, suggesting they were wearing some kind of standard equipment. The rudimentary Alchemy Array revealed the equipment's function: crude, one-time defense, and the transmission of simple information within a certain range.

The defensive gear didn't seem to withstand his full-force attack; it should only be effective against sneak attacks. Loren roughly estimated that he could handle five Aurors of this level by himself.

As for the Minister for Magic, his magical abilities don't seem to be as high as those of the Aurors.

To hear the conversation inside, Loren and the others tiptoed through the bushes, past the fence of Hagrid's pumpkin patch, and hid under the wooden steps in front of the cabin.

Inside the house, Fang, which had been staying at Hagrid's feet, suddenly raised its head, barked twice towards the door, and then circled around Hagrid's trouser leg.

Hagrid, who had been keeping his head down, twitched his eyelids and glanced towards the door, but saw nothing. A silly grin appeared on his lips as he gently nudged Fang with his foot, making it sit still.

"I want you to understand, Cornelius, that I completely trust Hagrid," Dumbledore's voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm very sorry. We had to do this because there were two attacks on Muggle, and the Board of Governors filed a collective complaint. The Ministry of Magic couldn't just ignore it. Also, Albus, as you know, Hagrid's criminal record is very damaging to him. After communicating with the Board of Governors, we had to take some measures."

That's the voice of Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.

"He should not be imprisoned without solid evidence," Dumbledore, his voice sounding very serious.

"Of course, Albus, I assure you, he will not be imprisoned in Azkaban."

Fudge paused, his tone blatantly gloating, "Albus, as your friend, I must remind you that some members of the Board of Governors are unwilling to relinquish control of the school. You should be prepared."

"I will be careful," Dumbledore said.

"Well then, let's go!" Fudge fiddled with his top hat, walked to the open space in front of the hut, and waited for Hagrid to walk ahead of him.

But Hagrid stood still, took a deep breath, and said cautiously, "If anyone is looking for something, they just need to follow the spider, and they will find the right direction! That's all I have to say."

After saying that, he walked over to the astonished Fudge.

The Aurors formed a circle, and with a deafening explosion, they vanished from the spot, taking Fudge and Hagrid with them.

Dumbledore slowly walked down the steps and remarked, somewhat inexplicably, "The Centaur in the forest are very friendly."

"Bang"

With a soft sound, Dumbledore also disappeared.