The Ministry of Magic's Reputation Comes First

After daybreak,

Screams echoed one after another from Hogwarts Castle.

The Auror and the scouts were hanging upside down everywhere, and the students immediately realized who had done it.

"The Bat-Person is amazing! He managed to take care of all the Ministry of Magic's reinforcements in one night."

"He's not Bat-Person. He's said to call himself Batman, the Dark Knight who protects Hogwarts."

"The Dark Knight? Then why would he target the Ministry of Magic?"

"Don't you think the Ministry of Magic is meddling too much? They accidentally let all the Dementors in Britain into the schools before, and now they've sent so many people."

"The Ministry of Magic is indeed meddling too much, but isn't Batman Snape? Could this Old Bat really do something so outrageous?"

"Snape? He doesn't have that ability."

"Then who exactly is he?"

"Who cares who he is, he's my superhero now."

The rumors naturally became more and more exaggerated as they spread.

Actually, only those on duty that night were hung up; most of them were fine.

But whoever tells the truth will be seen as trying to save face for the Ministry of Magic.

Kingsley is in for another headache.

The headache wasn't about how to catch Batman, but about how to write the report.

If you're going to knock someone down, then knock them down. Why try to shut them up?

If it's congested, so be it; why put it upside down?

They're gone, they've left no clue whatsoever, not even where they came from.

The Hospital Wing is now overcrowded, and the patients' mental state is not ideal.

"That can't possibly be a human... it must be a monster..."

"Claws... those claws are coated with deadly poison... someone come and clean my wounds several more times..."

"Ouch! Be gentle, that monster broke my arm..."

The person lying in the corridor outside the Hospital Wing was already like this; the situation inside must be even more serious.

As Kingsley walked in, several people lying on the hospital beds suddenly fell straight down.

"No... don't come any closer..."

"Please don't kill me..."

"You can't see me... you can't see me..."

Kingsley glanced down at his black robes and realized he had mistaken someone for someone else.

Even he could mistake it, so what are Batman and Catwoman's abilities?

"I saw a dark shadow... and then I woke up to find myself hanging upside down..."

"I only felt a cut on my back... then I lost consciousness..."

"Don't come any closer... I don't know anything..."

Madam Pomfrey held a bowl of freshly brewed Potions and forced it down the throat of the last Auror hiding in the corner.

Then she turned to Kingsley with an extremely unfriendly look. "Mr. Shacklebolt, the patients need to calm down right now. I advise you to wait until their condition improves."

"I will, madam." Kingsley took his leave.

Just report it truthfully; there are others who will have a bigger headache than him anyway.

Noon, in the Ministry of Magic's meeting hall.

As Scrimgeour gazed at the portraits of past ministers hanging on the wall, a sense of powerlessness inexplicably rose within him.

The Ministry of Magic was proven wrong that very night and will definitely send more personnel again.

At that point, let alone blockading Britain, they probably wouldn't even be able to blockad England.

"Sigh—" He sat down with a worried expression.

As he pondered how to persuade the higher-ups, Fudge walked into the meeting hall with a dark expression.

"Is everyone here? Let's start the meeting."

Scrimgeour quickly stood up and briefly explained the situation to the senior management.

"This is outrageous!" Umbridge slammed her hand on the table after only a few words. "They're completely disregarding the Ministry of Magic!"

She's like Fudge's mouth, pointing out the theme of today's meeting in advance.

Listening to the whispers of the higher-ups, Scrimgeour realized that nothing he did would make a difference.

Was Sirius Black a great threat? Yes, but not as great as the Ministry of Magic's prestige.

Even if you can hide it for a while, you can't hide everything in the end.

Rumors are already circulating that if the Ministry of Magic doesn't provide an explanation soon, it will only lose even more face.

"Knock knock knock—" Fudge slammed his fist on the table. "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment."

Scrimgeour, being quite perceptive, continued to explain the situation.

"Currently, a small number of students are averse to being questioned, and none of them believe that Professor Snape Severus Snape would be Batman."

Fudge nodded, glancing at Umbridge.

"Who else could it be but him? Minister, I think we should take him into custody immediately."

Scrimgeour sighed silently to himself.

If they catch the right one, all is well; but if they catch the wrong one, the already dwindling credibility of the Ministry of Magic will be in serious jeopardy.

Umbridge, however, clearly wouldn't give the higher-ups a chance to express their opinions, instead acting directly as Fudge's mouthpiece to issue orders.

First, arrest Snape immediately and keep him under strict guard.

Second, continue to send more people to Hogwarts until all voices opposing the Ministry of Magic have disappeared.

Third, thoroughly search every corner of Hogwarts and find Catwoman and Red Hood as soon as possible.

Fourth, publicly expose the evil deeds of Batman and his associates, portraying him as a terrorist attempting to destroy the Wizarding World.

With no objections from the higher-ups, Scrimgeour could only lean back helplessly in his chair.

The Ministry of Magic had become Fudge's personal fiefdom, and no one in the meeting room dared to challenge his authority.

Perhaps some lower-level employees will dare to rebel, but what can they do?

Dinner time, Hogwarts Great Hall.

Vincent put down the Evening Prophet and lowered his head in deep thought.

Snape was actually taken down, not only right under Dumbledore's nose, but also by Kingsley, an undercover agent of the Order of the Phoenix.

Although the photo was blurry, he was certain it was these three.

Looking down the newspaper, I saw the byline, and sure enough, it was Rita Skeeter.

She's not powerful enough to sneak into the Headmaster's Office to take photos; it could only be an arrangement by the Ministry of Magic.

One plan after another, it was all premeditated.

Since the Ministry of Magic has already classified Batman as a terrorist, logically speaking, Snape should have already implicated Vincent.

Are those three in the photo also plotting something?

Hmm...

Vincent suddenly looked at Harry.

The only person who could make Snape willingly take the blame is Sirius Black, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

The more people the Ministry of Magic sends to Hogwarts, the easier it will be for him to do whatever he wants.

His ultimate goal is Harry, so he would never dare to step into the heavily guarded Hogwarts.

Unless the school is in complete chaos, to the point where one can take advantage of the situation.

"Hiss—" Vincent gasped sharply.

Old Deng is indeed Old Deng. He not only plotted that Fudge would take the opportunity to interfere in the school, but also calculated that Fudge would not stop there.

The Batman Family vs. the Ministry of Magic?

Don't be ridiculous. He and his friends are just a group of underage wizards. Even if you add the entire school's teachers and students, they might not be able to fight them head-on.

"Fuck!" Vincent took a sip of mushroom soup to calm himself down. "They even thought of that..."

That old bastard Dumbledore is definitely a loyal reader of Batman comics.

Yes, Batman never fights a battle he's not sure he can win.

Since Vincent dared to hang the Ministry of Magic personnel upside down, it means he had already thought of a countermeasure in advance.

In the peaceful and honest city of Gotham, Batman was initially labeled a criminal.

But as the citizens witnessed his actions time and again, he gradually became a vigilante in Gotham City, and eventually a well-known superhero.