Clashing Ideals, Parting Ways / A Plan of Response, the War Begins ...

She began to feel that perhaps she should do something to correct the existing 'problems' in the world so that the future could become 'normal' again.

This is also for the sake of her and Harry's child~

At the school gate, after Dumbledore released the two students from their restraints, a soft popping sound suddenly rang out.

The first to appear at the door was the House-elf Eliezer, along with several wizards whom everyone was very familiar with, and the leader was none other than Sirius!

"Hey Harry, we're back! Uh..." Sirius was initially full of excitement, but when he saw so many people there, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

"You... did you all know there was good news, so you lined up to welcome me?"

"Good news?" Harry's eyes lit up. "Godfather, did you really rescue them?!"

"That's right, Mr. Moody is safe and sound."

Chapter 608 Incompatible Ideologies, Parting Ways

Mad-Eye Moody is safe and sound... Sirius's words immediately drew everyone's attention.

They looked in the direction the other person was pointing and, sure enough, saw a weak Moody slowly walking towards them, supported by Tonks.

Behind them followed Rufus Scrimgeour and Corvus, who had not returned to France with the Delacour family.

"To ensure his safe rescue, I've called on everyone who can help!" Sirius said with a boastful smile.

"Praise be to you, Godfather!" Harry returned a smile that was half joking and half relieved.

Sirius and his friends rescued the main character, so at least their side hasn't suffered a complete defeat this time.

"Alastor Moody, that's wonderful." Dumbledore had already greeted Moody, shaking his hands tightly, his face filled with joy at Moody's safe return.

"Albus... It's truly shameful to admit, I didn't even know who my opponent was before I was ambushed."

Mentioning the past, a hint of shame crept onto the frail Moody's face. He had weathered all sorts of storms in his life, but he had been caught off guard the night before school started, and he didn't even know the identity of the murderer. This incident would truly be the biggest stain on his life for the rest of his days.

"That's not your fault, Alastor Moody," Dumbledore said, shaking his head in comfort. "This enemy is cunning. In fact, even we were just outmaneuvered and had no choice but to let him swagger out of Hogwarts."

"He got away... that's really troublesome." Moody's expression grew serious as Dumbledore recounted what had just happened. "So we still don't know who he is..."

"Mr. Moody, I think you should receive treatment from Madam Pomfrey immediately and then rest and recuperate at the Hospital Wing," Harry said, interrupting the two elderly people's lament. "No matter how frustrated you are, that guy is gone, that's an indisputable fact. Therefore, what you should do now is recover as quickly as possible and then take on the role of Hogwarts' Blackmail Professor for this year."

"Heh, you're really strict, kid, but you're absolutely right." Moody gave a wry smile, but his expression became very serious. "Harry, thank you very much this time."

"It was my godfather and his men who rescued you; I was just giving instructions from behind the scenes." Harry waved his hand casually, not paying much attention to Moody's gratitude.

For Harry, saving Moody was simply his duty.

The other party was Tonks's mentor, had also been to Albania with Harry, and was willing to lead the charge against Voldemort. These reasons alone were enough.

As for whether Moody will remember Harry's kindness after being rescued, or whether, as Albus Dumbledore's subordinate, he might even develop a grudge or conflict with Harry in the future...

These are all things to be discussed later, and are not important to Harry.

"That guy escaped, and he took so many students' hair with him. The situation is probably going to be quite serious..."

After Moody was taken to the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore's expression turned serious. He looked at Harry with a questioning gaze, as if wanting to hear his opinion.

However, Harry shook his head.

"Sir Principal, you don't need to look at me like that. I have no objections whatsoever."

"Harry, you..." Dumbledore frowned slightly. He knew Harry might harbor resentment, but he was quite dismissive of it.

In his view, now is the time to prioritize the overall situation.

"Fine, since things have come to this, I might as well be frank." Harry looked at Dumbledore expressionlessly. His tone wasn't very agitated, but every word he uttered carried a sense of keeping people at arm's length.

"I originally thought we could cooperate in the fight against Voldemort, but now I realize I was wrong... Our ideologies clash too much, making cooperation impossible."

"From now on, how you deal with Voldemort is your business. You don't need to ask me, and I don't want to concern myself with your plans, much less with the actions of your Order of the Phoenix of the Order of the Phoenix! How you want to use your people, and whether they are willing to be used by you, is your internal business, but... you'd better not try to harm me or the people around you again!"

"No... Harry, how could you say that? Albus ...he always wanted to protect you." Professor McGonagall's lips trembled with shock. She wanted to scold Harry, but she was worried that she would say something too harsh.

Moreover, she is also very confused now, as are many professors. They have never had comprehensive information and do not know why Dumbledore and Harry have gotten to this point.

Snape knew this perfectly well, so he silently took a step to the side, clearly separating himself from all the professors at Hogwarts.

"Wait... wasn't this all over? Why is it suddenly causing trouble again?" Sirius scratched his head, seemingly puzzled, but he didn't mention Harry's word "no" at all, nor did he intend to hinder his efforts to raise his son.

"Harry, to be honest, these words surprise me." Dumbledore shook his head, his face grim. "I don't think you said them after careful consideration."

"But you're wrong. I'm very calm now, and I've just figured something out." Harry's smile held a hint of sarcasm. "Sometimes, a powerful and wise person isn't necessarily a good ally. So, it's better if we go our separate ways from now on."

"You are the headmaster of Hogwarts. How you arrange the school's defenses is your own business, and you don't need to discuss it with me."

"Whether I become a professor of General Social Cognition or a teaching assistant for Defense Against the Dark Arts or Care of Magical Creatures Class, it doesn't matter to me anymore. You can think whatever you want about what my purpose is."

"Furthermore... I am speaking to you now as a party involved in the Voldemort incident, not simply as a Hogwarts student. Therefore, you, or anyone else, had better refrain from using your student status to cause trouble for me! In the teacher-student relationship, I respect all my teachers, but you all had better also adhere to your roles as headmaster and teacher, and absolutely not overstep your bounds!"

"Of course, if you can't stand it, you can fire me right now. I don't care anyway."

We parted ways!

This is the decision Harry made after this incident.

You can call him naive, but that's Harry's choice.

Because he no longer wanted to cooperate with someone who wouldn't even take the initiative to rescue his own comrade when he was imprisoned!

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Scrimgeour, are you here to see the Headmaster or me?" After a direct and furious confrontation, Harry ignored everyone at Hogwarts and turned to the solemn-faced Head of the Auror Office.

"I was asked by Blake to help, and I also have something I'd like to discuss with you about the You-Know-Who," Scrimgeour quickly replied.

"Then let's go to my place to talk, please."

Harry gestured for them to proceed, then walked straight out of the school, leaving behind a livid Dumbledore and his entourage...

Chapter 609 Countermeasures, War Begins

"Please have a seat, Mr. Scrimgeour. What would you like to discuss with me this time?"

In the drawing room of the Hogsmeade Village Old Age Home, after everyone was seated, Harry asked Scrimgeour about his purpose for coming.

"Um... I'm a little worried now. With things so bad between you and Dumbledore, will you still be able to stay at Hogwarts?"

Scrimgeour isn't just a little worried, he's genuinely worried because, from his perspective, he doesn't want Harry and Albus Dumbledore to completely fall out.

Although he also dared not mention Voldemort's name, Scrimgeour had always advocated fighting Voldemort by force, so he actually disapproved of Dumbledore's ideas about the Boy Who Lived.

However, if the savior in the Prophecy is a powerful wizard capable of fighting Voldemort, then things will be different.

In Scrimgeour's view, if Harry could join forces with Dumbledore, Voldemort might not be a threat at all.

"I believe this isn't just your question; everyone here is probably worried about it."

Harry looked around. Besides Scrimgeour, there was Sirius, Corvus, Tonks, and Hermione and Luna Lovegood who had come out of concern.

Their expressions were all pretty much the same, summed up as anxious and uncertain, except for Corvus, who looked completely indifferent... because he knew very well what Harry relied on.

"Do you all think that Hogwarts is the best protection for me, and that once I leave, I will be attacked by Death Eater or even Voldemort?"

The people in the room remained silent, but many did show similar expressions, believing that with such a powerful figure as Dumbledore protecting Harry, he would naturally be safe.

"The headmaster won't expel me." Harry's confident smile seemed to carry a hint of self-assurance.

"Besides protecting me, there's another undeniable fact: I'm now, besides him, the biggest insurance policy in all of Hogwarts! When we're both at the school, the whole school is the safest; but if one of us is absent, it becomes vulnerable to intrusion."

It is certainly true that Dumbledore was a wise man and a powerful wizard.

But as Aberforth Dumbledore said, he thought about too many things, and the more he thought, the more loopholes appeared, and naturally, the more easily others would exploit them.

Therefore, in this situation, he really needs Harry to help him fill the gaps.

Take today's events, for example. If Harry hadn't confronted the Fake Moody immediately, that guy would have definitely gone on a killing spree and then taken the hostages and left!

It was precisely because of Harry's existence that, no matter what tricks the enemy played, he could at least guarantee the safety of the students.

First-year students stepped forward, second-year students turned the tide, and third-year students saved the entire school from danger... Examples like these are being circulated throughout the school, so Harry doesn't need to boast about it.

So please stop saying that Harry will bring danger to Hogwarts. The current situation is clearly... this school simply cannot and does not need Harry's protection!

As for Harry himself, after the Mr. and Mrs. Granger were sent to China, he had no more worries.

Dumbledore really expelled him, he would turn around and lead his men to France. If Voldemort dared to cross the border to cause trouble for him, the entire France government and the House of Lords would surely unite to attack this suicidal guy!

A Dark Lord who plots to rule over three thousand wizards in Britain...

Believe it or not Harry could scatter his ashes in the Pyrenees!

However, given the current situation, if Harry leaves with his men, the Britain Wizarding World, having completely lost its courage, might be cremated by Voldemort.

So Harry sometimes just doesn't understand. How could the Britain Ministry of Magic keep plotting against and tripping up someone like him, a key figure who could deter the Dark Lord and protect the Wizarding World? Are they out of their minds?

"If that's the case, then that's good. After all, if you really left Hogwarts, the You-Know-Who would be overjoyed." Scrimgeour's expression showed a slight relief. "Besides... I mainly came here to find out, based on what you saw in Albania, has the You-Know-Who's power truly been restored? Is that Dark Mark really announcing his return?"

"Its power will definitely return in the future, and no one can stop that," Harry said softly. "And once it regains its original power, what the Dark Mark really means will become irrelevant."

"But what about our Ministry of Magic...?"

"That's your own business," Harry interrupted Scrimgeour's impatience. "Mr. Scrimgeour, my stance is clear... I don't want to cooperate with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, nor do I want to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic, or more precisely... I don't want to cooperate with Cornelius Fudge!"

"But fighting the You-Know-Who is a matter for the entire Britain Wizarding World," Scrimgeour argued, frowning. "Shouldn't we put aside our personal grudges and unite at this time...?"

"No!" Harry retorted bluntly. "Right now, I only cooperate with those who can be my allies, and that's why I'm willing to talk to you. As long as Cornelius Fudge is in the Ministry of Magic, there's no possibility of us cooperating! Of course, if you're willing to become Minister for Ministry of Magic and can reform some of the ways things are in the Ministry, my attitude isn't entirely unacceptable."

"You..."

Scrimgeour's expression froze. He knew Harry was still trying to provoke his ambition, but this time, he didn't refute him as readily as before.

"I think I should take my leave." He stood up and said to Harry, "With something like this happening, the Auror Office won't stand idly by. We will definitely send people to ensure the school's safety and do our best to maintain order in the Triwizard Tournament. As for Tonks ... you're free to act from now on. This is a special mission I've granted you, and it's also a reward for rescuing Mad-Eye Moody."

"Hey, thanks a lot!" Upon hearing that he could have paid time off to play, Tonks' hair turned pink with joy.

"But Harry, what should we do next?" Sirius asked worriedly after Scrimgeour left. "That runaway guy is a menace after all..."

"That's when Lupin needs to step in," Harry said with a smile. "Godfather, tell him to go and negotiate a deal with Odd Jobs Shop as the manager of the Gringotts. We need to buy a large quantity of Thief's Downfall to make Identification Potion; at the same time, we also need to make necessary magical items such as Sneakoscope and Probity Probe. I will also work with the Weasley Brothers to make some protective equipment."

"Also, from now on, everyone should try not to be alone! Corvus, you can also go and take care of Lupin for now. Once the Triwizard Tournament starts, you should all move here together."

"No problem!" Corvus nodded, feeling that Harry's arrangements were already quite thorough.

"I don't know what the headmaster is thinking..." Harry looked around at everyone one last time, his tone becoming heavy.

"But the war that belongs to me, and to us, has already begun from this moment!"

Chapter 610 Movements of All Parties, Speculation on the Prison Break

The new school year at Hogwarts is finally on track... but in a way that's filled with anxiety.

The very first class of the semester was marred by the imposter professor incident. The Fake Moody not only cast Imperius Curse on the students, but also plucked a large clump of hair from their heads before leaving. This would undoubtedly cause immense panic among all the students who knew about Polyjuice Potion.

This led to a situation where, in the days following the start of the school term, everyone at Hogwarts was on edge, with the level of tension comparable to when the Chamber was opened two years prior.

Especially for the students from Eagle House and Gryffindor House who had taken the Fake Moody's class, the rest of the group was on guard to an abnormal degree, wishing they could raise their wands at any moment, and even the social distance between them had been passively increased.

Fortunately, the situation improved somewhat after Harry produced the Identification Potion.

The Identification Potion was something he and the Flamel couple concocted together. It worked on the principle that Gringotts' Thief's Downfall could wash away all disguises and spells.

After being concentrated and refined, the effectiveness of this Thief's Downfall is amplified dozens of times. Just a drop on the skin is enough to have the effect of being showered by the Thief's Downfall.

In addition to providing unlimited supplies of the potion to the students of Eagle House, Harry also prepared a batch for the heads of the four houses and the doorkeeper Filch, who had the opportunity to conduct large-scale screening of the students.

And so, as daily screenings gradually became a habit, the panic in the school finally began to subside.

Dumbledore, of course, also took necessary measures, such as hanging Sneakoscope and other detection devices at various entrances and exits of the school and the entrances to the dormitories of the Four Houses. At the same time, he also discovered the ingenious use of the Thief's Downfall, so he also made a deal with Gringotts.

Then... Gringotts' Thief's Downfall price went up~

That's to be expected; given the Goblin's greed, it would be strange if they didn't try to raise prices.

However, the price increase of raw materials did not affect Harry at all. He simply had Lupin convey a message: "Take it or leave it. If the price goes up, I won't buy from you." The Goblin readily agreed.

After all, both Harry himself and his shop are Gringotts' biggest customers, and they wouldn't choose to antagonize Harry for such a small amount of profit.

Furthermore, although this incident caused another uproar throughout the school, unlike before, there weren't many parents clamoring to have their children expelled.