A Lively Hagrid's Hut

Hagrid's Hut

The sound of wind and rain outside the window had not yet ceased; Hagrid was poking at the campfire.

"The thunder was really loud today; I've never heard anything like it before..."

thump--

There was a knock at the door, and Hagrid got up to open it, shouting as he asked:

Who is it?

"It's me, Hagrid."

Recognizing Dumbledore's voice, Hagrid quickened his pace and flung open the door.

"Oh, good evening, Dumbledore. It's raining so hard, how come you..."

Hagrid stopped mid-sentence, noticing another person beside Dumbledore:

Short and stout, dressed in a suit, a bright red tie, and purple pointed leather boots...

The man took off his dark green top hat and tucked it under his arm, then smoothed his somewhat messy gray hair.

"Cornelius Fudge?"

Hagrid exclaimed in surprise, never expecting that Fudge, the Minister for Magic, would come to his door in such weather and at such a time.

Hagrid lowered his head slightly, lowering his gaze below the door frame, and saw the numerous Auror standing in rows of houses. His heart skipped a beat.

Good evening, Hagrid.

Hagrid instinctively stepped aside, took a few steps back, and plopped down on the stool with a loud creak. He looked at Dumbledore, then at Fudge, his face pale.

"I'm sorry, Hagrid, the Ministry of Magic must take action. The recent attacks at Hogwarts have been too egregious!"

Fudge spoke quickly, seemingly not wanting to waste too much time here.

Upon hearing this, Hagrid understood: it was because of the Chamber of Secrets again!

He had been suspected in the same way fifty years ago; fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and a female student died as a result.

Hagrid was expelled for opening the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets and releasing the monster, and his wand was broken.

"No, no, I didn't, Professor Dumbledore, you know, I..."

Hagrid looked at Dumbledore with pleading eyes and stammered.

"Cornelius, I want to reiterate, Hagrid is absolutely not the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, and I have absolute faith in him on that point!"

Dumbledore's tone was unlike his usual gentle one; instead, it carried a harshness and displeasure.

He was close to finding the last clue about the Chamber of Secrets. Not only could this crisis be resolved, but Dumbledore felt there was still a chance to clear Hagrid's name.

Dumbledore never believed that Hagrid would be the Heir of Slytherin or that he would command monsters to harm his classmates.

Seeing Dumbledore frown, Fudge couldn't help but take out a handkerchief to wipe the rain or sweat from his forehead.

In fact, Fudge was also very reluctant to come to Hogwarts at night to arrest people, since this was Dumbledore's "territory"!

But the pressure was too great; the pressure from those Pure-blood families was immense!

Fudge was aware of the previous attacks on students, but they didn't cause much of a stir at the time because those students were all Muggle-born.

To put it bluntly, I have little influence or power.

But Blaise Zabini, who was petrified some time ago, is Pure-blood!

On the very night of the incident, Fudge was stunned by a barrage of letters from a group of Pure-blood parents.

Although Hogwarts had Petrification Antidote and Zabini quickly recovered, it was no use. The parents still found various reasons to berate Fudge.

Fudge felt wronged by this. He was the Minister for Magic, that's true, but how could he possibly control what happened at Hogwarts?

But Fudge needs the support of the masses, and the ones with the most influence are the Pure-blood families.

Don't underestimate the small number of Pure-blood; the "support" they provide to the Ministry of Magic each year is enormous!

If Fudge wants to continue, he has to keep those Pure-blood satisfied.

After all, he was hoping to be awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, after retirement, but the Minister for Magic, who stepped down early, didn't have that authority.

"Albus, you believe in Hagrid, and I believe in you, but not everyone shares that trust."

"We all know each other's difficulties, and I need to give those Pure-blood an explanation."

Fudge knew very well that Dumbledore was also facing pressure from Pure-blood parents. In fact, besides genuinely caring about their children's safety at school, those people probably also had the idea of taking the opportunity to make things difficult for Dumbledore, since Dumbledore's reputation among most Pure-blood wasn't very good.

"Albus worry, I guarantee that the Ministry of Magic's procedures are all carried out in accordance with regulations!"

Through years of interaction, Fudge has come to understand that Dumbledore is a person who respects rules and values order, so he should start from this aspect.

Fudge glanced at Hagrid, his eyes filled with helplessness and a hint of apology. He didn't quite believe that the tall gamekeeper would open the Chamber of Secrets again to murder a student; after all, someone of that physique wouldn't need to resort to trickery to kill someone.

However, Fudge needs to protect his political career, so he has no choice but to "compromise" with this suspect for now.

"I can only apologize again. Hagrid's criminal record is very damaging to him, and the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors have also been contacted, so this time..."

Upon hearing Fudge's words, a rare rage flashed in Dumbledore's bright blue eyes.

"Cornelius, taking Hagrid away won't make any difference."

"Take me away? Take me where?"

Hagrid's tall frame trembled as he asked uneasily.

"Well, it'll be quick, you won't stay long. It's just precautionary. Once the culprit is caught, we'll release you immediately, and we'll apologize to you..."

That's what he said, but Fudge never looked Hagrid in the eye the whole time, seemingly still feeling guilty.

Hagrid was even more frightened, and his voice trembled:

"No, it can't be Azkaban, can it?"

Before Fudge could answer, someone knocked loudly on the door again.

As soon as the door opened, a middle-aged man with long platinum blonde hair walked in, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Lucius Malfoy! What are you doing here! Get out of my house!"

Upon seeing the person, Hagrid's emotions shifted from fear to anger, and he shouted at the person to leave.

Lucius coughed softly, covered his mouth and nose with his black-gloved hand, and looked around the room with a mocking gaze.

"Is this what you call a house? Believe me, going in here won't make me happy."

"I just came looking for... Oh, Headmaster Dumbledore, you're here."

Dumbledore's expression grew increasingly displeased, his eyes blazing with anger as he tried to calm his tone:

"Lucius, what brings you here?"

"Heh, something terrible, Dumbledore..."

As he spoke, Lucius pulled a roll of parchment from his pocket. It was Suspension Order for Dumbledore, signed by twelve board members. Dumbledore, who valued order and rules, would certainly be affected by this...

call--

A crimson flame suddenly ignited in the center of the room.

With a clear yet tender cry, the flames dissipated.

A handsome young man with dark green eyes appeared out of nowhere, a small orange-red bird perched on his shoulder, and he held up an old diary.

"It's really lively."

"Principal, I have something I'd like you to look at."