The next morning.
The Ministry Atrium was packed with people.
Wizards from all over Great Britain arrived, crowding the Ministry of Magic's halls, stretching from the main entrance all the way to the elevators, and from the elevators all the way into the corridors.
They held up signs, some saying " Ministry of Magic has failed in its duty," others "Protect wizards," and still others "We need answers."
"Get out, Fudge!"
The voice boomed from the crowd, like a bolt of lightning cleaving the somber sky.
Fudge is not fit to be Minister for Magic!
Where was he when Diagon Alley burned down?
"Why is it always the person wearing the fox mask who saves us? Where are the people from the Ministry of Magic?"
"Our taxes are supporting a bunch of useless people!"
The sounds echoed through the halls of the Ministry of Magic, reaching the ears of every Ministry of Magic employee passing through the main hall.
The staff members kept their heads down and quickly walked around the edge of the crowd; no one dared to look up at the protesters' faces.
The heavy wooden door to the Minister's Office was closed, and there was no one in the corridor.
Fudge sat behind his desk, the curtains drawn on the window in front of him, with only the faint light from the fireplace illuminating his profile.
The sounds from outside came up from downstairs, one floor at a time, like a tide that never stops.
" Fudge out of here..."
" Fudge is unworthy..."
Where was he when Diagon Alley burned down...?
Fudge sat there, his face expressionless.
He had expected this.
Things in Diagon Alley are different from what they used to be.
Whether it was the Basilisk at Hogwarts or the Dark Mark at the Burrow, those things happened in faraway places, and most of the wizarding community had only heard about them, without witnessing them firsthand.
But this time, Diagon Alley was burned down.
The largest gathering place of wizards in the Great Britain Wizarding World was half-engulfed by Fiendfyre in broad daylight, dozens of shops were burned to ruins, and hundreds of wizards witnessed the whole thing.
And the person who finally came to their rescue wasn't Auror from the Ministry of Magic, nor a professor from Hogwarts, but that guy wearing a fox mask who appeared out of nowhere.
No one from the Ministry of Magic showed up at all.
Dumbledore did come, but after putting out the fire by himself, he left without staying to clean up the mess or explaining anything.
And the Ministry of Magic?
They didn't send a single Auror.
The wizards were naturally furious.
They'll vent all their anger on the Ministry of Magic, and on Fudge.
He could already imagine what tomorrow's Daily Prophet would write; Rita Skeeter's pen would surely portray him even worse than the " Cornelius Fudge " in the book.
But Fudge also had some inexplicable feelings.
Although Diagon Alley was burned down and the Ministry of Magic was severely criticized, thankfully the mysterious fox-faced man arrived just in time this time.
If Diagon Alley really suffers massive casualties, and if Fudge didn't even send a single Auror, then he's completely finished.
He will be nailed to the Ministry of Magic's pillory of shame, a million times uglier than the " Cornelius Fudge " described in the book.
But things are different now; at least there were no casualties.
The wizards of Diagon Alley are still alive; they're just angry and dissatisfied, and they need a scapegoat.
And Fudge just happened to be the perfect punching bag.
Fudge leaned back in his chair, gazing at the light on the ceiling, and suddenly realized that he had already lowered his expectations considerably.
I just want a peaceful retirement.
It doesn't matter if I retire a few years earlier.
As long as I don't end up on the Ministry of Magic's pillory of shame.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and the assistant strode in, his expression somewhat strange.
Fudge looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
The assistant hesitated for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, before saying, "Minister, there's news from Lockhart."
Fudge frowned. " Lockhart?"
"Yes, that's him." The assistant nodded. "He hit his head when he fell, and it seems he has amnesia now."
Fudge's expression was a mix of astonishment and disappointment, and he blurted out instinctively, "What? How come he didn't die from the fall?"
The assistant looked at him speechlessly.
He knew the minister was very unhappy about Lockhart being controlled by Tom Riddle.
After all, Lockhart had been at Hogwarts for so long with the title of " Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts," only to be controlled by a sixteen-year-old remnant soul, almost causing a major disaster.
But it doesn't need to be so obvious, does it?
Fudge realized he had lost his composure. He coughed twice, picked up his cup, took a sip of the now-cold tea, and said as naturally as possible, "Ahem, I meant he's truly blessed."
The assistant gave him a slightly strange look, then said, "But he really does have a problem."
Fudge looked up and said, "Huh? What's wrong? Isn't he being controlled by Tom Riddle?"
The assistant shook his head and explained, " Lockhart lost his memory after the fall. Unlike the Memory Charm in our Wizarding World, his condition is similar to amnesia in the Muggle world; he still has the memory, but he can't recall it at all due to the external force."
He paused, then continued, "Then, in order to figure out what happened, we extracted his memories and put them into the Pensieve."
"Unexpectedly, I discovered something very... bad."
Fudge sat up straight, a hint of curiosity flashing across his face. "Oh? What is it?"
The assistant continued, "But Lockhart is actually a very skilled master of the Memory Charm."
"All the experiences he wrote down in his books were things he heard about from other powerful, unknown wizards, then erased their memories with Memory Charm and claimed those experiences as his own."
"Because everyone else has lost their memories, and most of these people are unknown but powerful wizards, they haven't been discovered for so long."
Fudge was taken aback; his expression shifted from curiosity to astonishment, and then to a thoughtful, contemplative look.
"So, according to you, what's written in that book is actually true?"
The assistant nodded. "It seems that what's written in that book is true."
He then recounted Lockhart's memories of Hogwarts.
Lockhart found Tom Riddle's Diary on his doorstep, suggesting that Riddle already knew the contents of " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets " at that time.
" Riddle knew his plan would fail, so he deliberately made Ginny leave her diary there."
"He probably couldn't control Ginny from doing anything more at the time, only small things, but simply leaving the diary outside Lockhart's office was quite easy."
"We believe Riddle must have also read ' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,' which is why he found such an excellent candidate. Lockhart, with his weak will and wealth and prestige, is undoubtedly many times better than Ginny."
"And in Lockhart's memory, we see that, unsurprisingly, Lockhart was quickly seduced by Riddle."
"Because he was wealthy enough to buy a large number of magical items with powerful life force to help Riddle recover, it didn't take long for Riddle to regain almost all his strength, and then he directly and forcibly took control of Lockhart."
"He first opened the Chamber of Secrets and threw Ginny in to distract Dumbledore, then went to the Burrow to use the Imperius Curse to control the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and finally headed to Diagon Alley."
Fudge finally understood. He leaned back in his chair and slowly nodded. "So that's why he seemed so much better than described in that book..."
The assistant nodded. "Yes, in that book, Riddle only dared to secretly drain Ginny, so the efficiency was extremely low."
"However, because Lockhart is currently being manipulated, his strength is recovering at an extremely rapid pace, and he even has the power to control the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with the Imperius Curse."
Fudge nodded, his gaze falling on the table as he pondered for a moment.
This means that the path by which the diary left Hogwarts was more complicated than they had previously thought.
But this also means that the Ministry of Magic had no direct involvement in this matter from beginning to end.
Lockhart being controlled by Riddle is a matter for Hogwarts; the diary originated from Hogwarts, and that's also a matter for Hogwarts.
Diagon Alley was burned down, was that because Lockhart was controlled by Riddle, or was it something to do with Hogwarts?
What does this have to do with Fudge?
All he needs to do is explain the matter clearly and exactly as it happened.
If he can clearly explain to reporters that " Riddle and Lockhart were responsible for this," then the Ministry of Magic's responsibility will be greatly reduced.
And he could also take the opportunity to expose Lockhart's messy past.
That good-for-nothing who fooled the entire Wizarding World, that guy who stole other people's experiences with the Memory Charm, that good-for-nothing manipulated by Riddle like a puppet.
Lay everything out on him, show it to everyone, and focus all attention on Lockhart.
That way, no one will be watching the Ministry of Magic anymore.
Fudge's eyes lit up immediately.
He looked up at his assistant, his tone much lighter than before:
"Pass the word that I will be holding a press conference tonight."