The noise from Fudge and the others subsided slightly, and then he continued.
"Yes, that diary is the vessel for Riddle's remnant soul. After it left Hogwarts, it fell into Lockhart's hands."
" Riddle saw that Lockhart was a weak-willed man, so he manipulated him, used his wealth and resources to regain his strength, and then forcibly controlled his body."
"He first used the Imperius Curse to control the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then unleashed Fiendfyre in Diagon Alley."
Fudge paused here, allowing his words to fully take effect.
The people below the stage looked at each other in bewilderment. Those who had previously questioned the Ministry of Magic now had changed their expressions.
"So... the fire in Diagon Alley was set by the You-Know-Who?"
Lockhart is just a puppet?
"What did the Ministry of Magic Ministry of Magic do in this matter?"
As if he had heard the question, Fudge continued speaking unhurriedly.
"No one would have imagined that a man adorned with honors would turn out to be a weak and incompetent conman."
His tone was tinged with sorrow, as if he were grieving over the negligence of the entire Wizarding World.
"Upon receiving the news, we immediately took remedial measures, intending to trap Lockhart."
"However, he was too cunning; he detected our movements in advance and escaped to Diagon Alley."
Fudge's words were perfectly tactful.
Every word is true; the Ministry of Magic did take action after receiving the news, Lockhart did indeed escape to Diagon Alley.
But he didn't mention a word about when he "learned the news," nor how long the interval was between "taking action" and " Lockhart's escape."
The audience automatically filled in the missing information, and to them, the Ministry of Magic was the dutiful agency that was acting urgently behind the scenes but was a step too late.
And what about the organizations that awarded Lockhart honors?
Fudge didn't say it explicitly, but his wording made the answer quite clear.
"A guy covered in honors"—who bestowed those honors upon him?
The Order of Merlin, Third Class, was awarded by Wizengamot.
Honorary members of the Anti-Dark Magic League are appointed by a committee under Wizengamot.
It's important to know that Wizengamot was established even earlier than the Ministry of Magic. Although it was nominally subordinate to the Ministry of Magic after Ministry of Magic establishment, the actual leader was still the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
The current Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is none other than Albus Dumbledore.
Although Fudge didn't name anyone, he simply stated the facts.
But the reporters in the audience were already frantically scribbling down words like " Wizengamot," "honorary review," and " Chief Warlock " in their sketchbooks.
Fudge waited a while before continuing to speak.
"Ultimately, this incident stems from someone exploiting a loophole in our Wizarding World's honor verification process."
"A weak-willed person received an honor that was not rightfully his, and was then manipulated by the remnant spirit of You-Know-Who, leading to the tragedy in Diagon Alley."
"Our Ministry of Magic will investigate this matter thoroughly and promote the improvement of relevant systems."
"However, we must also deeply recognize that the review of honors should not be a simple formality, but rather a manifestation of responsibility."
Some people in the audience started whispering among themselves.
"In that case, Wizengamot does bear some responsibility."
" Dumbledore may be the Chief Warlock, but he doesn't usually handle these day-to-day affairs, does he?"
"But he's the person in charge in name only. After something like this happened, he has to say something, right?"
"I think Fudge has a point. At least the Ministry of Magic took action; those who issued the medals are the real loopholes."
Fudge looked at the guided discussion below the stage, without showing any smugness on his face.
But he knew in his heart that the purpose of today's press conference had been achieved.
The blame has been shifted from the Ministry of Magic to Wizengamot, and everyone knows who the leaders of Wizengamot are.
Although Dumbledore didn't usually concern himself with awarding medals, what could he do? He was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
All he could say was sorry; Dumbledore had no choice but to accept this mess, whether he wanted to or not.
At this moment, Rita's face in the audience of the Daily Prophet was extremely pale.
In her supplement article this afternoon, she compared Lockhart to the man in the trench coat, implying to readers, "Whom should we believe?"
Now Fudge tells her directly that Lockhart is a fraud, a puppet, and a useless person controlled by You-Know-Who.
What about that article she posted at noon today?
She was essentially speaking on behalf of a conman controlled by a You-Know-Who.
The man in the trench coat was facing the remnant soul of You-Know-Who, the most evil being in the entire Wizarding World.
Isn't this justice?
Rita felt as if she had been slapped across the face; it stung terribly.
Creech, standing behind her, seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Fudge waited a few more seconds on stage to make sure the discussion below had reached the appropriate level, and then he brought the megaphone to his mouth for the third time.
"There's one more thing."
The main hall gradually quieted down, and everyone looked up at him.
"Next, I will show you a short video."
Fudge's gaze swept over the puzzled faces below the stage.
"This footage was extracted from the memory of a witness to the Diagon Alley incident."
His assistant carried a uniquely shaped Pensieve from below the stage and placed it in the center of the platform.
That Pensieve was a size larger than usual, and its rim was covered with densely packed runes that shimmered with a faint blue light under the candlelight.
The bottom of the basin has six silver arcs that converge at the center, forming a six-pointed star pattern.
"This Pensieve was specially modified by the Department of Mysteries based on Distant Scene Revealing Charm cast by a wizard from the International Confederation of Wizards."
Fudge explained.
"What makes it special is that it doesn't require viewers to enter the Pensieve one by one; instead, it can directly project memories onto a light screen for everyone to view simultaneously."
A low murmur arose from the audience.
" The Department of Mysteries has something like this?"
"How come I've never heard of it?"
" The International Confederation of Wizards used the Distant Scene Revealing Charm? When did that happen?"
"It seems to have happened last year. Back when Hogwarts was invaded, someone did indeed cast Distant Scene Revealing Charm..."
Fudge ignored the gossip and took a crystal bottle from his assistant. The bottle contained wisps of silvery-white memories, which shimmered like flowing moonlight in the candlelight.
He unscrewed the bottle cap and slowly poured those silvery memories into the Pensieve.
The moment the memory touched the bottom of the pelvis, the runes in the Pensieve lit up.
A silvery-white light rose from the basin, spreading out in mid-air to form a huge light curtain that almost filled the entire space in front of the main hall.
The image appeared on the screen, showing the first-person perspective of the witness.
At the Diagon Alley, sunlight shines on the cobblestone street, and the shop windows glow warmly in the setting sun.
A figure dressed in a sky-blue robe stood in the middle of the alley, golden curly hair fluttering gently in the wind.
It was Lockhart.
He was composed, with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Then, with graceful movements, he raised his wand, the tip pointing forward, and his lips moved slightly.
Then, the purple Fiendfyre roared into flames.