"Minister... I don't quite understand." The assistant adjusted his glasses and spoke cautiously, "Those people are blocking the entrance to the lobby, aren't you going to deal with them?"
Fudge strolled back to his desk and sat down, his hands clasped on his stomach, a smug smile on his face.
"Handling it over? I am handling it. Think about it, why did they even come?"
The assistant paused for a moment. "Because that book portrayed Professor Lockhart as too... too useless?"
"That's right." Fudge leaned back in his chair. "They came spontaneously, and they came for that book."
"What do you call this? This is public opinion. A smart minister won't go against public opinion."
The assistant's expression gradually changed from confusion to thoughtfulness.
Fudge leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Go and relay my order: have the Department of Magical Law Enforcement issue a public statement."
"Just say... just say that the Ministry of Magic respects every citizen's right to express themselves and will listen carefully to everyone's voice."
"However, this statement should include the following sentence: Given that the information regarding ' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Part 1)' cannot yet be officially confirmed, the public is advised to maintain rational judgment and not to blindly believe unverified publications."
The assistant opened his mouth, "But we clearly know the content of the first part..."
"Of course we know," Fudge waved his hand, "But the public doesn't know how much we know. Do you understand what I mean?"
"We don't need to say the book is fake, we just need to say 'we haven't confirmed it's real yet.' That difference is enough to make most people stop and think."
The assistant nodded, turned around, and quickly walked out.
Fudge sat alone in his office, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk twice, a satisfied smile curving his lips.
He certainly didn't expect to shut everyone up with just one statement.
But he knew that public opinion was like a lake; you didn't need to drain it, you just needed to throw a big enough stone into it, and the ripples would spread naturally.
Over the next two days, the Ministry of Magic's propaganda machine began to operate in various ways.
The first to appear was a short commentary in the Daily Prophet, signed by a senior editor within the newspaper, not Rita Skeeter.
The article did not directly deny the content of " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Part 1)," but instead wrote in a polite tone:
"The charm of a novel lies in its ability to stimulate the reader's imagination, but we must be wary of imagination being mistaken for fact."
"We have noticed that the contents of some books circulating in the Wizarding World recently differ from some of the information held by the Ministry of Magic."
"We encourage everyone to maintain an open mind, while also hoping that everyone can make rational judgments."
This statement is so airtight that it's impossible to find any lies in it.
The tone of the discussion at the Leaky Cauldron began to subtly shift.
Did you see the article in today's Daily Prophet?
A man in a brown jacket put down his glass and said to his companion, " The Ministry of Magic says the contents of that book differ from official records."
"There may indeed be quite a few inaccurate details," the other party said.
"That book is indeed a bit... exaggerated?" The man in the brown jacket stroked his chin.
"It's hard to say. But think about it, an institution like the Ministry of Magic wouldn't need to make up lies to fool us, would they?"
Diagon Alley, a group of Lockhart fans were still pacing back and forth, the banner now bearing gentler language. "Please respect the truth."
A middle-aged wizard wearing round-framed glasses turned to his friend and asked, "Is the Ministry of Magic really investigating that book?"
"I heard they're comparing the contents of the book with official documents, and that there are several discrepancies."
"For example? For Dobby, Dobby, House-elf, can just run out and intercept wizards' communications? That does sound rather illogical."
"And about the Chamber of Secrets, the Slytherin legend is true, but even Dumbledore never mentioned that the Chamber of Secrets was actually opened."
The discussions are becoming more numerous and increasingly fragmented.
Some believe the book, some believe the Ministry of Magic, and some are undecided between the two.
Back in Hogsmeade, Madam Rosmerta of the Three Broomsticks noticed that recently, when the customers sat together and chatted, their tone was no longer as certain as it had been the previous week.
"I think at least half of that book is made up," a wizard in an old leather coat said, placing a cup on the table.
"Look at this, how could a wizard of Professor Lockhart's caliber be House-elf fooled by a house-elves? That's just too outrageous."
"But what if what that book says is true?"
"What if? You're using a 'what if' to negate Professor Lockhart's many years of real achievements? The Ministry of Magic has already said that the official records don't match."
A witch who had been listening nearby chimed in, "But the Ministry of Magic didn't say the book was entirely fake. They only said 'some information is inaccurate.' How much is 'some'?"
"Don't nitpick over the wording," the wizard waved his hand.
"Anyway, I wouldn't use a book that suddenly appeared a year ago to question decades of records from official institutions. It's obvious which one is more reliable."
Similar conversations were occurring in every corner of the Wizarding World.
Those who were once unwavering in their belief in the book are now beginning to show a hint of uncertainty.
Some people dug up old newspapers from the first book, trying to find out if the Ministry of Magic had issued any similar "cautionary advice" back then.
It turned out that during the period when the first film was banned, the official stance was indeed not to issue any large-scale clarifications.
But at that time everyone was busy discussing whether Dumbledore was using Potter, and not many people paid attention to what the Ministry of Magic itself said.
Now the situation is different. Fudge has quietly shifted the focus of public opinion from "whether the You-Know-Who has returned" to "whether this book is credible or not."
This made people in the Wizarding World somewhat skeptical of the book.
Back in his office on the third floor of the Ministry of Magic, Fudge was leaning back in his chair, holding his first decent cup of hot tea of the day.
The chief of staff opposite him opened the folder in his hand. "Minister, feedback from various regions is being compiled one after another."
"Most of the wizarding community's attitude towards that book has shifted from 'complete belief' to 'skepticism'."
"However, a minority still insist on the book's authenticity, mainly because the impact of the St Margaret's Bay incident is still lingering..."
"Just keep that matter under wraps and don't let it resurface," Fudge said casually, taking a sip of tea.
"Understood." The chief of staff closed the folder, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Minister, there's a question I've been wanting to ask. What if what's written in the second part of that book actually happens later..."
Fudge put down his teacup, his smile fading. "Then we'll have even better reasons."
"We can say, ' The Ministry of Magic has long warned the public to make rational judgments,' and whatever the outcome, we have something to say."
The chief of staff nodded as if suddenly understanding, then turned and walked out of the office.
Fudge leaned back in his chair, watching the figures coming and going in the Ministry of Magic's hall outside the window, and took another sip of his tea, which had gone a little cold.
He put down his teacup and muttered to himself, "In terms of political ability, I may be mediocre, but when it comes to creating public opinion, if I say I'm second, no one dares to say they're first."
Fudge reached out and flipped the Daily Prophet on the table to the supplement, which featured a photo of Lockhart's fans holding a banner.
He looked at the blushing witches in the photos, and a brief smile appeared on his lips.
"Sometimes, the best helpers," he whispered, "Are those who genuinely believe you are trustworthy."
Fudge looked at the newspaper and suddenly felt much lighter.
He decided to treat himself to a glass of Firewhisky tonight as a reward for his hard work over the past few weeks.