Dumbledore looked at Harry with satisfaction.
He thought that if one day, when he was gone, the Wizarding World desperately needed a spiritual leader to fight Voldemort, that person would definitely be Harry.
Fudge looked at Dumbledore with a troubled expression, hoping he could persuade the student.
Dumbledore waved his hand. "I was just dismissed by Mr. Malfoy and the other eleven School Governor, do you remember?"
Harry stood up for the students, which aroused their anger. Fudge didn't want to antagonize them. After becoming Minister for Magic, he realized that defending power was far more difficult than attacking it. The future officials and staff of the Ministry of Magic would all come from these children. If he didn't want to step down from his position too early, he had to maintain a good image in front of these kids.
Fudge was drenched in sweat, constantly urging himself on. "Get your brain working faster, open your mouth faster!"
Once the three-minute golden period for explanation has passed, he will have no more chances to speak. Public opinion will not cool down because of inaction; it will only escalate further.
In a sense, Lorne's appearance saved the reputation of the Ministry of Magic.
As Lorne walked past Harry, the students who had been shouting "the truth!" immediately fell silent and watched, even Harry quietly awaiting Lorne's next move.
Lorne walked straight up to Fudge and Lucius: "Are you two here to visit Hogwarts? Do you have an appointment?"
" Cornelius Fudge," Fudge's tone was much more arrogant when dealing with adults, as he extended his hand to Lorne, "The current Minister for Magic."
Lucius didn't even glance at Lorne, coldly uttering, "Don't get too close. I smell Muggle. And tell these clueless thugs to disperse."
Lorne gave Fudge's hand lightly, his expression remaining refined, as if he hadn't heard Lucius's Taunt.
"I am a member of the Hogwarts Board of School Governor," Lucius announced loudly.
"One, sir," Lorne said unhurriedly, "If you wish to remove me, bring me a resolution passed by the twelve Board of School Governor. If you are not prepared, I am temporarily still the Head of General Affairs Office at Hogwarts, and I am more qualified than you to manage the students."
"Do you know what you're saying?" Lucius stepped forward and threatened, "We just removed Dumbledore from his position as headmaster."
Lorne glanced at Dumbledore, silently rolling his eyes. The old bee was just fooling around with them, leaving all the pressure on himself.
"If I heard correctly, you didn't mention my name in what you just said," Lorne stepped forward, "I'm still the Head of General Affairs Office at Hogwarts, right?"
"Rights do not equate to justice, Mr. Malfoy. It seems I need to make a home visit to Master Malfoy. You know, collaboration between home and school is more conducive to a child's growth."
Lucius glanced at Hagrid behind him. It seemed the Hogwarts students had discovered something. He couldn't leave any evidence here, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, " Hagrid was suspected of involvement in the murder of students fifty years ago. Now that a similar incident has occurred at the school again, what's wrong with the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic taking Hagrid away to protect the students' safety?"
"This is just your one-sided questioning. If questioning could control a person," Lorne turned to the students watching, then to Lucius, "I now suspect that you are the true Heir of Slytherin, the one who unleashed the monster to kill the students."
Lucius laughed angrily, "He has a criminal record."
"Oh?" Lorne's voice rose a few decibels. "But I remember Mr. Malfoy was once Voldemort fan. If we're talking about past records, probably no one in the Wizarding World can rival you in terms of scandals."
"I don't know in what capacity or from what angle Mr. Malfoy applied to the Ministry of Magic for the release of Hagrid, but I do have a review application regarding the case of Hagrid murdering students fifty years ago. Regarding this case, I'm even more inclined to believe the investigation conducted by the Hogwarts students."
Fudge is in a dilemma; anything he says now will affect his reputation.
If he had known today was going to be a mess, he shouldn't have come with Lucius!
The students who had experienced the Truth Chamber of Secrets immediately spread the parchment used for the investigation on the ground, and countless students signed their names on it. They stood behind Lorne and Harry, raising their arms.
We need the truth!
"Reopen the investigation!"
Lorne pushed one hand behind him, as if introducing his treasured possession. "You see, even the students of Hogwarts know that while we may not have the perfect ability to uncover the truth, it is the duty of every wizard to refuse to spread false information and question facts riddled with inconsistencies."
Hagrid ultimately stayed at Hogwarts.
After Fudge and Lucius left with dark faces, he stepped forward, opened his large hands, and a string of tears streamed down his handsome face. "Thank you, classmates, thank you so much! There has never been a more memorable day for me. I would like to invite you all to stay and eat my stone cakes..."
Harry stood beside Director Lorne, and for some reason, he felt he should stay away from the crowd.
"The way you stood up for yourself just now was like a leader, Harry," Lorne praised, "But a leader isn't someone who stands on high. Hagrid would definitely want to hug you right now."
Harry finally realized what was wrong with him—he had just been in the limelight, and now he wanted to quietly show off.
In plain terms, he's having a craving for luxury.
But Harry isn't naive anymore. "And you, Headmaster, you're more like a leader than I am."
Lorne shook his head. "I simply don't like stone cakes."
After that, the Chamber of Secrets activity came to a temporary end, and Hogwarts returned to its original class schedule. However, the students always liked to discuss detective mysteries or escape Chamber of Secrets topics during their free time.
" Minerva caught reading detective novels in class for the third time this week. I heard they've even formed Detective Club," Dumbledore told Lorne with a smile.
"Professor, let's not talk about that. Malfoy wouldn't really team up with the other School Governor to get rid of me, would he?"
Dumbledore remained calm. "How could that be? I'd rather be the one kicked out. I've already spoken to the other eleven School Governor, and they've admitted to being coerced by Malfoy with a curse. They've now jointly voted to remove Malfoy from his position as chairman of the School Governor."
"Oh?" Lorne hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. He immediately remembered his boast and pressed on, "What about Tom's diary, Professor? Have you dealt with it? I suspect Malfoy planted it at Hogwarts. I want to confront him."
"I've already destroyed it, but if you want to confront him, I can make a copy for you."
"Thank you for your help, Professor."
Dumbledore, however, stretched out one hand and extended it in front of Lorne.
"What are you doing, Professor?"
"You promised me for Christmas," Dumbledore said matter-of-factly, "Where's my Magic Mobile Phone?"