“Click–”
Several young wizards who are holding up their wands stared at a pot-bellied man who carried a large, faintly smoking camera in his hand, which had just made the sound.
“Bozo, take a few more shots.” Rita Skeeter, ordered the photographer next to her, as she trembled with excitement. This is big news, comparable to the Ilvermorny student protests in France, if not greater – the president of the Magical Congress of the United States of America didn’t step down then, but it seemed to Rita Skeeter that Fudge’s resignation is almost a foregone conclusion.
She looked up and unexpectedly found herself in the center of attention.
“The people need the truth, and well – I’ll report it as it is.” She said with a fake, false smile.
Today, Rita Skeeter is dressed in a dark red robe with some sequins attached to its hem, which isn’t exactly that conspicuous at night – at least it’s a lot more low-key than her previous appearances, which is why a lot of young wizards didn’t notice her.
Harry noticed that her nails had changed from a bright red to emerald green.
“Nasty fellow -” Ron whispered, then he added, “Not really that bad, apart from the fact that she was truly obnoxious at the start, she did things quite honestly and even helped us out on a couple of occasions, it’s weird …”
Cornelius grunted from the side.
“What?” Ron asked in a small voice in confusion.
“Haven’t you read her coverage in recent times?” Cedric stammered, “After a few months of silence, she started publishing a lot of articles, rumours about the champions, fabricating private lives …” Cho Chang had fussed with him about it a few times, but it was an happy trouble.
The short photographer named Bozo is quiet but grumpy, ” This photo will win a press award – ” he said gruffly, as he elbowed a young wizard out of the way, and selected the right angle, accompanied by a few ” Click” sounds and purple smoke, as Fudge’s big face stayed on the film.
At that moment, Felix came out of the makeshift tent, clearing his throat and looking around.
“Professor, you’re awake!”
“Professor Hap–”
“Great!”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exclaimed in surprise, each taking their eyes off of Rita Skeeter’s strange curly hair and the purple mist that kept spewing from the black camera to look at Felix in unison.
” Well, Thanks guys,” Felix said, “You did help a lot, and if my … healing … had been interrupted, it would have had a considerable impact.” The trio understood the unfinished meaning of his words for an instant.
The other students understood the truth from what Hermione had said earlier. They waved their wands gleefully, and Fred exclaimed, “That’s what we should do, Professor, how much detention you’ve helped us escape.”
The originally serious atmosphere was broken by Fred’s gag, and surprisingly, a number of students actually nodded in agreement.
“Professor Hap has instructed me the technique of extracting the fish bones using spell-”
“He knows all about the creatures in Black Lake!”
“Legend has it that the kitchen house-elves hold a set of mysterious recipes that Professor Hap contributed-”
“No wonder I can often hear about the professor and Valen eating midnight snacks …”
“Professor Hap caught me trespassing in the Forbidden Forest, not only did he not detain me, but he also invited me to walk with him in the Forbidden Forest … Then we encountered a horrible Acromantula, and I had nightmares for two days! Afterward, I thought it might be arranged by the professor …”
“How cunning the professor is!”
The students murmured. Professor McGonagall’s lips pursed into a tight line, her stern gaze glancing between the students and Felix.
“Forget it, Minerva, look how popular he is.” Professor Flitwick said with a smirk.
“To use a common phrase, he was the one who initiated the violation, but I didn’t notice…” Professor McGonagall said with a guilty conscience, “I have to make sure It won’t happen again.”
When the voices subsided, Felix turned his attention to Fudge and Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. They looked like pumpkin lamps that added a festive atmosphere to the Christmas dinner, as they stood still.
“Allow me to make a few points in my defense-” he said, “and if Mr. Minister still thinks I’m responsible for what happened tonight, I’m willing to cooperate.”
“Professor!” Harry looked at him anxiously.
“It’s okay,” Felix shook his head at him, looked at the three close, dirty faces hesitantly, and said to Hermione, “Miss Granger, can I ask you a favour?”
Hermione nodded her head repeatedly.
Felix looked into her eyes and Thinking Room magic flashed and faded. Then he pulled out his wand and placed it in front of her – Hermione reached out and grabbed it – and immediately afterward, wisps of mist began to pour out of the tip of the wand, and they got wrapped in a soap bubble-like thing, and the mist stretched the bubble bigger and bigger.
“Imagine the memory you remember most vividly tonight.” Felix said, of course, this is for everyone to hear, he had communicated the specific things with Hermione in the thinking room.
When the soap bubble is as big as a person’s head, Felix disconnected it from the wand, and the bubble slowly floating in midair as it glowed in the black night sky.
“I think I can see some figures.” A young wizard who had been staring at the soap bubble for a while said.
“I saw it too.”
When the bubble flew to a height of thirty feet, hundreds of people around can clearly see it; Then Felix waved his wand as the bubble “poof” exploded, and the mist inside sprinkled like snowflakes, forming a dynamic picture.
Those present saw Harry, as well as a flicker of Ron, who was tied to a black tombstone – this is clearly from the bystander’s point of view, in conjunction with the professor’s action, it should be what Hermione saw.
The image of Harry covered in dust, with his back turned to them, as he shouted emotionally: “You’re afraid to use the Killing Curse against me, aren’t you! You are afraid of the magical protection my mother bestowed on me with her life, and fear that the curse will bounce back against you again and be doomed! And completely become a joke right?!”
Everyone stared blankly, and then they saw the person opposite to Harry, “Hiss-” Many students and Aurors sucked in a cold breath.
They saw a nightmarish face, whiter than a skeleton, with bloodshot eyes and what should have been a nose now only had two thin slits, like a snake. He was draped in a thin black robe, his clothes rolled in the night wind, revealing a skeletal figure …
“You-Know-Who!” Someone shouted in panic, “He’s really back!”
Adults – including the professors, Aurors, and the rest of the faculty present – showed a cautious look, some of them may have seen the horrors of Voldemort, and some had never even heard of it, but the oppressiveness of this man in the picture accurately conveyed to their hearts.
Even just the knowledge of a “resurrection from the dead” is enough for them to be on the alert.
In the picture, Voldemort’s red eyes stared at Harry, as if he was staring at them all, and then he smiled a dreadful smile and recited the incantation: “Crucio!
There was another gasp from the crowd, some of them no longer dared to look. However, Harry surprisingly resisted, held on, and did not fall back, as he had provoked him even loudly, everyone could not help but sweat for him, Sirius stared at Voldemort’s shadow, with his teeth clenched.
Voldemort was obviously enraged by Harry, so he loudly recited the Cruciatus Curse, at which point a red light descended from the sky and blocked in front of Harry …
“It’s Professor Hap!”
“He’s in the air, it’s incredible–”
” You didn’t see the silver wings he displayed in the second task?”
“I just didn’t think it was possible to fly with that thing for real!”
The scene ended here. Felix did not intend to show the full process for the time being, to avoid the world seeing how powerful Voldemort is and thus losing confidence; secondly, he did not want the process of his death and resurrection to spread around …
He glanced at the Rita Skeeter in the corner, she was stretching out her thick fat fingers to signal the photographer to hurry up and photograph it.
It is enough for him to highlight a section that shows the cruelty of Voldemort.
“This is all for now,” Felix said in a stifling silence, “It’s just supportive evidence, not considered absolute evidence, and Granger’s state is somewhat poor …”
Hermione gasped at the right time.
“- I have more evidence that is more reliable than memories, but maybe we should wait until the trial to bring it out, right?” He looked as if asking Fudge’s opinion, who looked ashen as if he hadn’t heard him at all.
“Of course not,” Dumbledore said gently, “I will summon the entire Wizengamot members to a meeting as the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, and Felix, I hope you will be present to testify.”
“This is what I should do.”
Felix said cooperatively.
Fudge kept muttering to himself, “He’s back — really back — how can — how can –”
“So, Mr. Minister, do you have any more questions? Or are you worried that I’ll run off before the meeting?” Felix asked.
Fudge’s lips quirted and trembled, “No … not …” He forced a stiff smile, but someone interrupted him nonchalantly, it is Madam Pomfrey, who has been waiting on the sidelines for a long time.
“So – it’s over at last? Thank goodness!” She walked quickly to Harry and the group, “You need treatment, it’s been hours, do you really think the Cruciatus Curse is that easy to resist?” She jostled and pushed Harry, Ron, and Hermione as if they are herding ducks.
“Ouch–” Ron cried out in pain, “Gently, Madam Pomfrey.”
“Wasn’t you heroic just now?” Madam Pomfrey looked at him with displeasure and said, “That’s an unforgivable curse–”
“But it was my leg I broke.” Ron looked at her accusingly.
“… Well, ok, and I’m not going to argue … with the patient,” she rambled, leading the three to the makeshift tent next door to receive treatment.
Dumbledore also duly arranged for the professor to return to the castle with the students.
“As much I appreciate the great integrity and courage you have shown tonight, I must remind you that it is late, so go on, go back to sleep, there will be no classes scheduled during the last week of the school year …”
The students cheered loudly, then a few yawned, as if it was contagious, very soon everyone was yawning and drowning in sleepiness.
When no one noticed, Fudge slipped away quietly like a fat mouse.
“Wait, Minister, you have left your bowler hat–” George picked up a dusty hat from the ground and shouted at him. Fudge looked back woodenly as the bowler hat flew towards him under a spell and hit him on the nose.
The students who saw this scene laughed under their breath.
The Aurors didn’t react to this a bit, as they dragged their heavy feet and left.
“Derris,” Felix called out to the Auror walking behind Fudge after watching Fudge’s dilemma with satisfaction, “give Ms. Bones a message for me that I will take the time to visit her in the next two days.”
Derris nodded.
Fudge, who also heard this, paused in his steps, but he didn’t turn around, just stumbled a lot more and fell twice in quick succession before he disappeared from Felix’s sight.
“I used to get along with him fairly well,” Dumbledore said softly, looking out into the distance, “when he first started as a minister, he asked me for advice and assistance for a couple of days, but then his confidence grew, and he was able to make his own decisions, perhaps out of a sense of caution from his previous journey to power, he became obsessed with power and watched everyone who might shake his position with a vigilant eye …”
“Albus,” Felix smiled faintly, “I’m already looking forward to a day without Fudge.”
…
Late night.
The room is dimly lit, and the portraits of the Headmasters on the walls are snoring.
Dumbledore sat in the chair behind his desk, quietly thinking, the silverware on his desk making loud noises. After a long time, he opened the left-hand drawer, where a pendant case and a wand were placed.
Both items are related to Voldemort – the former is one of his Horcruxes, and the latter is his wand made of yew wood, which Dumbledore seized from the Crouch Sr. on Christmas night.
But in addition to the locket and the wand, there is now another ring in the drawer. The ring is large, like it’s made of gold, roughly crafted, and embedded with a heavy, black stone with a cracked center.
“The resurrection stone … it is not the right time.” Dumbledore murmured softly, his fingers brushing over the black stone on the ring.
He closed the drawer with great patience and gasped slightly.
“You’re getting old, Dumbledore.” The Sorting Hat on the shelf said.
“Thank you for the reminder.” Dumbledore smiled faintly. Then he lapsed into contemplation, “Just a year or two?” After a moment of silence, he waved his wand, conjuring up a silver phoenix Patronus, and said calmly, “Severus, come to my office.”
————
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