Chapter 1061: Blocking the Entrance
Chapter 1061: Blocking the Entrance
"It seems that Umbridge can't hold herself back any longer."
Upon receiving the shocking news from Lee Jordan, Albert felt neither surprised nor alarmed; instead, he had a feeling that this was a long time coming.
"What should we do now? I bet that toad has prepared herself, and if Harry..." Lee Jordan lowered his voice, "Although everyone hates the Ministry of Magic, if we clash with them directly, we'll still be the ones at a disadvantage."
"Don't worry, and don't underestimate Potter. After using the calming draught, he'll surely be able to handle Fudge calmly, and he might even bring us some unexpected surprises." Albert took out a specially-made atlas from his bag, flipped directly to the page with Dumbledore's office, and checked the situation there.
"What if Umbridge refuses to let go of the D.A.? She might really have found some clues."
Lee Jordan was more worried that Umbridge would present solid evidence. No, he believed that Umbridge must have evidence, otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to act so rashly and abandon her disguise.
"Moreover, didn't you also say that Umbridge would drive Dumbledore away and become the new Headmistress of Hogwarts?"
"Don't worry, the situation isn't as bad as you think." Albert smiled and comforted him, "Even if Dumbledore really wants to leave the school, it's definitely his own decision."
"Why?"
Lee Jordan was perplexed and couldn't understand at all.
"Who knows?" Albert shrugged, "Maybe Dumbledore wants to reduce the pressure from the Ministry of Magic and take the opportunity to do something he wants to do. After all, it's inconvenient to be watched all the time, and temporarily leaving the school might not be a bad choice. It will also allow the students to see the true colors of Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic, letting them feel the cruelty of reality and dispelling their unrealistic fantasies. It's a multi-beneficial move."
Lee Jordan stared at Albert with his mouth agape.
"If the situation gets out of hand, just knock them out and use the Obliviate spell, or modify their memories."
Albert's words completely disregarded Fudge and the Ministry of Magic. Even suggesting modifying the Minister of Magic's memory was simply...too cool.
"Won't there be any side effects?"
Lee Jordan still had some concerns. After all, they were dealing with the Minister of Magic, and it was natural to feel a sense of awe when facing authority.
"No, Fudge won't be the Minister for much longer anyway. Even if he somehow recalls everything later, what can he do about it?" Albert smiled and asked rhetorically, "Do you think he'll come and bite you?"
Lee Jordan's mouth twitched, but he had to admit that this made too much sense. Moreover, they didn't plan to work for the Ministry of Magic.
"Umbridge brought several Aurors with her." Albert flipped through the atlas and asked.
"I only saw two." Lee Jordan asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"The number seems a bit small."
"Too few?"
Previously, Umbridge had called for several Aurors to drive away Peeves. After suffering losses so many times, how could Umbridge be confident with just two Aurors?" Albert shook his head as he analyzed the situation, "Doesn't she worry about being knocked out again?"
"You mean..."
"So that's how it is. She's really going all out."
At the entrance of the school, Albert noticed a cluster of dense ink marks on the map, indicating a group of unfamiliar wizards.
Albert closed the atlas, quickly tidied up the things on the table, and strode out of the library.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Lee Jordan hurried to catch up, only to see Albert heading downstairs instead of toward the Headmaster's office. He had no idea where Albert was going.
"I'm going to the entrance hall."
"What are you going to do there?" Lee Jordan was even more confused.
"Of course, I'm going to block the door. We can't let those wizards enter Hogwarts and boost Umbridge's morale." Albert stopped and explained to Lee Jordan, "There aren't many people with Fudge, they won't be able to cause much trouble. Surely you can handle them, right?"
"For certain reasons, Dumbledore won't do that, but you can. Just remember to use the Obliviate spell, and take this with you."
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Lee Jordan caught the vial of essence of dittany that Albert threw to him, still perplexed.
"It's for beating them up. Remember not to hold back and not to leave any evidence."
Was he telling them to beat up Fudge and Umbridge? Lee Jordan's expression turned strange.
"This is really..."
"Fudge will be out of office soon. As long as we don't leave any evidence, it won't be a problem. Anyway, no one will care, and even if I don't say it, Fred and George will probably do the same. That toad must have used Veritaserum on Ginny."
For some reason, Lee Jordan stood there holding the essence of dittany, staring at Albert's departing figure as he headed toward the entrance hall, and his whole body began to tremble involuntarily.
This was going to stir up trouble! When Albert arrived downstairs at the entrance hall, a group of Aurors had already approached the stone steps, preparing to enter the castle through the oak front doors.
Suddenly, a strange gust of wind blew, almost knocking the Aurors to the ground.
"What's going on?"
The Aurors were momentarily thrown into chaos.
"Gentlemen, ladies, do you have an appointment?"
Albert stood in front of the oak doors, wand in hand, smiling at the uninvited guests.
"What are you up to?"
"We are Aurors from the Ministry of Magic."
An older, slightly balding middle-aged Auror stepped forward to negotiate with Albert.
"Aurors," Albert asked gently, "What brings you to Hogwarts?"
"We have a special mission and can't disclose it to you."
"Why are you telling him that?"
A younger Auror, clearly more impatient, walked directly toward the stone steps, completely ignoring Albert. However, after taking just a few steps forward, he was suddenly thrown backward by an invisible force and fell heavily onto the lawn.
"Do you have an appointment with Professor Dumbledore? I mean, does the headmaster know of your visit?" Albert continued to smile down at the wizards, completely unfazed by the minor scuffle.
"You..." one of the wizards began.
"We are here on a special mission from the Ministry of Magic, and I can show you my Auror identification," the middle-aged Auror interrupted, pulling out a small notebook from his pocket as he addressed Albert, "We are not suspicious individuals."
"Sorry, but with so many of you arriving at once and the chaos outside, who knows if you are truly Aurors from the Ministry," Albert replied nonchalantly as he waved his wand, dispelling the Full Body-Bind Curse. With a smile, he added, "Certificates can be forged, or you could steal one. And to think you would try to ambush me... it's hard to imagine Aurors stooping to such levels."
"We know you are a dueling champion, and we don't want any conflict with you," one of the Aurors said firmly, "But if you obstruct us from carrying out the Ministry's business, no matter how skilled you are alone..."
Before the Auror could finish his threat, he was cut off by the balding Auror.
"What do you want?" the middle-aged, slightly balding Auror asked with a frown, not underestimating Albert just because he was a student.
"I don't want anything," Albert replied with a smile.
"What will it take for you to let us in?" the Auror continued.
Forcing their way in was definitely not an option, as the person before them was the youngest dueling champion in history, rumored to have single-handedly subdued a dragon within minutes.
Even if they tried to overwhelm him with their numbers and enter the castle, they knew it wouldn't end well.
Looking at the group of students gathering around them, all glaring at the Aurors with their wands drawn and positioned behind Albert, they knew this situation could easily escalate.
"Please wait a moment, I'll have someone come and handle this matter," Albert said politely, "After all, it concerns the safety of all the students at Hogwarts, and I can't just let you into the castle without confirmation."
To be honest, it wasn't an unreasonable request, but... they were at a loss. Their task was to reinforce Hogwarts and prevent certain events from occurring.
Honestly, the whole situation seemed odd, but orders were orders.
"I thought the Aurors from the Ministry were busy chasing after escaped Death Eaters," a Hufflepuff boy said sarcastically, "Anyone would think something major was happening at Hogwarts."
"Actually, I'm quite curious too. What's so important that you'd set aside the task of capturing escaped Death Eaters and all come to Hogwarts?" Albert raised an eyebrow.
The Aurors' faces turned awkward. It was already ridiculous to have a group of Aurors show up at Hogwarts, and although not all of them were Aurors...
"Maybe they're just imposters," a Ravenclaw girl muttered, "After all, the Aurors are busy chasing Dark Wizards. Who has the time to come here, and with so many of them?"
"Maybe they think there are Dark Wizards hiding within Hogwarts," a Gryffindor boy scoffed.
"This is just ridiculous, the Ministry is getting more and more absurd these days."
"Albert is so cool."
Several girls stared at Albert, who stood fearlessly in front of the doors, their eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Ahem, ladies, could you do me a favor and go find some professors? Any professor will do, or even the school ghosts, and ask them to find a professor."
The girls hesitated for a moment but eventually dispersed to carry out Albert's request.
"This guy..."
The Aurors exchanged glances, unsure what to make of Albert.
"If he joins the Ministry after graduating, I'm sure he'll become the Minister of Magic within a decade," one of the Aurors muttered.
Despite their reluctance to admit it, they couldn't deny the leadership and charisma he exuded.
Not many were truly willing to work for Fudge or Umbridge, and naturally, they wanted to stall for time, especially since the person before them was not someone to be trifled with—an international dueling champion, no less.
The first to arrive was none other than Filch, the caretaker.
To be honest, no one had called for Filch. He had simply noticed the crowd of students and wanted to disperse them.
"Oh, Mr. Filch, your timing is perfect. Please have these Aurors sign their names here to confirm their identities and whether they are on the guest list," Albert said to Filch, who was standing there with his mouth agape.
"Oh, alright," Filch managed to say.
He was a bit dazed by the situation, but seeing Albert standing in front of the oak doors with his wand drawn, and the group of wizards stuck outside, he swallowed nervously.
This was certainly the biggest commotion he had ever seen.
The Aurors took the parchment and quill from Filch and signed their names.
They waited a long time, but still, no professor came. Albert seemed helpless as well, and he turned to the students behind him and said, "You guys go and find the other professors too. Any professor will do, or even the school ghosts. Ask them to find a professor."
"Mr. Filch, please take this signed parchment to Professor McGonagall. If possible, it would be best for Professor McGonagall to come here herself," Albert instructed calmly without taking the parchment from Filch.
"Oh, alright, I'll go now," Filch said, glancing at the Aurors before turning and heading towards Professor McGonagall's office.
The Aurors were getting more and more impatient, having been blocked at the door by Albert for half an hour. They knew they had no choice but to wait, as he wouldn't let them enter the castle without confirmation, and his reasoning was sound.
(End of Chapter)
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