Chapter 82: Dumbledore's Decision
Chapter 82: Dumbledore's Decision
When Harry and Ron returned to the Gryffindor common room, almost all the Gryffindor students had gathered there.
Many of them looked at Harry with complex expressions and apologized for their earlier doubts about him being the Heir of Slytherin.
Everyone knew that Harry would never harm Hermione, and the attack on her today, in a way, cleared his name.
But Harry would rather not have his name cleared in such a manner.
George and Fred were giving impassioned speeches, channeling their anger and frustration toward the entire Slytherin house.
After all, the Chamber of Secrets and its monster were created by Salazar Slytherin, and Gryffindor had always been at odds with Slytherin.
At that moment, Professor Mcgonagall entered the common room, her face clearly pale. She announced that Hogwarts might be closed down, and the Ministry of Magic had already become involved. She hoped that anyone with any clues would come forward to the professors.
Because only by catching the culprit could they restore the school to normal.
Watching Professor Mcgonagall clumsily climb through the portrait hole, the entire Gryffindor house fell silent.
No matter how loudly they protested, it made no difference to the current situation.
But Harry, hiding in a corner, gradually became more determined.
"We need to find Hagrid!"
Ron said gloomily, "I don't believe Hagrid would hurt Hermione."
"Neither do I, but since the monster from the Chamber of Secrets was released by him, he must know something about it. We have to talk to Hagrid!"
They made their plan and, taking advantage of the evening, Harry took out his father's Invisibility Cloak. Together with Ron, they slipped out of the now heavily guarded Hogwarts castle.
Not only the professors, but all the Prefects and the ghosts in the castle were on patrol.
It took a lot of effort for Harry and Ron to reach Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid seemed very nervous, holding a bow and arrow and constantly looking around. He almost shot Harry and Ron by mistake when they sneaked up.
"It's you two. I thought it was—" He put down his bow, mumbling something, and led Harry and Ron into his hut.
Hagrid absentmindedly made them tea, and Harry and Ron got straight to the point.
"Hermione was attacked."
Hagrid's voice choked up as he handed them their tea.
"Oh, right, I heard."
While doing this, his eyes kept darting to the window. Harry tried to meet Hagrid's gaze, but he couldn't hold it.
"We want to know if you know anything."
Just as Harry finished speaking, there was a soft knock on the door.
Hagrid dropped the fruitcake he was holding, and Harry and Ron exchanged panicked glances. They couldn't let anyone discover they had snuck out of the castle.
They quickly put on the Invisibility Cloak and hid in a corner. Once Hagrid saw they were hidden, he grabbed his bow and arrow and yanked the door open.
The person knocking on the door was Dumbledore, accompanied by a short, portly middle-aged wizard dressed in a suit and tie, with a Wizard cloak over it.
Ron recognized the wizard who was with Dumbledore and whispered to Harry.
"This is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, my dad's boss."
Harry nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to keep quiet.
Hagrid's face was very grim, but with Dumbledore standing right there, he had no choice but to step aside and invite them into the hut to sit down.
Fudge spoke with a tone of great difficulty, though anyone could tell he was actually more eager than anyone else to get things done.
"Hogwarts has already experienced four attacks. The Daily Prophet's writers are working on the story overnight. By tomorrow, the entire British Wizarding World will know what has happened here. So, I must take some action before then. It's very bad, Hagrid, really very bad. I need to find you."
His words weren't straightforward, but even Harry and Ron, hiding in the corner, understood what he meant.
"I didn't do it", Hagrid pleaded, looking at Dumbledore. "You know I didn't, Professor Dumbledore, sir."
Dumbledore remained very calm, as if he had already anticipated what would happen before he arrived.
"I must stress again, Fudge, I trust Hagrid more than anyone. The attacks in the castle have nothing to do with him, whether in the past or now. Taking him away today will serve no purpose."
"Can't you see things from my perspective?" Fudge fiddled with his hat. "I hold the position of Minister of Magic, and with such a major incident, I must take action to give the public an explanation. Besides, I haven't said what we plan to do with Hagrid. We just need him to assist with some investigations. Once the real culprit is caught, we will bring him back."
Hagrid's face turned pale, and his voice trembled as he asked.
"Are you going to send me to Azkaban?"
Fudge didn't give a clear answer, hedging his words.
"Where you will be taken will depend on how things develop."
The hut fell into a brief silence, with only Hagrid's heavy breathing breaking the quiet.
Finally, Dumbledore clasped his hands together in front of him, looked at Fudge, and asked in a tone that gave nothing away.
"Are you determined to take Hagrid today?"
The more Dumbledore spoke this way, the more Fudge was unsure of his true intentions.
After much deliberation, Fudge said hesitantly.
"You must consider the feelings of the public; they need an explanation. Dumbledore, I have no choice."
Hearing this, Dumbledore raised a hand to stop Fudge from continuing.
"If you insist, as Minister of Magic, you do have the authority to take Hagrid."
Fudge's face lit up with relief at Dumbledore's unexpectedly accommodating attitude, while Hagrid's face darkened.
However, Dumbledore then added calmly.
"But given the current situation, I believe Hogwarts is no longer safe. In three days, I will advise all the students to go home, and Hogwarts will be closed. We will resume normal teaching only after the culprit is caught."
(End of Chapter)
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