Chapter 988: Misjudgment
Chapter 988: Misjudgment
After leaving the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore hurried to Mrs. Figg's house to inquire about the specific details of what had transpired.
From Mrs. Figg's memory, Dumbledore witnessed the scene of two Dementors attacking Harry and his cousin, Dudley. This brought him both relief and a new wave of worry.
Could it be that the Ministry of Magic was gradually losing control of the Dementors?
This was not a good sign.
If the Dementors were to side with Voldemort, the prisoners of Azkaban would be set free, and chaos would ensue in the wizarding world.
Yet, Fudge refused to acknowledge these concerns.
While this would cause some inconvenience to Mrs. Figg, it was necessary to protect her life and continue monitoring Harry to prevent him from doing anything irrational outside his aunt's home.
The need to transfer Harry to the Phoenix Society headquarters had become imperative.
Dumbledore entrusted this task to Alastor, as it was best that he refrained from direct contact with Harry to avoid causing him unnecessary trouble.
He was well aware of the unique connection between Harry and Voldemort.
This peculiar connection was likely linked to a fragment of Voldemort's Horcrux.
Although Dumbledore had no concrete evidence, he was certain of its existence, and it had undoubtedly strengthened since Voldemort's resurrection.
Should Voldemort become aware of this connection, he could infiltrate Harry's mind, controlling and manipulating his thoughts.
And the relationship between them would only intensify Voldemort's desire to do so.
Dumbledore knew that Voldemort's primary target was not Harry but himself.
He believed that Voldemort would seize the opportunity to use Harry as a means to spy on him and might even attempt to control Harry to act against him.
Dumbledore couldn't think of a suitable countermeasure for the time being, as the recent string of events had left him mentally exhausted.
Age was catching up with him.
He hoped that Severus would bring back some useful information.
Based on the incident in Spain, it was unlikely that Voldemort would rashly attack Harry and expose himself completely to the public eye.
Moreover, if Voldemort wasn't behind this incident, the reaction from his side wouldn't have been so swift, and he wouldn't have had enough manpower.
Assuming that Voldemort wasn't responsible for this incident, then...
"I fear Harry's expulsion..."
Dumbledore paced in his office. Even though he now possessed the evidence to turn the tables, it was unlikely that the Ministry of Magic would distort the facts. However, if Fudge truly intended to expel Harry, he would undoubtedly resort to other underhanded schemes.
"Politicians!"
A flicker of disgust flashed in Dumbledore's eyes as he was all too aware of Fudge's intentions.
But would that really be effective? Dumbledore recalled Albert's prophecy, foretelling that Fudge would be ousted by the people before next summer.
Although Dumbledore himself was generally skeptical of prophecies, given that several of Albert's predictions had come true, he was inclined to lend them some credence. What if it turned out to be accurate?
At the very least, Dumbledore secretly hoped that Fudge would be removed from power, allowing Amelia Bones to take his place and turn the tide of the current situation.
As long as the Ministry of Magic maintained a firm stance against Voldemort, the situation would improve significantly, and he wouldn't have to devote so much energy to these matters.
Had he made a mistake?
Perhaps he should have agreed with Mr. Anderson to jointly support Amelia Bones for the position of Minister of Magic.
To be honest, Dumbledore really didn't want to meddle in politics, especially when it came to such sensitive issues.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the headmaster's office, and Professor McGonagall hurried inside.
"Albus, do they really intend to expel Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"The situation isn't as dire as you think," Dumbledore reassured her. "We've found evidence that Harry used the Patronus Charm purely in self-defense."
"I'm not talking about that..."
"Ahem."
A slight cough interrupted them, and both turned to the source of the sound.
"I bear a message for you from my great-grandson," Phineas said to Dumbledore, relaying Sirius' request. "The Dementors who attacked Harry were likely sent by someone from the Ministry of Magic."
"The Ministry of Magic?" Professor McGonagall frowned. "Does Sirius have any evidence to support this claim?"
"Don't ask me, because I don't know either," Phineas replied. "If you have any questions, I suggest you ask Sirius directly. However, I suspect that he doesn't know much himself." With that, Phineas fell silent.
Dumbledore could guess the reason behind Sirius' vague message.
"What about Snape? Any news from him?" Professor McGonagall remembered that they had a spy.
"Not yet, but I believe it won't be long," Dumbledore said as he awaited news from Snape.
There were only a few possibilities for this incident. The most likely scenario was that someone from Voldemort's camp had sent people to attack Harry. Another possibility was that someone from the Ministry of Magic was responsible.
Aside from these, the chances of other scenarios were slim.
Just then, a ball of light penetrated the window glass and entered the headmaster's office.
Snape's voice emanated from the light:
"Not the Dark Lord, but others may have taken it upon themselves to act."
Professor McGonagall watched as the Patronus faded away, then turned to Dumbledore.
"What do you think?"
"If it were Voldemort or his Death Eaters, I believe Severus would have investigated thoroughly," Dumbledore mused, staring at the spot where the Patronus had vanished.
"And if it wasn't?" Professor McGonagall felt that this incident wasn't aimed at killing Harry but rather at getting him expelled.
At least, that was the impression she got from the Ministry of Magic. Cornelius Fudge, in his zeal to discredit Dumbledore, was resorting to all sorts of despicable tactics.
As for Sirius' speculation, or rather, a speculation that likely originated from Albert, Sirius would have brought it up at a Phoenix Society meeting instead of conveying the message privately through the portrait if it weren't the case.
Even Professor McGonagall, who was generally skeptical of divination, had to acknowledge Albert's prowess in that field. All signs indicated that Albert could, to a large extent, predict fragments of the future.
"You suspect that Fudge is behind this?" Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, either Fudge himself or someone close to him," Professor McGonagall replied without hesitation.
"I don't think so," Dumbledore said. "I've spoken with Fudge, and he doesn't seem to know about this matter. To be frank, Fudge isn't a skilled Occlumens, and I don't believe he could deceive me."
This was the aspect that left Dumbledore perplexed.
(End of Chapter)
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