"You...how could you do this?!"
Early in the morning, Fudge came to the Hogwarts headmaster's office from the Ministry of Magic and vented his anger and dissatisfaction to Dumbledore.
"You definitely did it on purpose, otherwise how could there suddenly be so many students who can use the Patronus Charm!" Fudge said angrily, his saliva almost spraying on Dumbledore's face, but he cleverly pushed it aside.
"Minister Fudge, the Patronus Charm is just a normal spell for defense against the dark arts. It is normal for Hogwarts students to learn this spell." Dumbledore said with a smile.
"You tell me this is normal?!" Fudge shouted at Dumbledore, "I have never seen so many wizards who can use the Patronus Charm in my life, not to mention that most of the students in Hogsmeade are no more than seventeen years old..."
"What is most incredible to me is that the report brought by my subordinates told me that there is even a 13-year-old wizard among them who can cast a patronus that even many Aurors cannot do!"
He took out a written report from his pocket and slammed it hard on Dumbledore's desk. "Look, I thought they were joking at first, until those Dementors came to complain to me and I realized it was actually true!"
"Dumbledore, don't you know that Dementors are here to help you find wanted criminals? Don't you know that they are also employees of the Ministry of Magic?!"
Fudge was furious.
He had never seen the Dementors, who had been relatively obedient, protest so strongly to the Ministry of Magic. They told the Ministry that if the problem of the Patronus Charm at Hogwarts was not resolved, all the Dementors would go on strike!
If this free labor force went on strike, Fudge couldn't imagine where he would find so many employees to fill the mess left behind.
Not to mention, if Dementors get out of control, they are likely to cause serious harm to the entire wizarding world.
At that time, let alone keeping his position as Minister of Magic, Fudge would be lucky not to become a sinner of the entire wizarding world!
"Minister Fudge, I remember I formally mentioned to you that there was a hidden story in the case of Sirius Black. Peter Pettigrew was the culprit who blew up the Muggle streets at that time." Dumbledore said indifferently without any change in his expression.
"But we are still far from finding out the truth of this matter!" Fudge retorted without hesitation, "Before we find out the truth, we can't let a potentially dangerous person like Sirius Black wander around, let alone allow you to drive away the Dementors on your own initiative!"
"Moreover, no matter whether Sirius Black was innocent in that incident or not, he stayed in Azkaban for twelve years without any harm! Who can guarantee that such a madman will not cause harm to society?"
Fudge said angrily, "Even if he is mentally sound, he should not have attempted to escape from prison. This is trampling on the dignity of the Ministry of Magic and undermining the credibility of the security of Azkaban Prison! I will never allow anyone to protect such a criminal!"
Dumbledore's eyes finally turned completely cold.
"Is that what you think, Fudge?" he said coldly. "If that is the case, then there is nothing more to say. I will help Sirius Black win his trial."
"Well, you're fine, Dumbledore." Fudge's face turned red with anger, "Don't forget there is another trial related to your Hogwarts, we'll see you then!"
Then he strode into the fireplace beside him and left the principal's office.
Dumbledore looked at Fudge's back as he was engulfed in the green flames, his eyes deep.
"This Minister of Magic should also be a graduate of Hogwarts, right?"
Just then, a voice sounded from the window.
"Of course, the vast majority of wizards in the British wizarding world graduated from Hogwarts." Dumbledore turned his head and looked toward the window of his office. "Professor Dracula, there are very few people like you who have not studied at Hogwarts."
Dracula's figure appeared quietly on the high window sill of the Hogwarts principal's office.
He lazily leaned against the window frame, his arms folded across his chest, his long legs casually crossed, his long cloak hanging down from behind the windowsill, swaying slightly in the breeze. The faint morning light from afar hit his body, casting a layer of fragmented light.
"I studied at Hogwarts a thousand years ago, but no professor dared to teach me." Dracula jumped down from the window sill and chuckled. "That Fudge actually said something like 'you Hogwarts'. Does he really not consider himself a graduate of Hogwarts?"
"In theory, after graduation, students really have little to do with the school." Dumbledore sighed. "There are so many people graduating from Hogwarts, and it is inevitable that some of them have become bad or changed their original intentions..."
“… We, the professors who once taught them, feel sad when we see them, but there is nothing we can do.”
"Indeed, Azkaban alone has been filled to capacity for several rounds." Dracula shrugged.
"Let's not talk about this for now. Christmas is coming soon. Let's talk about something happy." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "Why did Professor Dracula suddenly think of looking for an old man like me today?"
"It's nothing serious. I just learned about what happened in Hogsmeade yesterday, so I came to see what you think. I just happened to run into the Minister of Magic coming to complain to you." Dracula said, "To be honest, I was quite surprised. I didn't expect that it was Potter who took the lead at that time."
"Yes, it's surprising." When mentioning Harry, Dumbledore couldn't help but smile. "Harry's Patronus Charm should have already taken shape. It only took three months. This progress is indeed beyond ordinary people."
"The other little wizards are doing well too." Dracula nodded in agreement. "Many little wizards in the third and fourth grades can summon misty patronuses, which are enough to deal with one or two Dementors on a daily basis."
"It's a good thing that students are making progress in learning the Patronus Charm, but I'm afraid it's going to be difficult to deal with Sirius." Dumbledore sighed, "Fudge seems determined not to vindicate him."
"Why? There won't be any harm in clearing Blake's name, right?" Dracula asked with a frown.
"It may be that Fudge lost his credibility due to Sirius's escape from prison, and he still holds a grudge against him." Dumbledore said, "It may also be that he is too timid and does not want to see any stain that may affect his career."
"If all students knew that Sirius was innocent, then Fudge's behavior of sending Dementors to Hogwarts Castle would probably be widely criticized at the social level. He certainly would not be willing to vindicate Sirius."
"From the tone of your voice just now, it seems that there is another way?" Dracula asked.
"There is no other way." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, his eyes gradually becoming sharper. "Although I am old, I still have some connections left in the Wizengamot."
"I will not allow any innocent person to be convicted again."
"As long as you are sure, I am too lazy to deal with such troublesome matters." Dracula shrugged casually and asked casually, "By the way, Hagrid's Hippogriff also needs to be judged. Why don't you use your connections?"
He now regretted agreeing to help Hagrid with Harry and the other two.
The joke Ron made up was obviously not very funny, but the matter he wanted to help with was unexpectedly jinxed and attracted the attention of the Minister of Magic, and unknowingly became a matter of trouble.
Dracula felt that the price was not fair.
Be sure to ask them to tell a funnier joke next time.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about Buckbeak." Dumbledore smiled confidently, "Newt naturally has his own unique connections when it comes to magical creatures. You know, he is the real number one in the world of protecting magical creatures."
"The question is, did Fudge just mention that he was going to cause trouble for Buckbeak?" Dracula frowned slightly. "I know Newt can handle the issue of protecting magical creatures, but it's not easy for him to deal with the troubles in the political world, right?"
"You underestimate Newt, Professor Dracula." Dumbledore laughed happily. "You may not know that Newt's brother, Theseus Scamander, was once the Director of the Law Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic. He helped Newt deal with a lot of troubles back then."
"Today, there are still many apprentices brought up by Theseus or his apprentices' apprentices in the Ministry of Magic. Newt's connections in the Ministry of Magic are much stronger than you think, Professor Dracula!"
"Oh? I didn't expect that." Dracula also smiled, "This is the best."
…
The Christmas holidays were soon over, and Buckbeak had his first court hearing before the Dangerous Creatures Committee.
As Dumbledore expected, although Fudge secretly passed a few words to the director of the committee, asking them to make more trouble for the hippogriff, Newt still managed to handle the matter without any trouble.
When Theseus Scamander, an old man over a hundred years old, sat on the jury, many wizards who wanted to make some small moves were frozen on the spot.
Theseus Scamander is a genuine veteran of the Ministry of Magic. In the early 20th century, he joined the Ministry of Magic and became an Auror just after graduating from Hogwarts Hufflepuff School.
Later, during the First World War, he secretly participated in the war that shocked the world and saved many innocent people on the battlefield. He gained the reputation of a war hero in both the Muggle and wizard circles.
In addition, during the Global Wizarding War, Theseus, as the then Head of the Auror Office, took a clear stand with Dumbledore against Grindelwald, so he became the official with the greatest contribution in the Ministry of Magic in the war, and naturally became the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
For many years, the story of Theseus Scamander has been passed down in Auror training manuals like a textbook.
When these "youngsters" of the Ministry of Magic saw the appearance of such a textbook character, they all subconsciously gave up the idea of doing anything tricky, for fear that they would be remembered by all the Aurors who admired Theseus.
If it was just Theseus's relationship, the trial might not have gone so smoothly. After all, there were still many jury members who did not belong to the Ministry of Magic sitting in their respective seats.
But the plaintiff, Lucius Malfoy, received a "kind" reminder from an unknown Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
The originally aggressive head of the Malfoy family instantly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost, and decisively dismissed all the relationships he had established.
If the trial date had not already been set, he might have even canceled his appeal!
Fudge lost completely...
When the Dangerous Creatures Committee issued its verdict, and finally declared the Hippogriff not guilty, Hagrid and Buckbeak burst into tears. Newt, who was standing in the client's seat, also smiled knowingly.
After returning to Hogwarts, Hagrid seemed to have regained his confidence. In the Care of Magical Creatures class, he no longer asked students to feed Flobberworms. Instead, he showed the young wizards many rare and distinctive magical animals.
However, Malfoy's experience of being injured last semester also reminded him, so he would take protective measures before each class and then bring the magical creatures to the little wizards.
Professor Lupin stayed at Hogwarts until Easter Eve, and only bid farewell to the professors and students of Hogwarts officially after confirming that Sirius' life was on track.
He still has his own ambitious cause to accomplish, and countless werewolves are still waiting for him in Romania. More werewolves in dire straits are waiting for this "Werewolf's Hope" to rescue them.
Dumbledore held a simple farewell party for Lupin and performed for him with other professors.
It is worth mentioning that although Snape was very reluctant, he finally attended the farewell party.
Before leaving, he casually threw a piece of parchment to Lupin, on which was the formula of the wolfsbane potion that he had personally improved over the past few months.
This recipe slightly reduces the efficacy of the wolfsbane potion improved by Damocles Bellby, but further reduces the price and difficulty of refining, making it more suitable for promotion among the vast number of poor werewolves.
…
In the second half of the school year after Christmas, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was invincible.
Their talented Seeker Harry, equipped with the world's fastest flying broom, the Firebolt, had no rivals on the field.
Basically, by the time of the semi-finals, Gryffindor had already secured the Quidditch Cup for this school year!
The students' progress in practicing the Patronus Charm is also gradually accelerating.
Learning how to cast the Patronus Charm from "Andros the Invincible", who was famous for his Patronus Charm, and often practicing with real Dementors captured by Dracula, no other magic school could have such unique learning conditions.
By the end of the school year, almost all young wizards above the third grade were able to cast silvery-white light mist.
Among them, particularly talented young wizards like Harry have even learned to release true patronuses!
All in all, everything seemed to go exceptionally well in the second half of the school year. Even though the Dementors were still lingering around the castle, it did not affect the happy mood of the young wizards at all.
It was in this atmosphere that the second trial mentioned by Fudge arrived.
…
…