Within days, a front-page headline in the Daily Prophet caused a sensation throughout the magical world.
The article not only featured petrification incidents among students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but also photos of students petrified in the school infirmary!
Colin, Justin...
His expression was stiff, and his eyes were filled with terror.
The newspapers provided a detailed record of all the actions and measures taken by Hogwarts from the first petrification incident.
This includes professors, principals, and students.
The account of the events was extremely detailed, even describing clearly the positions and actions of Harry, Argus, and the others when Mrs. Norris was petrified.
The report also included a candid photo of Filch.
Inside the office, Filch angrily pounded on the table, muttering incessantly about Harry being the murderer.
Below the photo was a series of conspiracy theories about Dumbledore and Harry.
A series of speculations fueled the British wizards' anger, and they were eager to demand an explanation from Dumbledore.
Some radical parents even demanded that Dumbledore expel Harry!
Looking at the various newspapers in his hand, Argus tapped his knuckles lightly on the table.
This was a habitual action he took when he was thinking.
Rita Skeeter... No one in Britain, besides her, had the ability to infiltrate Hogwarts and gather so much intelligence, nor would they dare to write about Dumbledore like that.
Controlling the Daily Prophet was not easy, but controlling a small, illegal Animagus shouldn't have been too difficult.
If he was not mistaken, given the other person's personality, she definitely wouldn't leave Hogwarts.
Maybe she was secretly watching Harry somewhere right then.
Perhaps he was also a target of hers, being one of the supporting characters in the incident.
Now was the best time to find her. First, he could confirm that she was at Hogwarts.
Secondly, due to the influence of the basilisk, most insects and animals chose to flee Hogwarts Castle.
At this moment, a beetle that showed no sign of fleeing would seem somewhat out of place.
It was much easier to catch her than under normal circumstances.
At the same time, Dumbledore was frowning in his office.
He couldn't understand how the environment he had painstakingly created for Harry's upbringing had turned out like this.
These events, one after another, left him exhausted.
On the first day of school, they caused a major disaster, almost exposing the magical world.
Although Harry was not the main culprit, as the savior, he was born to bear more scrutiny than others.
If he hadn't done them a huge favor, they would have been expelled from school at the very least.
As soon as that incident passed, the petrification incident occurred at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore was aware of this matter; Hagrid had been expelled for the same reason years ago.
He intended to use this incident as a whetstone for Harry, while also building up Harry's reputation once again.
But these things must never be exposed to the public!
Hagrid's tragedy was still fresh in their minds, and Harry, as the prime suspect, might very well be made a scapegoat just like Hagrid had been.
"With so many things going on, the Board of Governors will definitely get involved, or try to find a way to intervene in Hogwarts."
"They've been eyeing Hogwarts for a long time."
"The Ministry of Magic too!"
On the mural on the wall, an old man with a goatee was rambling on and on.
"No, they will try to take over some of Hogwarts' authority, but they will not interfere in Hogwarts' affairs in the short term."
"At least not until this matter is resolved."
Another kind old lady shook her head and continued, "Hogwarts is a hot potato right now. They don't know if Albus can handle it. If even Albus can't handle it, their fruitless intervention will only be condemned by the British wizards."
"It's utterly useless except for getting yourself into trouble."
Another old man in black robes nodded: "That's right. Decades ago, the Ministry of Magic announced that monsters would be executed."
"Now that the students are in trouble, they can't escape responsibility."
"But the board of directors really needs to be careful; your suspension last time was a signal."
"The Board of Governors has its eye on Hogwarts; we need to make plans as soon as possible."
Dumbledore picked up the pile of Cockroach Clusters from the table and put them into the milk.
He took a sip, and his expression relaxed slightly.
"I know what you're saying. What really worries me is the school board and the Ministry of Magic working together."
"They might do something like this for Hogwarts."
"If I'm not mistaken, they'll be sending people to take Harry away soon."
...
As expected.
That afternoon, the Ministry of Magic sent people to investigate the petrification incident.
The team leader was Fudge, followed by the newly appointed Auror Commander, Alan Mitchell!
Umbridge had originally volunteered to come, but Fudge refused.
The reason was simple: with her meager magical skills, whom could she possibly defeat?
Even if she encountered monsters inside Hogwarts, she was just going to her death!
There was one more thing Fudge didn't mention.
Alan Mitchell was far better than Umbridge.
Not only was he loyal to Fudge, but his efficiency and attitude were far superior to Umbridge's.
Umbridge's status in Fudge's heart had subtly surpassed that of Umbridge—no, wait, Alan's value had quietly eclipsed hers.
Fudge had no immediate plans to break ties with Dumbledore, and Alan Mitchell was more tactful than Umbridge.
If they let her go, who knew what trouble she might cause.
Alan Mitchell, accompanied by several Aurors, brought Fudge to Dumbledore's office.
Adhering to Argus' principles of conduct.
Polite and respectful, but not talkative.
This gave Dumbledore a headache, and he also realized that this newly appointed Auror Director was not someone who could be dealt with by ordinary means.
While Fudge and Dumbledore were arguing, Alan led his men to search the entire Hogwarts.
The result was obvious.
How could a few Aurors easily find something that Hogwarts' successive headmasters and professors had searched for so many years without success?
The so-called search was nothing more than a way of showing the public an attitude.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic needs to get some information from the relevant personnel."
"Including Mr. Filch, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Mr. Harry Potter, and Mr. Argus Grindelwald."
"Please send someone to have them come over."
"If possible, please prepare a separate room for us to ensure that the information is not leaked during the inquiry."
Alan Mitchell spoke politely, making a reasonable request that Dumbledore couldn't refuse.
He nodded, signaling Professor McGonagall to bring the group over.
Soon, Argus and the others arrived at Dumbledore's office.
Alan Mitchell and Argus exchanged a glance, then pretended not to know each other.
"Mr. Grindelwald, it's been a long time!"
Upon seeing Argus, Fudge felt much more confident and stepped forward with a smile to give Argus a hug.
"Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Alan Mitchell, the Director of the Auror Command at the Ministry of Magic."
"Hello, Mr. Mitchell."
"Hello, Mr. Grindelwald."