"He's not going to see Nagini?" Howl was a little confused.
In the Principal's office fireplace, green flames surged upwards, engulfing the figure in the hearth, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished.
"He said... no need."
"I thought he'd be very eager to see her, even if he doesn't know Nagini, she's still a very valuable Maledictus," Howl said, his gaze falling on The Daily Prophet on the desk.
Dumbledore pushed the newspaper forward and explained, "If he didn't know Nagini, perhaps he would want to see that Maledictus."
"Because he knows her... so he'd rather not meet her..." Howl picked up the newspaper, not saying much.
The headline on the newspaper: "Challenging the World's Most Secure Prison! Captured Three Hours Later!"
Second page: "Fifty-Year-Old Murder Case Reopened, Hogwarts Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid Was Not the Juvenile Criminal."
Howl then flipped through the newspaper again, a smile appearing on his face.
Further back, there was a particularly eye-catching character interview.
"Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge — Fifty Years of Change in the Ministry of Magic, Bravely Admitting Past Mistakes, Paving the Way for a Just Future!"
"The Daily Prophet Exclusive Interview: Minister Fudge did not conceal the Ministry of Magic's errors from fifty years ago; instead, he bravely brought them to light, delivering justice to the victims.
This action may mark the beginning of Minister Fudge's judicial reform for the British Wizarding World.
'To benefit the vast number of Wizards, one must first correct one's own mistakes. The Ministry of Magic is not a place of filth and corruption; we bravely admit and take responsibility for past errors! In the future, I will continue to forge ahead on this path, all for the bright tomorrow of the Wizarding World!' Minister Fudge said."
Through these words, Howl seemed to see Fudge standing among the crowd at the press conference.
His back was straight, his face serious, and he solemnly removed his hat.
Then, he declared and promised with a resounding voice to the entire Britain.
The people below erupted in cheers.
Cheering for such a responsible and accountable Minister for Magic!
Howl put down the newspaper and smiled, "Now that's more like a politician."
"I imagine his approval ratings will be even higher after this," Dumbledore chuckled.
"Did no one ask about what happened last year?" Howl was a little surprised. "Logically speaking, people should be very curious now: since the case fifty years ago was not committed by Rubeus Hagrid, then what about this year's case? Who did it!"
"Perhaps they do," Dumbledore stirred the thick syrup in his cup.
"I did receive two letters, from students' parents. They hoped to get some truth from me.
However, most people are currently more concerned with what happened on the front page."
"Someone escaped from Azkaban?" Howl looked.
Azkaban is known as the world's most secure prison; they refuse living guards and instead have signed a contract with emotionless Dementors.
Cruel, ruthless, and impossible to bribe.
It is a place that strikes fear into the hearts of Wizards big and small across Britain, yet they are also proud of it.
From ancient times until now, no one has ever successfully escaped from Azkaban.
"I don't think so," Dumbledore said slowly. "Perhaps... he just wants to use this as an excuse to completely seal off Azkaban and refuse my request for investigation."
Howl looked at the content in the newspaper, scanning it quickly, and soon found a sentence: "The Minister was greatly angered by this, though no prisoner escaped, causing no actual harm to the public.
However, this incident is still intolerable to him. In an interview with The Daily Prophet, the Minister promised: Procedures to strengthen Azkaban will be initiated soon, as the occurrence of the escape may be related to the aging and Invalidation of magic around Azkaban."
"For Sirius's sake?" Howl clarified the underlying issue. "He won't let you in?"
"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded. "No one is not shocked by this news, and it can also be used to suppress matters within the Ministry of Magic.
When a news story is unfavorable to oneself, create a bigger one that captures the public's emotions even more."
Howl half-reclined in his chair, "It seems Mr. Minister is not entirely useless; at least he's very skilled in public opinion."
"Yes, Fudge is very good at it," Dumbledore took a sip of the syrup in his cup, a glint in his eye. "That's how he gained a lot of votes and became Minister."
Then he turned his head: "Howl, I wonder if you have any ideas... Alas, these scheming matters are indeed a bit too taxing for an old man."
"Heh heh," Howl chuckled twice.
He had no connection to Sirius whatsoever.
"However, I do have an idea," Howl said, then looked at the portraits of the previous Principals.
"Please help me call Harry Potter."
...
...
At night, the Slytherin common room was always quiet; the little snakes were always introverted and not very fond of lively — unless there was profit to be made.
In the dormitory, Draco was having a serious discussion with Potter.
"Harry, do me a favor."
Harry opened his eyes. He could already clearly feel that his Koch snowflake model's first compression was about to succeed.
Only the final step of fixing remained.
Perhaps in just two more days, his magic model would be completed, and his total magic power would increase.
"Help me train," Draco said seriously. "I want to participate in the dueling competition."
"You... want to participate?" Harry looked at him in surprise. "I thought you wouldn't care."
"Not only do I want to participate, I want to win," Draco clenched his fist fiercely.
"Help me, train me. You beat fifth-year Wizards in your first year. My request isn't high, just to have that level is fine."
Hearing this, Harry couldn't help but laugh.
He thought for a moment: "This request... is indeed not high. But the premise is that you have to endure, and I don't teach people, so... it really depends on you..."
"I'm definitely fine," Draco said.
"But you just gave up resisting after being punched once..." Harry said.
"That's called knowing you can't win, so you choose to back down first!" Draco's face was a little embarrassed, but he still said it stubbornly.
"You were flustered by one punch, weren't you?" Harry said. "After the pain stimulation, your whole body trembled uncontrollably, and your mind felt blank. In the end, you could only quickly end the duel because of the instinctive fear of the next punch coming."
"No!" Draco said. "I just felt that it was just practice, and there was no need to try so hard."
"It's just a competition, why try so hard?" Harry also said, looking directly at Draco: "It seems reasonable to have such a thought during a competition, right?"
"Damn it," Draco shook his head.
Then, he said with utmost seriousness, "I absolutely have to win, trust me."
"Why?" Harry was a little confused. "I can help you train... no, not really, I'm not at that level yet, we can train together.
It's just, I want to know why you suddenly became so... determined to win."
"I can't tell you yet," Draco said. "These are personal matters, something I must, absolutely must do myself."
"Hmm... alright, okay," Harry could only nod. "But the competition is about to start..."
Just as he was speaking, Crabbe pushed open the door.
"Harry, someone's looking for you."
"Who?"
"A painting, he said to go to the Principal's office," Crabbe said.
"Now?" Harry was a little confused. "Are you sure it's not a prank by the painting?"
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