Days wandering around Hogwarts

Chapter 411 Don’t worry about this

Starting in mid-July, Hogsmeade became busier than ever.

The exception was the Goblin Rebellion in 1612, when it was hot enough and burned many houses, and the fighting lasted a long time and was noisy enough, but it was not the kind of noise that people needed.

Quidditch fans come to watch the World Cup, and decryption challenges and forums are held, which leads to a large number of foreign wizards coming to the UK. Their food, clothing, housing and transportation are all taken care of by local gangs.

Not all foreign visitors are happy to live in tents and want to stay in more comfortable places.

So a local capitalist lady saw a business opportunity and rented a lot of houses in Hogsmeade. The landlords took the money and went on vacation to the sunny Mediterranean or Caribbean regions. After cleaning up the houses, they rented them out to guests from afar.

After settling down in Hogsmeade, these guests naturally boosted the local economy. They usually ate at the Dancing Grass Restaurant and had a drink at the Three Broomsticks Bar in their spare time.

The Three Broomsticks Pub is particularly lively today. Many wizards have come, and foreign wizards cannot enter.

Now Dumbledore thought he had figured out why Charles was always getting into trouble and was so bold. It must have been Jack who taught him that.

He had just persuaded Jack to leave number 3 Privet Drive for a while yesterday, and there was a wizard invasion last night.

But by the time he had saved the disk, the Aurors had already arrived and captured the man.

Today he personally interrogated the prisoner, worried that it was the Death Eaters who were causing the trouble, and finally found out that it was Charles' thesis that caused it.

As he left the Ministry, he received news that Jack was being interviewed by a reporter at the Three Broomsticks.

Jack had been interviewed by reporters a few times in the past, but he only spoke to reporters while playing in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Today's interview was very formal and the bar was packed with people. Reporters from the British Daily Prophet and other media were there, including The Quibbler, as well as many foreign journalists who came to visit the Quidditch World Cup.

Jack was wearing a formal black suit, his hair was neatly combed and his expression was determined.

The content of the interrogation spread quickly to well-connected wizards, and people already knew why the criminals attacked Charles's house.

Mr. Garrick, editor-in-chief of "Flower Hat" magazine, was sitting next to Jack, severely condemning the criminal's behavior.

Mr. Garrick was a pure scholar who paid close attention to Charles' experiments and wrote to Professor Sprout every month to inquire about the progress.

He had always regarded the use of Muggle fertilizers in herbs as a purely academic issue. Now someone wanted to kidnap Charles' grandfather and burn down the house to force Charles to admit his mistake because of this experiment. Charles was furious when he heard the news.

"This attempt to use the safety of the family members to force the scholar to admit his mistakes is extremely shameless and a disgrace to the whole of Britain!"

Mr. Garrick was not worried about Jack's safety because he knew Jack's true identity and had helped him sell trees and raise sheep over the years.

What made him angry was this kind of behavior. If academic conflicts were resolved in this way in the future, what would happen?

There are many wizards who are engaged in research. Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office, studies the countermeasures to dark magic at work. Even Fudge, in his spare time when he is not the Minister of Magic, likes to study flowers, plants and potions as a pastime, and publishes a paper from time to time for fun.

If pursuing academic research would threaten the safety of their families, these wizards would definitely be very dissatisfied.

Dumbledore wanted to go into the Three Broomsticks, but was stopped outside the door and asked to sit in the Minister's Box in the Dancing Grass Restaurant.

In the box, Fudge said to Dumbledore seriously: "I hope that no matter what happens today, you will not show up and do not express any opinions."

Dumbledore asked in a cold voice, "What do you want Jack to do?"

He knew that there was an irreparable rift between him and Fudge, and he didn't want to care what Fudge was going to do, but there was one prerequisite: don't hurt your friends.

Fudge replied: "We just let Mr. Smith do what he wants to do and say what he wants to say." Then he said very seriously: "Wizards are standing at the crossroads of life and death. Now every step needs to be taken carefully."

"For the greater good of wizarding society, we must break the rules."

Dumbledore looked at Fudge seriously, and the Minister seemed to have returned to the days before he became a minister when he was brave enough to fight and fight.

To outsiders, it seemed that Fudge was able to become Minister of Magic because Barty Crouch could not serve as minister because his son was a Death Eater and Dumbledore did not participate in the competition, but the officials and staff in the Ministry of Magic knew very well that he had always been a capable and enterprising person.

It's just that after becoming the minister, Fudge had no new goals and no place to use his enterprising spirit. He couldn't just attack the French Ministry of Magic.

He soon became complacent, began to enjoy the fruits of years of struggle, and became obsessed with power and status.

Now Dumbledore suddenly discovered that the energy had appeared in Fudge again.

At the same time, he heard a familiar slogan and asked seriously, "What did Grindelwald tell you?"

Fudge waved his hand and said, "It has nothing to do with him. This is our decision."

Dumbledore didn't ask any more questions. The "we" he mentioned might not just be a few high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic, but many families.

Grindelwald’s favorite thing is to paint a big picture to win people over, but I don’t know what kind of picture he painted this time.

Dumbledore didn't ask Fudge and planned to ask Grindelwald directly later.

Fudge seemed to want to drag Dumbledore here and asked a question: "I heard that you want to build an independent magic school with a higher level than Hogwarts?"

"I think this is a great idea. Many wizards continue to study magic after graduating from Hogwarts, but their level is limited and they lack guidance, which leads to some tragedies."

"A few years ago, Mrs. Lovegood was killed while experimenting with spells at home. Her 9-year-old daughter witnessed it all."

"I just can't imagine how horrible and cruel it is for a little girl to watch her mother die in front of her."

"I believe a school like this is necessary, and the Ministry of Magic could provide some financial support."

Dumbledore listened in silence.

When Charles first proposed the idea of ​​building a magic research institute, he privately asked many people, and most of them were interested.

It's just that he didn't have the energy to deal with the political factors behind this matter at the moment, so he put it aside for the time being.

It was not difficult for Fudge to know this, but bringing it up now and proposing funding from the Ministry of Magic had a flavor of political exchange in it.

The Ministry of Magic agreed to Dumbledore setting up such an academic institution, so Dumbledore should not interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Magic. Everyone should happily do what they want to do. Isn't it good to be harmonious?

Dumbledore looked at Fudge quietly for a long time before saying, "You must ensure Jack's safety."

He saw the attitude of the Ministry of Magic, but he didn't know what they were going to do. He didn't jump to conclusions before asking Grindelwald for clarification. He wanted to make sure Jack was safe first.

Fudge said: "We will definitely ensure Mr. Smith's safety. To this end, we have invited a Hogwarts professor to be his bodyguard."

Dumbledore was relieved. Some things were known to many people. Since the Ministry of Magic asked Minerva to be Jack's bodyguard, he should not be a lamppost.

Fudge continued: "I believe Severus can protect Mr. Smith."

(End of this chapter)