At that moment, Hermione suddenly turned to look at Harry beside her and tried asking, "Harry, what do you think about this?"
In reality, this matter was indeed secretly Voldemort's doing.
After discovering that many of his subordinates still active in the wizarding world no longer obeyed his orders, Voldemort immediately changed his thinking and turned his gaze toward the followers imprisoned in Azkaban.
He believed that those followers active in the wizarding world had long since forgotten his former authority and grace. They had become obsessed with their current power and no longer supported him.
Only the followers imprisoned in Azkaban still hated the Ministry of Magic, hated Dumbledore, and hated everything that had once opposed him.
So he spent a great deal of effort and finally rescued the Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban.
But he probably did not know that even those Death Eaters had already been secretly controlled by Harry.
However, unlike old Malfoy and the others, who still retained their own subjective consciousness, those Death Eaters had been placed under an enhanced version of the Imperius Curse by Harry. Their reason would not be damaged, but they would be utterly loyal to Harry.
Harry was preparing to stage a script.
First, Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic would fall into complete conflict as Hogwarts prepared to reform the entire wizarding world. But under old Malfoy's leadership, the Ministry of Magic would miraculously defeat Hogwarts.
After that, Voldemort would lead his former subordinates in a powerful return, burning, killing, looting, and committing every evil imaginable inside the Ministry of Magic.
It would be at that moment that the Ministry of Magic would finally remember the technological power of the Muggles.
Then, once again under the leadership of the great old Malfoy, the Ministry of Magic would finally rely on firearms such as pistols and rifles to defeat Voldemort.
After that, they would no longer oppose creations from the Muggle world. Instead, they would strongly support introducing them.
That was roughly the script. Everything inside the script was under Harry's control.
But Harry also knew that although the script he had imagined was excellent, any one of its basic steps could undergo a drastic change, such as ancient mages hidden in the wizarding world, or the Dimensional Demon God known as Death, and so on.
But Harry was not afraid of challenges. Reform had to be carried out. He guaranteed it.
Harry said calmly, "I don't have any particular thoughts. If Voldemort comes back again, then we'll defeat him again. After all, his first target should be the Ministry of Magic. During the years since his fall, the Ministry hasn't exactly held back on slandering him, has it, Professor Umbridge?"
As soon as Harry finished speaking, a soft crack suddenly came from outside the window, like someone stepping on a dry branch in front of the hut.
Harry and the other three turned their heads at the same time and looked outside the window.
In the dusk, a pinkish-purple figure was standing beside the thicket not far from the hut. Her fluffy curls looked like a pile of moldy cotton candy, and her lace-rimmed glasses reflected a cold gleam in the dim light.
It was Umbridge. She was holding a silver notebook and lowering her head to write something in it, the corner of her mouth carrying that physically nauseating, hypocritical fake smile.
After realizing that she had been discovered, Umbridge immediately panicked and wanted to leave.
But just as she tried to leave, she discovered that she could not move. A powerful force tugged at the back of her neck and pulled her toward Harry and the other three.
Umbridge's body suddenly floated up like a pinkish-purple puppet being yanked by strings. The moment her feet left the ground, she let out a short scream, a shrill and ridiculous sound like a mouse being stepped on.
"You, what are you doing?" Her voice twisted with shock. Her plump fingers clawed wildly in the air, trying to grab onto something for support, but she only caught a handful of empty air.
She had not expected to be discovered, and now she was terrified, afraid that Harry, this great Dark Lord, might do something terrible to her.
She did not think Harry was an ordinary young wizard who would only threaten her verbally and never actually act.
In the worst-case scenario, Harry might even cast the Cruciatus Curse on her!
Harry used the Levitation Charm to make Umbridge float in front of him and sneered. "Professor Umbridge, eavesdropping is not something worth praising."
Umbridge tried to pull out her wand, but her wrist was bound by an invisible force, and she could not raise it no matter what she did.
Her face, which was usually covered in a fake smile, had now turned beet-red, like a sun-rotted tomato.
She cried out in panic, "There is no rule saying I'm not allowed to eavesdrop. Or are you doing something guilty?
"And yet you are openly violating school rules right now. I will report this to Dumbledore!
"No, I will write directly to the Ministry of Magic. You will be expelled, Potter! You will absolutely be expelled!"
Her words suddenly stuck in her throat, because Harry raised his hand slightly, and the force of the Levitation Charm made her float several meters higher, leaving her even farther from the ground.
At the same time, Harry gently wiggled his fingers, as if he might release the Levitation Charm at any moment and let her fall.
Falling from this height without any protection would definitely break bones, so Umbridge immediately did not dare make another sound.
Harry nodded. "That's better. Be quiet. Let's have a proper talk. Did you come here to eavesdrop because you were following someone's orders, or was this your own idea?"
Umbridge stammered and still did not want to speak.
Harry frowned and waved his finger. Umbridge began spinning rapidly in the air. After one minute, Harry stopped, and Umbridge immediately vomited onto the grass below. Seeing that Harry was about to act again, she quickly said, "I'll talk, I'll talk. It was my own idea. I thought you must have some shameful secret if you came to the Forbidden Forest alone, so I wanted to follow you and see what was really going on.
"I was wrong. I really was wrong. I'll leave right now and won't bother you anymore."
Harry did not reply. He simply threw Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a portal opened beneath her feet, and then another portal opened one meter above her.
The two portals connected to each other, allowing Umbridge to experience Loki's treatment.
The treatment Umbridge experienced was an upgraded version of Loki's. Harry planned to let Umbridge freefall for an hour before letting her go.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed. During this month, Harry and the others completed their O.W.L. examinations, and all of them passed.
Aside from that, some officials from the Ministry of Magic disappeared one after another. Combined with the previous Azkaban breakout, everyone assumed this was Voldemort's doing.
To the surprise of some wizards, Voldemort actually stepped forward. He kidnapped a reporter from the Daily Prophet and forced him to report his words.
In the image, Voldemort's gaze was sinister as he held his wand against the back of the reporter's neck. His snake-like voice slowly flowed out, carrying cold mockery.
"Write!"
His voice was like poisoned icicles. Every word scraped against the air.
"Tell those fools curled up and trembling beside the Ministry fireplaces that the disappearance of their officials has nothing to do with me!"
Only a small number of wizards believed Voldemort's denial. They thought Voldemort had no need to lie, but most people believed this was Voldemort's new conspiracy. They believed that this was indeed Voldemort's doing.
After all, other than him, who else in this world would kidnap members of the Ministry of Magic?
Wait.
Some clever wizards realized something. Other than Voldemort, there really were people who might kidnap Ministry members because of conflicting interests.
Harry and Dumbledore wanted to reform the wizarding world, and that had brought them into conflict with the Ministry of Magic. Could they be kidnapping members of the Ministry of Magic for the sake of reform?
What made it even more coincidental was that most of the kidnapped Ministry members were members of pure-blood families, and they opposed technological creations entering the wizarding world.
The wizards who thought of this felt a chill run through their entire bodies. They were smart people. There was no benefit driving them to release this information, so this speculation still did not stir up any waves in the wizarding world.
Aside from the news of Ministry officials going missing, there was another piece of news attracting great attention across the wizarding world.
The relationship between the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts had become increasingly severe. Recently, old Malfoy had even declared that he would completely defeat Hogwarts.
They intended to bring Hogwarts fully under the Ministry of Magic's control, rather than let Hogwarts act recklessly.
At first, some wizards believed the conflict between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic would still take several months to erupt. But to their surprise, not long afterward, the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic suddenly came out in full force and advanced toward Hogwarts.
This news also reached the ears of many young witches and wizards at Hogwarts, and they were all very worried about it.
They worried whether Dumbledore could defeat the Ministry of Magic.
If he could not, then had all their hard work these past days been wasted?
That day, Neville anxiously ran into the Great Hall and said to Harry, who was eating, "Harry, stop eating. Something huge has happened!"
Neville's fists were clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles turning white. His usually timid eyes were frighteningly bright.
His chest rose and fell from his rapid breathing. His voice carried a faint trembling tension, but every word was bitten out with unusual clarity.
"The Ministry of Magic has attacked. They want to capture Headmaster Dumbledore and you, and take complete control of Hogwarts.
"Harry, they can't do this. They absolutely can't!"
Harry had not expected Neville to be so emotional. This young wizard, who was usually cowardly, was now so brave, braver than most young witches and wizards.
Harry patted Neville's shoulder and comforted him.
"Don't worry, Neville. The Ministry of Magic won't succeed. Headmaster Dumbledore and I absolutely won't be captured by them. Come on, let's go have a look!"
At this moment, the morning mist had just dispersed, and the grounds in front of Hogwarts Castle seemed as if they had been struck by a Freezing Charm.
More than a hundred figures in silver-green uniforms stood in a neat formation on the grass. The Aurors' wands were angled toward the ground, their tips gleaming coldly. Their heels pressed into the damp blades of grass, leaving a neat field of dark marks.
They looked aggressive and ready to act at any moment.
Facing them were the professors and upper-year students of Hogwarts.
Their line was arranged in a row, like a loosened but stubborn dam.
Professor McGonagall stood at the very front. Beneath her pointed hat, her gaze was harder than the wand in her hand. Her black robes whipped in the morning wind, as if they might turn into a night owl diving toward the enemy formation at any moment.
Professor Flitwick stood on tiptoe beside her. His normally gentle round face was now as tense as a stone slab. This dueling master had already prepared himself for battle.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Ministry of Magic did not want to come into direct conflict with Hogwarts. To put it bluntly, the power contained within this school could even rival the Ministry of Magic.
Dumbledore and Harry Potter alone were already difficult enough to deal with, let alone the other powerful professors.
Lucius Malfoy slowly walked out from the rear side of the Auror formation. His gaze swept over the professors opposite him, and the corner of his mouth curved into his usual contemptuous smile.
"My dear professors, we all understand the meaning of standing here today.
"The Aurors of the Ministry of Magic have not come to make an enemy of Hogwarts. We have come to stop a rebellion that is about to devour the entire wizarding world.
"Minerva, you and I have known each other for many years. You should understand Dumbledore's ambition. He has occupied this school for decades, raised private soldiers, and indulged Harry Potter as he drilled dark magic in the Forbidden Forest. Is this what a headmaster should do?
"What Dumbledore has poured into Harry Potter has never been education, but a weapon to overthrow the Ministry of Magic. He is cultivating a third-generation Dark Lord!
"Hand them over, and Hogwarts can return to peace. You will remain respected professors, and the students will not have to bleed for the ambitions of rebels.
"I swear upon the honor of the Malfoy family and the Minister for Magic that as long as you hand over Dumbledore and Harry Potter, the Ministry of Magic will let bygones be bygones.
"After all, we all wish to maintain peace, do we not?"
Professor McGonagall replied coldly, "Lucius Malfoy, every word you spit from your mouth stains the honor of Hogwarts.
"When Headmaster Dumbledore was protecting this school, you were still in Diagon Alley using money to buy connections so that you could escape Ministry punishment for once becoming a Death Eater.
"When Harry Potter was fighting Voldemort's claws in the Forbidden Forest, you were hiding in your own basement, terrified that Voldemort would settle accounts with you.
"Do not think that becoming Minister for Magic gives you the right to slander them however you please. They are absolutely not that kind of people.
"You say he is gathering power?
"That's right. But that is power to resist the darkness, not ambition to overthrow the Ministry of Magic!
"You want us to hand over our headmaster and our student? Fine. Ask the wands in our hands whether they agree first!"
At that moment, the lower-year students watching from around them began shouting.
"Harry Potter is here! Harry Potter is here!"
"Move aside! Let Harry Potter through!"
Seeing Harry arrive, Professor McGonagall grew somewhat tense. She patted Harry's shoulder and comforted him.
"Don't worry, child. Hogwarts is your home. We are here. We old folks are not so old that we can no longer protect our own students.
"No matter what happens in a moment, remember this, you are not facing all of this alone."
Harry's throat felt as if something had blocked it. The coolness of Professor McGonagall's fingertips still lingered on his shoulder, but that tiny bit of warmth was like a spark falling into a pile of dry grass, burning hot inside his heart.
He opened his mouth and wanted to say thank you, but found his voice stuck in his throat. Only a tight, sour feeling remained.
Guilt wrapped around him like vines, squeezing his chest until it felt stuffy.
He looked at Professor McGonagall's straightened back again. This professor, who always wore a stern expression and did everything meticulously, was standing in front of more than a hundred members of the Ministry of Magic for his sake, blocking them with shoulders that were not particularly broad.
And none of this should have been borne by her.
Harry thought that perhaps he should have told Professor McGonagall and the others about the script earlier. But aside from Headmaster Dumbledore, the others probably would never have agreed to his plan.
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