When Harry and Ron returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, almost all the Gryffindor students were gathered there.
Many people looked at Harry with complicated expressions before taking the initiative to apologise for previously suspecting that he was the Heir of Slytherin.
Everyone knew Harry could never have harmed Hermione, and in another sense, today's attack on Hermione had effectively cleared Harry's name.
But Harry would rather never have had his name cleared in such a way.
George and Fred were giving impassioned speeches, directing their anger and resentment towards the entire Slytherin House.
After all, the Chamber of Secrets and the monster within it had been created by Salazar Slytherin, and Gryffindor had always been at odds with Slytherin.
At that moment, Professor McGonagall arrived in the Common Room with a noticeably pale face to announce that Hogwarts would likely be closed soon. The Ministry of Magic had already intervened in the matter, and she hoped that anyone with clues would report them to a Professor.
Because as long as the culprit was caught, everything could still be salvaged.
Watching Professor McGonagall climb through the portrait hole with somewhat clumsy movements, the students of Gryffindor House gradually fell silent.
No matter how passionately they denounced things here, it would not change the current situation.
But hidden in a corner, Harry felt his resolve slowly harden.
"We have to go find Hagrid!"
Ron said gloomily,
"I don't believe Hagrid would harm Hermione."
"I don't believe it either, but since he was the one who released the monster from the Chamber of Secrets last time, he must know something about the Chamber of Secrets! We have to talk to Hagrid!"
Having decided on their plan, Harry took out the invisibility cloak his father had left him that evening, and together with Ron, they slipped out of the now heavily guarded Hogwarts castle.
It wasn't just the Professors anymore; all the prefects and ghosts in the castle had been mobilised to patrol every corridor.
It took Harry and Ron considerable effort to finally reach Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid appeared extremely nervous. He was holding a crossbow and constantly glancing around outside his hut, nearly injuring Harry and Ron by accident when they approached.
"Oh, it's you two. I thought it was..."
He lowered the crossbow, muttered a few words, and led Harry and Ron into the hut.
Hagrid distractedly made tea for them, and Harry and Ron wasted no time getting straight to the point.
"Hermione was attacked."
Hagrid's voice was noticeably choked as he handed tea to Harry and Ron.
"Oh... right, I heard."
Even while speaking, his eyes kept darting towards the window. Harry tried to maintain eye contact with him, but Hagrid avoided his gaze entirely.
"We want to know if you know anything..."
Just as Harry trailed off, a soft knock suddenly sounded at the hut door.
Hagrid dropped the fruitcake in his hand. Harry and Ron exchanged panicked glances; they absolutely could not let anyone discover they had snuck out of the castle.
They immediately threw the invisibility cloak over themselves and retreated into a corner. Once Hagrid confirmed they were hidden, he grabbed his crossbow again and yanked the door open.
The person outside was Dumbledore, and beside him stood a short, stout middle-aged Wizard wearing a suit and tie beneath his Wizarding robes.
Ron recognised the man accompanying Dumbledore and leaned close to whisper in Harry's ear.
"That's the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. He's my dad's direct superior."
Harry jabbed him with an elbow, signalling for him to stay quiet.
Hagrid looked at Fudge with an ugly expression, but because Dumbledore was present, he could only step aside and invite them inside.
Fudge spoke in a tone that sounded conflicted, though anyone could tell he was actually more impatient than anyone else.
"There have already been four attacks at Hogwarts, and the writers at the Daily Prophet are working overnight. By tomorrow, the entire British Wizarding World will know what has happened here, so I must take some measures before then. It's terrible, truly terrible, Hagrid, but I have to come for you."
He did not speak plainly, but even Harry and Ron, hidden in the corner, understood his meaning.
"I didn't do it."
Hagrid looked pleadingly at Dumbledore.
"You know I didn't, Professor Dumbledore, sir..."
Dumbledore appeared exceptionally calm, as though he had anticipated all of this before arriving.
"I must emphasise once again, Fudge: I trust Hagrid more than anyone. Neither before nor now do the attacks in this castle have anything to do with him. Even if you take him away today, it will accomplish nothing."
"Why can't you think from my perspective?" Fudge fiddled nervously with his bowler hat. "I'm the Minister for Magic, and now that something this serious has happened, I have to do something to answer to the public. Besides, I never said I planned to harm Hagrid. I'm simply taking him somewhere for questioning. Once the real culprit is caught, we'll release him."
Hagrid's face turned deathly pale as he asked in a trembling voice,
"You're planning to send me to Azkaban?"
Fudge did not answer directly. Instead, he spoke vaguely.
"Where exactly you are taken will depend on how the situation develops."
The hut fell silent for a brief moment. Apart from Hagrid's heavy breathing, nobody spoke.
Then Dumbledore folded his hands together, looked at Fudge, and asked in an unreadable tone,
"Must you take Hagrid away today?"
The calmer Dumbledore acted, the harder it became for Fudge to understand what he was truly thinking.
After hesitating for a long while, Fudge replied awkwardly,
"You have to consider the feelings of the public... They need an explanation, Dumbledore... I have no choice..."
Hearing this, Dumbledore gently raised a hand to stop him from continuing.
"If you insist, then as Minister for Magic, you certainly have the authority to take Hagrid away."
The moment Dumbledore showed such an accommodating attitude, delight immediately appeared on Fudge's face, while Hagrid looked utterly miserable.
However, Dumbledore then added calmly,
"But since matters have reached this point, I believe Hogwarts castle is no longer safe. In three days, I will advise all students to return home, and Hogwarts will close from that point onward. Once the culprit is caught, normal classes will resume."