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"Headmaster Dumbledore, I believe you need to come with us."
Lucius seemed to have completely replaced Fudge, as if he were the real Minister for Magic.
"You shielded the culprit who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago and killed a female student. As far as I know, he is still Hogwarts's Keeper of Keys and Grounds. Allowing such a dangerous person to remain here, especially after something similar happened again, is something I believe you should explain properly."
"Of course, not to me. To the other students' parents."
Lucius spoke with righteous confidence, as if he truly were upholding justice.
"Dumbledore, is what Mr. Lucius said true?" At that, Fudge's expression changed as well. Although he was somewhat foolish, he had finally managed to react. "How could you leave such a dangerous person at Hogwarts? This could endanger the lives of the other students!"
Did Fudge know Hagrid was at Hogwarts? Probably.
He said this because he was worried the matter would affect his public support. He still wanted to remain Minister for Magic.
"Hagrid was innocent of what happened back then."
Dumbledore said only this, calmly. His bright blue eyes remained fixed on Lucius's cold gray ones.
"Whether he was innocent is not for you to decide. The Ministry convicted him back then." Lucius only needed to hold on to that one point. Even if the Ministry truly had been wrong, it would never admit it, because doing so would undoubtedly damage its authority.
"Now, you need to come with us to the Wizengamot."
"Together with your Keeper of Keys and Grounds."
Seeing that his goal had already been reached, Lucius, whether intentionally or not, glanced toward the Slytherin table. His gaze lingered on Draco for less than a second.
'Do you see? This is your father's ability.'
'Even the greatest White Wizard can be manipulated by me.'
"Listen to me, students." Lucius nodded with satisfaction. Then he turned, stood at the front, and addressed the students. "From this moment onward, Dumbledore is no longer your headmaster."
"This place is very dangerous, so you must follow our arrangements, the Ministry's arrangements, and the arrangements of these Aurors."
"Minister, I assume leaving this place in the hands of the Ministry's excellent Aurors will not be a problem?" Lucius said, turning toward the man who nominally stood at the top of Britain's magical power structure, as if only now remembering him.
If the Ministry's Aurors could not resolve what happened next, then it would have nothing to do with him.
"No problem. Of course, no problem." Fudge wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered.
He could hardly say, in front of all Hogwarts' teachers and students, that he could not handle it.
The students immediately burst into an uproar. They whispered among themselves, and some had already started calling for owls, preparing to write home and ask what was happening.
Lucius nodded and revealed a satisfied smile. Then he coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.
"Of course. Since even the headmaster has been replaced, I believe there are certain matters that should be explained in advance."
Hearing this, Draco's eyes widened. A bad feeling suddenly rose in him.
'Father isn't... he isn't going to...'
"I have heard that certain people, through some unknown method, or perhaps some kind of charm, persuaded the former headmaster to approve the formation of an illegal organization."
Lucius emphasized the words "former" and "illegal," hinting at two things at once.
"Everyone should know about it, yes? It is that... what was it? Forgive me. This kind of unfamiliar organization is the first I have heard of, so I cannot quite remember."
Lucius pretended to think. Then, as if he had remembered, his face lit up with sudden understanding, and he said slowly, "Oh, the disciplinary group. Yes."
"I have heard that several students were expelled because of them. Look at that. Students were expelled, and the Board of Governors was not even notified. I only learned about it through other channels. Truly irresponsible."
Lucius laid it out piece by piece, his casual attitude making it seem as though he were describing something trivial, while his tone emphasized every point.
"I have also heard that they never respect professors. Not long ago, a professor was even attacked in public. Good heavens, that is simply dreadful."
Lucius twisted the facts without hesitation, using an exaggerated tone as he spoke. Without leaving a trace, he glanced at Lockhart, then let his gaze settle on Neville.
"What do you think, Minister Fudge?"
"Hm? I... er..." Fudge had still been thinking about Dumbledore's removal and how he could keep his own hands clean while throwing the blame elsewhere. Lucius's sudden change of topic caught him off guard, and he stammered for a long time without saying anything useful.
Disciplinary group? What was that?
Lucius was not surprised by Fudge's reaction at all. After glancing at him with contempt, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he spoke.
"Minister Fudge, someone told me that this organization answers directly to the respected former headmaster, Mr. Dumbledore."
Fudge did not know what the disciplinary group was.
But he picked up on several key words: organization, answers directly, Dumbledore.
"Is that true? Is what Mr. Lucius said true?" Fudge became somewhat agitated. "Dumbledore, you never told me!"
When Fudge had first become Minister for Magic, he had basically relied on Dumbledore's help to stabilize his position. Dumbledore's prestige at the time had been at its height. He had defeated the worst Dark wizard in history, Grindelwald, and led others against the Dark Lord. If Dumbledore had wished it and merely nodded, the position of Minister for Magic would certainly have been his.
Back then, Fudge had been cautious in everything he did. No matter what the matter was, he first asked Dumbledore for his opinion. For a time, he had even been called Dumbledore's yes-man. This situation continued until the Order of the Phoenix disbanded, and only after confirming that Dumbledore truly had no intention of becoming Minister for Magic did Fudge finally breathe a little easier.
Dumbledore was both the person who had helped him the most and the person who had placed the greatest pressure on him.
But now, hearing that Dumbledore had formed some kind of organization again undoubtedly struck a nerve with Fudge.
Especially the words answers directly to Dumbledore.
What did he want? What was he trying to do?
"Cornelius, I do not believe I am required to tell you everything."
Dumbledore's tone was full of helplessness.
The Minister for Magic was far too sensitive, especially when matters involved Dumbledore himself or anything related to power.
Lucius smiled proudly. With only a few words, he had shaken the Minister for Magic and pulled him to his side.
"I believe this sort of illegal organization should be disbanded."
Lucius finally bared his fangs and stated his purpose.
And he believed Fudge would definitely stand on his side.
"Therefore, beginning today, Hogwarts will no longer have a disciplinary group."
"This childish game of pretend should be disbanded."
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