Upon hearing this, Fudge adjusted the bowler hat on his head, his expression turning unpleasant. "If it wasn't you, who else could it be?"
"Oh, that's not right. There's also that little brat Ethan Iadrienne who could make seventeen Dementors disappear silently. Besides him, tell me, who else could it be?"
"You need to understand, these Dementors are all employees of the Ministry of Magic, all members of the Ministry."
This morning, after receiving a report from the Ministry of Magic official in charge of supervising the Dementors that seventeen of them were missing, Fudge's first suspect was Dumbledore.
He had been extremely unwilling when I initially suggested allowing Dementors to reside in Hogwarts to search for Sirius Black.
Now, it's highly possible that Dumbledore is using his own methods to protest against the Ministry of Magic.
Moreover, the relationship between the Dementors and the Ministry of Magic isn't exactly one of superior and subordinate, but rather a cooperative one.
The Ministry of Magic provides the Dementors with a safe place where they can freely absorb happiness, which means the prisoners of Azkaban are at their disposal, as long as no one dies.
In return, the Dementors must ensure that the prisoners of Azkaban do not escape, faithfully fulfilling their duties as prison guards.
Sirius Black's escape this time was due to the Dementors' dereliction of duty, which is why they were allowed to come out and capture Dementors. Otherwise, commanding them would be quite difficult.
Originally, Ethan had wiped out one-third of the total number of Dementors brought out last time. Whether they were stationed at Azkaban or heading to Hogwarts, they all had considerable opinions about the Ministry of Magic, and Fudge had a hard time pacifying them.
Now, barely half a month has passed, and something else has happened. How is Fudge supposed to explain this to the Dementors?
If the Dementors were to cause trouble and go on strike, ultimately creating loopholes in Azkaban's defenses, allowing those criminals to find opportunities to escape...
Leaving aside the impact these escaped criminals would have on the wizarding world, there hasn't been a large-scale prison break since the Ministry of Magic was established.
If such a scandal were to occur during my term, I, the Minister of Magic, would probably be recorded in history with the title of the worst Minister of Magic ever.
Fudge absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen.
"Cornelius, you need to know that we're not the only ones who can deal with Dementors, and many spells can affect them."
"Iadrienne probably used Fiendfyre, but he controlled it well, so he didn't leave any traces on the train. But some soul-targeting spells will be even more effective against Dementors!"
Dumbledore looked helpless. First of all, he certainly didn't touch the Dementors, unless he was sleepwalking.
As for whether Ethan did it, Dumbledore couldn't judge.
Mainly, these Dementors aren't currently within Hogwarts, and the two sides basically can't see each other, so how could there be a conflict?
If Ethan was unilaterally causing trouble, that wouldn't make sense either. After all, the Dementors suffered last time, and Ethan and his group didn't suffer any losses.
The Dementors couldn't get any benefits from anywhere, and there was nothing worth Ethan coveting, so there was no need to risk offending the Ministry of Magic to attack the Dementors.
But if it wasn't Ethan, who else in the Hogwarts area could silently take away seventeen Dementors?
Severus and the others couldn't do it. It would be easy to expel them, and they could easily do it even if there were more.
But silently dealing with seventeen Dementors without alarming the Ministry of Magic staff and other Dementors is not just a little difficult.
The silver-white light of the Patronus Charm can travel very far, which can easily attract the attention of people nearby, especially in open areas.
Even now, Dumbledore can't determine who the real culprit is.
And upon hearing what Dumbledore said, Fudge suddenly fell silent.
These words reminded him of a possibility. Who else could be proficient in dark magic related to the soul besides that noseless freak?
Instantly, the panic on Fudge's face couldn't be concealed, and he could only use words to comfort himself.
"No, that's impossible. Everyone knows he's dead. That's impossible!"
"Albus, tell me it's absolutely impossible for him to be back, right!"
Speaking of the end, Fudge looked at Dumbledore anxiously, hoping he could give him a definite answer.
Voldemort!
Fudge really couldn't imagine what he would do if He made a comeback during his term.
Could he deal with him?
Fudge, who had experienced that era, knew very well that the Ministry of Magic back then was already under immense pressure. If it hadn't been for the emergence of the savior, it was doubtful whether the Ministry of Magic would still exist.
If he had been in power at that time, he would have been just as helpless.
"It's not that he's back. I can tell you that very seriously."
Dumbledore sighed and answered Fudge's question very seriously.
Dumbledore wasn't sure where Voldemort was now, or how many people had gathered around him, but he could be sure that he hadn't been resurrected yet, otherwise he would have made some noise long ago.
Dumbledore knew Voldemort's personality. The first thing he would do after resurrecting would be to protect Ethan and Harry. Since the two of them haven't encountered any accidents, it can be determined.
Dumbledore never expected Fudge to have fallen so quickly. The Fudge who used to be daring, ambitious, and willing to fight is really gone.
The power of the Minister of Magic and the current comfortable environment have made him greedy for power and cowardly.
In just three years, Fudge seemed to have completely changed. Power is indeed a delicious poison.
At the same time, it made Dumbledore even more certain that he must never come into contact with such power.
Dumbledore knew that as long as he showed a little bit of such an idea, whether it was old friends, students who had graduated from Hogwarts, or officials from the Ministry of Magic and members of the Wizengamot, those who supported him would definitely account for the vast majority, and he would be able to ascend to the position of Minister of Magic in an instant.
But he couldn't do that, and he couldn't even send out any signals in this regard.
"You're right, it can't be him. He hasn't come back!"
"Then it's Sirius Black. It must be him. He's lurking nearby and killed the Dementors."
"He must have learned some vicious dark magic when he was at home before, otherwise it would have been impossible for him to escape from the heavily guarded Azkaban."
Fudge's voice grew louder and louder, as if saying these words made them true.
"Maybe!"
Dumbledore replied with some disappointment.
There was no need to argue anymore. Fudge had been frightened out of his wits by Voldemort, and he was not as good as a little wizard.
If Voldemort really resurrected, Fudge would probably make some stupid moves.
"I will arrange for a team of Aurors to go to Hogwarts next. You won't refuse, will you?"
"And the Dementors, I will replenish them."
"This is all to catch Sirius Black!"
Fudge, who had convinced himself in his heart, looked up at Dumbledore again.
Originally, there were only two Aurors, who were responsible for monitoring and controlling the Dementors, while the Dementors were distributed on all the necessary roads of Hogwarts.
But now it seems that so few people are obviously not enough, otherwise such a thing would not have happened.
As long as Sirius Black can be caught, all the difficulties he is facing now will be solved.
"Yes, but still can't disturb the lives of the students."
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore compromised.
Obviously, Fudge is now determined. If he refuses, there will definitely be conflict.
The matter of the Dementors' disappearance will also be pinned on his head.
"Okay, I can guarantee you this. Dementors will definitely not enter Hogwarts Castle."
Fudge immediately agreed happily, anyway, he only said that he couldn't enter the castle.
If a little wizard is accidentally injured outside, it can't be blamed on the Ministry of Magic.
As for blaming the Dementors, they are also trying to maintain the stability of the wizarding world. It's just that their IQ is not enough to do something wrong. Why are you bothering with these beasts?
Dumbledore also heard Fudge's underlying meaning, but at this moment he could only nod in agreement.
"Albus, you can leave first. I still have to appease the Dementors and then arrange for Aurors, so I don't have time to send you out."
Chapter 169: Changing the Weather
Time came to October.
This year's Quidditch rookies have been selected, and training matches have already begun.
As usual, in order to compete for the right to use the Quidditch pitch, conflicts between the various colleges also occur from time to time.
Lupin has also completely gained a foothold at Hogwarts. After more than a month of recuperation, he no longer looks as thin as he did at the beginning. He is also much more energetic. After receiving his first month's salary, he also changed into a wizard's robe, and the whole person is completely different from before.
His courses are also quite popular among the little wizards.
Taking Ethan's third grade as an example, they subsequently learned about Red Caps, which are ugly little things similar to goblins that lurk in places where blood has been shed, such as the dungeons of castles and abandoned battlefield trenches. They like to attack lost people in these places with clubs.
After Red Caps, they also learned about Kappas, a type of reptile that lives in the water, looking like scaly monkeys with webbed hands, who will attack anyone wading through their ponds at any time.
It can be said that every week's Defense Against the Dark Arts class is worth looking forward to, one theory class and one practical class, which has already captured the attention of the little wizards of Hogwarts.
After Ethan's guidance, Hagrid is now doing okay. He has brought over the Chimera that was often bullied, as a model to introduce its abilities, habits, living environment, etc.
Later, he also brought Fire Crabs, which are Class XXX magical creatures. Although the name is crab, their appearance is actually more like sea turtles, and their backs are covered with jewels, which are quite gorgeous and also have considerable value.
This is also an alien species. Hagrid also spent a lot of effort to get it, originally planning to use it for breeding, but now it is used to teach students first.
These two magical creatures also attracted the attention of the little wizards in Hogwarts, making Hagrid feel a lot better.
Only Snape's emotions are still quite bad, and every time he teaches his class, it seems like he is going to kill someone.
Until now, Gryffindor's house points have not exceeded thirty, after all, every time they go to Potions class in the third grade, Neville and Ron are the key targets, and no matter how many points they have, it is not enough to deduct.
The little wizards of Gryffindor all know that they have no chance with the House Cup this year.
There is also Divination class, which most people don't like. Originally, they thought Professor Trelawney was very mysterious, but after Professor McGonagall's explanation, everyone knew that she was an old liar.
Only two girls in Gryffindor trust her very much, one is Lavender Brown and the other is Parvati Patil.
These two are Hermione's roommates, and Hermione has complained countless times, but they won't listen no matter how much she persuades them.
And every time it's lunchtime, they both like to go to Trelawney's tower top classroom, and when they come back, they like to have a profound smile on their faces.
Many of the little wizards in Gryffindor think that these two are bewitched by Trelawney.
In addition, Hermione also had a big fight with Ron.
The reason was that Hermione took Crookshanks to the common room to read, and Ron was also there at that time. The result was naturally obvious, Crookshanks went after Scabbers again.
This made Ron quite angry. Although Scabbers had grown some meat after taking Ethan's tonic, Scabbers' age couldn't be changed. He's so old, how can he withstand the cat's torment?
This made Ron so angry that he kicked Crookshanks hard, but Crookshanks, after all, has Kneazle blood and is not so easy to hit. In the end, Ron pulled his groin.
Therefore, the two had a quarrel. Hermione no longer takes the cat to the common room. As long as she goes out, she puts it in a cage, and only lets Crookshanks out in the dormitory or at Ethan's place.
At the same time, this month, the school also posted a notice that third-year students can go to Hogsmeade Village at the end of this month, just before Halloween.
Of course, the prerequisite is to obtain the signature of the parents, otherwise they can only stay at Hogwarts.
This makes a considerable number of little wizards very happy. These are basically those who have not been to Hogsmeade Village, but have heard of the name of this pure wizarding village.
For people like Ethan, Hogsmeade Village has already been visited so many times that there is nothing to be surprised about.
Besides these, the only thing that Ethan can pay special attention to is the weather on the day of the full moon in October.
It's just that after finishing class in the morning, Ethan came to the field outside Hogwarts and found that the weather was not very good.
Today's clouds are quite thick, a veritable cloudy day.
And the Mandrake leaves must be exposed to pure moonlight when soaked in saliva, otherwise they will have to be done again.
Ethan is really fed up with the days of holding a leaf in his mouth for a month. He is often awakened at night, fearing that he will push the leaf out or swallow it.
So Ethan will definitely not choose to repeat this step.
Then he has to think of a way to solve these dark clouds, so that the moon can clearly shine on the earth tonight.
Ethan also has a not very reliable method for this, and he doesn't know if it will work.
Among the magical creatures, Newt Scamander can summon dark clouds with the help of the Thunderbird, and cooperate with the venom of the Swooping Evil to eliminate the memories of half a city of New Yorkers.
Newt's Thunderbird can do it, but Ethan has five, there is no reason why it can't be done.
As long as these dark clouds rain and finish, won't the moon come out at night?
Came to the Thunderbird's habitat in the Forbidden Forest.
"Screech ~!"
From a distance, Ethan heard the Thunderbird's cry.
When he got closer, Ethan realized that the three little Thunderbirds didn't know what they had done and were being trained. Every time the big Thunderbird's wings cried twice, it would fan them over once, and it would not miss any of them.
