Hermione, join me as Minister of Magic!

Not to mention that there is such an imb thing as Veritaserum in the wizarding world, even Lucius' actions are not impeccable. He started contacting people to depose Dumbledore early on, and no one can hide this.

Next, Dumbledore only needs to invite a few highly respected seniors to come over and search the Malfoy family's manor and villa. As long as they find anything related to black magic, they can use it as a name. The Malfoys retaliate.

If Dumbledore did this directly, then the Snake Wizard could naturally accuse him of breaking the rules.

Because before and after Voldemort's downfall, those who used to be "rebellious" had somewhat unclean things in their hands. If they were to be held accountable, none of them could escape.

Lose.

When the Great War just ended that year, the wizarding world was in dire straits, and the Ministry of Magic urgently needed the financial resources and contacts of the Snake Sect wizards to restore the economy, so a compromise was made.The surrender of the snake wizards is not without conditions-that is, the Ministry of Magic is prohibited from further pursuing the matter.

If Dumbledore chooses to bring up the old matter at this time, of course the Snake wizards will resist to the end, because it involves their political lives.

But if Dumbledore retaliated against his almost deposed Hogwarts principal, I am afraid that most of the Snake Sect could only pretend not to see it and suffer this dumb loss, because Dumbledore's revenge was very reasonable.

Dumbledore set a bottom line for this revenge action, that is, the Malfoy family must be expelled from the Hogwarts school trustees.

Among the 12 school directors, the four schools each account for three, but if Malfoy is expelled, there will be two remaining Slytherins, so the reaction should not be too big.

As for the extent to which the Ministry of Magic's hand towards Hogwarts can be hurt, it depends on everyone's joint efforts.

Snape's position in this matter was awkward - as the head of Slytherin, he was born to belong to the Snake faction, so he could not help Dumbledore suppress his own people.

But as far as his selfishness is concerned, if Hogwarts can become more independent, as the head of the house, he will naturally have more power in his hands than before.

To put it bluntly, it is precisely because the Snake faction can no longer exert pressure on Hogwarts through their status as school trustees, so they need to rely on Snape more, and more resources will be devoted to Snape.

While thinking this way, he couldn't help pinching his pocket that had been cast with the traceless expansion spell.

There, the heart, liver, and gall of the basilisk lie in perfect condition, waiting for a potions master to transform them into another form of existence.

Politics is such a complicated thing, what does it matter to me as a Potions professor?

Chapter 110 I Allow You To Be Greedy

Compared with other newspapers, the "Daily Prophet" is still better.

Before other media got the news, the news about the discovery of the Slytherin chamber of secrets and the killing of the monsters in the chamber of secrets had already appeared on the fourth page of the "Daily Prophet", and this was only the second day after the incident of the chamber of secrets .

It's just that the page of this news is only as big as three cookies, and because of the "incomplete details", the newspaper only briefly explained it, and did not write in detail.

Not only that, but the "Daily Prophet" also published a large-scale front page about the fact that Gringotts spellbreakers discovered two earth-moving wooden ships inside the Khufu Pyramid in Egypt.

It appears that the Ministry of Magic does not want the Chamber of Secrets to draw attention, for obvious reasons.It's a pity, a pity, some things are not up to you.Lockhart thought.

Although the Hogwarts students also heard about the discovery of the Chamber of Secrets, they didn't know much about it. Even the Gryffindor students only knew a little bit, thanks to Ron that big mouth.

It's a pity that Ron has perfectly inherited the basic qualities of Gryffindor. Every version of the story told by him is slightly different, and the content is getting more and more outrageous in terms of the wonderfulness of the content, and the number of basilisks is gradually increasing. The trend has changed from one at the beginning to nine later.

If there were really nine basilisks, it might not just be mice, lizards and owls, even if the students at Hogwarts fed all the basilisks, they probably wouldn't be able to get enough to eat.

But Ron's nonsense also has an advantage, that is, no student can figure out what happened under the Chamber of Secrets, so that no one believes the more "true" versions.

Originally, the students expected the "Daily Prophet" to tell them the truth, but the newspaper

The information on the paper was even less than what they knew, which undoubtedly disappointed them

Therefore, when Lockhart held dueling club activities the next day, almost all the students who could come came.

Of course, their excuse was "ready for knockout".

After the Chamber of Secrets incident, the Quidditch game, which had been suspended for a long time, was supposed to resume, but it was already the end of February, and the middle game had already been missed, and the students who had interrupted the training had to play a game no matter how good they were. Question mark, after much deliberation, the professors decided not to hold this year's Quidditch Cup.

After losing the fun of Quidditch, the students could only choose to duel if they wanted to vent their excess energy, so the upcoming duel club knockout match became a hot topic among the students, and there was nothing wrong with them using this as an excuse.

It's just that Lockhart knew that they were drunk and didn't care about drinking, and cared that Harry's trio would also participate in the event.

So he went along with the flow and simply turned the tea party that afternoon into a summary report of the three saviors talking about their trip to the Chamber of Secrets.

However, the caliber of this "summary report" was discussed by Dumbledore, Lockhart and the trio that morning.

Although the caliber and the truth are 90% identical, the key is the 10%, which is enough for outsiders to completely understand the mystery in the middle.

Under Harry's own narration, the story seems to have become another version:

——Professor Lockhart guessed from the case of Mrs. Norris' attack that the attacker was likely to move through a pipe, and it was likely to be a snake, and then he told the clues to the children of the Dueling Club, And all the portraits of the pipeline exits inside the castle are equipped with eyeliner, and whenever someone passes by, the portraits will be notified to Lockhart.

But the murderer was much more cunning than they imagined, because it was not human at all

, but a black magic item left by "that person".

Until Lockhart was attacked on Christmas, Harry and the others were just preparing for a night tour, and they overheard the sound of the murderer bringing the basilisk into the bathroom.

They later told Lockhart the clues, and together they found the entrance, but they didn't know how to open it.

In the end, the few people discussed together and used the portrait to set up an ambush at the door of the bathroom, trying to wait for the heir of Slytherin to open the secret room before catching him, so that everyone can get all the stolen goods.

In the end, the murderer finally couldn't hold back the desire to kill and attacked Ginny.The few people who had been prepared for a long time followed quietly and entered the secret room together.

Next, several people entered the secret room together, and three students assisted Lockhart to defeat the dark magic items left by Voldemort and the basilisk hidden in the secret room for 1000 years—this part is not fictional at all.

According to this statement, more than 80% of the credit for defeating the monster in the chamber of secrets belongs to Lockhart. The three students just got the clue by accident and assisted Lockhart in defeating the basilisk.

Lockhart was greedy again for his own, but this time Dumbledore, Harry and other parties were all willing.

Ron was bought by Lockhart with the "money" from selling snake skin, and Harry didn't want others to know that he was a Parseltongue. Lockhart took the responsibility to himself or helped him.

As for Hermione...

"Professor Lockhart's contribution is the greatest." She said this to Harry and Ron.

In addition to these little wizards, Dumbledore also hoped that Lockhart would "take up this responsibility".

After all, he had confessed when he was talking to Harry and the others that from now on, Harry and the others must never reveal to anyone that he had a piece of Voldemort's soul in his body.

If Harry and the others were telling the truth and told the public that they guessed the way the basilisk moved because Harry heard someone talking, it would be self-defeating.

Therefore, Lockhart must be "ashamed" of the credit for discovering the clues of the basilisk, otherwise Harry's affairs will be exposed.

He also wanted Harry to learn Occlumency, if possible.

"Although you should have left your job during the summer vacation, I hope you can go to the Dursleys' house and teach Harry how to close his brain... Even if he can't learn it, I hope he can leave a good foundation." Dumbledore specially said exhorted.

Lockhart readily agreed.

"It's not just Harry, Mr. Colin Creevey, the first grader, I'm afraid I have to go tutoring too." He sighed, "He has been lying in the hospital for half a year because of being petrified, and the exam at the end of the semester is estimated to be It must be smashed."

"Of course it's best if you are willing to take on this responsibility, but the first-year courses are actually not difficult." Even if you don't study hard at ordinary times, you should be able to cope with it by studying suddenly for about a month before the exam...Isn't it, Harry, Ron ? "

The two nodded without thinking, but then realized that they had been fooled

"Study suddenly at the end of the semester... because I usually practice Quidditch in "11..." He explained rather awkwardly.

But then the old bee and Lockhart laughed at the same time and told Harry that he

got molested again

Chapter 110 Two Preparations

After listening to Harry's statement, the students in the Dueling Club applauded

Compared with the incomplete news in the Daily Prophet and the increasingly outrageous Gryffindor rumors, the first-hand news from this person who experienced it is obviously more trustworthy.

"It's really lucky." Cedric said, "Fortunately, when the chamber of secrets was opened, it happened that Professor Lockhart came to teach. If it was someone else...I can't even imagine what the result would be."

Others nodded in agreement, which made Lockhart feel proud.

"It's useless to flatter you." Lockhart joked cheerfully with the little wizards, "The next duel needs to be dealt with by yourselves, and I won't make trouble for you because of your flattering."

The little wizards laughed—without Lockhart making a fuss, the dueling skills they exchanged were enough to keep them in the top eight of their grade.

Near the end of the semester, the situation in the dueling club standings has almost become clear.

Among the students in the fourth and sixth grades, although those with relatively stable rankings almost never missed club activities, the frequency of their own duels became less and less, and their dueling styles began to become somewhat unpredictable.

Lockhart could tell at a glance that they were obviously preparing a big move, and wanted to leave it to their opponents in the knockout round.

Those whose points ranking is not so stable will suffer a little bit. In order to stabilize the top eight rankings, they have to use their real skills to compete with others, and they have played a lot of good rounds.

Most of those who can participate in Lockhart's club activities are in the top five of their grades, and what they are most concerned about now is whether the "condensed real name" promised by Lockhart can be realized.

"I ordered three bottles of Felix Felicia from Mr. Granger, Mr. Slughorn, and Professor Snape. I believe you have heard about Professor Snape's bottle. It will be ready within half a month. A bottle of Felix Felicia is enough for a dozen people, just a small sip each. If you are confident enough, you can start to conceive the content of your real name now." Lockhart assured.

The students reacted differently after listening --- some people were eager to try, some people

But it seems very calm, while the fourth grade students are a little bit depressed.

"What?" Lockhart noticed this keenly.

The fourth grade students showed helpless expressions, and looked at Cedric Diggory.

No way, if there were no accidents, the champion of their level would definitely be Cedric.

The strength shown by Cedric is really exaggerated. Not only did he learn all the spells on the list of spells that Lockhart gave him before Easter, but he even mastered the silent spell in advance. His skills and reactions far surpassed those of his peers Not to mention life, Transfiguration, Herbs, and Potions are still outstanding, he is simply a person who has no dead ends

Especially the little wizards from magical families, they grew up surrounded by their parents nagging "Look at the Diggory children".

For this kind of "other people's children", even if they had the idea of ​​confrontation, they were defeated by Cedric in the long-term competition.

Such a person is well-deserved to be selected as a Hogwarts warrior. Even Lockhart secretly felt that if such a child grows up, he is likely to achieve a higher status than the three saviors. Achievement.

What's more frightening is that Cedric has never been proud.

"Duel is not about lifting weights, nor is it about magic power. Any negligence or mistakes in immediate decision-making may lead to irreversible defeat. With so many outstanding classmates, I don't have full confidence in winning." Derek said.

Although he was being humble, the students in the same grade were even more desperate after hearing his words

Well, even the possibility of underestimating the enemy no longer exists, so how can we fight.

Relatively speaking, the competition between the second and third graders is much fiercer, because they don't know much magic, and very few can learn the stun spell. In addition, everyone has a distinct personality, and the duel style is rather Presented a posture of a hundred flowers blooming.

Compared with the students of the same grade, the biggest advantage of the three of Harry is not how many spells they have mastered, but that they have all seen big scenes.

They have gone deep into the Forbidden Forest and directly faced the three-headed dog and the basilisk, so naturally they will no longer be afraid of those "little things"; and Harry, who has defeated Voldemort twice, naturally does not think that people of the same age are so powerful. Difficult to deal with, and this confidence also makes them more calm than other peers.

As Lockhart mentioned repeatedly in class, in a duel, calmness and calmness are often more important than the number of spells he has mastered.

If nothing else, the champions of all grades should have gathered this weekend

After getting Harry's complete description of the incident, the little wizards who came to the party were satisfied.After announcing the adjournment of the meeting, they couldn't wait to go out immediately. It seemed that they wanted to show off the first-hand news they had got to others.

However, Lockhart left a few people behind and was going to talk to them about the expanded student union.

"Mr Percy Weasley of Gryffindor, Penelock of Ravenclaw

Miss Rivat, Mr Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff, and Slater

Mister perkin derek of lin, you four stay here, i want to discuss with you

-something.

Hearing the names of the few people left behind by Lockhart, the other students were a little curious.

Because the level of these four people's duels is not the best, among these people present, it can only be regarded as mediocre. When it comes to Quidditch, only the latter two are good at it.

But Lockhart was very satisfied with the candidates he left behind: one person from each of the four colleges, there were prefects and ordinary students, there were men and women, there were whites and blacks, and political correctness couldn't be more correct.

After the rest of the people had left, he revealed his plan.

"...For some unfortunate reasons, this year's Quidditch Cup has been cancelled, and the school has lost a regular source of income, which is a pity."

After listening to his opening remarks, both Cedric and Derek of Slytherin showed regretful expressions-they were both members of the Quidditch team.

The Quidditch competition held by the four colleges every year is a Hogwarts tradition. According to Master Rowling's description, although there are only a few hundred students in Hogwarts, in Harry's third year Quidditch In the final of the World Cup, there were 200 people sitting in the stands supporting Slytherin, and this only accounted for a quarter of the audience.

This also meant that the audience at the scene included not only Hogwarts students, but also some people from outside the school to watch the battle, most likely Hogsmeade and some graduated adults.

There's no reason why these people shouldn't charge them ticket money, right?

Chapter 110 Three Life Is Like a Drama: All Depends on Acting Skills

Because of the Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts has lost ticket revenue for four games this year, and the finals, which accounted for most of the revenue, are gone. This is even worse for Hogwarts, which is not financially well off.

So Lockhart was going to come up with a plan - to use the back room, hold a homecoming reception, and get the money back.

Although Professor McGonagall wasn't too impressed, Dumbledore had other plans.

Because Lockhart told him that this kind of profitable off-campus project can be encountered but not sought after. If it is a university in the Muggle world, they will definitely not give up this opportunity to ask for donations, such as Oxford, Cambridge and the London University of Economics. .

The reason why these universities can maintain a certain degree of economic independence from the government is because they rely on the tuition fees of international students, donations from graduate alumni and this kind of off-campus profit-making projects.

If Hogwarts can gradually take advantage of this to gradually gain financial autonomy, then Hogwarts will be much less under the control of the Ministry of Magic than it is now.

This sentence really moved Dumbledore. After he was almost deposed by Malfoy's conspiracy, what he was most worried about was that the Ministry of Magic would intervene in Hogwarts affairs, thereby hindering his plan to destroy Voldemort.