Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 553 Fudge's Counterattack

Chapter 553 Fudge's Counterattack

Albus Dumbledore's three identities: Headmaster, conman, and madman.

As we all know, due to the betrayal of the Ministry of Magic by a certain important figure, various degrees of chaos have recently broken out in various places. There is only one exception, which is the place that everyone agrees is the safest place—Hogwarts.

However, when we send our children to Hogwarts with peace of mind, have we ever truly examined the real power behind the school, the old man surrounded by countless halos, Albus Percival Dumbledore?

According to sources, Albus Dumbledore is increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo. He wants more power and has begun to deliberately spread frightening rumors in an attempt to expand his influence and disrupt our current orderly, stable, and comfortable life.

"Bang!"

"That's utter nonsense!"

In the Great Hall, Hermione angrily slammed the newspaper she was holding onto the table, nearly knocking over the milk jug next to her.

"How could they do this—talking nonsense!" Ron glanced at it, equally furious.

The newspapers were filled with denigrations of Dumbledore, portraying him almost as a power-hungry villain—

The author's words reveal his treacherous and cunning nature. To achieve his ulterior motives, he would even overturn the entire magical world, making him a complete madman.

"It must be Fudge's doing!" Harry declared confidently. "Because Dumbledore refused to take their advice and pretended not to know that Voldemort had been resurrected!"

Ron instinctively shuddered.

"Don't call him by his name, Harry—"

He warned Harry not to call Boruto by his name, especially after Boruto's resurrection, as it was too dangerous; over a decade ago, countless people were brutally murdered by Death Eaters for doing so.

But Harry, who was in a fit of anger, was so confused that he didn't hear what Ron said at all.

"Never mind, this is Hogwarts. Dumbledore is always here. Even if Vader knows someone is calling his name, he probably won't dare to come over," Ron reassured himself.

Xiren, who was standing next to him, took a big bite of his sandwich and casually picked up the newspaper to glance at it.

Below the front page is a photo of Dumbledore. It's unclear whether this was the original version or if someone deliberately darkened the background and the figure. The Dumbledore in the photo is no longer the gentle and wise figure we are familiar with; half of his face is hidden in darkness, giving him an eerie and sinister air.

And then there's that article below that smears him; Xilun suddenly laughed halfway through reading it.

The sudden laughter immediately attracted the attention of others around them.

"Sirlen, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

"It's nothing, I just think the Ministry of Magic's attack is a bit ridiculous." Siren pointed to the place where the article was signed.

"This guy probably wanted to imitate Rita Skeeter's style and portray Dumbledore as an old madman, but his skills were just too poor."

"What do you mean by 'incompetent'?" Hermione asked. "I feel like what he writes is just as infuriating as Rita Skeeter's—no, he's even worse."

“No, it has nothing to do with that.” Celen pursed his lips and explained, “Fudge obviously hasn’t realized that Rita Skeeter’s popularity isn’t based on novel viewpoints. She has her own logic, and most of what she writes is based on verifiable truths, which is why she’s so popular among wizards.”

"And these things—tsk tsk, look at what's written here. Dumbledore and Barty Crouch were accomplices, plotting to help the Death Eaters escape? Without Fudge's support, this article would only deserve to be published in The Quibbler."

Siren closed the newspaper and tossed it into the roaring fireplace behind him. "It's all utter nonsense, it doesn't stand up to any scrutiny, and no one with a brain would believe it. If you don't believe me, just look around."

Hermione instinctively looked up.

The owl just delivered a package, and most of the students who subscribed to the newspaper are reading its contents.

Just as Siron said, most people subconsciously show a surprised expression when reading the newspaper, followed by doubt, and finally throw the newspaper aside in disgust, as if they have seen some disgusting insect.

"The people at the Daily Prophet must have been out of their minds today, mixing up the articles they wrote for The Quibbler," a Ravenclaw said confidently to his friend next to him.

"Sorry, my dad is very selective about the articles he publishes, and he's quite strict," Luna said, looking at Ravenclaw who had just spoken. "My dad only publishes articles about real, secret events."

Most people just laughed at Luna's words, as if they had heard a funny lame joke.

Is everything in "Singing the Quibber" true?

Don't be ridiculous. Almost every wizard knows that only those whose minds have been clouded by magic would enjoy reading that silly magazine. Its contents are far more outrageous than the idea that Dumbledore and Barty Crouch are in cahoots.

Rather than that, they would rather believe that Voldemort could be resurrected; that possibility might be even greater.

"Seriously, what are those people at the Daily Prophet doing? They wasted five of my knuckles. I would have been better off buying a sour apple candy."

"As for Rita Skeeter, it seems like it's been a long time since I've seen anything she's written."

"Could she have switched jobs? I remember her last article was published in The Wizarding Weekly."

"I hope that's not the case; The Wizarding Weekly is much more expensive than a newspaper."

The people in the auditorium chattered amongst themselves, most of them not believing the nonsense in the newspapers.

Of course, some people chose to believe, sitting there in fear, unsure whether they should continue staying at Hogwarts.

However, most of these people were first-year students from Muggle families. They knew nothing about the wizarding world or Dumbledore, and only that the Daily Prophet was the most authoritative newspaper.

Hermione, in her capacity as prefect, patiently explained the flaws in the newspaper article to these people. She also clarified that the wizarding world, unlike the Muggle world, does not have an "official newspaper."

The Daily Prophet simply has the most subscribers.

She also tried to get others to help explain, but not many people responded; only one person, Harry, did.

But they only explained it to the Gryffindor freshmen; what the freshmen of other houses would choose—whether to believe the school or the Daily Prophet—was none of their business.

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