Chapter 421: Dumbledore's Mistake (Edited)
In just six short years, Albus Dumbledore's reputation went from being a saint capable of saving the world to being an old man, senile and confused. This certainly isn't something a single newspaper like the Prophet can achieve. Furthermore, Dumbledore's age, just over a hundred years, might be considered long-lived in the non-magical world, but there have been precedents in the wizarding world. The twentieth Minister for Magic, Faris Spavin, became Minister at the age of 109! Being old and senile isn't a reliable excuse in the wizarding world.
But why did everyone believe it? Fudge's change in attitude was due to Dumbledore's lack of determination in two incidents, which made Fudge think, "So Dumbledore isn't all that impressive after all." The illusion was shattered, and it became difficult to respect him. At the height of Fudge's arrogance, he even believed he could capture Dumbledore with a few Aurors at Hogwarts. His mind was truly corrupted.
Coincidentally, both incidents that damaged Dumbledore's reputation were related to Hagrid. In the second year, with the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore couldn't solve the mystery, turning the claim that Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world into a joke. The events that occurred in the following years turned that claim into a recurring joke.
Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place in the wizarding world, but there are trolls and basilisks wandering around, werewolves and Death Eaters giving lectures, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor changes every year. Even the most devastating wizarding war after World War II broke out here...
When Hagrid was suspected by the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore couldn't protect him and could only leave him in Azkaban for a few months. That's not a big deal, after all, Dumbledore is a good wizard and must abide by the law. But when the truth came to light, and Hagrid was declared innocent, what did Dumbledore do? He did nothing more than weakly restore Hagrid's reputation without fighting for any compensation. At the very least, he could have offered some Galleons as compensation!
Let's forget that Hagrid is a hidden millionaire and doesn't need money; this is a matter of attitude. Hagrid's actions and Dumbledore's usual protection indicated one thing: Hagrid was one of Dumbledore's people. But once something happened, Dumbledore could only express weak opposition and couldn't provide any substantial help. Hagrid still had to go to prison. Even after being exonerated, he couldn't seek any compensation.
So, does this "one of our own" identity have an expiration date? On normal days, I'm your older brother, but when there are problems, we don't know each other.
Even if Dumbledore had just made a statement and kept Hagrid locked up at Hogwarts. Filch's office could have been transformed into a cell! Professor Snape could have offered his dungeon. Although dungeons are dark, the environment is better than Azkaban.
The most ridiculous thing is that Dumbledore only needed to say one word to absolve Hagrid of the accusations: Voldemort, when he was at Hogwarts, went by the name Tom Riddle. By revealing this fact, the accusations against Hagrid would have been immediately dismissed.
Why? Because it was Tom Riddle who implicated Hagrid! Later, that same Riddle became Voldemort. So, do his accusations still count? Shouldn't we consider the Dark Lord, who committed heinous crimes, harassed his classmates, and caused great injustice?
It was an issue that could have been easily resolved with a little maneuvering, but they preferred to drag it out, leaving Hagrid to be a victim of injustice for decades.
Even Tom felt remorse! Dumbledore's actions were inappropriate.
The Chamber of Secrets incident in the second year, the Hippogriff incident in the third year, which directly led to Voldemort's actual return, and Dumbledore's inability to compete with Fudge in the battle for public opinion resulted in Harry and him being slandered throughout an entire school year and even expelled from Hogwarts...
All of this was related to the weakness he had shown over the years. But that won't be the case anymore; someone wants Dumbledore to be "strong."
Tom can't accept that Dumbledore's prestigious reputation is slowly crumbling. The current situation is much stronger than in history; even Fudge has been defeated! Amelia Bones, with Dumbledore's support, has crushed Fudge's forces. Regardless of the actual facts, as long as others perceive it that way, it becomes the truth.
If Dumbledore can win the battle against the pure-blood families, he can consolidate this victory.
Therefore, Tom decided to send a letter to Mrs. Amelia so that she understands the truth of the matter. Of course, Tom is willing to believe that Minister Amelia simply acted out of carelessness, allowing Lucius Malfoy to take advantage of the situation. She can still make the right decision at the final hearing in April after learning the whole story! With knowledge of the background and sequence of events, Minister Amelia will surely be able to render a fair judgment.
He has been busy inside and out during this time, for what? Isn't it to prevent the Department of Magical Law Enforcement from hindering Dumbledore at crucial moments? It's also time for the pure-blood families to know Dumbledore's true power.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Tom said, reassuring Hagrid indifferently. "Everything will get better."
"Yes," Hermione added, "What does Professor Dumbledore think about this? Does he have any opinion?"
Hagrid sobbed and said, "Professor Dumbledore has already done too much for me, he's quite busy..."
Tom: Really? I don't think so; in fact, that old man has been quite idle lately. He no longer has to worry about Dementors or the Sirius Black problem, or the succession of the Minister of Magic. The only thing he's busy with is his own affairs and what we agreed upon earlier.
However, he didn't say it out loud; he just silently observed everything that was happening.
"Hagrid, you can't give up," Hermione said seriously, looking at Hagrid. "I remember a case of a released Hippogriff. I'll go look up information to see how the case developed."
Hagrid cried even harder. Hermione looked at Tom with a pleading expression.
"Maybe what he needs is a hot drink," Tom shrugged, knowing that saying something to someone who was emotionally breaking down wouldn't help.
"Leave him alone for a while; it's lunchtime," Tom tugged at Hermione's sleeve. He didn't want to get further entangled with Hagrid. They had been studying all morning, and he was hungry, eager to go to lunch.
Hagrid's problem wouldn't be solved with simple advice; the real issue lay in external interference. And strictly speaking, Hagrid was at fault since he and Draco should share the responsibility fifty-fifty in this incident.
Draco was looking for trouble, but wasn't Hagrid doing the same? In their first class, he took a group of young wizards to see an uncontrollable Hippogriff, and the school board had positively evaluated his recklessness.
"Tom!" Hermione shot Tom a furious look; his comment was too insensitive. Couldn't he see how sad Hagrid was?