94 Diagon Alley

It's the scar that Harry has been feeling, right? ' said Dumbledore coldly.

"So you admit he's been feeling these pains all the time?" Fudge said quickly. "Headache? Nightmares? And maybe -- hallucinations?"

"Listen to me, Connelly," Dumbledore said, taking a step toward Fudge, as if radiating that unspeakable force again, "Harry is as awake as you and me. , sane. The scar on his forehead didn't confuse his brain. I believe Harry's scar only hurts when Voldemort is lurking nearby or feels a special urge to kill."

Fudge took a half step back from Dumbledore, but his expression remained stubborn.

"Excuse me, Dumbledore, I've never heard of a curse scar like an alarm bell..."

"I saw Voldemort return!" Harry shouted. He struggled to get out of bed, but Sirius and Mrs Weasley held him back. "I saw the Death Eaters! I can name them! Lucius Malfoy—"

Snape moved suddenly, but when Harry looked at him, Snape's eyes turned to Fudge.

"Malfoy was acquitted!" Fudge, apparently offended, said, "A very old family—giving generously to a good cause—"

"McNeill!" Harry continued to call out the names.

"Also acquitted! Currently working at the Ministry of Magic!"

"Avery-Nott-Crab-Gall-"

"You're just repeating the names of those who were convicted of not being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily, "You can find those names in past trial reports! Look at For God's sake, Dumbledore - at the end of last year, this boy's head was full of quirky tales made up - his lies were getting more and more bizarre, and you still believed it - this boy could talk to snakes Conversation, Dumbledore, and you still think he can be trusted?"

"You fool!" shouted Professor McGonagall, "these deaths were not the random act of a lunatic!"

"I don't see why not!" Fu Shi also shouted, his face turned purple, his anger no less than Professor McGonagall, "It seems to me that you are all determined to create a kind of Panic, destroying everything we have painstakingly built over the past 13 years!"

Everyone present couldn't believe their ears. Fudge has always acted like an amiable man, albeit a bit domineering and a bit cocky, but essentially kind. Unexpectedly, the angry little wizard standing in front of him at this moment flatly refused to believe that his orderly, stable and comfortable world could be destroyed - refused to believe that Voldemort could make a comeback.

"Voldemort is back," said Dumbledore again, "Connelly, you are so obsessed with your office that you have lost your judgment." Dumbledore said , his voice gradually increased, and people could feel the aura of power shrouded around him, and his eyes glowed again. "I'll tell you now - just follow my advice and take some steps, and the Ministry of Magic and the wizarding community in general will always remember you as the bravest and greatest Minister of Magic that has ever lived. If you don't take action - History will also remember: it was you who stood by and gave Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have worked so hard to rebuild!"

"Absurd," whispered Fudge, continuing to step back, "crazy..."

A moment of silence followed. Madam Pomfrey stood dumbfounded by Harry's bed, covering her mouth with her hand. Sirius was still poised to pounce and fight Fudge. Mrs Weasley stood in front of Harry, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep him from getting up. Bill, Ron, Hermione, the twins, and Gwen all stared at Fudge in astonishment, as if he were the number one idiot in the world.

"If you're so obsessed, Connelly," said Dumbledore, "we'll have to part ways. You do what you see fit. I—I do what I will. ."

There was nothing threatening in Dumbledore's voice, it sounded just a statement, but Fudge was furious, as if Dumbledore was approaching him with a wand.

"Okay, okay, Dumbledore," he said threateningly, waving a finger, "I have always given you full freedom. I have always respected you. I may Disapprove of some of your decisions, but I've always been silent. Not many people would allow you to hire werewolves, keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach students without asking the Ministry of Magic. But if you're going to go against me— "

"The only thing I want to do against," said Dumbledore, "is Voldemort. If you're against him, Connelly, then we're still in the same camp."

Fudge can't seem to figure out how to answer. His little feet were unsteady, and he rocked back and forth for a moment, spinning his bowler hat with both hands. Finally, he spoke, with a hint of desire in his voice, "He won't come back, Dumbledore, he can't..."

Surprisingly, Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, lifting the left sleeve of his robe as he walked. He stretched his arm over to show Fudge, who shrank back in horror.

"See it," said Snape hoarsely, "see it. The Dark Mark. It's not as visible as it was an hour ago, when it was burnt to black, But you can still see. Every Death Eater has Voldemort's mark on it. It's a way for the Death Eaters to identify each other, and Voldemort's code to call them back to him. When he touches a Death Eater We must immediately Apparate and be by his side when he is marked by a gangster. Over the years, the mark has become more and more obvious. The same is true of Karkaroff's. Why did you say Karkaroff ran away tonight? Both of us Feels the mark burning hot. We all know he's back. Karkaroff fears that Voldemort will take revenge on him. He betrayed many of his fellow Death Eaters, and surely no one welcomes him back to them."

Fudge stepped back from Snape again. He kept shaking his head, as if he didn't hear what Snape was saying. His eyes widened, apparently terrified by the ugly mark on Snape's arm, then he looked up at Dumbledore and whispered, "I don't know what you and your people are up to, Dumbledore, But I've heard enough. I don't want to say more. I'll contact you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss how this school is run. I must go back to the Ministry of Magic."

He stopped at the door, turned around, strode across the room, and stopped beside Harry's bed.

"Your winnings," he said briefly, pulling a large bag of gold coins from his pocket and tossing them on Harry's bedside table, "five hundred Galleons, and Diggory After a tie, you are tied for the championship. There should have been an awards ceremony, but under the current circumstances…”

He put the bowler hat on his head and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Dumbledore turned to look at the group of people beside Harry's bed.

"There's some work to do," he said. "Molly...if I'm not mistaken, I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Sure," said Mrs. Weasley. She was pale and her lips were bloodless, but her expression was determined. "We know what kind of person Fudge is. It's the fact that Arthur likes Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry of Magic all these years."

"Well, I need to send a letter to Arthur," said Dumbledore, "to all those who can be persuaded to see the situation, we must immediately notify Arthur has access to those at the Ministry who are not as short-sighted as Connelly."

"I'm going to Daddy," Bill said, standing up. "I'll go now."

"Great," said Dumbledore, "tell him what happened. Say I'll be in direct contact with him soon. But he'll have to tread carefully. If Fudge thinks I'm in Into the Ministry of Magic—"

"No problem, leave it to me," Bill said.

He reached out and patted Harry on the shoulder, then kissed his mother on the cheek, then put on his cloak and strode out of the room.

"Now," said Dumbledore, "should we have a good talk?" Dumbledore looked at Sirius and Snape alternately. The expression on Snape's face was a mixture of anger and fear.

Dumbledore said, "I trust both of you. Now you should put aside your differences and trust each other."

Gwen thought that Dumbledore was asking for a miracle. Sirius and Snape stared at each other fiercely, expressions of extreme hatred on their faces.

"In a short time," said Dumbledore, with a hint of impatience in his voice, "as long as you do not openly hostile each other, I will be satisfied. You may as well shake hands. Now you are one Aligned. Time is running out, and the few of us who know the truth must stand together or we're all hopeless."

Sirius and Snape walked up very slowly and shook hands, but they still stared at each other fiercely, as if wishing for bad luck for the other. They quickly let go.

"That's pretty much it," said Dumbledore, once again standing between them, "and now you both have a mission. Fudge's attitude, although we expected it, has changed. entire