You can't mess with a jealous man, especially Grindelwald when he's in love, and even someone as strong as Tom doesn't want to directly confront Grindelwald when he's fully buffed.
"Calm down, Professor Grindelwald, you might as well ask Severus Snape; he's into that kind of thing and knows their circle better, so he should know who it is."
After hastily leaving that remark, Tom chose to tactically retreat first.
And events unfolded exactly as Tom had expected.
Minister Cornelius Fudge had decided that Dumbledore was the culprit behind this incident, and even if he wasn't, he had to be. He intended to make this case an ironclad one and send Dumbledore to Azkaban.
Unfortunately, Cornelius clearly underestimated Dumbledore's influence in the magic world. Currently, the only evidence that could incriminate Dumbledore was Scrimgeour's testimony as the sole witness, and the memories of the House-elf, Winky.
As for the others, Barty Crouch had woken up, but having been hit by a Memory Charm, he had no recollection of what had happened. The Aurors who followed Scrimgeour to the Department of Mysteries to apprehend Tom were stunned by a Stupefy curse immediately and knew nothing of what happened afterward.
Of course, someone suggested using force on Dumbledore, but Scrimgeour immediately vetoed it. Did they really think Dumbledore was a pushover?
This gave Dumbledore room to defend himself. Regarding Scrimgeour's testimony, he insisted that someone had used Polyjuice Potion to transform into him, and that he and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart had been traveling together for those few days, making it impossible for him to have invaded the Ministry of Magic.
As for Winky's memories, Dumbledore fell silent after reviewing them. Just when everyone thought he was admitting guilt, Dumbledore suddenly erupted.
"This is absolutely insane, unprecedented in my hundreds of years of life! I have never seen such a shameless person fabricate something so flawed and illogical out of thin air. Anyone who believes this stuff is either an idiot or a fool; it's clearly modified memories."
Unlike the written version read in the newspaper, seeing the live performance of Dumbledore completely broke him. He could no longer maintain his usual elder demeanor and directly cursed, mentally cursing Tom's ancestors for eighteen generations, and with even fouler language. If Tom had been there, he might have even resorted to violence.
At this moment, Grindelwald, disguised as Gilderoy Lockhart, also came out to testify, stating that Dumbledore had been with him these past few days and could not have invaded the Ministry of Magic. For a time, this invasion incident fell into a stalemate.
As the incident progressed, public discussion grew louder. Without concrete evidence, calls for the Ministry of Magic to release Dumbledore mounted. Fudge was unable to suppress public opinion, and in the end, he could only tearfully temporarily release Dumbledore to appease public dissatisfaction.
On the day Dumbledore was released, Fudge and Scrimgeour, with complex expressions, personally escorted Dumbledore out.
However, when the two arrived at the Ministry of Magic Hall, a group of people was already waiting, respectfully arranged in two rows.
Scrimgeour's pupils contracted in shock when he saw this group of people; he could hardly believe his eyes.
The people who came were none other than his old acquaintances, the Death Eaters who had escaped judgment through various means back in the day.
Seeing these old acquaintances, Scrimgeour subconsciously reached for his wand. Had Lord Voldemort returned, preparing to attack the Ministry of Magic?
Unfortunately, these Death Eaters seemed not to notice Scrimgeour's movements, remaining perfectly upright, with no intention of attacking.
Just as Scrimgeour slightly relaxed, thinking these people wouldn't be so bold in broad daylight and that he was probably overthinking it.
He noticed they suddenly moved as Dumbledore passed, making his recently settled heart leap again.
As Dumbledore passed, both rows of people simultaneously bowed in unison, shouting:
"Welcome back, White Wizard!"
"Loyalty!"
The level of coordination clearly showed they had practiced a lot.
"..."
"..."
"..."
As if time had paused, everyone in the entire Ministry of Magic Hall suddenly stopped moving.
Dumbledore looked at the scene before him speechlessly, feeling like he was about to laugh from anger. This absurd scene was clearly the work of someone. Besides that person, Dumbledore couldn't think of anyone else in the entire magic world who would be so deranged.
Meanwhile, Fudge and Scrimgeour looked at Dumbledore with suspicion and uncertainty. Could that speculation be true? Had Dumbledore truly taken in the remnants of the Death Eaters and become the leader of a new Death Eater faction?
After all, although these people had escaped judgment back then, they were all registered with the Ministry of Magic, and virtually everyone knew their Death Eater identities; it's just that after the war, no one brought it up anymore. Now, with this display, it was clear that Dumbledore was just like Lord Voldemort, and his ambition to conquer the magic world was no longer even bothering to hide.
And the discussions all around grew louder.
"These people actually pledged loyalty to Dumbledore. Could Rita Skeeter's report be true, that Dumbledore is really the new leader of the Death Eaters?"
"Then is it also true that Dumbledore colluded with Death Eater members, attacked Mr. Crouch, and invaded the Ministry of Magic?"
"You never know a person's true heart. I never thought Dumbledore's true colors would be like this."
....
Just then, the Death Eaters suddenly pulled out a small black-covered booklet from their pockets, on which was clearly written "The Dumbledore Canon," and began to chant in unison: "Great Albus Dumbledore, you are one, and you are all. You are a moment, and you are eternity..."
Good heavens, Dumbledore isn't just going to conquer the magic world, he's also preparing to become the sole deity of the magic world, isn't he?
As the person concerned, Dumbledore, upon hearing the chanting, didn't know whether to be angry or embarrassed. His toes were practically curling into a three-bedroom apartment. What are you planning to do? He's just an old man who wants to live out his golden years!!!
Unable to bear it any longer, Dumbledore, disregarding his persona, quickly fled back to Hogwarts.
Seeing their main target leave, the Death Eaters immediately stopped chanting, packed their things, and quickly retreated while shouting, "Dumbledore! Loyalty!"
With both parties gone, only the Ministry of Magic staff remained in the hall, dumbfounded by the spectacle and completely confused about what had just happened.
The day after Dumbledore was released, The Daily Prophet's latest report by Rita Skeeter was fresh off the press.
[Alleged Death Eaters Shout "Loyalty" and Welcome New Master, The White Wizard, Back! Is Dumbledore About to Reign Over the magic world?!]