Chapter 121: Wizarding World in Uproar
The young wizards sat as if turned to stone, Dumbledore's words echoing in their minds: We've captured Voldemort.
Could he really mean the Voldemort? The one who led the Death Eaters on a reign of terror, burning, killing, and pillaging?
This was Voldemort! The boogeyman whose name alone was enough to frighten children into behaving.
"Yes, you all heard correctly," Dumbledore confirmed, his voice ringing through the silent hall. "The disturbance in the castle today was caused by an intrusion from Voldemort himself. But now, we have captured him! Don't your professors deserve a round of applause?"
The joy came too suddenly, so abruptly that no one could quite process it. It felt as if they'd been putting out a small fire while casually watching a Quidditch match, only to turn around and find that Voldemort had been captured in the meantime. It was surreal. But seeing the Headmaster's confident expression, the students knew he wasn't joking.
For Harry, the feeling was especially strange. Ever since he had entered the wizarding world, he had felt a bizarre sense of destiny, a deep conviction that his fate was intertwined with Voldemort's. Seeing that most people were too afraid to even speak the Dark Lord's name made Harry feel that, in some small way, he was on par with top wizards like his admirable senior, Ryan, and the great Albus Dumbledore.
Later, upon learning that Voldemort was the one who had murdered his parents, his hatred had reached its peak. He had often fantasized about avenging them himself, with the help of his friends in the Adventurers' Club.
The story had not yet begun. The journey was yet to start. The grand adventure was just unfolding—
And at this exact moment, the final boss had been captured.
This isn't how the plot is supposed to go! Harry thought, clapping mechanically. Like him, most of the students were trapped somewhere between shock and utter bewilderment.
"The awards have been given, the good news has been shared, and so, without further ado—let the feast begin!" Dumbledore waved his hand, and the tables were instantly laden with a magnificent spread of food.
But for once, the delicious-looking dishes held no appeal. Even Penelope, who had been a participant in parts of the plan, had never imagined they would actually capture Voldemort alive.
"Time to eat. What are you staring at?" Ryan prompted her gently.
News travels. But news that is too outrageous is only met with skepticism.
News also gets distorted. But news that is too outrageous cannot be distorted, because in the process of spreading it, no one can think of a way to make it even more outrageous.
Ordinarily, the Daily Prophet would have splashed such a story across its front page the very next day. But days passed after the news of Voldemort's capture broke, and the Prophet didn't dare make a peep. Its editor-in-chief, however, was seen running to Hogwarts every other day, desperately trying to get an audience with Dumbledore.
But the newspapers in other countries were not so timid.
Across Europe, headlines were dominated by the story: Voldemort Captured Alive by Hogwarts. The articles helpfully included lists of Voldemort's dark deeds and magical achievements, all but stating outright: The wizards of legend were on Voldemort's level, and Hogwarts School just captured one!
The French Minister of Magic began to wonder if he should adopt a more deferential tone the next time he met with Fudge.
Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons, stared at her newspaper and thought that while she was also a Head of a school, she felt completely unworthy of the title.
Over at MACUSA, the news that Dumbledore had captured the second Dark Lord was met with stunned disbelief. From the President down to the department heads, they all looked at each other, speechless. This was a Dark Lord! The kind who could shake the entire magical world, whose deeds became the stuff of dark legends!
And how could one wizard's career be so impossibly long? First, he defeated and imprisoned the first Dark Lord, and now he had defeated and captured the second! Was Dumbledore immortal?
"It seems we need to cultivate a much closer relationship with Dumbledore," the MACUSA President mused, thinking of recent troubles within their own jurisdiction. He realized that what MACUSA lacked was a top-tier wizard like Dumbledore to anchor their power. It was why they could never quite measure up to the British Ministry. Even if MACUSA was staffed by elites and Fudge was a completely inept mess, the presence of Dumbledore changed everything. This was a distinction lost on the general public, but for the leaders in power, it made all the difference.
"We'll wait for the official announcement from Britain before making any moves," the President decided, mentally promoting Hogwarts to the highest level of importance while simultaneously wishing he could replace Fudge himself.
From the magical communities in Africa to Mahoutokoro in Japan, from South America to Central Asia—every place with a wizarding population was buzzing with the news.
Hogwarts' reputation quickly grew to mythical proportions, striking fear into the hearts of Dark Wizards everywhere. In the days that followed, a young wizard, not yet old enough for school, got separated from his parents and wandered into Knockturn Alley. He was immediately surrounded by several shady-looking adults who all claimed they wanted to "show him something nice" and began fighting over him.
The boy saw the red and green flashes of light in the air and knew these were not good people. Then he remembered: Voldemort, the most fearsome Dark Wizard of all, had been caught by Hogwarts. And he himself was a future Hogwarts student.
Drawing himself up, he announced that he was a Hogwarts student who had been separated from his parents and his professor. He asked if they could please point him in the right direction.
The words had an immediate effect. The wizards casting curses froze, terrified that if they turned around, a Hogwarts professor would be standing right behind them.
What happened next was that the young boy was respectfully escorted out of Knockturn Alley by a gang of vicious-looking Dark Wizards. His parents, when he was returned to them, couldn't believe their eyes. When had Dark Wizards become so courteous? Are we a branch of some forgotten pure-blood family? the father wondered, until his son explained what had happened.
The day after this incident, the Daily Prophet finally ran a headline about Hogwarts' growing influence. It was very subtle, offering only vague compliments about the school's strength.
The Quibbler, on the other hand, was not so restrained. Its article ended with a blistering, direct assault:
The fact that a young child can intimidate a gang of dangerous Dark Wizards with the name of Hogwarts alone speaks volumes about what Mr. Dumbledore and his school represent.
In stark contrast, our own Ministry of Magic remains utterly incapable of cleaning up the chaos in Knockturn Alley!
All they do, day in and day out, is issue meaningless statements. They say things like, "It's not that we won't take action, but that we will take action slowly, methodically, and in an orderly fashion. Let the most capable take action first, so that the well-executed initial phase can inspire the latter phase, to ultimately achieve a state of comprehensive action. At the same time, we must act according to the specific situation, not blindly, but with precision, scientific accuracy, and high efficiency. Let the technical experts participate and the management experts lead, using professional synergy to empower the initiative, while also remaining flexible to address special circumstances."
What is the point of saying any of this! What is the Ministry actually doing? What on earth is Fudge doing?!
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