"No, I have reason to believe your mind is disordered right now." Fudge glared angrily at Lockhart and said coldly, "If you keep hindering this investigation, I will definitely make you pay!"
Lockhart's expression faltered. He quickly retorted, "Damn it all, I, Lockhart, never lie! On the other hand, you, as the Minister of Magic, are abusing your power?"
This guy had completely thrown caution to the wind. As long as he could protect his reputation, he was willing to completely offend Fudge.
After all, even though the Minister of Magic had immense authority, he couldn't arrest him without cause. But if his reputation as a fraud spread, his entire life would be ruined.
The argument between the two left everyone around them exchanging bewildered glances. Just a moment ago they were politely greeting each other, so how did it escalate so quickly to the brink of a fight?
"Quick, quick, take pictures!" Rita was practically bouncing with excitement. This was huge news, absolutely worth reporting. She had even thought of a headline: The Little Secrets of Great Writer Lockhart and Minister Fudge!
If she formatted this properly and sent it out, it would surely be a massive hit!
"This is rich, these two annoying guys are actually arguing." From not far away, Ron was also feeling a bit gleeful. At this moment, he almost wanted to egg them on. "More intense, even more intense!"
"It's so strange, why doesn't that Minister of Magic believe Tom Riddle exists?" Harry Potter was lost in thought, his face full of confusion. "Lockhart is actually right about this point."
Even though he really disliked Lockhart, at this moment he chose to stand by the truth. The Minister's behavior also surprised him greatly.
"Indeed, this Minister of Magic is really strange," Hermione tilted her head, looking puzzled. "It's as if facts don't matter to him at all. In comparison, the Dark Lord's Horcruxes and incarnations absolutely cannot exist."
"Albus, look at this..."
Seeing the dispute, Professor McGonagall was a bit flustered and looked towards Dumbledore. But the old professor merely shook his head, signaling her not to intervene.
It was clear that Dumbledore had deliberately orchestrated this situation.
He knew, of course, that Fudge would never admit Voldemort was alive. After all, he was a politician. As a Minister of Magic elected through political maneuvering, his primary task was to maintain his stable rule.
If he were to acknowledge Lockhart's words at this time, it would mean that the wizarding world would face great turmoil. This was something Fudge absolutely did not want to see, as his position would become precarious.
But as the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore could not allow the truth to be buried. Therefore, he allowed Lockhart to spout whatever nonsense came to mind, using Lockhart's mouth to make the fact that Voldemort was alive public.
This way, he wouldn't have to directly clash with Fudge, and he could also make Lockhart, the cheat, draw suspicion from the Ministry.
This old professor truly lived up to his reputation as the "White Wizard." Such a subtle method of calculation was undeniably brilliant.
Jellall thought this, and gently nodded with his right index finger in the air. He also thought this method of using Lockhart as a tool to stir up discord and conflict was good, but such an argument couldn't touch the core issue.
With Lockhart's cowardly mindset, no matter how dissatisfied he was with Fudge, he would only dare to voice it verbally. He needed something more to truly ignite this conflict.
What Jellall had just done was the process of adding that "something more."
This was not some profound special ability, but a rather simple magic to ignite emotions. Under the influence of this magic, people's emotions would temporarily swing to extremes.
For example, someone who was already very angry would become extremely irritable; someone who was very sad would become hysterical...
This magic needed to build upon the existing emotions of the target. If the person was calm internally at the moment, it would have no effect at all.
As expected.
Lockhart, with the added "spice," his cheeks began to flush red. He angrily blurted out, "This is so stupid! Fudge, you are truly too stupid! You want proof, right? I'll give you proof right now!" He waved his wand, drawing a circle in the air.
Splat.
Multicolored light burst forth, showering down onto Fudge's head like a rainbow.
Splash.
The light landed on Fudge's scalp, and like sulfuric acid, it began to corrode his hair and skin. The intense pain made the Minister of Magic let out a pig-like scream, "Ah! Damn you, damn you! Lockhart, how dare you curse me? I will send you to Azkaban!"
"Oh, heavens!" Lockhart's sudden attack startled everyone around them. The two people who had accompanied Fudge scrambled, frantically casting cleaning charms to wash away the acidic liquid.
The result was that Fudge looked more and more like a drowned rat, his suit completely soaked.
"Damn it!" Fudge roared in agony, "Stop, stop it at once! Arrest this criminal and drag him to the trial!"
"Don't come any closer, or don't blame me for being rude!" Lockhart, in a fit of rage, clearly intended to resist further, sparks flying from his wand as he waved it repeatedly.
Instantly, the entire scene devolved into utter chaos. Malfoy, who had been standing beside Fudge, seeing the situation turn sour, promptly fled.
Rita remained in place, grinning from ear to ear. This was major news, truly major news! A famous author actually turned his anger on the Minister of Magic and attacked him, the paper would sell like hotcakes!
And as the reporter who got the first-hand scoop, wouldn't this put her name in history?
"Oh my, oh my! What an exciting scene, did you see that?" Ron let out a strange yelp, by this point he had even forgotten to hide his excitement. "A rare sight, a truly rare sight!"
"Lockhart's been caught, will he really be sent to Azkaban?" Hermione asked, looking somewhat stunned.
At this moment, Lockhart's emotions were gradually stabilizing. He also understood what he had done.
"Maybe. What do you guys think, does this have anything to do with that curse?" Harry Potter narrowed his eyes and said softly, "That curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the one that prevents anyone from staying in that position for long."
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