ebonymovies Chapter 103: You're nothing but pawns! Will you hand them over yourselves, or do I have to do i
Chapter 103: You're nothing but pawns! Will you hand them over yourselves, or do I have to do i
Chapter 103: You're nothing but pawns! Will you hand them over yourselves, or do I have to do it myself?
Upon hearing Ciel's question, Hagrid reacted as if he had heard something utterly absurd, forgetting even his anger.
He shouted.
"You ask me how great Dumbledore is?"
"By Merlin, isn't that what everyone agrees on?!"
Charles asked with interest.
"I don't like any generally accepted opinions because they are often exaggerated and contain elements of misinformation."
"Just tell me, what do you think is Dumbledore's greatest achievement?"
Hagrid answered without hesitation.
"Dumbledore is the banner of justice. He led the fight against the Wizarding Master, and everyone knows that the only person the Wizarding Master fears is him!"
"Without Dumbledore, the Wizarding World would be utterly invincible. Isn't that a great achievement?"
Charles shook his head.
"You said Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore, I admit that."
"But I'd like to ask you, how did you come to the claim that Dumbledore led the fight against the Mystic?"
"I have indeed heard that Dumbledore has a secret society, I think it's called the Order of the Phoenix, right? Hagrid, you must be a member of the Order of the Phoenix too. How many people are in the Order of the Phoenix?"
Hagrid was taken aback, not expecting to hear the Order of the Phoenix from Shire.
He shared in the glory of the Way.
"That's right, I am a member of the Order of the Phoenix."
"I can't tell you exactly who the Order of the Phoenix is, but there are at least ten people in total."
Ciel nodded, interrupting Hagrid.
"So the Order of the Phoenix has only a dozen or so people from beginning to end. Let's say you have twenty people. You shouldn't have any peripheral members like the Death Eaters."
"After all, given Dumbledore's style, you probably don't have much funding, and you'll have to bring your own rations to fight."
"How many Death Eaters are there? The core members are about the same as yours, but there are at least several hundred peripheral members and those dark creatures. Your Order of the Phoenix is so strong, how can you take on a dozen or twenty Death Eaters at once, even with the core members on your side?"
Hagrid paused for a moment.
"No, no, that's not true..."
Charles chuckled.
"Then I'd like to ask, your Order of the Phoenix only has enough manpower to deal with a handful of insignificant Death Eaters. If a large-scale battle breaks out, who will fight the Death Eaters?"
Hagrid thought for a moment, then said with some hesitation.
"The Aurors from the Ministry of Magic will also participate in the battle, and their numbers will be even greater, enough to fight against many Death Eaters."
Charles nodded, then asked a question in return.
"The Order of the Phoenix's role is at most to restrain a small number of Death Eaters; the real battles are fought by the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic."
Did Dumbledore lead the Aurors? In which Ministry of Magic position did he hold a nominal post, or did he act as Minister of Magic during wartime? In which major campaign did he participate in strategic planning?
"Why do you make it sound like the fight against the Death Eaters was all thanks to the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore? What about the Aurors and other resistance groups? Have you taken credit for their contributions?"
Before Hagrid could answer, Charles continued to ask.
"Voldemort was notorious during the previous Wizarding Wars, committing numerous acts of arson, murder, and looting; those he killed dared not utter his name." "Then I'd like to ask, what did Dumbledore do?"
"Since he is so powerful, the only person Voldemort fears in the wizarding world, in this chaotic world, Dumbledore should step forward, raise the banner, and unite all the forces of resistance under the banner."
"He should have used his prestige to directly assume the position of Minister of Magic, take charge of the overall situation, and proactively launch an attack to wipe out the Death Eaters, killing so many that they wouldn't dare utter his name. But where was he then?"
"Why is he still at Hogwarts? Why is Dumbledore rarely seen taking action? Countless Auror lives have been lost under Mystic's command. How many Death Eaters does Dumbledore have under his command?"
Hagrid was speechless for a moment.
"Because the young wizards at Hogwarts need Dumbledore's protection..."
This made Charles laugh out loud.
"Are you kidding me?"
"The descendants and relatives of the Death Eaters also attend Hogwarts. Slytherin is part of Hogwarts. What are they doing here, slaughtering young wizards at Hogwarts before even dealing with the Aurors and the Rebellion?"
"If Dumbledore were in charge of Hogwarts, it would make sense if he were using the descendants of the Death Eaters from Slytherin House as hostages to intimidate the Death Eaters into surrendering quickly. But did Dumbledore actually do that?"
"It seems he doesn't. In other words, what positive impact could his presence at Hogwarts have on the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters?"
"Voldemort roamed everywhere, killing indiscriminately, striking fear into the hearts of all. Dumbledore, the only one who could rival Voldemort, spent most of his time maintaining order at Hogwarts. Is that what you call making a huge contribution?"
Hearing Ciel's mocking laughter, Hagrid trembled with rage.
"Nonsense, you're talking nonsense!"
"Dumbledore deserves much of the credit for defeating Mystic!"
"I can say that," Charles said calmly.
"The Harry Potter family made the most direct contribution to the defeat of Mystic."
Was Dumbledore present at the time? No, he probably wasn't. So what contribution did he make in defeating Mystic?
"Could it be that Dumbledore also deserves some credit for Harry Potter's achievements?"
Hagrid was speechless.
Charles shook his head.
"So I've always been quite puzzled by how you Order of the Phoenix talk about how you've made such great contributions, how many Death Eaters Dumbledore killed, how many times you defeated Voldemort. You're quite good at patting yourselves on the back."
"Dumbledore made an inspiring contribution, providing a pillar of support to the Aurors and resistance groups in the wizarding world—I acknowledge that contribution. But what else is there?"
"If an ordinary Auror possessed Dumbledore's power, perhaps he could accomplish far more."
"Perhaps he will shoulder the responsibility of leading the wizarding world, instead of having all the talent but staying at Hogwarts and not even daring to take on the position of Minister of Magic."
"Perhaps he will hate Death Eaters even more. Wherever there are Death Eaters, there he will be, waving his wand and shooting out golden flames. When he encounters a difficult enemy, he will take care of it himself instead of ordinary Aurors risking their lives."
"There would be far fewer deaths and injuries in the wizarding world, the Death Eaters would be much more cautious, and the wizarding world would not be filled with despair and fear, to the point that no one dares to mention the name of the Earth Demon now."
"Ask yourself honestly, did Dumbledore do what he was supposed to do given his abilities?"
"Or let me put it another way, Hagrid, if you possessed Dumbledore's powers and saw your Order of the Phoenix members die in battle, what would you do?"
Hagrid answered instinctively.
"Of course, we're going to eliminate the Death Eaters and defeat Voldemort..."
Charles countered with a question.
"Did Dumbledore do that? Did he actively seek out Voldemort, or actively kill the Death Eaters?"
Hagrid was speechless for a long while before finally managing to utter a muffled sentence.
"Dumbledore has his own considerations; some battles belong to us."
These words made Charles shake his head.
"So even the final battle that ended Voldemort's reign was the achievement of Harry Potter, this baby? Where was Dumbledore's battlefield then?"
"Alright, I won't repeat how great Dumbledore was when the war happened."
"Perhaps Dumbledore's greatness lies in his handling of the aftermath."
"I ask you, how much compensation did those comrades who died in the Order of the Phoenix receive?"
Hagrid looked as if he had been insulted.
"pension?"
"We're not fighting for that; we're fighting for peace and justice!"
"It's happening," Charles said calmly.
"What will their families do to survive after they die in battle?"
"The Order of the Phoenix hasn't even made a single statement?"
"Alright, I understand. The Order of the Phoenix is an unofficial, loosely organized society with no source of funding."
"So they also made great contributions to the fight against Voldemort. Aurors who sacrificed their lives receive compensation and official honors, considered as dying in the line of duty. Did Dumbledore advocate for the members of the Order of the Phoenix who died in battle?"
"In the official records of the wizarding world, were they warriors who died fighting Voldemort and the Death Eaters, or ordinary victims? These are two different things, aren't they?"
"Oh? Still nothing? The great Dumbledore didn't even fight for anything for his fallen comrades? Ha, how great, how noble."
"That's right, it's exactly the same attitude he has towards Harry Potter. Hagrid, you must know what kind of life Harry Potter has been living all these years, right?"
When this was mentioned, Hagrid's face showed anger, and his voice choked with emotion.
"Of course I know! I can't believe Harry Potter's relatives would treat him like that!"
Charles countered with a question.
"How else should Harry Potter's relatives treat him?"
"No matter how you treat him, what right do you have to say anything?"
"From the time Harry Potter was a baby, did anyone in the wizarding world ever take care of him for even a single day? Did they ever buy him a diaper or a bag of formula?"
"You've paid for all the medical treatment he's had since he was a child? Don't you know how much it costs to raise a child?"
"In my opinion, his relatives have done their most basic moral duty and responsibility by raising Harry Potter to adulthood in good health."
"On the contrary, it's you, especially the great Dumbledore you speak of, who knew Harry Potter was there, and what did he do?"
"Putting everything else aside, is it so hard to allocate some funding to them? Is it so hard to visit them regularly and show concern for Harry Potter?"
"So, what exactly is so great about the Hogwarts headmaster who slacked off during the war, didn't provide compensation to his comrades after the war, didn't fight for their rightful honor and reputation, and didn't even provide financial support for Harry Potter, an orphan, leaving him with a Muggle family for eleven years without any regard for him? Why is Hagrid so devoted to questioning me like this?"
"I really want to hear this clearly. Go ahead and tell me, I'm all ears."
Hagrid's face turned from red to green and then to death.
He really wanted to yell at Charles and tell him that it was all nonsense.
But what Charles said didn't seem to have any problems; it wasn't a fabricated fact.
The members of the Order of the Phoenix who died in battle did not receive any compensation, and many of their merits and contributions were known only to members of the Order of the Phoenix and were not officially recognized by the Ministry of Magic.
The Weasleys' impoverished life, Lupin's awkward situation as a werewolf, and Lupin's own situation seemed to remain unchanged despite the Order of the Phoenix.
As for Harry Potter's childhood, that left Hagrid speechless.
Only now did he realize that his attitude toward the Dursleys after his visit was indeed very inappropriate.
No matter how harsh they were, they genuinely cared for Harry Potter for eleven years.
Although Hagrid had no children, he understood that taking care of children was much more difficult than taking care of magical creatures.
Children get sick, cry, need their diapers changed every few hours, and need to be sent to school and for education...
Hagrid did nothing, so he has no right to criticize the Dursleys.
But if Hagrid knew that Harry Potter was there, he vowed that he would do everything in his power to raise Harry to be healthy and happy.
Even if she had to sell all her possessions, she would still regularly send money to the Dursleys, make sure they bought Harry new clothes and glasses, took Harry out to play, and never let Harry suffer the slightest grievance.
If only we could let him know even a little bit of information!
Dumbledore didn't tell him, but Dumbledore did nothing.
As the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore had to deal with children every day. Didn't he know that raising children costs money?
What exactly happened?
Hagrid looked bewildered and, looking lost, led Shire deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
He had even gone to the territory of the eight-eyed giant spiders, hoping that they would appear in front of Ciel and give him a good scare.
In this way, the Ciel might repent for insulting Dumbledore.
But right now, Hagrid was in a state of utter confusion and had no desire to make Ciel repent.
He desperately wanted to banish Charles's words from his mind, but the scenes from the past kept replaying in his mind.
Yes, after being expelled from Hogwarts with his broken wand, Dumbledore was the only person who believed in him. Later, he even found him a job as a gamekeeper and accepted him, a half-giant, into the Order of the Phoenix. These were all things that made him extremely grateful.
At that time, Dumbledore was not the headmaster of Hogwarts, but a professor of Transfiguration, and could not clear his name.
Later, however, Dumbledore had become a renowned headmaster and the chief judge of the Wizengamot court, and he was fully capable of clearing his name.
At least, I can have my own magic wand again after so many years, right?
And then there's Lupin, who left after the war because there were no positions available for him.
But there were actually many job openings at the time. Many people had died in the magical world, and everything needed to be rebuilt.
If Dumbledore were willing to give Lupin a letter of recommendation, act as his guarantor, and publicize Lupin's heroic deeds against the Order of the Phoenix, perhaps Lupin could get a job and wouldn't have to leave his hometown.
Then there's the Weasley family. Mr. Weasley missed out on many opportunities at the Ministry of Magic because of his involvement with the Order of the Phoenix.
If Mr. Weasley had participated in the Ministry of Magic's organized battles, he could have become a temporary Auror. Based on his wartime achievements, many positions would have become available after the war, and his rank would have been at least two levels higher than it is now.
If Dumbledore were willing to speak up for Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley would definitely get a promotion and be living a much better life than he is now.
At least the Weasley kids don't have to share the same old clothes, and they don't have to buy everything secondhand or worn-out.
Every time Hagrid sees it, it breaks his heart.
All of this could have been changed; all it would have taken was for Dumbledore to say a single word.
But no, there was nothing.
Hagrid vaguely felt that they were like chess pieces on a chessboard, as long as they could play their role.
As for their own lives, Dumbledore didn't care at all.
Just as Hagrid was in a state of confusion, his hound, Fang, suddenly barked, bringing Hagrid back to his senses.
Under the glow of the Charm spell, shadowy figures wearing hoods could be seen in the shadows of the Forbidden Forest.
There were at least a dozen people surrounding Hagrid and Ciel from all directions.
A sense of dread washed over Hagrid instantly.
This is a forbidden forest; what kind of good people could possibly be here?
They're either poachers or dark wizards!
When he saw a faint golden glint flash across the shadows, Hagrid immediately understood what this display of power meant.
"Lucius Malfoy, I see you!"
"What exactly do you want to do by bringing your men to the Forbidden Forest?!"
Lucius, whose identity was exposed by the reflection of his hair, simply stopped pretending after Hagrid called him out.
He sneered and stepped out of the shadows, his eyes flashing with undisguised malice and murderous intent.
"What for? To judge, of course!"
"Snape is dead, my son's bones were broken, and he's traumatized—it's all that Mudblood's fault!"
"He did something like that, and he wasn't expelled from Hogwarts for breaking his wand? Is that fair?"
"I will represent the Malfoy family and personally reclaim justice!"
Hagrid growled, putting his previous argument with the Ciel behind him.
He grabbed the umbrella he was using as a magic wand.
"I won't let you succeed!"
Lucius sneered dismissively.
"A half-giant, thick-skinned and tough, if he had a wand, I might be wary of him."
"But with that lousy umbrella of yours?"
"Perfect! I've long disliked you, you filthy creature. Today, you and that mud-blooded brat will be wiped out forever!"
He carried an arrogant, condescending air, as if he already held the lives of Ciel and Hagrid in his hands.
"Of course, you can try to struggle."
"I've prepared quite a lot for this moment. Look at these dark wizards from Knockturn Alley, I paid a lot of money to hire them. Each one is carrying dark magic items and is fully armed."
"I've also prepared several powerful magical items here. If I can't even use them, wouldn't all my efforts have been in vain?"
"I look forward to testing their power on you."
Upon hearing Lucius's words, a hint of despair flickered in Hagrid's eyes.
He suddenly pulled a signal flare from his pocket and turned to Charles, giving him instructions.
"I'll create an opportunity for you in a moment. Don't look back, run!"
"Once this signal is sent out, it won't be long before Dumbledore and the other professors are notified that they are here and you are safe."
Next, Hagrid prepared to launch the signal flare into the air above the Forbidden Forest.
Upon seeing this, Lucius roared.
"Don't let him send a signal!"
"I need to properly prepare that mud seed; I don't want it to end so soon!"
The next moment, the dark wizards of Knockturn Alley raised their wands.
A dazzling red light flashed by, accompanied by a whisper.
He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!
Hagrid was struck by a Stunning Curse.
This stun spell seemed ridiculously powerful. The half-giant's magic resistance was practically nonexistent in front of it. Hagrid instantly lost consciousness, and the flare in his hand fell to the ground, failing to be sent successfully.
Lucius was overjoyed at the sight.
"A beautiful stun spell!"
"Whoever posted this, I'll give them extra money!"
The dark wizards in Knockturn Alley just looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt.
"Did you make a move?"
"No, I haven't had time yet."
"Besides, I can't cast such a powerful stun spell."
"Who's this big shot? They've been keeping a low profile!"
Just then, Ciel's small, thin figure appeared beside the fallen Hagrid.
He grinned broadly, his smile radiant, his eyes burning with passion.
"Isn't the Stunning Spell pretty?"
"Don't bother looking, I put it there. After all, if Dumbledore comes, it won't be convenient for me."
"So, are you going to hand over the magical items yourselves, or do you want me to do it?"
(End of this chapter)