"Big news, there's a huge explosion of news today!" As the bell rang signaling the end of another school day, Mr. Cotton was still tidying up his lesson plans and hadn't left the classroom when Jess shouted out.
"What's going on?" The eagerly anticipating classmates gathered around.
"Oh my goodness, you won't believe it!" Jess's astonishment was palpable, and as a skilled storyteller, he portrayed it with utmost authenticity. "It was an ordinary day in the midst of the war, but the tranquility of the wizarding society was shattered by a mind-blowing headline in the newspaper. A brilliant investigative journalist unearthed a scandal from decades ago, involving... the great white wizard, the stalwart against You-Know-Who, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts!"
Jess cleared his throat and, satisfied that everyone's attention was focused on him, continued, "Can you believe it? He actually... he actually had a romantic relationship with the former Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald!"
"..." Harry was taken aback. It seemed that he was the only one who grasped the significance of this news.
The other students still wore perplexed expressions. "Who is Grindelwald? Is he a new character?" "There was a previous Dark Lord?"
Jess's story hadn't covered the First Wizarding War, so naturally, the listeners were unaware. Even Jess himself had pieced together knowledge about the war from critical articles about Dumbledore in the newspapers. Now, he improvised and recounted the commentary from The Daily Prophet to everyone. The tales of love, hate, and rivalry were enthralling, and the young faces were filled with more curiosity than they ever displayed in the classroom. Even Mr. Cotton looked envious.
Except for Harry. He was lost in his thoughts, remembering that his father had mentioned Grindelwald a few times. His father seemed to say, "He had a relationship with Dumbledore." At that time, Harry was too young to understand the meaning of "had a relationship." Now, recalling the Dark Lord's casual remark, Harry suddenly realized: It seemed that the rumor was true?
"It sounds too magical to be true," exclaimed a thin boy with widened eyes. Obviously, this group of storytelling listeners was also shocked by this sudden plot twist.
"Does it mean Dumbledore is a bad guy? That previous Dark Lord, Grindle... whatever his name is, wasn't he supposed to rule the wizarding world with pure-blood supremacy? Did Dumbledore support that too? Are Dumbledore and You-Know-Who in cahoots?" Jennifer analyzed, always eager to express her opinions. "Is this news real?"
"I don't know if it's true or not," Jess shrugged. "All I know is that the investigative journalist is impressive, and the evidence is solid."
"If Dumbledore is also on the dark side, shouldn't the ranking of power between light and dark be reshuffled?" Oscar never missed an opportunity to bring up power levels.
"But if that's true, wouldn't the balance of power between light and dark be disrupted?" Jennifer calmly pointed out. "If the leader of the light side is actually on the dark side, I can't think of any reason why You-Know-Who hasn't already taken over the wizarding world. So, I think this news is fake."
"Maybe it's because everyone has been fooled by the wrong person that You-Know-Who has been able to wreak havoc all this time," Jess's light brown eyes carried a hint of hostility. "Yeah, he's supposed to be powerful, they say he's the only person You-Know-Who ever feared, so why doesn't he just directly duel with You-Know-Who?
Jess had a drastic change in attitude towards Professor Dumbledore, to the extent that Harry couldn't bear to watch anymore. "But...weren't you a big fan of Headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"I like good people. Perhaps he doesn't deserve it," Jess replied without hesitation.
"What if he really is a good person?" Harry, being the former Dark Prince, had a wealth of information beyond the scenes, and he was certain of Professor Dumbledore's pure and righteous stance. "Maybe he made mistakes in the past, but later he genuinely wanted to change—" Harry suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence. He remembered himself. It was him, of all people, who had the right to casually dismiss the notion of "making mistakes in the past" as something trivial? Harry suddenly felt hesitant to continue arguing about this matter.
Meanwhile, in his castle, Lord Voldemort was assigning tasks to his minions who had infiltrated the Daily Prophet. He had been in a foul mood lately, and when he was unhappy, someone was bound to suffer.
Inciting humans was like igniting a spark in a forest. Anger, fear—these emotions spread like deadly viruses among the crowd, growing like wildfire and intensifying, fervently and madly burning the world, destroying order, destroying everything they once revered and believed in. It was even more effective than the Killing Curse. The most ridiculous part was that it was completely legal.
The Death Eater received the task, respectfully saluted the Dark Lord, and then backed out of the master's study. Voldemort removed his terrifying mask, revealing the handsome face of a young man.
"My dear Harry, let's see, how would you rate this performance?" However, there was only his echo in the room.
He had been secretly monitoring every move Harry made. He knew in advance that Harry couldn't resist the urge to rescue people, weak and indecisive, just like the foolish child who disobeyed orders and released prisoners.
He also knew that Harry was currently following the news of the magical world. So, Harry, this performance is for you to watch. Let's see how a person with a tarnished reputation is treated. You think of betraying, suddenly wanting to be a "good person." It's nothing but a dream. The "just" masses won't give you a chance to turn back.
The young man was naive, and the Dark Lord would provide Harry with these lessons. He arranged for the Christian to be sent to Harry's hospital room, designed Dumbledore's betrayal by the magical world, and there would be more to come...
In the following days, Jess had been providing real-time updates on the aftermath of the Dumbledore incident. Clearly, this bombshell had sparked a massive storm within the wizarding society, escalating and spiraling out of control.
More evidence emerged, some even from former Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban. It almost confirmed Dumbledore's past romantic and collaborative relationship with the previous Dark Lord.
The Ministry of Magic was planning to expel him from Wizengamot. Professors at Hogwarts began leading the charge against the headmaster, including the Dark Arts Defense teacher. Harry knew that this year's DADA professor was affiliated with the Death Eaters and had publicly accused Dumbledore of conspiring to brainwash students during an interview. Parents of Hogwarts students started writing letters to the Board of Governors demanding Dumbledore's removal, and the board responded that they were in the process of taking action. The ordinary wizarding folk who once viewed Dumbledore as a beacon of hope were now hurling insults and accusations at him on camera and through microphones during protests in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Some individuals, known to Harry as members of the Order of the Phoenix, had turned against Dumbledore as well. For instance, Percy Weasley wrote a lengthy article in the Daily Prophet, exposing Dumbledore's crimes and lies, which Harry knew to be pure slander.
Conspiracy theories and insider information spread like wildfire. Mischief-makers concocted terrifying rumors, and even those ignorant of the truth believed the lies, fueling their hatred towards the parties involved.
Grindelwald's reputation reached far across Europe, and wizards from other countries voiced their criticism of Headmaster Dumbledore. For example, the Bulgarian Durmstrang Institute headmaster publicly stated that he found it shameful to be considered a peer of Dumbledore as a fellow headmaster. Several foreign wizarding ministries began pressuring the British Ministry to take action and sanction Dumbledore, a former accomplice of the Dark Lord. Bartemius Crouch Sr., the Director of the International Magical Cooperation, appeared exhausted during a press interview but emphasized that action would be taken in Britain.
Minister Rufus Scrimgeour openly declared that their inability to win the war was solely due to Dumbledore's interference, absolving his government of any incompetence. Now, it was time for everyone to eliminate Dumbledore and restore public trust in the Ministry.
Blaming and blackmailing were rampant, seizing opportunities to whitewash oneself or gain benefits. It was as if this storm had been wasted. Some individuals attempted to voice different opinions. They pointed out that Dumbledore was currently working tirelessly to help the wizarding world, and his numerous good deeds were evident. Didn't he defeat Grindelwald? However, these individuals quickly faced attacks, with some even being physically assaulted at their homes. When the masses were inflamed, differing opinions were not tolerated.
Interestingly, these attackers chose not to target the headmaster himself, probably knowing they couldn't overpower him. They preyed on the weak but feared the strong. That seemed to be the case.
Meanwhile, others who had maintained silence throughout the events with Dumbledore, despite their close ties to him, were now compelled to speak up and take a stance. Some individuals, whom Harry knew to be members of the Order of the Phoenix, also broke their silence. For example, Montague Fray, who lasted only five seconds before joining the camp that insulted Headmaster Dumbledore.
Jess was always passionate in storytelling, and he had the ability to emotionally engage his listeners. So, even the Muggle classmates around him, who were accustomed to hearing stories, began joining the chorus of insults against Dumbledore. What was more intriguing was that while his listeners cursed Professor Dumbledore, they refrained from maligning the Dark Lord. Harry didn't quite understand the reason.
In recent days, Harry's mind has been tossed by the storms of the magical world. As the former Dark Prince, he had gained some knowledge of the dark side of human nature while handling paperwork for his father concerning Death Eaters, but witnessing various upheavals among the crowd still deeply troubled him.
He knew what the Order of the Phoenix was doing, and he knew how hard Dumbledore had worked. Harry had brief interactions with Professor Dumbledore himself before, and he knew that Dumbledore was actually a good person.
He could see through the disguises of those publicly accusing Dumbledore. He could see how many Death Eaters had infiltrated the crowd. For example, wasn't Lucius Malfoy a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors? Wasn't Headmaster Igor Kakalov himself a Death Eater? How many Death Eaters had infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, while those who truly committed murder and treachery were welcomed with open arms?
Harry wondered what his father would say if he heard all this. He would probably mockingly say, "Humans are foolish and malicious." Harry could almost imagine his father's voice saying those words. Perhaps he would also say, "They only deserve to be used. Their minds are empty, waiting for a master to inject thoughts and control them. Following is their nature, and being able to participate in something important under the guidance of a great person is their greatest value."
Jess resumed reporting the news, saying that Neville Longbottom was attacked by some do-gooders after he defended Dumbledore in front of the reporters, and now he was being taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for some examination. However, people were talking about how Dumbledore had brainwashed the students, hoping that the Longbottom family would wake up soon.
Harry remembered Neville. While he didn't interact much with his classmates during his time at Hogwarts, he certainly remembered Neville as his roommate, and they had some revolutionary camaraderie from practicing spells together.
After school in the afternoon, instead of going to the library or returning to the dormitory as usual, Harry changed his robes and took out the door key he had used last time to go to St. Mungo's. "Three... two... one..."
He navigated through the crowded crowd and quickly made his way to the fifth-floor Spell Damage ward. Finally, he saw Neville Longbottom's name on a doorplate of an isolated ward. He could hear Hermione's voice coming from inside, "Fortunately, the healers said you're okay and can return to school tomorrow. But this is outrageous, how could they do this to you?" Harry stopped at the door, relieved to know that Neville was alright.
"I... I only told the truth," Neville sounded aggrieved. "They insisted that I confess to crimes..."
"Dumbledore is innocent!" Ron protested, "Oh... I mean, Professor Dumbledore, sir." He suddenly faltered and completed the title.
"Ah, it's alright, Mr. Weasley. I'm no longer a professor now. If you want, you can just call me Albus~" Another voice, light-hearted and pleasant, Harry recognized it as Dumbledore himself. He was glad he didn't knock on the door earlier - after his magic core was injured, he couldn't use magic casually, and now he might not have been able to escape from Dumbledore.
"Sir, what are you going to do next... the Ministry has issued a wanted order," Hermione expressed her concerns.
"Of course... it's fugitive time. But life is always on the move, so it doesn't make much difference," the old man's tone remained relaxed as ever. "I will contact the Order of Phoenix. The Order is an underground organization, and my whereabouts won't affect their ability to protect the people."
"You still care about protecting the people?" Ron remained indignant. "The public now wishes to kill you."
"I also want to ask, Mr. Dumbledore, haven't you felt wronged or even wavered?" Hermione hesitantly spoke up, sharing similar doubts.
"Well..." the headmaster chuckled. "The public is indeed easily swayed, but we can't entirely blame them. We need to see through those behind the scenes manipulating public opinion; they are the real adversaries we need to confront. Lord Voldemort, and the Minister of Magic, they want power, so they are trying to sway people."
Through a wooden door, Harry listened to these words but felt that Headmaster Dumbledore hadn't resolved his inner doubts. He certainly understood the importance of identifying the main contradictions and recognizing the true enemies, but... were these people, the public, truly worth saving?
Harry knew his father would say they weren't. He even had a strange suspicion that his father's actions were meant to be seen by Harry, as if mocking his naive idealism when it came to saving others.
As Harry listened to Jess reporting the news from The Prophet, he couldn't help but feel indignant, particularly at how Dumbledore, of all people, was being treated. Harry angrily thought that Dumbledore should just quit and let them face the consequences of their own actions. Perhaps then they would realize Dumbledore's goodness.
A/N: Please leave me some comments~ I'm worried if there is too much plot about those muggles. Maybe no one cares what happened here.