From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

As a nascent form of capitalism in the British magical world, Lucius possessed a keen sense of opportunity and could see the benefits of concentrating the magical creature industry together.

Hogwarts can not only intervene in the transportation service industry by raising magical creatures, but also squeeze out other magical creature-related industries in the market by virtue of its scale advantage, including the herb industry that uses magical creature excrement as fertilizer, the potion industry that uses magical creature materials as potion ingredients, and even the wand industry that every wizard needs.

Who doesn't know that Ollivander's wands are the best in all of Britain? Besides, they only use materials from three magical creatures for their wand cores: unicorns are brooding in the Forbidden Forest, and that old man Dumbledore has a phoenix. If they could also manage to get their hands on a dragon, they could even monopolize the wand industry!

He hadn't forgotten what Ivy had said in the letter: that the half-giant Hagrid really did own a dragon. And that dragon was the very thing that Ivy had asked him to use to push for the Ministry of Magic's current investigation.

He was now beginning to believe how much this choice would benefit the Malfoy family, which was far superior to Voldemort's attempt to rule the wizarding world through fear and oppression.

At this point, Professor Celticburn on the field began introducing the hippogriff.

"...They are said to be the offspring of griffins and ordinary mares, so they should also be able to produce offspring with Itheron and Gralling, who are also Pegasus. We do not yet know what kind of creatures this practice will produce, but as an academic institution, Hogwarts is willing to try new things in the unknown, just like other wizards in the magical world who have promoted the progress of magic."

“Perhaps people might question how a few faculty members could possibly manage so many magical creatures?” Professor Celtburn patted his prosthetic leg. Hagrid brought out a new group of magical creatures from the depths of the forest. They were like silver-white steeds with spiral-patterned horns on their heads, looking elegant and beautiful.

“Hogwarts has the largest unicorn colony in all of Britain and even the world. They have lived and thrived in the depths of the Forbidden Forest for generations. The Forbidden Forest is our greatest asset.” Professor Celticburn reached out to stroke the unicorn as before, but the unicorn turned its head away in disgust. The professor was not embarrassed at all; instead, he laughed.

After laughing, Professor Celticburn said seriously, "Moreover, we can increase manpower by hiring wizards and witches who are interested in this field to work at Hogwarts, which will indirectly solve some of the urgently needed job positions."

“Most importantly,” Professor Celticburn’s voice deepened, “we have to do this. Just recently, a dark wizard broke into the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, brutally slaughtered a unicorn, and took its blood. Because of the lack of manpower, we were unable to take care of every corner of the Forbidden Forest at all times, resulting in a beautiful and holy creature leaving this world forever.”

Professor Celticburn pointed to a young unicorn in the herd. It had golden fur and stood alone, not following its mother like the other young. Its ribs were clearly visible from the side, indicating that it was not doing well.

"That dead unicorn was a mother who had just given birth. If we don't interfere with the ecosystem of the Forbidden Forest, similar incidents will likely happen again and again. We need to protect this hard-won habitat for magical creatures." The frail young unicorn made Professor Celticburn's statement more persuasive, and many of the Ministry of Magic's civil servants nodded in agreement.

Director Nott stepped forward and said loudly, "Professor Celtburn's speech was excellent! Gentlemen, perhaps we can now take a vote."

"Wait a minute!" Fudge called out urgently, and Nott looked over with a hint of anger on his face.

“I believe Professor Celticburn has many more magical creatures to show!” Fudge, completely oblivious to his subordinate’s expression, turned to Dumbledore. “Albus, I suddenly remembered something.”

Chapter 114 Cornelius Fudge's Courage

“Albus,” Fudge called out kindly, “can we talk privately?”

"About what?" Dumbledore made a listening gesture, then pretended not to see Fudge's wink at him.

Fudge's facial features twitched unnaturally, but he quickly realized Dumbledore was feigning ignorance, so he had no choice but to be blunt: "Uh... about this... the Fantastic Beasts Breeding and Production Facility..."

“I don’t know what is so important that can’t be said openly, Minister?” Director Nott asked coldly, drawing the attention of the other civil servants. “If you have no objections, I suppose I am the Director of the Department of Magical Creatures Control, and I am about to exercise the powers granted to me by the Ministry of Magic.”

"How dare you!" The annoying Umbridge jumped out again. "Mr. Cornelius is the Minister for Magic! Watch your words! Director Nott!"

“Oh! It’s alright!” Umbridge’s insistence startled Fudge, who nervously tugged at his tie. “It’s alright, Dolores. Director Nott has always been a dutiful man, just like the other members of the Nott family. I didn’t mean to bother you… I just… I just have something to say to Albus.”

"If it's about the breeding and raising of magical creatures, you can talk about it here. We'll all listen, and maybe we can even offer some advice," Director Nott said, glancing at Umbridge with disdain, his tone still curt.

“Alright…alright…if you insist…” Cornelius Fudge appeared very uneasy, clutching his handkerchief tightly and constantly casting ambiguous glances at Dumbledore, but Dumbledore seemed to suddenly have all his attention drawn to the unicorn in the woods.

"Eight-eyed giant spider!" Fudge seemed to have suddenly made up his mind and shouted out this word.

Dumbledore immediately turned his gaze from the unicorn back to Fudge's face, already guessing what Fudge was going to say: "I've already told you, Cornelius, I trust Hagrid."

“But…” Fudge wiped his shiny bald head with a handkerchief, “the students might be a different story… and so would their parents…”

“I don’t understand…” Director Nott looked somewhat confused. He looked at the four-legged animals in the area and was glad that they hadn’t grown four more legs. “There aren’t any eight-eyed giant spiders here, are there?”

"The monster in the secret room is an eight-eyed giant spider!" Fudge blurted out again.

"The Chamber of Secrets? Is that the legend?" Of course, there are quick-witted employees in the Ministry of Magic, perhaps even a little too quick.

"The Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin? The one where legend says monsters are released to wipe out the unclean from the castle?" The others, reminded of the secret, realized what it meant and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

“About fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and a female student even died at Hogwarts. After the Ministry of Magic's investigation, people believed that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was the eight-eyed spider, and the owner of that eight-eyed spider at the time was none other than Rupert Hagrid, who is standing right here in front of you.” Fudge said everything he wanted to say in one breath, and added at the end, “All of this is recorded in the Ministry of Magic's files!”

“That’s impossible.” Director Nott frowned. “The eight-eyed spider couldn’t live that long. If there really is a Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, the monster in it couldn’t be an eight-eyed spider. It couldn’t possibly live for a thousand years.”

“But that’s the result of the Ministry of Magic’s investigation!” Fudge emphasized. “Perhaps Director Nott is right, the Octopods can’t live that long, but Slytherin is a powerful wizard. Perhaps he used magic to preserve the Octopod eggs for a thousand years?”

Director Nott understood Fudge's meaning. He had no intention of obstructing the decision on the magical creature breeding and rearing facility, but he wanted to find a way to plant a thorn in Dumbledore's side, at least to undermine his authority. However, such methods were simply unpleasant.

What particularly displeased Chief Nott was Fudge's absurd claim that a half-giant was a descendant of Slytherin. This was utterly unacceptable to Chief Nott, who was also a Slytherin alumnus.

“Hagrid is innocent,” Dumbledore emphasized again, a rage burning in his blue eyes. “I’ve said it far too many times, Cornelius.”

Even in the dark Forbidden Forest, Fudge felt hot all over. He could feel sweat trickling down his spine. He puffed out his stomach, making his shirt cling to his skin to stop the untimely drop of sweat. Although he tried to hide his embarrassment with subtle movements, the beads of sweat on his shiny forehead had already given him away.

“Of course I want to believe you, Dumbledore.” Fudge tried to make his voice calm, though he himself wasn’t sure if it worked. “But… I am, after all, Minister of Magic, and I have to consider other people’s opinions. I can’t do what you want.”

This is a very serious accusation, almost an open statement that Dumbledore is protecting Hagrid.

Perhaps from Fudge's perspective, this is indeed the truth. Whether it's Quirrell, whom Dumbledore calls a "dark wizard serving Voldemort," or Hagrid, whose records in the Ministry of Magic's files indicate he opened the Chamber of Secrets, both are the result of his wanton and arbitrary manipulation of power. And now, Dumbledore wants to control the Ministry of Magic through Fudge, whom he personally recommended.

Cornelius Fudge, now Minister of Magic, will not allow his evil schemes to succeed. It's time for a courageous counterattack!

When people face a powerful opponent, they unconsciously place themselves in the position of challenger. Some people even add a layer of self-compassion, like the courage of a martyr, to their decision to confront the strong.

In Fudge's own view, his actions were not betrayal or power grabbing, but a challenge to the White Lord's reign of terror and a necessary means to liberate the Ministry of Magic from Dumbledore.

But when Fudge met Dumbledore's angry blue eyes, his little bit of courage melted away like snowflakes in the June sun.

“...Even if Hagrid is as innocent as you say, he should stay away from magical creatures as much as possible...at least dangerous magical creatures…” Fudge looked away. “I agree to establish a magical creature breeding and raising facility at Hogwarts…but the Ministry of Magic will not allow him to participate in this project until it is confirmed that Hagrid is completely safe.”

It seems the effect of the suggestion technique has ended.

Ivy's eyes flashed, and he nodded in satisfaction. He had merely used this second-level Sedition spell to stir up Fudge's emotions against Dumbledore. However, once the latter noticed Dumbledore's anger, Fudge immediately perceived opposing Dumbledore as harmful to himself. Therefore, the effect of the Sedition immediately ceased.

This is already quite impressive. Ivy thought to himself, the magical creature breeding and raising facility was his idea, so of course he wanted to keep it under his control. But Dumbledore was clearly not an easy person to control, so he had to do his best to weaken his influence in this matter. After that, there were the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic left, and Ivy had plenty of ways to deal with them.

What he didn't expect was that Cornelius Fudge was such an incompetent fellow. After all that, he just wanted to use a case from fifty years ago to fight against Dumbledore. Ivy couldn't see how this would affect the latter, but Hagrid suffered an undeserved misfortune.

How to redeem Hagrid can wait, since the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets is practically in Ivy's hands, and restoring Hagrid's reputation would be incredibly easy. However, protecting both Hagrid and the Basilisk is what Ivy needs to consider.

Chapter 115 Initiating the Locked Room Investigation

“Fool. A complete fool.” Director Nott was certainly not foolish enough to say such a thing as Fudge did; he couldn’t understand what Fudge was up to. Although he had expressed his willingness to oppose Dumbledore, he acted like a coward, wavering back and forth, and in the end, he only vaguely allowed the half-giant to be investigated by the Ministry of Magic.

"Does this have any impact on Dumbledore himself?" Director Nott was a typical pure-blood wizard, but he was always the most traditional kind, standing only with the victor. Therefore, he never easily took sides, which is why he preserved his family's position in the wizarding wars instigated by Voldemort, and even went further to become the director.

Typically, pure-blood wizarding families control departments related to their family businesses. Since the end of the Wizarding Wars, the Nott family has been trying to get involved in the trade of magical creature materials. Although they have become the Director of the Department of Magical Creature Management and Control, the Nott family can only awkwardly act as middlemen, reselling magical creature materials imported from the Americas, or controlling the flow of certain foreign goods to drive up their prices and make a small profit.

Lucius Malfoy's letter showed him the possibility of truly intervening in the large-scale magical creature trade, which is why he was so eager to act as a pawn. The Board of Governors represents Hogwarts, while the Nott family naturally represents the Ministry of Magic. They can not only use this opportunity to disrupt the current state of the magical creature material trade in the British magical world and muddy the waters, but also take the opportunity to consolidate all those scattered sales channels.

Although it still requires time to accumulate, it at least gave Director Nott hope. He believed that in the near future, the Department of Magical Creature Management and Control would become a new calling card for the Nott family, instead of just wandering around with the title of compiler of the "Pure-Blood Register." Once this department, which combined both financial resources and power, fell into Director Nott's hands, he decided to completely absorb it.

"Malfoy... what does Malfoy think about this?" Director Nott glanced at Lucius, only to find him staring at Dumbledore with great interest, as if watching him make a fool of himself was a rare pleasure.

"I really don't understand how that arrogant and conceited Malfoy came up with such a brilliant idea..." Everyone says that the Dark Lord is terrifying, but Chief Nott believes that the White Lord is even more formidable.

He not only defeated Grindelwald, the leader of the Mublical party that swept across Europe, but also maintained a good reputation for many years, wielding considerable influence in the international wizarding world. He was practically a living saint without any personal flaws.

Director Nott didn't believe in living saints, so Dumbledore, who could disguise himself so perfectly, was far more terrifying than Voldemort. At least Voldemort used fear to rule, while Dumbledore exploited people's respect as if his followers' contributions were entirely genuine. Moreover, as far as Director Nott knew, the so-called Order of the Phoenix was an unpaid wizarding society; they didn't use their connections to expand their influence, seize fame, or power, but were willing to dedicate themselves to the wizarding world like fools.

But it's also thanks to the selfless dedication of these fools that talents like Director Nott are able to sit in high positions overlooking the masses. Thinking about it this way, perhaps it's not so bad that the Minister of Magic is a fool?

Only with a fool like Fudge in that position could the Nott family amass wealth while remaining discreet, since fools always unconsciously attract attention. As long as everyone is watching the fool, a clever person like Director Nott can keep a low profile.

“Cornelly,” Dumbledore said slowly, “I will not allow that to happen.”

Fudge looked extremely embarrassed. He glanced at Dolores Umbridge, but the latter was clearly lost in thought and oblivious to his minister's predicament.

Fudge then looked at Director Nott, who pondered for a moment and decided to cover for him. On the one hand, he wanted to gain the trust of this fool, and on the other hand, he wanted to expedite the establishment of the magical animal breeding and propagation base.

“Then all you need to do is prove Mr. Hagrid’s innocence,” Director Nott said politely. “I believe this will not be difficult for you, and I do not believe that the eight-eyed giant spider is the monster in the secret chamber.”

"I will not allow Hagrid to go to the Ministry of Magic for investigation," Dumbledore reiterated his position.

“Then let him be investigated at Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic can set up a secret investigation team to try and completely close this fifty-year-old cold case and clear Mr. Hagrid’s name,” Director Nott replied immediately. “Anyway, it will take some time to establish a magical animal breeding and raising facility. If we’re lucky, Mr. Hagrid might even be able to catch the first batch of magical animals the facility will receive.”

“Yes! That’s right!” Fudge quickly said, then looked at Dumbledore with expectant eyes, “'The Chamber of Secrets' is a great idea!”

The anger in Dumbledore's eyes disappeared. After a moment's thought, he said, "If the Ministry of Magic's investigation team cannot prove a necessary connection between Hagrid and the Chamber of Secrets before the magical creature breeding and raising facility is built, then he is innocent."

"When..." Fudge's words were interrupted by Director Nott.

“That depends on the opinions of my colleagues and judges in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.” Director Nott said calmly. “You know, I’m just an official in the Department of Magical Creature Management and Control, and I’m really not familiar with that area of ​​business.”

Upon hearing the words "Secret Room Investigation Team," Ivy immediately looked at Chief Nott, but unfortunately, his gaze spell feat could only be used twice a day, and he had already used his second Suggestion spell on Umbridge. Sowing discord between her and Fudge to damage her career was just the prelude; Ivy would soon show her what true terror was. Even from afar, Ivy had plenty of ways to eliminate her without her noticing. But that would obviously be too easy on her.

Fortunately, the Chamber of Secrets built by Slytherin was well-hidden, so much so that only Voldemort discovered it over the years. Otherwise, Avik, who already considered the Chamber hers, might have taken some drastic actions.

"Now that we've approved the project plan for the magical creature breeding and raising facility, the Ministry of Magic will begin the project evaluation." Director Nott looked at Dumbledore and Lucius in turn. "The Headmaster and the Board of Trustees representatives certainly have no objections, since this project was originally proposed by Hogwarts."

They both nodded.

"Everyone's happy! Let's have a drink to celebrate!"

Chapter 116 Hagrid the Alcoholic

"I must be crazy to follow you two around like this!" Hermione complained indignantly as they walked towards Hagrid's cabin. "There are less than five weeks until the exams! And all you two think about is playing!"

“Less than five weeks? I’d rather call it a little over a month!” Ron didn’t look back, rushing forward as if Hermione and the dreadful homework would catch up with him if he slowed down.

“No matter how intense our studies are, we can’t forget our friends!” Harry advised. “Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore seemed to be dealing with some Ministry of Magic investigation team. I wonder how it went?”

"I don't know what happened?" Hermione stopped in her tracks, stunned. "I thought you two were genuinely concerned about Hagrid! The Ministry of Magic is going to collaborate with Hogwarts on a huge project about magical creatures. The whole castle knows about it, and you two didn't even know?"

"So, the part about Hagrid's magical creatures was a success?" Ron paused. "I've finally heard some good news since Ivy kept dragons in the castle."

"Was the collaboration between the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts the original plan of Ivy?" Harry exclaimed. "He's really capable. In order to legally raise dragons at Hogwarts, he managed to get professors and officials from the Ministry of Magic to fawn over him."

“‘A little help from a Slytherin friend,’ I guess he’d say that.” Ron mimicked Ivy’s tone, but his comical facial expression made Harry and Hermione laugh.