"No, I now have reason to believe that you are mentally disturbed." Fudge looked at Lockhart angrily and said coldly, "If you continue to hinder the investigation like this, I will make you pay the price!"

Lockhart was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Damn it! I, Lockhart, never lie! And yet you, as the Minister of Magic, actually abuse your power to oppress others?"

This guy has completely given up. He would rather offend Fudge completely as long as he can save his reputation.

After all, even if the Minister of Magic had great power, it was impossible for him to be arrested without any reason. But if his reputation as a liar were to be known, his entire life would be ruined.

The quarrel between the two also made everyone around them look at each other in confusion. Just a moment ago, they were greeting each other politely, how could it be so close to a fight in the blink of an eye?

"Quick, take a picture!" Rita's face was filled with excitement. This was great news worth reporting. She had even thought of the title: The unknown little secret of the great writer Lockhart and Minister Fudge!

If this thing is formatted and sent out well, it will definitely be a hit!

"That's really infuriating! These two annoying guys are actually arguing." Not far away, Ron was also gloating. He even felt like rushing in and adding fuel to the fire. "More intense! More intense!"

"It's strange, why doesn't the Minister of Magic believe in Tom Riddle's existence?" Harry Potter pondered, his face full of confusion. "Lockhart is right about this."

Even though he hated Lockhart, he chose to stand on the side of facts. He was also surprised by Minister Fudge's behavior.

"Indeed, this Minister of Magic is truly strange." Hermione tilted her head, her expression bewildered. "It's as if the truth doesn't matter to him. Compared to that, You-Know-Who's Horcruxes and Avatars simply can't exist."

"Albus, look at this..."

Seeing the two arguing, Professor McGonagall was a little overwhelmed and looked at Dumbledore. But the old professor shook his head slightly, signaling her not to interfere.

It was obvious that Dumbledore had deliberately created this situation.

He knew, of course, that Fudge would never admit that Voldemort was still alive; after all, he was a politician. As a Minister of Magic elected through political maneuvering, his primary priority was to maintain his own stable rule.

If he agreed with Lockhart's words at this moment, it would mean great turmoil in the wizarding world, which was something Fudge absolutely did not want to see, as his position would be unstable.

But as the headmaster of Hogwarts and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore could not ignore the truth and let it be buried. Therefore, he allowed Lockhart to talk nonsense and made the fact that Voldemort was still alive known to the public through Lockhart's mouth.

This way he wouldn't have to confront Fudge head-on, and he could also make Lockhart, the liar, arouse the suspicion of the Ministry of Magic.

This old professor deserves to be known as the "White Devil". This silent and calculating method is indeed very clever.

Jellal thought so, extending his right index finger and nodding lightly at the air. He agreed that using Lockhart as a tool to provoke conflict and quarrel was a good idea, but such arguments failed to get to the heart of the matter.

Lockhart's cowardly mindset meant he could only express his dissatisfaction with Fudge verbally. He needed to add some fuel to the fire to make this conflict truly erupt.

What Gerard just did was the process of adding ingredients.

This wasn't some profound special ability, but rather a simple form of emotional detonation magic. Under the influence of this magic, a person's emotions would reach extremes in a short period of time.

For example, someone who is originally very angry will become extremely irritable; someone who is originally very sad will become hysterical...

This kind of magic needs to be built on the emotions that the person being cast already has. If the other person is calm at the moment, it will not have any effect at all.

really.

Lockhart's cheeks flushed red as he was intoxicated. "How stupid! Fudge, you're really stupid! You want proof, right? I'll give it to you right now!" He waved his wand and drew a circle in the air.

puff.

Colorful light burst out and tilted towards Fudge's head like a rainbow.

Crash.

The rays of light fell on Fudge's head, corroding his hair and scalp like sulfuric acid. The intense pain made the Minister of Magic scream like a pig being slaughtered. "Ah! Damn it, damn it! Lockhart, how dare you cast a spell on me? I'm going to put you in Azkaban!"

"Oh, my God!" Lockhart's sudden action frightened the people around him. The two people brought by Fudge were in a panic, constantly casting cleansing spells to try to completely wash away the acid.

The result was that Fudge became more and more like a drowned rat, and his suit was completely soaked.

"Damn it!" Fudge screamed in great pain, "Stop, stop now! Arrest this criminal and take him to the court!"

"Don't come over here, or don't blame me for being rude!" Lockhart, who was furious, obviously still wanted to resist, and he waved the wand in his hand continuously with sparks flying.

Suddenly, the whole scene was in chaos. Malfoy, who was standing next to Fudge, saw that the situation was not good and decisively ran away.

Rita remained where she was, grinning from ear to ear. Big news! This was truly big news! A renowned author had actually attacked the Minister of Magic out of humiliation. Wouldn't this newspaper be selling like hotcakes?

As a reporter who got first-hand information, shouldn't I be remembered in history?

"Oh my god! This is such an exciting scene, did you see it?" Ron let out a strange cry, and at this moment he even forgot to hide it. "It's a rare sight, a rare sight!"

"Lockhart has been caught. Will he really be imprisoned in Azkaban?" Hermione asked in surprise.

At this time, Lockhart's emotions had gradually stabilized, and he also understood what he had done.

"Perhaps. Do you think this has anything to do with that curse?" Harry Potter narrowed his eyes and whispered, "It's the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. No one can stay in that position for long."

460 Harold's Fear

hum.

In the courtyard, a faint blue light flickered. Enveloped by the light, the burned skin on Fudge's head began to heal visibly. At the same time, the painful expression on his face gradually disappeared.

"Oh, what kind of magic is this?"

"A miracle, this is simply a miracle!"

Seeing this scene, both Rita and the two Ministry of Magic subordinates showed shocking expressions. In their lifetime, it was the first time they had seen such magic that could heal wounds instantly.

"Thank you so much, Ziklaine." Fudge shook his head and stood up. "This kind of magic is truly a groundbreaking achievement. Is it really impossible for it to be popularized in the Ministry of Magic?"

While others saw the divine power of this healing magic, Fudge saw the potential for his own immortality. If he could popularize this magic under his own leadership, his reputation and prestige would rise to a new level.

"I remember telling you this before, Minister Fudge." Gerard retracted his wand and said calmly, "This type of healing magic isn't an isolated system, but rather a derivative of celestial magic. And celestial magic, in the entire magical world, still falls under the category of dark magic."

"Damn it! This is a rule set by those old-fashioned law enforcers!" Fudge cursed, his face full of dissatisfaction. "Jellard has been dead for hundreds of years!"

"But he is an undisputed dark wizard, Minister Fudge." Dumbledore glanced at Gerard and reminded him lightly: "Even though he has been dead for hundreds of years, his influence still exists."

"Okay, okay." Fudge sighed and turned his gaze to Lockhart beside him. "Now is not the time to discuss these things. We should think about how to deal with this sinner!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Lockhart shouted, his hands tied behind his back. "This is not my intention, Minister Fudge! I really didn't mean to hit you!"

"So the one who attacked me just now was also the You-Know-Who?" Fudge asked indignantly, "Are you also being controlled by the You-Know-Who's incarnation? Damn it, enough is enough! I don't want to hear any more about that damn You-Know-Who!"

"Yes, Minister Fudge..." Lockhart gritted his teeth and said with determination, "There is no You-Know-Who. I was just talking nonsense! You-Know-Who doesn't exist. He doesn't exist at all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present looked at him with contempt.

"How shameless, this bastard!" Even Harry Potter felt a deep-seated nausea at this moment, his face twisted. "How could he be so shameless?"

"I've seen it all. It's really eye-opening today..." Ron seemed to be in a trance, as if he was seeing this so-called real world for the first time.

Hermione lowered her head, her face filled with shame. She really wanted to go back in time and strangle the self who had been obsessed with Lockhart.

How could such a person be worthy of her admiration?

"Really?" Fudge had completely calmed down at this moment and nodded slightly. "So everything you just said was a lie to us?"

"I, I was just possessed by the devil for a moment." In order to get himself out of this situation, Lockhart no longer considered his own face. "Please forgive me, Minister Fudge!"

"Mr. Lockhart, I now have reason to suspect that all your past deeds have been lies." Fudge shook his head and said calmly, "Go to the Inquisition and confess. I believe you will confess everything there."

"Minister Fudge, Lockhart is a professor at Hogwarts after all." At this time, McGonagall finally stood up and said, "We can't let you take him away without solid evidence."

Even though she felt extremely disgusted and loathed Lockhart at the moment, as the deputy headmaster of Hogwarts, she still had to stand up and defend him. After all, Lockhart was also one of them at this time.

"Yes, that's right!" Lockhart said quickly, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw: "I am a professor at Hogwarts now. You have no right to arrest me directly! Unless you can really produce evidence!"

Lockhart was very confident that the other party would never be able to produce evidence because he had done things almost flawlessly.

He had already decided that if he could get away this time, he would leave England immediately. With his current reputation, he could live well in the wizarding world of any country, so there was no need to stay here and take risks.

"Your deception just now is already evidence." Fudge's face was a little gloomy, and he said coldly: "You are a damn liar, there is no doubt about that!"

"No, that was just your coercion!" Lockhart said loudly, shaking his messy hair. "That was the result of your naked threat, not my true thoughts!"

Fudge's face darkened even further. He hadn't expected this bastard to actually turn the tables on him. If this were to be spread by those loudmouthed reporters, it would be a severe blow to his reputation and status.

He knew that Lockhart had many supporters, many of whom were noble ladies. But if he retreated at this point, it would be difficult. Not only would he lose face, but he would also lose his inner strength.

"In that case, why not use Veritaserum?" Jellal seized the opportunity and suggested, "If we use Veritaserum, we can completely understand the truth of the matter."

"No, you can't!" Lockhart almost jumped up when he heard the name of Veritaserum. "I'm not a criminal, you can't use Veritaserum on me!"

"Calm down, Professor Lockhart." Gerard said softly, "Don't you want to protect your reputation? After using Veritaserum, I'm afraid no one will question you with an imposter anymore."

"No, I really can't!" Lockhart said in an almost pleading tone, "Believe me, I really can't drink Veritaserum! I'm allergic to it. I've tested it myself!"

Allergic to truth serum?

Not only Fudge, but even McGonagall realized something was amiss. All the ingredients in Veritaserum were extremely mild and adaptogenic, not even alcohol, so how could someone be allergic?

Even when Lockhart drinks, he pours large cups of wine into his mouth, but he doesn't have any allergic reaction... How could he be allergic to Veritaserum?

There's something wrong, there's definitely something wrong with this guy!

461 Fudge is secretly happy

Book Artist: Pfft, did they give Lockhart Veritaserum? Doesn't that make him less Barbie-like?

Anyone who has read the original Harry Potter novel knows that Lockhart is an old con man who has no knowledge or skills. His best spell is "Oblitheness", which he uses to steal other people's experiences and replace them with his own.

Skirt-lifting maniac: Serves him right! This kind of person totally deserves it!

Hatchet Girl: He deserves it, but it's unfortunate that he fell into a trap like this. Even the professors at Hogwarts wouldn't sympathize with him now, right?

This is an actor: he is also stupid enough to insist that he is allergic to truth serum.

This is also a desperate attempt to find a cure.

Even if he said he was nauseous instead of allergic, or even if he said nothing at all, Professor McGonagall would not watch Lockhart being drugged.

But now, everyone knew that Lockhart had a big problem.

With Gerald's suggestion, Fudge's instigation, Dumbledore's acquiescence and the witness of professional reporter Rita, Snape brought the truth serum he had prepared himself.

He ignored the other person's pleading eyes and words and poured it directly into the other person's mouth.

Instantly, Lockhart began to tremble and retch violently, trying to seize the last chance to spit out all the truth serum from his throat.

But this method obviously had no effect. Lockhart felt the potion slowly entering his stomach in despair.

The young wizards nearby also felt a little uncomfortable seeing this scene. Ron whispered, "How terrifying! It feels like he's being tortured! What on earth is truth serum? Is it that terrifying?"

"It's just a potion that makes people tell the truth!" Hermione stared closely at Lockhart, whose face was full of pain, and replied softly, "But from a legal point of view, forcibly injecting this potion is a serious invasion of privacy."

"If he really is a liar, what else can we do besides this method?" Harry shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's impossible to find evidence."

"But, but this can't go against the law, right?" Hermione still couldn't understand at this time. Even though the one who proposed it was Gerard, whom she admired, she felt that this practice was a bit excessive.

The most important thing was that even Dumbledore acquiesced to this matter. This was too weird, and Dumbledore's status in her heart had also dropped several levels.

"The law only protects those who abide by it, but Lockhart is now a suspect!" Ron, though feeling a little sympathetic towards Lockhart, still felt that this approach was the right one. "I think it's necessary to use some special tactics against suspects like this."

"We all know that what Lockhart said just now was a bit exaggerated, but it was all true!" Hermione lowered her voice and argued, "He is not a suspect at all. He is just too emotional."

"But he did attack the Minister of Magic, didn't he?" Ron blinked and asked, "If you were the Minister of Magic, would you be able to swallow your anger even if your hair was burned?"

"This..." Hermione looked at Fudge's bald head and was silent for a moment. "Even so, you can't... take revenge in this way, right?"

While several people were debating whether or not to give Lockhart Veritaserum, Lockhart was completely bewildered. It was obvious that the Veritaserum was beginning to work.

Fudge, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape looked at each other, and finally, in unison, decided to let Gerald begin the interrogation. After all, he was the former deputy director of the Auror Office, and he was more experienced than anyone else in interrogating prisoners.

As Jellal spoke, the mask covering Harold's body was gradually torn off.

"Oh my God!" Ten minutes later, Hermione's mouth opened wide, her whole face showing an expression of disbelief and shock. "Lockhart, he actually..."

"Fake? So everything is fake?!" Ron's eyes widened, his expression blank. "Tampering with other people's memories, turning their experiences into his own, this guy is simply..."

"It's totally inhumane!" Harry Potter's face showed an expression of extreme indignation.

Stealing other people's experiences, distorting other people's achievements, and then attributing them all to oneself is truly unforgivable. Who will compensate those wizards who have lost their precious memories?

"That's unbelievable, Lockhart." Not to mention the young wizards, even Professor McGonagall was furious. "You're bringing shame to the entire Hogwarts!"

These words are extremely serious. After all, even Voldemort did not receive such an honor back then.

Although Voldemort and his group of Death Eaters also came from Hogwarts and were cruel and vicious, they were evil in public. In another sense, they could be regarded as inheriting Slytherin's legacy.

But this Lockhart, who was clearly from Ravenclaw, was so vicious and despicable! Even the unscrupulous Slytherins would feel despicable for doing such a disgusting thing!

"I, I'm not... I..." Lockhart gradually came to his senses, his whole body seemed to wilt, not daring to look up. The memory of taking Veritaserum does not disappear, so he knew that he was finished.

"Minister Fudge, Lockhart is now in your care." Dumbledore said softly after a long silence.

"Of course, this is my duty." Fudge straightened his clothes and said calmly, "For a fraudster as egregious as Lockhart, our Ministry of Magic will certainly crack down on him! But at the same time, I also hope that you at Hogwarts will strictly screen your teachers in the future. After all, this concerns the future of the wizarding world!"

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