In just one day, Rita had already made her move.
The Daily Prophet not only reported on the recent petrification incident at Hogwarts, but also linked it to a student who died many years ago.
She expressed extreme dissatisfaction with Hogwarts' inaction and even publicly questioned whether Dumbledore was still qualified to be called the greatest white wizard of the century!
She was a smart woman and had originally planned to praise Argus's image at Hogwarts in her report.
On second thought, the fact that Argus hadn't mentioned it to her might mean he didn't want her to overcomplicate things.
Anyway, she wouldn't only have this one report; there would be plenty of opportunities to promote Argus in the future.
Why rush things?
On this very day, the Aurors officially entered Hogwarts!
The person leading the team was Allen Mitchell.
At this moment, Argus had no time to pay attention to these things.
Inside Hagrid's hut, the three-meter-tall, enormous Hagrid was hugging a blanket made of unicorn tail hair and crying like a baby who hadn't been weaned.
After decades of injustice being redressed, the bitterness and grievances were something that no one else could understand.
Argus didn't speak; what Hagrid needed at that moment wasn't comfort, but venting.
He had cried many times since Fudge apologized to him and the Daily Prophet published a report exonerating him.
When Argus came last time, he wanted to discuss the next supply of goods with Hagrid, but he ran into Hagrid crying his eyes out.
Left with no other choice, Argus had to come back another time.
Unexpectedly, when Hagrid saw him this time, he couldn't hold back his tears again.
Hagrid stopped after about ten minutes.
His eyes were red-rimmed, and snot and tears clung to his beard.
His already unkempt appearance only made him look more slovenly.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Argus, I just couldn't help it..."
"It's okay, Hagrid. We're friends. If we have to control our emotions in front of our friends, life would be too tiring."
"Argus…" Hagrid was deeply moved.
Argus almost couldn't hold back his tears again!
Argus stood on tiptoe and patted Hagrid on the back to comfort him.
Fortunately, Hagrid was sitting on the bed, otherwise he might not have been able to reach it.
Although Hagrid's vindication was facilitated under his influence, he did not intend to inform Hagrid.
This might earn Hagrid's gratitude, but given Hagrid's big mouth...
He might accidentally let something slip at any time, and then Dumbledore's attitude towards him would be completely different from how it was then.
"Hagrid, you're no longer the sinner you once were, so you don't need to use an umbrella as a disguise anymore, right?"
"That's true, but I've gotten used to it over the years."
As Hagrid spoke, something suddenly occurred to him, and his eyes involuntarily drifted toward the Forbidden Forest.
After holding back for a while, he finally couldn't help but speak: "Argus, my crimes have been overturned, but what about the ones I raised back then..."
"No!" Argus knew what Hagrid was going to say halfway through the conversation.
Hagrid's innocence meant that the entire case from back then was a miscarriage of justice!
Given his love for magical creatures, he would naturally want to bring Acromantula, the eight-eyed giant spider from the Forbidden Forest, back to his side to keep as a pet!
"Hagrid, you need to know that your Acromantula is dead!"
"Even if you didn't do what happened back then, keeping an Acromantula at Hogwarts is still against the rules."
"You've finally been recognized, you can't let the Ministry of Magic take back your wand because of this, can you?"
"You're right…" Hagrid lowered his head, looking somewhat disappointed.
"Don't overthink it. Your Acromantula is doing very well in the Forbidden Forest. If you bring it over rashly, it may not be able to adapt."
"Yes...it's doing very well in the Forbidden Forest!" Hagrid wiped away his tears.
Argus felt somewhat disgusted looking at Hagrid's stained cuffs.
He took out his wand and casually flicked it at Hagrid.
Hagrid's clothes instantly became as clean as new.
"Silent spellcasting? Argus, you've become so skilled at silent spellcasting by now? No wonder you're the most talented student at Hogwarts." Hagrid looked at his clothes, then at Argus.
Hagrid couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Argus shook his head helplessly: "Hagrid, you are now a legal wizard. You can try to learn how to integrate magic into your life."
Hagrid sighed: "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I've gotten used to it over the years."
Hearing this, Argus actually relaxed a little.
His biggest fear was that Hagrid would have different ideas because of the matter of being given a new wand.
For example... visiting relatives in the giant tribe, or going to find some magical creatures.
Although the acolytes' shops had their own established supply bases, their quality was still somewhat inferior to that of Hogwarts.
Once Hagrid left, he couldn't guarantee that Hogwarts would continue to supply the acolytes.
Their deal was never made public, and even with Dumbledore's tacit approval, it was only because Argus and Dumbledore had reached an agreement.
In this situation, if Dumbledore were to turn his back on him, Argus would also be in trouble.
After a brief discussion about the sale of the goods, Argus returned to Hogwarts from Hagrid's Hut.
As soon as he entered, Argus saw a group of Aurors on guard.
He exchanged a glance with Allen, then ignored him.
...
Perhaps it was because the Aurors were stationed there, or perhaps it was because the Basilisk had not been released again.
In the following days, Hogwarts entered a long-awaited period of peace.
The little wizards returned to their cheerful selves.
They played and frolicked everywhere, but with Aurors patrolling, the young wizards were often caught during their nighttime outings.
Only one person felt uneasy.
Ginny!
She had become aware of the influence the diary had had on her, and even knew how she was controlled to do those terrible things.
The fear and guilt she felt caused her great suffering.
Especially after the Aurors moved in, she worried every day that what she had done would be discovered.
She couldn't sleep well every day, and she had no energy in class.
Her body was rapidly wasting away, and there was no light left in her eyes.
Many people noticed that something was wrong with her, but when they asked her, they couldn't get any useful answers.
Ginny wanted to throw the diary away and had secretly taken it out many times.
But halfway there, she could never make up her mind.
One reason was the fear of being discovered.
Secondly, and most importantly.
She had become reliant on the diary's advice, or rather, under the diary's guidance, she had indeed become more dazzling.
To get closer to... the person she wanted to get closer to.
She asked herself this question many times late at night.
Could she still do this without a diary?
She was afraid she wouldn't even be able to see that person's back.
He was so dazzling, so dazzling that... Hogwarts could not find anyone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
In order to keep up with him, Ginny neither wanted to nor could put down the diary.
Only it could help her truly enter his field of vision…
…
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