Chapter 89: Hehehe
"Sorry, Albus, I didn't think they'd be so rude," Fudge said, fidgeting with his top hat in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts. "I've spoken to them about it before, but, as you know, the Hit Wizards have been tied up for months with that Swooping Evil incident. Sometimes they act impulsively; it's hard to avoid."
"I understand, Cornelius," Dumbledore replied calmly. "But I trust Hagrid. There's certainly no Swooping Evil involved here."
"Yes, well, personally, I trust Hagrid too," Fudge replied, glancing away and avoiding Dumbledore's gaze. "But you must see my position—he has a record, and we've received reports. The Ministry has to investigate, for the safety of the students."
"I'm not stopping you from investigating Hagrid," Dumbledore said, crossing his arms and resting his fingers on his chin as he spoke slowly. "And even Minerva only intervened when you were about to take Hagrid by force. I assure you, Cornelius, you're welcome to bring your witnesses here to Hogwarts, now or in the future, to question Hagrid. We have an excellent Potions Master who can easily determine whether he's telling the truth. And if you can't come yourself, send word, and I'll personally bring Hagrid to the Ministry for questioning."
"There's no need for that, Albus," Fudge replied, sounding slightly unnatural. "I trust you completely, and the investigation into Hagrid is closed. His room shows no trace of any Swooping Evil."
"Thank you for your confidence, Cornelius," Dumbledore said warmly. "I didn't expect you to come all the way to Hogwarts in person over this."
"Oh, it's nothing, Albus," Fudge said, taking a sip of his black tea. "It was our mistake to begin with, so I felt I should handle it myself. I only hope Minerva isn't too upset. Speaking of the Swooping Evil, something else just came to mind."
"Oh?" Dumbledore raised his brows slightly, looking intrigued.
"It's just that..." Fudge absentmindedly straightened his collar. "Recently, someone at the Ministry has been using the Swooping Evil incident to tarnish my reputation, claiming I'm too ineffective. They think my decision to release those magical creatures was a mistake and that I shouldn't have held onto Newt and Chris for so long. Even foreign Ministries have sent letters, saying I shouldn't have let Newt visit their countries."