Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 292 Umbridge

Chapter 293 Umbridge

It's 8:30 now, the Ministry of Magic has just started work, but the hall is already packed with people, even more bustling than Diagon Alley.

Xiren still didn't know where the hearing was held, but that wasn't a problem.

He waited in the lobby for a while, and about five minutes later, he saw a group of familiar faces.

Yes, a group.

Leading the way were Mr. Weasley and an Auror, I think his name was Kingsley Shackleton.

Behind them followed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lupin, who was with them for some unknown reason.

They also saw Xilun.

"Shillon?" Mr. Weasley walked over in surprise. "Are you here for Sirius Black's hearing too?"

"Yes," Siren nodded, "but I don't know the location of the hearing."

"Then come with me," Mr. Weasley said softly. "To be honest, we'd better find somewhere else to talk about this, or we'll run into trouble."

"Troublesome?" Siren frowned. "But this is just a hearing, not an escape from Azkaban."

"It wouldn't have been a problem at first, but ever since that witch named Dolores Umbridge—"

Mr. Weasley stopped abruptly at this point.

Because not far away, a short witch wearing a pink cardigan happened to walk by.

Just from a glance, Xilun felt an urge to take a picture of her with [Snake Eyes].

However, the other party did not seem to notice them, and with a stubborn and arrogant expression, raised their chin and walked straight into the elevator.

Xilen clearly saw that before she stepped into the elevator, more than half of the people inside were preoccupied with other important matters.

They came out ahead of schedule.

He had seen plenty of Muggle exorcism spells, but this was the first time he had ever seen a wizard exorcism spell. It was truly an eye-opening experience.

"Nobody wants to ride in the same elevator as her, except for people who don't know who she is," Mr. Weasley said.

"Alright, come with me, let's take another elevator."

Ten minutes later, he led his group to the second floor, where he worked, the Department for Prohibiting the Misuse of Muggle Items.

It was a tiny office, too small to fit all of them. So Harry, his two friends, and Sirius had to stay in the hallway outside.

"I really didn't expect you to come, Siron," Harry said.

"After all, I was involved in this, so I had to come and see," Celen said. "Besides, we still have a deal to complete, and he owes me something very important."

"A deal?" Harry asked curiously. "When did you make that deal? How come I didn't know?"

"I don't know how to tell you either," Sirius said after thinking for a moment. "Strictly speaking, it's a secret. Let Sirius tell you himself later."

Although he was still puzzled, Harry didn't press the matter after hearing what Siren said.

You can tell he's very nervous; he keeps rubbing his hands together.

"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione reassured him. "I've done my research. A dozen years ago, many wizards were wrongly arrested. At the time, people couldn't tell who the Death Eaters were, but after the truth came out, those innocent people were released."

"Not all of those people are innocent," Ron muttered quietly from the side. "Many of them claim to have been afflicted by the Imperius Curse."

But in reality, they didn't do it at all; it was all an act!

Ron said he felt like someone nudged his arm.

Hermione, what are you doing?

"Nothing, I just lost my balance." Hermione glared at him expressionlessly, then looked at Harry again.

"At least this proves that the Ministry of Magic will not imprison innocent people in Azkaban."

"Yes, you're right. I'm not nervous at all. Sirius will definitely pass this hearing." Harry twitched the corners of his mouth, as if he were talking to himself.

A few minutes later, the adults came out of the office.

"We should get going," Mr. Weasley said. "The hearing is in the tenth courtroom, which is a bit far. We'd better hurry."

The group headed back towards the elevator.

This time, however, as soon as the elevator door opened a crack, Xilun saw a splash of pink.

"No way," Xilun thought, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Once the elevator doors were fully open, sure enough, he saw Umbridge inside.

Mr. Weasley saw it too, and his foot, which had been about to step out, froze in mid-air.

There was still some time before the hearing began, and perhaps he could wait for the next elevator—he thought to himself.

However, at that moment, Harry and Ron, unaware of what was happening, had already subconsciously stepped into the elevator.

Hermione was a little slower; she remembered what Mr. Weasley had said earlier and hesitated for a moment. But she didn't pay too much attention to it and followed Harry after he went in.

Then came Lupin, who also didn't know Dolores Umbridge and was only thinking about getting to the hearing as soon as possible.

There was nothing they could do but follow them inside.

Kingsley Shackle, who was at the very back, simply turned around and naturally bypassed the elevator, heading towards another corridor.

The elevator doors closed again.

In the cramped space, a cloyingly sweet smell began to spread, even more unpleasant than the cheap aromatherapy used in fortune-telling classes.

"Do you think they'll believe Sirius is innocent?" Harry asked nervously.

"Relax, Harry," Hermione whispered. "Wizengamor and the Ministry of Magic must acknowledge the new evidence, Professor Dumbledore—"

"spray!"

A strange voice interrupted Hermione's words. She looked in the direction of the voice and found that it was the witch who had been in the elevator from the beginning.

What was her name again?

Oh, right, Umbridge.

Seeing that his actions had worked, Umbridge subconsciously raised his chin.

"If I heard correctly, you're speaking up for a brutal murderer?" Her voice was high-pitched and thin, like a little girl's, and sounded very awkward.

"Sirius isn't a murderer!" Harry immediately retorted. "Peter Pettigrew is! He's innocent!"

“Peter Pettigrew, he’s a First Class Order of Merlin!” Umbridge continued, glancing at Harry’s forehead. “Are you trying to smear a hero?”

"Peter Pettigrew is not a hero!" Harry exploded, panting, "He's a despicable traitor!"

"Harry, we're almost there," said Mr. Weasley, taking a step forward discreetly to shield him behind him.

Umbridge frowned, about to say something, when she noticed Harry's forehead, where a lightning bolt-shaped scar was clearly visible amidst his messy hair.

"Are you Harry Potter?" she asked.

Before Harry could answer, the elevator doors opened.

"The Department of Mysteries!" a cold voice said.

Umbridge seemed to have already gotten the answer, and without waiting for Harry's reply, she stepped out of the elevator first.