As time gradually slipped through their fingers, news finally came from the Ministry of Magic.
But within the British wizarding world and Hogwarts.
Certain public opinions did not subside because of this; instead, they intensified.
Of course, the core topic of discussion had shifted slightly.
From whether the Basilisk should be sentenced to death, and if so, whether a more valuable method of execution should be used.
It turned into…
"Malfoy, I heard your family used to be associated with..."
"Shut up!" Malfoy shouted.
Malfoy's usually impeccably neat platinum blonde hair was somewhat disheveled now, and the slight dark circles under his eyes proved he hadn't been sleeping well lately.
The discussion about the death penalty had temporarily concluded with the Ministry of Magic's court ruling.
But at this critical juncture, a certain tabloid reported some peculiar content.
It was about the previous public opinion, possibly fueled by some people with ulterior motives.
Although the tabloid didn't explicitly state it, its sarcastic tone was practically begging to broadcast the identification numbers of Voldemort's remaining Death Eaters.
The newspaper insinuated that Voldemort and Slytherin had some kind of familial connection, and that in the past, a group of people had sided with Voldemort because of this, committing many heinous crimes together.
But strangely, years later, some people were still at large.
A portion of the testimony submitted by Dumbledore to the Ministry of Magic clearly detailed that decades ago, Voldemort had been the one to open the Chamber of Secrets, and it was under Voldemort's command that the Basilisk had killed Moaning Myrtle.
And now, some people were secretly trying to protect Voldemort's Basilisk.
Oh my, those who understand will understand.
Do some Pure-bloods who graduated from Slytherin still have some unclear relationships with Death Eaters and Voldemort? We don't know, and we dare not say…
In short, it was content similar to the above.
This caused everyone in Hogwarts and the British wizarding world, those families and individuals who had escaped legal punishment through various excuses like the Imperius Curse due to 'deals' and other reasons, to live under unusual scrutiny.
… It's not that some people are truly that stupid, believing whatever they hear and going wherever the public opinion blows.
Wizards haven't entered the internet age yet; they don't speak anonymously and carelessly. Every real-world action is a gamble with their future, especially when it concerns Pure-blood families.
Rather than being swayed by public opinion.
It's more like the current atmosphere finally gave them the courage to act, finally made them 'remember'!
After all, during Voldemort's time decades ago, he truly caused rivers of blood to flow.
He had even placed a spell on his own name; anyone who dared to utter it would be teleported directly in front of them, and their entire family would be reduced to ashes! Voldemort left too many blood debts.
Voldemort fell to Love's Magic over a decade ago. After Voldemort's forces collapsed, it wasn't that those with deep-seated hatred didn't want to pursue the matter to the end.
But the Pure-blood families, combined, were simply too powerful. If a thorough reckoning were to occur, it would inevitably lead to another war, so everyone could only suppress their anger and focus on a few exemplary cases.
But did things truly just pass like that?
No, they wouldn't.
As long as the eyewitnesses of that time haven't all perished, the hatred won't disappear; it's merely suppressed for the time being.
In the past, they were scattered and unable to form a sufficiently united force, leaving them powerless against the Pure-blood families.
But now it's different. The current public sentiment has made them realize that perhaps they can find an opportunity for revenge!
Perhaps they can't deliver a killing blow, but causing some trouble for these former Death Eaters would be good, right? Were you forced to become a Death Eater? The avengers wouldn't care about your circumstances.
They might even broaden their scope of attack. As long as you have a sufficiently deep family connection to a Death Eater, even if you haven't committed any of those acts, they will still vent some of their resentment on you.
Hogwarts is a microcosm of the entire wizarding world.
The young wizards from Pure-blood Slytherin families, led by Malfoy and others, have had a difficult time recently.
Although under Roger's reforms, the atmosphere at Hogwarts has changed, and what happened to Snape in the past cannot be repeated at Hogwarts.
Everyone has become much more 'civilized,' no longer resorting to spells at every turn.
But the disappearance of physical violence and aggression doesn't mean the absence of emotional abuse.
Just like Luna is not favored by the young wizards of Ravenclaw.
Children's hearts are very sensitive.
Whether it's foul language, sarcastic remarks, or being ignored, it can have a significant impact on their minds.
Especially for someone like Malfoy, who had always lived a life of being doted upon.
From being praised wherever he went to being stared at with unusual eyes by everyone, this drastic change can sometimes be incredibly difficult to bear.
Even excluding other houses, it's the same within Slytherin itself… not every family bet on Voldemort during that era.
Now that the wind is blowing in a different direction, it's considered benevolent if they don't kick a dog while it's down.
The preciousness of a helping hand in times of need is precisely because it is so rare.
"Roger, recently at Hogwarts…"
"I know," Harry began to say, but Roger shook his head.
Although Harry and Malfoy were old rivals, their conflict was, in essence, just childish bickering.
It was more along the lines of, 'I hate you, I can't stand the sight of you.'
It hadn't escalated to the level of true hatred.
Harry was quite happy to see Draco Malfoy in trouble.
But if Malfoy had to live in such an environment for the next five years, Harry felt a pang of sympathy.
However, Harry wanted to intervene but didn't know how. Fortunately, he had a secret weapon.
When in doubt, consult the Seer! So he came to Roger.
But this time, Roger didn't give a satisfactory answer as quickly as usual.
"This is a historical issue from many years ago. They were always meant to go through this. It's truly difficult for me to interfere."
Harry understood what Roger meant. He was also a victim of the Voldemort incident, but he had a different opinion: "But how can Lucius's debts be settled by Draco..."
"They are one family, one entity. What if Voldemort had succeeded back then? Think about it," Roger met Harry's gaze.
"You've seen many images from past timelines. You should understand what would happen, right?"
"Then..." Harry hesitated.
Roger thought for a moment, then said, "You don't need to worry too much about this. Someone is likely manipulating things, and this turmoil won't last long."
"What you're worried about won't actually happen."
"But past events always need to be accounted for."
"Even if you don't hold Draco accountable, or any other young wizard, there will always be others who want to pursue it to this extent."
In fact, this matter also indirectly revealed another issue Roger had been considering.
That is, when the Second Magic and the Three-Dimensional Law were fully implemented, and the era of personal empowerment arrived.
There would always be some people filled with immense hatred, wanting to take action.
In the world, events similar to those in the British wizarding world had occurred in other Muggle countries in modern times, and... far more than once! Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas.
Countless blood debts, mutual blood feuds, too many to count.
Heaven only knows what would happen then.
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