After seeing Oren, the expressions on the hit team members' faces grew much more serious. The appearance of an adult wizard at Hogwarts suggested he was most likely a professor, and that authority held far more weight than students who only knew how to make noise. They couldn't help but regard him warily.
Not recognizing the man before them, one of the team members cautiously asked, "Who are you?"
"Morris Oren," he introduced himself. "Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."
"Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
The hit wizards raised their eyebrows. They knew the position all too well. Since they had turned to this line of work, they'd already arrested three or four Defence Against the Dark Arts professors from Hogwarts. It had nearly become a steady source of income for them.
So, upon hearing Oren's identity, the three of them relaxed slightly. With a businesslike tone, one of them replied, "Professor Oren, we are here by order of the Ministry of Magic to arrest Hagrid, and you have no authority to interfere."
"Liar! I haven't heard of the Ministry of Magic issuing any such order."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall appeared, striding over from the castle with a fierce expression, her pursed lips resembling those of a lioness about to roar.
"Fudge is still in the headmaster's office, and you won't be taking Hagrid anywhere until he comes out."
"P-Professor McGonagall..."
The three officers instinctively straightened up. Despite having graduated years ago, they couldn't suppress the nervousness they felt when faced with Professor McGonagall again.
But they didn't want to back down so easily. Fudge seemed particularly invested in this case, and before they'd set out for Hogwarts, he had emphasized repeatedly that the investigation must be thorough, without a trace of negligence. This was a rare chance to impress the Minister, and they were determined to handle it just right.
When they hadn't found any valuable clues in Hagrid's cabin, they'd decided it might be worth taking Hagrid back for questioning—just in case they stumbled upon something useful. Hardened by thoughts of promotion and a pay raise, McGonagall's fierce presence didn't seem quite so daunting anymore.
"Professor, you misunderstand. We're just doing our job," the lead officer said smoothly. "It's just a formality. If there's nothing wrong, he'll be back tomorrow. Rules are rules—they apply to everyone. Don't make this difficult."
"No, that's not right..."
A voice suddenly cut through the crowd.
"I thought the Ministry of Magic's rules required concrete evidence before taking anyone away."
"Who said that!" Hadd, the leader, barked angrily. "This doesn't concern you—back to the castle!"
"I think I'm the professor of Hogwarts here, Hadd," McGonagall said, her frown deepening.
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, I just—
"But the student is correct," she interrupted, continuing, "Where's the evidence that Hagrid's been purchasing magical creatures?"
"Someone saw it with their own eyes," Harder replied gruffly.
"A baseless accusation," McGonagall's lips tightened even further. "If someone saw it, why didn't you bring that person along?"
"We'll naturally find that person and have them testify after we take Hagrid back," Harder muttered, his gaze shifting uncomfortably.
"So you don't even know who this person is?" Professor McGonagall couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
With no evidence, just the unverified word of some stranger, they wanted to take Hagrid from Hogwarts? It was, to her, completely unacceptable.
If they could take Hagrid today, what would stop them from accusing Professor Snape of researching dark arts tomorrow? Or Dumbledore, the day after that? Hogwarts would end up shut down entirely.
The Hit Wizards knew they were in the wrong but didn't back down a bit.
"Professor, it's just a question. We promise we won't..."
At that moment, another voice rose from the crowd.
"I saw Professor Snape at the Hog's Head pub yesterday. He bought a baby dragon. Maybe you should take him to the Ministry as well. Oh, and Headmaster Dumbledore too—he purchased a Lethifold."
Hadd's words caught in his throat, a blow he hadn't anticipated. This turned everything on its head; if he wanted to take Hagrid, he'd have to take Dumbledore too. He was backed into a corner.
Hadd scanned the crowd angrily, trying to locate the speaker.
Professor McGonagall's mouth curled into a slight smile as she stepped in front of the students. "I've thought about it, Hadd, and I think you're absolutely right."
"The Potions classroom is on the first basement floor, and the Headmaster's office is on the eighth. Shall I show you the way?"
Hadd's face turned crimson, and he stammered, "Professor McGonagall, I... I mean, surely you know that a student's words aren't..."
"I saw it too," said Professor Oren quietly from the side, adding the final blow to Hadd's resolve.
"I see..." Hadd muttered through clenched teeth. "We'll come back with more evidence."
He wouldn't dare confront Dumbledore. Hadd knew that if he even tried, he'd be dismissed from the Ministry by the next day, probably for something as trivial as stepping through the door with his left foot first.
Unwillingly, he began to make his way out of Hogwarts when his gaze landed on the Forbidden Forest.
"Professor McGonagall, do you mind if we take a look in the Forbidden Forest?" Hadd turned back, grasping at straws. "It's vast; it wouldn't be hard to hide a magical creature in there, right?"
"Are you sure?" Professor McGonagall's expression shifted, faintly amused. Initially, she had thought they were just here to cause trouble, but now she realized they were here for sheer comedy.
Searching for magical creatures of "unknown origin" in the Forbidden Forest? The absurdity of it bordered on entertainment for the entire wizarding world. Everyone knew the forest was teeming with magical creatures, all of mysterious origin. It was hardly likely they'd find anything groundbreaking.
Since when had the Ministry's standards for Hit Wizards dropped so low?
Hadd noticed Professor McGonagall's expression and realized how ridiculous his suggestion had sounded. But with the words already out, he couldn't afford to backtrack without losing face.
"I'm sure, Professor McGonagall," Hadd replied, trying to sound calm, and gestured for the other two Hit Wizards to follow him into the Forbidden Forest.
Regardless of what they found—or didn't find—they'd at least be able to report back. They couldn't be accused of failing to investigate thoroughly.
"I remember what's in the Forbidden Forest... Chimaera, Manticore, and, oh yes, there are werewolves too, aren't there..." Professor Oren said nonchalantly. "Tsk, risking your life for a few hundred Galleons a month."
"Wait... I just realized, that's my salary. What's a Hit Wizard's salary again—70? 80?" He shook his head, sighing. "Tsk..."