Chapter 919 The Ministry of Magic is a mess
…“…what exactly does Blake want to do?”
There was a sound of smashing things and cursing in the Minister of Magic's office. Everyone knew that Fudge was furious, so they all consciously avoided the Minister's office. Even if they really wanted to see Fudge, they were quietly postponed, and no one wanted to touch him. The minister’s bad luck.
Ever since Sirius Black dropped several bombshell news in the Three Broomsticks, Minister of Magic Fudge has been in big trouble, especially when it was rumored that Fudge took half of the Peter family's wealth before allowing Mrs. Peter to go to Azkaban. The news of Peter's visit to prison immediately aroused criticism from the wizarding world. What was even worse was Mrs. Peter's subsequent saucy operation. She actually used a compound potion to rescue Peter from Azkaban. Many people couldn't help but think of a conspiracy. They It is even believed that Fudge actually knew and acquiesced that Mrs. Peter rescued Peter from Azkaban Prison, and that half of Peter's family's property was the bargaining chip in the transaction between the two parties.
Conspiracy theories really take off when the situation is unclear.
Many people expressed doubts about this and asked the Ministry of Magic to investigate the whereabouts of the wealth.
Although the wealth was processed and most of it was donated to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Maladies as a charity, it still caused a lot of trouble for Fudge.
However, the whole thing turned a bit ugly when Sirius Black revealed that Peter Pettigrew was trying to resurrect Voldemort, and there seemed to be signs of success.
If Voldemort hadn't been resurrected, even if someone knew about the deal between Fudge and Mrs. Peter, it wouldn't actually be a big deal.
After all, even if someone inquires, they will find that Fudge did not handle this money at all. He donated this wealth directly to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Maladies.
As for how much the Minister of Magic took from it, no one knows, and no one has delved into it.
After the news of Voldemort's resurrection spread throughout the wizarding world, even they didn't know whether Voldemort had been resurrected, but they all knew that it was the Minister of Magic who took half of the Peter family's property that led to Peter Pettigrew's successful escape from prison.
This blame must be put on Fudge's head.
Moreover, regardless of whether this is true or not, Peter Pettigrew used the Imperius Curse to control Barty Crouch, the director of the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation, and finally risked being caught by Dumbledore and killed him. This crime The evidence is so conclusive that even Cornelius Fudge cannot hide it, and part of this debt will be attributed to Fudge.
Therefore, Fudge will not admit the fact of Voldemort's resurrection under any circumstances. Not to mention that he did not witness it with his own eyes, and there is no evidence to prove this. Fudge will never be able to influence his future political career.
Fortunately, Dumbledore agreed to temporarily keep the news secret to avoid causing panic in the wizarding world, which gave the Ministry of Magic time to hunt down Peter Pettigrew and prevent him from resurrecting Voldemort and nipping all dangers and problems in the cradle.
Although Fudge never admitted that Voldemort was still alive, he knew very well that he had to make up for the mistakes he had made unintentionally. As long as the problem was solved smoothly, even if people knew about it afterwards, the matter was over and no one would delve into it.
However, Sirius Black abruptly opened the scar, exposed the wound in front of everyone, and sprinkled a handful of salt on the wound.
There is no doubt that in doing so, he punched Fudge directly in the nose, and then added two big slaps, which directly blinded Fudge.
To make matters worse, voices in the British wizarding community have begun to call for his resignation.
Once it was confirmed that Peter Pettigrew helped Voldemort return, he failed to stop it.
No matter what the reason was for Peter Pettigrew's successful escape from prison, Fudge would probably have to step aside as Minister of Magic.
This is a result that he absolutely cannot accept.
Fudge even suspected that this was Dumbledore's conspiracy. Dumbledore wanted to oust him from the position of Minister of Magic and replace him with an obedient Minister, or become the Minister of Magic himself.
As for whether the mysterious man is still alive, Fudge expressed doubts about this. Before witnessing the mysterious man with his own eyes, he would not admit that the mysterious man was still alive in any case.
After hesitating for a moment, Fudge picked up his quill and wrote a letter to Dumbledore. He felt that he needed to talk to him.
If there is no need, Fudge really doesn't want to have unnecessary conflicts with Dumbledore. Dumbledore's reputation is too great, and sometimes his words are even more effective than himself, the Minister of Magic. Fudge knows very well that as long as Dumbledore is willing, , many people are willing to push him to the position of Minister of Magic, which makes Fudge very afraid.
Putting down his quill, Fudge took a look at the Daily Prophet and decided to write a letter to Barnabas Guffey, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet. Those **** false reports must stop.
…
Barnabas Guffey, editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, also encountered some troubles.
Sirius Black's words stung some people deeply, making them doubt whether the Daily Prophet could tell people the truth.
However, Barnabas Guffey's situation was not as bad as Fudge's. Sales of the Daily Prophet were still good, and despite the infamy, Rita Skeeter's recent article about Ministry of Magic sports The report by Ludo Bagman, Director of the Sports Department, successfully diverted everyone's attention.
By the way, several consecutive days of reports have turned everyone’s attention to the Ministry of Magic. After all, Barty Crouch Jr. is alive and well in hiding ready to cause trouble.
This blame must undoubtedly be put on Barty Crouch. Even if Barty Crouch is dead, this blame will be placed on the Ministry of Magic. Who made Barty Crouch the international leader? Where is the Director of the Department of Magical Exchange and Cooperation?
This is a senior official of the Ministry of Magic, and there is nothing he can do if he wants to cheat.
Oh, by the way, there is also the Minister of Magic.
Although the Daily Prophet did not report on Fudge's deeds, it still pointed the finger at the Ministry of Magic, as if there were problems everywhere in the Ministry of Magic, not their problem with the Daily Prophet.
Rita Skeeter is still quite powerful and can divert everyone's attention easily, which has also caused Fudge to encounter more troubles recently.
As for the Minister of Magic's protest against the false reports of the Daily Prophet, Barnabas Guffey didn't care very much. The Daily Prophet was not run by the Ministry of Magic. He would never allow the Daily Prophet to be used by wizards. There is an image in my mind that I often collect hush money and keep my mouth shut about certain things.
What's more, this matter is already too late. When Sirius Black throws out this bombshell news, there is no way to hide it. Even if the "Daily Prophet" shuts up, Sirius Black also has his own magazine. By then, the two If compared with each other, the status of the Daily Prophet will plummet, and it will become known as the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Magic.
As for the anger of the Minister of Magic, Barnabas Guffey naturally had a way to deal with it. He wrote a letter to the other party, implying that he could not cover up the matter at all, and pointed the finger at Sirius Black, who had released the bombshell news. And reminded Fudge that even if he shut up, Sirius's magazine would still publish relevant news, which would make no sense.
As for how Fudge planned to handle this matter, that was not Barnabas Guffey's concern. Anyway, he had already thrown away the blame.
Fudge was very angry after reading Barnabas Guffey's letter, but he also knew that Barnabas Guffey was right, and this matter was indeed Sirius' problem.
Sirius is Dumbledore's man, and he would like to hear how Dumbledore plans to explain this matter later.
…
Late at night, Fudge finally waited for the old guy he hated in his office, and angrily accused him of deliberately leaking information to cause panic in the wizarding world.
“I probably know the reason.”
Dumbledore completely ignored the angry Fudge and said calmly: "Sirius wanted to kill Peter. You should know their grudges. His friend died because of Peter's betrayal, and he himself was imprisoned in Azka because of this." After more than ten years in Ban Prison, their hatred has become undying, and it is not a problem that someone can solve with just a few words."
"Sirius had finally made up his mind to send Peter Pettigrew to Azkaban Prison because of Harry's persuasion, but Peter Pettigrew actually escaped from prison in the end. This is obviously something Sirius Black cannot tolerate."
“That’s why he did that.” Fudge felt confused.
"Yes." Dumbledore looked at Fudge calmly and said, "In Sirius's eyes, this matter has something to do with you. I think he did that to force you and the Ministry of Magic to find and kill him as soon as possible. Dead Peter Pettigrew.”
"We want to do that too. The Aurors are looking for Peter all the time, and they have done their best." Fudge said angrily.
"Don't say this to a person who is blinded by hatred. It makes no sense." Dumbledore shook his head and said, "I heard that he has been looking for diviners everywhere recently, trying to find out the location of Peter Pettigrew through divination."
“Soothsayer.” Fudge thought this was ridiculous.
"Yes, he found a certain master of prophecy who was living in seclusion in the UK. We don't know whether he got the answer, but there is no doubt that what Black said should be true. He still will not give up the pursuit of Peter Pettigrew. I recently heard that he was trying to instigate...Anyway, a person who wants revenge would not be surprised if he does anything for revenge." Dumbledore said calmly, "As for why Black targeted you , I think you should know very well."
"That was just an accident, how could I know..." Fudge was quite angry.
"This matter really deserves our vigilance. It would be best to capture Peter alive and use Veritaserum to make him tell where Barty Crouch Jr. is." Dumbledore stared at Fudge and reminded, "If you don't want Voldemort to be resurrected , suppressing his helpers is the best choice. If you stand by and watch for some reason, everyone will be unlucky together."
“That’s ridiculous Dumbledore, You-Know-Who is dead.” Fudge said angrily.
"No matter how hard you deny it, you can't deceive others." Dumbledore didn't argue with Fudge in this regard. He knew that it was pointless.
"I have received many bad predictions. Someone once told me that once was a coincidence, twice was a coincidence, but what about three times or more?" Dumbledore ignored Fudge and said to himself. "There are not so many coincidences in this world."
“What prophecy? Who made it?”
"I don't know, Sirius didn't say, he said the other party wouldn't let him go." Dumbledore said gently, "In the next few years, the wizarding world will become a mess, getting worse year by year, and people will die everywhere. There will also be a mass escape of prisoners in Zkaban Prison, and eventually the Ministry of Magic will collapse, so he is preparing to leave the UK and seek refuge elsewhere."
“That’s nonsense.” Fudge shouted with a blush on his face.
"Actually, I don't really believe in the prophecy. There are too many things involved in it." Dumbledore didn't pay attention to the angry Fudge and said calmly, "Of course, fortunately, it doesn't take long for us to expose each other." lies."
Dumbledore didn't wait for Fudge to speak, and continued: "By the way, I almost forgot, I was originally here to discuss the refereeing issue of the Triwizard Tournament with you. There is something wrong with the two people in charge of the Ministry of Magic. You Who are you going to put in charge?”
“Then suspend the Triwizard Tournament. This itself is very suspicious, and didn’t you say that Potter becoming a warrior was a conspiracy in itself?” Fudge said impatiently.
"Unfortunately, once the Triwizard Tournament begins, it cannot stop, because the warriors have signed a contract with the Goblet of Fire, and breaching the contract will require a heavy price." Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I thought you know."
"There have been too many worries recently." Fudge said gloomily: "There is a lack of referees in the Triwizard Tournament, right? Then I will be the referee. As for the other person, let Amelia Bones be the referee." Call the referee, I think she won’t mind taking a few hours out to watch a good game.”
Fudge couldn't help it. The Ministry of Magic was in a mess now. Since Rita Skeeter exposed Ludo Bagman's case, more and more victims came out to speak out. Finally, a debt collection group emerged. As a result, Ludo ·Bagman doesn’t know where he is now, his position is temporarily vacant, and a suitable successor has not yet been found.
As for the death of Barty Crouch, the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation was also in a mess. They began to re-examine the orders Crouch gave to Percy Weasley during his lifetime. Moreover, the next director of the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation has also not been elected. Many people are eyeing that position and cannot be careless at all. Even Fudge cannot appoint him at will.
(End of this chapter)