"This is the latest Ministry of Magic reform, replacing owl deliveries with these paper airplanes," Fudge proudly showcased his achievements to Dumbledore. "Previously, that group of owls left bird droppings all over the Ministry, but that no longer happens..."
He opened the paper airplane and read the message inside. After reading those words, he stood frozen in place. The words on the paper airplane gave Fudge the sensation of a blow to the head.
"What's wrong?" Dumbledore noticed that something was amiss with Fudge and asked with concern.
"Peter Pettigrew has escaped..." Fudge responded lifelessly, mechanically.
Dumbledore: ...
He gave Fudge a reassuring pat on the shoulder and then silently departed.
Dumbledore felt guilt toward Fudge because he knew this plan very well, and one could even say that he had contributed significantly to it.
Although Fudge had been the Minister of Magic for these years and had made some minor actions, he had never committed a major mistake. However, Dumbledore was conspiring to overthrow him... and that caused him some discomfort.
But it was only discomfort!
Because Dumbledore had to use a phrase he disliked greatly: for the greater good. Between Fudge and Voldemort, Dumbledore chose Voldemort without hesitation. To eliminate Voldemort, Dumbledore was willing to sacrifice himself and even someone like Fudge – what significance did that have?
To destroy Voldemort, Fudge could only be offended.
The one intercepting Peter Pettigrew on the way was Tom.
Anticipating it, he found the Dementors guarding Peter and ordered them to install two invisible smoke bombs in the carriage. It was a new invention by Fred and George that, when activated, released a dense smoke that completely obscured the surrounding vision, in addition to being suffocating and causing dizziness, effectively interfering with the opponent's ability to counter with magic.
Fawkes followed them, flying behind the carriage. Tom acted cautiously, and it wasn't until the carriage left the British Isles that he launched his attack.
First, he summoned a Patronus, and the informed followers dispersed quickly and convincingly pretended to flee. Then, he detonated the smoke bombs inside the carriage, creating total chaos inside. Amid the confusion, he opened the carriage door, dragged Peter outside, and disappeared riding Fawkes without leaving a trace.
Tom's action was swift; from summoning the Patronus to snatching Peter, it took no more than thirty seconds in total. If you count from the moment he detonated the smoke bombs, the whole process didn't even last ten seconds.
Kingsley had no time to react.
After Tom left, Kingsley and Tonks remained silent inside the carriage.
"What should we do, Kingsley? I feel like my head is going to explode!" Tonks felt a void in her mind, having no idea what to do.
Kingsley wanted to say something, but he also felt that everything around him was starting to spin, and things were becoming blurry. His Auror instinct told him that something important was happening. The smoke from earlier was poisonous. So, he first made a cut on his thigh to stay conscious through intense pain. Then, he grabbed Tonks' hand, focused all his attention, and Apparated them out of the carriage.
With a loud bang, Kingsley and Tonks suddenly appeared in an alley in Westminster, London. They leaned against the graffiti-covered wall and breathed in the fresh air, silently waiting for the dizziness to fade from their heads.
When their minds cleared, they struggled to stand up and entered the Ministry of Magic to report Peter's abduction.
Soon, the news caused a great uproar. Fudge didn't attempt to hide the news – it was impossible to hide! He mobilized all the Aurors and combat teams along the route to search for Peter, but they didn't find any leads.
In fact, when Fudge saw the news of Peter's escape, he understood that the chances of finding him were very slim. A wizard couldn't be captured immediately when he wanted to escape. He could transform into all sorts of strange objects, use the Floo Network, or employ Transfiguration. Perhaps when Kingsley and the others returned to the Ministry, Peter had already disembarked in Normandy.
Most deadly of all was that someone had taken him. This plunged Fudge into deep fear: who could be interested in Peter Pettigrew? Undoubtedly, they were followers of the man whose name couldn't be spoken.
Thinking about this, Fudge couldn't help but shiver.
"What should I do...? What should I do?" He paced nervously and realized he should ask Dumbledore. Why not ask that great Dumbledore!
So he hurriedly sought Dumbledore, only to discover that he had already returned to Hogwarts. Upon hearing this news, Fudge felt like his body had all its bones ripped out, completely devoid of strength and will.
Amelia saw all of this with her own eyes. After the initial chaos, she regained her composure and realized that Dumbledore was probably involved in this. Peter must have been abducted by his men, and they might have already disposed of him.
Amid her surprise, Amelia also understood that this was the perfect moment for her. She just had to patiently wait until Fudge confirmed that they couldn't find Peter Pettigrew. Then, she could initiate the impeachment process, practically guaranteeing that Fudge would be removed from his position as Minister of Magic. And then, she would naturally assume the role of the new Minister of Magic.
Observing Fudge sitting in his seat in a state of stupor, Amelia signaled to her confidants to take them aside.
Fudge was completely oblivious to Amelia's subtle movements; no one knew what he was thinking.
...
"Where's Tom?" Hermione, with her backpack in her arms, sat frustrated outside the classroom. It was the first class of the morning, and Tom was absent. However, she was fortunate that Professor Lupin wasn't teaching anything new that day; he was simply reviewing what they had already learned.
"I hope you won't spend the Christmas holidays just eating and take the time to review what we've studied during the first semester," Professor Lupin said.
Hermione thought that maybe Tom had simply overslept and decided to skip the first class of the morning. But to her surprise, when the first class ended, Tom still hadn't shown up.
"If this guy dares to skip the whole morning of classes, I'll show him what I'm made of," Hermione clenched her fists and firmly decided that she wouldn't indulge Tom any longer. It might be a good idea to forbid Tom from taking a look at the notes she had organized on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Meanwhile, where was Tom? He was in the headmaster's office, accompanied by Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black.