Ministry of Magic.
Fudge was in complete disarray.
It wasn't just ordinary witches and wizards anymore—now even the Sacred Twenty-Eight families were stepping in.
Lucius Malfoy had a smirk on his face, equal parts mocking and cold indifference, with a casual, detached air completing the expression.
His platinum blond hair was perfectly groomed, and his cane lightly tapped the floor—just loud enough to stand out amid the chaos of the Ministry of Magic.
Thud, thud.
The sound caught the attention of the Ministry officials, who shifted their gazes toward him.
Lucius was no longer the man he once was. He had reclaimed his position as a Hogwarts Board of Governors member, and now he was also the curator of the Dark Arts Museum.
Fudge's lips twitched slightly as he glared at Lucius. "Lucius, what are you doing here?"
"Minister Fudge, I'm here on behalf of the Hogwarts Board, of course."
Lucius smoothly navigated through the noisy crowd and found a seat.
This was a press conference Fudge had specifically organized to shift the blame, but now it felt like a bed of nails.
Rita Skeeter, the top reporter from The Daily Prophet, sat among the audience.
Fudge had made arrangements with her superiors—when the press conference started, she was to ask pointed questions about Knockturn Alley, directing the blame toward Johnny Silverhand.
As long as the topic was explosive enough, even the matter of Dementors invading Hogwarts could be overshadowed.
'It's just a Malfoy,' Fudge thought bitterly, glaring at Lucius. Once this was over, he would definitely settle the score with this former Death Eater.
More and more people arrived, and a burst of chatter filled the air.
Fudge looked over and his face darkened.
"Damocles Alex Belby," he ground his teeth, his round face contorting with rage.
This recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, Damocles Alex Belby, was unusually active.
Last time with Hagrid's case, it was Damocles Alex who had applied the pressure.
And if that wasn't enough, the sound of camera shutters clicking echoed.
Dressed in an extravagant turquoise wizard's robe, the popular bestselling author Gilderoy Lockhart also appeared. He had just won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award for the sixth time.
This top celebrity in the magical world had actually shown up at a Ministry meeting.
Fudge couldn't stop him, even if he wanted to, because Lockhart was also a recipient of the Order of Merlin, which meant he held influence in the wizarding world.
Moreover, he was a member of the Anti-Dark Magic League, which was no small organization—it was founded by pureblood wizards and mostly consisted of influential figures or officials from various magical ministries around the world.
Lockhart's ability to join was due to his immense influence.
Fudge's lips curled into a cold smile.
Others might not know, but over the years as Minister of Magic, he hadn't just been sitting idle. Gilderoy Lockhart was a fraud, and there was no way that could escape his notice.
If Lockhart didn't know his place, Fudge didn't mind exposing him as a fraud in public and sending him to Azkaban to deflect the public outcry.
Confident that he had the upper hand, Fudge instructed his assistant to send a message to Lockhart.
From a distance, Lockhart nodded, and Fudge thought he had finally come to his senses.
When the crowd had mostly gathered, Fudge straightened his clothes and walked toward the podium.
He gave a signal to Rita Skeeter, who lowered her head, scribbling something unknown.
"Ahem, I would like to thank all my fellow members of the wizarding community for coming here today."
His formal demeanor made it seem, to those unaware, as though he had already captured Sirius Black.
A long-winded introduction slowly drained the patience of the audience.
Lucius Malfoy lazily raised his hand, his voice neither loud nor soft, but dripping with sarcasm. "Minister Fudge, if you may, I suggest getting to the point."
He smirked, his tone mocking as he added, "No one is particularly interested in how many pups your family dog has had."
A stifled laughter rippled through the room, and Fudge felt his face flush with embarrassment. Reluctantly, he moved on to the main issue.
Signaling to Rita again, he cleared his throat. "Feel free to ask your questions."
Rita stood up right on cue. Fudge smiled and said, "You first."
He was expecting to hear questions about the dark tyrant of Knockturn Alley, Johnny Silverhand, but what Rita Skeeter opened with was far sharper.
"What is your opinion on the Dementors entering Hogwarts while performing their duties, especially since you advocated for using Dementors?"
Sharp!
Fudge's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at Rita as if doubting whether she was an imposter in disguise.
"Was the Ministry's inability to control the Dementors a failure on your part?"
"Sirius Black is still a threat to the wizarding world—do you take responsibility for that?"
"I've heard that ten pureblood families have already submitted complaints against you. What's your response to that?"
"Auror Office Head Rufus Scrimgeour suggested that the Aurors should manage the Dementors, but you refused—was there some personal motive behind that?"
Each question was like a sharp blade, piercing Fudge's already fragile composure.
He was breathing heavily, his small eyes reddening with anger.
He never expected Rita Skeeter to be the first person to betray him. Was The Daily Prophet planning a rebellion? What were they trying to pull?!
"Ahem." Lucius Malfoy rose gracefully, all eyes in the room shifting to him.
With a smirk on his face, he said, "On behalf of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, I wish to hold the Ministry accountable for its negligence."
Damn!
His words set off a wave of commotion, and the reporters' eyes lit up with excitement.
At that moment, Damocles Alex Belby struck his cane heavily on the ground and said coldly, "The Potion Masters' Guild questions whether Cornelius Fudge is still capable of leading the Ministry of Magic. We want a wise leader, not a clown who can't even maintain his dignity."
A truly vicious blow!
The Potion Masters' Guild mentioned by Damocles was an elite organization comprised of the top figures in potion-making. Though its membership was fewer than ten, each was a highly influential Potions Master.
Seeing that all the big names were stepping forward, Gilderoy Lockhart decided to stop hiding like an ostrich.
With the same charming smile that had earned him Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award six times in a row, he stood up and spoke pompously, "I, too, question Cornelius Fudge's competence. If it were up to me, there's no way something like Dementors storming into the school would ever have happened!"
The moment he spoke, Fudge's already reddened eyes turned even darker with rage.
He could tolerate the others, but this fraud—this charlatan—daring to join in the chaos was too much.
He pointed angrily at Lockhart and shouted, "You're a fraud! Everything you've done is a lie! He doesn't know how to do anything!"
Blinded by the betrayals that had piled up, Fudge yelled at his enforcers nearby, "Arrest him! Throw him into Azkaban!"
These enforcers were loyal to Fudge, and at his command, they immediately sprang into action.
A flash of red light from a Stupefy spell shot toward Lockhart.
A trace of malicious satisfaction crossed Fudge's twisted face.
He was already imagining how the massive news of exposing Lockhart as a fraud would overshadow everything that had happened today.
"Protego!"
Lockhart shouted dramatically, and a shimmering shield charm appeared around him, deflecting the incoming attacks.
He then drew his wand, looking calm and collected as he said with flair, "It seems you wish to attack me, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, and an honorary member of the Anti-Dark Magic League."
Eh? Fudge was confused.
The Lockhart he knew shouldn't have been capable of casting such a powerful shield charm.
Magical energy flowed from a ring on Lockhart's finger into his wand. He smiled confidently before casting a Disarming Charm, sending one of Fudge's enforcers flying.
Several red Stunning Spells shot towards him, but Lockhart's Protego blocked them effortlessly, as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Each time he cast a spell, another enforcer was thrown aside.
There were five enforcers present, and now three of them joined forces to attack Lockhart from the front.
"Heh~"
But Lockhart moved with ease, as if taking a casual stroll, his left hand behind his back. With only one hand, he effortlessly deflected spells and launched counterattacks.
"Oh Merlin! Mr. Lockhart is so cool!"
"Ahh~ My heart is racing up. Can't believe I'm witnessing Sir Lockhart's glory firsthand!"
"Naturally. This is Lockhart we are talking about. How can Fudge be so foolish to challenge him like this." Lucius thought Fudge's brain was eaten by a troll.
"Heh~" He gave a playful wink to his admirers present and then pushed the three enforcers back steadily, and soon he wasn't even speaking incantations anymore—his mastery of nonverbal spells left everyone watching in shock!
"Reducto!"
A powerful blast of white light formed into a sphere, hitting the three enforcers and scattering them across the room.
Lockhart lowered his wand with a look of melancholy, saying, "Why force me to take action? Was it really necessary?"
Now things had completely backfired.
"Ah.. this.. this.." Fudge, who had hoped to expose Lockhart and turn the situation around, collapsed into his seat.
Anyone with eyes could now see how powerful Lockhart truly was, and there was no need to rely on lies to uphold his reputation.
No one noticed, but Lockhart's palms were sweating nervously at that moment.
The rings that adorned all ten of his fingers were down to just one.
The grand spectacle had come to an end.
...
The next day, The Daily Prophet published the news:
—Cornelius Fudge, due to multiple accusations and scandals, was forced to step down early!—
Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office, temporarily assumed the position of Minister for Magic, vowing to do everything in his power to ensure the safety of the students at Hogwarts.
"We will spare no effort to capture Sirius Black. No matter where he is, if we find him in a bathroom, we'll drown him in the toilet."
His iron-fisted approach marked a stark contrast to the Ministry's previous weakness.
Aurors were dispatched to Hogwarts to oversee security and manage the situation with the Dementors.
...
"That's so awesome!"
Ron's face flushed with excitement as he mimicked Scrimgeour's tone, saying, "If we find him in a bathroom, we'll drown him in the toilet! Now that's a real hardcore Auror!"
Harry, equally thrilled, stabbed his fork into a potato. They both felt that this was what an Auror should be like.
Still, Harry felt a bit sorry for Fudge. After all, Fudge had been rather kind to him at the start of the school year.
At the Slytherin table...
"Draco, that's your father," one of the Slytherin students said, looking at Malfoy with envy.
Malfoy proudly puffed out his chest.
In The Daily Prophet, Lucius Malfoy was pictured chatting and laughing, a symbol of the Malfoy family's long-awaited return to the upper echelons of the magical world.
John was reading the newspaper.
Fudge had stepped down, and although Rufus Scrimgeour was just a temporary Minister, if they managed to capture Sirius Black, the "temporary" tag would surely be removed.
"Nice~"
___________
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