Minister Cornelius Fudge was in a panic.
However, this panic didn't come from Voldemort, who Dumbledore claimed had returned.
It came from Dumbledore himself.
In his opinion, Voldemort had been dead for almost a decade and it was simply impossible for him to come back to life.
Dumbledore must be exaggerating!
This old man, though old in age, still has a young and ambitious heart. The positions of Headmaster of Hogwarts and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot were no longer enough to satisfy him!
He actually wanted to create an accident and fabricate lies to usurp the power of the Minister of Magic from him!
So, after receiving the news from the Aurors, he quickly discussed countermeasures with his confidants and rushed to Diagon Alley without delay.
The Aurors didn't do a good job in gathering detailed intelligence.
This made Minister Fudge unsure whether Dumbledore had colluded to fabricate consistent confessions with the goblins of Gringotts, one of the parties involved, and insisted on the matter of Voldemort's return.
Nor could he be sure whether Dumbledore had leaked this sensational and false news to the reporters of the Daily Prophet.
Therefore, Minister Fudge's original intention in bringing people to Diagon Alley was to do two things.
One was to make the goblins of Gringotts keep their mouths shut, and the other was to make the Daily Prophet spread what he wants them to spread.
But after arriving, he found that he had to do a third thing.
Minister Fudge saw Professor Dumbledore standing at the entrance of Ollivanders Wand Shop, along with a half - giant who has a criminal record on file.
Inside him, emotions such as fear, anger, panic, and unwillingness kept surging.
Ultimately, they turned into determination for power.
He leaned over and whispered a few words to the female secretary in a pink overcoat beside him, delegated the task.
Then, watching this excellent confidant, who was extremely humble in front of him but arrogant in front of others, lead two Aurors straight towards the direction of the Daily Prophet office and Gringotts, he felt a bit more at ease.
Only then did he tidy up his clothes, ask the remaining two Aurors to disperse the few wizards idling on the street, and then he himself stepped towards Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, I think you owe me a reasonable explanation!"
When he was still a few steps away from Dumbledore, Minister Fudge seized the initiative by speaking first and spoke seriously in a questioning tone.
"You want an explanation too?!"
Dumbledore was irritated. Just because he would listen to the cold scolding of wizards with a pure heart didn't mean he was willing to listen to the provocative words of a do-nothing politician.
"What's your attitude?! Dumbledore, I admit you're very powerful, but you have to remember that I, Cornelius Fudge, am the Minister of Magic!"
Hearing Dumbledore's impatient words blurted out, Minister Fudge completely lost his temper, angry and annoyed, and almost jumped up.
"Alright, Fudge, I of course know you're the Minister."
Dumbledore tried his best to calm his mind and adjust his state, but his tone was still a bit sharp. "But you shouldn't be here now. You should be at the Ministry of Magic!
Tell your colleagues, tell the entire wizarding world in Britain, to be on high alert!
Voldemort has returned!"
"You... Nonsense!"
Minister Fudge's entire face showed doubt and dissatisfaction. "Stop playing tricks and misleading the public here, Dumbledore!"
"Vol... the Dark Lord is already dead! He's not coming back, I'm telling you!"
Not being able to stand anyone questioning Dumbledore, Hagrid spoke up. He was directly involved in this matter and thought he had every right to speak.
"Minister Cornelius Fudge, this is the truth! In the underground vaults of Gringotts, I saw with my own eyes Voldemort possessing the back of a wizard's head. I'd never mistake that terrifying face. He even cast a spell on me!"
Hearing someone daring to contradict him, Fudge got even angrier. He turned his head and launched a personal attack on Hagrid:
"What credibility do the words of a despicable wizard like you, with a murder charge on your record, have?"
"If the Dark Lord really cast a spell on you, would you still be breathing to lie to me here? If it weren't for Dumbledore protecting you, I'd throw you straight into Azkaban!"
"That's enough, Fudge!"
Dumbledore got somewhat angry. He already felt guilty towards Hagrid and naturally couldn't stand by and watch Fudge insult him. "Hagrid is a good wizard. You can't treat him like this!"
By this time, Hagrid's face had turned bright red. Remembering the injustice he'd endured over the years, he couldn't help but get so angry that tears welled up in his eyes.
"I didn't kill anyone! Aragog didn't kill anyone either!" Hagrid roared angrily. "It was all Voldemort setting me up! He was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. He was the one who killed those people! In the underground vaults, he already admitted it to me!"
"Clap, clap, clap -"
Hearing Dumbledore's defense and Hagrid's argument, Minister Cornelius Fudge, out of extreme anger, actually started laughing and directly started clapping:
"Great! So this is how we're playing it, huh? It seems that the great Professor Dumbledore not only wants to use the dead Dark Lord to oust me from my position but also wants to pin another crime on the Dark Lord, so as to completely exonerate your big oaf of a friend!
The dead can't defend themselves. This is really a great strategy!"
"No, Fudge, you're being too sensitive! I believe Hagrid isn't lying. Voldemort really isn't dead. It won't be long before he makes a comeback! You must make the wizarding world take enough precautions!"
Dumbledore emphasized earnestly.
However, Minister Cornelius Fudge didn't believe a single word.
He suddenly brought his face much closer, which was still a lot younger than Dumbledore's, right up to Dumbledore's ear and whispered menacingly:
"Stop acting, Dumbledore! I can see through everything!
If you don't want to end up in ruins and disgrace, and you don't want your big oaf of a friend here to be sent to Azkaban, you'd better stop spreading these stupid and terrifying rumors! This is the advice from the Minister of Magic!"
After finishing his words, Minister Cornelius Fudge didn't pay any more attention to what Dumbledore and Hagrid had to say. He simply did a handsome turn and walked towards the offices of the the newspapers.
The two Aurors on standby immediately followed.
The scene was quite stylish. The only flaw was that after walking a short distance, Minister Cornelius Fudge's legs couldn't help but tremble a few times.
Thankfully, no one noticed.
Dumbledore, who remained where he was, felt even more worried.
He never would have thought that in just one day, the almost perfect and flawless plan he had originally envisioned had turned into a hopelessly tangled mess.
What should he do next?
...
Leaving aside Dumbledore's guilt and depression, Dudley and Harry, who had entered Ollivanders Wand Shop, were in a completely different situation.
Let's go back in time to when the two cousins first entered the wand shop.
Ollivanders Wand Shop has been enchanted with soundproof magic. So once they pushed the door open and entered, the noise from the street outside could no longer be heard.
This is because making wands, a delicate task, requires a quiet environment.
When the two first entered the shop, there was no one behind the counter.
Dudley and Harry were immediately drawn to the tall wooden shelves on both sides of the shop, which were filled with wand boxes.
For wizards, a wand is like a firearm to a Muggle.
This simple and ancient room filled with wands was like an arsenal for wizards, spectacular and magical.
However, these wands presented a completely different sight to Dudley's eyes.