Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 345 The Mysterious Mr. MH
The British Muggle Prime Minister is a legendary figure.

After graduating from high school, he did not choose to go to university, but instead studied craft carving and successfully became a sculptor.

He later worked for the London Electricity Council and the International Bank, and during the war he also went to a regional bank in Nigeria.

He officially entered politics at the age of 45 when he was elected a local councilor. He was subsequently appointed First Secretary of State for the Treasury and Foreign Secretary, and finally elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1990.

Although he has only been in office for three years, the Muggle government has already faced many challenges.

At that time, the world economy was entering a period of recession.

The dramatic changes in Eastern Europe led to a shift in the world order from a bipolar to a unipolar system.

Even the once-mighty British Empire could not remain uninvolved in this environment.

Especially after the Black Wednesday events of 1992, the British government, which had been preparing to join the European Union, was forced to leave the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, and the economy fell into a slump.

As is well known, in the Muggle world, a country's economy is of paramount importance.

Rapid economic development can often mask the vast majority of contradictions.

In this situation, the Muggle prime minister withstood the pressure and actively promoted a series of policies to revitalize the economy.

In fiscal policy, he worked to balance the budget, cut unnecessary spending, and alleviate downward economic pressure.

In terms of monetary policy, measures were taken to stabilize the money market and gradually lead the British economy toward recovery.

Following the initialing of the Treaty on European Union, also known as the Maastricht Treaty, at the 1991 European Community summit.

In 1992, the twelve member states of the European Community formally signed the treaty.

The Maastricht Treaty officially came into effect in 1993.

This also means that the European Union (EU), which had been in preparation for several years, was officially established.

This is a regional integration organization that combines political and economic entities and has significant global influence.

As one of the twelve original members of the European Community, the United Kingdom naturally plays a pivotal role in the European Union.

The formation of the European Union may seem like a major event in the Muggle world, with little to do with the magical world, but that is not actually the case.

The establishment of the European Union has led to more frequent exchanges between its member states, and these exchanges are not limited to the Muggle world, but also extend to the magical world.

For example, the three largest magic schools in Europe—Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang—are all located in countries that happen to be within the twelve member states of the European Union.

The formation of the European Union unexpectedly brought the tripolar rivalry, which had been interrupted for centuries for various reasons, back to the forefront.

It is evident that the influence of the Muggle world on the magical world is growing and has reached a point where it cannot be ignored.

For this reason, even Cornelius Fudge, who looked down on Muggles, dared not underestimate this Muggle prime minister who had performed well since taking office.

This year, after Sirius Black escaped from prison, the notification was made with this in mind.

Even so, Fudge did not expect that the other party would react to the matter of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew so quickly.

What surprised him even more was the unexpectedly tough tone of the other party.

They demanded that the wizarding world reveal the truth as soon as possible and clear Sirius's name. In fact, the Muggle world was already preparing to drop the warrant for Sirius's arrest.

The Muggle Prime Minister's uncharacteristic actions forced Fudge, who had already made up his mind, to reconsider the matter.

At the same time, I was also a little annoyed.

Which bastard leaked this information so quickly?
Do they have absolutely no sense of confidentiality?

Is the "Secrecy Law" just for show?

"I find it laughable that you talk about the rule of law."

When the Ministry of Magic convened another emergency meeting, Rufus Scrimgeour, the Auror Chief of Staff, calmly addressed Fudge's fury:
"When you captured Sirius Black, you threw him directly into Azkaban without trial, which was illegal in the first place—but now you've proven him innocent."

"To imprison a true hero in Azkaban for twelve years as a murderer, frankly, the fact that he didn't come looking for you immediately after his escape is already quite lenient."

"Scrimgeour, are you accusing me?"

After hearing this, a man who looked to be in his fifties turned to Scrinker.

He sat upright, his short black hair was neatly styled, and he wore a sharp suit and tie.

He stood out from all the other people sitting in the meeting.

He doesn't look like a wizard at all; he looks more like a Muggle bank manager.

"Chief Crouch, I'm just stating a fact."

Scrimgeour glanced at the man; his name was Barty Crouch, the Director of the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation.

"At this point, we should stop worrying about the secrecy law. I can say with certainty that this ship started leaking from the top."

Once one person knows the secret, it's only a matter of time before others find out as well.

Instead of studying the rule of law here, we should think about what we should be doing now.

“The problem now is…” Fudge took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead, “The Muggle Prime Minister’s attitude is very tough, and we have to respond to it.”

"So what? Magic is magic, and Muggles are Muggles. What does it matter to our Ministry of Magic if the Muggle Prime Minister takes a hard line?"

"Times have changed. The Muggle world has formed the European Union, and countries have strengthened their ties with each other. The influence of the Muggle world on the magical world is growing."

"That's right, I never dared to imagine in my lifetime that the Triwizard Tournament could actually be restarted. Muggles are really amazing."

"If we can't handle this situation properly, it won't be a good thing for us."

"The other side's attitude is so tough this time, they must have something to rely on, so it's best to be careful."

"Then let's investigate and see who leaked the information, putting us in such a passive position now?"

"We can't investigate everything, can we? What if we find something wrong?"

"That's true."

"..."

"I don't know."

Amidst the cacophony of voices, a short, plump woman with a heavy accent suddenly spoke, instantly drawing everyone's attention:
"Why is everyone talking about the predicament facing the Ministry of Magic, as if the Muggle Prime Minister's attitude is so important?"

Since the wise and capable Lord Fudge took over as Minister for Magic, the wizarding world has maintained an orderly, stable, and comfortable environment.

Both ancient wizarding families and ordinary people in the magical world were overjoyed and wholeheartedly welcomed this situation.

I still remember the vibrant, thriving atmosphere when the minister took office; it's still vivid in my mind…

“Singing praises does nothing to solve the problem at hand, Ms. Umbridge.”

Scrimgeour couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted him.

Dolores Umbridge, despite being quite old, insists on dressing like a young girl.

Pink hair clips, pink bows, ruffled skirts, and tiny bags.

I really don't know what Fudge saw in her that made him treat her as a confidante and allow her to attend such an important meeting.

“Interrupting a lady is hardly gentlemanly behavior, Director Scrimgeour—besides, I was merely stating a fact.” Umbridge said, winking at Barty Crouch as if he found the gesture endearing.
"What, are you allowed to speak to Chief Crouch like that?"

Umbridge is clearly trying to curry favor with Barty Crouch.

Embarrassingly, however, the latter frowned and turned away.

He also looked down on Umbridge.

"Alright, stop arguing."

Just then, Fudge spoke up to help Umbridge out of the predicament, saying with a slight headache, "You can see for yourselves, this is the latest news that just came in."

As he spoke, he took out a letter.

Your Excellency Minister Fauci:
The Queen's Government considers your request to postpone the release of the facts of the Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew case unacceptable.

The Prime Minister has no intention of emulating Mr. Chamberlain's appeasement policy, and the Queen's Government will not tolerate any shirking or delay when dealing with matters of principle.

The Ministry of Magic's handling of this case has constituted a violation of basic justice.

If the situation is not rectified in a timely manner, we will be forced to take necessary and appropriate measures to ensure that the truth is revealed.

—Office of the Cabinet Secretary of MH

After the attendees finished reading the letter, they couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment:

"Who is this MH? Why is he talking so arrogantly?"

"I don't know, but the other party used the personal seal of the Muggle Prime Minister, so it might be a cabinet secretary?"

"You don't care who he is, as long as you know that this letter represents the attitude of the Muggle government."

"Isn't this a threat to us?"

"So what if he's threatened? Can you run over there and cast a forgetfulness spell on him? Minister, you'd better make a decision quickly!"

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Fudge.

Is it finally time to make a decision again?
At that moment, Fudge instinctively wanted to write a letter to Dumbledore for help.

But then it suddenly dawned on him that he and the other party had apparently had a falling out yesterday...

Come to think of it, when was the last time I wrote to Dumbledore for help?

It's been a year already, hasn't it?
In the early days of his tenure, Fudge bombarded Albus Dumbledore seeking help and advice.

However, as time went on, this frequency became lower and lower.

Now, Fudge is more cautious when facing a Muggle prime minister than when facing Dumbledore.

Even if Dumbledore could send this Muggle prime minister away with just a flick of his finger.

The group discussed it back and forth, but still couldn't get to the point.

Ultimately, the turning point came from another letter.

Not that mysterious MH
Among the Prime Minister's secretaries were also staff members sent by the Ministry of Magic.

His years living in the Muggle world taught him some skills.

At this critical moment, he provided a way out for the Ministry of Magic.

A step that looks pretty good.

Once you have this stepping stone, things will be much easier.

The Ministry of Magic acted immediately, shifting the blame directly to Millison Bagnore, the 31st Minister of Magic, and his leadership team.

Incidentally, they also got Barty Crouch to take the blame.

Of course, strictly speaking, this cannot really be considered shifting the blame.

Because the "Harry Potters murder case and Sirius Black case" were indeed characterized as occurring when Bagno was Minister for Magic.

After Sirius Black was arrested, Barty Crouch, then head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, did indeed imprison him in Azkaban without trial.

Barty Crouch gained the trust of most people in the wizarding world during the Wizarding Wars by advocating for a tough approach.

After Voldemort's downfall, as a staunch opponent of Voldemort, his prestige was unparalleled, and many people believed he was a strong contender for the position of Minister of Magic.
Unexpectedly, something happened later that caused the situation to take a sharp turn for the worse.

Ultimately, his popularity plummeted, and he was eventually transferred to the International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Department.

Cornelius Fudge, on the contrary, became the lucky one, taking office as the 32nd Minister of Magic.

However, after taking office, he simply followed the old ways and only thought about maintaining the status quo.

They never even considered questioning the truth of the matter or reopening the investigation, let alone exonerating Sirius Black.

But so what?

In any case, the Muggle government's demand is to publicize Sirius's crimes and give him justice.

As to who discovered this truth, it is not important to the Muggle government.

As for Hogwarts, it might be worthwhile to take this opportunity to share some of the credit with them.

Of course, they can only play a supporting role.

I believe neither the Muggle government nor Dumbledore would have any objections to this.

Sure enough, when Fudge informed both the Muggle Prime Minister and Dumbledore of the matter, both accepted it without any surprise.

For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the magical world and the Muggle world are ultimately one, and their bureaucratic systems share commonalities.

As for Hogwarts, all they care about is the result; the process itself is not important.

This made Fudge extremely happy.

What is a win-win situation? This is a win-win situation!

The truth was revealed, the criminals were punished, the minister repaired the relationship between the principals and received great honor, and everyone has a bright future.

As for the previous leadership of the Ministry of Magic...

For the sake of peace and stability in the magical world, and to safeguard the interests of the collective, small sacrifices are necessary.

I believe they can understand.

Dumbledore agreed to Fudge's request to come to the school in person to promote the event.

Although this person is indeed not very good, his position is very important.

At times like these, it's truly necessary to unite everyone who can be united, and let bygones be bygones for past unpleasantness.

As it turns out, this approach is very effective.

After breakfast, Fudge shook hands with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and the others before returning to the Ministry of Magic.

However, when Fudge's dragon-skin boots stepped onto the marble steps that the Pokémon had just cleaned, his foot slipped, and he stumbled, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.

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(End of this chapter)