The Return to Hogwarts

"What I'd like to know more is, Cornelius, has the Ministry of Magic received the exact number of casualties tonight? How many wizards were harmed in this turmoil, and how many tragically lost their lives?"

When speaking to Dumbledore, Fudge had to be more casual; he waved his hand impatiently.

“It can’t be that fast, Dumbledore. You know, there were over 100,000 wizards there tonight. Some of them fled back to their countries as soon as the wizards in black cloaks appeared, but the vast majority stayed until the very end.”

I handed this task over to Amelia. She and her team were on-site taking stock. Ten minutes before you came in, Amelia sent me a letter. Many people were injured, but most were trampled while fleeing. Some were caught in the crossfire of the battle where the ministry was capturing the dark wizards. Of course, some died!

Amosta was not particularly surprised by the result.

Although it's unclear why Lucius Malfoy would revert to his old ways, he recruited those bounty hunter wizards from the underworld to create chaos at the World Cup, not to slaughter wizards from various countries. It's likely that if anyone does die tonight, it's due to the disorderly escape.

Dumbledore nodded.

"So, Connelly, what are you going to do next?"

"Oh no, what do we do?!"

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, Dumbledore's question finally broke Fudge, who was already under a lot of pressure. He hysterically slammed the handkerchief in his hand on the table, then pushed aside the chair behind him with a thud, and paced back and forth around the conference table with his hands behind his back, looking almost in a state of collapse!

“Everyone in the ministry sees me and asks me what to do! And now, you’re asking me what to do, Dumbledore. Oh, I’d like to ask others what the Ministry of Magic should do!”

Fudge shouted loudly,

"Needless to say, we've become a complete laughingstock, haven't we? This can't be kept secret any longer. Tomorrow morning, the whole world will know what kind of Quidditch World Cup we hosted, The Daily Prophet. Oh, yes, they'll definitely be singing your praises, Amosta. But what about the Ministry of Magic? How am I supposed to explain to wizards all over the world how so many mysterious dark wizards suddenly barged into our supposedly foolproof Quidditch World Cup, and how a... oh, a showdown of the century took place!"

Fudge's fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and he was breathing heavily.

Amosta lowered his gaze; Fudge's current frantic behavior was pretty much what he had expected. Dumbledore, already used to such things, sighed softly.

“You’re the Minister of Magic, Cornelius, so people will naturally expect you to come up with ideas.”

Fudge threw his head back and gave a dry laugh. Then, he stared at the seat behind his desk with a hateful look in his eyes. At least for this moment, he sincerely hoped that he was not the Minister of Magic of England.

A silence fell over the office. Amosta knew it wasn't his turn to speak yet, and Dumbledore kept his own thoughts to himself. Based on years of experience, it was best not to offer any suggestions before Cornelius asked, otherwise, it would only irritate his sensitive nerves.

Regardless, Cornelius Fudge has been Minister for Magic for over a decade, and even if he lacks some ability, he is certainly qualified as a politician.

After venting his frustrations, Fudge finally felt a little better, but his complexion didn't improve much.

"I think it's time to make a move on the Dementors of Azkaban, Dumbledore."

Amosta remained expressionless, but chuckled inwardly, while Dumbledore's deep blue eyes behind his half-moon lenses flashed with obvious helplessness. Clearly, Fudge's proposed method had not escaped their expectations.

"Our experience capturing Sirius Black has taught us, Cornelius—" Dumbledore said, "that those creatures of Azkaban that are not friendly to life will do you no good except cause trouble."

"Alright, stop hiding it, Dumbledore. If you have any good suggestions, just say them!"

Fudge wasn't dealing with Dumbledore for the first time, and he was quite familiar with some of the tricks Dumbledore liked to use.

"The aftermath is the most important thing right now. The Ministry of Magic must bear the losses. All medical expenses for the wizards who were injured in the turmoil should be borne by the Ministry of Magic. For those who unfortunately died, the Ministry of Magic needs to send personnel to discuss compensation with their families. My suggestion is that the Ministry of Magic make a public statement and use all the proceeds from this World Cup for appeasement and compensation."

Dumbledore was not offended; he spoke calmly.

"All proceeds--"

Compensation is necessary; Fudge knows this without Dumbledore saying it. However, all the profits from hosting the World Cup... Fudge's cheeks twitched violently. This wasn't something he could decide alone, but he had to admit that saying it this way would indeed gain him a lot of understanding.

“Very well, I will consider your suggestion carefully, Dumbledore, but the crucial point is that we must provide an explanation for tonight’s attack—”

"The wizards who attacked the arena, the witches who appeared later, and the ugly wizard who finally appeared in the sky above the arena are all one group. The Ministry of Magic needs to emphasize this to the public."

Amosta's sudden words surprised Fudge and silenced Dumbledore.

Chapter 482 An Explanation to the People

2023-09-16

The group of dark wizards who attacked the arena were certainly not the same as the witch who later fought Amosta Blaine and the ugly wizard who appeared at the end. Fudge was not unaware of this, and not only him, but many people who appeared in the top tier box of the arena tonight knew this as well.

They all saw that the powerful and astonishing witch was after Harry Potter; she wanted to kidnap him. As for the group of people from before, based on what they had gathered so far, these wizards in black cloaks didn't seem to be harming the people much; rather, they appeared to be there to scare them.

Fudge opened his mouth, his gaze pointing at the silent Dumbledore.

But why did that witch kidnap Harry Potter?

Fudge had been keeping a certain level of attention to the boy. Indeed, Harry Potter was not exactly a model student at Hogwarts, and many of the events that had happened at Hogwarts in the past two years had involved him. However, he had always lived under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. There was no information that could explain how Harry Potter had offended a powerful dark witch!

Aside from the Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban, Fudge couldn't imagine anyone so eager to kill Harry Potter. Of course, there was one, but that person was—no, that's impossible, that person is dead, that… the freak who appeared last night, so ugly and disgusting, but his face looked…

Fudge's lips trembled slightly as he stopped himself from thinking any further.

"That witch is the leader of this group of cloaked wizards. They are a bunch of heinous madmen who have been operating in Albania for the past two years. I have been tracking them. They have never seen the Dark Lord, but they are his worshippers. So, they disguised themselves as Death Eaters and came to the World Cup to launch an attack, in order to pay homage to the Dark Lord in this terrible way."

Lies, lies!

Even Cornelius Fudge, who was used to speaking in the 'art of political language', widened his eyes when he heard Amosta say this, and subconsciously wanted to refute it. However, before he could speak, he suddenly remembered a secret report he had read a few days ago.

The black wizards active in Albania were wiped out in one fell swoop. This incident, which also had a terrible impact on the Muggle world, has yet to reveal who was responsible.

Fudge stared at Amostella with a slight chill; the report stated that those lawless dark wizards had died a very gruesome death.

died

But then Fudge's eyes lit up. This meant that the dead had no way to prove anything, and those black wizards who had turned to ashes would not stand up to defend themselves!

Moreover, this explanation also clarifies to the public why Amosta Blaine seemed to know the witch known as Vitia Kriona during tonight's showdown, thus extricating Amosta from the situation.

Amosta went to Albania and eliminated a group of black sorcerers who were living there.

Dumbledore's eyes flickered, but he said nothing in front of Fudge.

In his impulsive moment, Fudge aggravated the wound on his arm. Now that he had calmed down, the pain made his face turn slightly pale. He glanced at the small bloodstain on the gauze, muttered a few words under his breath, and returned to the conference table.

Amosta remained silent, and the office fell silent once again.

the truth

This is the least important thing. Everyone needs an explanation: the Ministry of Magic needs it, the wizarding world needs it, Amostrath Blaine needs it, the wizards from all over the world who came to watch the game tonight, the injured and the families of the victims need it, but an explanation and compensation alone are not enough.

Such a heinous crime warrants the Ministry of Magic's swift arrest of the perpetrator. Otherwise, the reputation of the British Ministry of Magic will once again face a serious challenge, far more serious than the events surrounding Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban and his apparent innocence.

However, both "as soon as possible" and "arresting the murderer" are daunting tasks for the Ministry of Magic.

The Ministry of Magic now has an arrested terrorist in its hands. Normally, they would interrogate her to extract information about the purpose of the attack and her accomplices. However, with Amostra's help, Fudge admits, Amostra Blaine has once again come up with a brilliant idea.

This explanation explains why the wizards were dressed as Death Eaters, why they launched the attack, and most importantly, that the already deceased Dark Lord had nothing to do with it; it was all a scheme devised by a bunch of madmen.

-

The Ministry of Magic doesn't need to waste much effort on Melanoff, and people won't care how many 'minions' the Ministry has caught. What people want to see most is for the Ministry to send Vitia Criona, the leader of this group of madmen who planned the shameful attack, to Azkaban. If Barty the Elder were to propose executing that witch this time, Fudge would definitely agree.

Fudge had already followed Amosta Blaine's suggestion and was thinking further: Could the Ministry of Magic capture that mysterious and powerful witch?

Without anyone telling her, Fudge knew it was absolutely impossible; they knew nothing about her.

Amosta seemed to have finished speaking. Fudge glanced at him a few times, but Amosta pretended not to see him. So Fudge had no choice but to turn to Dumbledore for help.

Lies and deception. Dumbledore sighed inwardly.

However, reality is not a fairy tale. There are not many perfect solutions in this world that allow you to uphold the rules while also hoping to eliminate the impact as soon as possible.

"Amosta--"

Dumbledore pursued ideals, but that doesn't mean he was an idealist, and in this matter, lies were necessary.

"We must catch the murderer to give an explanation to the people who were harmed tonight."

Amosta looked up, his gaze meeting Dumbledore's in mid-air as they stared at each other.

A moment later, Amosta looked away at the uneasy Fudge, raised an eyebrow, and a strange smile flickered across his lips.

"I do not understand--"

Amosta's smile faded, and his voice deepened.

“Didn’t I already cooperate with the Ministry of Magic to catch the murderer, Minister? Your subordinate Rufus is interrogating her. As far as I’m concerned, there’s not much to interrogate, is there? We’ve figured out the motive. All that’s left is to summon Wizengamo for the trial, and finally, imprison Clona forever in Azkaban. Such a heinous criminal should have a room to herself.”

Without warning, Fudge opened his mouth wide.

Under Fudge's bewildered gaze, Amosta produced the staff he had confiscated from Vitia. This staff had been passed down through generations of Druidic priests and was the source of his power; without it, Vitia Kriona would not have been able to fight him.

Fudge immediately sat up straight, staring blankly at the wand Amostah had taken out. Even his breathing became lighter. Even a fool would know that this strangely shaped wand, which did not conform to wizarding tradition, was no ordinary thing!

Even Dumbledore adjusted his glasses, his piercing gaze sweeping over the Grapevine Wand. It was a powerful alchemical artifact from another system, and a wizard like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be uninterested. He could sense the extraordinary magic stored within the wand in a strange way. However, Amostella took out his spoils.

"Are you preparing to--"

An unnatural flush rose on Fudge's pale cheeks as he stared intently at Amosta, filled with anticipation.

Amosta took out his wand, tapped it, and then an identical wand appeared out of thin air on the table. Amosta sealed the real wand away again and controlled the fake wand to land on the table in front of Fudge, the meaning of which was self-evident.

The more excited I was just now, the more disappointed I am now.

Fudge muttered a few words and slumped back into his chair; he already understood what Amosta meant.

"Wait a minute, I'll go and remove the fire cage that's trapping Creona, and then just to ask, does the Ministry of Magic have any wizards skilled in transfiguration?"

"Of course!"

Humiliated, Fudge jumped up again indignantly.

"When I was studying at Hogwarts, I got an 'O' on my Transfiguration exam during the OWLS exam!"

"It's 'E,' Cornell--"

Dumbledore said with a smile.