The Return to Hogwarts

“I am more than willing to serve the Ministry of Magic, Minister, but as I just said, the Malfoy family was framed for the Basilisk incident, and we have been excluded from the Hogwarts Board of Trustees. It’s quite a disgrace, really. For centuries, the Malfoy family has been on the Hogwarts Board of Trustees, but that honor has been lost in my hands—”

Looking at Lucius, Umbridge narrowed her eyes; she probably already knew what Lucius wanted.

When the topic of what happened back then came up, Fudge couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment. At the time, he was extremely grateful to Blaine for solving the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin and for giving him that precious basilisk.

"How can we get the Malfoy family back into the Hogwarts Board of Governors, Lucius?"

Umbridge gazed at Lucius with an innocent, naive look.

"Since the Board of Trustees can exclude the Malfoy family, it can surely also reinstate them."

“That requires a two-thirds majority vote of the board, Ms. Umbridge—”

Lucius bowed slightly.

"The Greengrass family, the Avery family, the Black family, there are eleven in total. Unfortunately, some of them don't have a deep relationship with the Malfoy family—"

Fudge understood the situation, but he wasn't angry at Lucius Malfoy's scheme. He wanted to use the power of the Ministry of Magic to force all the school board members to agree to the Malfoy family regaining control of Hogwarts, but the Ministry of Magic did indeed need to have a greater say in Hogwarts.

The idea of ​​using the Board of Governors to directly remove Dumbledore and Blaine Fudge seemed very tempting, but it was not a wise choice.

This would inevitably lead to the fiercest resistance from Dumbledore and Blaine. He is not currently seeking a complete break with Hogwarts, but Dumbledore and Blaine must express their support for the Ministry of Magic's decision.

Arthur was surprised to find that when Fudge and Umbridge, who had been looking furious, saw Lucius Malfoy off from the office, the three of them were actually chatting and laughing, with Fudge even affectionately putting his arm around Lucius Malfoy's shoulder.

“We’ll contact those companies as soon as possible, Lucius. One week, I guarantee we can reschedule the vote in one week!”

"I am extremely grateful, Minister Fouché!"

Lucius smiled.

"The Malfoy family will coordinate the opinions of the board to ensure that no voices differing from those of the Ministry of Magic will emerge."

"minister!"

The conversation that reached Arthur's ears startled him. He couldn't understand everything, but that didn't stop him from realizing that Fudge and Lucius Malfoy had gotten into some kind of deal. He looked at Fudge, who was about to put his arm around Malfoy's shoulder, and called out.

Fudge completely forgot about Mr. Weasley. He was stunned for several seconds before he remembered that Arthur also wanted to talk to him.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Fudge's obese face, but he still stopped in his tracks.

"Could you see Lucius and Dolores off for me? You can also discuss the donation with them."

"It would be my pleasure, Minister—"

Dolores said with a big smile.

“Then come with me, Arthur, we’ll talk in Dolores’s office.”

Fudge waved to Arthur and walked back to his office first.

“Let’s go, Percy, let’s go and clear things up—”

Arthur gave Percy, who was sweating nervously, an encouraging smile, then pulled Percy's arm and walked into the room.

"Who is this, Arthur?"

Fudge turned around and noticed a young man who looked somewhat familiar following Arthur into the office. He frowned slightly and said...

This question made Percy blush. He stood there with his hands clasped, somewhat at a loss. Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, patted Percy on the back quite calmly.

“My son, Percy Weasley, you’ve certainly met him before, Minister.”

"Your son?"

Fudge looked at Arthur suspiciously.

"Is he also an employee of the department?"

Percy's blush subsided, and he desperately wished a hole would appear in the floor so he could jump in and hide himself, thus avoiding the embarrassment.

"Oh, of course--"

Mr. Weasley naturally pulled Percy to the sofa opposite Fudge, and after pressing him down to sit, he sat down himself as well.

“He’s been working in the department for almost a year now, if you haven’t forgotten, Old Barty had an assistant before.”

"Oh, I remember now!"

Fudge looked enlightened.

"That's right, you, Old Barty's assistant, handled a lot of things for the International Magical Cooperation Department during the time Old Barty disappeared, but later—"

Fudge squinted at Percy, who was trying to straighten his chest.

"He was punished for what happened to Barty. If I remember correctly."

"You're not mistaken, Minister—"

Mr. Weasley nodded seriously. “The department believes that Percy did not notice Barty Crouch’s problem in time. I mean, he did not notice that Barty Crouch the Elder had been kidnapped and that someone was impersonating Crouch’s handwriting to write to him and assign tasks to the Cooperative Division.”

"Oh--"

Fudge glanced at the trembling Percy Weasley, leaned back on the sofa, and casually twirled his thumb, saying...

"Isn't this a reasonable punishment, Arthur? I'm not targeting anyone specifically, but since your son is Old Barty's assistant, shouldn't he realize that the letters he receives every day aren't coming from his boss?"

It's truly terrifying to think about. If Vitia Criona had orchestrated some terrible mission in this way, and Percy had followed orders, it's unimaginable how much the wizarding world would have suffered.

"That's absolutely right."

Mr. Weasley's cheeks flushed slightly. He had meant to say 'nonsense,' but he restrained himself and said 'prejudice' instead.

“Strictly speaking, Percy and Barty Sr. only spent less than a few months together, and he lacked a deep understanding of Barty Sr. Therefore, it is understandable that he failed to notice that something was wrong with Barty Sr. Only Percy was punished. Objectively speaking, this is unfair to Percy in the matter of Barty Sr., Minister!”

Mr. Weasley said indignantly.

Fudge squinted and thought for a long time before recalling how he had handled the matter.

In order to suppress the impact, no one was dealt with in a big way at the time. However, Barty's assistant, the thin young man in front of me, was sent to the centaur office of the Department of Fantastic Beasts Control.

The Centaur Office. Everyone in the Ministry of Magic knows what that's like: nothing to do, it's practically a retirement office.

"So, what do you think we should do, Arthur?"

Fudge, still looking nonchalant, moved Arthur's son to a different spot.

Now that the controversy surrounding Barty the Elder has died down, it's a trivial matter to move Percy Weasley to a different department, but Connelly is still not happy about it. The reason is none other than Arthur's own stance.

"my thoughts?"

Mr. Weasley glanced at Percy, a gentle light appearing in his eyes.

“To be honest, I think Percy is an excellent young wizard, Minister, and this assessment is not based on our father-son relationship, Minister—”

Mr. Weasley said seriously,

"Percy served as a prefect and president of the boys' council during his school years. He earned twelve Newts certificates with excellent grades and has been working with great enthusiasm since joining the Ministry of Magic. Of course, it is undeniable that he lacks experience, but that is not a disadvantage for a young man, is it?"

"yes--"

Fudge glanced at Percy with some surprise. Arthur's son was indeed quite outstanding. But so what? The Ministry of Magic had gathered the best Hogwarts graduates from all years. There was no shortage of prefects and student council presidents, nor of NEWTS certificates.

"But a mistake is a mistake, and it must be punished, Arthur. Oh, I suddenly have an idea."

Chapter 990 Vicious

2024-06-22

A sudden thought made Fudge straighten his posture. He looked at the solemn-faced Arthur Weasley, a fleeting amusement in his eyes.

"If I'm not mistaken, Arthur—"

Fudge's tone suddenly became affectionate.

"You hope your son can get a more critical position, right?"

Fudge's drastic change in attitude in a short period of time made Mr. Weasley wary; his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

“I’m not advocating for my son’s rights, Minister. He’s not even twenty yet. He should be in a more challenging position. The ministry can’t let a young man with unlimited potential retire in a Malaysian office.”

Indeed, indeed--

Fudge nodded solemnly, and his gesture filled Percy's eyes with boundless hope; his excitement and exhilaration made his voice tremble.

"I'm willing to do anything for the ministry, Minister, as long as... as long as there's something to do!"

Mr. Weasley gave Percy a warning look, indicating that he would negotiate with the minister himself, but Percy was completely absorbed in the opportunity that was about to be in his grasp and did not notice his father's hint at all.

“Oh, that’s a very reassuring attitude, Percy—” Fudge smiled approvingly at Percy.

"That's right, I think so. Young people should be given the opportunity to make mistakes and correct them."

Swish!

Percy jumped up from the sofa, his body stiff and his face flushed, ready to make his presence known again. But Fudge waved him off and said gently,

“Yes, I remember now. When Barty was still in the Department, he mentioned to me that the assistant they assigned to him was incredibly enthusiastic. Oh, it's definitely a bit of a waste to have you in the centaur's office, isn't it? But you have to understand, Percy, you did make a mistake, and the Department has to give the wizarding world an explanation—”

"Regarding Old Barty's matter, I have already stated my opinion, Minister."

Mr. Weasley spoke cautiously, but Fudge ignored him. He looked at Percy with interest, at the ambitious eyes of the young man before him, and said in a gentle tone,

"Putting you in the Centaur's office was a punishment, Percy, and now it's time for the punishment to end. But if you're thinking about more critical positions, like, for example, I'm currently short of an assistant, you'll have to produce something, I mean, contribute to the department."

Assistant Minister?!