Hogwarts: Why do you call me the Demon King?

Attendees included leaders from several key departments of the Ministry of Magic, such as the Minister of Magic, the Deputy Minister, the Senior Assistant Minister, and the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

This ministerial meeting can be understood as the standing committee of the Ministry of Magic.

Those who can attend the meeting are all core decision-makers of the Ministry of Magic.

They are among the most powerful magical bureaucrats in the Ministry of Magic.

Ministerial meetings are generally convened by the ministers themselves only when major decisions need to be made.

This is also part of the Minister of Magic's power.

To be honest, since Fouché took office, he has rarely convened ministerial meetings.

The reason is that he did not have complete control over the Ministry of Magic.

Once the ministerial meeting is convened, some developments are completely beyond Fudge's control.

Of course, the Minister of Magic's power is not only manifested in the Council of Ministers; various ministerial orders, temporary bills, and regulations are all extensions of the Minister's power.

These are easier to control than the Council of Ministers.

But this time is different.

With Amelia Borns' support, Fudge was eager to demonstrate the authority befitting a minister.

.

The meeting began an hour later.

All attendees had arrived, and Connelly Fudge was the last to enter the meeting room.

When he entered the meeting room, all attendees stood up to show their respect for the minister.

Fudge nodded, indicating that everyone should sit down.

Then Cornelius Fudge frowned as he looked at Umbridge, who was in the corner preparing to take notes.

"Umbridge? What are you doing here?"

“Minister, I’m here to take meeting minutes!” Umbridge said awkwardly, holding up his notebook and pen.

"Meeting minutes? Doesn't the Ministry of Magic have any recorders?"

Is it necessary for an assistant minister to attend the meeting in person and take notes?

Based on qualifications, you are not eligible to attend the meeting. As for taking notes... just let the department's recorder take them!

Chapter 228 Umbridge, the Abandoned

Cornelius Fudge was practically pointing his finger at Umbridge and asking her, "Don't you have anything better to do?"

This attitude was quite subtle when it appeared at the ministerial meeting.

Who in the entire Ministry of Magic doesn't know that Umbridge is Cornelius Fudge's henchman? Who doesn't know that Umbridge is someone Cornelius Fudge protects?

Fudge's words in front of everyone at this moment seem more like a severing of ties with Umbridge.

No.

Cutting off people at the same level is called "cutting off," but this top-down approach should be called "abandoning."

In the Ministry of Magic, there is a very clear dividing line between Assistant Minister and Senior Assistant Minister.

If the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is reassigned to the position of Deputy Minister, this is a clear promotion within the Ministry of Magic.

If the position is adjusted to Senior Assistant Minister, it would be considered a lateral move, and if the area of ​​responsibility is not satisfactory, it could even be considered a weakening of the position.

However, if the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is demoted to assistant minister, that's definitely a demotion.

This is a fight where all pretense of civility is exposed.

After Umbridge left, the senior bureaucrats in the entire conference room remained silent.

Umbridge was an assistant minister handpicked by Connelly Fudge. In essence, he was one of Fudge's protégés, and no one else needed to comment on how to use or deal with him.

Cornelius Fudge, as Minister for Magic, did not have as much control over the Ministry as his predecessors.

But as subordinates, they can't directly criticize the minister and give him a chance to lash out, can they?

Furthermore, those sitting in this conference room have a considerable understanding of Fudge's political skills.

They knew very well that if Umbridge had done something that crossed his bottom line, Fudge would never have so clearly severed ties with his trusted subordinates.

We're all just having fun, and we're really curious to know what stupid thing this pink toad, who rose to power through the position of Minister of Magic, did.

Of all the senior bureaucrats present, only Amelia Borns was fully aware of the truth.

All of the Ministry of Magic's permanent law enforcement forces are under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, with the Aurors belonging to the Auror Office, an enforcement agency targeting elite criminal wizards.

Then there's the Magical Law Enforcement Team, also known as the Strikers' Office, whose subordinate Strikers are responsible for handling conventional criminal forces within the magical world.

Umbridge's request for the Auror Office and the Magical Law Enforcement Team to accompany her on a "business trip" to Gringotts had already been reported to Amelia Borns by her subordinates.

Given Director Amelia's style and methods, if the minister gives an order, it must be carried out. She may have reservations about the minister's orders, but she won't directly and openly challenge Fudge.

This is also the main reason why traditional pure-blood nobles allowed Amelia Borns to take over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Regardless of her stance, Amelia Borns will not hold anyone back when it comes to serious matters.

The premise is that it must be a serious matter.

To mobilize Aurors and strikers, you'd need at least a minister's order, right?

Even a note stamped with the minister's office seal will do.

To mobilize a large number of Aurors and strikers with just a few words, the two office directors and deputy directors must be crazy to be mobilized by Umbridge with a single sentence.

It's important to know that the position of captain of the Magic Law Enforcement Team is a high-ranking position, roughly equivalent to that of Assistant Minister Umbridge.

In the midst of turbulent times, the Auror's office director was even able to directly assume the role of Minister of Magic.

So he must be at least half a rank higher than the assistant minister, right?

This also means that the deputy director of the Auror's office, who is Scrimgeour's deputy, is on the same level as Umbridge.

Although everyone is at the same level, the amount of power within each department is completely different.

As Fudge's assistant minister, who is dedicated to assisting the minister, if Fudge is very powerful in the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge, as the minister's chief of staff, will naturally rise in rank as well.

Unfortunately, Fudge isn't that powerful yet, so Umbridge's words don't carry much weight either.

There was no warrant, no note, and not a single order. Only a madman like the Auror and Strikers' Office would follow Umbridge on a mission.

Besides, what kind of fieldwork assignment would a clerical assistant minister like you give out?

Upon learning this news, Amelia Borns mentally pronounced a "death sentence" on Umbridge's future.

Aurors and strikers are a group that even Fudge couldn't fully control. Umbridge's attempt to interfere was a grave mistake.

Amelia just didn't expect Fudge's reaction to be so strong.

To publicly and harshly reprimand Umbridge at a meeting of this caliber is tantamount to a public execution.

-----------------

The minor incident quickly passed, and Fudge's casual conversation eased the atmosphere in the meeting room, while also conveying this attitude to the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic who were attending the meeting.

The tone of the meeting wasn't that harsh; it was only directed at Umbridge personally.

He had no intention of making an example of someone, and those of you present need not think too much about it.

With Connelly Fudge's statement, the atmosphere in the meeting room quickly thawed, and the senior executives sat together chatting and laughing, which immediately eased much of the previous sternness.

“We were just talking about Gringotts, right? Let me elaborate a bit more.” Cornelius Fudge steered the conversation toward Gringotts, then cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Gringotts, as the wizarding bank, holds the assets of most wizards in the magical world."

Many wizards have their entire fortunes stored in Gringotts' vaults, and now the security of those vaults is in serious danger. We can't just sit idly by.

Seeing that Cornelius Fudge had finally gotten to the point, all the magical bureaucrats became serious.

Everyone in the conference room was analyzing Fudge's words, trying to understand his unspoken meaning.

Amelia Borns then chimed in, "The minister is right, but we can't let all the wizards withdraw their savings from Gringotts."

Although Gringotts has its problems, it at least has basic security guarantees.

What if the wizards retrieve all the money, and then the dark wizard comes knocking?

What if the crime rate in the magical world skyrockets at this time?

Amelia Borns' words, while seemingly a direct confrontation with Fudge, also highlighted the current predicament of the British magical community.

Wizards in the magical world naturally knew that Gringotts was not as reliable or secure as they claimed, but they had no way to find a magical bank to replace Gringotts in the short term.

This wizarding bank, established by fairies, is actually the only wizarding bank in Britain.

That's...outrageous.

Of course, this could also be the condition that the fairies and wizards negotiated after the fairy rebellion.

Who can blame them when the wizards only managed a Pyrrhic victory against the fairies' rebellion?

Chapter 229 The Wizarding Deposit Protection and Gringotts Coordination Office is established.