Hogwarts: Why do you call me the Demon King?

Upon application by the British Ministry of Magic, and with the approval and awarding of Wizengamot, we have decided to confer upon Mr. Isaac Waldore the Order of Merlin, Second Class.

The Ministry of Magic awarded Mr. Isaac Valdore 1000 Galleons in recognition of his courageous resistance against evil.

No sooner had Cornelius Fudge finished speaking than a pink figure appeared beside them.

Isaac's description is very accurate. Just how pink was that figure?

She wore a fluffy pink cardigan, a pink robe with ruffles, and accessories in the same color scheme.

This person was extremely short; judging from her height, she was about the same height when standing and sitting. Her fingers were short and thick, and she wore several gaudy old-fashioned rings.

To use a Harry Potter-esque description, she would be: she looked like a pale, large toad.

He was short and fat, with a broad, loose face, and like Vernon, he couldn't see his neck. His big mouth drooped down.

The eyes are large, round, and slightly protruding.

Even the little black velvet bow on her short curly hair looked more like a fly about to be caught by a sticky, long tongue.

Without a doubt, the one who possesses this quality must be Umbridge, a high-ranking bureaucrat of the Ministry of Magic and a close confidant of Minister Fudge.

Umbridge, carrying a tray, approached Isaac and Fudge, first giving her minister a fawning smile.

Then he forced a friendly smile at Isaac.

The problem is, her smile was anything but friendly.

If Isaac weren't no ordinary little wizard, he might have been startled by that old face that looked just like a toad.

All I can say is that Harry's words are truly venomous, but the description is also incredibly accurate.

Isaac was increasingly looking forward to meeting Harry Potter; he was genuinely curious whether the Harry in this world was the Harry from the books or the Harry from the TV series.

If Isaac had to choose, he would prefer the book version of Harry.

At least compared to the TV series Harry, the book version of Harry doesn't seem like a hapless punching bag.

“Minister, please,” Umbridge drawled, handing the tray in his hand toward Fudge.

Fudge picked up the purple ribbon from above.

He was probably used to his subordinate's flattery, and without even glancing at Umbridge, he kept explaining to Isaac.

"Isaac, the Order of Merlin is the highest honor in the magical world, and it is divided into three levels."

First-class medal, second-class medal and third-class medal.

The distinction between medals is mainly based on their ribbons—first-class medals have green ribbons, second-class medals have purple ribbons, and third-class medals have white ribbons.

Your Headmaster Dumbledore is a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class.

Fudge slowly hung the purple sash and medal around Isaac's neck, and just as he bent down, Isaac heard a barely audible sound coming from Fudge's mouth.

"When the department held a meeting, Director Crouch was only willing to apply for a third-class medal for you, but I can't let our little hero and a clown like Lockhart use the same level of medal."

Upon hearing Fudge's words, Isaac looked at the Minister of Magic in surprise.

Fudge winked at Isaac and gave him a look that said, "This is our little secret."

To be honest, once Isaac broke free from the constraints of the original timeline, the stances of the main characters in the magical world became quite peculiar.

The owners of most of the shops in Diagon Alley are pure-blood families, and Dumbledore's special treatment of Isaac in Diagon Alley must have spread throughout the pure-blood wizarding community.

There are only a handful of pure-blood wizarding families in England, and Fudge's family is one of them.

Therefore, he must have known about the "special relationship" between Dumbledore and Isaac.

This period coincided with Fudge's efforts to break free from Dumbledore's influence.

As a wizard, Fudge's abilities may not be outstanding, but as a politician, he is quite successful.

Cornelius Fudge's rise to power was, strictly speaking, an accident—the two most popular candidates at the time were Dumbledore and Barty Crouch, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The Ministry of Magic repeatedly invited Dumbledore to become Minister for Magic, but he resolutely refused.

The reason is simple: Dumbledore needs Hogwarts to keep the beast in his heart in check, fearing that he would be consumed by power and cause irreversible consequences.

For the greater good, after all!

Most importantly, as the number one wizard at the time, once Dumbledore really decided to do something, no one in the entire wizarding world could stop him.

Those capable of stopping Dumbledore are mostly his friends. Those who aren't capable are simply no match for him.

It was precisely because Dumbledore knew himself so well that he resolutely refused the position of Minister of Magic.

As for Barty Crouch the Elder, who was second in line, his son was exposed as a Death Eater and was involved in torturing the Longbottoms.

With such a stain on his record, Barty Crouch Sr. naturally couldn't rise to power. The only reason he's still holding onto his position as Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is because of his ruthless treatment of Death Eaters and his willingness to turn against his own family.

Then, as deputy minister, Fouchie ushered in the spring of his political career.

With his decent qualifications, mild attitude, and lack of controversy, Fudge became the only acceptable compromise candidate.

At the time, the Ministry of Magic bureaucrats and the wizarding community generally believed that it was very safe to use him to "maintain the status quo" during peacetime.

Fudge did a really good job.

Because of his lack of prestige, he initially consulted Dumbledore on everything, and at that time, owl messengers traveled back and forth between the two very frequently.

However, as Fudge gained a firm foothold in the position of Minister of Magic, he began to seek greater influence and gradually eliminated Dumbledore's influence over the Ministry of Magic.

Although it is very difficult.

In other words, from a purely political standpoint, Fudge had absolutely no reason to be so kind to this young wizard who was being looked after by Dumbledore.

But at this moment, Fudge showed Isaac a great deal of goodwill.

One more thing, Minister Fudge just mentioned "that clown Lockhart," right?

Does this prove that, in fact, within a certain group or circle, they are aware of Lockhart's true nature as a fraud?

That's interesting, that's really interesting.

Isaac had only just entered the magical world, and it had already brought him so many surprises. To be honest, Isaac initially thought that possessing this prophetic talent would make the world quite boring.

Humans are indeed the most surprising creatures.

"Your Excellency Minister Cornelius, you are truly a venerable Minister of Magic!"

Chapter 34 Fudge's Evil Fire

Cornelius Fudge discovered that the young wizard before him truly knew what he liked to hear and what he needed right now.

Fudge's smile grew even more genuine, and he picked up the other bag from the tray without hesitation.

The pocket was made of luxurious material, but was only the size of a wallet, and was embroidered with a family crest that Isaac did not recognize.

"This is a prize sponsored by the Ministry of Magic. You should use it wisely, Isaac!"

Use it properly?

Although the Ministry of Magic had awarded a considerable amount of Galleons, Isaac didn't think Fudge would specifically mention it at this time.

Putting aside whether a Minister of Magic would actually care about 1000 Galleons, even if Fudge did care, wouldn't saying this at this moment completely negate the prestige he had just created?

Isaac's gaze fell on the pocket in Fudge's hand, and he suddenly realized something.

Isaac went to Gringotts to exchange for Galleons. The Galleons in the wizarding world are a size larger and twice as thick as the one-dollar coins he used in his previous life.

1000 Galleons stacked together would be about the size of 10 500ml mineral water bottles.

Fudge's bag was only the size of a wallet, so the question is, how could such a small bag hold so many gold coins?

In the Muggle world, this kind of thing would never happen.

However, in the magical world there is the Invisible Stretching Charm.

The Unseen Stretching Charm is a complex and advanced spell, and is strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic.

In the wizarding world, it is illegal to cast spells on Muggle items without permission—the bag in Fudge's hand was clearly subjected to the Unseen Stretching Charm.

This pocket is the one that Fudge specifically mentioned he should make good use of.

What does generosity mean? Fudge, this is generosity.

Regardless of whether the bag containing the 1000 Galon and the Seamless Stretch Charm is used for official purposes or not.

They were able to present it to Isaac in front of Dumbledore and the headmasters of Hogwarts, in front of the bureaucrats and Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, and in front of the reporters and photographers of the Daily Prophet.

This is essentially endorsing Isaac.

Mr. Isaac Waldore possesses a pocket that has been enchanted with a seamless stretching spell, which is perfectly reasonable, legal, and compliant.

"Thank you so much, Your Excellency Minister! You are so generous!" Isaac couldn't help but admire Fudge's skill in winning people over.

Indeed, Fudge rose from a low-level bureaucrat to the Deputy Minister of Magic, and even became the third in line for Ministerial nomination. How could someone like that not be capable?

Moreover, he gradually gained control of the Minister of Magic while Dumbledore was still alive.

While Dumbledore's decision to let Fudge go to sea certainly played a part, Fudge himself also possessed the qualities of a politician.

Daring to think and act.

If it were anyone else, they might have resigned themselves to being Dumbledore's mouthpiece.

One can imagine the immense psychological pressure Fudge must have felt when he first tentatively tried to seize real power as Minister of Magic from Dumbledore.