Hogwarts: Why do you call me the Demon King?

To be fair, given Barty Crouch's prestige in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before the scandal, even if Fudge were Minister for Magic, his decrees might not actually get into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Fortunately, Barty Crouch Sr. resigned due to the scandal and went to a less prestigious government position.

His successor, Amelia Bornes, was recognized within the Ministry of Magic as a person of integrity and justice, and also a quintessential Hufflepuff.

Amelia Burns never failed to carry out any formal orders from the Minister of Magic without question.

Even if she had doubts about the minister's office's policies, it didn't stop her from doing her best.

Note that Director Amelia's orders are official business—meaning formal orders with the signature and seal of the minister's office.

If it were merely a private order from Cornelius Fudge, or something Fudge had instructed him to do privately, then this guy wouldn't be so easy to talk to.

This falls under the category of private matters, but the Minister of Magic has no private matters.

In short, during Amelia's tenure, Fudge effectively controlled half of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which was not unacceptable to Fudge, but not entirely acceptable either.

It's in a state of neither here nor there.

Director Amelia could choose to obey Minister Fudge's orders, but Umbridge clearly could not and should not do so.

She was promoted to a high position because she was a staunch supporter of Fudge.

Fudge promoted her to a position so that Umbridge could become his voice within the higher echelons of the Ministry of Magic.

If Minister Fouché were to say certain things personally, it would seem very beneath him and undignified.

In politics, those who lack integrity are the quickest to be removed from office.

It would be more dignified to let Umbridge handle it first.

It's Umbridge who's dishonorable, what does that have to do with Cornelius Fudge?

But Umbridge didn't want to stop at being an assistant vice minister; as a Slytherin, she was full of ambition.

Deputy Minister, Senior Deputy Minister, even Minister of Magic—Umbridge had dreamed of it all.

However, the latter was deeply hidden in Umbridge's heart.

If she wanted to climb the ranks, Umbridge couldn't remain a mouthpiece for Minister Fudge forever. She had to let Minister Fudge know that she wasn't just a mouthpiece for him.

They can also become the minister's right-hand man.

Therefore, Umbridge was clearly trying to offer Fudge a tactful piece of advice.

“Hmph, I know, of course I know.” Fudge didn’t even look at Umbridge.

Her little schemes couldn't escape Fudge's notice.

It wasn't that Connery Fudge was particularly shrewd; rather, when Fudge chose Umbridge, he was drawn to her ambition and manipulability.

The reason Umbridge was made Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic was because Fudge needed a respectable platform to voice his opinions.

But if Umbridge wants to climb any higher, she'll have to pick up mud from the ground and smear it on herself for Fudge.

All the gifts in fate have already been marked with a price in the dark, and this kind of lukewarm "admonition" is never a plus for Fudge.

Those who make gloves must be prepared to do the dirty work.

You don't actually believe you were promoted to assistant vice minister based on your own merits, do you?

Fudge ignored the embarrassed Umbridge and began to read Isaac's long letter.

The letter begins with "His Excellency Minister Cornelius of the Ministry of Magic".

Look at that, with "Minister" and "Your Excellency" in the title, how nice it sounds!

Isaac then went on to talk at length about how important the 1000 Galleons awarded to him by the Ministry of Magic had been to his studies.

Is 1000 Galleons really that important?

Of course it doesn't matter; Isaac's expenses in Diagon Alley were all paid for by Dumbledore and the Rozier family.

What could he possibly have to spend money on?

Even Fudge himself knew this, but the truth never mattered.

What matters is the attitude Isaac expressed in his heart: Does 1000 Galleons matter? This clearly shows that I, Cornelius Fudge, am more important to Isaac!

It wasn't just the 1000 Galleons; the seamless stretch bag from the Ministry of Magic also impressed Isaac.

In this section, Isaac mainly emphasizes "having what others don't".

For the powerful wizards in the Hogwarts professorship, casting the Unseen Stretching Charm has never been difficult.

No matter how simple they are, the seamless stretch bags they make in private cannot be used openly.

Privately, professors certainly don't lack these things. The main point of this system is that if the public doesn't complain, the authorities won't investigate.

But things made in private can't be displayed openly, much less put on a scale.

A well-made seamless stretch bag was never Fudge's favor; his real favor was that it could be used openly and honestly.

Otherwise, Dumbledore could easily make a better seamless stretch bag than the Ministry of Magic could, so how could Fudge not know that?

The first two-thirds of the letter gave Fudge a feeling of finding a kindred spirit, like finding a soulmate amidst towering mountains and flowing water.

In fact, if Xin Fuji wanted, he could fill his desk with these kinds of things tomorrow.

But none of those letters came from "Young Dumbledore".

In the latter part of the letter, Isaac briefly mentioned that his paper, which he had been instructed by the minister to write, had been published in a top magical journal.

Isaacs put it simply, and Fudge himself wasn't particularly interested in it.

The real message Isaac wanted to convey was at the end of the letter.

Despite the busy schedule of my studies, there is one more thing I would like to inform Your Excellency.

On the eve of the start of the school term, I stumbled upon the news of Peter Pettigrew, a First Class recipient of the Order of Merlin, whose death had been announced in the newspaper.

He disguised himself as a mouse and hid in the Weasley's house.

There may be other hidden circumstances, and we urgently await a reply from His Excellency Secretary Connelly.

Fudge suddenly stood up, knocking over the black tea that Umbridge had just placed next to him.

The spilled tea left an unsightly stain on the expensive unicorn carpet in the minister's office, but Fudge had no time to care about the damn carpet anymore.

Chapter 85: A Slytherin incarnate

"Minister Connelly?" Umbridge asked cautiously.

She didn't know what Isaac had written in his letter to Fudge, but she did know that the unicorn tail rug in the minister's office was Fudge's favorite.

She knew very well why Fudge liked the rug.

Because the material of this carpet is exceptionally luxurious.

Unicorn tail hair is a good material for making wand cores.

Every wizard needs a wand, but not all wizards need this fancy but impractical rug.

Normally, when the carpet in the minister's office gets dusty, Fudge would have it cleaned thoroughly with magic.

Now, a cup of black tea has spilled on the ground, and Fudge acts as if he didn't even see it.

This is not magical at all!

"Arrange the trip immediately, I'm going to Hogwarts now!" Fudge's unease made it impossible for him to remain seated in his office.

A hero who had been widely known in the newspapers for fighting against the Death Eaters turned out to be an unregistered, illegal Animagus.

This kind of thing shouldn't make Fudge so surprised.

As Minister for Magic, his power in the British wizarding world was not much less than that of the Prime Minister in Muggle society.

Whether or not the Animagus are registered is just a matter of the Ministry of Magic's word, isn't it?

If it were just a matter of illegal Animagus, Fudge could easily have someone re-register Peter Pettigrew.

But Peter Pettigrew's problem isn't actually with his Animagus.

The truth is that the hero who fought against the Death Eaters, who should have died 10 years ago, not only survived but also hid in the wizard's house as a rat.

What is he hiding from?

What is he afraid of?

Sirius Black, who was hunting him down back then, is still imprisoned in Azkaban.

The former Death Eaters, the smart ones among them have already gone straight and cleaned up the act, like Lucius Malfoy.

They would love to sever ties with their past and would never lay a hand on Peter Pettigrew.

As for those who aren't so smart, or who can't come up with the funds to launder their money, they either hide in Muggle society and pretend to be non-magical Muggles, thus escaping the magical world.

Either hide in the gutter of the magical world and become a penniless dark wizard.

Among the Death Eaters, Severus Snape was the one who redeemed himself the most thoroughly.

Not only did he break free from the shackles of his Death Eater identity, but he even entered Hogwarts and became the Head of Slytherin and Professor of Potions.

He is also a renowned potion master in the magical world, and has achieved both fame and fortune.

Snape was able to be so thoroughly exonerated because Dumbledore vouched for him.