Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 69 Fudge's Little Thoughts

The enthusiastic young wizards surrounded Vaughn, asking him questions until noon, before reluctantly dispersing after being shooed away by Professor McGonagall.

Vaughn breathed a sigh of relief, realizing for the first time how unbearable Fred and George's big mouths were.

He hurriedly ate lunch and was about to slip away to Snape's office when Professor McGonagall called him to the professor's table and instructed him:

"Mr. Weasley, I just received a notification from the Ministry of Magic that the joint investigation team will be making a formal visit to the school this afternoon, accompanied by a reporter from the Daily Prophet. You will be giving them an interview..."

Professor McGonagall looked to be in great spirits today, radiant with health. Her usually gaunt and serious face appeared kind and approachable, thanks to her cheerful mood and the smoothing of her wrinkles.

She looked at Vaughn with affection, completely ignoring the serpent shield badge on his chest. In her eyes, he was simply a good student who brought honor to the school, regardless of college.

"This afternoon you will need to go with me and Headmaster Dumbledore to the station to meet them. As a matter of courtesy, Mr. Weasley, please dress formally... Of course, if you don't have any, you can buy some through the fireplace in my office in Diagon Alley, and the school will cover the cost."

Vaughn nodded: "I ordered a suit before school started, but I haven't worn it yet."

Professor McGonagall chuckled softly and said, "Very good, child. Now go back and prepare!"

As Vaughn was about to leave, he noticed Snape standing to the side, staring blankly with a cold expression. He gave Professor McGonagall a "well-behaved" smile and asked, "May I ask Professor Snape to come along?"

Snape, who was in a daze, suddenly snapped to attention. He widened his dark, lifeless eyes and stared fiercely at Vaughn.

Professor McGonagall, oblivious to all this, exclaimed, moved, "Of course, child... Severus, do you see how much your student cares for you!"

Snape: "..."

He tried to argue, "I have something to do..."

Professor McGonagall immediately interrupted him: "Severus, don't refuse a student's kindness. It's still holiday time, what could you possibly want?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Snape's hair, where a tuft was sticking up, and gently reminded him, "I think the shampoo you used yesterday was very good. It's still early, you can use it again."

And so the matter was settled amicably.

Vaughn went back to Slytherin, took a shower, and tidied up his notes, which contained details of his research on the werewolf virus and the development of the werewolf poison.

These may be used during the interview.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Professor McGonagall sent her Patronus to deliver a message that the Ministry of Magic's train was about to arrive, and he rushed to the gates of Hogwarts.

When they arrived, Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were already there. Dumbledore resumed his usual smiling demeanor: "Come on, my dear, let's go greet the officials from the Ministry of Magic. But don't worry, the joint investigation is just a formality."

He only dared to use this coaxing tone when Professor McGonagall was around; otherwise, Vaughn would definitely mock him.

Vaughn rolled his eyes discreetly and followed behind him.

"Speaking of which, why did the Ministry of Magic's investigation team come by train? Wouldn't a fireplace have been more convenient?"

Dumbledore blinked. "That's bureaucracy for you. The joint investigation team is there to show they take it seriously. How can something as unrefined as a fireplace reflect class?"

Professor McGonagall coughed. "Albus!"

Dumbledore immediately shut up.

Then, the group walked along the stone path to the platform. After a short while, a rather luxurious-looking train slowly pulled out from the distant mountains.

The train moved slowly and steadily, like a sturdy, fat man in fancy clothes, taking his time, and it took several tens of minutes to stop at the platform.

After waiting a while longer, until the steam and smoke dissipated, the carriage door was finally opened.

A short, stout figure, dressed in a pinstripe suit, a bright red tie, and a long black cloak, jumped out first. He removed his top hat and warmly opened his arms to Dumbledore:

"Albus Dumbledore, my dear friend!"

Vaughn paused in surprise when he saw Dumbledore, then cheerfully stepped forward to hug the short, stout man: "Connelly, what a surprise! What brings you here?"

Cornelius Fudge?

Vaughn suddenly realized why the so-called investigation team was so particular about "style"—it turned out that the Minister had also come to Hogwarts.

After greeting Dumbledore warmly, Cornelius Fudge gently kissed Professor McGonagall's hand and enthusiastically praised her for looking wonderful today, like a blooming iris.

His fiery smile abruptly froze when he saw Snape's cold face and lifeless, stone-like eyes. He mumbled, "Oh, oh—Snape, the famous Potions Professor of Hogwarts… Excuse me, do you smell like potions? It's really… peculiar…"

Snape's face grew even colder, his eyes seeming as if he wanted to devour his beloved Minister of Magic.

However, Fudge had no interest in a mere professor. He approached Vaughn, shook his hand vigorously, and turned to the people following behind him, saying:

"Look, today's star, Mr. Vaughn Weasley. The moment I saw that beautiful, fiery red hair, I knew he must be Arthur's child... Kid, I'm your father's boss, you know that?"

Vaughn smiled. "Yes, Father mentioned you, Minister of Magic, Mr. Cornelius Fudge!"

Arthur did say things like "that dead pighead," "that stupid dwarf," and "that treacherous villain," among other things.

Fudge was clearly unaware of the high regard his subordinates held for him. He laughed heartily and ruffled Vaughn's hair vigorously.

"..."

Vaughn's smile was visibly stiff, while Snape next to him laughed.

With the esteemed Minister of Magic present, the other members of the so-called investigation team immediately became dispensable. Clearly, these Ministry of Magic officials and the invited apothecaries knew that this was just a formality. After exchanging greetings, they gathered around Snape and Vaughn to discuss academic matters.

Then a sharp voice rang out: "Mr. Weasley, I'm Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet, here to interview you. When shall we begin?"

Rita Skeeter?

Upon hearing the sound, Vaughn looked over and saw a slightly plump middle-aged woman wearing a dazzling gold-green fitted silk dress. She looked very vulgar and was pushing up her glittering gold glasses, giving him a seductive smile.

Vaughn's eyes gleamed strangely as he extended his hand: "Hello, Ms. Skeeter!"

Rita's thick, fleshy hand grasped his, giving him a gentle shake, but not letting go: "Oh, darling, you're so handsome, you don't look like a slovenly potion maker at all."

Snape and the other pharmacists nearby: "..."

Unfortunately, Ms. Rita usually ignores these people who have no news value. She put her arm around Vaughn's shoulder and whispered, "Sweetie, I know your secret!"

Vaughn frowned. What the hell?

"A child under 12 years old developed a wolfsbane potion... something even novels wouldn't dare write, but you, Mr. Weasley, not only publicized it extensively, but reportedly a bunch of important figures paved the way for you, tsk tsk..."

Rita whispered a soft yet sarcastic murmur in Vaughn's ear.

A magnificent quill floated beside her as she wrote furiously on a piece of parchment.

To Rita's surprise, Vaughn did not react as she expected when he heard her words. He showed neither the fear of having his secret exposed nor the anger of being wronged.

Of course she knew she was making things up, but that was her interviewing trick. She liked to deliberately provoke the interviewees. If she could get the truth out of them, that would be best. If she couldn't, she could still make the interviewees lose their temper and hand over the evidence to her.

But the boy in front of me...

He just gave her a strange look!

Just as Rita was about to say something more, Fudge, who had finished his emotional exchange with Dumbledore, waved and called out, "Mr. Weasley, boy, come here, let's take a picture together!"

Vaughn smiled: "The minister is calling me. I'm sorry, ma'am, please discuss the interview later."

Pushing Rita's hand away from his shoulder, Vaughn walked between Fudge and Dumbledore, where he could see a panoramic view of Hogwarts Castle—a great spot for taking pictures.

The enthusiastic minister deliberately stood on a rock to make himself appear taller, with one arm around Vaughn and a friendly, cheerful smile on his face, intentionally or unintentionally shielding Dumbledore behind him.

Vaughn, who was also smiling and letting the photographer take pictures, seemed thoughtful—

It seems that Fudge had already begun to be wary of Dumbledore at this point...

This was to be expected, as the previous Minister of Magic, Millicent Barnold, retired last year (1990), and the Ministry of Magic had not yet finalized its choice of a successor.

Both outside and within the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore and Barty Crouch were considered the most prestigious and respected figures, and they were also the toughest fighters against Voldemort during his reign of terror.

Unfortunately, Barty Crouch's son, Barty Crouch Jr., was found to be a Death Eater after the war. Although the elder Crouch personally sent his son to Azkaban, this incident caused some neutral wizard voters to lose trust in him.

In people's simple view, how can someone who can't even manage his own son manage the Ministry of Magic?

After Crouch Sr. was removed, Dumbledore became the only candidate, but Dumbledore refused the position of Minister for Magic, telling his friends that he was afraid of becoming power-hungry.

Many people thought that was his way of expressing his noble character, but Vaughn knew that because of his experiences when he was young, Deng was indeed afraid.

He knew that his will and faith were not actually that firm.

The last time he was able to come to his senses was because of Ariana's death; now there is no second Ariana.

Two important figures missed out on the ministerial position in a row, and other qualified candidates, perhaps to avoid suspicion or because they felt they could not win over the public, all gave up.

So, Fudge, then deputy director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, was watching the show when he was inexplicably struck on the head by the ministerial position...

"It's been said that Fudge is a puppet installed by Dumbledore. After taking office, he consults Dumbledore every few days. In fact, he does consult him because he took over in a hurry and was not prepared at all. He urgently needs someone to advise him, and even..."

Vaughn suspected that the rumors about the "puppet" were probably spread by Fudge himself.

This would allow them to leverage Dumbledore's prestige to intimidate potential rivals and consolidate their power, while also placing Dumbledore in the spotlight to allow public scrutiny and prevent him from interfering in the Ministry of Magic's affairs.

"Looks like he's quite a smart person..."

With a forced smile on his face, Vaughn pondered Fudge's changes. Clearly, after a year in office, the esteemed Mr. Fudge believed his position was secure.

This fox has begun to be wary of the tiger that once borrowed its power!

"It's good that he's on guard. As long as Fudge is on guard, he'll try every means to get his hands on the wolfsbane potion. I've already made it clear that I'm willing to release the formula and cooperate with the Ministry of Magic, which is why he came here in person today, and with such enthusiasm... Does he think I'm worth winning over and wants me to hand over the formula to the Ministry of Magic for operation?"

In an instant, Vaughn figured out Fudge's purpose.

His smile became even more genuine.

Sure enough, not long after the photo was taken, Fudge deliberately called over a few employees, saying that they greatly admired Dumbledore and hoped to have a chat with the headmaster.

Once the employees pulled Dumbledore aside, Fudge quickly led Vaughn away from the crowd.

"Mr. Weasley..."

"Please call me Vaughan, Minister. You worked with my father and are my elder, so there's no need to be so polite."

Fudge clearly didn't doubt the sincerity of a 12-year-old boy, and he immediately agreed, cheerfully saying, "Yes, good boy, very polite..."

After offering a few words of praise, he quickly said, "I heard you're planning to release the formula for your wolfsbane medicine and give up the patent. Could you tell Uncle Fudge why?"

Vaughn revealed the naiveté and foolishness he had learned from Ron, a quality typical of elementary school students, and said, "I want to help those wandering werewolves, but they can't afford the potion, so I want to reveal the formula and see if I can persuade everyone to give the wolfsbane potion for free."

"Oh, how kind of you—" Fudge patted Vaughn's shoulder hard, then said sadly, "But child, you're still young and don't understand the difficulties involved. To put it simply, even if you reveal the formula and convince the apothecaries to make the wolfsbane potion free, which apothecary would waste their time on a free potion? Or, they could resell it for a high price, and you'd never know..."

After explaining the pros and cons, seeing Vaughn deep in thought, he said, "I have a better idea, would you like to hear it?"

"Uncle Fudge, please speak."

Fudge's expression was very sincere: "Give the formula to the Ministry of Magic, to Uncle Fudge, and I can promise you that I'll set up a separate department specifically to handle this matter. The Ministry of Magic is very wealthy and can afford to cover all the werewolves' expenses... However, I have a small request—"

"I want you to publicly advocate for a 'werewolf registration law' for those wandering werewolves. Oh, child, this is to prevent us from giving potions to bad people. What if a bad werewolf like Greyback gets the potions if they don't register, right?"

Vaughn looked hesitant, somewhat tempted, yet seemingly with some reservations.

As a seasoned politician, Fudge was not in a hurry. He considerately said, "Vaughn, go back and think it over carefully, and consider what your uncle said."

"Let's not talk about this now. Uncle Fudge has some good news for you."

Vaughn asked curiously, "What good news?"

Fudge, with the air of a loving elder, said, "Of course it's your Merlin Medal, child. You've done a great thing, and your uncle must reward you. So before you set off, I asked the Order of Merlin to make a decision to award you the Order of Merlin, Second Class."

As he spoke, he took out a letter and opened it for Vaughn to see.

"At your uncle's urging, the Order of Merlin has decided to hold your investiture ceremony at the Wizengamot Court in three days!"

Looking at Fudge, who had turned back and was now arm in arm with Dumbledore, Vaughn sneered inwardly.

If these weren't all part of his plan, and if he hadn't known that Dumbledore had also played a role, someone else might have been fooled by Fudge's appearance.

It must be said that Fudge is a very mature politician. He is patient and doesn't resort to coercion that would cause resentment. Moreover, after making a request, he immediately provides a "reward."

Isn't someone who fought for Merlin Second Class a trustworthy person?

But Vaughn knew that he was able to receive the Order of Merlin mainly because of Dumbledore's efforts; that old man had extremely high prestige in Wizengamot and the Order of Merlin.

He was both the Chief Wizard of Wizengamor and a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class. The reason why the old men and women of the Order of Merlin were able to reach a conclusion so quickly was entirely due to Dumbledore's use of his connections, and had nothing to do with Fudge.

However, Fudge clearly knew how to take credit for himself and felt no shame whatsoever.

He had thrown away his dignity the day he became Minister of Magic.

Next, the group returned to Hogwarts. Although the investigation team's visit was just a formality, they still had to go through the motions.

In Snape's office, they witnessed Vaughn brew a "wolfsbane potion" and successfully pass tests for magic and werewolf blood.

All of this was captured by the accompanying photographer and will later be published in Extraordinary Potions and the Daily Prophet.

After the formalities were completed and the investigation team finished their work, they happily agreed to visit their alma mater. After they all left, Rita Skeeter, who had also graduated from Hogwarts but showed no attachment to the place and deliberately lagged behind, approached Vaughn again.

She leaned close to Vaughn's ear and said in a husky, languid tone, "Handsome, you haven't answered my question yet!"

The ornate quill flew out again, scribbling and drawing on the parchment.

Vaughn looked at it with interest: "What do you want me to answer?"

"a lot of--"

She had barely uttered a word when Vaughn pulled out his wand, cast a silent spell to flick the quill away, and summoned the parchment before him.

Rita flew into a rage: "You…"

Before she could speak, a wand was already pressed against her throat. Vaughn didn't even look at her, only smiling as he glanced at the parchment in his hand and read softly, "...When I asked Mr. Weasley how, as a 12-year-old, he had accumulated such profound knowledge of potions and how he had developed the Wolfsbane Potion, this shy boy stammered..."

"Sigh..." Vaughn chuckled and sighed, looking at Rita Skeeter, whose face was ashen. "I've long heard that you love to twist the facts, spread rumors and exaggerate, and are good at being ambiguous so that no one can find fault with you. I didn't expect it to be true."

Rita's crimson lips twitched as she barely managed to control her anger: "Mr. Weasley, is this how you treat a reporter? Casting a spell on a poor, innocent reporter in the holy Hogwarts?"

Vaughn looked around and shrugged: "Anyway, nobody saw it!"

"..."

Looking at the boy in front of her, Rita suddenly felt a sense of fear.

Because she couldn't see a trace of a smile in the child's smiling eyes.

In a flash, Rita decisively backed down.

In a single second, she shifted from anger to pleading, then knelt on the ground with a thud, quickly squeezing out tears:

"Mr. Weasley, I was wrong. I shouldn't have spoken ill of you..."

What does it matter if she's arrogant at first and obsequious later? For Rita, as long as she can get that wand out of her throat and have a chance to fight back or escape, she can always get revenge later.

But after pleading for a few words, she saw Vaughn mimic her earlier actions, gently leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Ms. Skeeter, I know your secret too... You always manage to dig up other people's private secrets!"

Rita froze, and stammered, "Wh...what?"

Vaughn didn't answer. He put away his wand and winked at her. "Guess if I'm lying, or if I really know?"

After saying that, he hummed a little tune and left leisurely, leaving Rita Skeeter in a state of unease and fear.

What exactly did he know?

No, he must be cheating!

But what if he really does know?

In the time that followed, it was as if two little people were living inside Rita Skeeter, arguing and debating with each other, because she was indeed hiding a secret, a secret that had made her invincible in the journalism industry, and if this secret were to be exposed, Azkaban would be her only destination!

She is an illegal Animagus!

As night fell, Rita, who had been assigned to rest in Ravenclaw, finally decided to risk going to check it out.

"There's no way he could know. Nobody has ever known. I even overheard Fudge's secrets without getting caught. How could a first-year student possibly know... how could he possibly..."

Rita, consumed by anxiety and fear, transforms into her Animagus form—a fat beetle.

She flew out of the Ravenclaw common room through the window, all the way to Slytherin, waited a while, and then, as a student called out the command to open the door, she immediately slipped inside.

She wasn't worried at all about not being able to find Vaughn. Back when she was at Hogwarts, she had used her Animagus powers to figure out the ventilation ducts of several houses.

The fact that Hogwarts hadn't been renovated for many years was her biggest source of confidence for this trip.

Rita quickly found Vaughn's room through the ventilation ducts, and she carefully pressed herself against the grille of the vent, looking down.

The huge dorm room was empty except for that damned Vaughn Weasley, with a huge cat nestled in his lap, its pointed ears twitching.

He was humming a song, the same song he sang when he left that afternoon.

Damn boy!

Thinking about how she had been humiliated by this guy and how worried she had been all afternoon, Rita was filled with rage. She decided to stay here and keep a close eye on his every move. She was going to record his privacy and secrets and then expose them all!

Just as she was happily contemplating this, she heard Vaughn sigh:

"Fruit Tea, did you know? When a person's emotions are fluctuating wildly, their memories and thoughts become as conspicuous as a torch in the dark in front of someone who has memory magic—"

not good!

Rita suddenly became alert and hurriedly tried to return through the ventilation duct.

But as soon as she flapped her wings, the air around her suddenly became viscous.

Only then did she hear Vaughn's distorted voice in the heavy air:

"Obstacles are numerous!"

"A beetle is flying in!"

Rita involuntarily fell out of the vent. She struggled to break free of the Animagus curse, but the spell interfered with her.

She watched helplessly as she fell to her feet, where Vaughn picked her up with a smile and put her into a glass jar he had prepared beforehand.

"Ms. Skeeter, hello, it's nice to see you again. As I said, I know your secret!"

Rita knew she was finished...

(End of this chapter)