The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 80 Dividing the Wealth (Part Two) (Also known as Lockhart's New Trick)

Moriarty proposed the concept of joint education, intending to lay the foundation for future entry into the international magical world. The ultimate mission issued by the system is to become the mastermind behind the scenes in the Harry Potter world, a world that does not include the small corner of the British magical world.

Start planning now and wait for it to blossom and bear fruit in the future.

The proposal of joint education also has profound significance for the present day.

The Hogwarts Mutual Aid Foundation was rejected by the board of trustees, led by Lucius, on the grounds that the twelve board members allocated a substantial amount of Galleons to Hogwarts each year, enough to cover the school's daily operations and subsidies for teachers and students.

A good excuse, even though the school board members did indeed do it.

If Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic were to promote joint education, the expenses would be enormous!

When the time comes, Moriarty will see which school board member dares to obstruct the mutual aid foundation. They'll probably be begging Lockhart to set up a mutual aid foundation.

Moriarty's plan was clear: the Mutual Aid Foundation was for dealing with the fairies, and the Joint Education Program was his transit point with the international magical community.

They seem to have no connection to each other—no one would think that both plans were Moriarty's doing, but in fact, they were all implemented by Moriarty's people.

The purebloods have now figured it out, and they look at Moriarty with indescribable expressions.

From using wand sets to win over two purebloods, to offering benefits to the Ministry of Magic to drag Fudge into the scheme, and then proposing a joint education plan to unite the twelve school board members into one force.

In just over ten minutes, Moriarty practically turned the pure-blood party into his Slytherin school!

The Twenty-Eight Purebloods were his juniors, and as for Fudge? You can compare him to Mr. Filch.

This feeling greatly frustrated the purebloods. When did they become led by the nose by a child?

However, it must be admitted that Moriarty's proposed plan was tempting enough, and if it were to succeed, the boost to wealth and prestige would be considerable.

Neither Lucius's purebloods nor Arthur's purebloods seem to have any reason to stop Moriarty.

So...

The purebloods looked at Fudge once again...

Mr. Fudge, it's time to make a statement!

Lucius said diplomatically to Fudge, "Sir, you are, after all, an official of the Ministry of Magic. Whatever the opinions of us pure-bloods, we still need your approval."

Kuaishou, put away your hypocritical and ugly face!

Fudge cursed inwardly. This was the second time the purebloods had looked at him with greedy eyes, but he was powerless to do anything about it and could only force a smile.

"My dear Lucius, I am delighted to see your respect and support for the Ministry of Magic. I personally wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Moriarty's proposed plan, but... but?"

His tone seemed to have been on a rollercoaster, shifting several times before finally settling into a cold tone: "Every gift comes with a hidden price tag. Mr. Moriarty's gifts are far too generous; I think the Minister of Magic, and indeed the entire Ministry of Magic, cannot afford them."

Moriarty was not at all surprised by Fudge's objection. He put down his wine glass and tapped the table rhythmically with his index and middle fingers.

"The Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, pure-blood, and magic." Moriarty stared at Fudge with his grey eyes. "Believe me, the only person who can connect these four elements is me."

The purebloods exchanged glances, and Moriarty continued, "Grindelwald could have done the same, but his strategy against Muggles went wrong, which led to Dumbledore parting ways with him."

By the way, speaking of Muggles, I suggest that whoever becomes Minister of Magic should definitely promote Arthur Weasley. Because he understands Muggles very well.

Arthur looked up, flattered. He was now just a lowly clerk in the office that prohibited the misuse of Muggle items.

Moriarty didn't look at him, but continued, "Our ancestor Salazar told me to always be wary of any group other than wizards, and I think that's probably why he left behind the secret chamber."

Mentioning the Chamber of Secrets sparked interest in everyone present, as they had all heard the legend during their time at Hogwarts. A wave of nostalgia washed over them, a reminder of those unforgettable years of their youth.

"Besides Grindelwald, the second Dark Lord Voldemort could also connect the four elements mentioned above, but he couldn't maintain the balance between them. His excessive pursuit of magic drove him mad!"

Dumbledore's reason for stopping him was simple: he had to stop Voldemort, otherwise that madman would destroy the wizarding world! This is not an exaggeration! So, Dumbledore was protecting the wizarding world, but of course, that's not our topic today.

Moriarty spoke faster and faster, like a magic wand with infinite power, striking incantations and hitting people's hearts!

The purebloods felt extremely oxygen-deprived, with insufficient blood supply to their brains and difficulty breathing.

"Finally, let's talk about Dumbledore."

Alright, now you can breathe. People breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone knew Voldemort was unreasonable, but you could reason with Dumbledore.

Only Fudge clenched his fists, his expression turning strange; Moriarty's attitude toward Dumbledore was far too important.

"Dumbledore is a complex character, and it can't be explained in a few words. I'm only sure that if Dumbledore becomes Minister for Magic, he's willing to delegate authority."

After Moriarty finished speaking, the purebloods on Arthur's side nodded in agreement. Seeing Dumbledore's support growing louder, Lucius immediately stood up to stop the momentum, saying, "Dumbledore... cough cough, Headmaster. His methods of delegating authority include, but are not limited to, appointing a half-giant as the Hogwarts hunting ground keeper and a half-vampire as a professor?"

I can't imagine what kind of bizarre magical creatures would appear in the Ministry if Dumbledore became Minister for Magic.

Pansy's father and Nott's father immediately began to make sarcastic and mocking remarks about Dumbledore's decision.

Moriarty cleared his throat: "Doesn't Dumbledore know the difference between managing a school and managing the Ministry of Magic?"

Lucius was momentarily speechless. Moriarty glanced at Fudge, seemingly impatient, and said, "How Dumbledore manages the Ministry of Magic is none of my business. I only know he will pass our proposal because we are on the side of justice!"

"Yes, that's right!" Mr. Macmillan chimed in. Equipping the Aurories with wand sets now would be a great service for future generations, and Dumbledore had no reason to stop it.

The only thing that made Lucius and the others wary was Dumbledore's strength; Dumbledore was not someone they could control.

So everyone fell silent. Choosing Fudge would allow the purebloods to reap a large fortune in a short period of time, but Fudge was not very willing to provide the purebloods with more convenience and benefits.

Choosing Dumbledore will only bring pure-bloods some benefits; their future depends on Dumbledore's attitude.

However, there is also Moriarty in the pure-blood family!

The pure-blood families are starting to get their hands dirty. It seems that although Moriarty is also very friendly to half-blood wizards, he is still willing to work with pure-blood families for profit.

So once Moriarty comes of age, recommending him for Minister of Magic, whether it's Fudge or Dumbledore, is no problem at all.

But Moriarty wants to be the mastermind behind everything, and he's clearly trying to push someone to the forefront. The only candidate right now is Fudge!

Therefore, Moriarty pressed Fudge again: "I think you should make a decision. With just one word from you, the Minister of Magic will be chosen! Yes or no?"

Fudge gazed intently at Moriarty, looking at the face of every pureblood as if trying to memorize them into his soul.

"I think we can't afford to be hasty," Fudge said, suppressing his anger and forcing a fake smile. "We've been discussing this too intensely, and I'm hungry again. Oh, what was I doing at the banquet? I ate too little! Mr. Lucius, could you please tell your diligent house-elf to bring me a glass of honey water, with ice? Thank you."

Moriarty smiled knowingly. Fudge was hesitant to speak because he hadn't reached a dead end yet; he was pinning his hopes on the ruling family!

At the end of July, Fudge Estate will host a "gathering of those in power." If Fudge can gain the support of the ruling family, he may be able to challenge the pure-blood family led by Moriarty.

Lucius and the other purebloods also realized this. Lucius knew that Fudge would not make a statement before the gathering of those in power, so he instructed Dobby to serve the guests wine and dessert.

Dobby walked in, followed by Luke, who carried a newspaper: "Master, master! The latest issues of the Daily Prophet and the Discord! You instructed me to deliver them to you whenever and wherever they are published!"

Luke spoke loudly, appearing arrogant, as if nothing could stop him from delivering a message to his master, even though this was Malfoy Manor!

Moriarty took the newspaper, glanced at it, and then his expression changed drastically—of course, it was all an act.

Lucius leaned closer curiously: "That's strange, when did the Daily Prophet start publishing an evening edition? It's nighttime now!"

Luke stopped him: "Mr. Lucius, please control your servant! That Dobby? He's a wicked elf! He doesn't want to work!"

Lucius's face turned ashen, firstly because the house-elves were blocking him, but he couldn't retaliate out of respect for Moriarty, and secondly because Dobby was disobeying him! He was being mocked by another house-elf because of Dobby!

However, he didn't have time to punish Dobby. He saw the news in the Daily Prophet, and it was written in black and white!

"Giddy Lohart, one of the 20th century's most renowned and bestselling authors, publicly declared his support for Albus Dumbledore's candidacy for Minister for Magic in Great Britain on the evening of July 15th in Diagon Alley!"

After reading it once, Lucius didn't immediately understand: "What? Gilderoy Lockhart supports Dumbledore? July 15th night, isn't that...today!?"

The other purebloods had already gathered around, so Moriarty simply showed them the newspaper. Arthur excitedly exclaimed, "Mr. Lockhart has frankly told his fans that Dumbledore played a huge role in his life, making him who he is today! And he admits he's working on a realistic novel called *From Hogwarts to the Ministry of Magic*, as well as another magical realist novel called *The Headmaster and the Minister*!"

Mr. Macmillan continued reading: "Lockhart's last book caused a huge stir, and it must be admitted that he has a terrible talent for writing, especially for writing about the deeds of powerful wizards! Wizards have expressed their support for Lockhart and Dumbledore!"

Many witches have suggested that Lockhart and Dumbledore should make a seven-year pact! After Dumbledore has served as Minister for Magic for seven years, Lockhart could write him another novel to commemorate his seven years at Hogwarts!

Moriarty was grinning from ear to ear in his chair, unnoticed by anyone. Lockhart always managed to come up with something new!

"Dobby!" Lucius roared, "Go to Diagon Alley and see what's going on! I need firsthand information!"

The various purebloods all sent people to Diagon Alley to see how Lockhart was garnering votes for Dumbledore, and Arthur and Molly even wrote two howling letters to their children! Just because they didn't have house-elves, they sent their children to Diagon Alley!

"Crack!" With a soft shattering sound, Moriarty saw Fudge break the wine glass of honey water. Fudge's face turned pale, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)