Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Chapter 101 Yes, Minister

Chapter 102 Yes, Minister

One day later, at the Ministry of Magic.

The Minister of Magic's office was bathed in sunlight; although it was underground, the view outside the window was a simulated sunny day.

Fudge sat behind his desk, relaxed, with that sly smile on his face.

He wore a pinstripe dark purple robe, and his signature bowler hat remained firmly on his head, even though he was indoors.

A middle-aged woman dressed in pink stood behind him, holding a notebook and a quill pen, ready to take notes at any moment.

Could it be Umbridge?

Henry sat opposite him, his back straight, his hands folded on his knees.

This is a habit he developed from childhood; in royal etiquette training, it's called the manner of hospitality.

"Your Highness," Fudge began, his manner as enthusiastic as if he were his great-uncle, "we had a very pleasant chat when your father visited last time. What brings you here in person today?"

Henry bowed slightly: "Minister, you're too kind. I've come to discuss the Fantastic Beasts Nature Reserve project with you."

Fudge still had a smile on his face: "Oh? This project—Mr. Huck mentioned it when we met last time. I remember the royal family was planning to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic, right?"

"Exactly," Henry said.

Fudge nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Since you've brought it up, I do have some concerns."

Henry didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Fudge put down his teacup and sighed.

"Your Highness, this project is very large. Twenty million Galleons is no small sum in the wizarding world. My concern is, will anyone think—well, that our Ministry of Magic is incapable and needs outside help?"

As he said this, his gaze fell on Henry's face, as if trying to see what kind of expression would change on the little fox's face.

But he was caught off guard; Henry's face remained expressionless, he simply nodded earnestly.

"The Minister has considered this very carefully. However, I think quite the opposite; this project is precisely what demonstrates the Ministry of Magic's leadership."

Fudge raised an eyebrow, still wearing that smooth smile.

"How so?"

Henry looked at him with a very sincere expression.

"Think about it, even if the royal family had the money, they couldn't have accomplished this without your support. People need to be vetted, rules need to be established—neither of these can be done without the Ministry of Magic. Everyone will know that this project succeeded under your guidance; doesn't that precisely prove the Ministry of Magic's leadership?"

Fudge's eyes lit up.

"That's true—"

But he quickly put away that glimmer of light.

Instinct told him that things wouldn't be that simple.

"But Your Highness," he said, his tone tinged with a hint of uncertainty, "I've heard that you and Professor Dumbledore have a good relationship?"

This question has finally come to light.

Henry's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts, and all the students respect him," he said. "However, this project is a royal charity project and has nothing to do with Professor Dumbledore. Our desired partner is the Ministry of Magic."

Fudge looked at him, his eyes gleaming.

"Your Highness means—"

"What I mean is, the success of this project wouldn't have been possible without the support of the Ministry of Magic. Even if Professor Dumbledore is incredibly capable, he can't sign off on the Ministry's approval, would he?"

Fudge smiled.

"Your Highness is right, you are right."

His smile became a little more genuine than before, but he didn't stop there.

"Then—" he carefully chose his words, "if this project really starts, how will the daily management be arranged?"

I mean, the royal family provides the funding, and the Ministry of Magic oversees it. That sounds great, but how exactly will it work?

Henry was prepared; he took a document from his briefcase and handed it to Fudge.

"This is a preliminary plan, please take a look."

Fudge took the document and opened it. The document was very detailed, outlining various application procedures, the formation of expert teams, the division of authority in daily management, and emergency response plans. Every item was clearly written.

What pleased him most was that the establishment of this nature reserve not only did not exclude him as Minister of Magic, but even made him a great contributor to the creation of "British nature reserves of their own".

"Is this the royal family's intention?" Fudge looked up.

"Of course," Henry said with a smile.

Fudge was silent for a moment.

He flipped through a few more pages, his gaze sweeping over the terms and conditions.

Then he closed the file and looked at Henry.

"Your Highness, this document is very well written," he said, "but I have a question—why?"

Why?

"Yes, why would the royal family be willing to spend so much money just to help the Ministry of Magic establish a nature reserve? What do you get in return?"

This is a very straightforward question.

Although Fudge was concerned about his image, he also knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Henry looked at him and spoke slowly.

"Minister, my father is an environmentalist. He cares about the protection of endangered species, climate change, and the future of the world. In the Muggle world, he has done a lot—establishing an environmental fund, promoting organic farming, and calling on people to pay attention to nature."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"He wanted to do the same thing in the wizarding world, but the wizarding world has its own rules. He didn't want to interfere, didn't want to meddle, and didn't want to be seen as a Muggle meddling. So he hoped to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic. That way, if things got done, everyone would get the credit."

He looked into Fudge's eyes.

"As for what we get—we get the satisfaction of accomplishing something. That's enough."

After listening, Fudge remained silent for a long time.

He stared at the document, at the densely packed clauses, and after a long while, he looked up.

"Your Highness," he said, his voice much gentler than before, "you remind me of someone."

"Who?"

“Your grandmother,” Fudge smiled, “I visited her once. She was also the kind of person who, even when she had a winning hand, never rushed to play it.”

He put the document back on the table.

"Your Highness, I agree to this project, but I have one condition."

"Please speak, Minister," Henry said with a smile.

"I want to be personally involved in major decisions," Fudge said seriously. "Not just in name only, but truly involved. I need to review every batch of experts selected. I need to sign off on every disbursement of funds. I need to be aware of every single detail of the entire process of bringing in new talent."

Henry nodded and said with a smile, "That's only right."

Fudge was taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to agree so readily.

"Don't you think I'm being too nosy?"

Henry laughed. "After all, you're the Minister of Magic, aren't you?"

Fudge stared at him for a long time, then he laughed.

He seemed quite relaxed, after all, he had achieved his goal.

"Your Highness," he said, "it has been a pleasure to chat with you."

He stood up, walked around the desk, stood in front of Henry, and extended his hand.

"I agree to this."

Henry stood up and took his hand.

"Thank you, Minister."

Fudge held his hand and said another sentence.