I've already become a Hogwarts professor, and the system only just appeared.

Amelia frowned, but her expression remained unchanged as she coldly stated, "I don't know how the information was leaked, but I can assure you there were definitely no reporters present last night."

"Has that person's identity been confirmed? Is it really Barty Jr.?" Fudge continued to press.

Amelia nodded: "It's confirmed, it really is him, and Old Barty's testimony is almost identical to what's said in this report."

"It must be Su Yu! This guy must have known the whole story all along. Bring him here, I want to talk to him myself," Fudge ordered.

“Okay, as you wish!” Amelia stood up. She also felt that this matter was related to Su Yu, after all, everyone knew that Su Yu was the behind-the-scenes boss of Toutiao.

Just as Amelia left, a short, plump woman walked in. It was Umbridge. Ever since Fudge had cleaned up her mess last time, he had become somewhat distant from Umbridge.

But Umbridge's ambition was burning bright. Fudge didn't come to her, but she could come to Fudge. As soon as she arrived in the morning, she heard about Su Yu's situation and saw the report on Toutiao.

Umbridge saw this as a chance to turn things around, so he immediately went to Fudge's office. As soon as he entered, Umbridge said in a seemingly anxious tone, "Minister, this is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

Fudge was a little confused and asked, "Umbridge, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, Minister, haven't you seen today's 'Toutiao'? This is a threat, a blatant threat from that guy Su Yu!" Umbridge accused sharply.

"Look at this report, how detailed it is. It's obvious that the author already knew the whole story."

"Now that they know so much, why don't they report it to the Ministry of Magic? Instead, they resort to such extreme behavior as trespassing on the Director of the Ministry of Magic. This is definitely an attempt to challenge the Ministry of Magic and your authority, Minister!"

As Fudge listened to Umbridge's remarks, he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, his mind racing with thoughts.

Seeing that Fudge remained silent, Umbridge quickly continued, "And think about it, we haven't even officially announced the outcome of this matter yet, and Toutiao has already published it to the entire Ministry of Magic."

"What does Su Yu want to do? Is he trying to use the media to pressure the Ministry of Magic into making a verdict against Chief Magician Crouch? Is he trying to coerce you into making a decision that benefits them...?"

Umbridge got more and more carried away with her words, and the more she thought she was right, the more she wanted to get back at Su Yu for all the grievances she had suffered last time.

Just then, Fudge's door was knocked on again. When he opened the door, Amelia, who had just left, walked in, and next to her was Su Yu, the very person Umbridge was complaining about.

Upon seeing Su Yu arrive, Umbridge immediately shut up, but she didn't leave. Instead, she stepped aside to Fudge's side, as if that would make her side with Fudge.

Chapter 143 The Minister's Reaction

"Minister Fukichi, it's been a long time!" Su Yu greeted Fukichi as soon as he entered.

Fudge pointed to the stool in front of him and said, "Professor Su, sit down and let's talk!"

Su Yu readily agreed, sitting down opposite Fudge with a smile on his face, and asked, "Minister Fudge, has Barty Crouch Jr.'s identity been verified?"

Fudge glanced at Amelia: "You tell me."

“We have confirmed that the person is indeed Barty Crouch Jr., but this morning, Toutiao published a report detailing the whole incident.”

As they spoke, Amelia handed her magic phone to Su Yu, letting him take a quick look before asking, "Professor Su, did you arrange this?"

Su Yu smiled and said, "Me? Didn't you confiscate my phone immediately last night? What am I supposed to do?"

“You must have planned this all in advance. You want to use this to threaten Minister Fudge, to threaten the Ministry of Magic!” This time it was Umbridge who jumped out, speaking in a sharp voice.

Su Yu had obviously seen Umbridge long ago, but he ignored her. Now that the woman spoke again, Su Yu still didn't look at her, but instead looked at Fudge and said:

“Minister Fudge, your dog is biting people randomly. If you don’t do anything about it, the victims may come to the Ministry of Magic to complain.”

Umbridge, ignored and turning pale, pointed at Su Yu and said, "You're spouting nonsense, Minister! This man is spouting nonsense! You should immediately lock him up in Azkaban!"

Su Yu then said sarcastically from the side, "Wow~ Are you teaching the Minister how to do things? You're really arrogant. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Minister of Magic had been replaced!"

"I didn't!" Umbridge exclaimed in surprise, looking nervously at Fudge. "Minister, that's not what I meant, it's just that this guy is just too..."

Fudge raised his hand to stop her and said, "You and Amelia go out first. I have something to talk to Professor Su Yu about alone."

"Fine...okay!" Umbridge glared at Su Yu fiercely before reluctantly leaving with Amelia.

Only the two of them remained in the room. Fudge pointed at the phone on the table and stared at Su Yu, saying, "Professor Su, you've crossed the line this time!"

Su Yu's expression remained relaxed as he said, "Crossing the line? Minister, I don't think so. What I did was actually helping you and the Ministry of Magic!"

“Amelia should have told you, right? For the past ten years or so, old Barty has been using the Imperius Curse to control his son.”

"You should be well aware of the consequences of using the Soul-Stealing Curse too often!"

Fudge frowned and thought for a moment: "Mental resistance?"

“That’s right,” Su Yu affirmed, then added, “You can imagine, what would be the first thing a Death Eater who has been controlled for more than ten years do once he breaks free from his control?”

“Kill the person who controls him!” Fudge blurted out.

Su Yu snapped his fingers: "That's right. So if we don't expose Barty Jr.'s affair this time, how will the Ministry of Magic explain it to the public once he gets out of control and kills Barty Sr.?"

Fudge largely agreed with Su Yu's statement; if what Su Yu described actually happened, the Ministry of Magic would indeed have a difficult time explaining it to the public. However, he was still very dissatisfied with Su Yu's actions.

“You could have reported this to the Ministry of Magic first, and then taken action against Barty after the Ministry verified it, instead of taking direct action against a director like you are doing now.”

Su Yu smiled and asked, "Minister Fudge, if we report to you in advance as you suggest, would you agree to arrest Chief Crouch directly?"

"Even if you agree, given Minister Crouch's connections in the Ministry of Magic, is it possible that he could get advance notice and move his son out?"

"At that time, you will become the Minister of Magic who, without any evidence, arrests a director, and the condemnation from the entire wizarding world will overwhelm you!"

Thinking about the scenario of being attacked by the entire internet, Fudge couldn't help but shudder. He changed his perspective: "Even so, you've already arrested people, so why did you put this on Toutiao (a Chinese news and information platform) in such detail? What are your true intentions?"

Su Yu continued to explain: "Even if we don't report on the Crouch Manor incident, it will spread throughout the British magical community today and cause widespread discussion among British wizards."

“If we don’t report it, people will speculate wildly, which could lead public opinion in a direction that is very unfavorable to the Ministry of Magic and to you. That’s why I said that what I did was actually to save you!”

As he spoke, Su Yu's expression was earnest and sincere, truly showing a willingness to share Fudge's burdens. Fudge, of course, wasn't stupid either, and went straight to the heart of the matter:

"Your current reporting is still causing a huge negative impact on the Ministry of Magic. First Sirius Black was wrongly convicted, and now Barty Jr. has escaped from prison. Where is my reputation as Minister?"

"Wrong, wrong, Minister!" Su Yu waved his hand and laughed, "Minister, the negative impact of the Ministry of Magic does not mean that it is your negative impact."

"Oh? How so?" Fudge became interested.

“Look at this report on Toutiao. The whole thing is about insider information. So where did this insider information come from?” Su Yu asked.

Fudge looked somewhat bewildered: "From where? Didn't it just go out from here?"

“Of course not,” Su Yu denied. “If you agree, Arthur Weasley will give an exclusive interview to Toutiao later!”

"In this interview, he will tell the world that the decision to raid Crouch Plantation was made by you."

“Me!?” Fudge pointed at his own nose and scoffed, “Ha, why would I, as Minister of Magic, do such a thing?”

Su Yu ignored Fudge's sarcasm and replied, "Of course it's because of your noble character of being pragmatic and pursuing the truth!"

"In Arthur's interview, you knew about Barty Crouch's crimes from the beginning, but you couldn't arrest a director because you didn't have solid evidence."

"But you are unwilling to let any Death Eater go, lest he threaten the lives of ordinary English wizards."

"So you resolutely decided that Arthur would form a special operations team, even if it meant bearing the infamy and the risk of possibly entering Azkaban, to get rid of Barty Crouch Jr., this cancerous tumor."

"Guess how high your reputation in the British magical community will rise after such a report? And how much will your approval rating increase?"

As Fudge listened to Su Yu's description of the future, a smile curved his lips, and he readily agreed, "That's right, just as you said, I will be in charge of this operation!"

Chapter 144 Acquittal (Part 1)

Half an hour later, at Fudge's signal, Amelia and Umbridge re-entered the office. Fudge said:

"Amelia, immediately release Su Yu, Arthur, and the Kingsleys. Their operation was specifically authorized by me; they deserve the credit for capturing Barty Crouch!"

Amelia was taken aback, thinking to herself, "Do you think I don't know whether you've given authorization or not? Just half an hour ago you were planning to punish these people!"

However, Amelia didn't say much. From her personal perspective, she still agreed with Su Yu and his group; otherwise, Little Barty wouldn't have been caught.

Fudge then looked at Umbridge and said, "Go and prepare a press conference. I'm going to give a special recognition to Arthur Weasley and Kingsley."

"Furthermore, I will personally preside over the trial of Barty Crouch the Elder. You should also make arrangements for this, and do it quickly!"

“But…” Umbridge’s expression was very ugly. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Minister, please don’t be misled by some people with bad intentions. Su Yu’s behavior has crossed the line. If he is not punished, he will only become more and more audacious.”

However, Umbridge's words did not have the desired effect. Fudge not only ignored her, but his expression also became visibly gloomy.

"Dolores, mind your place. I think you're getting more and more presumptuous because of my trust in you. Now, carry out my orders immediately!"

“Yes…yes, Minister!” Umbridge finally dared not say anything more, because she understood that Fudge hated nothing more than someone disobeying his orders.

Fudge swore that at first he really wanted to punish Su Yu properly and let the kid know his authority as Minister of Magic.

But Su Yu's words directly hit Fudge's weak spot; Su Yu gave him the prestige and support he wanted.

If this matter were reported as Su Yu suggested, the public would perceive it as Fudge taking matters into his own hands without relying on Dumbledore, dealing with an old-school, powerful official like Barty Crouch.

This is of great significance for enhancing Fudge's control over the wizarding world; at least on the surface, Fudge has implemented personnel appointments and dismissals at the director level.

The three of them walked out of Fudge's office together. Amelia spoke first, "Congratulations. You can wait in my office for a while. I'll arrange for someone to bring Arthur and the others over."

“Okay, thank you very much!” Su Yu readily agreed and was about to leave with Amelia when Umbridge spoke up from behind.

“You despicable bastard, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’ve fooled the Minister with some tricks. I’ll be watching you closely!” Umbridge’s voice was very high-pitched and unpleasant.

Su Yu turned around, his eyes fixed on Umbridge. If this weren't the Ministry of Magic, he would definitely teach this guy a lesson.

Umbridge was startled by Su Yu's stare. After all, she was just an office worker who had hardly ever participated in combat. The aura emanating from Su Yu made her subconsciously take two steps back.

Realizing he had made a fool of himself, Umbridge felt a little ashamed. He took a step forward, straightened his round body, and looked up, saying, "What do you want to do? This is the Ministry of Magic, and I am a Ministry of Magic official!"

"Hahaha..." Su Yu laughed, then patted Umbridge on the shoulder and said, "It's nothing, I just think someone as outstanding as you must have a very good background, right?"

“Of course!” Umbridge said proudly. “I am from a noble pure-blood family, Lord Umbridge of Wizengamor. I think you should have heard of his name.”

Su Yu pretended to think for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, I have never heard of Lord Umbridge of Wizengamor, but I remember there used to be a janitor in the Ministry of Magic named Umbridge. He was a very honest and upright person."

Umbridge's face turned deathly pale, as if she had suddenly gained the ability to disguise herself as Magus. She glared at Su Yu and said, "I don't know who you're talking about."

“That’s such a pity,” Su Yu said with a half-smile. “You should really meet that gentleman and learn from him what it means to be down-to-earth and humble.”

After saying that, Su Yu ignored Umbridge and followed Amelia to the office of the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The office was large. On Amelia's bookshelf, Su Yu saw several photos, one of which was of her brother's family. Su Yu pointed to Susan Bornes and said:

“Susan is very intelligent and has inherited your brother’s talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Perhaps she will become an excellent witch like you in the future!”

Amelia came over, wiped her brother's photo, and said, "I don't expect her to be outstanding, I just hope she's safe and sound!"

As Su Yu looked down, he suddenly saw a photo of a familiar face – Sirius Black.

Judging from the photo, Sirius Black appears to be very young at the time, either in sixth or seventh grade, wearing a Gryffindor Quidditch jersey, holding the Quidditch Cup, and cheering.

Su Yu raised an eyebrow, about to reach for the photo, but Amelia beat him to it, stuffing the photo into a pile of books and then casually sitting back in her office chair.