Hogwarts Homecoming

Rufus was very sensible. He kept his head down and simply left the minister's office.

Now, only Fudge, Amosta, and Dumbledore were left in the office. The three of them sat down at a circular conference table in the minister's office.

"What's going on, Minister Fudge?" Amosta asked curiously, "What kind of difficulty is Scrimgeour encountering?"

"That dark wizard, Amosta, is the witch you captured -"

Fudge took out his handkerchief and wiped his sweat, looking a little unnatural.

"Today's attack, I mean, the group of wizards wearing black cloaks who caused trouble. Rufus just came over and told me that she was the only one who was captured alive. Except for a few others who died at the hands of Aurors, , the rest of them have escaped. Rufus is interrogating her below, hoping to dig out their purpose from her mouth, but, oh--"

Fudge glanced cautiously at Amosta and Dumbledore, who were on both sides.

"Rufus wants to get authorization from me. He wants to check the memory of the dark wizard, or use veritaserum or something like that."

"What's the problem?"

Amosta pretended to be confused;

"If I remember correctly, the Ministry of Magic can use some extraordinary methods against criminals who have committed serious crimes."

"Of course it is, so I agreed to Rufus' application, but the problem is-" Fudge said slightly embarrassed, "The cage you conjured to trap the black witch, uh. In a sense, it also protects Rufus and his men tried many methods but could not open it."

The Auror Office under the leadership of Rufus Scrimgeour is the most elite force under magic, but such a group of wizards cannot even open a cage that Amosta Braine casually created. This is not only a matter of This was a very embarrassing thing, and it also made Fudge fully aware that the power possessed by Amosta Brain was completely beyond the control of the Ministry of Magic.

"Oh, so that's what it is—"

Amosta just nodded and then closed his mouth, neither agreeing nor rejecting the request revealed in Fudge's words.

This attitude undoubtedly put Fudge on the fire, making him completely at a loss and had no choice but to turn to Dumbledore for help.

Dealing with Dumbledore was a difficult thing for Fudge.

On the one hand, he needs to be wary of Dumbledore's influence and prestige. On the other hand, sometimes when encountering difficulties, Dumbledore can indeed put forward many constructive suggestions.

But at least, compared to Amosta Brain, Dumbledore seems more reliable. This is not Fudge's personal bias, but Dumbledore's low-key and humble style for more than half a century. Makes him look less dangerous.

Dumbledore leaned on the back of the chair with his slender fingers intertwined. He knew exactly what Connelly's gaze was trying to express, but he ignored it. He responded to Fudge's eyes, his blue eyes flashing with solemn light,

"What I would like to know more, Connelly, is that the Ministry of Magic has not obtained the specific number of casualties tonight? How many wizards were victimized in this turmoil, and how many wizards were unfortunately killed?"

When talking to Dumbledore, Fudge was more casual. He waved his hand anxiously.

"It can't be that fast, Dumbledore. You know, more than 100,000 wizards appeared there tonight. Some of them fled back to their country immediately after the wizard in black cloak appeared. Most of them fled back to their country. Everyone stayed until the end.

I gave this job to Amelia, and she led people to do statistics on site. Ten minutes before you walked in, Amelia sent me a letter. Many people were injured, but most of them were injured. They suffered a stampede while escaping, and some people were affected by the battle between the ministry and the dark wizards. Of course, some people died! "

Amosta was not particularly surprised by this result.

Although I don’t know why Lucius Malfoy turned back, he recruited the bounty wizards from the underground world to cause chaos in the World Cup, not to slaughter wizards from all over the world. Come to think of it, someone really died tonight If so, it is most likely caused by disorderly escape.

Dumbledore nodded,

"So, Connelly, what are you going to do next?"

"Oh, what to do?!"

Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, Dumbledore's question made Fudge, who was under great pressure, finally unable to bear it any longer. He dropped the handkerchief on the table a little hysterically, and then squeezed away the man behind him with a snap. chair, walking quickly around the conference table with his hands behind his back, his expression almost collapsed!

"Everyone in the Ministry is asking me what to do when they see me! And now, you are also asking me what to do, Dumbledore. Oh, I also want to ask others what the Ministry of Magic should do!"

Fudge shouted,

"Needless to say, we have become a complete laughing stock, haven't we? There is no way we can hide this matter. Tomorrow morning, the whole world will know what kind of Quidditch World Cup we hosted, Daily Prophet. Oh, yes, they will definitely be right. You sing the praises, Amosta, but what about the Ministry of Magic? How can I explain to wizards all over the world that so many dark wizards of unknown origin suddenly broke into our so-called infallible Quidditch World Cup, and an incident occurred? .Oh, the showdown of the century!”

The knuckles of Fudge's clenched fists were white, and he was breathing heavily.

Amosta lowered his gaze. Fudge's current madness was almost as he expected, and Dumbledore, who was already used to it, sighed softly,

"You are the Minister for Magic, Connelly, and of course people will look to you for ideas."

Fudge looked up and laughed dryly twice, and then stared at the seat behind his desk with hateful eyes. At least at this moment, he sincerely hoped that he was not the Minister of Magic in the United Kingdom.

The office fell into silence for a moment. Amosta knew very well that it was not time for him to speak, and Dumbledore also kept some of his opinions to himself. Based on so many years of experience, when Connelly asked Before, it was best not to make any suggestions, otherwise it would just irritate his fragile nerves.

In any case, Cornelius Fudge has been the Minister of Magic for more than ten years. Even if he lacks ability, he is definitely qualified as a politician.

After venting, Fudge finally felt a little more comfortable, but his complexion didn't improve much.

"I think the dementors in Azkaban need to be stirred up, Dumbledore."

Amosta's face was expressionless, but he was laughing in his heart, while Dumbledore's blue eyes behind his half-moon lenses flashed with obvious helplessness. It was obvious that the method proposed by Fudge did not escape the expectations of the two people. .

"The experience of capturing Sirius tells us, Cornelius -" Dumbledore said, "Those unfriendly creatures in Azkaban will not be able to help you except cause trouble for you."

"Okay, don't hide it, Dumbledore, if you have any good suggestions, then tell them quickly!"

This was not the first day Fudge had dealt with Dumbledore, and he was familiar with some of the tricks Dumbledore liked to use.

"The aftermath is the most important thing at the moment. The Ministry of Magic must bear the losses. The Ministry of Magic will bear all the treatment costs for wizards who were injured in the turmoil. For those who unfortunately died, the Ministry of Magic needs to send personnel to discuss compensation with their families. My suggestion is , the Ministry of Magic made a public statement that all proceeds from the World Cup will be used for appeasement and compensation.”

Dumbledore didn't mean to be offended, he said calmly.

"All proceeds--"

Compensation is necessary, and Dumbledore doesn't need to say that Fudge also knows this. However, all the benefits from hosting the World Cup. The flesh on Fudge's cheeks trembled violently. This is not something he can decide alone, but he has to Say, if you say this, you will indeed be forgiven by many people.

"Okay, I will consider your suggestion carefully, Dumbledore, but the key point is that we must give an explanation. Tonight's attack-"

"The group of wizards who attacked the arena, the witches who appeared later, and the ugly wizard who finally appeared above the arena are one group. This is something that the Ministry of Magic needs to emphasize to the public."

Amosta's abrupt words made Fudge look stunned and Dumbledore fell into silence.