Hermione, join me as Minister of Magic!

Lockhart wanted to make sure that Rita Skeeter had sneaked into the secret room when no one noticed.If so, he will definitely make her pay the price.

Chapter 130 The third game must be played within the rules

After returning from the principal's office, Lockhart was sure that Rita Skeeter had indeed sneaked in.

When entertaining the alumni for dinner in the auditorium, a rogue dark green beetle was poking around the corner of the table; Sometimes, it got into the belly of the judging table-no wonder Percy was annoyed by this, because Rita Skeeter even got his judging standards.

It seems that Rita Skeeter still knew how much she weighed, so she didn't approach Dumbledore or Professor Flitwick rashly.She knew that if she got too close to the two of them, she would be discovered by the two who were extremely sensitive to magic.

Although it is not sure whether she came in with the guests or through which channel she sneaked in, it doesn't matter, what matters is what the Ministry of Magic is going to do.

Because her position is leaning towards the powerful, that is, the Ministry of Magic.The reason why she came here to find trouble now must be because there are powerful people in the Ministry of Magic who need her to find trouble.

This wasn't surprising, but the only thing he wanted to know was who the Ministry was targeting this time, and to what extent.

Lockhart vaguely felt that this time the person who would be troubled was himself, not Dumbledore.

He guessed right.

In the next few days, Lockhart has been dealing with dueling club affairs and preparing for the final exams of each grade. By the way, he glanced at the aftermath of Rita Skeeter's editorial. .

Rita Skeeter's editorial sparked heated discussions on "Wizard Politics". Some people think that there is nothing wrong with letting children develop a sense of honor and dueling skills from an early age.

Among the more fierce opponents, he will say that the reason why Hogwarts wants to build the Duelist Club is purely because "certain professors" want to reap fame and fortune; those who are a little more moderate will also act as an "ordinary parent" Question the safety of the club and worry about whether your children will be violent because of it.

As for those in favor, in Lockhart's view, it is worse than the opposition-they claim that "duels can help increase the sales of magic equipment, and can also make magical creature breeding more profitable, which can increase jobs." .

But this kind of speech seems to be supporting himself, but it actually puts Lockhart on the fire-because it implies that "the dueling club that sacrifices the safety of students is for profit."

Finally, civil servants from the Department of Magic and Magical Creatures, the Office of Experimentation with Spells and the Office of Misuse of Magic Items all came forward to speak out, expressing concerns about the future of the Dueling Club.

"In a peaceful age, such a confrontation would be too strong, and there is no need for it. This will increase the possibility of the abuse of magic items and black magic items."

"Students in this age group are relatively impulsive, and there is a high probability that something unexpected will happen. I can't guarantee that they can use relatively mild spells to solve problems every time."

"The current rating standards for the danger of magical creatures are not perfect. Among them, there are many 3X creatures whose destructive power is higher than 4X. It is only because of their relatively mild temperament that the risk rating has been weakened. But if the students are right If they take it lightly, or provoke them, then they may cause a bloody disaster at any time

After several officials of the Ministry of Magic spoke successively, the wind direction of "Wizard Politics" immediately

After hearing the news, this time the direction of public opinion has mainly become negative.

Lockhart was well aware of this change in wind direction, but he wasn't very worried about it.

Fudge probably doesn't intend to tear himself apart with Dumbledore yet, so this time it's "Wizard Politics" instead of "Daily Prophet" that published the news, and the readers of this newspaper are not even as large as "Witch Weekly", maybe only more than "The Quibbler" Takes More

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However, most of its readers are civil servants of the Ministry of Magic, as well as powerful families who are more concerned about politics, and what it can influence is the tendency of these people.

The warning in this is already obvious-if Lockhart continues to be his idol or best-selling book author, he can let it go, but if he intends to enter politics: he must first understand his identity.

In other words, who is the boss.

So Lockhart didn't intend to do something to Rita Skeeter right away, because doing it now would be tantamount to slapping some people in the Ministry of Magic severely.

No matter how Ms. Skeeter was coerced, blackmailed, and lured by him to defect, or even simply make her disappear completely, as long as the Ministry of Magic finds that this reporter no longer provides them with materials, it means that Lockhart has made a move on Skeeter. hands.

As long as Lockhart dares to act, it means that he is clearly declaring to the above-"I will replace you"

It's cool to do this, but as a politician, Lockhart can't play childish temper, like a second-year boy, and get angry at whoever refuses to accept it.

Because Lockhart is well aware of the rules governing the operation of the civil service system, and he understands that the system on the wizard's side is still crude.

Article [-] of the Ten Rules for Civil Servants: Subordinates must absolutely obey the orders of their superiors.

Even if Lockhart has not yet joined the Ministry of Magic, since he has made it clear that

If he understands this wish, then he must act in accordance with the rules of the system

In the rules of civil servants, it is best for the upper level not to bypass the middle level to handle grassroots affairs, and the lower level should absolutely obey the orders of the higher level and not report beyond the level.Everyone performs their duties and does things within the scope of their responsibilities.

No superior would like a recalcitrant subordinate, even if Lockhart claimed that he was only targeting Fudge.Which department dares to take a staff member who dares to openly challenge the minister before joining the Ministry of Magic?

If Lockhart wanted to break the obedience rules of civil servants for his own benefit, then Lockhart's enemy would not only be Fudge, but the entire Ministry of Magic.

On the other hand, on Fudge's side, although Rita Skeeter's petty tricks this time were a bit nasty, the Fudge faction's actions fully complied with the rules of the political game, and no one acted beyond their authority.Their doubts about the Dueling Club are well-founded, and they can even be said to be a matter of their own duty. This accusation is justified.

Since the enemy wants to play with you according to the rules, you'd better not be impulsive.

Compared to the calm Lockhart, the students of the Student Union and Dueling Club seemed more worried.

They managed to get the power and money to expand, and they didn't want to hand over all these things. If the Dueling Club was forced to shut down, they would suffer accordingly.

Especially the Weasley twins, they don't want their good days of making money to end like this.

Of course, someone like Harry had a very simple purpose-he just didn't want this fun project to disappear.

Seeing that they looked like snakes, Lockhart simply took the opportunity of giving out prizes to reassure them that the Dueling Club would never be shut down.

"Don't worry, the Ministry of Magic is forcing me to take a stand, and I will take care of this matter." He comforted Cedric and Harry and said, "Professor Snape's Felix Elixir is out, you guys The prizes will be given out this weekend... I have thought about what kind of money I want

Is it numbered?

Chapter 130 Four: Fudge's Pressure

Over the weekend, as agreed, Lockhart helped the champion wizards of each year to crystallize their real names.

Professor Snape's Felix Elixir has been spared, and Professor Slughorn's and Mr. Granger's Felix Elixir have also arrived. It seems that the rhythm and radio waves of these Potion Masters are very close..."

Lockhart made a small joke at first, and then said that because there were too many potions, he asked these little wizards to call the runner-up of the final, and he wanted to open a big deal today.

After all the people arrived, he began to explain the magic principle of condensing the real name to these little wizards.

"Although the real name can be chosen casually, it is best to match your thoughts and values, because it represents a kind of "essence". "Lockhart explained that Mudagger is a very cowardly person. If you want him to be named "Wildman", although it is not impossible, the effect will be greatly reduced, so you'd better not make a fuss. "

"What about that man?"What essence does that name represent? "Harry was curious.

^Vldsrnrt If you look at it from the French sense, it means "fly away from death", which means that Tom Riddle has been a coward since he was a child, and he has been looking for a way to live forever, which is in line with his essence." Lockhart opened his mouth just come

The others gasped - not only had they pronounced the name for Lockhart, but he had dared to call the man a coward.

However, they also understand some rules of "true name"-that is, to give up part of self in exchange for the enhancement of another part of self.

"The magic of condensing your real name is called "Holy Words of Creation". It needs to be used when a person is determined and the magic power runs through his whole body. Come here if you are ready, and I will help you condense it. "

Probably because Lockhart's character design is quite full, and he also assured that there is no danger, so the little wizards quickly launched a volunteer.

Lockhart made him take a sip of Felix Elixir, and then asked him to recall the real name he wanted to congeal and the reason for congealing it, then used the Word of Creation, and began to channel the emotions in the relevant part of his brain.

With the help of the Elixir of Felicity, this process seems to be extremely smooth. Although it is not impossible without it, I am afraid that it will fail many times.

Harry got the coveted "Wind Chaser"-he gave up the black magic that would cause irreversible damage to enhance his reaction speed and magic power mobilization speed for spellcasting.

Mason was leaving "Mason the Splendid", but Cedric chose "Diggory the Introspective".

As the runner-up, Hermione chose "Hermione of Natural History", saying that she hoped to speed up her learning.

As for the discarded part, Hermione hesitated for a long time, and then consulted Professor McGonagall.Seeing her sincere question, Professor McGonagall "kindly" reminded her that "divination is the most uncertain and useless knowledge", so Hermione gave up the possibility of going to divination early.

After obtaining their real names, some young wizards chose to publicize them immediately, while others chose to do the same as Lockhart: to conceal their real names.

It was precisely because of this topic that the little wizards persistently asked Lockhart about his real name again, and Lockhart evaded it briskly again.

Fortunately, the little wizards are busy trying their own new powers, but these really

The names have just been condensed, and the effect is only a little better than before they condensed.

"Don't forget my words, the real name needs to be constantly strengthened, and as you practice your own path further and further, its magic power will also increase with your beliefs." Lockhart reminded them.

Before leaving, Lockhart poured out a sip of Felix Elixir, put it into a round glass bottle the size of an eyeball, and slipped it into Hermione's hand secretly while others were not paying attention.

Make a statement. He whispered to Hermione, "You know who this is for, and you should have memorized the spell too, don't you?" "

Hermione blushed, "I remember... Lockhart."

After sending the students out, Lockhart returned to his office, intentionally or unintentionally picked up the candy box on the table—it had been eaten by the little wizards.

"I think we need to talk, Ms. Skeeter," said Lockhart suddenly. "Fly around!"

—The beetle, which only stayed on the windowsill, was suddenly caught by the candy box before it had time to react.

In the early morning of the second day, Fudge came to work at Hogwarts with a full stomach

Although it is said that he has been very covert in his actions these days, to say that no one has noticed the little actions he and Umbridge made is to underestimate those who have been playing politics all the year round.

Some people who are very powerful in the political arena have recently had "heart-to-heart talks" with Fudge through owl correspondence or even door-to-door visits

The content of their heart-to-heart talks is also very simple-we don't care who you want to target, anyway, we are doing things according to the rules, and we have no intention of interfering.However, no matter how you make small moves, these actions cannot harm the interests of our family.

In other words, if this matter is only at the level of power struggle, then they will not pursue it.

Fudge felt pressured by this—the way he used to attack Lockhart was to attack the Dueling Club, and hoped to use parental pressure to make it dirty.

Whether Lockhart came to the Ministry with a failed project or a successful one had very different effects.

If it was the latter, then he could take this opportunity to demonstrate his ability to run political activities, and his position as Minister of Magic would be in jeopardy.

Under the imperial system of heads of state, the method used by the emperor, king, dictator, or head of state to control the lower levels is to prevent any local forces except themselves from having the ability to independently operate political affairs, even if it will delay front-line battles or even Even disaster relief will be spared.

No matter how nervous the grassroots are, a qualified king will require the frontline or local governments to send letters to the central government day and night to ask for instructions: Even if some things can be done urgently, they must be reported to the central government to complete the procedures afterwards. Kings who cannot insist on this Basically, they are controlled by powerful ministers.

It's easy to understand—if a subordinate can handle things by himself, why would the emperor be needed?

After entering the modern information society, this procedure has not been reduced due to the increase in levels. On the contrary, the degree of centralization has been expanded due to the emergence of telegraph, radio, network and other technologies, because even "power in a hurry" There is time to report.

Although Fudge may not understand this systematically enough, his instinct as a politician still makes him extra vigilant about it—if Lockhart can run a big profitable project without going through the Ministry of Magic, then the Ministry of Magic is still the Ministry of Magic ?

Just as he was sitting blankly on the chair, not knowing what to think, his

The secretary sent him a copy of that day's Daily Prophet

"Please take a look at the news above, the fourth page, there is important news." The secretary respectfully delivered the newspaper to his desk.

Fudge listlessly opened the paper, albeit impatiently.As a politician, he may not know the operation of the department and the efficiency of governance, but he must pay attention to newspaper news, otherwise he really does not know anything

But after seeing the above news, Fudge was overjoyed immediately.

"Stop!" he yelled.

P.So forgot to update

Chapter 130 Five Olive Branches

The reason Fudge was happy was naturally that his troubles had finally been resolved.

On the "Daily Prophet", an article titled "The Imperfect Dueling Club Urgently Needs Supervision" was recently published.

If one only looked at the title, Fudge would have thought that someone who wanted to flatter him was helping to attack Deng Buhe II's faction, but upon closer inspection, the signed author of this article was actually Gilderoy Lockhart himself.

This article lists in detail some of the problems faced by the Hogwarts Dueling Club, such as all kinds of miscellaneous spells whose power cannot be judged, all kinds of magic items and magical creatures. It is difficult to identify it due to the configuration of personnel.In addition, it has not done enough in publicity and external publicity, and it is in urgent need of further improvement.

After talking about the difficulties faced by the Dueling Club, Lockhart changed the subject and talked about "under Fudge's leadership", British sports such as Quidditch, Gobstones, Pegasus Racing, and Bowls over the years "Flourishing", and the great achievements of the Irish team in the World Cup.

Although foreigners seem to no longer think that Ireland is still part of the Great Empire, as a civil servant within the system, Lockhart must have the consciousness of never forgetting unity.

"Since the All-England Wizarding Duel in 1430, when Eberta Tussel defeated Samson Webling with the Explosion Curse, our wizarding world has not seen this symbolic traditional competition for many years. up.

But now, our productivity has been greatly developed, and at the same time we have an efficient and courageous leadership team. I believe that it will only take a moment to restore this once-in-a-thousand-year grand occasion. "

Finally, Lockhart White wrote in Wentong o "an early, bullish

The movement needs to be healthy and healthy, and someone with relevant experience and high morals in the Ministry of Magic should take up this responsibility. "

After Fudge finished reading this article, he felt as if his bones had lost more than ten pounds, and his whole body felt a little floating.

"They surrendered, haha!"

Fudge reached into the secret compartment of his drawer, wanting to take out his treasured Zunma wine and pour a glass, but then remembered that there was someone beside him.

"Call Ludo Bagman, I have something to say to him," Fudge called to his assistant.

The assistant agreed, and walked out without asking any more questions. He knew where to find someone.

Ludo Bagman is the director of the Department of Magical Sports and Sports. He was also a former Quidditch star hitter and national team member.It was self-evident that Fudge wanted to see him, and that was to add another office to the Sports Division.

Since he took office, Fudge heard that Bagman has been cruising around the stadiums of major football games, and even cheered for certain teams on the sidelines with those fanatical fans. He is a very enthusiastic and energetic guy.So you can't find him by using paper airplanes to send messages. That is only useful in the Ministry of Magic. Even using owls in retro style would take too long.

Fudge had enough time to celebrate with a drink or two before his assistant called Bagman over.

After all, "the importance of a department depends on the number of civil servants and the budget it can control." If Fauci wanted to increase the number of staff for the Sports Department, Bagman would definitely not refuse.

After the assistant went out, Fudge poured himself a glass of wine leisurely, took a sip, and savored the taste of victory carefully.

Whatever the reason, Lockhart and Dumbledore were clearly worried that the Ministry of Magic would confiscate their business, so they surrendered and handed some control to the Ministry - an outcome that was perfectly acceptable to Fudge.