Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 497 Puppet

The moment Tiera put on the crown, his figure underwent some inexplicable change.

Tiera grew taller, paler, and thinner.

Black mist rose from Voldemort's body, forming a large, jet-black cloak that draped loosely over his body.

Just as he said—

"From this point on, death has a form."

"Ti, Ti, Ti, Ti, Tiela!?" Cornelius Fudge's good memory allowed him to clearly remember Tiela, such a "nobody".

But it was precisely because he remembered that he was so shocked by Tiera's resurrection.

Connelly Fudge was present at Tierra's death.

He even witnessed Tyrell's death. He still remembered that day, he still remembered the scene a year ago, when the thin boy, pale and powerless, collapsed in Dumbledore's arms.

The boy's death felt so real that Connelly Fudge rubbed his eyes, as if to confirm that what he was seeing was not an illusion.

With a heavy thud, Voldemort, his flesh mangled and mangled, fell to the floor of the Ministry of Magic's main hall as if he had lost all traction, as Tiera trampled him under her foot.

The heaving chest and painful groans indicated that Voldemort was still alive.

However, his vital signs were already very weak.

“Ms. Maka-far-Monkasha,” Tiera said softly, still floating in the air, ethereal, cold, and elusive, like a ghost, yet more solid than a ghost.

"Please don't let him die." Tiera slowly descended, her pale, slender feet, seemingly devoid of flesh, gently touching the ground.

Frost spread along the spot where Tiera landed, leaving traces of ice in every footprint.

“He still needs to live and face the people’s just judgment,” Tiera said with a smile, as icy cold air emanated from his mouth and nose, freezing like winter, and the air he inhaled felt like silk threads.

The air inside was as thin and cold as a mountaintop, causing the Ministry of Magic officials, including Cornelius Fudge, to shiver.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Minister Fudge.” Tierra smiled and walked over, extending her hand as if to shake hands with Connelly Fudge.

But Connelly Fudge took a few steps back in fear.

He hurriedly hid back into the crowd.

"It seems Minister Fudge has quite a history of influential figures," Tierra said with a smile.

"Aba aba aba aba aba aba aba?" Cornelius looked at Tyella, completely bewildered.

"Heh." Tiera snapped her fingers—

"Snapped--"

Everything fell still; sound disappeared, and even the air seemed to have stopped moving.

Apart from Cornelius Fudge, Tyrell, Dumbledore, and the others from the Golden Book meeting, no one moved. Cornelius Fudge watched as everything around him fell into a strange and eerie stillness.

Cornelius Fudge looked up at Tyella in a panic—

At that moment, he noticed that Tiera's right eye had turned the color of molten gold, as dazzling as the midday sun.

Time stopped.

In Connelly Fudge's eyes, everything around him was tinged with a faded yellow, like a faded old photograph, except for the light emanating from Tierra's right eye, which was vibrant and lively.

“I’ve stopped time.” Tiera waved her hand seemingly casually—

Cornelius Fudge was lifted up by some inexplicable force.

"Clang, clang—" A violent collision sound came from afar.

Just as Cornelius Fudge was on edge, bracing himself for something even stranger—

An office desk and several chairs flew down from upstairs and landed in front of Cornelius Fudge.

Cornelius Fudge was pressed into his seat by some inexplicable force.

It was then that Connelly Fudge realized that it looked like his own desk and chair.

"You, you, you, you, what do you want to do?" Cornelius Fudge was so scared that his tongue trembled.

"Hehe." Tiera chuckled faintly, as if looking at a naive child or an old fool.

“Since this time last year, you and your Ministry of Magic have been claiming that the man whose name cannot even be mentioned has returned.” Tierra tilted her head, pursed her lips, and pointed to Voldemort lying behind her. “But now he’s right here, lying right here, alive and well.”

"Have you thought about how the general wizarding world will view you?" Tierra asked with a smile. "Or rather, how do you think your favorite Daily Prophet will guide public opinion in the wizarding world?"

“But we’ve already defeated Voldemort!” Cornelius Fudge, with the instincts of a politician, overcame his fear and instantly grasped the crux of the matter. “As long as we kill him, the wizarding world’s opinion and the public will remain—”

“Please allow me to remind you,” Tierra interrupted ruthlessly, “I defeated Voldemort, not us. Whether or not you get a share of the credit for defeating Voldemort depends on your attitude.”

"What do you mean?" Cornelius Fudge became alert.

“I mean your power, Minister Fudge,” Tierra said with a smile. “If you’re willing to relinquish your power, if you’re willing to temporarily serve as a puppet minister, accepting our advice and guidance, then we will be here—”

"Headmaster Dumbledore will step in and explain all your previous foolish policies as part of our plan, as a smokescreen to lull the enemy into a false sense of security."

"You will be the greatest minister in the history of British magic. You will be the only minister to personally capture Voldemort, the terrifying second Dark Lord, during your term. Your great achievements will be remembered by all."

“But you are plotting a rebellion!” Cornelius Fudge said, his voice both fierce and righteous, but through his eyes, Tiera saw a hint of hesitation, and even that Cornelius Fudge was planning to bargain.

"Fine then," Tiera said, waving her hand dismissively. "If negotiations break down, you can be ousted from office, clinging to your principles and your own ulterior motives!"

"You don't actually think you still have the power to bargain with us, do you?" Tierra's smile gradually twisted, becoming ferocious and full of malice. "You don't actually think you still have any bargaining chips, do you?"

“We chose you because it would take us the least amount of time to use you as a puppet, not because you are the only option,” Tierra said, staring at Cornelius Fudge. “With Headmaster Dumbledore’s authority, it wouldn’t be difficult to create public opinion to oust you and then promote a completely loyal Ministry of Magic official as Minister of Magic. It’s just… a bit time-consuming.”

After that, there was a long silence, and finally—

“Okay…” Connelly Fudge forced out the word through clenched teeth, “I promise…”

"This is the choice a mature politician should make."

Tiertra stretched out his hand and slashed in front of Connelly Fudge.

Tierra's fingers sliced ​​through the space in front of Cornelius Fudge like sharp blades.

A thick stack of documents.

Cornelius Fudge flipped through the documents and discovered that it was the same "Hogwarts Educational Reform Act" that Dumbledore had presented at Harry Potter's hearing a year earlier.

However, as Cornelius Fudge perused the document, it turned into a devil's contract filled with countless detailed clauses.

This includes the Tarot Secret Meeting—

The constraints imposed on Cornelius Fudge by the organization to which Tierra belongs also include the obligations that the Tarot Society owes to the Minister of Magic.

This devil's contract was far more lenient than Cornelius Fudge had imagined.

But when Cornelius Fudge turned to the last page, the signature section, a quill pen burning with flames was handed to him—

“Just like Professor Dumbledore said a year ago,” Tierra said with a smile, “you will eventually sign the Hogwarts Educational Reform Act.”

(End of this chapter)