The Return to Hogwarts

Sirius said dismissively,

“We are now discussing your reasons for arresting Amosta, and the one you just pointed out is clearly untenable.”

A raging fire burned in Fudge's mind, his round, red cheeks trembling slightly. Sirius's words undoubtedly pushed his anger to another peak, but at the same time, they also brought some rationality back to his head, which had been clouded by rage.

He certainly needed a plausible reason to send Amosta Blaine to Azkaban to join the Dementors.

If he cannot find a pretext for Amosta's violation of the law, expecting Amosta to succumb to the power of the Ministry of Magic and the Minister of Magic and go to jail himself is far too optimistic, even in fantasy.

"Brain was arrested because—"

Fudge was panting heavily.

"You want a reason, Blake. Fine, Amosta has used the Arcane Fire multiple times, causing casualties."

“I must remind you, Minister—”

To everyone's surprise, it was Rufus Scrimgeour, who was standing to the side, who interrupted.

He responded to Fudge's gaze with neither servility nor arrogance, while his own dull, yellowish eyes revealed a faint disappointment and contempt for Fudge.

"The spell that Amosta used many times was called the 'Spiritfire Spell,' not the 'Cryptofire Spell,' remember, Minister? The Ministry of Magic itself endorsed it."

Regarding your point about casualties, it seems there was only one instance so far: last summer's Quidditch World Cup, where the department blamed all the injuries on Vitia Crioll.

Looking at the speechless Fudge, Scrimgeour said with a hint of satisfaction,

"Ah, of course, Fenrir Greyback did indeed die from Blaine's 'Spiritfire Curse,' if you insist on settling the score."

Chapter 1034 Position

2024-07-16

Rufus Scrimgeour, the official head of the Auror Command, fell silent after speaking to the Auror office.

Fudge, along with Sirius and Kingsley, stared at Scrimgeour in astonishment, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Apart from Delisi, everyone present possessed a certain political acumen.

Scrimgeour's fair words might not have caused much of a problem under normal circumstances, but in this confrontational situation, his words were far from simple!

After Scrimgeour spoke, Sirius felt the pressure on him ease. He exchanged a glance with Kingsley without making a sound, and the two of them silently held their breath.

"minister--"

However, Dolittle, who was firmly aligned with the Minister of Magic, was finding it hard to bear the torment. He looked hesitantly at Fudge, who remained silent, and tentatively asked,

"Should you reconsider whether it's appropriate to gather people now to arrest Amosta Blaine?"

Upon hearing this, those in the office who were not on the same page as the Minister of Magic almost burst out laughing, and even Fudge himself immediately shifted his murderous gaze from Scrimgeour to Derek.

Fudge's sinister voice was enough to give you nightmares.

"Dalix, are you going to betray me too?"

"what?"

Delix said, bewildered and confused,

“Oh, of course not. I… um, but, the reason for arresting Blaine.”

In reality, Delis had no intention of betraying the Minister of Magic, but the task of leading his men to forcibly capture Amostra Blaine did put him under immense pressure, hence his unnecessary question.

"No one wants to betray you, Cornelius."

Just then, a commotion outside the door drew everyone's attention.

Ms. Burns suddenly emerged from behind the oak door, her expression solemn.

"They disagree with you because they can't find any law to support your order."

Ms. Burns approached Foley and stared intently at him.

"The Minister for Magic has considerable power, Cornelius, but that doesn't give you the right to arbitrarily arrest a resident who has made outstanding contributions to the British magical community and has not broken any laws!"

Sirius and Kingsley looked at the solemn-looking Ms. Burns with great respect, while Scrimgeour nodded slightly to her.

Because none of them dared to tell Fudge that many of his current actions were reckless and outrageous.

The overwhelming aura that rushed towards him made Fudge narrow his eyes slightly, but then he lowered his voice, his tone tinged with resentment.

"You make it sound so easy, Amelia. You're not the one in that position, and you're not the one Blaine is criticizing. You simply don't understand."

"Connelly—"

Ms. Burns sighed and interrupted Fudge abruptly.

“We’ve discussed our differing ideologies many times, and now that we’re talking about your arrest of Amosta, I must remind you—”

Mrs. Burns stared sharply at Fudge.

"Putting aside whether such behavior is legal, the third Triwizard Tournament is about to take place, and the eyes of all of Europe are focused here. The mess we made before has already made us a laughing stock in the European magical world. Do you intend to repeat such an incident?"

Fudge fell silent, startled and terrified.

His alarm wasn't that the third match of the Triwizard Tournament couldn't be held without Blaine, but rather—

Fudge looked around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Burns, Sirius, Kingsley, and even Scrimgeour. Apart from Dexter, all the people in the Auror office were standing against him.

In other words, he's been sidelined?

Fudge's face turned pale, and he shifted nervously, his back, which was covered in cold sweat.

"--Given the current tensions between the ministry and Amosta, I believe a frank dialogue is necessary."

Mrs. Burns said,

“If you’d like, Connelly, I can negotiate with Amosta to hold an internal meeting after the third Triwizard Tournament.”

Sirius's lips twitched, his eyes showing a hint of disapproval.

It was obvious to anyone with eyes to see that Mrs. Burns's efforts were futile, because the conflict and rift between Hogwarts and the Minister of Magic were already irreconcilable.

Unless one party completely abandons their exit.

"Then let's do it."

To the surprise of the others in the office, Fudge actually agreed.

He looked coldly at the earnest Mrs. Burns.

"After the Triwizard Tournament, I had a chat with Blaine. Come on, Delilah, come with me for a bit."

After saying this, Fudge led the still bewildered Delilah out of the Auror office.

There was a commotion among those who couldn't evacuate in time, but the tense atmosphere inside the office did not ease because of the minister's retreat.

"Is Fudge really still willing to negotiate with Amosta?"

Sirius said with some surprise, but as soon as he finished speaking, Kingsley, who was standing next to him, subtly touched his arm.

Sirius, who immediately understood, glanced warily at Scrimgeour and remained silent.

"This is a delaying tactic,"

Scrimgeour pretended not to notice Kingsley's subtle movements and Sirius's distrustful gaze, then turned to Mrs. Burns, who remained silent with her brows lowered, and said in a completely flat tone,

"As you probably know, madam, the minister has no intention of yielding to Blaine and Dumbledore. He only agreed to your proposal because he wanted to buy time."

"Delaying for time?"

Sirius frowned and blurted out,

"for what?"

"In order to find a suitable reason to send Amosta to Azkaban."

Kingsley said that he looked at Scrimgeour with undisguised confusion and surprise.

Scrimgeour has always been on the Minister of Magic's side, but his two statements today undoubtedly indicate that his stance seems to have changed.

Ever since Deluxe's ​​"Jane in the Emperor's Heart," Scrimgeour has been relegated to the bench for quite some time.

What prompted him to part ways with the Minister of Magic and align himself with Mrs. Burns?

If even Kingsley could see through it, there was no reason why Mrs. Burns, with her superior political acumen, couldn't.

She concealed her surprise well, her mind racing, and smiled at Scrimgeour, whose expression remained as cold and hard as ever.

"What do you think the minister took Delilah for, Rufus?"

This was a test, and Kingsley, who had been observing silently, immediately realized that Mrs. Burns was testing whether Scrinker intended to change the course of events.

Under Mrs. Burns's gentle gaze, Scrimgeour's brow twitched, and he fell into a brief silence, but soon a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Is that even a question, Madam? The Minister and Delilah must have gone to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries. Go find Madam Umbridge to discuss countermeasures."

I think so too--

Mrs. Burns smiled happily.

"Then, could you do me a favor, Rufus?"

After a moment of slight apprehension, Scrimgeour nodded.

"How can I do anything for you, madam?"