Chapter 1063: Well Done
Chapter 1063: Well Done
After altering the memories of Fudge and his group, Albert was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds who eagerly asked about what had just transpired.
As expected, when people conspire in mischief together, their bonds tend to strengthen quickly.
Albert was fairly satisfied. Glancing at the recently completed task, he smiled and raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. "Don't spread word of this outside. I assume none of you want to cause trouble for yourselves, so make sure you all give the same story to anyone who asks. I'm sure you know what to say."
"They knocked themselves out," the crowd replied with a smirk.
Having all taken turns beating up Fudge and Umbridge, naturally, no one wanted to bring trouble upon themselves.
"Alright, let's get these people to the hospital wing." Albert turned to his roommates. "Jordan, could you head to the entrance hall and inform Professor Flitwick about what happened here? Ask him to prevent the Aurors from entering if possible."
"You few, come help me. Everyone else, dismiss." Albert waved his wand and conjured several stretchers. He placed Fudge and his companions on them and asked a few familiar faces and prefects to help carry them to the hospital wing.
Harry and the Weasley twins, meanwhile, gathered the others to meet at the Room of Requirement to discuss the next steps. They also planned to prepare a big surprise for Fudge and his cohort.
"What's going on here?"
The crowd carried Fudge and his group into the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey's bewildered gaze.
"They knocked themselves out," McMillan explained.
"Yeah, a Peeves Pellet," the others chimed in, wearing matching expressions.
Madam Pomfrey's face twitched, and Professor McGonagall, standing beside her, shot Albert a look, feigning ignorance.
Before long, a few more Aurors entered the castle with Professor Flitwick, and upon seeing the unconscious Fudge and his companions, they were at a loss as to understand how someone could "knock themselves out."
Under the watchful eyes of the Aurors, Fudge and his group gradually regained consciousness with Madam Pomfrey's help.
"Seize Dumbledore! He's trying to build an army to overthrow me!" Fudge repeated his earlier words as he came to.
The Aurors exchanged puzzled glances, unsure how to respond.
Albert had shooed away the students who had intended to stay and watch the spectacle, ushering them into the corridor outside the hospital to prevent any slip-ups in front of the Aurors.
After all, these were Aurors—the elite of the wizarding world. They were bound to be cautious, and it wouldn't hurt to be extra careful.
The two Aurors who had entered the castle with Albert earlier had also been roused, and they found themselves at a loss for words. They couldn't fathom how they could have possibly knocked themselves out by slipping and falling.
Although it sounded absurd, the last thing the Aurors remembered was indeed slipping and falling.
"Potter said that Professor Dumbledore has fled," Albert said coldly.
"You..."
For some reason, Fudge felt a stinging sensation on his face—no, his whole body ached. But Fudge managed to refrain from accusing Albert of being Dumbledore's accomplice again, which was quite fortunate.
Of course, this was mostly due to the false memories Albert had implanted taking effect.
"Ah!"
A piercing scream startled everyone.
They turned to see Umbridge gingerly touching her face, her eyes wide with pain. "What's wrong with my face? Why does it hurt so much?"
Umbridge couldn't understand why her face felt like it was on fire, as if it had been slapped repeatedly.
"There's nothing wrong with your face, Madam. I suspect you might have landed on it when you fell. I'll get you some potion, and it will be fine in no time." Madam Pomfrey's tone was unfriendly, as she had just learned from Professor McGonagall that Fudge and Umbridge had forced the students to take excessive amounts of Veritaserum.
"Weasley, I need you to send a copy of the statement to the Daily Prophet and inform the Ministry of Magic about the wanted status of Dumbledore." Fudge's first priority was to consolidate his gains. He never imagined this day would come—it was the Ministry's best opportunity to gain control of Hogwarts.
"Yes, sir, I assure you," Percy struggled to get up from his bed.
"I think you're wasting your time." Professor McGonagall spoke with contempt. "If Dumbledore doesn't want to be found, even if you break your heads trying, you won't catch him."
"Hmph, Minerva, the Ministry will capture Dumbledore soon enough." Fudge glared at Professor McGonagall. "Due to the vacancy in the position of Headmaster at Hogwarts, Dolores will be taking over as Headmistress. She has never disappointed."
"I will ensure that order is swiftly restored at Hogwarts," Umbridge managed a strained smile, happily accepting the position that was never rightfully hers.
However, Umbridge failed to grasp the severity of the situation. With Dumbledore driven away, the "devil" that had once been chained was now unleashed. She had no idea what she was about to face.
"Oh, it looks like Sibyl's prophecy has come true again. How surprising." Professor McGonagall arched an eyebrow, her expression peculiar.
Upon hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Umbridge's smile froze. The few prophecies left by Trelawney, whom she had dismissed, were gradually coming true.
This seemed to foreshadow that the subsequent dreadful prophecies would also come to pass, one by one.
Would she die in Azkaban prison?
Umbridge's initial delight at becoming Headmistress instantly vanished.
Fudge, however, was too elated at having "defeated" Dumbledore to pay attention to Umbridge's changing expressions. He was still reveling in his victory, already planning a press conference back at the Ministry to publicly announce Dumbledore's crimes and silence any dissenting voices.
Fudge was well aware that despite his efforts to discredit Dumbledore through various means, the wizard still had a significant number of supporters within the Ministry and the wizarding community at large.
The recent rumors spreading like wildfire about his imminent downfall during the summer were testament to the influence of Dumbledore's supporters.
As Fudge marched out of the hospital wing, full of self-importance, accompanied by a group of Aurors, he suddenly felt as though something had struck his head.
A putrid stench filled the corridor, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. They stared, dumbfounded, at the Minister of Magic, who was now rubbing his head.
Fudge's expression turned rigid as he stared at the remnants of a Dungbomb on his palm, his anger rising swiftly.
However, the assailant didn't give him time to dwell on his fury. More Dungbombs rained down on Fudge, relentlessly striking his head, face, and the back of his neck.
The startled Aurors sprang into action, attempting to shield Fudge and Umbridge from the onslaught.
"Damn it!"
No matter how furious Fudge was, it didn't change the fact that they were under attack by Dungbombs.
What's more, even the Aurors couldn't completely protect the two from the onslaught. Under the guidance of magic, more and more Dungbombs flew toward them, coating them in a layer of putrid, feces-colored sludge.
Before long, the group was running out of the hospital, covered in the foul-smelling mess, with even more Dungbombs in hot pursuit, occasionally popping up from the front to launch a surprise attack.
Under the stunned gazes of countless Aurors, Fudge and his group were chased out of the castle by a barrage of Dungbombs.
As she watched the disheveled figures scurry away, Professor McGonagall hooked her lips into a slight smile, and Albert faintly heard her mutter, "Well done."
"Fred and George did do a good job," Albert said softly.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat lightly, shifting the topic away. "Did you know this would happen?"
"I guessed," Albert replied calmly.
"When will that woman leave?" Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to mention Umbridge's name.
"Before the end of this term," Albert answered without hesitation.
"That's still several months away," Professor McGonagall grumbled as she walked away.
"Well done," Albert said, turning his gaze from Professor McGonagall back to the direction where Fudge and his group had fled. "Looks like I'll have to prepare some extra advertising fees for them."
Of course, this whole incident was orchestrated by Harry, the Weasley twins, and the other students from the Anti-Umbridge League. Peeves had even joined in the fun, and together, they decided to give Fudge and Umbridge a stinky farewell for driving Dumbledore away.
They used up most of their stock of Dungbombs, and Filch was probably the most unfortunate victim of this prank, left with the arduous task of cleaning up the mess in the corridors, now reeking of feces.
However, none of this concerned the students. After all, Filch had chosen to side with Umbridge.
The festivities at Hogwarts were about to begin.
...
The next day, everyone noticed that the walls were once again covered with Educational Decrees, and the largest and most prominent frame contained the newest decree.
Ministry of Magic Decree: Dolores Jane Umbridge (Senior Undersecretary) is appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, succeeding Albus Dumbledore.
This decree complies with Educational Decree Number One-Hundred and Nineteen.
Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic.
Before this official notice from the Ministry of Magic was posted, many students had already gotten wind of the news. They heard how Dumbledore had effortlessly subdued the Ministry officials and slipped away right under their noses.
Well, the Slytherins were kept in the dark, mainly because the DA didn't recruit any members from Slytherin House.
However, the most talked-about topic was how Fudge and his group were ultimately chased out of Hogwarts by a torrent of Dungbombs.
Someone with impressive connections had even managed to capture the scene—images of Fudge and his cohort frantically running away, looking utterly disheveled.
As for the latest reports in the Prophet, no one took them seriously anymore.
Everyone knew that the Prophet had become Fudge's lapdog, publishing only what he wanted to be seen and heard.
So, it wasn't surprising to see slanderous articles about Dumbledore.
The situation had been like this for half a year, and many students had stopped subscribing to the Daily Prophet altogether.
"Dumbledore will be back soon, and they won't be able to get rid of him," many students firmly believed.
Compared to the news of Dumbledore's forced departure and Fudge's humiliating escape, Albert's standoff with the Aurors outside the castle didn't garner as much attention. However, the girls loved to talk about it, and the students involved tended to exaggerate the events.
They claimed that Albert had single-handedly knocked down all the Aurors, preventing them from daring to enter Hogwarts Castle.
While this claim was obviously far-fetched, it was true that Albert, with just his wand, had managed to hold off the Aurors.
Another topic that occupied the gossip circles at Hogwarts was Sibyl Trelawney's prophecies, which had become a favorite subject for many students.
The fact that Trelawney's prophecies were coming true, one by one, seemed to mock Umbridge's shortsightedness.
More importantly, among the prophecies Trelawney had left behind, Umbridge's fate wasn't a pleasant one.
Wherever Umbridge went within the castle, she could hear whispers and snickers as students discussed Trelawney's prophecies and her predicted demise in Azkaban prison.
This made Umbridge incredibly irritable, and even though she forbade people from talking about Trelawney's prophecies, she still caught snippets of malicious laughter whenever she passed by.
What made Umbridge's mood even worse was that the Headmaster's office had automatically sealed itself, preventing her from entering. It was as if even Hogwarts Castle itself was rejecting her as Headmistress, and this only served to make her temper more volatile.
"I think she's obsessed with the idea of sitting in the Headmaster's office," Hermione said with disgust. "That stupid, power-hungry toad will eventually pay the price for trying to lord it over all the teachers."
"Now do you understand our good intentions?" Fred teased.
"When dealing with a toad, there's no such thing as too cruel," George added. "Oh, and I just ran into Malfoy's brat. He was wearing the Inquisitorial Squad badge and dishing out detentions."
"How's Ginny doing?" Ron asked, more concerned about his sister.
"She's fine. The Veritaserum didn't affect her, and we're planning to teach those so-called Inquisitorial Squad members a lesson. Want to join us?"
"Count me in," Harry said.
Ron grumbled, "Next time I see Percy, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."
"You can hang him upside down and beat him," George suggested with a grin. "I can lend you a belt if you need one."
"Harry, Umbridge and the Ministry are just waiting to catch you doing something wrong so they can expel you," Hermione warned, shooting a pleading look at Albert.
"It's too early for that," Albert said, ignoring Hermione's gaze. "This is the best opportunity for you to promote the toys from the joke shop. If you want them to sell well in the future, now is the time to create some buzz."
Fred and George exchanged a glance and nodded. "You're right. This is a rare chance."
Hermione stared at Albert, at a loss for words.
"What's wrong?" Albert asked.
"It's just... a bit hard to understand," Hermione said.
"You mean their decision to drop out?" Albert asked.
"Yes."
"I think my mom will scold me to death," Ron chimed in.
Fred and George's decision seemed crazy to Ron, but he also understood their motivation.
"Why do you go to school?" Albert suddenly asked. Before Hermione could answer, he continued, "For them, school is about making money and fulfilling their dream of opening a joke shop. They're just one step away from realizing that dream, so do you think they still care about graduating?"
"Five thousand Galleons to drop out or continue studying, what would you choose, Weasley?" Albert asked.
"I... I guess I'd continue studying," Ron replied after a long hesitation.
"Are you sure?" Albert asked with a smile.
"Okay, fine, I'd take the money," Ron said dryly.
"Ron..." Hermione looked at him with disbelief.
"Even if you work for the Ministry, you don't make that much in a month," Ron sighed.
"That's the truth."
(End of Chapter)
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