Chapter 1092: Breaking News
Chapter 1092: Breaking News
Although The Prophet refrained from extensively covering the "riot" at Hogwarts due to Fudge's involvement, the incident still made headlines in all the major wizarding newspapers, causing an uproar in the wizarding world. No one expected such a significant event to seemingly come out of nowhere overnight.
What surprised the public even more was that the newspapers had seemingly uncovered the cause, process, and outcome of the entire incident, presenting what they claimed to be the "truth" for all to see.
However, the most eye-catching part of the newspaper reports was the photo taken by Lee Jordan, which depicted a corridor full of Aurors left readers stunned.
Of course, along with the front-page photo came sensational headlines, but every newspaper questioned the true capabilities of the elite Aurors.
A large group of Aurors lost to a single student in a one-on-one confrontation and were easily overpowered and hung on the wall. It seemed like a dream.
The Aurors had thoroughly lost face for the Ministry of Magic.
Naturally, there were even more newspapers criticizing Fudge.
Some newspapers even publicly exposed Fudge for leading a group to suppress Hogwarts, only to face resistance from the students.
The fact that Fudge was ultimately knocked unconscious by angry students and thrown out like garbage at the school gate was published in the papers like a joke.
What was truly unbelievable were the seemingly absurd reports, which were accompanied by photographs as evidence.
It was truly jaw-dropping.
Fudge's political opponents seized the opportunity to harshly criticize his recent absurd actions, pointing out his political persecution of Dumbledore and even bringing up the Ministry of Magic's newly established 120-article education ordinance.
Public opinion erupted in an uproar, with witches and wizards demanding explanations from Fudge. The calls for his resignation grew louder.
However, Fudge remained unaware of the changes within the Ministry, as he was still unconscious alongside the other wizards at the school gate.
In the end, he was awakened by the reporters who had rushed to Hogwarts for interviews.
Before Fudge could clear his confusion, he was surrounded by a group of excited reporters.
"Minister, I heard that the Ministry of Magic's most elite Aurors were defeated by a Hogwarts student," said a witch enthusiastically as she held out her microphone to Fudge. "Do you have any comments on this matter?"
"I heard that a major riot broke out at Hogwarts due to the Ministry's excessive interference, and the professor sent by the Ministry was expelled. Is this true?" asked a wizard, also holding out his microphone to Fudge, hoping for confirmation.
"Why did the Ministry of Magic arrest the Weasley brothers?" another reporter asked. "Do they really possess the rumored secret weapon that can overthrow the Ministry?"
"Minister, I heard that the whole incident started when the Ministry attacked Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts, causing dissatisfaction among the teachers and students. Is this true?"
"Minister, I heard that the students of Hogwarts attended a celebration last night to commemorate the expulsion of the Deputy Minister. Is this true?"
"Minister, does the Ministry of Magic really intend to suppress the riot at Hogwarts?"
"Minister..."
The reporters' relentless questioning flustered Fudge, and his cheeks turned red with anger as he wished for this swarm of annoying flies to scram.
However, Fudge eventually suppressed his anger and patiently said to the reporters, "Please calm down, everyone. The Ministry of Magic will hold a press conference in the near future, and I will explain everything then."
Without giving the reporters time to react, Fudge immediately left with the other Ministry officials using Disapparating, leaving behind a group of bewildered journalists.
However, the reporters were not disappointed by Fudge's hasty departure. Getting photographs was already a decent achievement. Moreover, they had come to Hogwarts intending to interview the staff and students, not Fudge, to reconfirm the significant event that had occurred the previous night and strive to produce a few more high-quality follow-up reports.
...
At the same time, in a safe house somewhere in Scotland.
Fred, who had just woken up, yawned and looked at George, whose face was filled with regret. Confused, he asked, "What happened?"
"It's not just a big deal; take a look for yourself," George said as he placed the newspaper in front of Fred and started eating his breakfast.
"I can't believe this happened. If we had known, we wouldn't have left in such a hurry. We really missed out on a good show," Fred exclaimed.
Neither of them had expected such a significant incident to occur at Hogwarts right after they had left.
"It seems like that toad has really angered Albert," George swallowed the fried egg in his mouth and murmured, "I've never seen him so angry before."
"Over a hundred lashes!"
Fred threw the newspaper on the table, a look of schadenfreude on his face. "That guy is so unlucky. If we had known, we should have let Albert deal with that toad and his gang from the start. We could have even used Hogwarts Castle as our base."
"Haven't you always wanted to drop out early and start our joke shop?" George countered.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
"Are you not a fool?"
"Do you think a wanted criminal would walk into their trap?" Fred rolled his eyes and quickly finished the eggs on his plate.
"Fudge didn't put out a warrant for us," George said as he picked up the newspaper again, speaking to himself. "But you're right; it wouldn't be surprising if he did."
"After all, we want to overthrow the Ministry of Magic," Fred sneered. "That guy Fudge is an idiot."
"Do you regret it?"
George finished the last bit of food on his plate, grateful for the help of their house-elf, Dobby, as they wouldn't have known how to manage their meals otherwise.
"Regret? I wouldn't go that far," Fred said, shrugging. "Besides, what's done is done. How can I regret it now?" Suddenly, he asked, "Do you think Fudge would be furious enough to spit blood if he knew there was never any secret weapon to begin with?"
"I don't know if Fudge would be furious enough to spit blood.
George's tone paused, reminding him, "But if Mom doesn't receive any news from us, she'll probably be worried sick. We need to find a way to send a letter home to let them know we're safe."
"You're right, but how can we send a letter home?" Fred asked, covering his mouth as he belched. "We don't have any owls to help deliver messages here."
"It's simple."
George summoned their house-elf, Dobby, and inquired about the whereabouts of his trunk.
After locating it, he retrieved some parchment and a quill, wrote a brief note assuring his safety, and then instructed the house-elf to forward it to their family.
They could use either the owls from Hogwarts or those from the post office for this task.
As for the possibility of the owls being caught or tracked by the Ministry of Magic? Well, they weren't too concerned about that. Firstly, they had no idea where they were, and secondly, even if the owls were caught, they couldn't reveal their location since it was unknown to them as well.
The previous day, after Fred and George had been rescued by the fireworks dragon, they had been transported away using the key provided by Albert. Eventually, they had been brought to this location by Dobby, who claimed it to be one of Albert's temporary safe houses, protected by layers of magic.
Their belongings from Hogwarts had also been packed and sent to this location, indicating that they would have to reside here temporarily and continue their work on prank devices until the current turmoil blew over.
"Where's Albert?" Fred asked Dobby. "Didn't he also drop out early?"
"Mr. Anderson is at another safe house, and due to certain reasons, I cannot disclose its specific location," the house-elf explained.
"You really are a simpleton," George couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"And you're a fool," Fred mumbled.
"He's probably with his girlfriend. Do you even need to ask?"
"A fair-weather friend, huh?"
"Alright, enough complaining. Let's contact Lee Jordan first. He might have already received some orders," George urged Fred to get to work.
"Should we secretly move back to Hogwarts?" Fred suddenly proposed.
He wouldn't have had this thought if they had rented a shop in Diagon Alley, but staying in this eerie place was truly agonizing.
"Don't be ridiculous. Without Albert's protection, we'd be easily exposed, and we don't have his magical briefcase either," George immediately vetoed Fred's unreliable suggestion. If the Ministry of Magic insisted on interfering with Hogwarts, Lee Jordan, who was still at the school, might have to flee as well.
"I'm just saying."
"There's a laboratory here where we can continue creating our prank devices. Come on, let's get to work," George pulled Fred towards the lab that Albert had prepared for them. "At the very least, before we open our shop, we need to have products ready for sale. We can start manufacturing them now, and Albert also seems to be getting married soon, so we need to prepare the large-scale fireworks for him."
"Okay, you're right. We should get to work," Fred agreed, and the twins entered the laboratory to begin their new endeavor.
This place was extremely secure, and with a house-elf taking care of their daily needs, they didn't have to worry about anything else. They could fully devote their energy to preparing for their shop's opening.
Albert was even more dependable than they had imagined. As long as they didn't leave this house, no one would be able to find them. From the outside, it just looked like the remains of a dilapidated shack.
...
As if sensing someone grumbling about him, Albert, who was still lazing in bed, couldn't help but sneeze. He rubbed his nose and buried his head back under the covers.
"Come on, it's time to get up now."
Izabel playfully pushed Albert, indicating that it was time to start the day.
"Let me sleep a little longer," Albert mumbled with his eyes closed.
"Really, get up already."
Half an hour later, Albert finally crawled out of bed lazily. With Izabel's help, he changed into fresh clothes and made his way to the chair by the dining table.
"Are you really that tired?"
"I'm just sleepy."
"Then after you finish breakfast, drink a bottle of vitality tonic. I'll ask the house-elf to prepare a chicken soup for you later." Izabel placed a hearty breakfast in front of Albert, feeling no shame about it.
Men were actually quite easy to please.
"Never mind, let's skip the potion this time. It's not good to rely on it too often," Albert yawned and changed the subject. "Do we have today's newspaper?"
"Dobby just delivered it. You're quite the celebrity now." Izabel placed several newspapers in front of Albert.
"This is nothing. Journalists just like to stir up drama. Yawn! Anyway, I finished my breakfast, so I'm going to chug this milk," Albert said, and then he proceeded to down the warm milk in one go.
As for the news in the papers, most of it was the result of Albert's deliberate maneuvering. The front-page photo, courtesy of Lee Jordan, looked fantastic. Now, everyone would know the true nature of the Ministry of Magic's Aurors, and Fudge would face even more scrutiny. Albert's panel task was complete, and his reputation in the wizarding world continued to soar.
The Death Eaters would likely target him again, but Albert didn't mind. Whether they had a reason or not, the Death Eaters would always cause trouble for him.
"What are your plans now?" Izabel asked as she put down her cutlery.
"Next? I'll stay here with you, of course," Albert replied matter-of-factly. "I'll also take some time to rest and wait for the right opportunity."
"Opportunity?"
Izabel stroked Tom, who was perched on the chair, and asked, "Are you waiting for Dumbledore to return to Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, something like that," Albert stretched lazily. "If I wander around, I might get caught by the Ministry of Magic's Aurors. Now's a good time to finish writing my new book. It's almost done."
In fact, staying at Hogwarts would have been more relaxing. With classes every day, Albert could have lazed around more, but now that he had left school, he still had a ton of things to do. Even if he wanted to be lazy, he couldn't find an excuse for it.
Unable to slack off just yet, Albert remained vigilant, knowing that a formidable foe like Voldemort was always lurking. He refused to let himself lose everything he had worked so hard to gain. Absolutely not.
He didn't want to end up like James and Lily Potter.
Indeed, Albert often used the Potter couple as a cautionary tale.
After all, in his eyes, they were winners in life, except for the fact that they had died so miserably.
Such an unfortunate soul was enough to serve as a lesson.
...
Due to the relentless efforts of Albert and his group, Cornelius Fudge remained entangled in diplomatic troubles. The entire wizarding world awaited his explanation, but Fudge couldn't come up with a satisfactory solution.
Scrimgeour, who had previously maintained a good relationship with him, also began to distance himself due to the Hogwarts-related incidents involving Umbridge.
Especially with regards to the Aurors being humiliated once again because of Umbridge, a rift between them seemed inevitable, and Scrimgeour found it difficult to offer his support in this matter.
As for the public outcry, Fudge could only shift the blame onto Dumbledore.
During a press conference, he vehemently accused Dumbledore of plotting to overthrow the Ministry of Magic and possessing a secret weapon to that end.
"Minister," a reporter interrupted Fudge, "I've heard that there is no such secret weapon. It was actually a fake created by the Weasley twins to fool Umbridge, and Mr. Potter himself confirmed that the twins had shared this incident as a joke with everyone."
"Yes, everyone says that Umbridge is always suspicious of Dumbledore trying to overthrow the Ministry, so they just made up a lie to deceive her."
Rita Skeeter, with a smug smile, shared her latest bombshell, keenly observing Fudge's face turn red with embarrassment.
She relished this juicy piece of information.
"No, it's all Dumbledore's premeditated plot, including the riot at Hogwarts. The Weasley twins instigated the students against the Ministry under Dumbledore's instructions." Fudge tried to deflect the topic, gritting his teeth.
"But the students of Hogwarts said that it was because of the excessive number of educational decrees issued by the Ministry and Umbridge's outrageous behavior at Hogwarts that the students and teachers finally lost their patience." Another reporter spoke up, "I also heard that the students at Hogwarts have taken to calling the Deputy Minister 'the Toad.'"
"Minister, are you aware of Umbridge's atrocities at Hogwarts?"
"What?"
Fudge was flustered by the reporters' relentless questioning.
"During her tenure at Hogwarts, Umbridge enjoyed using a particular Dark Magic quill to punish students." The reporter took out a quill and a piece of parchment from her bag and handed them to Fudge, "This quill uses the writer's blood as ink. You can try it out yourself."
Fudge foolishly took the quill, with no intention of using it, simply stating that the accusations against Umbridge might be true, as she didn't have a good reputation within the Ministry.
"Minister, I also heard that Umbridge used Veritaserum and Cruciatus Curse during interrogations of students."
"We cannot confirm these allegations at the moment, but we will launch an investigation into Deputy Minister Umbridge's conduct."
Fudge was exhausted from fielding the barrage of questions from the reporters, and he finally resorted to buying time by promising an investigation.
An investigation would be conducted, of course.
As for when the results would be available, that was another story.
Perhaps, by then, everyone would have forgotten about it.
"Minister, what are your thoughts on the entire Ministry's Auror force being defeated by a single Hogwarts student?" another reporter inquired.
In fact, the reporters had colluded beforehand, taking turns to ask a series of questions, each of which could be a headline-worthy story.
"I believe everyone has been misled. The Aurors were not defeated by a single person, but by despicable conspiracies and traps." Fudge tried to defend himself loudly.
"We have interviewed numerous students from Hogwarts, and they all claimed to have witnessed Mr. Anderson's duel with the Ministry's Aurors."
"At that time, Umbridge even cowardly used the Cruciatus Curse to ambush Mr. Anderson, attempting to help the Aurors gain the upper hand."
"It is said that two students from Slytherin also did the same and are now hospitalized at St. Mungo's Magical Injuries and Illnesses Hospital."
The reporters took turns bombarding Fudge with questions, leaving him cornered.
"It's all nonsense! How could a single Hogwarts student defeat a group of Aurors? Use your common sense!" Fudge retorted angrily.
"But we saw it with our own eyes." A reporter suddenly spoke up, "A student gave us a memory sphere containing a recording of that intense battle."
"Minister, why are you lying to us?"
"Are you trying to cover up the incompetence of the Aurors?"
The atmosphere became awkward.
After Fudge and his entourage had left, the reporters interviewed the students of Hogwarts and not only uncovered the truth but also obtained numerous explosive scoops courtesy of Albert.
Fudge was left speechless by the reporters' inquiries.
However, his troubles were far from over, as more and more reporters questioned his integrity, stating that it was implausible for no one to be stirring up trouble behind the scenes. Many wizards believed that Fudge was no longer fit to serve as the Minister of Magic.
Calls for Fudge's resignation grew louder.
Many employees of the Ministry of Magic took pleasure in his predicament, fully convinced that the prophecy about Fudge being ousted during the summer would come true.
(End of Chapter)
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