Chapter 1104: Sending You to Prison
Chapter 1104: Sending You to Prison
"Fudge is done for!"
Scrimgeour muttered softly to himself as he finished reading the latest headline in the newspaper.
He recalled how Fudge had previously hoped that Dumbledore could persuade Harry Potter to support him and help him retain his position as Minister.
After all that Fudge had done to Harry Potter in the past year, he actually expected to receive forgiveness and support from the boy? The thought of it was laughable.
There was no doubt that Harry Potter held a grudge.
This was evident from the fact that he proactively accepted the journalist's interview.
And during the interview, he directly presented irrefutable evidence, effectively branding Fudge as a Death Eater.
Was he worried about retaliation from the Death Eaters and that's why he held Dumbledore back?
While this notion might have held some weight before, it didn't seem very likely now.
Was he under the Imperius Curse?
The Ministry of Magic wasn't so rotten that the Minister could be controlled by the Imperius Curse without anyone noticing.
The possibility that Fudge was a Death Eater himself was the lowest, but Harry Potter had mentioned Barty Crouch Jr. in the interview.
Barty Crouch Jr. was undoubtedly the key to Voldemort's resurrection, and Fudge had him silenced as soon as he was captured by Albert Anderson.
At that time, taking advantage of Dumbledore's absence, Fudge had Dementors search the entire castle. After finding Barty Crouch Jr. in his hiding place, Fudge ordered the Dementors to suck out his soul so that he couldn't be brought to trial and testify at the Wizengamot.
If Voldemort hadn't resurrected, this incident wouldn't have been a big deal. The death of a prisoner who escaped from Azkaban would have been forgotten, and no one would have blamed Fudge for having Crouch's soul sucked out.
But the current situation was different.
Voldemort had returned, and Fudge had done his best to deny it.
His motives for doing so were highly suspicious.
What's worse, this incident was once again brought up by Harry Potter, leading people to suspect that Fudge had taken this silencing measure to conceal the news of Voldemort's resurrection as soon as possible.
Not long ago, the Ministry of Magic had allowed a group of captured Death Eaters to escape from right under their noses instead of killing them immediately after their second escape from Azkaban.
Even though the rebellion of the Dementors provided a reason, Fudge's actions were enough to make the entire British wizarding community question him.
Forget about others; even Scrimgeour suspected Fudge of being a Death Eater after reading the newspaper.
He couldn't help it, as Harry Potter's series of accusations against Fudge in the newspaper were not baseless.
Lucius Malfoy was indeed Fudge's old friend, and through Fudge's connection, he had obtained a decent job at the Ministry.
Last summer, Goyle and Crabbe had also been identified as Death Eaters by the Spanish Ministry of Magic, but Fudge had directly denied this, claiming that they were being framed. He even protested to the Spanish Ministry, and now those whom Fudge had declared innocent at the time had been proven to be Death Eaters.
This turned into solid evidence of Fudge helping Death Eaters escape justice.
It was undeniable that Fudge had suppressed Harry Potter and Dumbledore, who were telling the truth. He had dismissed officials from the Ministry who were related to Dumbledore, constantly denied the return of the Death Eaters, leading to the escape of Death Eaters from Azkaban, and caused the situation to deteriorate completely.
If he didn't handle this well, Fudge might become the worst Minister in the history of the British Ministry of Magic, even surpassing Damocles Rowle, Perseus Parkinson, Josephine Flint, Ignatius Tuft, and Albert Boot. He might even be the first Minister to end up in Azkaban.
That wasn't all; there was also that foolish woman, Umbridge. Fudge had appointed her to Hogwarts, and during her tenure there, she had caused all sorts of trouble, which Harry Potter had now exposed. Much of the blame for her actions would fall on Fudge.
The Ministry of Magic had tried to control Hogwarts without the capability to educate the students. They had even abused their power, cruelly suppressing the students of Hogwarts, suspending them with chains, whipping them, using quills with black magic, and forcing truth serum down their throats. Most intolerable of all, Umbridge had used the Cruciatus Curse on students, and many people knew about it.
As for the authenticity of these allegations, the way the students and faculty of Hogwarts collectively humiliated and pranked Umbridge during her dismissal showed how much they despised her.
To be honest, in the history of Hogwarts, no professor had ever received such treatment.
Moreover, Harry Potter revealed that Umbridge and Fudge had once sent two Dementors to attack him in an attempt to expel him. He had only protected himself using the Patronus Charm, for which he had been formally tried by the Ministry.
It was hard to believe that Fudge, who had specifically targeted and oppressed the savior, had nothing to do with the Death Eaters.
Yes, the savior.
Harry Potter had once again secured his title as the savior; he was no longer seen as a "boy who was insane, had violent tendencies, and liked to make things up."
Not long ago, Death Eaters had ventured into the Ministry of Magic, and the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries had been destroyed. The news that the Death Eaters had tried to steal Harry Potter's prophecy had spread.
Harry Potter admitted to this and claimed in the interview that he had destroyed the prophecy orb as soon as he obtained it to prevent it from falling into Voldemort's hands. He also stated that he hadn't looked into the contents of the orb because Voldemort was skilled in Legilimency.
There was no doubt that the Death Eaters' year-long plot had once again been thwarted by Harry Potter.
The title of savior was well-deserved.
Oh, now he should be called the Star of Salvation.
This was also the main reason Scrimgeour thought Fudge was finished.
Harry Potter, at the height of his fame, had directly kicked Fudge while he was down, and the outcome was predictable.
As Scrimgeour was about to continue reading the newspaper, a loud boom echoed through the Ministry, signaling the arrival of a Howler.
When Scrimgeour arrived in the atrium via the lift, he saw a large number of owls carrying smoking letters to the Ministry.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene, some of the letters cursing Fudge, others cursing Umbridge, one after another exploding with angry roars that reverberated throughout the atrium, shattering the surrounding glass.
When the roars finally ceased, whispers began to circulate among the crowd, everyone discussing the incident, many having read the latest issue of the newspaper.
However, not many employees truly sympathized with Fudge, as his performance in the past year had been abysmal.
"Gadwall, assemble a few reliable Aurors to ensure Amelia Bones's safety." Scrimgeour said to his deputy.
"Protect Amelia Bones?" Gawain Robards looked puzzled, not quite understanding why Scrimgeour would give such an order.
"Fudge is finished," Scrimgeour said expressionlessly, glancing at the ashen-faced Fudge in the distance. "Amelia Bones is currently the most powerful candidate for the Minister's position. But the Bones family has deep enmity with the Death Eaters. They will never tolerate Amelia Bones becoming the new Minister of Magic, so we must ensure her safety."
Even though Scrimgeour did aspire to become the new Minister, there were some things he had to do. And the next Minister was destined for a rough ride, having to clean up the mess Fudge left behind. If possible, Scrimgeour would rather have Amelia Bones take care of the mess instead of himself.
As for the prophecy being wrong? Scrimgeour had considered that possibility, but it was unlikely.
If the mysterious person truly intended to kill Amelia Bones, a few more Aurors wouldn't be able to stop them.
Scrimgeour merely hoped that before Amelia Bones met her end, the situation at the Ministry would improve. And if that happened, he believed the wizarding community would prefer a wizard who was more decisive and charismatic than Cornelius to handle things.
Then his opportunity would come.
However, Scrimgeour failed to realize that he himself lacked the capability to handle all of this.
...
"This is brilliant, Harry! Have you seen the latest issue of the newspaper?"
Lee Jordan, who had just walked into the pub, was waving the latest issue of the newspaper at Harry.
"Has my interview been published?"
"Yes, it's fantastic! Take a look."
Lee Jordan placed the latest newspaper in front of Harry.
"Fudge is screwed," Ron said excitedly as he picked up one of the newspapers. "She's likely to face a trial!"
"She's not finished until it's confirmed that Umbridge has been sent to Azkaban," Harry said, shaking his head. "But she's probably done for, considering her abuse of Veritaserum and the Cruciatus Curse, not to mention ordering Dementors to attack me."
"Don't worry, Harry," Lee Jordan said, patting Harry on the shoulder. "We're not going to let that toad off the hook. If this doesn't send her to Azkaban, we'll ask Albert to come up with something else. We must make sure that toad goes to prison and stops harming others."
"Harry, do you really intend to..." Hermione trailed off as she looked up at Harry, who was reading the newspaper. "...send Umbridge to Azkaban?"
"Yes," Harry said with a cold smile. "Based on all the horrible things Umbridge has done, she should be sent to Azkaban through the normal process. I'm just making sure the Ministry doesn't shield her. If I don't do something, the Ministry will sweep this under the rug, and even the so-called suspension and investigation will become a joke."
"That's the reality, Hermione," Lee Jordan said. "The politicians at the Ministry only care about their own interests, not the well-being of the wizarding community. Apparently, Albert said that Fudge wanted Dumbledore to persuade Harry to support him so that he could keep his position as the Minister."
"How did he..."
Hermione and Ron stared at Lee Jordan, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"That's just how the Ministry operates, always has been. There's nothing surprising about it," Harry said sarcastically. "They only care about how I can help our dear Minister make everyone believe he's defeating Voldemort, but they never care about my well-being."
"In their eyes, the so-called savior is nothing but a joke. And I, the supposed savior, am merely a tool. Do you really think they'll believe this?"
Hermione and Ron were at a loss for words.
"The title of savior is only given when it's needed. The fact is, it's been proven to be a joke," Harry said softly. "In the past year, it's been kicked to the corner and spat on."
"I'm just using it now to cause trouble for Umbridge and Fudge, taking advantage of the title while it still holds some value."
"So that's why you told the journalists about you destroying the prophecy orb." Ron realized.
"How else could I make people believe that I'm the savior without revealing some truth?" Lee Jordan had read Harry's draft.
"Yeah, how else could I make them believe me? How else could I send Fudge and Umbridge to prison?" Harry's voice held a hint of self-mockery. "Of course, by making them believe me. And I didn't lie, by the way."
"What you just said reminds me of Albert," Hermione murmured.
Indeed, Harry had told nothing but the truth from start to finish.
"They are the Minister and the Deputy Minister," Harry said quietly. "If I don't use some extraordinary means, I believe Fudge and Umbridge would get away with everything. Umbridge would still hold a high position at the Ministry, and no one would investigate all the horrible things she did at Hogwarts. They would just think she abused her power, but in the eyes of those politicians, it's not a big deal. As for Fudge, he might lose his position as Minister, but he would still be influential, perhaps as the Minister's senior advisor."
"That's the Ministry for you, rotten to the core."
"Did Albert tell you that?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He told me that Fudge and Umbridge wouldn't be punished," Harry confirmed.
"Unbelievable," Ron said, his eyes wide.
"Yeah, it's hard to believe," Harry shrugged.
"That's just how cruel reality is," Lee Jordan said, patting Ron's shoulder. "Sometimes you have to use certain means to make sure those who deserve punishment get what's coming to them."
"As for Umbridge, I will definitely send her to Azkaban," Harry said suddenly. "If that doesn't work, I'll have Sirius continue to expose her wrongdoings through the newspaper, just like they did before. As for Fudge, if possible, I'd like to send him to Azkaban as well. He's definitely going to be ousted from his position, and considering all the horrible things he's done, I don't think it's too much to send him to prison."
"It's about time someone woke up those idiots at the Ministry. They've lost all credibility, and their downfall is inevitable."
(End of Chapter)
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