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Chapter 1131: A Turning Point
Chapter 1131: A Turning Point
"A desperate counterattack, the Ministry of Magic claims a sweeping victory."
"Scrimgeour's strategy of fighting poison with poison."
"The Ministry of Magic's temporary policy adjustment during the war—zero tolerance for Death Eaters."
"Albert Anderson, the youngest Master of Prophecy in history."
"A bloody wedding, but who is the mastermind behind it all?"
"Veritaserum to be used in the interrogation of prisoners."
"The harshest Minister of Magic in living memory."
"Another Dumbledore, a wizard even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fears."
The news of Scrimgeour and the Aurors' triumph over the Death Eaters spread like wildfire through the various newspapers, causing an uproar in the magical community. Fudge, who was helping Scrimgeour with his campaign, was left stunned.
Fudge now understood why Scrimgeour had been stalling; it was all to set up this moment, to ride the wave of victory over the Death Eaters and secure his position as the Minister of Magic, thus avoiding a lot of potential trouble.
This had all been Scrimgeour's plan, concocted with Anderson. They had set a trap, luring the Death Eaters with the wedding as bait.
No wonder the Death Eaters had fallen for it so completely—all the wedding guests had been Aurors in disguise.
Eight Death Eaters had been killed, and three captured alive.
Fudge had also heard that these three had been spared because Scrimgeour intended to fine them.
To be honest, Fudge was flabbergasted by this news. Fining Death Eaters? Was this not extortion? He never imagined he would be party to extorting Death Eaters.
The reason Fudge was privy to this bombshell was that Scrimgeour wanted him to convince the three unfortunate captives to pay up. These three Death Eaters happened to be his old acquaintances: Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
According to Scrimgeour, the Ministry of Magic urgently needed funds to purchase Dark Magic defense equipment for all its employees. And since the Death Eaters had caused this chaos, they should foot the bill.
Fudge was dumbfounded by this bandit-like logic.
Dark Magic defense equipment? That was what Percy had told him about recently—apparently, it was sold by a shop opened by Albert and his three friends, and it had received a positive response from the Aurors.
Wait a minute, Fudge suddenly realized something.
This was clearly a collaboration between the two parties. He had originally thought that the Aurors and Anderson were on bad terms, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Scrimgeour had evidently colluded with Anderson, and he had played his hand beautifully. He had secured the position of Minister of Magic and gained a reliable ally. It was said that he was also trying to bring Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix on board, and he intended to have Kingsley and Arthur persuade Harry Potter to endorse his stance against the Death Eaters and Dark Wizards.
As for the use of Veritaserum during interrogations, Fudge didn't see it as a big deal.
The troubling part was that Scrimgeour seemed to be planning to use this opportunity to execute a batch of particularly heinous Dark Wizards.
If Harry Potter and Dumbledore supported him, it was hard to imagine any of the captured Dark Wizards surviving after being interrogated under the influence of Veritaserum.
Fudge had heard that Scrimgeour had hidden his family away, leaving only himself at home, ready to confront Voldemort and the Death Eaters head-on.
He was ruthless.
And not just to others, but to himself as well.
However, Scrimgeour might just be able to turn the dire situation in the magical community around.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"Minister—"
Before Percy could finish, Fudge cut him off.
"Weasley, I've recommended you to Scrimgeour, and he's very satisfied with your abilities." Fudge said to Percy, "Now, you have a task: to go with Kingsley and Arthur Weasley to find Harry Potter."
"Find Harry Potter?"
Percy was taken aback. He wasn't surprised that he had become the new minister's assistant, as Albert had already prophesied this.
Percy was well aware of his role as a bridge of communication between Scrimgeour and Albert.
Sometimes, Percy found it quite incredible that Scrimgeour was working with Albert, given their previous unpleasant interactions. He was amazed that Scrimgeour was willing to set aside their differences.
However, seeing the masterful maneuverings, he was beginning to understand why.
"Yes, Scrimgeour wants Harry Potter to endorse his subsequent policies regarding the Death Eaters and Dark Wizards." Fudge handed a piece of parchment to Percy, "This is the procedure. Harry Potter just needs to make an appearance and say a few words."
"I agree with the Ministry of Magic's decision to take a hard line against Dark Wizards," Percy murmured as he read the parchment, "When facing these evil individuals, we must not be soft-hearted or show mercy, as it would be irresponsible to ourselves, our families, and the community." Even he found the argument reasonable.
Was this about getting Harry Potter to support the Ministry of Magic in directly eliminating the most heinous Dark Wizards?
Percy was aware of Scrimgeour's policies since taking office.
Scrimgeour apparently intended to have the Savior and Dumbledore back him up, sharing the burden of these difficult decisions.
Otherwise, how would it look to execute so many?
It was ruthless and struck fear into people's hearts.
But if they didn't take such drastic action, it would be hard to suppress the arrogance of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Percy suspected that the mysterious person and the Death Eaters had gone to the wedding to cause trouble, thoroughly angering Albert, who then suggested something to Scrimgeour.
"What about the journalists?" Percy asked suddenly.
"Tell the journalists to come back tomorrow to interview the new minister." Fudge said impatiently, as he had other matters to attend to.
Soon after, Fudge made his way to the courtroom, where ten Aurors were guarding the three captured Death Eaters. The three captives looked dazed, as if they had just been forced to drink Veritaserum. Scrimgeour's assistant was writing something on a piece of parchment, and upon seeing Fudge enter, they all nodded slightly.
"What's the situation?" Fudge asked.
"They have confessed their crimes."
The assistant handed over several parchments and notes to Fudge, and then followed the Aurors out of the courtroom temporarily to give them some privacy.
Fudge glanced at the evidence on the parchments and then at the notes, his heart skipping a beat. However, he quickly regained his composure and looked at the familiar faces locked in the iron cage.
After a long silence, Fudge spoke, "Scrimgeour asked me to convince you."
Lucius remained silent for a moment before asking, "Convince us?"
"He wants me to ask you whether you'd prefer to die or go to Azkaban." Fudge scanned the notes and continued, "In fact, you're quite lucky to still have a choice. Eight Death Eaters were killed on the spot."
"What do we need to do?" Lucius Malfoy tried to calm himself.
"Galleons." Fudge flipped through the parchments in his hand and calmly explained, "Based on your crimes, you will pay a fine. Mr. Malfoy, you will pay fifty thousand, Mr. Crabbe, thirty thousand, and Mr. Goyle, twenty thousand."
"This is blatant robbery!" Crabbe roared in anger.
"To be honest, I think so, too." Fudge shrugged helplessly at the three prisoners. "But this was Scrimgeour's idea. Several Aurors died in the battle, and he's furious. The fact that you're still alive is a testament to your pure-blood status and the relatively minor nature of your crimes." Fudge put away the parchment and reminded them, "Don't give me that look; I'm just the messenger. You have five minutes to consider my offer."
"What if we refuse?" Lucius Malfoy asked.
"Then the Aurors outside will come in and help you meet your end," Fudge replied as he checked his pocket watch. "This is not a threat. Scrimgeour actually wants to get rid of all of you. By the way, he asked me to tell you that there's still hope as long as you're alive."
"No need to think about it. I agree to pay the fine." Lucius Malfoy interrupted before Fudge could leave. "Will we be sentenced to life imprisonment?"
"Yes."
"This new Minister is truly extraordinary!" Lucius exclaimed.
"You..." Crabbe turned to glare at Malfoy.
"Just agree to it. There's still hope if we're alive," Malfoy said without looking at his companions. Instead, he asked Fudge, "What should we do next?"
"Write a letter to your family and have them pay the fine." Fudge was pleased with Malfoy's willingness to cooperate, as it meant that the task assigned to him by Scrimgeour was successfully accomplished.
After convincing the three prisoners, Fudge called the Aurors outside to temporarily detain them within the Ministry of Magic, awaiting their trial in two days.
During this period, if the Ministry did not receive the money, the three prisoners would not be eligible for the trial.
After completing his task, Fudge headed straight for Scrimgeour's office.
Although Scrimgeour had been elected as the new Minister with an overwhelming majority, his term would not start until the next morning, so he was not using the Minister's office yet.
"How did it go?" Scrimgeour asked.
"They've agreed to accept the fines," Fudge replied with a nod.
"Fines?"
Piers Thicknesse looked at Scrimgeour in confusion. He was the person Scrimgeour had in mind for the next Magical Law Enforcement Patrol.
"Give those three lucky fellows a chance to live," Scrimgeour explained calmly. "You know, the employees of the Ministry of Magic are feeling insecure about the current situation. We need to provide them with some assurance, and this requires a substantial amount of galleons."
"Assurance? What kind of assurance?"
"The Dark Magic defense equipment used by the Aurors is quite effective. Our employees also need some protection, and this requires a large sum of galleons. Fortunately, these prisoners are quite wealthy, so I'm giving them the option to buy their way into a life sentence," Scrimgeour elaborated.
Thicknesse's face twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything further.
After all, Scrimgeour was extorting money from Death Eaters, and he intended to use the funds to benefit the employees of the Ministry of Magic. While such an act was unprecedented, they were in a time of war, and the enemy deserved no sympathy.
"You now have two tasks," Scrimgeour said coldly. "First, use Veritaserum to swiftly interrogate the captured Dark Wizards and determine if they are under the Imperius Curse."
Thicknesse could clearly sense the killing intent emanating from the new Minister. He stiffly asked, "And if they are under the Imperius Curse?"
"The Dark Wizards controlled by the Imperius Curse will spend a considerable amount of time in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. We will set up a prison there to hold these patients until they fully recover and can be released," Scrimgeour replied without hesitation. "Don't worry about using Veritaserum. At least we're giving them a chance and reducing the number of innocent deaths."
"Also, you need to minimize the number of Dark Wizards. Those who are guilty of heinous crimes must be sentenced to death instead of being sent to Azkaban," Scrimgeour emphasized once again. "It's best to execute them on the spot and not give them any opportunity to escape."
"But won't this..."
"Be too cruel? No, if anyone has objections, we can arrange for them to talk to the families of the victims killed by these Dark Wizards. Let them understand the pain and suffering caused by these criminals," Scrimgeour said, looking directly into Thicknesse's eyes. "Remember, it's not our job to forgive them. Our duty is to send them to face the people they have wrongfully murdered. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Thicknesse replied, swallowing hard.
"More importantly, our prisons are not secure. There have been several breakouts from Azkaban," Scrimgeour stated bluntly. "Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the number of Dark Wizards to prevent them from being released and causing harm to others."
"What about the Death Eaters?" Thicknesse asked.
"Those Death Eater scumbags... I doubt they would fare well even if they escape. The mysterious man is not known for his mercy," Scrimgeour scoffed. "And if they attempt another breakout, I will order the Aurors to kill them on sight."
Piers Thicknesse stiffly nodded in agreement.
"By the way, there's one more thing you need to pay attention to," Scrimgeour suddenly added.
"What is it?"
"Your safety."
"My safety?"
"Yes, the mysterious man aims to dismantle the Ministry of Magic, and he will undoubtedly try to assassinate or control high-ranking officials within the Ministry. We need to ensure that the upper echelons are not under the influence of the Imperius Curse," Scrimgeour continued. "Moving forward, we need to enact a wartime law."
At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.
Arthur Weasley pushed open the door and entered, looking surprised to see the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic gathered there.
"Arthur, you will be transferred to the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects as the director, effective tomorrow," Scrimgeour announced without preamble. "Recently, the mysterious man has caused widespread fear, and there are all sorts of strange things being sold in Diagon Alley. I don't want to see any of those items. Additionally, the Ministry of Magic will be purchasing a large quantity of Dark Magic defense items, and I need you to communicate with the shop owners to get us a favorable internal price and coordinate with the Aurors to confiscate the finished products. Of course, we will be placing a large order, and it would be ideal if they could develop something specifically tailored to our needs."
Arthur Weasley was stunned as he accepted the transfer documents from Scrimgeour.
The reason for his astonishment was that the Dark Magic defense items were manufactured by Fred and George's shop.
"Next, you have an urgent task. Go with Kingsley and the Minister's assistant, Percy Weasley, to find Harry Potter and persuade him to support the Ministry of Magic's subsequent policies regarding the Death Eaters and Dark Wizards," Scrimgeour instructed. "As for Dumbledore, I will personally discuss this matter with him."
(To be continued after revisions) To be honest, I originally intended to write about the wedding, but after trying for two days and not being satisfied with the result, I decided to delete it and rewrite this chapter. I feel that taking frequent breaks might also lead to criticism.
In this chapter, Fudge is completely outmaneuvered by Scrimgeour, who is not a suitable candidate for the Minister's position and will not be able to turn the tide of the current situation.
(End of Chapter)
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