Chapter 439: Cornelius Fudge
Chapter 439: Cornelius Fudge
"This is appalling... truly appalling, Albus. You failed to mention any of this to me before I arrived."
"Believe me, Cornelius, I didn't know much more than you until very recently,"
Kyle, standing at the door, heard the conversation between the two and raised his hand to knock on the oak door of the headmaster's office.
The door soon opened.
Inside the office, Cornelius Fudge sat across from Dumbledore, his expression tense...
Two days before the holiday break, Dumbledore and Sirius finally returned. Without Kyle having to prompt him, Dumbledore wrote a letter to the Ministry of Magic, using any excuse to lure Fudge to Hogwarts.
Kyle had assumed that Dumbledore would handle the rest on his own, but just as he was about to leave, Professor McGonagall came to inform him that the headmaster was looking for him.
As Fudge frowned at the sight of Kyle standing at the door, he asked, "Dumbledore, who is this?"
"Kyle was the first to notice something amiss with that rat," Dumbledore explained with a smile. "So, I invited him as well. If there are any details I might have overlooked, he can clarify them for you."
"Oh, wonderful..." Fudge said absentmindedly.
Kyle noticed that the Pensieve, usually kept in the cabinet, had been taken out. It was clear that the two had already viewed Peter Pettigrew's memories before his arrival.
"Albus, you've presented me with quite the dilemma..."
Fudge glanced at Kyle and hesitated before continuing, "Peter Pettigrew is a recipient of the Merlin First Class Honor. And we've held Sirius Black captive for a year... If we reveal now that we've mistaken their identities, I'll be inundated with Howlers."
"Being the Minister of Magic is no easy task; I have countless matters to attend to daily," Fudge said as he fiddled with his bowler hat. "Is there any possibility that the rat's memory is fake...? And as you mentioned, it can't be transformed back, so no one can prove that it's an illegal Animagus... right?"
"You're absolutely right, Cornelius," Dumbledore sighed in agreement. "It consumed too many Mandrake leaves, making this a challenging issue to resolve. I imagine you may not be able to do much about it either.
It's a shame about Sirius, though. Not only was he imprisoned for twelve years for no reason, but he also had to endure constant pursuit by the Dementors."
Fudge lifted his head, looking somewhat surprised.
He had expected Dumbledore to argue with him, and he had even prepared excuses to deflect the blame. But now, the situation had taken an unexpected turn, and from Dumbledore's implications, it seemed he didn't intend to pursue the matter further.
"Well..." Fudge maintained a calm expression. "I've given it some thought, and I believe you were right before. It's not suitable to have Dementors so close to Hogwarts... When I return, I'll have them removed."
"In that case, thank you, Cornelius," Dumbledore said as he stood up, subtly winking at Kyle.
Following Dumbledore's lead, Kyle also stood and cleared his throat. In a soft yet audible voice, he said, "It's such a shame. If you had been the Minister twelve years ago, I believe such a mistake would never have occurred."
Fudge's expression froze.
Kyle's words had suddenly reminded him of something crucial.
Indeed, twelve years ago, he hadn't been the one to issue the order for Sirius Black's arrest, nor had he been involved in the matter at all.
Fudge's mind raced with thoughts, but his expression remained unchanged.
"You two must have planned this," he said, directing an annoyed glance at Dumbledore. "And I suspect this was your idea."
"I apologize, Cornelius, but I don't follow your meaning," Dumbledore feigned surprise. "What have we done?"
"Don't play innocent, you crafty old wizard," Fudge said with a smile. "You put those words in Kyle's mouth, didn't you? He appears to be complimenting me, but in reality, it's to persuade me to reconsider Black's case."
Dumbledore's expression became even more peculiar.
Kyle, acting as if he hadn't heard, or perhaps agreeing, said, "Minister, that's not what I meant... I truly believe you're a fine Minister."
"Well, I must admit that I fell for it," Fudge said as he sat back down and placed his hat beside him.
"The case of Black was indeed a failure on the part of the Ministry, and as the current Minister, I have a responsibility to rectify this mistake."
"So, Cornelius, you agree to reopen the case?" Dumbledore asked.
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Fudge said. "But before that, we must find Black first..."
Before he finished his sentence, a ragged-looking man stepped out from a corner of the headmaster's office.
It was Sirius Black.
Fudge instinctively jumped up from his chair, about to call for help, but he quickly composed himself. His hand, which had reached for his wand, subtly changed course, unbuttoning a collar as he gave Dumbledore a strange look that seemed to say... You've even found the man, and you expect me not to realize it was your doing?
Dumbledore didn't refute this implication, merely saying:
"I found him while he was dealing with two Death Eaters..."
"Wait a moment." Fudge interrupted. "Did Black take someone else's wand?"
"It's precisely because he didn't..." Dumbledore said, "that the situation was so dangerous. Fortunately, he managed it nonetheless..."
Black dragged out two unconscious people from the corner, their faces bruised and discolored, clearly knocked out.
Fudge examined them closely.
There were no Dark Marks on their wrists, so they were probably not important figures. However, since Dumbledore was here, they were undoubtedly Death Eaters. Later, the Aurors could identify them.
"Since Black can't exactly move about freely right now..." Dumbledore said, "Cornelius, when you leave, could you help take these two back to the Ministry? This is also Black's wish."
"Take them back myself?" Fudge's eyes lit up. "Oh, of course, no problem. It's the least I can do."
He looked quite pleased. "Despite evading the Dementors, he still didn't forget to strike against Death Eaters. I'm starting to believe he truly was wronged."
"Whether he was wronged or not still needs to be investigated," Dumbledore said. "For now, I'll look after him. How does that sound?"
"That's perfect." Fudge said. "But how are we going to investigate...?"
He looked at the cage on the table. "Wizenagamot won't believe the memory of a rat, and that's something I can't change, even as the Minister of Magic.
Moreover, without seeing Peter Pettigrew in person, it's useless even if Black volunteers to take Veritaserum."
"Rest assured on that front." Dumbledore said, "We've found a way to restore Peter, but it will take some time."
"That's fine." Fudge glanced at the two bound Death Eaters. "If there's anything the Ministry can do to help, just say the word... As I said before, this was the Ministry's mistake in the first place, and I'm willing to make amends."
Dumbledore slightly raised his head... From what Fudge was implying, it seemed he had already decided that Black was wronged.
...
(End of Chapter)
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