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Chapter 439: Ivan: Fudge! How dare you defame someone without evidence?!
Chapter 439: Ivan: Fudge! How dare you defame someone without evidence?!
The arrival of the Ministry of Magic was much faster than Ivan had anticipated. He had just finished breakfast when Fudge arrived shortly after.
Considering the time, the Ministry should have just started their workday. The fact that the current Minister rushed over so quickly showed how seriously the Ministry took this matter.
Ivan shook his head and sighed inwardly. If they had this efficiency for other things, they wouldn't be in this mess today.
"Is something the matter, Ivan?" Hermione also heard Fawkes' cry and recognized that the Phoenix flying towards them belonged to Dumbledore.
Sirius, Harry, and Ron stopped their conversation and looked at Ivan.
"No, nothing much. Professor Dumbledore needs to see me. It seems the Ministry couldn't wait and sent someone early!"
Ivan stood up, extended his hand, and Fawkes landed on his arm as it flew in through the window.
Then, Ivan looked at Sirius and said to them.
"Also, I think it's best to postpone your celebration until after the trial. Before the trial, Sirius' suspicion hasn't been completely cleared. It's best not to leave the school to avoid giving anyone a reason to attack Professor Dumbledore."
Hearing this, Harry and the others, who had been excited, immediately deflated.
Sirius also realized this. In his excitement, he had forgotten his status as an escaped convict. If he went out in public, it could cause a commotion.
Seeing that they understood the necessity of staying at Hogwarts, Ivan didn't say anything more and walked out of the Great Hall, finding a secluded spot to transform into Dumbledore's appearance.
"Hmm, not bad! I shouldn't be exposed, right?"
Once the transformation stabilized, Ivan used Transfiguration to create a full-length mirror and carefully examined himself.
After all, he was about to meet the Minister of Magic, Fudge. This was different from fooling the Professors at school. If he were to be exposed this time, it would be disastrous.
To match Dumbledore's taste, Ivan even put on a flamboyant purple robe, making himself look more like the old headmaster.
"What do you think, Fawkes?" Ivan tilted his head to look at the Phoenix with golden-red feathers on his shoulder.
Fawkes stared at the mirror for a moment, then nodded. From the outside, it couldn't detect any flaws.
Ivan was finally at ease. However, as he stepped out of the Castle's entrance, he saw Minister Fudge leading a group of Aurors approaching with a fierce demeanor.
Ivan's brow furrowed, realizing that Fudge's intentions were not friendly. But he quickly adjusted his expression and walked forward to greet them.
"Cornelius, it's been a long time!" Ivan pretended not to notice their hostile expressions and greeted them warmly.
Fudge, however, showed no appreciation. He strode up to Ivan in three quick steps, his eyes filled with unbridled anger. He leaned in and asked in a stern voice.
"Albus, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Of course, I'm doing what needs to be done, like finding the culprit behind this disturbance", Ivan said with a raised eyebrow, acting nonchalant.
"That's the job of the Ministry's Aurors!" Fudge interrupted him angrily.
"Don't say that, Cornelius! This incident also threatens the safety of all the students. As the headmaster of Hogwarts, how can I turn a blind eye? Moreover, I am more than willing to contribute to the wizarding world by doing my small part", Ivan said calmly, looking at him and explaining.
"That you should have discussed it with me first instead of going behind my back and doing those little tricks", Fudge said angrily.
Fudge was well aware that today's Daily Prophet articles were definitely related to Dumbledore. Otherwise, how could they dare to publish such things without his approval?
"How could I have forgotten you, old friend? In fact, I had already sent an Owl with my personal letter to explain everything to you", Ivan said in a gentle tone.
"Where is your Owl? I haven't seen it!" Fudge questioned, seemingly at the end of his patience, the string in his mind about to snap at any moment.
He had received hundreds of Letters questioning the truth of the Daily Prophet's content as soon as he arrived at the Ministry of Magic this morning. Among them were a large number of screaming Letters, severely disrupting the normal operations of the Ministry!
Fudge was even forced to dispatch specialists to intercept the Owls attempting to rush into the Ministry and select the important Letters to be delivered to his office.
But there was no letter from Dumbledore among them!
Moreover, the latest issue of the Daily Prophet almost drove him to the brink of fury, which was why he hastily abandoned all his work and rushed here with the Aurors!
In response to Fudge's questioning, Ivan regretfully said, "Perhaps Hogwarts is too far from the Ministry of Magic, and the Owl I sent needed some time to fly. If you hadn't come to find me now, you might have been reading that letter by now."
The always cautious Ivan would not give Fudge an excuse to target him, so he really did send a letter to the Ministry!
However, the Owl responsible for delivering the letter had only just left Hogwarts ten minutes ago.
Listening to Ivan's words, Fudge was directly amused to the point of laughter. Who in the magical world didn't know that Dumbledore had a Phoenix, which could deliver important messages in an instant?
Even if using an Owl to send a letter, it was impossible for it to take an entire night to arrive. It was clear that Ivan was deliberately trying to undermine him!
Thinking of this, Fudge discarded his previous reservations and said with a cold laugh, "I heard from the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Prophet that you threatened them to publish these messages?"
"Is that what he told you? We had a very pleasant conversation", Ivan widened his eyes, looking at Fudge in surprise, and continued, "The Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Prophet told me that he was very willing to let everyone know the truth."
Ivan was very dissatisfied with Fudge's previous statement. A pleasant conversation had somehow turned into coercion and manipulation in Fudge's mouth. How could he defame his good name like that?
(PS: Some readers are confused about Fudge's behavior. Let me explain it this way. Imagine a scenario where a British hero is mistakenly identified as a spy for the Crusaders and tortured for over a decade. The real spy, who faked his death, is hailed as a hero. Now, the spy is captured by agents, and it is discovered that the initial judgment was a mistake. Would the government choose to execute the hero to cover up everything, or would they choose to reveal the truth?
History has repeatedly shown that Western politicians always try their best to hide the truth, and only consider passing the blame when they can no longer keep it hidden.)
(End of Chapter)
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