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Chapter 441: The Resolute Fudge
Chapter 441: The Resolute Fudge
Including Fudge, no one doubted the authenticity of the Dark Mark, as just looking at it sent chills down their spines.
"I don't think I need to explain any further, do I?" Ivan asked.
"Well, things are pretty clear now", Fudge said reluctantly, then turned to the Aurors and continued, "Take him and Black, we're heading back to the Ministry of Magic!"
Several Aurors nodded and roughly pulled the unconscious Peter Pettigrew to his feet, untying the ropes that bound him.
Dazed and confused, Peter Pettigrew woke up from the Stunning Spell. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw two Aurors menacingly handcuffing him and dragging him away.
"Wait, Cornelius! Are you planning to take them both back to the Ministry of Magic?" Ivan suddenly interjected.
"Of course, they will be held in a special prison until the trial!" Fudge replied.
"That won't do!" Ivan shook his head.
If Peter and Black were taken back to the Ministry of Magic, he would lose all control over them.
More importantly, Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban had caused the Ministry of Magic a lot of trouble. Who knew if Fudge might be angry enough to use private punishment.
Even though the possibility was small, Ivan had no trust in the Ministry of Magic and preferred to keep the situation under his own control.
"Detaining criminals is the duty of the Aurors, Albus! Do you intend to obstruct our law enforcement?" Fudge narrowed his eyes, his words tinged with disbelief and a hint of anticipation.
Fudge was waiting for "Dumbledore's" response. If the other party nodded, he would have a reason to arrest "Dumbledore."
"Of course not! I just want to remind you, Cornelius! The trial of Peter is of great interest to the entire magical community, so it's best if nothing goes wrong", Ivan said in a gentle tone, then continued, "In fact, I have some doubts about the Ministry of Magic's ability to supervise prisoners. Even a place like Azkaban is not entirely secure. Therefore, I suggest that the detention location be changed to the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts, or that the Wizengamot members supervise the enforcement."
"Furthermore, this is not just my opinion, but the result of discussions between me and the Wizengamot members, to prevent any unforeseen incidents before the trial", Ivan emphasized.
As an impostor, Ivan did not dare to confront Fudge head-on. If a fight broke out, he would definitely be exposed, and even with the Elder Wand, he would not be a match for so many Aurors.
So he could only leverage his influence to pressure Fudge, hoping to change the detention location to Hogwarts or allow him to send people to supervise the Aurors' enforcement.
However, Fudge was very resolute, and he refused without hesitation.
He did not care about Ivan's thoughts. In his view, this was a blatant challenge to his authority, and the Wizengamot's "suggestions" could not impose any real restrictions on him.
Facing such a stubborn Fudge, Ivan finally understood the frustration Dumbledore had in the original timeline. The advantage of being the Minister of Magic was too significant.
Unless he was willing to isolate himself from the magical community, there was nothing he could do to Fudge under normal circumstances.
Playing politics was not Ivan's strong suit, and he suddenly realized he had underestimated Fudge. Removing him from power would not be easy, and this matter would require careful planning.
With that thought, Ivan changed his tone and said warmly,
"You’ve misunderstood me, Cornelius! We are not enemies, are we? My previous suggestion was merely to add an extra layer of insurance. You wouldn’t want people to know that the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic worked so hard only to do some clean-up work, would you?"
Although Fudge was angry at Ivan's repeated challenges to his authority, he understood the implications in Ivan’s words.
As a competent politician, Fudge quickly set aside his personal feelings and began to weigh the pros and cons.
The problems he faced were essentially two-fold. The first was that the Ministry of Magic had wrongfully arrested someone and even awarded the real culprit, Peter, the Order of Merlin as a war hero.
This would have a significant impact, damaging the Ministry’s credibility. However, it wasn’t a personal issue for him, as it was a problem from the previous Minister, which wouldn’t affect his position.
The most critical issue was that the Daily Prophet had already reported the matter, making it widely known and impossible to hide. The only thing he could do was to shift the blame to his predecessor, with limited options for damage control.
The second issue was Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban. The Ministry had expended a great deal of effort in the search, even surrounding Hogwarts with Dementors.
Despite all this, the results were far from satisfactory, and there were even scandals involving Dementor attacks on students and Ministry representatives!
He only learned about the overturning of Sirius Black’s case this morning.
Compared to the first issue, this one was more closely related to him. If mishandled, he could be labeled as incompetent.
If Dumbledore was willing to cooperate and prove that the Ministry’s Aurors had indeed worked hard during the investigation, rather than just going through the motions, then the matter could likely be glossed over.
After a brief moment of thought, Fudge finally began to relent, indicating that moving Peter and Sirius to Hogwarts for detention was not out of the question.
The two, each harboring their own thoughts, put aside their previous confrontational stance and maintained a surface-level cordiality. They led Sirius and Peter to the observatory while continuing their verbal negotiations.
Fudge very much hoped that Ivan would completely deny the Ministry’s scandals, including the Dementor attacks.
Ivan, of course, refused in a righteous manner. He wouldn’t help the Ministry deceive the public unless Fudge agreed to jointly nominate Ivan Hals for a First-Class Order of Merlin.
Since he had to make some concessions, Ivan reluctantly abandoned his earlier plan to confront the Ministry and instead focused on securing his own benefits, hoping to earn some legendary points.
“Ivan Hals?” Fudge murmured, feeling that the name seemed familiar. He looked at Dumbledore suspiciously, not quite understanding why Dumbledore was doing this.
“I thought you would remember him. After all, such an outstanding young wizard is rare,” Ivan said regretfully, then continued.
“He was the one who discovered Peter’s abnormal behavior, so I believe this is the honor he deserves.”
“Is he the young wizard who developed the Wolfsbane Potion? I knew he would bring more surprises when I met him last time,” Fudge recalled, praising him aloud.
In his heart, however, Fudge cursed. It was that damned boy!
If not for his actions, Fudge wouldn’t be in such a difficult position now.
(End of Chapter)
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