Chapter 461: Fudge's Concerns
Chapter 461: Fudge's Concerns
Over the next half-hour, the private box they were in gradually filled up.
Mr. Weasley was constantly shaking hands with people who were obviously important witches and wizards, and Percy stood up again and again as if a row of porcupine quills had suddenly grown on his chair.
The last to enter was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic. Everyone stood up to greet him, but Fudge made an unexpected move.
He strode towards the front row as if he had seen an old friend, his hand outstretched from a distance.
Percy was ecstatic.
The adults were all on the other side, leaving only a few children here.
Bill and Charlie were abroad, and the others were still studying at Hogwarts, so he was the only one working at the Ministry of Magic.
Could it be...?
Percy's heart began to pound, and he subconsciously bowed and extended his hand.
Bending over too far, his glasses fell to the ground.
However, the next second, Fudge walked by as if he didn't exist, as if he were an inconspicuous sculpture or a telephone booth on the side of the road, without even a glance.
"Oh, Kyle, I'm so glad to see you here."
Fudge casually put his hand on Kyle's shoulder and patted him vigorously, his attitude much warmer than towards the others.
"How are your holidays going?" he asked kindly.
"Great," Kyle replied with a nod. "I'm really looking forward to the Quidditch World Cup."
"Yes, I specifically kept a ticket for you, but I didn't expect Arthur to beat me to it." He joked, glancing at Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley didn't know what to say either, and could only pull the corners of his mouth stiffly.
When he went to Ludo Bagman for tickets, he had mentioned Kyle's name, but the other party had never mentioned this.
"But speaking of which," Fudge continued, "I've been waiting for Albus' owl during the holidays, but you didn't write me a single letter.
Do you know what he's been up to lately? And that potion... I think you know what I'm talking about, the one that can turn that rat back, right?"
Potion?
Kyle soon thought of the Polyjuice Potion, which could restore Peter Pettigrew's Animagus transformation.
No wonder he was so enthusiastic.
With this Quidditch World Cup, Crouch's reputation had risen even further internationally, and it was likely that this had made Fudge feel a sense of crisis.
"Rest assured, Mr. Minister," Kyle said with a smile after figuring this out. "As far as I know, the Polyjuice Potion was brewed a month ago. There was a whole cauldron of it, all used on that rat, so there should be no problem."
"Then I can rest easy. Albus has never made a mistake." Fudge said, and then he frowned, "You should have contacted me. I think I mentioned before that in this matter, I personally will represent the Ministry of Magic and do my best to help you."
"Perhaps Professor Dumbledore didn't want to trouble you," Kyle said, "Organizing a game for ten thousand witches and wizards is no easy task."
"Albus, really," Fudge pretended to be displeased, "Although there have been quite a few things lately, I've always kept time for him. I even turned down several important meetings waiting for his owl."
"Meetings? Shouldn't they be banquets?" Kyle thought to himself, but on the surface, he remained calm and joined Fudge in condemning Dumbledore's thoughtlessness.
This made Fudge look even happier.
Then he introduced Kyle to the Bulgarian Minister for Magic next to him, who was wearing a gorgeous gold-trimmed velvet robe, but he didn't seem to understand a word Fudge was saying.
He immediately excitedly pointed to the scar, his mouth babbling excitedly.
"Oh yes, Harry Potter..." Fudge walked over and shook Harry's hand like a kind father, "You must know, he's the boy who escaped from the Mysterious Man."
The Bulgarian Minister of Magic said something again.
But not a single person present could understand, and Harry was completely bewildered, he didn't even know how he had been dragged over.
"I'm not very good with languages," Fudge said quietly to Harry and Kyle, "In situations like this, we usually rely on Barty Crouch. Ah, but he's not here right now, though I see his house-elf has saved him a seat, how thoughtful... Ah, here comes Lucius."
Three more people entered the box. Lucius Malfoy, Draco, and a woman.
"Ah, Minister Fudge," Lucius said, extending his hand, "Allow me to introduce my wife, Narcissa, and our son, Draco."
"Pleasure to meet you," Fudge said with a smile, nodding to Mrs. Malfoy and introducing them to the Bulgarian Minister as well.
But due to the language barrier, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
However, at that moment, Malfoy's gaze fell on Mr. Weasley standing to the side.
"My goodness, Arthur," he said quietly, as if witnessing something unbelievable, "What did you sell to get these top-tier box seats? Your possessions can't be worth that much, right?"
"I almost forgot you two were old acquaintances," Fudge said with a laugh, "Lucius here has recently made a generous donation to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's my esteemed guest."
"Oh... wonderful," Mr. Weasley managed a strained smile.
Lucius' gaze then shifted to Hermione, and he murmured something to the woman beside him.
Narcissa Malfoy immediately wore a look of disgust, as if she had caught a whiff of something foul.
She had reacted similarly upon seeing Scabbers, as if in her eyes, Hermione, a Muggle-born, was on the same level as a house-elf.
However, under the watchful eye of the Minister of Magic, they dared not say anything offensive and proceeded to their seats in silence.
Draco wanted to come over and greet Kyle, but Narcissa stopped him, and Lucius did not intervene.
"Disgusting people," Ron muttered. He, Harry, and Hermione turned their attention back to the pitch, using the newly purchased Omnioculars to survey the crowd on the opposite side of the stadium.
Then, Ludo Bagman burst into the box.
"Is everyone ready?" he said, his round face shining like a giant block of cheese, "Minister... shall we begin?"
"You may start whenever you're ready, Ludo," Fudge said amiably, "I'm eagerly anticipating a thrilling match."
"It won't disappoint."
Ludo drew out his wand, pointed it at his throat, and said, "Sonorous." Then his voice boomed like thunder, reverberating throughout the packed stadium.
In an instant, all that could be heard was his voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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