Chapter 603: Go Be a Minister, Professor
Chapter 603: Go Be a Minister, Professor
The meeting lasted for a long time, and it wasn't until the evening that everyone finally left the Pig's Head Pub with heavy steps.
The sky gradually turned a deep azure, and only Kyle and Dumbledore remained in the pub.
The owner, who had been cleaning glasses behind the counter all this time, finally spoke up for the first time that day, "You should leave too, Dumbledore."
"For the sake of a large sum of Galleons, Aberforth, can you let me stay a little longer?" Dumbledore said, his voice revealing a hint of fatigue.
Aberforth frowned and showed a look of disgust, but he didn't force them to leave.
"Isn't it strange?" Dumbledore said to Kyle, "Yes, you heard right, Aberforth, he is my..."
"Dumbledore!" A cold voice interrupted, "If you continue, you will never set foot in my pub again."
Dumbledore wisely closed his mouth and changed the subject, "Kyle, do you know why I asked you to come?"
Kyle looked at Dumbledore and then at the owner standing beside him, whose face was gloomy.
He naturally knew the relationship between the two.
...Aberforth Dumbledore, the man with the most influence in Hogsmeade.
However, since they didn't want to talk about it, he pretended not to know and followed Dumbledore's lead, "To tell them the truth about Voldemort's resurrection?"
"That's just one aspect," Dumbledore said calmly, his face expressionless, "The members of the Order of the Phoenix who came here today are all trustworthy people. When the war breaks out, they will stand firmly on our side.
"I believe you should know who they are."
Kyle frowned, feeling that Dumbledore was a bit off today.
To be honest, Kyle didn't think this was necessary, as maintaining contact with them was something Dumbledore should do himself.
Moreover, Dumbledore's sudden mention of Aberforth's name was a bit strange, as if he was deliberately revealing their relationship.
Aberforth, who was not far away, also noticed this. He couldn't help but put down the glass in his hand and asked in a tone of disgust, "What's your plan now?"
"No, not at all," Dumbledore denied, "But so far, I have no plans."
"Really?" Aberforth sneered, clearly not believing him, "I thought you could control everything, ha, the great Dumbledore."
Dumbledore's tone rose slightly, "In fact, I'm not as perfect as you think. This is something I've recently discovered. At certain times, this child's ideas are more insightful than mine)."
"So I think he needs to know these things, that's all."
Aberforth subconsciously glanced at Kyle, and this was the first time he heard Dumbledore speak so highly of someone.
However, he didn't say anything.
After all, it had nothing to do with him. He was just providing a venue, nothing more, and he was charging for it.
"Then let's calculate the fee," Aberforth said in a businesslike manner, "Your people ordered twelve bottles of cherry soda, eighteen bottles of pumpkin juice, nine pints of butterbeer, and various other things. That's 500 Galleons. Pay up."
Kyle's mouth twitched.
Wow, 500 Galleons? How did he calculate that? If it were at the Three Broomsticks, the drinks he just mentioned would cost at most 50 Galleons together.
How did it suddenly become ten times more here? This is too much, even more than what Fred and George charge.
The items they sold to Ron were at most doubled in price.
"Oh, that's a bargain," Dumbledore thought and immediately placed a bag of gold coins on the counter.
After Aberforth took the money, his expression finally improved a bit, and he once again became the silent owner from before, ignoring Dumbledore's constant chatter.
Kyle looked at them, especially Dumbledore, who seemed to have become a chatterbox, and felt that he wasn't telling the whole truth.
At that moment, he suddenly thought of something.
The Time Turner... Was Nicole's Philosopher's Stone almost complete, or was it already finished?
Thinking of this, Kyle couldn't help but frown... The Time Turner undoubtedly held great appeal to Dumbledore, but it was also extremely dangerous for the user.
Harry was considering the possibility, but at that moment, Dumbledore approached.
"Well, it's time for us to go back," he said. "What were you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Harry quickly shook his head and made up an excuse, "I just felt that during the meeting, everyone seemed to overlook a very important point."
"What is it?" Dumbledore asked, stopping in his tracks.
Although this was a plan that Harry had been preparing for over a month, he still valued Harry's opinion.
"The Ministry of Magic," Harry said. "Everyone seemed to overlook this."
"The Ministry of Magic?" Dumbledore repeated softly.
"Yes," Harry said. "We and Fudge have basically torn each other apart. He's also been crazy to denounce anyone who believes in Voldemort's resurrection, especially you, Professor..."
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgment, "I did have a big argument with him."
"That's the problem," Harry continued. "If left unattended, the Ministry of Magic is likely to drag us down. We can't fight Voldemort on one side and deal with the Ministry's obstacles on the other, it's too time-consuming."
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore said, "I'll handle this. I'll go talk to Cornelius."
"Forgive my frankness, Professor," Harry said bluntly, "Fudge was initially worried about his position being threatened, so he ran to Hogwarts twice a day to gain more support.
"But now, two years later, especially after Bartemius Crouch was transferred to the irrelevant Magical Transportation Authority, no one can threaten his position anymore.
"So, if you still want to deal with Fudge as you did before, you may be disappointed."
"Ha..." Abeforth, not far away, let out a mocking laugh, "Such a simple matter, and the great Dumbledore still needs a child to remind him."
But Dumbledore ignored him and looked at Harry, asking, "Tell me your thoughts."
"It's simple," Harry shrugged. "Fudge's attitude is the most critical point. It would be best if he listened, even if he just didn't cause trouble. If not... I think replacing the Minister is also an option."
"No..." Dumbledore blurted out, "Suddenly changing the Minister of Magic will cause unnecessary panic, which is exactly what Voldemort wants to see. We can't do that."
"But it's still better than him constantly causing trouble behind our backs," Harry continued. "While we prepare to confront the Death Eaters in the front, the Ministry of Magic, which should be our support, keeps sabotaging us and inciting more people to denounce us. This is what Voldemort truly wants to see."
"No, it's still not an option," Dumbledore insisted. "I know that the events of the past few days have made you think this way, but Fudge is still the Minister of Magic. He can't be allowed to fail.
"If we really did that, getting rid of Fudge for our convenience, what's the difference between us and Voldemort's Death Eaters)?"
"A senile fool," Abeforth laughed again, his scorn even more apparent, "It seems you've really aged, and your mind is even less clear than a child's."
Dumbledore still didn't pay him any attention and looked at Harry intently.
"Promise me you won't have such thoughts again."
"Well, okay," Harry said nonchalantly. "Actually, it's not impossible to not replace the Minister of Magic. I have another way that might change Fudge's attitude."
"How?" Dumbledore asked with interest.
"Before that, I must say this," Harry said. "This method may slightly affect your reputation, Professor. I still recommend replacing the Minister of Magic."
"No, it's fine," Dumbledore insisted. "You go ahead and say it. As long as you're not thinking of getting rid of Fudge, I'll fully cooperate with you."
"Okay," Harry looked at him and said slowly, "Go compete for the Minister position, Professor."
"What?" Dumbledore was momentarily speechless.
"Of course, I'm not actually going to be the Minister of Magic," Harry explained. "I'm just suggesting that we send a small signal to the outside world."
(End of Chapter)
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