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Chapter 969: Dumbledore's Counterattack
Chapter 969: Dumbledore's Counterattack
Since Fudge became the Minister of Magic, he had never been as angry as he was now, and it wasn't because the Defense Guide magazine predicted that he would be ousted by the public next year, but because someone was trying to push him to the brink through this publication.
Had Voldemort truly returned?
Fudge really didn't want to discuss this question with anyone because the result had to be that "Voldemort's return" was a lie.
This was politically correct.
After venting his anger outside, Fudge slammed the door of the Minister's office shut.
He angrily crumpled the Defense Guide in his hand and threw it on the ground. After stomping on it a few times, he still didn't feel relieved, so he picked up the magazine and tore it to shreds.
What nonsense was this about a large-scale breakout from Azkaban, and Cornelius Fudge being ousted by the public next year?
"Damn Dumbledore, damn it all!"
Fudge never would have thought that Dumbledore would counter-attack in such a way.
He was clear that if the news of "Voldemort's return" was true, then this magazine in front of him would push him into a desperate situation. Especially if some of the so-called prophecies on it came true, people would believe everything in the magazine without a doubt.
Could it come true?
Fudge didn't know, but he didn't want to gamble either. If he lost the bet, he would be truly finished. Perhaps he would be ousted by the public just as the magazine had prophesied.
Then, he would be utterly disgraced.
This was all Dumbledore's plot! The Defense Guide magazine run by Sirius Black? Fudge didn't believe this nonsense. If it weren't for Dumbledore pulling the strings behind the scenes, would Sirius Black have the brains to do such a thing?
Without Dumbledore's permission, how dare Sirius Black spread such rumors?
It must be Dumbledore's plot! Just as Fudge was venting his anger, someone knocked on the office door. It was hard to believe that someone would be so insensitive as to disturb their angry superior at this time.
"Just a few months?"
Fudge shouted at Percy, obviously dissatisfied with this outcome.
"Yes, at most a few months." Percy explained in a lowered voice, "Mr. Minister, they are first-time offenders, and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement won't sentence them too harshly. The lightest punishment might just be a fine. However, after the fine, if they commit another offense, we can imprison them in Azkaban in the name of recidivism, and then the entire wizarding world will be rid of them."
"Very well, go and communicate with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Fudge finally agreed with Percy's proposal. Although he very much wanted to throw Black and Lupin into Azkaban, Fudge wasn't so angry that he had lost his mind. He was clear that if this went to court, it would only make him a laughingstock.
"I remember Remus Lupin is a werewolf, right!" Fudge said suddenly as Percy turned to leave.
"Yes, Mr. Minister, Remus Lupin is indeed a werewolf, and he once served as the Professor of Dark Arts Defense at Hogwarts." Percy replied respectfully.
"Send a message to the Daily Prophet and guide them to focus on the werewolf aspect of this incident. Also, remind them that Remus Lupin used to teach at Hogwarts. And... get Dolores Umbridge to come and see me."
"I'll do it now."
Percy quickly left the Minister's office after noting down Fudge's instructions.
"Minister, did you call for me?"
Soon, Umbridge's sharp and thin voice could be heard outside the Minister's office.
"Have you read the Defense Guide magazine?" Fudge asked.
"No, I haven't. But I've heard some rather unpleasant rumors." Umbridge's face was full of fake smiles as she followed Fudge's train of thought, "I heard that this magazine is run by a werewolf named Remus Lupin. Perhaps we should put out a warrant for his arrest. Who knows what those werewolves are up to behind the scenes."
"Remus Lupin used to be a professor at Hogwarts." Fudge hinted.
"Oh dear, that's not good at all." Umbridge said in an exaggerated tone, "If the parents find out, they will surely be very unhappy. No one wants their children to be near a werewolf, it's too dangerous."
"Dumbledore is being utterly irresponsible towards the students. I also heard that he appointed someone with giant blood as the Professor of Magical Creatures. I really don't know what he's thinking." Fudge continued to hint.
Umbridge seemed to have guessed something. Smiling, she said, "The current situation at Hogwarts is indeed unsettling."
"It seems Dumbledore hasn't found a suitable candidate for the position of Professor of Dark Arts Defense. I want you to go to Hogwarts and help restore the declining level of education there." Fudge stated his purpose for calling Umbridge. He knew what kind of person she was, and he was aware that her reputation wasn't very good, but so what? As long as she could complete her tasks excellently, she would be an outstanding subordinate.
Recently, Fudge had realized that there weren't many people he could trust in the Ministry of Magic.
"Oh, of course, I'd be delighted to." Umbridge agreed with a smile, "But Dumbledore may not agree to this."
"I will talk to him about it, and he will agree." Fudge said confidently.
In fact, the Ministry of Magic had wanted to place their own professor at Hogwarts a long time ago, but all attempts had been firmly rejected by Dumbledore.
This was a good opportunity, and he was confident that he could make Dumbledore compromise.
"I won't let you down." Umbridge nodded and left. Of course, she knew what Fudge intended to do, and this was also a good opportunity for her.
Umbridge saw a chance to climb the ladder.
She knew exactly how to please Fudge and how to curry favor with the man in power. Even more so, she knew how to make Fudge believe that she was one of the few people he could trust.
As long as she gained Fudge's trust, she would be well on her way to a higher position in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad.
After all, Umbridge had become the Director of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office before she turned thirty, and her years in that position had surely honed her abilities, means, and insight.
She was also well aware that the Ministry of Magic had long wanted to establish a foothold at Hogwarts.
...
...
At Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
Sirius and Remus sat at a table, discussing the latest news in the Prophet.
Due to the publication of the Defense Guide, they were in trouble and might face hefty fines.
"I knew this would happen." Remus frowned, "Fudge must be furious. I wonder if this will cause any trouble for Dumbledore."
"What does this have to do with Professor Dumbledore?" Ginny asked, puzzled.
"Now, no matter what happens, Fudge will think that Dumbledore is behind it." Remus, don't worry. If we didn't do this, do you think Fudge would stop slandering Dumbledore? No, he wouldn't. If we did nothing, that would be cowardly. We need to make people understand the situation we're in instead of burying our heads in the sand like Fudge. Otherwise, they'll be doomed when danger comes." Sirius read the exaggerated reports in the Prophet with an air of nonchalance, as if he had expected as much.
"Maybe we should try a different approach." Lupin frowned and suggested.
"Don't worry, Remus. This is just a petty trick by the Ministry, a little scare tactic." Sirius brushed it off, not taking the content of the Prophet seriously at all.
"Thousands of galleons? Are you sure they didn't misprint that? Has the Ministry gone completely mad?"
Ron was shocked as he looked at the news about the Defense Guide being banned and the potential hefty fines Sirius and Lupin were facing. He turned to Sirius and said, "As far as I know, fifty galleons is already considered a hefty fine."
"It just says 'may face' here, which means this so-called thousands of galleons in fines is just the Prophet's own wild guess." Hermione took the newspaper, read it carefully, and corrected Ron's mistake.
"Someone once told me that the Ministry is usually lenient with first-time offenders for not-so-serious crimes. At least they won't impose too severe a punishment." Sirius smiled and explained to everyone, "That is to say, even if we are caught now, the most we'll get is a fine of fifty galleons. Don't worry, Remus, I don't lack this little money. If you ever get caught and fined, I can lend you the money to pay it."
"That's not the problem."
"No, that is the problem," Sirius shrugged, seeing everyone's gaze on him, "because we didn't break any laws. Fudge is deliberately targeting us because he's afraid. Our magazine could send him straight to hell."
"Maybe we're being too harsh." Hermione frowned.
"Come on, Hermione, do you need Harry to be locked up in Azkaban to wake up?" Sirius sneered, "Don't misplace your kindness, or you might end up hurting others."
"Sirius." Remus glared at him, displeased.
"I just want her to suffer less in the future. The adult world is cruel, especially when you don't have anyone to protect you."
Hermione remembered that Albert had said something similar, and she had thought he was too naive.
Ignoring the others' gazes, Sirius continued, "This is an unequal political struggle, and political struggles are always cutthroat and bloody. You can't have any illusions about it. If you show mercy to your enemies, you're digging your own grave."
"That's right, it's probably like that. So, Hermione, you guys are really too naive." Fred and George popped up from somewhere, "And Sirius said it's unequal because even if Fudge loses, it won't be too bad for him. Dumbledore will let him off the hook, but Fudge won't. He'll just get more ruthless. Eventually, Dumbledore will be stripped of most of his titles, including his position as headmaster."
Whether it was Hermione, Ron, or Ginny, they were all stunned by this statement.
"Albert's prophecy?" Lupin asked tentatively.
"Yes." George nodded, "Also, the Ministry doesn't actually have that crime on the books. They probably made it up recently, or Rita Skeeter would've been sent to Azkaban a long time ago."
"How do you know all this?" Ron blurted out.
"After spending so much time with Albert, it's hard not to be influenced by him." Fred and George, of course, didn't mention that they were still in contact with Albert.
"By the way, when will the radio station be ready?"
"Radio station?"
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked at each other, unsure what they were up to now.
"Still working on it. I've never dealt with that stuff before." Sirius glanced at his old friend, "You should come and help. It's important; it'll be one of our channels to spread our message."
"Have you set a date yet?" Fred asked again.
"Are you planning to use the radio to spread your message?" Arthur asked as he brought over a bowl of thick soup that Mrs. Weasley had made, having overheard their discussion about the wizarding radio.
"With the Defense Guide being banned, we need a new way to get our message out there.
"You shouldn't have published that prophecy in the magazine. Fudge is furious, and he's even had your publishing house sealed off." Arthur felt that provoking Fudge in such a way would not benefit them.
"It doesn't matter. The rent was about to be up anyway, and there wasn't anything important inside. We had already moved the printing press to another location in advance." Sirius seemed to have anticipated this outcome, and he spoke with a pleased smirk, "Fudge definitely wouldn't allow the magazine to be published, but the more he forbids it, the more it will pique people's curiosity. If the content in the 'Defense Guide' is all false, then why would Fudge want to ban it? There have been plenty of articles speaking ill of Fudge and the Ministry of Magic before, and he hasn't reacted like this."
The group fell silent once more.
"Next, we will privately release the 'Defense Guide' and coordinate with the radio broadcast. We must be able to get our voices heard and not let Fudge monopolize and continue to deceive everyone." Sirius shared his upcoming plans with them, "Believe me, no one wants to become a rat that everyone hates. Even if we can't rally more allies, we must ensure that the majority remain neutral or lean towards our side, especially after certain events occur. They will definitely want to receive useful information instead of the rubbish in the 'Prophet.' "
"So, what will we talk about on the radio broadcast?" Lupin asked, frowning. He seemed temporarily convinced by Sirius' argument. Both Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix needed more support, and they couldn't face the Ministry of Magic and Death Eaters alone, or it would be a disaster.
"We can talk about the Triwizard Tournament and Voldemort's resurrection, as well as some of Fudge's policies, such as sending a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to Hogwarts, or why Barty Crouch was silenced, or how Harry became the fourth champion."
"We'll need to disguise our voices." George reminded them.
"Why?"
"Of course, it's to avoid trouble. Although we're not afraid of it, we should still try to avoid it as much as possible." Fred took out two candies from his pocket and explained, "However, the development of the voice-changing candy hasn't been going smoothly. Do you want to try some?"
"Voice-changing candy?"
Ron eyed the candy in Fred's hand suspiciously.
"Eating one will make your voice hoarse, and the other will make it sharp and high-pitched." George introduced the candies to the pair, "The side effect is that it takes time to recover your normal voice, maybe a day or even longer. We haven't found a solution yet, and we might have to ask Albert for help when we get back to school."
"You two are well prepared." Arthur looked at his sons, then at Sirius and Lupin, feeling that there might be something he didn't know about.
"By the way, what's the name of the radio station? Wizard Watch?"
"Heart-pounding Ten Minutes?" Sirius suggested.
"Why Heart-pounding Ten Minutes?" Ron asked in confusion, and even Lupin looked puzzled, as Sirius often didn't share his plans in advance.
"Because we'll only broadcast for ten minutes, keeping it mysterious, and we'll also set a password to prevent others from listening in."
"What if no one listens?" Arthur frowned, as the purpose of the broadcast was to reach as many people as possible.
"There will always be listeners. You can treat it as gossip, everyone loves hearing gossip, and mysterious gossip is even more intriguing." Sirius wasn't worried about finding an audience, "Kingsley and you both work in the Ministry, so you can provide some interesting news as well, like Fudge flying into a rage today, or analyzing some of the Ministry's actions and the current situation for our listeners. Believe me, some things will come true very soon. When these truths are proven right, people will increasingly believe what we say on the broadcast. When the Dementors break out of Azkaban and the entire wizarding world falls into chaos, I believe all British wizards will want to tune in to our broadcast for information."
"And the Ministry of Magic won't be able to come here and demand that we shut down the broadcast because they won't be able to find our exact location."
Fred and George exchanged glances, sensing the shadow of a certain someone in Sirius' words.
"Have you been in contact with Albert?" Hermione couldn't help but ask. Ever since she heard that Death Eaters were after Albert, she had been worried about his safety.
"No, he's probably hiding. That guy is better at protecting himself than anyone else. I think he's holed up in some house protected by the Fidelius Charm. Even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to find him." Sirius reassured them, "And the Secret-Keeper for the Fidelius Charm isn't Dumbledore, right?"
"No, no one knows who it is. According to Dumbledore, it's safer this way because they can't find the exact location or the Secret-Keeper."
"Do you think he won't go back to Hogwarts?" Ron raised an eyebrow, "Though I guess it doesn't really matter if he does or not."
"He will go back to school. Albert said that this year's Hogwarts will be very interesting." Fred winked, "It might have something to do with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor sent by the Ministry."
"Fudge plans to send someone to Hogwarts?" Arthur looked at his sons in surprise. He hadn't heard any rumors in the Ministry, yet they seemed to know about it in advance.
"Of course, it's Albert we're talking about. Is it strange that he knows?" Fred tilted his head, "And apparently, it's going to be some unpleasant character."
"I think she's rather unfortunate." George said meaningfully, "The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor isn't exactly desirable. Look at what happened to the previous professors. Moody was confined for a whole school year, Lupin almost ended up in Azkaban, Lockhart turned into a gibbering mess, Quirrell died, and Snape went missing. Only Professor Burbage got away unscathed, and even she had to resign and run for it. I wonder what misfortune the Ministry's new appointee will face?"
(End of Chapter)
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