Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 187, Section 186: Fudge's Compromise and the Counterattack

“How long will this take?” Fudge asked.

“It will take at least a few more years,” Harry shook his head and said. “These things can’t be rushed. Power should be in the hands of mature people. I think you, Minister, wouldn’t want to see someone hastily master the power of shamanism and then go out to take revenge on society, would you?”

Fudge remained silent.

"Don't worry, at least for the next few years, the Ministry of Magic will not have to worry about a lack of manpower to deal with cases related to shamans."

“But—okay,” Fudge opened his mouth, but ultimately didn’t say anything.

What he was really worried about wasn't the British magical community at all, but rather that he might not be able to remain in office until the day when shamans appeared in large numbers.

"Let's talk about Sirius... You've made the Ministry of Magic lose face, Professor Potter," Fudge said with a displeased look. "Do you know what it really means for Sirius to be acquitted?"

"Does it mean the Ministry of Magic has made amends for its mistakes, that justice has been served?" Harry said sarcastically. "You've missed the point, Minister. Sirius's release and the clearing of his name were inevitable, and that was not subject to the Ministry of Magic's will."

"What are you saying?!" Fudge said angrily. "In your eyes, does your will supersede the Ministry of Magic? Supersede the entire wizarding community?"

“There’s no need to put yourself on such a high pedestal, Minister,” Harry said calmly. “You and I both know that the Ministry of Magic doesn’t represent all wizards—wizards are different from Muggles. We are too scattered. Muggles cannot live independently from the community, but wizards can.”

"Like a savage?" Fudge's face darkened, but he still scoffed.

"Just like before the Ministry of Magic was established," Harry said meaningfully, ignoring Fudge's sarcasm. "Compared to the history of wizarding, isn't the Ministry of Magic just a relatively new organization that's only been established for a little over two hundred years?"

"Established because of the requirements of the Secrecy Act, in order to uniformly eliminate wizards from the eyes of Muggles, thereby better protecting themselves—"

"The Secret Law exists to protect Muggles!" Fudge growled. "Do you know what you're saying, Professor Potter?!"

“Really?” Harry countered. “In nature, I’ve only ever heard of prey hiding to avoid being found, never of hunters hiding themselves. Perhaps they do hide, but only for the sake of a better hunt. Outside of the hunt, they never hesitate to make their presence felt.”

“Ah ha! A Muggle supremacist?” Fudge laughed, slamming his hand on the table. “Does Dumbledore know you think like this?”

"Is it so hard to accept reality?" Harry tilted his head. "Aren't wizards living in hiding from the Muggles? If you look back at history, didn't the four founders establish Hogwarts to protect young wizards from persecution by the Muggle church at the time?"

"To put it another way, the wizards don't have much time left. Muggles will realize the existence of the magical world sooner or later, and it won't even take ten years."

Harry's words were like a bucket of ice water poured on Fudge, who was furious because of what Harry had just said, instantly cooling down his proud heart that was proud of his wizarding identity.

"What do you mean?"

He asked dryly.

“The resurgence of the elements is inevitable; it’s a change that will affect the entire world, not just the UK,” Harry said calmly. “Whether I exist or not, whether the shamans exist or not, the elements will resurge in this world; they will be everywhere, ubiquitous.”

"The milk left in the kitchen suddenly started jumping up and running all over the house overnight, the garden that was tidied yesterday was full of earth elementals today, and the sky was filled with lightning and thunder because of the battle between wind elementals—this is not something that would happen in a wizarding family, but something that would happen in any Muggle family."

"The Ministry of Magic cannot erase the memories of all Muggles, which means that Muggles will eventually realize the existence of the supernatural world and the existence of magic."

“They will find another way to master the power of the elements, perhaps through their technology, or perhaps through their extraordinary talent that they will form a pact with the elements.” Looking at Fudge’s panicked face, Harry said seriously, “I am just a pioneer, not a creator. Whether I exist or not, wizarding society will face this shock.”

Fudge was bewildered. He was breathing heavily, trying to think, but found that he didn't know what he was thinking about.

“Of course, those are things for the future,” Harry said, changing the subject. “Maybe by then you’ll be out of office, Mr. Minister, and you won’t need to worry about these issues anymore… Let’s get back to Sirius.”

“You’re threatening me,” Fudge said in a hoarse voice. “You’re too audacious. Based on what you just said, I could even throw you into Azkaban!”

“You can give it a try,” Harry said with a smile, “and see how many people support you.”

Bang!
Fudge slammed his fist on the table and had to take a deep breath to calm himself down—everything was so different from what he had imagined. Even though he had stopped seeing Harry as a child because of Rita’s private meeting, he still felt powerless when facing him in person.

This child had no regard for himself, or even for the Ministry of Magic; he was simply doing what he wanted to do, unaffected by anyone else's opinions.

Just like Dumbledore.

He was even more confident than Dumbledore.

Fudge thought of the photos in the Daily Prophet, those elemental giants taller than castles, with powerful elemental magic—

“…I want to be re-elected,” Fudge said with his eyes closed. “You have to help me, use your influence to persuade those ordinary wizards, persuade Dumbledore—I don’t care what you want to do, or what your damn elemental resurgence will bring—maybe I will in the future, but I have to stay in the position of Minister of Magic until then.”

“Lucius Malfoy is one of yours, isn’t he? He and I have spoken privately,” Fudge said with a sneer. “The boy who survived is secretly contacting former Death Eaters? You’re very ambitious, Professor Potter. Your professorship is just a disguise.” “Think what you will,” Harry said indifferently.

“I told you I don’t care!” Fudge growled. “I can even help you circumvent the Secrecy Act! The British wizarding community is not controlled by the International Wizarding Council! Do you understand?!”

Fudge had wanted to talk to Harry for a long time, for many reasons, not as a high-ranking Minister of Magic, but as a partner.

“Let’s deal with Sirius’s matter first,” Harry said, taking a sip of mead. “A retrial initiated by the Ministry of Magic is different from a retrial that was held after I sued the Ministry of Magic—at least in this case you can get what you want, and Barty Crouch will no longer be a threat to you.”

"Can't we really handle this privately?" Fudge asked unwillingly. "Imprisoning an innocent person for twelve years is just too much... After all, it concerns the reputation of the Ministry of Magic as a whole. We can let Sirius Black out of Azkaban and not pursue him, just pretend he doesn't exist."

“What do you think?” Harry gave a mocking smile. “I hope to see news of a retrial of Sirius Black’s case in the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning, with my father’s spirit in attendance as a witness.”

“Father’s soul…” Fudge muttered. “Damn, that sounds really weird—so what that woman said was true? You really can find the dead, unlike those ghosts?”

“Of course,” Harry said meaningfully, “if things go well, we might even be able to summon Peter Pettigrew’s spirit for a confrontation.”

"Huh?" Fudge's eyes widened.

....................................

Things changed much faster than Harry had imagined. Before he could sue the Ministry of Magic, Harry received a summons from Wizengamor—Peter Pettigrew's mother, Mary, was suing him.

The old woman rushed to the Ministry of Magic and, in front of many wizards coming and going in the lobby, shouted that Harry Potter had lied and that James Potter was a fraud, and proclaimed that her son was definitely not a traitor... In the end, Wizengamo took her case.

Such a thing could not be kept secret. As an upright journalist who had been educated by Harry, Rita not only sent a letter to inform Harry immediately, but also published a fair and impartial report in the newspaper, showing no bias towards either Harry or Peter's mother.

Just when it seemed the matter was settled and only awaiting the verdict of Sirius's innocence, a new twist occurred. The wizards excitedly discussed Peter's mother's actions and expressed their opinions. Considering the connection between the two cases, Wizengamot ultimately decided to retry Sirius's case and, based on the outcome, simultaneously adjudicate Peter's mother's lawsuit against Harry.

It's actually very simple: if Sirius is innocent, then Peter Pettigrew is guilty, and vice versa.

The vast majority of people still sided with Harry, after all, it was the truth that James Potter, the victim's soul, told the reporter himself, how could it be false?

Having already made his decision, Fudge acted with astonishing speed. The next day's newspapers announced that Wissengamo had decided to retry the case, and the trial had already begun on the fifth day.

It was the same road we took to the Ministry of Magic last time, but this time Mr. Weasley wasn't accompanying us. The Ministry of Magic sent an employee from the Auror office to guide us.

The second floor houses the Wissengamo administration and the first courtroom.

The space here has been expanded, and it is significantly larger than the trial room Harry entered last time, with more people watching the trial.

This time, Dumbledore wasn't appearing as a defense attorney, but as the Chief Wizard of Wizengamot, sitting in the center of the platform. Next to him sat Minister of Magic Fudge—this man was indeed not particularly intelligent, and could be described as greedy, but Fudge was a competent politician. At least, his current demeanor was completely different from his appearance in front of Harry that day; he was very kind and had a smile on his face.

When Harry walked into the courtroom, he didn't look like someone being prosecuted at all; rather, he looked like he was at a fan meeting. The jury members in the stands greeted him, and many members of the Wizengamots even nodded to him.

There was none of the tension one would feel when entering this solemn and dignified trial chamber. Harry even answered a question about elemental magic for a Wizengamor wizard sitting on the edge of the stands.

The structure of the First Trial Chamber was no different from the other trial chambers. In the center of the room was a blood-stained chair, with the armrests on both sides wrapped with eager chains that writhed like snakes, intimidating anyone who approached them. Sirius was sitting in this chair, his hands and feet tightly bound.

After giving a brief greeting and promising the member of Wizengamot that he would continue to answer his questions through letters, Harry approached Sirius Black and said cheerfully, "Looks like you've been doing well lately."

Sirius Black was clearly well-groomed, showing none of the filth and dishevelment often associated with seasoned Azkaban prisoners. His hair was washed and cut, his prison uniform was spotless, and his face was free of grime.

"They just suddenly brought me out," Sirius grinned, his eyes never leaving Harry from the moment he walked in. "They gave me food and a bath, and I knew right away it was you who did it—you know what? Harry, you look like a big shot now."

“Perhaps you should call me Professor Potter,” Harry joked. “Who knows, maybe one day I’ll even become the headmaster of Hogwarts.”

"Hahahahahahaha!!" Sirius burst into laughter, his laughter silencing even the whispers in the First Trial Chamber, and he just couldn't stop.

Harry frowned slightly. He didn't think Sirius's mental state was normal. It seemed that even though he had been away from Azkaban for several days, that cruel wizarding prison had changed Sirius forever.

I just hope that a stable life in the future will gradually heal him.

Suddenly, Harry felt a malevolent gaze fall upon him. He turned to look at the source of the gaze and saw an old witch with a wrinkled face—wearing a brown robe, her exposed skin full of wrinkles, and her black eyes flashing with hatred.

If looks could kill, Harry would be dead by now.

(End of this chapter)