From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 103: Cornelius Fudge's Beautiful Day

Slumped in the large office chair in the Minister of Magic's office, Cornelius Fudge yawned in an ungraceful manner.

His secretary had gone to make him some coffee so he could relax a bit in the highest office of wizarding Britain.

However, when the secretary knocked on the door of the Minister of Magic's office, Cornelius Fudge immediately put on his usual Deputy Ministerial manner - affable and approachable. It was with this that he won the trust of the voters and thus won the position of Minister of Magic. Of course, his successful election was also inseparable from the recommendation of Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of this century.

"Come in!" Cornelius Fudge raised his voice to make sure the secretary outside the door could hear.

"Good morning, Mr. Minister." The secretary came to Cornelius Fudge personally with a tray of coffee without using any magic.

Although the British Ministry of Magic is right below Whitehall, this institution is not like its brothers, filled with civil servants with various titles, so that if the Minister wants to have a cup of coffee, his direct secretary has to take care of it personally. However, this certainly does not mean that the British Ministry of Magic has no intention of expanding its administrative agencies everywhere, but the number of wizards in the British magical community restricts its size.

The most commendable achievement in Cornelius Fudge's life was becoming the Minister of Magic of the United Kingdom, so his favorite phrase is "British Minister of Magic". This word consists of three parts. The former represents territorial jurisdiction, the latter indicates status, and the one in the middle shows his importance.

"I am the most important person in the British wizarding world." Cornelius Fudge thought with satisfaction. He no longer had the fear and uneasiness he had when he first took office as minister. Instead, he regarded the flattery coming from all around him as a true reflection of himself.

Unfortunately, as the Minister's direct secretary, the wizard who brought coffee to Cornelius Fudge didn't seem to notice this. He always used the simple term "Minister" to summarize Cornelius Fudge's identity, which made our amiable and approachable Minister feel a little annoyed, so he always sent him to do tasks like serving tea and water.

"Ah... coffee is really good." Cornelius Fudge moved his eyes to the latte art on the coffee cup. This secretary always showed unparalleled care in places he didn't care about very much. "... It can alleviate the mead hospitality I received at my Shafik Family Manor yesterday."

The British Ministry of Magic had a small staff, which meant that Cornelius Fudge always had the opportunity to attend some banquets that he had not been invited to before. Those pure-blood families were political animals, or in other words, they would always find ways to connect themselves with the powerful people in the Ministry of Magic.

Although Cornelius Fudge himself was reluctant to admit it, a large part of the reason why voters supported him was because of Dumbledore's recommendation letter. However, after being in the position of Minister for so long, the warm hospitality of the pure-blood family had long made him realize that he was "destined" and it was not the credit of that old man Dumbledore.

However, considering the reputation and wisdom of the white-bearded old man, it was no big deal to occasionally listen to his advice. However, Cornelius Fudge felt that he still needed to find an opportunity to let Dumbledore understand that as the headmaster of Hogwarts and a subordinate institution of the Ministry of Magic, he should have his own sense of propriety.

"Those old-school wizarding families always have countless good things." Cornelius Fudge decided to tell a joke to help him get Dumbledore out of his head. "And they don't have to sit in an office early in the morning like me to serve the people, especially when they are also one of the people."

Although the secretary had no idea what was so funny about this, he still played along and gave a fake laugh: "You're quite humorous, Mr. Minister."

"Okay! That's enough for our pre-work break." Cornelius Fudge put down his coffee cup. "Tell me about my schedule today. I remember a shop in Diagon Alley invited me to cut the ribbon?"

"Selwyn Boutique, yes, but next week," the secretary replied without confirming Cornelius Fudge's schedule, but he was doing his job surprisingly well.

"Oh! I thought it was today." Cornelius Fudge stared at his coffee cup for a moment, then asked, "Any new reports from the Accidental Magic Reversal Team?"

"Not that I know of, Mr. Minister," the secretary replied.

"Where is the Memory Deletion Command?" Cornelius Fudge asked again.

"nor."

"So... the Muggle Mediation Committee?"

"It's always peaceful there, Mr. Minister," the secretary explained. "The last time they were needed to fabricate a reasonable explanation to the Muggle community was when You-Know-Who fell. Everyone took to the streets to celebrate."

"Great." Cornelius Fudge was not going to dwell on a problem he had not contributed much to. "What about the Invisible Task Force? Ah - you don't need to tell me, there will be no problem with them! As long as they cover up the Loch Ness Monster, that's their job."

"You're right, Mr. Minister." The secretary nodded and asked considerately, "You seem very concerned about the work of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Do you want me to write a note to ask about their situation?"

"What? Of course not!" Cornelius Fudge shook his head and refused. "If there is a big problem, they will report it to me! As long as there is no problem with the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, it proves that the British wizarding world is peaceful!"

Facing the Minister's expectant gaze, the secretary nodded and said, "Yes, since the fall of You-Know-Who, the British wizarding world hasn't seen any major chaos in over a decade. Everyone says you're the luckiest Minister!" Cornelius Fudge's smile quickly vanished, and he instructed his secretary, "Go check out the Law Enforcement Department. I've heard there's been a lot of abuse of magic lately. Perhaps Director Crouch has something to report."

"As you wish, Mr. Minister." The secretary turned and left.

Barty Crouch Sr. had been a rival for the position of Minister of Magic, but his political career had been ruined because his son was a Death Eater. Cornelius Fudge was pleased to see someone who posed no threat to his position sitting in the Department of Law Enforcement, which was after all the largest department within the Ministry.

The secretary opened the door and came back: "Mr. Minister, here is a new proposal."

"A proposal? From the Law Enforcement Division?" asked Cornelius Fudge.

"No, it's from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. It's a proposal about Hogwarts." The secretary walked quickly to the desk and placed the paper document on the table.

"Hogwarts!" Cornelius Fudge sat up straight. "Did it come from Headmaster Dumbledore's order... I mean, his instruction?"

"No. It's clearly written on it. It's from the Board of Directors." The secretary pointed to the first two lines of the document.

"Board of Directors?" Cornelius Fudge leaned back in his chair and picked up the document to read. "'Draft plan on utilizing the existing Forbidden Forest resources at Hogwarts to build a base for breeding and raising magical animals and to train talents in related industries'...what does this mean?"

"Does this mean that Hogwarts is going to start utilizing the magical biological resources in their Forbidden Forest?" The secretary expressed his opinion carefully.

"Of course I understand what it means literally!" Cornelius Fudge's tone was a little harsh, but he soon noticed that this was inconsistent with his amiable and approachable image, so he slowed down his tone and said, "I mean, what purpose do those members of the board of directors have in proposing this draft? I thought Hogwarts was a place where Dumbledore had the final say!"

"Then you might as well ask Mr. Dumbledore's opinion," the secretary suggested. "After all, he is your good friend and you keep in frequent correspondence."

"Dumbledore..." Cornelius Fudge pondered for a moment, "He is indeed a humorous and wise old wizard, but I don't want to seem so..."

Cornelius Fudge closed his mouth, then said, "Caution."

"There's nothing wrong with being cautious," the secretary said sincerely. "At least it's better than impulsively making a wrong decision and then trying to undo it."

Cornelius Fudge looked at his secretary in surprise, and after a long moment, he nodded and said, "You're right! Why don't you ask Director Travers of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to come over? Just say we can discuss this draft in person."

"As you wish, Mr. Minister." The secretary bowed and said respectfully.

But before the secretary left the Minister's office, she spoke again: "A visitor request, Mr. Minister?"

"Who? Dumbledore?" Cornelius Fudge immediately denied his own opinion. "No, he never comes to see me at the Ministry of Magic. We communicate through letters."

In fact, Fudge himself didn't want to meet Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic, because it would make him feel that the whole building was given to him by the other party. So he usually avoided everyone's sight and went to the Hogwarts Headmaster's office to meet with Dumbledore in person, but in recent times, their meetings were not as frequent as when he first took office.

"It's Mr. Lucius Malfoy." The secretary stated the visitor's name.

"Oh? Why would the wealthy Malfoy come to visit suddenly? And he went to the Minister of Magic right away?" Cornelius Fudge didn't quite understand. Although he had been entertained by many pure-blood families in recent times, the Malfoy family had never invited him except for donations, as if they really only cared about business rather than politics.

"Could it be related to the draft?" the secretary reminded. "I remember he was a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors."

"Then please ask him in!" Cornelius Fudge said with a hint of anticipation. He suddenly remembered that Dumbledore always had a hard time with these pure-blood families.

(End of this chapter)