Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world

Chapter 69 Fudge's Little Thoughts

The enthusiastic little wizards surrounded Vaughan and kept asking questions until noon, when they reluctantly dispersed after being driven away by Professor McGonagall.

Vaughan breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time, he felt that Fred and George's big mouths were really unbearable.

He ate his lunch in a hurry and was about to slip away to Snape's office when Professor McGonagall called him to the professor's seat and said:
"Mr. Weasley, I have just received a notice from the Ministry of Magic that the joint investigation team will officially visit the school this afternoon. They will also be accompanied by a reporter from the Daily Prophet. You will be interviewed by them then..."

Professor McGonagall looked very energetic and radiant today. Her thin and serious face looked amiable because of her happy mood and the smooth wrinkles on it.

She looked at Vaughn affectionately, ignoring the snake shield emblem on his chest. In her eyes, this was a good student who brought honor to the school, regardless of the college.

"You will need to go to the station with me and Headmaster Dumbledore to greet them this afternoon. Out of courtesy, Mr. Weasley, please dress formally... Of course, if you don't have any, you can go to Diagon Alley through the fireplace in my office to buy some. The school will cover the cost."

Vaughn nodded. "I had a formal suit ordered before school started, but I haven't worn it yet."

Professor McGonagall chuckled and said, "Very good, child, then go back and get ready!"

Vaughn was about to leave when he noticed Snape standing there with a cold, dazed look on his face. He smiled sweetly and asked Professor McGonagall, "Can I ask Professor Snape to come with me?"

Snape, who was in a daze, suddenly shuddered. He widened his dark and lifeless eyes and stared at Vaughan fiercely.

Professor McGonagall didn't notice any of this. She was moved by what he said and said, "Of course, child... Severus, see how much your students care about you!"

Snape: "..."

He wanted to struggle: "I have something..."

Professor McGonagall immediately interrupted him: "Severus, don't refuse students' kindness. It's still vacation time, what else can you do?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Snape's hair, where a tuft of hair stuck up. She gently reminded him, "I think the shampoo you used yesterday was very good. It's still early, you can use it again."

The matter was happily decided.

Vaughan returned to Slytherin, took a shower, and sorted out his notes, which recorded his research on the werewolf virus and some details in the development of the wolfsbane potion.

These may be useful during interviews.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Professor McGonagall sent her Patronus to tell him that the Ministry of Magic's train was about to arrive, so he rushed to the gate of Hogwarts.

When they arrived, Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were already there. Dumbledore regained his usual smiling face and said, "Come on, dear, let's go greet the officials from the Ministry of Magic. But don't worry, the joint investigation is just a formality."

He only dared to say this in a coaxing tone when Professor McGonagall was around, otherwise Vaughan would definitely laugh at him.

Vaughn rolled his eyes covertly and followed him.

"Speaking of which, why did the Ministry of Magic's investigation team come here by train? Wouldn't a fireplace be more convenient?"

Dumbledore blinked. "That's bureaucracy. The Joint Investigation Team is meant to show respect. How can something as unremarkable as a fireplace reflect that?"

Professor McGonagall coughed, "Albus!"

Dumbledore immediately shut up.

Then, the group walked along the cobblestone road to the platform. After waiting for a while, a train that looked quite luxurious slowly emerged from the distant mountains.

The train ran slowly and steadily, like a sturdy fat man in gorgeous clothes, slowly and leisurely, and it took dozens of minutes to stop at the platform.

After waiting for a while, the door of the carriage opened after the steam and smoke dissipated.

A short, fat figure in a pinstriped suit, a bright red tie, and a long black cloak jumped out first. He took off his top hat and opened his arms enthusiastically to Dumbledore:

"Albus Dumbledore, my dear friend!"

Vaughn saw Dumbledore pause in surprise before happily stepping forward to hug the short, fat man. "Cornelly, what a surprise! Why are you here?"

Cornelius Fudge?
Vaughan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the so-called investigation team was so pursuing "style". It turned out that the Minister had also come to Hogwarts.

After greeting Dumbledore warmly, Cornelius Fudge gently kissed the back of Professor McGonagall's hand and enthusiastically praised her for looking great today, like a blooming iris.

It was not until he saw Snape, whose face was cold and whose eyes were as lifeless as stone, that his fiery smile suddenly stopped and he said vaguely: "Oh, oh - Snape, the famous Potions Professor of Hogwarts... Sorry, do you smell like potions? It's really... special..."

Snape's face grew even colder, and his eyes looked as if he wanted to eat up the dear Minister of Magic in one bite.

However, Fudge was in no mood to care about a small professor. He walked up to Vaughan, shook his hand vigorously, and turned around to say to the people following him:
"Look, today's protagonist, Mr. Vaughan Weasley. As soon as I saw this beautiful fiery red hair, I knew it must be Arthur's child... Son, I am your father's boss, you know?"

Vaughan smiled. "Yes, Dad did say you, Minister of Magic, the Honourable Cornelius Fudge!"

Arthur did say things like, "that stupid pig-head," "stupid shorty," "sly little man," and so on.

Fudge was obviously unaware that he had so many excellent reviews in the eyes of his subordinates. He laughed happily and ruffled Vaughn's hair vigorously.

"..."

Vaughan's smile was visibly stiff, but Snape next to him laughed.

With the respected Minister of Magic present, the other so-called investigation teams immediately became dispensable. Obviously, these Ministry of Magic officials and invited pharmacists also knew that this was just a formality. After greeting each other, they gathered around Snape and Vaughan to discuss academic issues.

Until a sharp voice came: "Mr. Weasley, I am Rita Skeeter, a reporter from the Daily Prophet, and I will be interviewing you. When do we start?"

Rita Skeeter?
When Vaughn heard the voice, he looked and saw a slightly plump middle-aged woman who looked very vulgar, wearing a dazzling golden-green slim silk dress. She was pushing her golden glasses and smiling at him seductively.

Vaughn looked at him strangely and held out his hand: "Hello, Ms. Skeeter!"

Rita's thick hands grasped him, shaking him gently without letting go. "Oh, dear, you are so handsome. You don't look like a slovenly potion-maker at all."

Snape and other pharmacists beside him: "..."

Unfortunately, Ms. Rita usually ignored these people who had no news value. She put her arm around Vaughn's shoulders and whispered, "My dear, I know your secret!"

Vaughn frowned. What the hell?

"A child under 12 years old developed the wolfsbane potion... Even novels wouldn't dare write about such a thing, but what about you? Mr. Weasley, not only did you publicize it widely, but it is said that there are a bunch of important people paving the way for you, tsk tsk..."

Rita whispered softly and poignantly into Vaughn's ear.

An ornate quill floated beside her, writing furiously on a piece of parchment.

But to Rita's surprise, when Vaughn heard her words, he did not react as she expected. He showed neither the fear of having his secret exposed nor the anger of being wronged.

Of course she knew that her words were fabricated, but that was her secret to interviewing. She liked to deliberately provoke the interviewees. If she could get the truth out of them, that would be the best. If not, she could make the interviewees lose control of their emotions and make them tell her the truth.

But the boy in front of me...

He just gave her a weird look!
Rita was about to say something else when Fudge, who had just finished communicating with Dumbledore, waved and called out, "Mr. Weasley, kid, come here quickly. Let's take a photo together!"

Vaughan smiled. "The minister is calling me. Sorry, ma'am, please talk about the interview later."

Pushing away Rita's hand on his shoulder, Vaughn walked between Fudge and Dumbledore. From here, he could see the panoramic view of Hogwarts Castle, which was a good place to take pictures.

The enthusiastic minister deliberately stood on a stone to appear taller. He put his arm around Vaughan, smiled warmly and cheerfully, and intentionally or unintentionally blocked Dumbledore behind him.

Vaughan, who also smiled and let the photographer take pictures, seemed to be thinking about something:

It seems that Fudge has already started to guard against Dumbledore...

This was to be expected, as the previous Minister for Magic, Millicent Barnard, retired the previous year (1990) without having finalised the Ministry's successor.

The outside world, including within the Ministry of Magic, believed that Dumbledore and Barty Crouch were the most prestigious and could convince everyone. These two were also the toughest figures who fought against Voldemort during his rampage.

Unfortunately, Barty Crouch's son, Barty Crouch Jr., was found to be a Death Eater after the war. Although Crouch Sr. sent his son to Azkaban personally, this incident made some neutral wizard voters no longer trust him.

In people's simple view, if a person can't even manage his own son, how can he manage the Ministry of Magic?
After eliminating old Crouch, Dumbledore became the only candidate, but Dumbledore refused the position of Minister of Magic. He told his friends that he was afraid that he would become addicted to power.

Many people thought that was his statement to express his noble character, but Vaughn knew that Deng was indeed afraid because of his experiences in his youth.

He knew that his resolve and faith were not that strong.

The last time he woke up was because of Ariana's death, and now there is no second Ariana.

Two important figures missed the opportunity to become ministers in succession. Other qualified candidates gave up the opportunity, perhaps to avoid suspicion or because they thought they could not convince the public.

So, Fudge, then Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, was watching the show when he was inexplicably hit on the head by the position of Minister...

"The outside world has always said that Fudge was a puppet supported by Dumbledore. After he took office, he often asked Dumbledore for advice. In fact, the requests for advice were indeed true. This guy took over in a hurry and was completely unprepared. He urgently needed someone to give him advice, even..."

Vaughan suspected that the rumor about the so-called "puppet" was probably spread by Fudge himself.

Not only can he use Dumbledore's prestige to intimidate potential opponents and consolidate his power, but he can also put Dumbledore in the spotlight, allowing public opinion to monitor him and making him avoid suspicion and dare not interfere in the Ministry of Magic.

"It seems that he is really a smart person..."

With a fake smile on his face, Vaughan pondered the changes in Fudge. It was obvious that after a year in office, the respected Mr. Fudge thought his position was secure.

The fox began to be wary of the tiger that once borrowed its power!

“Being vigilant is good. As long as Fudge is vigilant, he will try every means to get the wolfsbane potion. I have already made it clear that I intend to disclose the formula and cooperate with the Ministry of Magic, which is why he came here in person today and was so enthusiastic... Does he think I am worth winning over and want me to hand over the formula to the Ministry of Magic for operation?” In an instant, Vaughn analyzed Fudge’s purpose.

The smile on his face became more sincere.

Sure enough, not long after the photo was taken, Fudge deliberately called over a few employees, saying that they admired Dumbledore very much and hoped to talk more with the headmaster.

After the employees pulled Dumbledore aside, Fudge quickly took Vaughn and left the crowd.

"Mr. Weasley..."

"Please call me Vaughn, Mr. Minister. You worked with my father and are my elder. You don't have to be so polite."

Fudge obviously did not doubt the sincerity of a 12-year-old boy. He immediately agreed and said happily: "Yes, good boy, very polite..."

After a few compliments, he quickly said, "I heard that you're planning to release the wolfsbane potion formula and give up the patent. Could you tell Uncle Fudge why?"

Vaughn displayed the elementary school innocence and stupidity he had learned from Ron and said, "I want to help those stray werewolves, but they can't afford the potion, so I want to make the recipe public to see if I can convince everyone to make the wolfsbane potion free."

"Oh, how kind..." Fudge patted Vaughan's shoulder vigorously, then said sadly, "But child, you are still young and don't understand the difficulties involved. To put it simply, even if you disclose the formula and convince the pharmacists to make the wolfsbane potion free, which pharmacist would be willing to waste time on a free potion? Or, they will resell it at a high price, and you will never know..."

After explaining the pros and cons, he saw Vaughn lost in thought and said, "I have a better idea. Would you like to hear it?"

"Uncle Fudge, please go ahead."

Fudge's expression was very sincere. "Give the formula to the Ministry of Magic, give it to Uncle Fudge. I can promise you that I will set up a separate department to be responsible for this matter. The Ministry of Magic is very rich and can afford all the expenses of the werewolves... However, I have a small request -"

"I want you to make a public appeal and have those stray werewolves accept the 'Werewolf Registration Act'. Oh, child, this is to prevent us from giving potions to bad people. If we don't register, what if a bad werewolf like Greyback gets the potion, right?"

Vaughn looked hesitant, somewhat tempted, yet also hesitant.

As a seasoned politician, Fudge was not in a hurry. He said considerately, "Vaughn, go back and think carefully about what your uncle said."

"Let's not talk about this topic for now. Uncle Fudge wants to tell you some good news."

Vaughn asked curiously, "What good news?"

Fudge acted like a loving elder. "Of course it's your Order of Merlin, son. You've done a great deed, and your uncle must reward you. So before we leave, I'll ask the Order of Merlin to pass a resolution to award you the Order of Merlin, Second Class."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of letter and opened it for Vaughan to see.

"Under my uncle's urging, Sir Merlin's Order has decided to hold your investiture ceremony at the Wizengamot Court in three days!"

Looking at Fudge who turned back and chatted happily with Dumbledore, Vaughan sneered in his heart.

If these were not all part of his plan, if he did not know that Dumbledore also contributed, anyone else might have been fooled by Fudge's appearance.

It must be said that Fudge was a very mature politician. He was patient and did not push people too hard or offend them. After making a request, he immediately provided a "reward" -

Isn't someone who won the Order of Merlin, Second Class, trustworthy?
But Vaughan knew that he was able to obtain the Order of Merlin mainly because of Dumbledore's efforts. The old man had a very high prestige in the Wizengamot and the Order of Merlin.

He was not only the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot but also a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class. The reason why the group of old men and women in the Order of Merlin were able to reach a conclusion so quickly was all thanks to Dumbledore's connections and had nothing to do with Fudge.

However, Fudge clearly knows how to take credit for himself and has no shame at all.

He had thrown away his dignity the day he became Minister of Magic.

Next, the group returned to Hogwarts. Although the investigation team was just going through the motions, they still had to go through the motions.

In Snape's office, they witnessed Vaughn brew a bottle of "wolfsbane potion" and successfully passed the tests for magic and werewolf blood.

All of this was recorded by the accompanying photographer and will be published in Extraordinary Potions and the Daily Prophet later.

After the formalities were completed and the investigation team had finished their work, they happily agreed to visit their alma mater. After they all left, Rita Skeeter, who also graduated from Hogwarts but had no attachment to the place and deliberately fell behind, came up to Vaughn again.

She leaned close to Vaughn's ear and said in a hoarse and lazy voice, "Handsome boy, you haven't answered my question yet!"

The gorgeous quill flew out again and wrote and drew on the parchment.

Vaughan looked at it with interest. "What do you want me to answer?"

"a lot of--"

She had barely uttered a word when Vaughn drew his wand and cast a silent spell that sent the quill flying and brought the parchment before him.

Rita was furious: "You..."

Before she could finish her words, the wand was already against her throat. Vaughn didn't even look at her. He just smiled and glanced at the parchment in his hand, and read softly: "...When I asked Mr. Weasley how he, as a 12-year-old boy, accumulated such profound knowledge in Potions and how he developed the Wolfsbane Potion, the shy boy hesitated..."

"Ah..." Vaughn sighed and laughed, looking at the sullen-faced Rita Skeeter. "I've heard you love to distort facts, spread rumors and exaggerate, and you're good at being ambiguous so that people can't find any evidence against you. I didn't expect it to be true."

Rita's scarlet lips twitched as she barely controlled her anger. "Mr. Weasley, is this how you treat reporters? In the sacred Hogwarts, you cast a spell on a poor, innocent reporter?"

Vaughn looked around and shrugged, "Anyway, no one saw it!"

"..."

Looking at the boy in front of her, Rita suddenly felt a little scared.

Because she couldn't see any smile at all in the child's smiling eyes.

Rita's thoughts raced, and she decisively gave in.

She took only one second to transform from anger to pleading, then plopped down on the ground, quickly squeezing out tears.
"Mr. Weasley, I was wrong. I shouldn't have framed you..."

What did it matter if she was arrogant at first and then humble? For Rita, as long as she could move the wand against her throat away and give her a chance to fight back or escape, she could always take revenge later.

But she had barely finished begging for mercy when she saw Vaughn imitate her previous behavior, gently leaning close to her ear and whispering to her, "Ms. Skeeter, I know your secret too... You always find out other people's private secrets!"

Rita froze. She stammered, "W-what?"

Vaughn didn't answer. He retracted his wand and winked at her: "Do you think I was lying to you, or do you really know?"

After that, he hummed a little tune and left leisurely, leaving Rita Skeeter in anxiety and fear.

What did he know?
No, he must be cheating!

But what if he really knew?

In the days that followed, it was as if two villains lived in Rita Skeeter's heart, arguing and debating with each other, because she was indeed hiding a secret, a secret that made her successful in the journalistic industry. Once this secret was revealed, Azkaban would be her only destination!
She's an illegal animagus!

Rita was in a daze until night, and she was arranged to rest in Ravenclaw. She finally decided to take the risk and confirm it.

"He couldn't possibly know that. No one has ever known that. Even a big shot like Fudge, I've eavesdropped on his secrets without getting caught. How could a first-year student know that... How could it be possible..."

Rita, who was deeply worried and fearful, turned into her Animagus form - a fat beetle.

She flew out of the window of the Ravenclaw common room and flew all the way to Slytherin. She waited for a while, and when a student shouted the command to open the door, she immediately got in.

She wasn't worried at all about not being able to find Vaughn. When she was studying at Hogwarts, she had used Animagus to figure out the ventilation ducts of several colleges.

Hogwarts, which had not been renovated for many years, was her greatest confidence on this trip.

Rita quickly found Vaughn's room through the ventilation duct. She carefully stuck to the vent's grille and looked down.

The damned Vaughan Weasley was the only one in the huge dormitory, with a huge cat lying in his arms, its pointed ears twitching.

He was humming the same song he had sung when he left in the afternoon.

Damn boy!
Thinking about how she was humiliated by this guy and how she had been worried for the whole afternoon, Rita became furious. She planned to stay here and keep a close eye on this guy's every move. She wanted to record his privacy and secrets, and then expose them all!

Just as she was thinking happily, she heard Vaughn sigh:
"Guo Guo Cha, do you know? When a person's emotions fluctuate violently, her memory and thoughts become as conspicuous as a torch in the dark night in front of someone who knows memory magic—"

not good!

Rita suddenly became alert and hurriedly tried to return through the ventilation duct.

But as soon as she flapped her wings, the air around her suddenly became sticky.

Only then did she hear Vaughn's distorted voice in the heavy air:
"There are many obstacles!"

"Beetles are flying!"

Rita fell out of the vent involuntarily. She tried to struggle and wanted to remove the Animagus, but the spell interfered with her.

She watched herself fall helplessly to Vaughn's feet, and he picked her up with a smile and put her into a glass jar that had been prepared long ago.

"Ms. Skeeter, hello, we meet again. Like I said, I know your secret!"

Rita knew she was finished...

(End of this chapter)