Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 763 Uninvited Guest

Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge is coming to Harry's seventeenth birthday party.

For anyone else, this might be a great honor, but Harry clearly didn't see it that way; he just found it troublesome.

He preferred spending his seventeenth birthday with his friends rather than dealing with Fudge.

Moreover, Fudge's arrival forced Lupin to leave the Burrow—he seemed to have some particular reason for not being able to meet the Minister of Magic.

Lupin acted quickly; the moment the Patronus disappeared, he hurriedly pulled Tonks to the fence, climbed over, and vanished.

At the same time, Mr. Weasley suddenly appeared at the front door, accompanied by a gaunt Cornelius Fudge. Since Dumbledore's death, he seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight, looking completely different from his previous chubby self.

Further on, there were three unfamiliar figures from Xilun; these must be the three chiefs mentioned by the guardian deity.

As soon as Fudge appeared, he strode across the courtyard and walked toward the table with the lanterns lit. No one spoke; everyone watched them silently.

"Oh, Harry, darling—it's so good to see you here!" Fudge forced a kind smile, stepped forward, and, regardless of Harry's wishes, grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

Siren watched from the side and sensed that Harry was very uncomfortable with Fudge's enthusiasm. He stood there awkwardly, his toes almost digging through the soles of his shoes.

Fudge, however, had no self-awareness whatsoever and continued to hold onto Harry tightly.

"You've come of age, haven't you? That's a big deal for a wizard, you must be very happy!"

"It's...it's alright." Ha pulled his hand back forcefully, revealing a dry smile.

"Ah, welcome, Minister Fudge. Moody and Kingsley are both inside. You can—"

"They can't represent the Ministry of Magic, Harry! It's the Savior's seventeenth birthday, something I have to do in person," Fudge said seriously.

Harry opened his mouth, his face slightly flushed.

He had originally wanted to find an excuse to send Fudge into the house so he could have some peace and quiet.

Unexpectedly, Fudge didn't care about any of that and continued talking to himself.

"I can't believe you've grown up so much! Do you remember the first time we met?"

"I...I remember—" Harry smirked, "Third year."

"Yes, that day you blew up your aunt and packed your bags, ready to wander the world. Then at the Leaky Cauldron, I told you that the Ministry of Magic wouldn't expel a student just because he blew up his aunt into a balloon" — Oh, how nostalgic, it all feels like it happened yesterday.

Harry's face turned even redder, and he subconsciously glanced at Ginny beside him.

He had to admit that when he left the Dallies that year, he did have this thought: he believed that he would be expelled from Hogwarts after casting a spell outside of school, and he didn't know where he would go after that.

But that was many years ago, and now that Fudge brought it up in front of all his friends, he felt an indescribable heat all over his body.

"Harry won't wander the world; he'll always have a home of his own."

At that moment, Sirius walked in from outside and stood next to Harry without hesitation.

"Even if Harry gets expelled from Hogwarts, he can still live with me."

"Sirius Black—" Fudge's eyes flickered.

"Of course, you're right, but you couldn't be there for him back then, could you?"

"Actually, I've been right beside him all along, in a different way." Sirius looked at Fudge. "It's just that before I could even show up, he had already taken the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley—including what you said to him at the Leaky Cauldron, warning him to be careful of me, I know all of that."

Fudge awkwardly tugged at his bowler hat.

He never expected that Sirius would even know about this kind of conversation. If he remembered correctly, it was said in Harry's room on the third floor of the Leaky Cauldron.

He never imagined that he would be so close to Sirius Black, arguably the most notorious criminal in history, and that he would be completely unaware of him.

"You have to understand me, Sirius. Back then, you were a wanted criminal, and everyone thought you were going to seek revenge on Harry."

,

"Of course, I understand, Minister." Sirius suddenly laughed. "Excuse me, I have something very important to discuss. If you don't mind, Minister, could you perhaps give us a little private time?"

"Of course, that's perfectly reasonable." Fudge forced a smile before reluctantly walking into the house with Mr. Weasley, who had come to his rescue.

Fudge disappeared behind the door, and Sirius, who had been so aggressive just moments before, became timid and hesitant.

He looked at Harry, a hint of nervousness flashing in his eyes.

"Sorry Harry, it's your birthday today, but I'm a little late."

"You're not late at all," Harry said with a smile. "Just in time. If it weren't for you, I don't know how I would have gotten rid of Fudge."

"That's good—" Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Actually, I prepared a gift for you, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"I love it!" Harry exclaimed immediately. "I love anything you give me—"

"Something that Sirius put so much effort into preparing must be incredibly valuable," Fred said, sitting down next to Sirius and clicking his tongue enviously.

"What was Sirius Black's birthday present for Harry last time?"

"Wizards' Chess," Siron said, "but the board is gold, and the pieces are carved from opal."

“That’s right.” George sat down on the other side. “I was thinking of playing a few rounds with Harry, but he never brought it out once. He just used the regular wizard chess.”

"It's normal not to take it out, isn't it?" Sirius chuckled. "I'm afraid only Sirius would buy something like that."

"That's true," Fred shrugged.

"The Wizard Chess will smash the captured pieces in its own way. Stone pieces don't matter, but if it's an expensive opal—"

"Just thinking about it is unforgivable—" George said quietly.

Although they made a lot of money from the shop, they couldn't accept playing with opals, even though the pieces could be repaired later.

"Sirius, what do you think Sirius will be?" Fred asked curiously. "Could it be a deck of gold cards that crackle and explode?"

,

"Probably not, since Sirius's mind is much clearer now," Sirius said.

Sirius had just come out of Azkaban and was eager to make it up to Harry, so he bought him whatever was most expensive as gifts.

Besides the Golden Wizard Chess set, he also bought things like the Golden Crucible and crystal celestial models.

However, he realized last Christmas that Harry didn't like these things, so he stopped doing them.