Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Water Margin

Chapter 285 The Ministry of Magic Regains Control of Coinage

Around Christmas time, Hogwarts Castle was mostly empty.

All the students went home to reunite with their families, leaving only Harry and Hermione, who had no relatives to turn to, in the Gryffindor Tower.

Then he called Rowena, and the three of them discussed the gold dollar proclamation issued by the Ministry of Magic by the fireplace.

Rowena hovered above the flames, examining the document closely for a long time. Suddenly, she sneered, "It's obvious the Ministry of Magic is out of money." Floating in mid-air, Rowena carefully reviewed the document and stated definitively, "They're in financial trouble."

Hermione exclaimed in disbelief, "So fast? This war has only been going on for a few months, hasn't it?"

Rowena waved her hand dismissively and said lazily, "It seems you don't know much about fairies, Hermione."

"They love gold more than their own lives, and the Ministry of Magic has ordered so many magical items. I don't even need to think about it to say that these goblins must have ripped off the Ministry of Magic handsomely."

"As the saying goes, 'A clean prefect for three years can amass a fortune of 100,000 taels of silver.' The higher the rank and prestige of an official, the more gold and silver they can embezzle. Their corrupt and illegal activities are certainly no less numerous than those of demons."

As the three were discussing, they suddenly heard a loud "pop" and a house-elf appeared.

Upon seeing Harry, it rushed forward, crying, "Mr. Harry Potter! Something's happened at Hogsmeade! Mr. Sglinter has killed someone!"

Harry was startled and asked urgently, "How did you know?"

The house-elf pulled a letter from the folds of his tea towel. "It's from a letter sent by Mr. Aberforth Dumbledore through a secret passage."

Harry snatched the letter and read it by the firelight. When he read the part about Scrimgeour killing two Aurors who wanted to harm him, he secretly cheered.

Further down, it says, "After he killed the man, he fled into the woods to the northwest."

Harry didn't have time to think it through. He grabbed a bottle of warm wine from beside the fireplace, stuffed it into his pocket, grabbed the house-elf's arm, and shouted, "Send me to Hogsmeade! Don't let Scrimgeour leave!"

The house-elf dared not delay; with a snap of his fingers, the two figures instantly turned into wisps of green smoke. When they opened their eyes again, they were already in Hogsmeade.

Black smoke billowed from the screaming shack, obscuring the half-moon.

Harry leaped into the air, transforming into a mirage and soaring straight into the sky. Once halfway up, he glanced northwest and spotted a figure struggling in the snow at the edge of the dense forest.

Harry sped off, about to swoop down, when he suddenly felt magic surging around him. He quickly exhaled a puff of mirage air to conceal himself, shrinking into...

Peeking from the clouds.

Suddenly, snow scattered in the forest, and a sage in a red robe appeared out of nowhere, blocking Scrimgeour's path.

Scrimgeour abruptly stopped, quickly drew his wand, and became extremely vigilant.

The sage spread his hands and waved them, saying, "Don't be so nervous, Mr. Scrimgeour. I'm not here to condemn you."

His words were kind, but Scrimgeour refused to believe them, cautiously asking, "What do you want with me?"

"I'm just here to tell you that there's no need to run. I saw that those two Aurors were trying to frame you, and I also saw that you went a bit overboard with your self-defense."

"In short, I don't think there's a big problem. You can still work as a sheriff with peace of mind. Wizengamo is willing to vouch for you."

Upon hearing this, Scrimgeour's expression grew even more suspicious. After a long while, he finally said, "But Fudge is the mastermind behind both of them."

"Ah, that's right, you're right, I forgot about that—" The sage slapped his forehead and said patiently, "Wesengamo will go and talk to Fudge, and I guarantee he will never bother you again."

"Of course, I also hope you can understand why Wissengamo is unwilling to impeach Connelly Fudge—it is wartime, and we cannot easily change ministers."

His words were perfectly succinct. Scrimgeour's Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he finally tucked his wand back into his belt, utterly bewildered, and asked, "Why are you helping me?"

Upon hearing this, the sage smiled and said, "We can't let those loyal to the Ministry of Magic be framed, can we?"

"Rufus, I think what you need to do now is go back to your office, warm yourself up by the fire, and get a good night's sleep."

After speaking, the sage raised his hand and patted Scrimgeour on the shoulder. Before anyone could react, he vanished without a trace.

Scrimgeour stood frozen in the snow for a long while before turning back towards the Screaming Shack. By the time he reached the Elegant Wizard Clothing Store, the two corpses that had been lying in the snowdrift earlier had vanished.

Looking at the screaming shack again, it was a complete ruin, but it had been rebuilt at some point, with its interior and exterior layout exactly the same as before.

Scrimgeour returned to his office and sat down. Before he could even light the fire in the fireplace, he suddenly heard voices coming from the shadows beside him.

"What important words did you speak with that sage just now, brother?"

Scrimgeour was so startled he nearly knocked over his chair. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Harry?! When did you start following me?"

Harry pulled up a chair and sat down, took out some warm wine from his pocket and poured a full glass for Scrimgeour, saying, "I heard that you were staying in Hogsmeade for Christmas, so I brought this bottle of vodka with me tonight to help you warm up."

"I didn't expect to come at such an inopportune time. I didn't see anyone in the office, but instead stumbled upon my brother talking with that sage in the woods."

Scrimgeour felt a warmth in his heart after hearing Harry's words.

He sank back into his chair, sipped a cup of warm wine, and then recounted in detail to Harry how he had killed his enemies that night, how the sage had appeared and made his promises.

After hearing this, Harry pretended to ponder for a moment, then shook his head and clicked his tongue, saying, "Brother, you're so foolish! How could you be so bewitched?"

"That bird-like man from Weisengamo is determined to support Fudge, even if he makes a huge mess, he'll cover it up for him. His promise tonight to stand up for you and reprimand you is just empty talk, a pipe dream!"

"Even if it is true that you want to rescue me, there must be other plans behind it. If you give up now, it will be like drinking poison to quench your thirst. It would be better to find another way out as soon as possible."

Harry's words were full of promise, but Scrimgeour only kept his eyes fixed on the fire, letting out a deep sigh: "Yes—the Ministry of Magic is indeed not trustworthy anymore—"

Although he didn't accept the offer, Harry was secretly pleased, thinking to himself, "That's good. As long as he doesn't go to the Ministry of Magic, I've secured a favorable position."

Then we drank three or five cups of wine together, chatting about the ups and downs of the martial arts world and the treacherous schemes of the imperial court.

When the snow stopped and the wind died down outside the window, Harry stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Take care, brother, and think things through carefully."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out, using a phantom teleportation technique to disappear into the school.

Back at the castle, Harry strode towards the headmaster's office. Without knocking, he kicked the door open and shouted, "Professor, you can rest now! I have something extremely important to discuss with you!"

After calling out, there was no response from the office. A stone beast with a dripping spout timidly turned half its stone face and reported, "Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore went out an hour ago."

Harry rushed forward. "Do you know where he went?"

"They went to Hogsmeade first, and then to Wizengamot. I didn't expect they would protect Scrimgeour."

Harry heard the voice behind him getting closer and closer, and when he turned around, he saw Dumbledore walking towards him.

Harry said, "That's excellent. The professor already knew about Scrimgeour's murders, which saves me a lot of trouble."

"I've come tonight with only one request: I beg the professor to find a way to get the Ministry of Magic to send more Aurors to Hogsmeade, and also to use a thief..."

The method of "replacing the beams with the pillars" involved replacing them all with members of the Phoenix Society.

Dumbledore frowned slightly. "What are you going to do?"

Harry laughed, "As they say, ministers take turns, next year it'll be my turn. Fudge has held the ministerial seat for years, it's time for him to step down."

"Harry, now is not the time for infighting—"

Harry cupped his hands and said, "Professor, please don't worry, I'm not in a hurry to take action in just a few days."

"Since ancient times, any undertaking requires the right timing, favorable location, and popular support. Now that Scrimgeour, a figure of such prestige among the Aurors, has fallen out with the Ministry of Magic, the 'popular support' factor has been achieved."

"Unfortunately, the time is not right and the location is not favorable, so we still need to lie low and wait for an opportunity, but we can start planning as soon as possible."

Dumbledore remained silent for a long time before uttering a single word, "Good."

Harry, surprised by his quick response, exclaimed, "Wow! Is the sun rising in the west today? Doesn't the professor ask a few more questions?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't think there's any need to ask any more questions."

"In my opinion, Wizengamor and the Ministry of Magic are now more dangerous than Voldemort."

Harry clapped his hands and laughed, "Professor, you're truly a wise man. With you saying that, I feel much more at ease."

After speaking, he clasped his hands in a deep bow and strode away.

After Christmas, the shops in Hogsmeade gradually reopened, and students returned in twos and threes, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

Previously, Strincher had killed two Auror nobles with his cane, but this bloody incident was never mentioned again.

It turned out that the Ministry of Magic had already prepared a notice, only saying that the fire at the Screaming Shack was caused by two dark witches, known as the Male and Female Demons, vaguely covering up the incident.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Dumbledore secretly asked an official he knew in the Ministry of Magic to whisper a few words in Fudge's ear.

Within days, the Ministry of Magic indeed issued a document, transferring Tonks, Kingsley, and all the other Aurors to Hogsmeade to serve under their command.

Just then, the first batch of gold yuan notes printed under Fudge's supervision was also distributed. Upon hearing the news, Harry specially sent someone to obtain a set to examine closely.

The gold note was about the length of a palm and was entirely gilded. The number filled with cinnabar was printed on the left side, and the portrait of Fu Ji was engraved on the right side.

This portrait, which always greeted everyone with a smile and a wave, was incredibly attentive. But when it saw Harry's face, it suddenly stopped smiling, its face turning ashen, and it glared at him with wide eyes.

Ron, who had been watching closely, burst into laughter and said, "Harry, it seems Fudge has a lot to say about you."

Harry remained silent, only picking up a hundred-dollar bill and handing it to Rowena. "Sister, take a close look at the anti-counterfeiting runes on this bill. Can you decipher the trick?"

Rowena took the book and examined it closely in the light. After pondering for a long time, she said, "I think we can give it a try. Although the runes on it are very ingenious, they are not so difficult that I am at a loss."

After hearing this, Harry handed the entire set of gold coins to Rowena, clasped his hands, and said, "When you say that, it's all thanks to your careful consideration, sister."

After bowing, he, Ron, and Hermione packed up their books and headed out of the library to the classroom.

The three entered the castle, and Ron couldn't help but ask, "Harry, are you trying to counterfeit money?"

Harry exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, you seem to know your stuff."

Ron waved his hand modestly, "I know a little, just a little."

Harry stretched out his arms and put them around Ron and Hermione's necks, whispering, "Since Fudge wants to mint new official currency, we'll make counterfeit money and mix it in to undermine his economic foundation."

"When he is condemned by all and deserted by his people, that will be the day we rise up in rebellion."

Ron and Hermione were startled and both nodded in agreement.

Harry was just about to tamper with Fudge's gold coins when, unexpectedly, the guy himself stumbled upon something unexpected.

It turned out that although the Ministry of Magic printed the gold notes in a dazzling gold, no one in the magical world believed in these pieces of paper.

Despite repeated orders from the ministry, the number of sorcerers coming to exchange old currency remained extremely small, less than one in ten villages.

Seeing that the new banknotes were about to become a laughing stock as soon as they were issued, how could Fudge sit still?

He immediately took swift and decisive action, ordering shops everywhere to accept only gold yuan notes, and dispatched officials to investigate and coerce people into exchanging them.

As a result, which wizard in the British Isles didn't grit their teeth in anger? In the bars and hotels, one could hear nothing but sighs and complaints; in the streets and alleys, there were only words of cursing Fudge.

Unexpectedly, after a period of coercion and enticement, the market actually started to loosen up, and the number of people using the gold yuan notes gradually increased.

Seeing that the winds had shifted, Fudge quickly bribed several newspapers, instructing their writers to produce several eloquent articles, filled with grand pronouncements such as "breaking free from Gringotts' control" and "returning wealth and power to the wizards."

Within ten days, these words had spread throughout Britain.

Do you think public opinion can sway people's hearts? Those who used to curse others, after seeing the flowery words in the newspapers, actually started to use them with a mixture of belief and doubt.

In the marketplace, complaints gradually subsided: more gold notes were added to the neighborhood. With this gradual accumulation and the Ministry of Magic's iron-fisted implementation, the gold notes became the main currency in the marketplace in just one or two months.

"Minister, the Daily Prophet calls you the Iron-Blooded Minister."

"Report: Wizards in Godric Valley and Seworth Village have also started using gold coins."

"Mr. Fudge, you have been nominated for the Order of Merlin, First Class!"

When Fudge heard good news coming from all directions, the pent-up frustration in his heart finally dissipated.

He leaned back in his chair and picked up the Daily Prophet, noticing the flattering words throughout, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Just as he was enjoying a leisurely drink, Percy, who was handling state affairs, stepped forward, frowned, and whispered, "Minister, the Ministry of Magic's fiscal deficit has increased by another five percentage points. Tax revenue is no longer keeping up with military spending—"

Fudge didn't even look up, simply turning a page of the newspaper, and casually interrupted, "Child, don't forget, the Ministry of Magic now holds the power to mint coins."

"Print more money."