Hogwarts Study Panel.

Chapter 597, Section 595: Fudge's Change

"Rumors? Connelly—"

Dumbledore's calm expression ignited an inexplicable anger in Fudge.

"How can it not be a rumor!"

Fudge shouted, his face turning purple, "It seems to me that you people are determined to create a climate of panic and destroy everything we've worked so hard to build over the past thirteen years!"

From the shadows, Snape stared coldly at him.

Staring at the furious little wizard, he resolutely refused to believe that his orderly, stable, and comfortable world could be destroyed—refused to believe that Voldemort could rise again.

"Voldemort is back."

Dumbledore said again, "Fudge, if you accept this fact immediately and take the necessary steps, we may still be able to turn the situation around."

The first and most important step is to free Azkaban from the Dementors' control.

"Playing nonsense!"

Fudge shouted again, "Remove the Dementors? I'd be fired the moment I suggested that! Half of us can only sleep soundly at night because we know there are Dementors guarding Azkaban!"

"Connelly, if we knew you'd put Voldemort's most dangerous cronies in charge of guarding those guys who'd do his bidding at a moment's notice, the rest of us wouldn't be able to sleep soundly!"

Dumbledore said, "Those guys can't possibly be loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them far more power and pleasure than you can! Once Voldemort has the support of the Dementors, his former cronies will all come back to him, and then it will be very difficult to stop him from regaining the power he had thirteen years ago!"

Fudge's mouth opened and closed, as if no words could express his anger.

"The second measure you must take—and you must do it immediately,"

Dumbledore continued, "It's to send a message to the giants."

"Send someone to deliver a message to the giant?"

Fudge exclaimed, suddenly able to speak again, "What kind of nonsense is this now?"

"While it's not too late, extend a hand of friendship to them."

Dumbledore said, "Voldemort has already won over some of them. He's done this before; of all the wizards, only he can offer them rights and freedom!"

"You...you must be joking!"

Fudge gasped in shock, shaking his head and shrinking back from Dumbledore. "If the wizarding world finds out I've been associated with giants—people hate giants, Dumbledore—my career is over—"

'

"Connelly, you are too obsessed with your official position, which has caused you to lose your proper judgment."

Dumbledore said, his voice rising, and one could feel the aura of power surrounding him. His eyes shone brightly once more. "You value so-called pure blood too much! You always have! You don't realize that a person's birth is not important, but what kind of person they become!"

Now I'm telling you, if you follow my advice and take some measures, the Ministry of Magic and the entire wizarding world will remember you forever and regard you as the bravest and greatest Minister of Magic in history.

If you do not take action—history will remember you: it was because you stood by that Voldemort had a second chance to destroy the world we have worked so hard to rebuild!

"absurd,"

Fudge whispered, continuing to back away step by step, "Crazy—"

Then there was a moment of silence.

"If you remain so stubborn and insist on going your own way, Connelly,"

Dumbledore said, "Then we shall part ways. You do what you deem appropriate. I—I will act according to my own will."

There was no threat in Dumbledore's voice; it sounded like a mere statement. But Fudge was furious, as if Dumbledore were approaching him with a wand in hand.

"Very well, very well, Dumbledore,"

He waved a finger menacingly and said, "I've always given you complete freedom. I've always respected you. I may not approve of some of your decisions, but I've always kept quiet. Not many people would allow you to hire werewolves, retain Hagrid, or decide what to teach students without consulting the Ministry. However, if you're prepared to go against me..."

"The only thing I want to oppose,"

Dumbledore said, "It's Voldemort. If you're against him too, Cornelius, then we're still on the same side."

Fudge seemed unable to think of a way to answer.

His two little feet were unsteady, and he swayed back and forth for a moment, spinning his tall, round hat with both hands.

Finally, he spoke, his voice tinged with pleading, "He won't come back, Dumbledore, he can't—"

"Connelly, okay—I got it."

Dumbledore stopped speaking abruptly, staring at Fudge until the pleading in his eyes grew stronger. "I'm an old man, Cornelius. My judgment is always dull, and it's always difficult for me to decide whether we should be more radical—"

"What—what radicalism?"

Fudge was startled by those words. He was a man who was good at reading people, and that was why he was able to sense the terrifyingly cold light in Dumbledore's eyes.

This made him instinctively grasp the magic hand mirror.

If anything happens, he can use it to contact the Aurors outside.

"Respecting the ideas of young people, Connelly, is essential. Older folks like us always have to step back—"

"Mr. Green, would you please come in?"

The door creaked open, and Fudge looked over in alarm, only to see a head about the same height as the window.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Minister Fudge."

A tuft of black hair drifted from the window outside into the house.

"Mr. Green?"

Fudge nervously wiped the hem of his trousers with his hand.

Good morning, Minister Fouché.

Sheen came over after noticing the fire in the cabin; Hagrid had been away for a while, so he was more sensitive to fires.

Just a moment ago, he thought Hagrid had returned.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Green."

When facing Sheen, Fudge became much more cautious and reserved.

"So what do you think, my dear child, about what we're going to do?"

Dumbledore smiled faintly, the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

Fudge opened his mouth as if to say something, but Dumbledore interrupted him.

"We need an honest, kind, and fair person to judge our actions. Then, Connelly, I'm sure you'll be convinced."

"Dumbledore said softly."

"Ah, of course, I just—you know, good boy, news like this can cause enormous damage to public order and stability."

Fudge said in a muffled voice.

He's someone who places his bets early.

As for the little wizard in front of us, oh, who knows more about their project than the speculators?

This is an upright wizard; such people are easy to manipulate.

Silence filled the four of them.

Sheen was somewhat surprised; he had inadvertently stumbled into this important conversation.

Recalling the series of bad news over the past few days, Sheen silently looked up at Fudge.

His spotless eyes made Fudge break out in a cold sweat.

"Voldemort is back."

Sheen said.

"How could this be—"

Fudge broke out in a cold sweat.

"The Ministry of Magic should take adequate countermeasures—"

Sheen continued.

"The Ministry of Magic should not allow anyone to interfere."

Fudge's face looked extremely ugly.

How could he forget that these two are in cahoots!

Dumbledore had only recently submitted his selection for the next headmaster.

Prior to this, he had not even communicated any direction to the Ministry of Magic.

He never paid attention to the Ministry of Magic, and of course, he didn't care about him as the minister.

"This might save more lives."

Sheen ignored Fudge's rebuttal and continued.

Upon hearing this, Fudge's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty, his hands clenching tightly.

"He told you to take action, are you deaf?"

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

The people in the cabin all looked towards the doorway, and what came in with the wind was a flamboyant, hooded face.

It was just a glimpse of his chin, but Fudge felt strangely familiar with it.

"You shouldn't have come."

Dumbledore's face immediately turned cold.

Strangely, Sheen could sense resentment from that small part of his face.

"You sent me here, and now you're kicking me out, Dumbledore. How can your heart change so quickly?"

"It's the tall wizard wearing a hood," he said.

Dumbledore's gaze grew even colder, and the tall, hooded wizard snorted coldly before leaving the hut.

He didn't close the door; maybe he was angry.

Sheen thought to himself.

"Who—who is he?"

After the tall, hooded wizard left, Fudge asked the question with lingering fear.

"He will come looking for you; you'll find out soon enough."

Dumbledore's words carried a hint of helplessness.

"What?"

Fudge didn't understand, but subconsciously felt that this wouldn't be a good thing.

What bothered him even more was that the way a certain black-haired little wizard looked at him had changed.

How could he see a trace of pity?

"I hope you will seriously consider this matter, Minister Fudge. This time, it's not just for those ravaged lives, but also for your own."

Sheen said meaningfully.

"Ridiculous—what riddles are you playing with me, Mr. Green? You should tell me,"

Fudge suppressed his panic, "You know, from the very beginning—anyway, I want you to know, I'm willing to take your advice, but—"

Fudge's expression became even more flustered. He didn't know when it started, but he had lost contact with the Aurors outside.

"Don't go through the main entrance of Hogwarts, sir."

Sheen is always understanding.

"Mr. Green!"

Fudge was completely panicked.

He couldn't even control his demeanor and tone of voice; he grabbed the little wizard's hand as if it were a lifeline.

Who is that?

Who is it?

Why did he feel so familiar with it, and why did it startle him?

Dumbledore, Dumbledore, who else will appear at his Hogwarts?

"You're willing to let the Ministry of Magic take action?"

Sheen asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course! Absolutely! Combating the Mystic—this is a measure the Ministry of Magic must take—we must ensure the safety of every wizard."

Fudge changed very quickly.

Although Sheen knew he would change, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Sheen also anticipated that if Fudge didn't take action, a certain dark wizard would take action against him.

"The guards of Azkaban must be replaced, if this news is true—"

In fact, Fudge is at least not a complete fool.

He knew that what came out of Dumbledore's mouth was 80% credible, plus the presence of a certain young wizard.

The reason he was unwilling to believe Dumbledore was simply that he thought Dumbledore was challenging the authority of the Ministry of Magic, whereas it would be different if it were some junior wizard.

Fudge was willing to pave the way for him.

Fudge had always known that this was a wizard who did not pursue power.

Even if the Ministry of Magic were handed over to him, he would only go to the Ministry of Magic's library to read some books.

Ultimately, power fell into the hands of certain individuals.

His rise was so unstoppable that Fudge believed it even more than Voldemort regaining power.

Cornelius Fudge's position remains as secure as ever, should he gain the support of a minor wizard.

I vouch for you.

Sheen said.

"Then of course I am—"

Fudge feigned reluctance and glanced furtively at the young wizard. "Of course I believe you, Mr. Grimm. I just want you to know that it's because of you that I'm willing to believe you."

As he expected, Sheen's calm demeanor was tinged with a hint of trust.

"The guards of Azkaban need to be replaced, but this is no simple matter. We need enough reliable men, and these days, manpower is the most scarce resource."

Fudge said, "It's difficult."

"Say yes."

A cold voice drifted in from outside.

But strangely, it seemed that no one heard it except for Sheen.

"Perhaps I can be of some help."

So Sheen said.

That's wonderful.

Fudge revealed an expression that said, "I knew it."

Those people in the magic world, I'm afraid a lot of them have already defected.

Just as he had predicted, their Mr. Hermes was never alone.

On the contrary, he may be one of the most powerful people in the entire magical world.

"As for those giants—I will send someone on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to them."

1

Fudge said firmly, leaning slightly closer and lowering his voice to Sheehan, "I did this entirely out of trust in you, and I hope you understand that."

Sheen looked at the smooth-talking minister and thought that every wizard in the world had something that could be persuaded.

"I must return to the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Grimm. You all caught me off guard today—"

Fudge whispered, then looked at Sheehan, "The main gate of Hogwarts—"

"It's open, sir."

"That's good."

Fudge's chubby body finally managed to squeeze back into the house.

Only Sheen and Headmaster Dumbledore remained, gazing at each other after more than three months.

"Professor Snape—"

Sheen carefully considered his words before speaking.

Dumbledore sighed slightly.