A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 271 Fudge's Thoughts

"I hate change."

In the small room behind the curtain, Fudge, separated by a door, thought with a gloomy expression. When alone, his expression became completely undisguised, and no one who saw his face would associate him with being timid and indecisive.

He didn't come out of the room until everyone in the drawing room had left, and Walsh Sidrick returned and stood in front of Fudge.

"Minister, Mr. Heip has left. He left with Mr. Scamander, and they seem to know each other."

"Is that so?" Fudge said in a low voice. Scamander was not a pleasant name either. He was having some difficulty breathing, as if he were trapped in a net, sinking deeper and deeper, unable to break free.

At the center of this web is an old man with silver-white hair and azure blue eyes—this old man is Albus Dumbledore.

No one wants to be a puppet. Although at the beginning of his tenure, in order to consolidate his position, he went to Hogwarts three times a day, making a gesture of standing with the greatest wizard in the world at that time. After several years, he finally gradually secured his position as Minister of Magic.

But in the last year or two, he has done this much less often, especially since his outstanding performance in last year's Ifamoni student protests earned him a lot of points. Speaking of which, Felix Heap was also present at the time and was a key figure.

Fudge's curiosity grew, and he asked Siddeuk, "Has Barty Crouch made any moves lately?"

Walsh Cedric understood what he meant. "No, he's been preparing for next year's Triwizard Tournament, well, or rather, the Quadruple Tournament... who knows? Some people in the ministry have even suggested bringing in a few more countries, since the Goblet of Fire will definitely be readjusted anyway, so why not add a few more?"

Fudge nodded slightly. Barty Crouch was a strong contender for the position below him. In fact, if it weren't for the sudden scandal that Crouch's reputation plummeted after the war ended and the revelation that his son had conspired with three other Death Eaters to drive the Longbottoms insane, Fudge wouldn't have taken over.

Not long after, Crouch's wife died, and his son also perished in Azkaban, leaving Crouch devastated and confined to the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation. But Fudge would never forget how deeply respected the ruthless Director of Law Enforcement had been during that wartime era.

The equally tough former Minister of Magic, Milison Bagno, was very optimistic about Barty Crouch succeeding her, but unfortunately... well, it was fortunate that that incident happened.

Fudge thought for a moment, then inquired about the organization of the Quidditch World Cup. This time, Cedric's expression was not good. "Progress is not going very well. Mr. Bagman's work has only just begun. He sent his subordinate, Bertha Jorkins, to investigate the site, but Ms. Jorkins is notoriously bad at remembering things. She can even get the simplest reports mixed up..."

Fudge's face flushed red, and he looked like he wanted to hit someone. He forced back his anger and said, "What is Bagman doing himself?"

"Uh... he went to a Wembley Hornets fan meeting the other day. You know, even though he's retired, he's still one of the most popular hitters."

Fudge certainly knew that Ludo Bagman was an exceptional batter in his youth, which was why he eventually became the Director of Magical Sports. Bagman was even accused of passing information to the Death Eater August Lukewood, but he escaped punishment because of his outstanding performance in the Quidditch match the previous week and the positive impression he had of others.

Barty Crouch was the judge in that trial...

Fudge's heart skipped a beat, and he asked Sidric softly, "What do you think about me putting them together?"

"What?"

"Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, they don't need to distinguish between 'you' and 'me,' they should just work together to finish the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament."

"This..." Sidrick wanted to scratch his head; these two were completely incompatible. He couldn't help but recall the impressions they had left on him—

Barty Crouch was extremely serious and meticulous in his work. He left an impression on the Ministry of Magic staff as being tough and decisive during the war and cold and impartial in the postwar trials. He even personally tried Barty Crouch Jr. and found him guilty.

Ludo Bagman, on the other hand, is an international-level athlete with abundant energy and a simple mind. Although he is not young, people who meet him for the first time are attracted by his round blue eyes, short blond hair and rosy complexion, all of which make him look like a big boy.

Sidrick tried to imagine the two working together—Mr. Crouch was ready to discuss matters, only to find that Bagman was nowhere to be found, either meeting with fans or busy placing bets on some Quidditch match.

However, to be fair, Mr. Bagman's eye for opportunity is indeed accurate. A large portion of his wealth came from gambling. Should he also participate in this year's Quidditch World Cup betting? It is said that Mr. Bagman is quite generous and would be happy to bring others along...

"Walsh?"

Walsh Sidderick snapped out of his reverie, considered it carefully, and finally offered a lukewarm suggestion: "Mr. Crouch is serious and meticulous, Mr. Bagman is passionate and emotional. Their collaboration might, might... bring unexpected benefits?"

"Then it's settled," Fudge said decisively. "Bring it up at the next meeting, and I'll cooperate with you."

"clear."

"Also, what is Umbridge up to? I heard she went to Diagon Alley, and quite a few people have complained to me about it."

"Minister, it's actually Knockturn Alley. We've received accurate intelligence that Sirius Black appeared in Knockturn Alley, ambushed a wizard, presumably a dark wizard... in short, stole his wand."

Fudge frowned; this wasn't quite what he expected. "You want her to go back to Hogsmeade—" He actually meant Hogwarts, but Dumbledore had firmly disagreed, and they'd had a falling out over the Dementors' outburst. Thinking about it gave him a headache. How could this be connected to Felix Heap? Heaven knows how surprised he was when he learned the Dementors had shrunk.

He started paying attention to this person from then on. His previous titles—Muggle expert, Hogwarts professor—were nothing special, at most just a compliment to his youth and talent. But recently, this person's name had been frequently mentioned in his ears.

To quell the attack on the international conference venue by French Iphamoni students; to heal the war heroes Longbottom and his wife, who had been sentenced to death by St. Mungo's; and to severely reduce the size of the Dementors guarding Azkaban...

Although they seem unrelated, they all represent one word: strength. This Felix Heap possesses extremely strong combat abilities.

"Could this be another Dumbledore? How can I get him to work for me?" Fudge thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)