Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 326 Misfortunes Never Come Alone

Fudge thought he had hit rock bottom, but what happened next was still beyond his expectations.

The staircase adjacent to the one that had disappeared also vanished, and chubby Fudge suddenly felt much more comfortable; at least it wasn't so uncomfortable anymore. But when the third staircase disappeared as well, he panicked.

"Dumbledore—"

Before Dumbledore could react, Fudge fell through the large hole formed in the staircase—luckily, a staircase below caught him, otherwise he would have broken his bones.

Even though the stairs caught him just in time, the fall still left Fudge completely disoriented. He felt like every bone in his body was broken, and it took him a while to recover while lying on the stairs.

During this time, he did consider what would happen if the stairs disappeared further, but the pain in his body was so intense that Fudge completely lost the will to move.

"If the stairs disappear again, I'll give up!" After a series of setbacks, Fudge displayed a self-destructive attitude. However, it seemed his luck had turned around, as this time the stairs did not mysteriously disappear until Dumbledore arrived.

Dumbledore, who had arrived at Fudge's side, did not hesitate and immediately escorted him to a safe place.

Dumbledore didn't particularly like Fudge, but the guy was, after all, the Minister for Magic. Dumbledore couldn't just stand by and watch the current Minister for Magic fall to his death in Hogwarts Castle, could he?

"This has never happened before." Dumbledore frowned slightly as he looked at the staircase where the steps had abruptly disappeared.

This is very strange. Ever since Fudge entered Hogwarts, his bad luck has gone beyond the normal range. It's more like...

curse!

Dumbledore recalled the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors who tried to teach for another year, only to encounter all sorts of misfortunes after completing a year of instruction and even considering a second year. However, Fudge's predicament today was exceptionally unfortunate, even among Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.

What Dumbledore and Fudge didn't know was that Fudge's escape from further misfortune wasn't due to a stroke of good luck, but rather because someone had shown him mercy.

"Alright, the Minister of Magic can't fall to his death inside Hogwarts Castle." Rice, standing some distance away, grabbed Helga's arm, dissuading her from continuing to dismantle the stairs.

"He got off too easy!" Helga said indignantly. "Is this all he got away with?"

"Of course not." Rice didn't think Fudge had "passed" at all; it was too easy for him to suffer so little. However, she wasn't as angry as Helga, because Henry had already taken action.

For a political creature like Fudge, if he had to choose between bad luck and downfall, he would definitely choose bad luck without hesitation.

Fudge, who had been helped to a safe platform by Dumbledore, asked Dumbledore with a long face what had happened and why he was having such bad luck today.

Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then could only reply in a humorous tone, "It seems Hogwarts Castle isn't very welcoming to you today."

Fudge suddenly lost his composure and shouted, "But I'm a Hogwarts graduate too!"

Dumbledore didn't want to talk to him—you're a Hogwarts graduate, and you sent Dementors to surround Hogwarts? If the four founders knew this in the afterlife, they would definitely expel you.

Rice had never regretted developing the magic that could transmit sound so much. When Fudge's words, "I am also a graduate of Hogwarts," reached their ears, Rice and Helga were indeed enraged.

A large chandelier came crashing down on Fudge's head. If Dumbledore hadn't reacted quickly, Fudge would have died there today.

Fudge: ...

Dumbledore: ...

"I think you should say less," Dumbledore advised earnestly.

Fudge nodded blankly.

The probability of a chandelier falling due to worn-out screws is not nonexistent, but it's close to zero. Fudge was genuinely scared.

He followed Dumbledore cautiously and nervously to the West Tower, and then, as he climbed the suspended ladder leading to the Divination classroom, the ladder broke...

Fudge, who had fallen on his bottom, was already used to it. He got up, fixed the ladder with a repair charm, and then slowly climbed into the divination classroom.

After hearing Fudge's purpose, Professor Trelawney was stunned: This minister is really unlucky.

She carefully performed a divination for Fuji, and this time she truly saw "ominous" signs in the divination.

When Trelawney reached the "ominous" conclusion, she even felt like crying—she had always liked to make "death predictions" for people in order to establish her image, and after so many years, she finally met someone whose divination truly revealed a death omen!

Professor Trelawney used all her skills to interpret the divination she had seen in great detail for Fudge, making Fudge's face turn as black as a burnt crucible.

"Then what should I do to avoid these disasters?" Fudge, feeling that he would die if he listened any longer, interrupted Professor Trelawney and asked her for a solution.

Trelawney: ?

"I'm only responsible for divination, I don't know what to do either—perhaps it would be better if you left the castle?"

Fudge was so angry at Trelawney's words that his eyes went black: If I had known this would happen, I would have just gone back to the Ministry of Magic! Why bother coming all this way to have you do my fortune-telling? Do you know how much I've suffered on this journey?

He really didn't want to say anything more, and even considered asking Dumbledore for a flying broomstick to fly out the window. But considering his luck that day, Fudge really didn't dare to do that.

In the end, even though he was extremely unwilling, Fudge had no choice but to walk back the way he came.

When he stepped out of Hogwarts Castle again and basked in the sunlight, Fudge even felt as if he had survived a catastrophe.

"Albus, I'm going back to the department first. Let's communicate via email if anything comes up..." Fudge glanced back at the castle with lingering fear. In his eyes, his familiar alma mater had transformed into a terrifying abyss, and he never wanted to set foot there again.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes: in the end, he didn't give a direct answer to the question of whether or not to continue sending Dementors to be stationed outside Hogwarts.

Just then, a beautiful owl flew down to him and handed him a letter.

Dumbledore opened the letter and immediately showed a surprised expression.

"What's wrong?" Fuji asked, being the talkative one he was.

Dumbledore looked at him strangely and then told him that many parents were waiting for him outside the school.

Fuki: ?!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The second update is here!

I continued writing.

(End of this chapter)