Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

"Please forgive me. I really can't adapt to your taste. I can't eat too many sweets at my age." Fudge said with an exaggerated expression, "You should also control yourself."

"Poppy said so, but I always feel that it's more or less cruel to ask someone of my age to change a lifetime of habits, isn't it?"

"That's true, but you're not old at all. I don't see any difference from when I took over. I'm actually getting older - it's not easy to run these things. I didn't even go home this Christmas."

"These past few years have not been as peaceful as when Barnold was here. You've been working really hard, and we all see it."

"But I did a good job, didn't I? At least I didn't cause any bigger trouble."

"Well... the situation is still under control, and we have achieved a lot of gratifying results."

Faced with Fudge's complaints and boasting, Dumbledore skillfully practiced Tai Chi, just as he had done sixty years ago when facing those bureaucrats who called on him to step forward to fight against Grindelwald.

His ambiguity made Fudge feel uneasy, and he didn't want to wait any longer as he didn't know when Linn would come back.

The Minister, with bloodshot eyes, stood up and walked to Dumbledore, and said bluntly: "Now is the time when I have to ask you to help me, Albus. The Ministry of Magic needs you to stand up and support us."

"This makes me a little confused. Didn't I just agree to Dolores and Rufus' request not long ago?" Dumbledore was still pretending to be confused. "Hogwarts and I will of course cooperate with the Ministry of Magic as long as it is conducive to resolving the riots and dangerous incidents that are happening everywhere."

"Oh, don't be like this, Albus..." Fudge showed a frustrated expression, "You know what I'm talking about. If we want to maintain the unity of the wizarding community, the Ministry of Magic must first maintain its own unity, rather than division and fighting."

He gritted his teeth and said, "There is a small group of people plotting against me now, including the media and some bad apples in the ministry. The leader is Bones and those old subordinates of Barnold."

Dumbledore's eyes darkened.

On the other side, the Room of Requirement.

Lin En, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, opened his eyes, and the violently trembling World Tree slowly calmed down and returned to his body.

Helga and Rowena also restrained their magic power and looked at the Phoenix Patronus hovering in the open space.

They all heard Dumbledore's message.

"That's all for today," Helga said.

"I'll go first." Lin En adjusted his breathing, wiped the sweat off his face and stood up from the ground. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's just a small matter." Rowena smiled and nodded, "I'm also looking forward to your growth, go and get busy."

-----------------

Lynn calculated the time and rushed to the principal's office. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Fudge, who was looking gloomy.

"Minister, you actually have time to come here. School hasn't started yet, and there's nothing worth seeing if you want to inspect it."

He half-jokingly said, "Have you prepared good wine? It seems that I can't go home to have dinner with Fei today."

"You're finally back, Lynn." Fudge, who had just been complaining to Dumbledore about Amelia's various "bad deeds", immediately showed his unique expression. "A friend gave it to me. I brought it here because I knew you liked it. Can we drink it and chat at the same time? Good things should be shared with friends."

This bottle of wine was indeed Lynn's favorite - it was the same one he drank in Fudge's study last time, but it was a little older.

Lin En sat down happily, opened the red wine and poured it into the decanter. Then he asked, "I heard that there are a lot of things going on in the department recently. I didn't expect you to be so elegant and come all the way to drink with us."

"It's because I have a lot of things to do, so I want to have a drink with you to relieve my stress. I've been very upset recently. I was just talking to Albus about it." Fudge sat next to Lynn and picked up a small piece of dessert nonchalantly. "You have a good relationship with the Longbottoms. You should know that they are back."

"They even invited me to celebrate, but I've been too busy lately." Lin En smiled and said, "This should be good news for the department. They are very capable."

"I welcome their return." Fudge smiled reluctantly, "But my life as a minister is getting harder and harder. The murder case on Christmas Day has not been resolved yet. It's really hard for me to handle it."

He spoke very bluntly, without any of his usual euphemistic inquiries or roundabout ways; his intentions were obvious.

"McNeill's death... is indeed strange." Dumbledore picked up the decanter and poured just enough wine for Fudge, while he and Lynn only had a sip.

Lin En said calmly, "It's really a bit unreasonable to expect the Aurors and strikers of the Enforcement Department to find the whereabouts of the mysterious man."

Fudge chose to be straightforward. He had no intention of talking nonsense and just went straight to the point.

"God...! Why do you think so?" Fudge was as if he had been hit by a stick on the head, his face panicked, "At best, this is just a madman or a fanatic who borrowed the name of the mysterious man."

Lynn shook her head imperceptibly.

"Cornelly, I really don't want to repeat those words." Dumbledore raised his glass, "I know why you are here - let's have a drink first."

Fudge lowered his head, looking at his wine glass, and could vaguely see the figure reflected in the glass.

He raised his glass and said shakily, "Okay."

"Ding"

With different thoughts in mind, three glasses gently clinked in the air, and the aroma of wine was rich.

Chapter 543 You should resign, Fudge

After drinking the wine, the three of them put down their empty glasses in tacit understanding.

"Since you all know my intentions, there's no need for me to beat around the bush. I want to know if Bones' recent actions are yours. Are you two planning to make me step down early?"

There was a blush on Fudge's pale face, whether it was due to the alcohol or his emotions, but his tone was very calm, neither excited nor depressed.

"You wouldn't believe me if I said I was completely unaware of Amelia's recent actions," Lynn said. "She is doing what we hope the Ministry of Magic will do, preparing for possible chaos and war in the future, and trying every means to avoid it."

"Is that what you think, Albus?" asked Fudge.

"I think so, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gently. "As I did when we last spoke, I advised you to make some preparations in advance."

Fudge's face turned red and white, and his mood changed.

He recalled the unpleasant private conversation he had had with Dumbledore a few months ago.

Lin En looked at him helplessly: "To this day, you don't really think that the two of us would plan those outrageous conspiracies for your boring position?"

"But you can obviously find me."

"Are you sure I didn't look for you? I told you that the last time we drank, and you could have denied it." Lynn shook the empty glass. "It turns out that you still don't have the courage to face difficulties or even despair. The rum in the office can't help you."

"...You know everything?" Fudge was struck by lightning, and suspicious names flashed through his mind.

There were only a handful of people who knew about his drinking in the office, and each of them was a direct descendant promoted by him, unless -

"If I really want to know something, the Ministry of Magic is unilaterally transparent to me, not just you, Fudge. Don't think about your subordinates who only know how to sway with the wind."

Lynn looked at him expressionlessly. "Do you know what your biggest failure has been during your years as Minister of Magic? It's that you have never truly understood the nature of power. You are a smart person, but just a smart person."

"I--what's Bones' strength then?" Fudge gnashed his teeth. "Because she's obedient?"

"You are wrong, Cornelius. Amelia never blindly obeys anyone. She is loyal to her duty and to the Ministry of Magic."

After saying this, Dumbledore suddenly seemed a little disappointed.

He still remembered what Fudge was like when he first took office, but now things are completely different.

The once diligent official disappeared, leaving only a political animal obsessed with power and status living in the original body.

But Fudge obviously didn't understand his meaning, let alone the emotions deep in those blue eyes.

He just looked at the two people with vigilance and fear, like a trapped beast with nowhere to go.

"I see. You two have actually reached an agreement a long time ago. I should have thought of it earlier." He laughed dryly and said with difficulty, "The price you want is something I can't give."

"You are wrong, absolutely wrong." Lynn stared into Fudge's panicked eyes. "If I had any interest in your position, you would have stepped down long ago. You wouldn't have waited until today, let alone have the chance to sit here and drink."

He raised his hand to stop Dumbledore from trying to persuade him, and continued, "You are not a real wizard, so it is difficult for you to understand our pursuit - worldly power is a priceless treasure to you, but it means nothing in our eyes."

"Then why do you have to make things difficult for me?" Fudge slammed the table. "Can't you wait until I finish this term and retire?!"

"You have the ability to make us wait, but do you have the ability to make Voldemort and those monsters wait?" Lin En asked back without showing any weakness, "You dare to slam the table and glare here because you know we won't do anything to you. If we really throw you in front of Voldemort, will you dare to say a word?"

"you--!"

Fudge pointed at Lynn with all his might, his face flushed red like a ripe tomato that had just been picked, and his short and fat body was shaking from top to bottom, half with anger and half with fear.

How could he not know that what Lin En said was the truth? It was just that he was blinded by greed and could not accept such a reality.

He, who always appeared to be fierce but was actually weak, stiffened his neck in vain, trying his best to look dignified.

"Are you threatening me?" he cried. "Do I look like someone who would give in to a threat?"

"You don't look like it, because that's the kind of person you are." Lynn said calmly, "But I'm not going to threaten you yet, because you at least did one thing that I think is good."

"……what?"

"You are not as hopeless as Umbridge, and you know better than to harm your colleagues. I have to say that this decision definitely saved your life."

There was no emotion in Lynn's voice, but Fudge felt as if someone was strangling him and he couldn't breathe.

"W-what are you talking about?!"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know all your plans, including that stupid plan to remove the striker from Azkaban - do you know who Umbridge is in contact with?"

Lynn had made up his mind not to give Fudge any more face. His voice gradually became louder, and the powerful magic power was like a mountain pressing down on him.

He looked at Dumbledore for help, but was only met with a look full of regret and pity.

There is also a pile of photos and documents.

All of them were evidence of the crimes of Fudge's subordinates, as well as evidence of private transactions between Fudge himself and other pure-blood families.

"I can only give you a final suggestion, Connelly." The old man's blue eyes dimmed a little. "Resign. This will save some dignity. The evidence will be sealed forever."

Fudge shrank back in horror, not daring to look at the things on the table.

He never thought that things would come to this point - he originally wanted to seek the support of Lynn and Dumbledore, or at least to alienate the relationship between them and reduce his own pressure, but he didn't expect...

"Ridiculous! Crazy delusion!" He screamed, raised his finger threateningly and pointed it at Lin En. "You two must be crazy-!"

His words were interrupted by a parchment scroll.

Lynn didn't give him any face at all and directly threw the evidence of Umbridge and Avery's conspiracy at him.

He placed the exquisite silver player on the table, and with a light press, clear conversation sounds came out.

[It won't arouse any suspicion. It's just one of the recent chaos. It just happened that she died.]

Umbridge's affected voice was reproduced perfectly by the machine. Fudge's eyes widened, his face full of horror.

"You have two choices, Fudge." Lynn looked down at him. "The first is to resign voluntarily. I will make sure to leave you some dignity. The second is to gather all your subordinates who you think are still loyal to try to fight against me and see if I can catch you all in one fell swoop like Voldemort did."

"No, this is impossible... impossible..."

Fudge seemed frightened, and seemed unable to think of how to answer Lynn's question. His whole body was shaking back and forth, and his top hat fell off.

Finally he spoke, with a hint of pleading and fantasies that were ridiculous in Lin En's eyes.

"We shouldn't have come to this, Lynn... and Dumbledore, we're friends, aren't we?"

"We could have been friends if you were willing to tell me about this - this was my last chance for you, but unfortunately, you gave it up. Someone like you is not qualified to lead the Ministry of Magic at a time like this."

Lynn pronounced Fudge's fate in a calm tone.

He raised the glass again, and the sweet red wine drew a line and fell into the glass.

"Have you made up your mind, Fudge? You don't have much time left to make a choice, and your choice is not important to me."

Chapter 544 The real plan

London, Ministry of Magic.

Even after get off work, the underground office area, where many people work overtime, has changed from its usual orderly state to a tense atmosphere, as if a thunderstorm is about to come.

Groups of heavily armed wizards guarded every floor, including the aloof Department of Mysteries.

The Aurors from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement all had icy expressions on their faces. They quickly arrested more than twenty people, each of whom was a Death Eater who had escaped trial and was lurking in the Ministry of Magic. Some of them were even favorites in the eyes of Minister Fudge.

It’s not that no one wanted to resist or escape, but it was meaningless in the face of the dragnet that had been prepared for who knows how long.

Dolores Umbridge was captured in the back-office room of the Minister's office.

Just a second before Frank broke in, she was arguing with Thicknesse about the command of the strikers who were about to be evacuated from Azkaban, and in the blink of an eye she became a prisoner.

Amelia walked forward with a cold face and said without any emotion: "Dolores Jane Umbridge is suspected of hiring dark wizards to plot the assassination of colleagues and selling confidential information of the Ministry of Magic many times. The evidence is conclusive and she is now arrested."

"I am the Senior Undersecretary! You have no right to treat me like this! This is a frame-up! This is betrayal! A shameful betrayal of the Minister and the Ministry of Magic!"

She screamed at the top of her hoarse voice and struggled with her short and fat body like a fat maggot.

"Behave yourself, you scum!"

Brian glared and gave Umbridge a solid kick directly in the abdomen, shutting up all the words she hadn't said. She curled up on the ground like a cooked shrimp, retching continuously.

Andrew and another young female Auror walked up to her from the left and right and dragged her out of the office, leaving Thicknesse still in shock.