bookbashuk Chapter 170 Ministry of Magic
Chapter 170 Ministry of Magic
Chapter 170 Ministry of Magic
"Headmaster Dumbledore—"
As soon as Dumbledore entered the headmaster's office, he saw a large group of Aurors surrounding him, with a middle-aged man leading them.
"Cornelly Fudge, it's been a long time." Dumbledore gave a gentle smile.
"Ah—yes." Fudge's face looked unwell. He nervously wiped his face with a handkerchief and said, "I'm here today because of—Gierod Lockhart."
"Just him?" Dumbledore asked casually and slowly sat down. Although there was a large group of Aurors standing in the room, each of them was extremely respectful in front of Dumbledore.
Except for a woman wearing a pink dress and a somewhat comical pink hat.
She frowned immediately upon hearing Dumbledore's words: "Headmaster Dumbledore—I need to remind you of something."
"You are speaking to Minister Fauci right now."
"Even as the headmaster of Hogwarts, you must speak with respect."
"You jest, Deputy Minister Umbridge." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming slightly more serious. "I just wanted to confirm something, lest Cornelius forget something."
"What is it?" Umbridge asked, grimacing. "If it's about some nonsense—"
"Minister Fookie won't pay any attention to that."
"Nonsense?" Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Is it about Miss Hamilton—"
Still about ————
"Voldemort?"
'
'
As Dumbledore spoke, a hint of fear, or perhaps—embarrassment—appeared on the faces of all the Aurors.
But indeed, no one picked up on Dumbledore's words.
After an awkward silence, Fudge coughed and said, "Dumbledore—this matter—"
"Perhaps it would be better if we talked about this privately." He forced a smile. "About—the misunderstanding about that person."
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"After all, we all know he's dead, don't we?"
Whether his words convinced the Aurors around him is unknown, but they certainly did not convince Dumbledore.
He simply looked at Fudge in silence, and after a long while, he nodded slightly.
"I'm glad we have this consensus." Fudge nodded slightly, bowing and scraping before Dumbledore, who was seated, as if he were Dumbledore's servant.
However, he doesn't seem to mind, at least that's how it appears.
He nodded to Dumbledore, then looked at the other Aurors: "Please, everyone, step outside for a moment—"
Headmaster Dumbledore and I have some private matters to discuss.
"Minister Fookie————"
"Including you, Deputy Minister Umbridge." Fudge didn't give Umbridge a friendly look, seemingly because her words had led Dumbledore to mention Voldemort.
After she walked out of the principal's office with a pout, Fudge sighed softly and sat down.
"Regarding the mysterious man—" He paused, then continued, "I hope we can maintain our previous consensus."
"He's dead, and he'll never come back."
"Have we ever reached such a consensus?" Dumbledore asked slowly, leaning back in his chair in the headmaster's office. His thoughts were unreadable, but his words seemed to reveal a slight dissatisfaction.
"Cornelly, you and I both know—he didn't die so simply," Dumbledore said earnestly. "Quirok last year."
"Lockhart this year—"
"This all means he's constantly thinking about making a comeback—"
"No, no, no," Fudge shook his head, interrupting Dumbledore. "Didn't our Professor Hamilton kill him—or rather, his men?"
"Isn't this also a thwart to his plot to make a comeback?" Fudge said somewhat impatiently. "Tomorrow's newspapers will carry Professor Hamilton's name; she is another hero, after Harry, who has defeated the Death Eaters."
Fudge's words silenced Dumbledore. He understood Fudge's thoughts—he didn't want Voldemort to have any chance of making a comeback, nor did he want any reports related to him.
Under his rule, the magical world should be a place of peace and prosperity, where everything is going smoothly.
Even if Tom Riddell's name were on his face, he wouldn't have any intention of admitting it.
So Dumbledore didn't say anything more about it and changed the subject.
"Miss Hamilton does not wish for her name to be published in the newspapers," Dumbledore said slowly.
"How could that be?" Fudge was delighted to hear Dumbledore change the subject. "It's a tremendous honor."
"She defeated the Death Eaters, saved Hogwarts—and incidentally exposed Lockhart's lies," Fudge nodded. "I'm even considering awarding her the Order of Merlin, Third Class."
His words made Dumbledore raise an eyebrow.
"Miss Hamilton has already received the Order of the British Empire (3rd Class)."
"Ah—is that so?" Fudge raised an eyebrow, a little embarrassed. "Then it's the Order of Merlin, Second Class—"
'
"But that will take some time." Fudge said, thinking for a few seconds, then asked as if he understood something, "So—Professor Hamilton is Loila Hamilton, right?"
"Hmm." Dumbledore nodded slightly. "I remember this—the Ministry of Magic seems to know about it."
"Ah—" Fudge chuckled awkwardly, "Director Scrimgeour can sometimes be quite autocratic."
"He didn't tell me these things in detail."
Fudge's words made Dumbledore shake his head slightly.
"However—if she really is that Miss Hamilton," Fudge said slowly, "then we should publicize this even more."
"After all, maintaining good relations with pure-blood families is very helpful for the Ministry of Magic's work."
Fudge's words made Dumbledore shake his head again. He coughed and said, "But as far as I know—"
"In the five thousand years since Miss Hamilton disappeared, all her property has been inherited by the Hamilton family."
"If she were still alive now—" Dumbledore said slowly, "it could very well mean that the entire Hamilton family's succession would change."
"Furthermore, the ownership of a large portion of these properties will change."
"—" Fudge swallowed hard and said, "You mean—she'll become the current first in line to the Hamilton family?"
"That's exactly what I know."
"That's indeed—a bit of a problem." Fudge nodded knowingly. "I don't think Edward Hamilton would be happy to hear about this."
"But what about Miss Hamilton—" Fudge thought for a moment and asked, "Does she know about these things?"
"As far as I know, I am unaware of this," Dumbledore said slowly. "And—she doesn't seem to care about these things."
"I understand what you mean, Dumbledore." Fudge nodded slightly and stood up. "This won't be reported."
"Let's keep this as a secret between us."
His words made Dumbledore sigh softly: "Perhaps—but Cornelius—"
Seeing that he seemed about to bring up the volcanoes again, Fudge quickly interrupted him.
Why did you do that?
"It's simple, Cornelius." Dumbledore calmly opened a packet of honey candy on the table.
He put a candy in his mouth before continuing, "Because—"
"She is a professor at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said slowly, "and—I have high hopes for her."
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"————"
Dumbledore's words surprised Fudge, who pursed his lips and said, "High expectations?"
"you mean----"
"Nothing more than that," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Just saying."
"Also—" he said as if remembering something, "I hope the Ministry of Magic won't bother her too much."
"I understand." Fudge nodded with a complicated expression, then walked out of the principal's office.
Watching his retreating figure, Dumbledore sighed softly.