Chapter 458: Chapter 458: A Letter to the Minister of Magic (Edited)
"It's really nothing, it doesn't matter," Hermione muttered as she gathered her things and left the common room with Tom.
"Everyone is celebrating their victory, it's a bad time for you to be reading a book," Tom shook his head.
But Hermione remained true to herself; that was Hermione, if she wanted to do something, she wouldn't hesitate.
...
When Hermione closed the book "Family Life and Social Customs of British Muggles," it was almost closing time at the library.
"Seriously, do you really need to read this book as a Muggle-born wizard like me?" Tom couldn't help but tease when he saw the book's title. The content of this book seemed more like a wizard's imagination of Muggle society. What sense did it make for a Muggle-born wizard to read this? It was as if the British were studying English books.
"It's very necessary." Judging by Hermione's expression, she didn't consider reading this book a waste of time.
"This book shows me how wizards view Muggles. It was through this book that I found out what Muggle society is really like from a wizard's perspective."
For Hermione, apparently, there was no book without value, perhaps because she had never read self-help books. Hermione wasn't a bookworm; she knew how to filter out clearly useless books.
"However, the book has some common sense mistakes. I've already noted them," Hermione lifted a parchment she had placed between the pages of the book. It was filled with cramped words. "I'm going to send it to the author."
Tom: ...
A true reader! By the way, is it so easy to find the addresses of authors in the magical world? Then it must be very convenient for readers to press for new updates!
"Speaking of sending letters," Hermione seemed to remember something. "You mentioned earlier that you were going to contact the Minister of Magic, how's that going?"
She began to interrogate Tom about the progress of his work like a tutor chasing assignment submissions.
"I've already sent the letter; I suppose Minister Bones is reading it right now," Tom responded calmly, as if he were facing a professor after completing an assignment.
...
The Ministry of Magic office was well-lit. Although most employees had already gone home, the Minister of Magic's office was still in full operation. It's not that the officials here were harder working; it was that Minister Bones was working overtime. This was unheard of in Fudge's time.
When Amelia was in charge of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she was already used to working overtime. Once she became Minister of Magic, this didn't diminish, turning her office into her second home.
The advantages of doing this were obvious: she quickly seized power at the Ministry. At this moment, she was reading a letter sent by Dumbledore from Hogwarts.
In it, Dumbledore confirmed Tom's identity as a "wizard" and vouched for his reliability. With Dumbledore's assurance, Amelia could rest easy. Dumbledore might be a bit careless about trivial matters, but he had never made a major mistake.
There were still many other matters she needed to attend to.
"Mafalda, how's the hiring for Hogwarts this year going?" Amelia rang a small bell on her desk, and her secretary, Mafalda Hopkirk, came in. She held a tray with a small cup of black liquid.
This mysterious black liquid emitted threads of white smoke and had countless microscopic bubbles inside. It looked strange and mysterious, like an unknown potion.
Mafalda was a small witch with gray hair and a polite demeanor. She worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry and was responsible for sending notices to wizards suspected of violating the Law of Secrecy or the Restriction Law. Harry Potter had already received a warning from her.
The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was a sub-department under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. When Amelia became Minister of Magic, she directly transferred her confidante, Mafalda, to the Minister's Office to handle official matters on her behalf.
"Everything is ready. In early April, representatives from various departments will be sent to Hogwarts to collect resumes and letters of interest and conduct in-depth interviews with seventh-year students," Mafalda said seriously.
In the magical world, there is no concept of graduate or doctoral programs. After studying at Hogwarts for seven years, students go directly into society. Staying in school is virtually nonexistent. Even Tom Riddle, with such an outstanding record, couldn't stay in school, just like other students.
The reason for this is that Hogwarts wants students to gain real-world experience before spending their entire lives in an ivory tower, removed from reality.
After students have experienced life in society for a while, Hogwarts will consider calling back the most outstanding ones. Take the current Heads of House, for example: Professor McGonagall worked first at the Ministry of Magic before returning to school to teach Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick is passionate about dueling and is a well-known duelist. And as for Snape, he joined the Death Eaters and then found part-time work with the Order of the Phoenix. The professors have work experience.
However, these students don't enter society directly but have a "campus recruitment" process similar to the non-magical world. In the period leading up to graduation, students will network with companies they are interested in and eventually secure positions in those companies. After the N.E.W.T. results are published, they can begin the formal hiring process.
As the ultimate authority in the magical world, the Ministry of Magic naturally has the power to prioritize wizards. They will reach out to students before other companies. If they come to an agreement and the students' N.E.W.T. results meet the requirements, they will be recruited into the Ministry of Magic.
This year's campus recruitment period is also approaching, and the Ministry of Magic is already prepared.
After receiving a positive response, Amelia smiled satisfactorily and took a sip of the black potion from the saucer, drinking it in one gulp.
"Hmm... this Muggle potion is really delicious. Don't you want to try some, Mafalda?" Bonny looked very pleased. She really liked this potion popular among Muggles and managed to obtain the original formula and replicate it.
Her assistant politely declined her invitation and placed an envelope on her desk.
"Minister, you have a personal letter sent from Hogwarts. It has just passed the security inspection. It's a common letter."
Chapter 459: Chapter 459: Adding Some Weight to Umbridge (Edited)
Amelia took the envelope with curiosity and pulled out the letter to read it. Her expression became more serious.
After reading the letter, she carefully folded the paper and stored it away. She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment. Mafalda stood silently on the side, awaiting the Minister's orders.
It didn't take long before Amelia opened her eyes after her brief reflection. However, the question she asked seemed unrelated to the letter.
"How are the communication channels with the Dementors that I ordered to establish? Is there any resistance?"
Although she didn't understand the Minister's intent, Mafalda responded honestly, "There's no resistance; the members of the department support the creation of the new department. However..."
"However, what?" Amelia looked at Mafalda with bright eyes. As someone who had spent many years in the Ministry of Magic, Amelia knew that important things often came to light after a transition.
"Some members of the department have certain disputes about where the department belongs. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures both want to take charge of this office. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures considers Dementors a form of magical creature and, therefore, believes they should fall under their jurisdiction. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement believes that Dementors are the guardians of Azkaban and have a close relationship with them... Both sides have valid arguments, so the situation is at a standstill."
Bonny instinctively considered assigning the new department to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, after all, she had been the head of that department for many years, and it was a conditioned response. However, as soon as she had that thought, she realized that she was no longer the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
It's a natural instinct of civil servants to expand both the scope of their department and their influence and structure. However, once an official becomes the leader of the government, they lose that instinct and replace it with another: balance.
Amelia didn't want one department to have excessive power. She even considered the former Department of Magical Law Enforcement an obstacle in her path, as she had used it as a platform to overthrow Fudge's regime. She certainly didn't want her staff to follow in those footsteps.
As someone who had dealt with Tom, she knew all too well the potent potential of Dementors. If the Department of Magical Law Enforcement gained that power, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. She didn't know when she'd walk into the office, and they'd tell her that she had retired for health reasons.
She would have preferred the Minister to make contact with the Dementors herself if it were possible, but that wasn't practical; it would have been too unsightly.
So, after thinking it over for a bit, Amelia made a decision.
"Dementors are magical creatures, that is indisputable. Therefore, an office for Dementors should be established within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures... However, we cannot ignore the role of Azkaban, which is an extremely important institution in the magical world... So, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement should also establish a liaison office with Azkaban, which will fall under the jurisdiction of the Aurors. At the same time, an agent should be selected here, in the Minister's Office, to be stationed in the area where Dementors gather."
Amelia quickly outlined a plan.
Mafalda: ...
My goodness! Mafalda exclaimed. It hadn't occurred to her that Minister Amelia was so skilled in politics, cleverly dividing the power and responsibilities of interacting with the Dementors into three parts. One part for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, another for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and also an additional intervention from the Minister's Office. Amelia, as an experienced bureaucrat, handled everything skillfully. Undoubtedly, she was a skilled government official.
However, for Amelia, all of this wasn't a problem.
But for Mafalda, who was responsible for coordinating department budgets, this was a problem.
"Minister, about the budget..." Mafalda displayed an uncomfortable expression. Where would they get the money for the salaries of two additional organizations?
"Don't worry about the budget. The Dementor's Office currently only has one person, so there's no need for additional salaries. That person will act as the Dementor's representative and handle negotiations with the Ministry of Magic. As for the Azkaban Liaison Office, we'll use the budget reserved for it. As for our office here... we've already allocated salaries for the assistants and undersecretaries. Do they want double salaries? What are they dreaming of? A small compensation will suffice; we can obtain the funds from the Azkaban Liaison Office."
Mafalda chuckled at her Minister's words. It was like a white glove on one hand! From the Minister's words, Mafalda gathered very important information: the choice of the director of the Dementor's Office had already been decided, and it apparently wasn't an internal Ministry of Magic official.
"There's also one more thing," Amelia added as if she had suddenly remembered something, "The department has just been created; it's the perfect time to take action. The special envoy should be stationed at Azkaban as soon as possible. The Ministry's handling of Azkaban has been too lax until now... "
Amelia seemed to be mentioning a trivial matter, but her long-time subordinate, Mafalda, immediately understood what she meant.
The Minister is about to get rid of the dissenters!
Fudge had already been dismissed, but he had left behind many "old colleagues" who were like stains on a carpet. However, for various reasons, Amelia couldn't directly fire them or solve the problem right after taking office.
But now, after the successful "Storm" operation during Christmas, Amelia had gained a great reputation and could start addressing these issues.
Being a special envoy to the Department of Mysteries might sound like an extremely important job, but in reality, it was a terribly difficult task. This was because the recipient the special envoy had to deal with was a bit complicated: the Dementor representatives.
Perpetual imprisonment in Azkaban was the harshest punishment in the wizarding world, and this special envoy would have to live in Azkaban...
How was that any different from being sentenced to life imprisonment? Dementors didn't distinguish between good and evil; they only saw people as food. Here are two slices of bread, who can distinguish which is noble and which is vile?
"I recall that Dolores, the Senior Undersecretary, doesn't have any particularly important work on her hands lately," Amelia pretended to ponder for two seconds. "This won't do; she's a talented witch, her idleness is a waste of talent... Mafalda, go find her. I want to give her more responsibility, entrust her with an important task."
"Yes, Minister," Mafalda replied respectfully.
She left the office and then found Dolores Umbridge, who was working overtime in her office as if she had nothing else to do. Most people had never seen her leave work.
"Hello, the Minister is looking for you!" Mafalda said with an innocent smile on her face.
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