Bab 445: The Powerful Fudge
Editor: Atlas Studios
No one, not even Fudge, doubted the authenticity of the Dark Mark, which made them shiver just looking at it.
"I don't suppose I need to explain any further?" Yvonne asked.
"Well, it's sort of clear now…" Fudge said indignantly, turning to the Aurors.
"Take him and Black and let's go back to the Ministry!"
The Aurors nodded and roughly pulled the unconscious Pettigrew to his feet, freeing him from the ropes that bound him.
Peter Pettigrew woke up from the Stunning Spell, only to see two Auror-clad wizards cuffing him and dragging him away.
"Hold on, Cornelius! Are you going to take them all back to the Ministry?" Ivan interrupted.
"They will, of course, remain in a special prison until the hearing!" Fudge said.
"I don't think so!" Ivan shook his head.
If Peter and Black were taken back to the Ministry, he would lose control of them completely.
What's more, Sirius's escape from prison caused a lot of trouble for the Ministry, and who knows if Fudge will get angry and lynch him.
Even though this was highly unlikely, Ivan had little trust in the Ministry and was more inclined to believe that things were under his control.
"It is the duty of an Auror to take prisoners, Albus! Do you intend to stand between us and the law?" Fudge's eyes narrowed with disbelief and a hint of anticipation.
Fudge waited for "Dumbledore" to say something, which would give him a reason to arrest him.
"Of course not! I just wanted to warn you, Cornelius! The whole wizarding community is very concerned about Peter's trial. It's best if nothing goes wrong…"
Yvonne spoke gently, then continued.
"The truth is that I have my doubts about the standards of the Ministry of Magic when it comes to policing prisoners, and even places like Azkaban are not guaranteed to be safe, so I suggest we move the prisoners to the observatory at Hogwarts, or perhaps we should have the Inquisitors supervise the proceedings…"
"Also, this is not just my opinion, but the result of my deliberations with the other members of the court, in case anything should go wrong before the official hearing…" Ivan emphasised.
As an impostor, Ivan did not dare to confront Fudge head-on, as he was certain to reveal himself if he did, and even with the Elder Wand in his hand, he was no match for so many Aurors.
As such, he had no choice but to press for the location of the prisoners to be changed to Hogwarts, or to allow the Aurors to enforce their laws.
Fudge, however, was very forceful and did not hesitate to refuse.
He didn't care what Ivan thought, as he saw it as a blatant challenge to his authority. The Court's "advice" couldn't place any substantial restrictions on him…
In the face of such a headstrong Fudge, Ivan finally understood Dumbledore's frustration with the Minister for Magic's overwhelming advantage.
Unless he was willing to cut himself off from the wizarding world, there was nothing he could do to the other party under normal circumstances.
Playing politics had never been Ivan's strong suit, and he suddenly felt that he had underestimated Fudge, and that it would not be easy to oust him.
Ivan's tone changed at the thought, and he spoke warmly.
"You're mistaken, Cornelius! We're not enemies, are we? My earlier offer was just an added layer of insurance… . I don't suppose you'd want it known that the Ministry's Aurors went to such lengths only to end up tying up loose ends?"
Fudge, though angry at Ivan for repeatedly challenging his authority, took the hint.
As a politician, Fudge was quick to cast aside personal feelings and calculate profit and loss.
He was now in trouble for two reasons. The first was that the Ministry of Magic had caught the wrong man, and Peter, the real murderer, had applied for the Order of Merlin.
This incident had a strong impact on the credibility of the Ministry, although it had little to do with him personally.
Crucially, the Daily Prophet's report made it widely known that there was no way to hide the truth, and that there was little to go on other than passing the buck to one's predecessor.
The second was that the Ministry of Magic went to great lengths to search for Sirius after he escaped, and even arranged for Dementors to surround Hogwarts.
After all that effort, the results were unsatisfactory, and there was even a scandal involving Dementors attacking students and Ministry of Magic commissioners!
He did not even hear about Sirius's case until this morning,
In contrast to the former, he was personally involved in the matter, and if he did not handle it well, he would be accused of incompetence.
If Dumbledore cooperated and proved that the Ministry of Magic's Aurors had put in a lot of effort into the investigation, rather than doing something pointless, then the matter would most likely be covered.
Some thoughts passed through Fudge's mind, and after some thought, he relented and suggested that it might be possible to move Peter and Sirius to Hogwarts instead…
The two of them, each with their own thoughts, shed their previous confrontational attitude and maintained a façade of cordiality.
Fudge was keen for Ivan to deny all of the Ministry's scandals, including several Dementors attacks.
Ivan refused, of course, as he was not one to play along with the Ministry of Magic unless Fudge was willing to work with him to obtain a First-Class Order of Merlin for Ivan Hals.
Ivan had no choice but to give up on the idea of confronting the Ministry of Magic and try to gain some points for himself.
"Ivan Hals?" Fudge murmured, finding the name familiar. He looked at Dumbledore suspiciously, unsure why Dumbledore was doing this.
"I thought you'd have some memory of him, considering how rare it is to find such a talented young wizard," Ivan continued, looking at Fudge with regret.
"He was also the one who discovered Peter's abnormality, so I think he deserves the glory…"
"The young wizard who developed the Wolfsbane Potion? I knew he would surprise me more the last time I saw him…" Fudge exclaimed, remembering.
Fudge cursed under his breath. It was this damned boy!
If not for the other party's actions, he would not be so passive now…
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