Umbridge's office fell into silence. The two stared at each other across the cluttered, overly decorated room.
"The Board of Governors!"
The words exploded from Fudge's mouth as suddenly as a curse.
He swung his fist through the air with such fierce enthusiasm that his bowler hat nearly toppled from his head. His expression transformed completely from frustrated and cornered to triumphant, as if he'd just discovered a new continent full of untapped resources and opportunities.
"That's right! Back then, Watson got into Hogwarts through the Board of Governors—I remember it clearly now!" Fudge's voice rose with excitement, his words tumbling over each other in his eagerness.
"It can even directly appoint and remove Hogwarts' headmaster. How could I have been so blind? I can't believe I forgot about this perfectly legal avenue!"
Umbridge's eyes wrapped in swollen, toad-like eyelids, flickered with predatory light. Her mind was working, weighing the pros and cons of this new direction.
"Lucius!"
Fudge nearly lunged forward, closing the distance between himself and Lucius in one eager step. He grabbed Lucius's arm with both hands, gripping it tightly as if afraid the solution to all his problems might slip away if he didn't hold on.
"The Board of Governors can directly dismiss Dumbledore and Watson—both of them! Yes, that's it! That's exactly what we need!" His breathing had grown heavier, his face was flushing with the thrill of this discovery. "You support the Ministry, don't you, dear Lucius? You've always been a loyal friend to us, haven't you?"
"Of course, Minister—"
Lucius concealed his contempt well. Internally, he marveled at how easily Fudge had walked into the trap he'd laid. But outside, he had only a troubled expression.
"I would be most willing to serve the Ministry, Minister—truly, nothing would give me greater pleasure." He paused intentionally, letting hope build in Fudge's eager eyes before delivering the complication.
"But as I just mentioned, the Malfoy family took the fall for that unfortunate basilisk incident two years ago. We've already been removed from the Board of Governors' roster."
His voice took on a tone of hurt pride seeming to evoke sympathy.
"It's quite humiliating, really. For many centuries, the Malfoy family has been governors of Hogwarts. We've helped guide and protect it through wars, through revolutions, through every crisis it's faced. But this honor was lost in my hands—"
He let his voice trail off, showing a picture of dejection.
Looking at Lucius with her bulging eyes, Umbridge narrowed them shrewdly. Her toad-like face showed understanding—she had probably figured out exactly what Lucius wanted.
Bringing up past events, Fudge unconsciously showed some embarrassment. His grip on Lucius's arm loosened slightly. At the time, he recalled, he had been profoundly grateful to Watson for solving Slytherin's Chamber crisis and contributing that precious basilisk corpse to the Ministry.
The memory of his own lavish praise for Watson now tasted bitter in his mouth.
"How can the Malfoy family return to Hogwarts' Board of Governors, Lucius?"
Umbridge's question came in her typically girlish, innocent-sounding voice. She gazed at Lucius with an expression of curiosity.
"Since the Board had the power to exclude the Malfoy family in the first place, presumably it can also readmit the Malfoy family through the same channels, can't it?"
"That would require a two-thirds vote of approval from the current governors, Madam Umbridge—" Lucius bowed slightly.
"The Greengrass family, the Avery family, the Black family—eleven families in total hold seats on the Board currently." He paused, his expression becoming even more troubled, looking more regretful.
"Unfortunately, I must admit that some of them aren't on particularly good terms with the Malfoy family. They might prove... difficult to persuade."
Fudge understood clearly now. However, he wasn't angry at Lucius Malfoy's scheming and manipulation.
Lucius wanted to use the Ministry's power and influence to force all the governors to agree to the Malfoy family regaining their seat at the Board. But the Ministry did indeed need greater influence over Hogwarts, needed it desperately. And if the price of that influence was helping Lucius restore his family's ancient privileges, well... perhaps that was a price worth paying.
Using the Board of Governors to directly dismiss Dumbledore and Watson... Fudge's eyes flashed with calculating light as he turned the idea over in his mind. This approach seemed very tempting on the surface. But after a moment's deeper consideration, he reluctantly concluded it wasn't a wise choice for his ultimate goals.
Because it would inevitably lead to the most intense resistance from Dumbledore and Watson. He wasn't seeking a complete falling-out with Hogwarts right now.
No, what he needed was more subtle. Dumbledore and Watson must be brought to heel, must be made to show public support for the Ministry's decisions and authority. But it had to look voluntary, reasonable, and justified.
Arthur standing forgotten in the corridor outside with his son, was surprised to discover that when Fudge and Umbridge who had been absolutely furious and agitated just minutes ago when he'd first arrived finally escorted Lucius Malfoy out of the office, all three were chatting and laughing like old friends reuniting after a long separation.
Fudge's arm was even intimately draped over Lucius Malfoy's shoulder.
"We'll contact those families as soon as possible, Lucius!" Fudge was saying enthusiastically. "One week—I guarantee we can call for a new vote within a week!"
"Much obliged, Minister Fudge!"
Lucius smiled and said.
"The Malfoy family will consolidate the Board's opinion once my seat is restored and ensure there won't be any voices different from the Ministry's on this matter or any other."
"Minister!"
Arthur's voice cut through their cozy conversation. The words he'd overheard falling into his ears had startled him greatly, though he couldn't understand everything totally. But it didn't prevent him from seeing that Fudge and Lucius Malfoy had reached some sort of schemy agreement.
"Minister!"
He called out again, more forcefully this time, as he watched Fudge preparing to walk away arm-in-arm with Malfoy like they were brothers in arms.
Fudge had completely forgotten about Arthur Weasley and his concerns. He was stunned for several seconds, and jumped slightly at the interruption, before the memory finally returned of Arthur also having something to discuss with him.
A trace of displeasure flashed across his fat, flushed face. But Fudge still stopped.
"You escort Lucius for me, Dolores. Walk him out properly, see him off." He waved his hand vaguely toward the elevators. "You can also discuss the specific details of that donation matter he mentioned."
"Most happy to oblige, Minister—"
Dolores said with a beaming smile that made her toad-like face even more unsettling.
"Well then, come with me, Arthur. We'll talk in Dolores's office."
Fudge beckoned to Arthur with an impatient gesture and led the way back toward the office himself.
"Let's go, Percy. Let's get this cleared up—"
Arthur gave the nervous, sweaty Percy an encouraging smile. He reached out and gently pulled Percy's arm, guiding his son into the room as well.
"Who's this, Arthur?"
Turning around from where he'd already settled himself back into Umbridge's chair behind her desk, Fudge noticed a somewhat familiar-looking young man had followed Arthur into the office. He spoke with a slight frown creasing his forehead, his tone carrying a message of 'why are you wasting my time with extra people?'
This question made Percy's face flush red. He stood there with his hands clasped, looking somewhat at a loss. Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, was quite calm as he patted Percy's back.
"My son, Percy Weasley, Minister." Arthur's voice was calm. "This certainly isn't the first time you've seen him."
"Your son?"
Fudge looked at Arthur with open suspicion now, as if wondering whether this was some kind of trick or scheme.
"Is he also an employee of the Ministry?"
Percy's face turned even redder. He desperately wished a hole would appear in the floor beneath him so he could jump in and hide himself, sparing himself this embarrassment.
"Oh, of course he's a Ministry employee has been for some time now—"
Mr. Weasley naturally led Percy to the sofa opposite Fudge, and after pressing him to sit down, sat down himself.
"He's been working in the Ministry for nearly a year now." Arthur spoke slowly, clearly, as if explaining something to someone a bit slow to understand. "If you haven't forgotten, Minister, Barty Crouch had an assistant before his... unfortunate situation. That assistant was Percy."
"Oh, I remember now!"
Fudge's expression loosened. His eyes widened slightly with the memory.
"That's right, Barty's assistant—yes, I see it now!" He leaned forward slightly, squinting at Percy with new interest, though not necessarily kind interest.
"You helped the International Magical Cooperation Department handle quite a few matters during the time Barty disappeared, didn't you? But later—"
Fudge squinted more intensely at Percy, who was trying hard to straighten his chest and meet the Minister's gaze despite his embarrassment, trying to project competence and dignity.
"You received some punishment because of Barty's situation, if I remember correctly."
"You remember correctly, Minister—"
Mr. Weasley nodded seriously.
"The Ministry believed that Percy didn't notice Barty Crouch's problem in time. I mean, didn't notice that Barty Crouch had been kidnapped and imprisoned, with someone impersonating Crouch through written notes and instructions, giving Percy letters and assigning work for the Cooperation Department as if nothing were wrong."
"Oh—yes, I remember the details now—"
Glancing at the trembling Percy Weasley, Fudge leaned back into the sofa twiddling his thumbs and said casually.
"That's a reasonable punishment, isn't it, Arthur? I'm not deliberately targeting anyone but since your son was Barty's assistant, working directly under him daily, he really should have noticed that the letters he received daily weren't from his superior's actual hand, shouldn't he?"
Fudge's voice took on a lecturing tone, as if explaining basic logic to a child.
"It's truly frightening to think about, actually, when you consider what could have happened—if that Cliodna woman had assigned some terrible tasks through this method, given instructions for sabotage or worse, and Percy had simply followed orders without question like a good little assistant, it's genuinely hard to imagine how much loss the wizarding world would have suffered. We might have had a complete catastrophe on our hands."
"This is completely..."
Mr. Weasley's cheeks flushed with anger. He had originally wanted to say 'rubbish'—the word was right there on his tongue, burning to be spoken but decades of professional self-control ultimately won out. He restrained his impulse and selected a more tactful word, though his tone made his real feelings clear.
"This is completely prejudice, Minister." Arthur's voice was firm now. "Strictly speaking, Percy only worked directly with Barty for less than a few months. He had barely finished his training, was still learning the ropes of his position. He lacked any in-depth understanding of Barty's normal behavior.
Based on this point alone, his failure to discover that something was wrong with Barty is completely understandable. What's not understandable is that only Percy received punishment in this whole affair.
Objectively speaking, Minister, this is deeply unfair to Percy. You must see that."
Mr. Weasley's voice rang with indignation and protectiveness.
Fudge squinted and thought for a long time. He drummed his fingers on the armrest, trying to recall exactly how the matter had been handled at the time.
To suppress the impact of the scandal, no one had been dealt with in a big, public manner at the time. And Barty's assistant—that is, the thin young man sitting before him now had been quietly sent to the Centaur Office of the Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions.
The Centaur Office... everyone in the entire Ministry knew exactly what that place was like. It was legendary for all the wrong reasons. Nothing to do, no responsibilities, no chances for advancement, it was completely a retirement department where people went to fade into irrelevance.
"So, what do you think should be done, Arthur?"
Fudge still maintained his casual manner, though his mind was already moving ahead, calculating. Move Arthur's son to a different position?
Now that the heat from Barty's matter had passed, having Percy Weasley switch departments was just a trivial matter. But Cornelius was still rather reluctant to grant even this small favor, for no other reason than Arthur's own stance.
"My thoughts, Minister?"
Mr. Weasley glanced at Percy, and warmth rose in his eyes.
"Honestly, I think Percy is an excellent young wizard, Minister. This evaluation isn't based on our father-son relationship, Minister—"
Mr. Weasley said earnestly, leaning forward to emphasize his sincerity.
"Percy served as both a prefect and Head Boy during his years at Hogwarts. He obtained twelve N.E.W.T. certificates with excellent grades—some of the highest scores in his year, actually.
After entering the Ministry, he's also devoted tremendous enthusiasm and energy to his work, staying late. Of course, undeniably, he lacks experience. But that's not really a flaw for a young person, is it?"
"Indeed—"
Fudge looked at Percy with some surprise. Arthur's son was indeed quite outstanding on paper. However, so what?
The Ministry gathered the most excellent Hogwarts graduates from each year. There was no shortage of former prefects and Head Boys working in these halls, nor any shortage of walls covered with N.E.W.T. certificates.
"But a mistake is a mistake and must be punished, Arthur. That's simply how things work." Fudge spread his hands as if this were obvious, inarguable. "I think... Oh, wait. I suddenly have an idea..."
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