For Dumbledore, who had been traveling day and night searching for a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—
Minister Bones's message struck like a thunderbolt from clear skies, hitting him squarely between the eyes.
It left him dizzy and seeing stars, nearly fainting in front of his 'old friend.'
He raced back through the night, covering vast distances—
All to prevent the Ministry's blatant poaching operation before it could fully unfold.
"...Amelia... though I understand... your dedication to the Ministry..."
Still catching his breath, Dumbledore burst into Bones's office, immediately suggesting they reconsider:
"But having Yu drop out is, I'm afraid, quite inappropriate."
But Minister Bones was no ordinary opponent. Despite her close relationship with Dumbledore, she'd always stood firm in her convictions:
"How do you mean, Albus? I never expected you'd oppose such a beneficial arrangement."
Dumbledore methodically presented his reasoning, clearly having given this deep thought, even numbering his points:
"First, there's the safety issue. The Ministry's forces are currently weak, Aurors are understaffed, and Special Agents lack adequate capability. Since Yu is targeted by Death Eaters, she requires the strictest protection—Hogwarts, with myself and the other professors present, is the safest possible location."
But Minister Bones remained unmoved, immediately crafting her counter-argument:
"Hogwarts may be excellent, but it's hardly impenetrable. Yu is in Slytherin, living and dining with her housemates around the clock—it's inevitable that vigilance relaxes. Her movements can easily be tracked by interested parties. As I understand it, the Dark Lord is actively expanding his influence, and his reach may well extend to these children—just as he's infiltrated Ministry staff."
Dumbledore drew a deep breath, calmly responding to her returned volley:
"Second is maintaining morale. As everyone knows, Yu currently serves as a leader at Hogwarts, with students holding her in great admiration. Many parents only send their children to Hogwarts because Yu remains there—she's become a symbol of Hogwarts's safety."
This was indeed a sophisticated argument—because at this critical juncture, Jane's every move attracted intense scrutiny.
If she failed to appear at school, it would inevitably trigger doubt and panic among students, parents, and the general public regarding both Dumbledore and Hogwarts.
After all, Albus Dumbledore, as Headmaster, repeatedly claimed Hogwarts's safety could be guaranteed—
But if his own student was the first to be sent away, how could others believe his assurances?
Minister Bones frowned slightly. She found his reasoning sound, yet remained steadfast in her resolve:
"But Albus, I believe we should focus on the primary issue—the Ministry should be the main force combating Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. We should concentrate our efforts on building the Auror corps, and Yu can provide us tremendous support—she's an indispensable member of our team!"
She sprang to her feet, gesticulating with somewhat exaggerated body language to emphasize her point to Dumbledore:
"You may not realize what remarkable things she's accomplished—first she developed Spell-Shielding Hats that can even resist an Imperius Curse! After we launched this research project, she and her team helped the Ministry capture Thicknesse, who was under the Imperius Curse! That's a crucial Death Eater lead! If not for secrecy requirements, I'd award her a First Class Order of Merlin immediately!"
She paced back and forth, speaking with evident excitement:
"Escaping enemy encirclement at Azkaban... capturing a group of Death Eaters at Umbridge's house... developing Spell-Shielding Hats... exposing spies hidden within the Ministry... She alone equals our entire Auror Office! Having her continue school—isn't that tremendous waste of talent?"
Seeing his opponent effortlessly deflect his moves, Dumbledore frowned, appealing to both emotion and reason:
"This brings me to my third point: you shouldn't place all your hopes on an underage child."
"Just as I would never burden Harry or Yu with everything, I help them grow, but that's merely preparation—it doesn't mean sending them directly into battle to shoulder our responsibilities. If they must fight, it should only be after we're buried."
"Perhaps Harry is a child, but you shouldn't view Yu as one," Minister Bones countered. "She's accomplished more than adult wizards."
Neither could convince the other, their gazes clashing in silent warfare as invisible smoke filled the office.
After brief silence, Dumbledore decided to deploy his trump card, striking directly at Minister Bones's weakness:
"Ah—speaking of which, I've just invited an extremely experienced Defense Against the Dark Arts professor whose abilities match my own."
"Oh?" Minister Bones raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Anyone earning such high praise from you must surely be an excellent professor."
"More than that." Dumbledore sighed. "The wizar—students he's trained can each face ten opponents."
This perfectly aligned with Minister Bones's desires—
After all, the poor quality of Defense Against the Dark Arts instruction resulting in Special Agents' inadequate basic combat abilities had long troubled her.
"However..." Dumbledore pivoted, "I expended considerable effort persuading him... ultimately, what convinced this professor to accept the invitation was his anticipation of Yu—he hopes to provide her additional guidance. If she's not at Hogwarts, he likely won't agree to teach... and our existing faculty, particularly Professor Scamander, may not remain at school either."
He pressed his psychological advantage relentlessly:
"Without quality professors... perhaps the new graduates entering the Ministry won't see significant improvement in their abilities anytime soon."
Minister Bones furrowed her brow, weighing the pros and cons.
A group of excellent Special Agents... one genius Jane Yu...
One side offered figures who wouldn't materialize for a year... the other provided ready talent capable of facing a hundred opponents...
Any fool would know the choice.
She decisively chose Jane.
But since Dumbledore had played his ace, she decided to show respect while casually revealing her own trump card:
"Albus, I respect some of your principles. But I must tell you—Yu has already agreed."
Dumbledore suffered a critical blow, slightly bending forward, his entire demeanor showing defeat.
He could only console himself that the child remained underage, and he still retained some guardianship rights.
—And faced with a yes-or-no choice, he selected "or," deflecting through topic change to temporarily avoid the issue.
"Since neither of us can convince the other, let's table this dispute and focus on immediate concerns—regarding the relocation site for the research project, Amelia, do you have any leads?"
Knowing she held the upper hand, Minister Bones smiled slightly, her tone rising:
"We've been talking amongst ourselves for so long—why not invite Yu to join our discussion? I believe she has much to say."
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