"He was trying to force Dumbledore's hand," Hermione said in a low voice. "He was setting up a 'trolley problem' for Dumbledore, just like the Aurors did fourteen years ago."
"Dumbledore would never do that," Hagrid said firmly.
"Aren't you worried?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.
"I'm ready for anything," Cohen said in a very relaxed tone. "Whatever the outcome, I have a plan to deal with it. Don't look at me like I'm already a goner—I don't mean just lying down and waiting for it."
Cohen didn't need to rush to do anything. He had a plan whether a fight broke out or not. The only difference was whether he'd establish a terrifying Dementor empire this year or a harmonious, co-existing one after he graduated. It was up to the people to choose.
"No wonder Dumbledore gave me a prefect badge," Cohen said thoughtfully.
"To prove you're a good person?" Harry asked.
"No, to let me hand out little punishments to the students who like to say I'm an evil Dementor."
A smirk played on Cohen's lips. "Being isolated or having detention makes people feel down, but giving others detention doesn't."
---
Whether Dumbledore had guessed Crouch's intentions all along and given Cohen some special privileges wasn't clear, but the result was good. At the very least, Cohen was having a great time, and the smiles on the faces of those students staying after school were now all on his. This was holding up Cohen's progress on his path to becoming a Dark Lord.
"You should be grateful," Cohen lectured Harry and Ron on a Monday morning. "Those students are trading their homework for the great Cohen's appreciation. You should thank them, and you should thank me."
"What if I don't lend you my homework?" Hermione said. "Oh, great Lord Cohen?"
"Then the great Lord Cohen would have no homework to hand in and would be dragged to Professor Binns's office for some ghostly private lessons," Cohen said, deadpan.
"Stop it. Professor Binns wouldn't even drag you to his office..." Hermione corrected him, reading the newspaper. "And what on earth are 'ghostly private lessons'?"
"You're a bit out of the loop then," Cohen said. "There's a pair of ghost lovers in the third-floor exhibit room who hide in a cabinet at night and do some very exciting things. Nearly Headless Nick told me ghosts have a lot of fun..."
"Tell us more!" Harry and Ron's eyes lit up, and they urged him on.
"You two..." Hermione sighed, continuing to read the paper.
"Why are you still reading that paper? Are they going to make up a sordid secret affair between Cohen and Voldemort next?" Harry was quite confused as to why Hermione was still reading the Daily Prophet.
"If you can tell what's true from what's not, you can learn about what the Ministry and the Dark Lord are up to," Hermione explained. "And you can find out when key elections are being held, like the candidates for Minister for Magic—they were just announced today."
Hermione suddenly fell silent.
"Who are the candidates?" Ron asked.
"Who are the candidates?" Harry echoed.
"Barty Crouch..." Hermione slowly read the names on the list. "Rufus Scrimgeour... Pius Thicknesse... Amelia Bones..."
"I haven't heard of anyone besides Crouch and Amelia," Harry said.
"I know Rufus Scrimgeour. I heard my dad talk about him," Ron said. "He's the Head of the Auror Office."
"And there's one more person." Hermione looked at Cohen. "Cohen, your dad's name is on here, too—Edward Norton."
With that, Hermione placed the newspaper right in front of Cohen.
"I had a feeling that might happen," Cohen said. "Looks like that article changed his plans."
Of course, it was also possible that Edward had no idea he was on the list. Maybe Dumbledore's visit to the Ministry over Christmas was exactly for this purpose. It seemed that in the "trolley problem," Dumbledore chose to buy the trolley company.
"You knew all along?" Ron was stunned. "But—how did your dad manage to... I mean... I thought it was so hard to move up in the Ministry? My dad's been there for so many years and is still in the most boring department, and Percy tried so hard but never got promoted from being a secretary."
"If Mr. Norton becomes Minister, will everything be better?" Harry asked hopefully.
"But this is an election. How is your dad going to get votes?" Ron frowned. "Maybe I can talk to my dad and get him to ask some of his friends for help. Every little bit counts..."
"I think Mr. Norton has a great chance," Hermione's eyes lit up.
"But he's Cohen's dad," Harry said, confused. "Cohen is one step away from being called Voldemort 2.0."
"It's precisely because he's Cohen's dad that I say he has a great chance," Hermione said excitedly. "Cohen won't work with Crouch, but he'll definitely work with his dad, right?"
"If he bribes me with a year's supply of chocolate cake and three completely different sandboxes, I might consider it," Cohen said.
"Charged annually," Cohen added.
"That's misuse of public funds, isn't it?" Ron said.
"If that's all it takes, I think the other candidates would be more than happy to do it," Hermione said with a laugh. "Mr. Crouch probably didn't see this coming after all his scheming, only to have Cohen's dad swoop in and steal the show."
"And if you've been paying attention to the papers the last couple of days, you'd notice something," Hermione continued, spreading the newspaper out on the table, accidentally spilling her pumpkin juice. "There haven't been any articles about Cohen at all."
It wasn't just the paper; all day Monday, Cohen didn't even catch a single student spreading rumors that "Cohen is an evil Dark wizard." Instead, he got a bunch of "apology" gifts. In Transfiguration class, Dean secretly slipped Cohen a small package with a note attached.
[Seamus asked me to give you this. Says he's sorry to you and Harry.]
"Looks like their parents told them what to do," Hermione said. "To get on your good side."
"I bet they're not a bit worried my dad won't get elected in the end," Cohen said.
"If he doesn't get elected, they'll just try a different approach. Either way, the students won't get on the other candidates' bad side while they're at school," Hermione said quietly. "Crouch's son is dead, and Pius and Scrimgeour don't have kids at Hogwarts."
"Sounds like Cohen's about to be buried in gifts," Harry chuckled.
"Sounds like you two are about to have extra homework, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley."
Professor McGonagall had appeared next to their row without them noticing, and with pursed lips, she said to Harry and Ron, "The other students have already finished their transfigurations, but I see that both of your little plush puppies are still made of cotton and yarn."