In Dumbledore's office, the master and the apprentice sat facing each other, and Fudge was nowhere to be seen.
A half-plucked turkey, Fawkes, perched precariously on a gilded stand.
"Doesn't it look well?"
While Damon was talking, a few more feathers fell from it.
"You came at a bad time, it's very beautiful most of the time."
"Oh, you're going to Nirvana, bro? Then hurry up, you look so dead that I want to laugh."
Damon had just finished speaking when Fawkes suddenly screamed and his whole body caught fire.
It instantly transformed into a fireball, screamed, and vanished, leaving only a smoldering pile of ashes.
"."
Damon took a sip of lemon tea and said nothing.
A smile appeared on Dumbledore's face:
"I've been telling it to act faster, but I didn't expect that you would be the one who pushed it in the end."
"Nirvana is not dangerous, why is it hesitating?"
Damon took a piece of cake and stopped talking to Dumbledore about trivial matters. He went straight to the point:
"You already know about the Chamber of Secrets. How are you going to solve it?"
"Well, I'm still thinking about it." Dumbledore was not surprised by his directness and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"
"
Go in, get rid of the basilisk, and help Hagrid clear his name with the Ministry. Then everyone will be happy.
"It's a good plan, but... it's too direct, and it may make some people uncomfortable."
"Who, Fudge? I saw how he looked today. Didn't you say he was the best candidate for minister? At the moment, it seems that he is just an ambitious person who only cares about his own interests."
"Where did you get this idea? This is not fair to Fudge."
"Whatever you want. The decision is yours. But, you should at least tell me what you're going to do. After all, I helped you discover the diary and the Chamber of Secrets. Otherwise, there's no telling what might happen.
If the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets is released, what do you think others will say about you as the Headmaster?"
"..."
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "I have something to thank you for."
"
"You're saying empty words," Damon said, waving his hand. "You promised I could ride a dragon at school. I haven't used that privilege. Hagrid helped me catch a Thunderbird, and Fudge is coming with an ultimatum. How do I explain this?"
Dumbledore felt even more embarrassed.
But Damon wanted this embarrassment to make him think carefully about whether Fudge was truly worthy of his strong support.
Although most of the other people in the Ministry of Magic were just passing through.
"It seems you have a lot of dissatisfaction with Fudge. If you were asked to pick someone to be the new Minister of Magic, who would you consider?"
Dumbledore looked at Damon with a glint in his eyes.
Amelia may not improve the wizarding world, but she won't worsen it. She's capable of handling any trouble.
"As for Burns, she's indeed not bad, but we also have to consider her own wishes.
As far as I know, she doesn't seem to be interested in the post of minister."
"Well, let's talk about it later."
"Talk about it later?"
Dumbledore raised his head, stared at him, and suddenly said a name.
"What do you think of Caliban Mortos?"
Damon's heart skipped a beat—Dumbledore clearly knew his second identity, yet he deliberately said that?
"Not very good, he's too young."
"
He's capable, though extreme. In two months as a striker, he's killed over a dozen villains, some with sentences under ten years.
the Death Eaters, most of them are dead.
Lately, many people in the Ministry have been discussing his methods, with mixed reviews." "
So? I think it's a good killing. After all, those villains didn't need to be alive."
Damon turned his head and stared at Dumbledore, their eyes meeting in mid-air.
"Let's talk about the Chamber of Secrets, shall we?"
"Sure."
"How about we publicize it a bit more about the Chamber of Secrets? Hagrid's misunderstanding must be cleared up, that's for sure."
"But rather than me forcing some unsubstantiated evidence onto Fudge, I think it would be better to let the outside world learn about these things on their own."
"So, you want to make a big news story?"
"Making a big news story? That's a good way to put it." Dumbledore smiled again.
Communicating with intelligent people is always convenient.
Caliban Mortos has become a prominent Auror in under two months, with 100% mission completion and enemy death rates. His ruthless approach is concerning.
Correspondingly, his teammate casualties are 0%, his hostage casualties are 0%, and incidents causing adverse effects are 0%.
His assignments, initially uninhibited, have gradually evolved to the point where minor matters no longer bother him—and now, only the most challenging cases require him to take on.
Dumbledore learned the black market is quieter, with fewer Dark wizards in Knockturn Alley.
This is all thanks to the influence of a new striker. And
it's only been less than two months.
If he had a few more years, the very mention of his name would make the wizarding world tremble.
But is this really a good idea?
Not only are the villains afraid of him, but there are also more "harsh" voices within the Ministry—such radical tactics are bound to frighten some.
Fudge's transformation was linked to Damon's other identity, unbeknownst to Fudge.
"I hope you'll play along with me and let Harry handle this."
"What do you want me to do?"
"
Stage a basilisk's escape from the Chamber of Secrets, with you as the first victim. Given your identity, this will cause widespread panic in the wizarding world, making it easier to clear Hagrid's name.
"That will damage your reputation, won't it? Don't you care?"
"Your reputation will be damaged, won't it?"
Dumbledore smiled at his student. Seeing that he didn't seem to accept the flattering answer, he replied with a hint of seriousness:
"Well, I think it's worth it. By the way, I'll tell you a secret."
Dumbledore quietly approached Damon and
said mysteriously:
"Aside from getting my deeds removed from the Chocolate Frog, I don't care about any other honors."
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(End of Chapter)