The day after Sirius's escape from Azkaban, Arthurbid farewell to the Delacour family and his uncle and returned to Britain.
This also meant that the reporters who had been staking out the Delacour family's home could no longer slack off.
Upon returning to Britain, Arthur immediately had Kreacher take him back to the Black Ancestral Home.
The new Black Manor was still under renovation; even with magic, a luxurious manor could not be completed in just over a month.
He had originally planned to stay in France for the entire summer, waiting for the Black Manor to be finished after the next term so he could move into his new home. However, Sirius's escape brought him back to Britain.
Arthur knew Sirius would escape, but he hadn't anticipated it would be a month before the start of term, rather than a few days prior.
After receiving news of Arthur's return to the Black Ancestral Home, the Ministry of Magic quickly dispatched personnel.
They didn't really want to inspect the Black Ancestral Home, especially since Arthur Black was still around. Arthur was their biggest patron, and his power was formidable; he might even be the next Dumbledore.
However, the public pressure was simply too immense.
Azkaban, the strongest prison which had never seen an escapee, had its first fugitive, and he was a vicious criminal who had killed over a dozen Muggles with a blasting curse.
Sirius was also a well-known figure on the list of the world's most dangerous Dark Wizards.
This inspection by the Ministry of Magic was led by the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. He also brought a reporter, who took several photos before he even entered the house.
He even shook Arthur's hand warmly at the main gate, saying in a low voice, "Mr. Black, I'm truly sorry about this, but the public outcry is simply too loud, and I have no choice but to deal with it."
Although Arthur detested such conduct, he still smiled and said, "It's alright, Minister Fudge. I am a law-abiding citizen; I have never killed a Wizard, nor would I harbor Dark Wizards who wantonly kill other humans."
Cornelius Fudge's mouth twitched slightly.
As the Minister for Magic for Britain, he was privy to some inside information.
Not long ago, the Little Wizard standing before him had ruthlessly killed dozens of Vampires in a very short time. And he did so without suffering any harm while protecting two Little Witches.
This indicated that Arthur's power far surpassed that of those Vampires, yet Arthur still killed them all, leaving no survivors.
From this, Arthur's character was perfectly clear: while he wouldn't break the law, he would be absolutely merciless within the bounds of what the law allowed, never letting an opportunity to kill pass him by if it was an option.
Of course, Cornelius Fudge also thought it was possible Arthur didn't view Vampires as people.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he led his subordinates on a casual stroll around the courtyard, not even opening the doors to any of the rooms.
He then turned to Arthur and said, "Mr. Black, I know you. Given your character, you would never harbor a heinous criminal. After I return today, we will immediately publish the news in The Daily Prophet, letting all Wizards know that this matter has nothing to do with the House of Black, as Sirius was disowned by the House of Black long ago."
Arthur smiled but said nothing. Politics was indeed dirty; Kreacher had already told him that on the day Sirius escaped, several Aurors were already monitoring the area.
Cornelius Fudge even waited for him to return, playing the role of a caring uncle here, truly treating him like a child.
He was not a good-natured old man like Dumbledore. After returning today, he would let this Minister, consumed by power, see what it meant to face the treachery of human hearts.
So, he righteously declared, "There's no need for that, Minister Fudge. Since Sirius is connected to the House of Black, it's only right for the Aurors to thoroughly search this house, and I can even take you to inspect places like the basement."
Cornelius Fudge thought Arthur was just being polite, so he waved his hand, "This will do, Mr. Black, I trust you. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Arthur pretended to stop him twice, but still let Cornelius Fudge leave.
As he departed, he looked at a Black dog lying in the grass in front of the Black Ancestral Home's gate and said, "Oh, there's a stray dog here, all Black, quite good-looking."
Arthur was also a bit surprised to see the Black dog; he hadn't expected Sirius to be so bold, daring to come here in front of so many Aurors.
However, he took up the conversation, "It is indeed quite nice. I'll be moving to the new Manor in the future, and this Ancestral Home would be perfect for keeping a dog to guard the house."
Cornelius Fudge also nodded, "Keeping a dog can certainly prevent some thieves from stealing things."
After he left, Arthur had Kreacher call the Black dog inside and fed it some bread and milk.
Then he casually glanced at a small beetle perched on the main gate. That was the reporter he had Kreachercall after he learned that Cornelius Fudge had already arranged for surveillance.
A reporter who had learned Animagus and had not registered with the Ministry of Magic: Rita Skeeter.
She always liked to transform into a small beetle to steal information, and Arthur's notification this time just happened to give her a big scoop.
"The Minister for Magic's Dirty Dealings with the Most Noble Pure-blood Heir, Disregarding Public Safety."
This headline would definitely make tomorrow's newspaper sell out. At this critical juncture, Wizards, fearful of the escaped criminal Sirius, might even directly oust Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.
At that point, she would be able to go down in history.
The strongest reporter in history, who brought down a Minister for Magic with just one report—what a noble honor.
Perhaps she could even use this opportunity to reveal her Animagus identity, then use her real name to write news, and even open her own newspaper.
However, while she was still fantasizing, she was controlled by an invisible force.
Then Kreacher caught her, covered her with a transparent lid, and placed her on a chair opposite Arthur in the room.
"Ms. Rita Skeeter, you wouldn't want the Ministry of Magic to know about your Animagus identity, would you?" Arthur's voice was somewhat playful, though it was unclear if it was because of the situation or the words themselves.
Seeing no reaction from the beetle, Arthur raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning pierced through the transparent lid, striking the beetle.
With a shiver, the beetle quickly transformed into a middle-aged woman with strangely curled blonde hair.
She bared her teeth, displaying what she thought was a charming smile, and awkwardly said, "Mr. Black, just now I was simply too surprised to react when you exposed my identity. You can tell me anything you need, and I will absolutely do as you say."
At this moment, Kreacher also placed a moving photograph on the table in front of Arthur, showing Rita Skeeter's transformation process.
Looking at the photo, her attitude became even more respectful, her face almost frozen in a smile.
Over the years, she had offended many people at the Ministry of Magic and many other Pure-bloodfamilies; if other Wizards truly found out about her identity, she would certainly not live past tomorrow.
Arthur didn't make any other demands, he just had Kreacher give her a few photos of him persuading Cornelius Fudge to continue the inspection, asking her to report truthfully.