bacchusnovels Chapter 513 The End of the Triumph Tournament
Chapter 513 The End of the Triumph Tournament
Chapter 513 The End of the Triwizard Tournament (3)
After joint discussions by the greatest white wizard of the 20th century, the chief wizard of Wizengamot, the president of the International Wizarding Federation, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the director of the Department of Law Enforcement of the British Ministry of Magic, the most outstanding young wizard of the 20th century, the most charismatic wizard, the greatest wizard of the last thousand years, and the professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts who is sworn to evil.
This operation was codenamed "Operation Hair Dryer".
History of Magic (32nd revision, 2010s)
After saying goodbye to Dumbledore, Sean immediately used Floo Powder to go to the Ministry of Magic.
Fuji.
The next target is Fudge.
"Please come in."
Sean walked into the office, where Fudge was sitting behind his desk, seemingly engrossed in something.
Based on his years of experience as a slacker, Sean guessed that Fudge had also been slacking off, but people choose different ways to slack off during work hours.
Fudge looked up at Sean standing in front of him, somewhat surprised, but still made a joke.
"Phillips, what brings you to the Ministry of Magic?"
"The mysterious man has returned."
With just one sentence, Fudge's smile vanished.
"What did you say?" he asked, his face ashen.
"The mysterious man has returned," Sean repeated.
Although he knew that Fudge's purpose in making him repeat himself was not to repeat the words "The Mysterious Man has returned," which Fudge had already clearly heard, but rather to make him say things like "I'm joking" or "Happy April Fool's Day," thereby lightening the tone of this heavy news.
but-
This is not in line with Sean's purpose.
After Sean repeated it, Fudge's brain completely shut down.
"Are you kidding me?" he said, staring intently at Sean. "I mean, don't talk nonsense without evidence. Even though you're the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, you still have to take legal responsibility for your words."
Under Fudge's watchful eye, Sean repeated the same line he had just used with Dumbledore.
During this time, Fudge's expression shifted between light and dark.
If Dumbledore's face was like the colorful candies of Honeydukes, then Fudge's face was like sewage—mixed with impurities, waste, and... garbage.
Even at the end of the story, even with the autopsy report and a series of evidence in front of him, he still refused to believe the truth. We usually call this phenomenon "gambling mentality".
Yes, Fudge still clung to that unrealistic hope, deep down wishing that it was all just a nightmare.
For Fudge, Voldemort's return was like a long-standing, unhealed wound, deeply rooted in his memory, causing him to live constantly in the shadow of the past. Compared to the Death Eaters, Fudge's fear was perhaps more hidden and more repressed—he seemed to suffer from a type of PTSD that was even harder to cure than the Death Eaters', a trauma closely related to his life experiences.
Fudge was able to become Minister of Magic because of Voldemort.
All of his capable rivals died at Voldemort's hands.
His family, once noble and renowned wizards, had vanished silently in the war, leaving him and Crouch as their sole rivals. It was this background that propelled him to a high position in the Ministry of Magic, while [the text abruptly shifts to a seemingly unrelated topic:] [The text mentions] [something else], which allowed him to remain firmly in that position.
Speaking of Bagman, Fudge's feelings were still complicated. Having just learned of Crouch's crimes for his son, Fudge kept muttering to himself, "I knew it—I knew it—" He murmured with a hint of resentment, "That's the kind of person he is—sending him to the International Department of Magical Cooperation was definitely the right thing to do."
Indeed, Fudge's first act upon taking office was to place Crouch in a position with virtually no power or influence—the Department of International Magical Cooperation. That position was like a dead end, devoid of any real benefits or power, while Fudge himself continued to sit firmly in his ministerial position.
However, despite this, Fudge did not react with joy when he heard the news of Crouch's death.
Instead, Fudge cried in front of Sean.
This kind of crying is usually described with an apt term: crocodile tears.
"So, the one who killed Crouch was Crouch Jr. Crouch paid the price for his wrongdoing. We must issue a warrant for his arrest throughout the British wizarding community and bring Crouch Jr. to justice as soon as possible. As for the mysterious man, what mysterious man?"
Fudge was eager to put the matter to rest, but Sean interrupted him: "Wait, Minister Fudge."
"What's wrong, Phillips?"
Fudge was somewhat annoyed by Sean's interruption.
Do you think there's anything wrong with what I said?
"There's a mysterious person involved in this matter, and even if there isn't, we'll say there is."
"Phillips, we can't... wait, wait..." Fudge seemed to suddenly realize something, abruptly looking up, his eyes fixed on Sean. "What... what do you mean?"
Looking at Fudge's expression, Sean knew he had taken the bait.
If the Ministry of Magic had a manual called "Cornell Fudge's User Manual," then that manual would definitely exist in his mind. Of course... some pure-blood families, led by Lucius, also had copies of this user manual.
However, the effectiveness of Fudge's decisions depended entirely on who was the last to see him.
It was obviously him.
"Minister, what I mean is that we can take this opportunity to further solidify your position in the Ministry of Magic."
Sean used a seductive tone to coax Fudge, the scene resembling a kindergarten teacher or a middle-aged man tempting a young girl with candy.
"You see, the reason Dumbledore has such a great reputation in the wizarding world is entirely because of his struggle against the mysterious man, which is why he is so respected."
"But what if, under your brilliant leadership, the matter of the Mysterious Man, which even Dumbledore couldn't completely resolve, is finally settled? Imagine Dumbledore letting the Mysterious Man escape, while you, with a single call, lead countless Aurors to surround him and bring him to trial! You will become a hero of the wizarding world, and your glorious achievements will be forever recorded in the history of magic, revered by future generations!"
As the words fell, Fudge's breathing became rapid, his eyes began to glaze over, and images gradually appeared in his mind:
He was Cornelius Fudge.
Standing on the judgment platform under the watchful eyes of the crowd, holding the judgment decree in his hand, he announced the imprisonment of Void in Azkaban, declaring the end of the era of Void and Dumbledore. Dumbledore stood dejectedly to the side, watching with admiration as he personally imprisoned Void in Azkaban...
In such a scenario, no one could possibly withstand it.
"Haven't you always said that Dumbledore is a bit out of touch with reality? Now is your best chance to prove him wrong. So, even if there's no Mysterio, we'll create one. That way, Dumbledore will never be able to cause you any more trouble—"
—
"Okay, okay..." Fudge murmured to himself, "That's it..."
"Minister Fudge?" Sean called softly, pulling Fudge back to his senses, noticing his dazed expression. "What do you think?"
"It is our Ministry of Magic's responsibility to combat the dark wizards led by the mysterious man. We, the Ministry, are sworn enemies of evil and aim to provide a safer and more stable social environment for wizards across Britain. But..." Fudge's tone shifted, his expression troubled, "What if... the mysterious man really isn't dead? I mean, what can we do?"
"minister-
—
Sean interrupted Fudge again, giving him a shot in the arm.
"Didn't you think the Mystic was dead? So what are you worried about? If the Mystic doesn't appear, we can just find any dark wizard, have him dress up as the Mystic, impersonate him, and then kill him before he can speak, turning him to dust and confirming his identity as the Mystic. Even if the Mystic isn't dead, he's in the shadows while we're in the light. As long as we lay in ambush beforehand, with hundreds of Aurors and strikers casting spells simultaneously, we can take down not only the Mystic, but even if Merlin were to resurrect. Besides..."
"What else?" Fudge quickly pressed.
"I've already informed Dumbledore in advance, and he'll cooperate with our actions should anything unexpected happen. So there's no need to worry. If the Mystic really does appear, he'll be trapped like a fish in a barrel. If the Mystic still had his former power, he would have already gathered the Death Eaters and stormed the Ministry of Magic. How could we be in this situation now?"
Upon hearing the name "Dumbledore," Fudge's heart gradually calmed down.
It may sound very ironic that someone you've always wanted to get rid of can only find peace of mind or act as a safety net when serious problems arise.
It was for this reason that Dumbledore was number one on Fudge's kill list.
If Voldemort hadn't died, he would probably be ranked after Dumbledore.
This is no ordinary White Demon King.
We must...strike hard!
"well."
Fudge clapped his hands and said with satisfaction.
"Phillips, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. How many people are you planning to mobilize for this?"
"Including all the Aurors in the Auror Office, plus the strikers urgently deployed from all over the country, the number is probably over a hundred..."
"No, that's not enough!" Fudge said firmly. "I'm issuing you a special operations order. Every striker in Britain, whatever they're doing, must drop what they're doing and participate in this operation. Even if they're seriously ill and have to be carried on a stretcher, they have to come!" He paced excitedly back and forth in his office as he spoke. "Not only that, I'm also seeking—"
'
"minister."
"What's wrong?"
When Sean interrupted him for the third time, Fudge's attitude was completely different from the previous two times: the first time he was angry, the second time he was puzzled, and the third time he was amiable and smiling.
"It's best not to inform the pure-blood families about this."
Why?
Of course, the pure-blood families are all currently working for him and wouldn't actually participate in the operation to capture Voldemort. They also have other roles—
However, Sean couldn't say these things to Fudge.
"Have you forgotten? There are quite a few Death Eaters among the pure-blood families. If they find out about this and leak the news, wouldn't that alert the enemy?"
Fudge suddenly clapped his hands.
"Yes!" He was both excited and a little scared. "I almost forgot about this connection!" He looked at Sean with relief. "You're really smart, Phillips. You absolutely can't tell them about something this important beforehand."
"Therefore, Minister, we must keep this operation as secret as possible, especially from those pure-blood families. As long as we succeed, we can deal with other things later."
Fudge nodded, his eyes sparkling with a long-lost enthusiasm and determination.
“You’re right, Phillips. This operation must be executed cleanly and efficiently, leaving no loopholes.” He took a deep breath, then stood up, walked to his desk, picked up his wand, and began preparing to sign the emergency order. “Rest assured, I will personally participate in this operation. No matter the cost, I will ensure that the Mystic is completely eliminated.”
He smiled, and although he didn't think the mysterious person would appear, he still waved his fingers across the document.
"This special operations order authorizes you to command all strikers; the entire Ministry of Magic's resources will be focused on this operation."
Sean accepted the special operation order and solemnly put it into his robe pocket.
For him, this special operation order was a complete surprise, and even he himself did not know how much trouble it would help him solve in the near future.
Before leaving, Sean reminded Fudge again.
"By the way, Minister. We need to invite all newspapers and media outlets to broadcast the arrest operation live so that the entire wizarding community can witness your heroic deeds."
"It is the Ministry of Magic's duty to make sure that the entire wizarding community sees the arrest of the Mystic."
Fudge answered righteously and solemnly, then placed his wand on his chest.
"Director Phillips, in my capacity as the thirty-second Director of Magic, I order you: this operation is codenamed Dawn!" Act immediately! We cannot wait any longer; time is life. Remember, this battle concerns not only our current victory, but also the future of the wizarding world. We cannot allow anyone...
No evil force can sabotage our plans, not even those within the Ministry of Magic. Do you understand?
"I understand, Minister."
Although he didn't know why Fudge suddenly got so worked up, Sean still responded with a very formal and respectful gesture, befitting Fudge.
"As the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement at the British Ministry of Magic, I assure you that I will ensure the entire plan proceeds flawlessly, and that justice will ultimately prevail over evil! The Ministry of Magic will prevail! Justice will prevail!"