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It had to be said—the Pri Minister had been badly frightened the first ti.
Later, Cornelius Fudge's appearance made him realize that there really was a group of wizards in this world.
And that these wizards even had a Ministry of Magic.
At that ti, Fudge explained that his visit was rely routine, that they were simply another administrative group coexisting alongside the governnt.
So although the Pri Minister was terrified, he could still barely accept it.
But three years ago, Fudge suddenly rushed into his office.
He told him that a man nad Sirius Black had escaped, and that there was also Harry Potter, and sothing about You-Know-Who.
Looking at Fudge's flustered appearance, the Pri Minister felt that he was overreacting—especially since these people didn't even dare to ntion You-Know-Who's na directly.
Still.
Fudge's attitude made him uneasy.
The next ti he saw Fudge was two years ago.
Fudge burst into his office again, telling him that sothing had happened at the Quidditch World Cup, and that soone had released the Dark Mark—said to be the symbol of You-Know-Who (dark lord ).
However, Fudge quickly added,
"I'm only here to inform you. Don't worry, it can't be him—Dumbledore is there!"
Then he casually ntioned,
"Oh, and by the way, we're holding a Triwizard Tournant and need to import so dragons from Egypt."
Dragons.
The Pri Minister felt as if his ears had malfunctioned.
The third ti he saw Fudge was a few months ago.
Fudge told him that several Death Eaters had escaped from Azkaban.
The Pri Minister was terrified.
But Fudge reassured him, saying there was no problem—they had Aurors, and the Aurors would spare no effort to hunt them down.
One piece of bad news after another made the Pri Minister dread seeing Fudge at all.
Not to ntion, Fudge himself always brought trouble.
At the mont, the Pri Minister was reading reports from all over the country.
Collapsed bridges. Hurricanes. Murders. Riots.
Now his political opponents were already preparing to bla the governnt.
He was overwheld with his own problems and had no desire whatsoever to deal with wizarding affairs.
They should handle it themselves, he thought irritably.
Yet Fudge still appeared in his office at the appointed ti.
The Pri Minister noticed that compared to their last eting, Fudge looked even worse.
He had lost weight, his face was gaunt, and he looked utterly exhausted.
Despite himself, the Pri Minister felt a flicker of sympathy—but still asked irritably,
"What is it this ti? We have plenty of problems on our side too."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Fudge said bitterly.
"Collapsed bridges, hurricanes… it's all caused by You-Know-Who. He's back."
The Pri Minister straightened up in shock.
"You're joking. Didn't you say he was dead?"
"I wish I were joking," Fudge replied with a bitter smile.
"But Dumbledore says he's back. Too many people have seen it. I saw it with my own eyes—he was clearly dead before…"
"Then arrest him!" the Pri Minister shouted.
"Catch him! Don't you still have Azkaban? You can't let Dark lord cause chaos in the Muggle world! Do you know how many complaints I've received?"
"Do you think I haven't tried?" Fudge said gloomily.
"All the Aurors have been dispatched. But they've achieved nothing. Our people are injured—or dead."
"I wrote to Dumbledore. He ignored ."
"I wanted those two boys to help —but one is missing, and the other is gone."
The Pri Minister frowned deeply.
"So what you're saying is… You-Know-Who has returned, and that—what was his na—Black followed him?"
"Yes. Sirius Black," Fudge said awkwardly.
"But he's actually a good man. He fought against Dark lord . Everyone thought he'd killed people—but it turns out he didn't."
Despite the situation, the Pri Minister felt a trace of grim satisfaction.
At least his people didn't do things like that.
Fudge clearly didn't want to see him feel any relief.
"There's more," Fudge said gravely.
"The guards of Azkaban—the Dentors—have rebelled."
"They've defected to Dark Lord."
"We also suspect that giants are involved. The widespread destruction may be their doing."
"The Dentors rebelled? Giants too?!"
The Pri Minister stood up in panic.
"Fudge, listen to —you're the Minister of Magic! You must take action! We ordinary people—"
But Fudge looked utterly defeated.
"That used to be my responsibility," he said quietly.
"But do you really think I'll stay in that position after all this?"
"Last week, the new Minister of Magic took office. I ca to inform you first."
The Pri Minister felt a pang of sympathy, but still asked bluntly,
"When will he arrive?"
"Now."
A tall, imposing man stepped out of the fireplace.
Rufus Scrimgeour.
The Pri Minister imdiately felt that this new minister was like an old lion—sharp, tough, and dangerous.
Scrimgeour glanced at Fudge, removed his hat, and bowed briefly to the Pri Minister.
Then he said bluntly,
"I'll keep this short. I'm very busy. You need additional protection."
"I'm perfectly satisfied with Kingsley," the Pri Minister snapped.
"I'm not changing him."
"He's one of ours," Scrimgeour replied calmly.
"You can't just place people here without my consent!" the Pri Minister protested angrily.
Scrimgeour ignored him.
"As for your assistant minister—we're sending him to St. Mungo's. The one who learned to bark like a duck."
"He only quacked a few tis!" the Pri Minister protested weakly.
"That isn't normal," Scrimgeour said coldly.
"We suspect he's been affected by a Dentor-related curse."
"After being admitted, he tried to strangle three healers."
"Well, that's all."
"If anything cos up, Fudge will contact you."
They turned to leave.
The Pri Minister called out anxiously,
"For heaven's sake—aren't you wizards? Can't you solve this with a wave of your wand?"
"We believe in rlin," Scrimgeour replied without turning back.
"And Dark Lord's side has wizards too."
For the first ti since arriving, Fudge smiled faintly.
Then he paused and added thoughtfully,
"If possible… have soone look for a boy nad Darren Potter."
"He's disappeared."
"If we can find him before Dumbledore does, we may gain an advantage."
"With strength like his, keeping him confined to Hogwarts was a waste."
"He should have joined the Ministry—joined the Aurors."
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