John hadn't thought much about Old Jack's situation, nor did he expect that the things he'd done would inspire such unwavering loyalty from the man.
Maybe it was because his values were simply different from others'.
Dumbledore was pure-blooded.
Even though he held no prejudice against any wizard, there was still an underlying pride rooted in that pure-blood heritage.
Even he himself hadn't noticed it—that air of superiority he carried toward the magical world.
One could say he followed a policy of noninterference.
He only paid attention to things that concerned the survival of the wizarding world as a whole.
The so-called "minor issues" weren't worth Dumbledore's concern.
Oh, except for Harry Potter.
Voldemort—he was the product of a love potion, inherently incapable of understanding love or affection. His primary goal was to establish authority through fear.
Which meant he had to kill continuously to make an impression. He was destined to never understand the feelings of ordinary people.
As for the "Savior of the Wizarding World," even though Harry had grown up in a Muggle society, from the moment he came into contact with magic, he leaned toward the wizarding side.
Because magic was the only thing in the world that gave him a sense of security—a sense that couldn't be replaced.
Everything he had was only gained after entering the magical world.
An endless fortune stored within Gringotts.
The revered title of Savior.
Close friends in the magical school.
Kind and caring elders.
Harry truly enjoyed all of it—so much so that staying in the Muggle world felt more like imprisonment.
Just like when Mr. Weasley once came to pick up Harry—though the Weasleys were a family friendly toward Muggles, he still casually wrecked half of the Dursleys' living room.
Arrogance, unaware of itself.
To werewolves, the name "Savior" was something they often heard, Dumbledore was someone out of reach, and Voldemort was a man with sinister intentions.
Only Johnny Silverhand placed change right in front of them, making Old Jack willingly and wholeheartedly believe he was the true savior.
Whether it was an intentional performance or just casually flashing a bit of wealth—
None of that mattered!
The results were right there, plain to see—that was the best kind of proof.
Lupin kept his word and left after nightfall.
John, meanwhile, was busy handling Barty Sr.'s election campaign. He needed to secure enough votes for him.
And the best way to do that?
Hand out money.
Throwing around real gold and silver—simple, crude, but effective.
To the average wizard, the position of Minister for Magic was too distant, too out of reach. Immediate benefits were far more tangible.
With John pushing things forward, Barty Sr.'s poll numbers shot straight up.
Barty Sr. was a terrible public speaker, so John brought in the renowned master of nonsense, Gilderoy Lockhart, to tutor him.
This method, commonly used in Western Muggle elections, left the straightforward wizarding community completely dumbfounded.
Watching Barty Sr. give impassioned speeches on stage, handing out free eggs, and making promises as big and round as pies—many in the audience were left wanting more.
For example, Barty Sr. vowed to crack down harder on the illegal poaching of wild magical creatures.
He promised that, once elected, he would lead the British magical world to surpass all other countries.
Domestic manufacturing would regain importance, and he even pledged to reduce taxes on alcohol in certain regions.
He aimed to combat Death Eaters in three years, eliminate them in five!
One promise after another—by now, there were dozens. The local wizards were fired up.
Even John was getting nervous for Barty Sr.—sure, it was expected for a book-writing braggart like Lockhart to talk big, but Barty was supposed to be a serious man, and yet here he was, bragging too.
Still, with the combined power of cold, hard cash and wild promises, Barty Sr. managed to surpass Amelia Bones by a wide margin.
During that time, Amelia exuded such an oppressive aura that even Pius had to tread carefully, terrified of giving her the slightest reason to lash out.
Not only that—Amelia's oppressive mood was largely due to how the newspapers were dragging her through the mud.
If she made even the slightest mistake, she would be ruthlessly attacked.
For instance, she merely asked someone to pour her a glass of water.
The next day, the paper ran a headline: "Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, Commits Three Inhumane Acts of Cruelty Toward Subordinates."
A completely trivial matter was spun into a full-blown workplace bullying scandal.
Once, she simply didn't smile when meeting Barty Sr., and the newspaper claimed she was expressing dissatisfaction with the election and harbored resentment.
Anyway, the image they painted of her was narrow-minded, dictatorial, and autocratic—every negative label was slapped onto her.
This made Amelia both furious and helpless.
Because the public actually fucking believed it!
Her poll numbers barely moved after that.
And of course, all of this was John's doing.
He had Rita Skeeter stir the pot in the papers, and when the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet tried to intervene—
John bought his way into the paper as an investor!
Forget stopping it—at that point, the editors had no choice but to join in on the smear campaign.
John was just offering too much money to refuse.
Rita's status rose once again, and she couldn't stop grinning.
Originally forced into working for John, the compensation she received eventually made her utterly loyal to him.
Finally, everything settled.
Barty Crouch Sr. was elected Minister for Magic.
Everyone was satisfied with the outcome—except Amelia's faction.
Some Ministry officials even upgraded to several new flying brooms at home.
And soon after Barty took office, he faced his first major challenge.
Harry Potter had used a Patronus Charm in front of Muggles to deal with an incident, and none other than Dumbledore himself stepped in as his defense counsel.
Two key words.
Harry Potter.
Dumbledore.
One was the famed Savior of the Wizarding World, the other was the Headmaster of Hogwarts and currently the most powerful wizard alive.
Dealing with just one of them would already be a massive headache—let alone both of them together.
The Ministry had to preserve its credibility, while also appeasing public sentiment and saving face for Dumbledore.
Barty finally understood why, right after his election, Amelia had that look on her face—as if she were about to enjoy a good show.
"She set me up. The Office for the Prohibition of Improper Use of Magic is under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
Barty Crouch Sr. cursed inwardly. Amelia, who appeared upright and incorruptible, clearly had her own little schemes.
John, on the other hand, was already aware of this—he had seen the Ministry's letter himself.
To him, this incident was the perfect opportunity to weaken Dumbledore's authority.
...
On the day Barty was elected, something changed for Harry as well.
That summer, he returned to the same miserable state at the Dursleys' house.
That day, the Dursleys were ecstatic.
They were going out because they had received a mysterious letter saying they had won a prize.
And so, they left—leaving Harry all alone in the house with nowhere to go.
Suddenly—
He clearly heard a loud clatter from the kitchen downstairs.
Harry sat up straight, ears straining.
The Dursleys couldn't have returned so soon, and he hadn't heard the car.
After a few seconds of silence, a voice rang out.
"Thieves?" Harry, heart racing, quietly got out of bed and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. He stood facing the door, listening with every nerve on edge.
Suddenly, the door burst open, startling him.
For a split second, he thought it might be a Death Eater attack. He peered through the doorway.
Several figures stood in the dimly lit hallway, and to Harry, it seemed like they were all looking straight up at him.
He braced himself for a fight.
Then, a familiar voice rang out, sending his heart pounding uncontrollably.
"Put down your wand, kid, before you poke someone's eye out with it."
___________
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