"Ugh," Harry groaned in pain, his voice echoing off the marble floors as he lay sprawled across the Ministry atrium.
"Aiden, I'll take Harry back to Hogwarts first. It will be much safer there, away from all this chaos," Dumbledore said gently, carefully lifting Harry from the cold stone floor.
"I'll leave the rest of this political situation to you."
The low, haunting cry of a phoenix filled the air, and Dumbledore disappeared in a burst of golden flames while carrying Harry to safety.
At that crucial moment, Amelia Bones, Barty Crouch Sr, and Ludo Bagman formed a protective circle around Aiden. All three wore identical monocles on their faces, the gleaming lenses reflecting the aftermath of battle. The shadow of the dragon had completely covered this institution that had been inherited for over three centuries.
"What do we do next?" Amelia Bones asked with the efficiency of someone ready to take immediate action.
"Increase the manhunt for Voldemort, begin intensive training for all Aurors, and prepare for the inevitable outbreak of war," Aiden ordered with calm authority that belied his youthful appearance.
"What about other countries? Should we send warnings to international magical governments?" Old Barty enquired, his weathered face showing genuine concern for the broader implications.
"Just send standard warnings," Aiden replied after a moment of consideration, still wanting to fulfil his moral duty of alerting others to the danger.
"Also, put all available resources into the upcoming election to secure Ms Bones' position as Minister. And make sure to completely restore both mine and Dumbledore's reputations in the public eye. That Umbridge woman used Unforgivable Curses twice in front of witnesses. She should be sent directly to Azkaban without delay," Aiden concluded, looking at each of them with meaningful intensity.
The assembled officials nodded in understanding, discussed their immediate priorities briefly, and then dispersed to begin their respective crucial tasks.
Within hours, the Wizard Daily immediately published explosive news of Voldemort's dramatic return and announced the emergency Minister election. When the Daily Prophet reporters finally arrived at the scene with their photography equipment, there wasn't even a scrap of evidence left for them to document.
Many readers keenly sensed the Daily Prophet's obvious decline in relevance and cancelled their subscriptions en masse, switching their loyalty to the far more reliable Wizard Daily instead.
At the Ministry's highest levels, Amelia Bones officially took office as Minister of Magic. She immediately replaced the heads of both the Department of Magical Transportation and the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with her own trusted allies. From this pivotal moment forward, Aiden effectively controlled the entire Ministry of Magic apparatus.
With Amelia Bones securely installed as Minister, Aiden promoted the capable Rufus Scrimgeour to head the crucial Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Kingsley Shacklebolt was also promoted to lead the Auror Office, ensuring loyal leadership throughout the law enforcement hierarchy.
On the third basement floor of the Ministry, Aiden pushed open the door to the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee office with casual confidence.
Arthur Weasley was currently working diligently inside, surrounded by stacks of paperwork and official documents.
"Oh, Aiden! What brings you down here?" Arthur asked with genuine surprise, looking up from his desk with obvious pleasure at the unexpected visit.
"Of course, to bring you some excellent news," Aiden replied smoothly, adjusting his monocle with practised elegance.
Arthur stared at him with growing apprehension, recognising that particular expression.
And so, the new head of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was decided through this informal conversation.
Only Arthur's worn, familiar robes and his brand-new monocle seemed rather mismatched, creating an amusing contrast between his modest circumstances and newfound authority.
Incidentally, at a certain dragon's specific request, the Ministry specially arranged an O.W.L.s examination for said dragon to establish his official credentials.
He completed all the required exams in just two hours. The only reason it took even that long was because brewing the required potions consumed considerable time due to their complex preparation methods.
Returning to Hogwarts with perfect Outstanding grades across every single subject, Aiden was in an exceptionally excellent mood.
Green flames flickered dramatically as Aiden appeared in the familiar headmaster's office at Hogwarts, the Floo powder still glittering around his feet.
Dumbledore and Harry were sitting across from each other in comfortable armchairs near the fireplace, clearly preparing for what appeared to be a serious heart-to-heart conversation.
"Am I interrupting something important? I can leave right now," Aiden said diplomatically, waving his hand and preparing to make a tactical escape from this obviously emotional moment.
But Dumbledore clearly didn't intend to let him off so easily.
"Harry just returned from the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey pronounced him completely healthy. Why don't you sit down and join our conversation? I'm quite sure he still has many pressing questions that require your particular expertise to answer properly."
Dumbledore paused meaningfully, then added with obvious satisfaction, "Also, congratulations on successfully taking complete control of the Ministry of Magic."
"Taking control of the Ministry?" Harry's eyes widened with shock and disbelief.
"Yes, the entire Ministry of Magic is now effectively under my direct control," Aiden confirmed casually, settling back into the luxurious sofa and, for the first time in weeks, allowing himself to lazily adjust the cushion behind him for maximum comfort.
"Mmm, so wonderfully comfortable," a certain dragon murmured with obvious contentment.
Harry's young mind reeled from this revelation. For the first time in his life, he felt like the entire wizarding world was some sort of elaborate makeshift operation held together by luck and improvisation.
The Ministry of Magic, such a seemingly important and powerful institution, was now actually controlled by a young wizard exactly his own age. The implications were staggering.
Beside them, Dumbledore exhaled deeply, the visible fatigue showing in his ancient blue eyes making him appear far older than his considerable years.
"Harry, I must first offer you my most sincere apology," Dumbledore said solemnly, closing his eyes as if the words caused him physical pain.
"Apologise? But why would you need to apologise to me?" Harry asked with genuine puzzlement.
"I..." Dumbledore's lips trembled slightly with suppressed emotion.
Finally, as if making a monumentally difficult decision, he spoke the words that had been weighing on his conscience.
"I shouldn't have deliberately distanced myself from you simply because I feared that Tom might glimpse my strategic plans through your mental connection. I shouldn't have stubbornly insisted that Severus teach you Occlumency when I knew perfectly well about the bitter grudge between him and your father. Finally, I shouldn't have hidden the terrible truth that only one of you and Voldemort can survive this war. Because of my delays and poor decisions, today's casualties and suffering occurred."
Dumbledore's words carried profound sadness and self-recrimination. At this vulnerable moment, the person sitting before them was no longer the confident, spirited White Wizard of legend.
His long, painful experiences had made him overly cautious and dangerously hesitant, and this hesitation had created many bitter and unnecessary consequences.
Now, before Harry and Aiden's eyes sat only a weary old man confessing his most serious mistakes by the warm fireplace.
"Tell him about the Privet Drive situation as well," Aiden suggested quietly, nodding meaningfully toward Harry.
"Privet Drive? This involves the Dursleys too?" Harry asked with a surge of familiar anxiety about his horrible relatives.
"Fifteen years ago, to deflect Voldemort's Killing Curse and save your life, your mother Lily cast an incredibly powerful blood protection spell on you at the moment of her death," Dumbledore began, glancing at Aiden before continuing his careful explanation.
"I utilised this existing protective magic to cast an additional protection spell specifically on Number Four, Privet Drive. As long as you return there at least once each year, as long as you still acknowledge the Dursleys as your family, and as long as you still consider Number Four, Privet Drive, to be your home, then all malicious magical forces will be forced to stay away from you."
Dumbledore revealed word for word everything he had deliberately hidden from Harry throughout all these dangerous years.
"Now, isn't it your turn to share the truth?" Dumbledore said, looking expectantly toward Aiden and indicating that it was time for him to reveal his own carefully guarded secrets.
"Well, fortunately I just obtained an official Unspeakable contract from that crafty old fox at the Department of Mysteries; otherwise this conversation would really be impossible to have legally," Aiden explained with obvious relief.
He pulled out a piece of official parchment covered in complex magical symbols and handed it directly to Harry.
"What exactly is this?" Harry asked, accepting the parchment carefully. The ornate text written upon it glowed with a faint but unmistakable golden light.
"The key to understanding the complete truth about our situation," Aiden replied seriously, interlocking his ten fingers and looking at Harry intently through the gaps between his palms. "If you truly want to know about me and all our dangerous affairs, you'll have to sign this binding scroll first."
"Fine! I'll do it!" Harry declared without any hesitation whatsoever, immediately pricking his finger and letting several drops of blood fall onto the magical contract.
"Uh, just signing your name would have been perfectly sufficient," the dragon admitted with obvious embarrassment.
"You should have mentioned that important detail earlier!" Harry roared with indignation.
After a small but amusing interlude involving cleaning up the blood, Aiden carefully stored the now-activated parchment away.
"Alright, young man, how much do you actually know about the Department of Mysteries and what they do there?" Aiden asked with renewed seriousness.
"Uh, I've heard Mr Weasley mention it occasionally. He always said it's completely full of crazy people, and nobody really knows what they're supposed to be doing down there," Harry answered honestly.
"Ha! Crazy people..." Aiden thought fondly of a certain fox-eyed individual and laughed out loud with genuine amusement.
"However, our magical world isn't nearly as simple as most people believe it to be. Or rather, it's never actually been in a true state of peace and stability," Aiden continued, his expression growing more serious as his eyes narrowed with hidden knowledge.
Behind him, the translucent phantom of an enormous dragon gradually appeared, as if it wanted to swallow the entire headmaster's office and everyone within it.
Looking at this transformed Aiden displaying such an overwhelming supernatural presence, Harry swallowed nervously and prepared himself for revelations that would change everything he thought he knew about the world.