Britain's Muggle Prime Minister could be considered a legendary figure.
After graduating from secondary school, he didn't choose to attend university, but instead studied craft engraving and successfully became a sculptor.
Later, he worked for the London Electricity Board and an international bank, and during wartime even went to the Nigerian Regional Bank.
It wasn't until he was elected as a local councilor at age 45 that he officially entered politics. He was subsequently appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, then Foreign Secretary, and finally became Prime Minister of Britain in 1990.
Though his tenure lasted only three short years, the Muggle government had already faced numerous challenges.
At that time, the world economy was entering a recession period.
Eastern Europe was undergoing dramatic changes, and the world was shifting from a bipolar to a unipolar structure.
This former empire on which the sun never set could not remain unaffected in such an environment.
Especially after Black Wednesday in 1992, when the British government, which had already prepared to join the EU, was forced to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the economy fell into a downturn.
As everyone knows, in the Muggle world, a country's economy is crucial.
Rapid economic development can often mask most contradictions.
Under these circumstances, the Muggle Prime Minister withstood the pressure and actively promoted a series of policies to revitalize the economy.
In fiscal policy, he worked to balance the budget, cut unnecessary spending, and ease downward economic pressure.
In monetary policy, he took measures to stabilize currency markets, gradually leading the British economy toward recovery.
Following the 1991 European Community summit where the Treaty on European Union, also known as the Maastricht Treaty, was drafted.
In 1992, the twelve EC countries formally signed the treaty.
In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty officially came into effect.
This meant that the European Union (EU), which had been in preparation for several years, was officially born.
This was a regional integration organization that combined political and economic entities and had significant influence in the world.
As one of the original twelve EC member states, Britain naturally played a pivotal role in the EU.
The establishment of the EU seemed like a major event in the Muggle world with no relation to the magical world, but in fact, this wasn't the case.
Precisely because of the EU's establishment, exchanges between member states became increasingly frequent, and these exchanges weren't limited to the Muggle world—the magical world was the same.
For example, the countries where Europe's three largest magical schools—Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang were located were all within the twelve EU member states.
The EU's establishment unexpectedly brought the Triwizard Tournament, which had been suspended for several centuries for various reasons, back onto the agenda.
This showed that the Muggle world's influence on the magical world was growing and could no longer be ignored.
It was precisely for this reason that even Cornelius Fudge, who looked down on Muggles somewhat, didn't dare underestimate this Muggle Prime Minister who had performed well since taking office.
When Sirius Black escaped from prison this year, notifying the Prime Minister was done with this consideration in mind.
But even so, Fudge never expected that the other party would react so quickly to matters concerning Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.
What surprised him even more was that the other party's tone was unexpectedly firm.
He demanded that the magical world quickly announce the truth, clear Sirius's name, and even said that the Muggle world was already preparing to withdraw the warrant for Sirius.
The Muggle Prime Minister's uncharacteristic behavior forced Fudge, who had already made up his mind, to take this matter seriously again.
He was also somewhat annoyed.
Which bastard had leaked the information so quickly?
Not a shred of secrecy mindfulness?
Was the Statute of Secrecy just for show?
"You talking about the rule of law makes me laugh."
When the Ministry of Magic held another emergency meeting, Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office, said coolly in the face of Fudge's fury.
"When Sirius Black was caught back then, you threw him directly into Azkaban without trial, that was already illegal. Now it's proven he was innocent.
To be honest, after escaping, the fact that he didn't come looking for you first shows remarkable restraint on his part—keeping a true hero imprisoned in Azkaban as a murderer for twelve whole years."
"Scrimgeour, are you accusing me?"
A man who appeared to be in his fifties turned toward Scrimgeour upon hearing this.
He sat bolt upright, his short black hair meticulously groomed, wearing an immaculate suit with a tie.
Among all those sitting in the meeting, he stood out.
From his appearance, you couldn't tell he was a wizard at all—he looked more like a Muggle bank manager.
"Mr. Crouch, I'm merely stating a fact."
Scrimgeour glanced at the man, whose name was Barty Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
"At this point, there's no use obsessing over the Statute of Secrecy. I can responsibly say that this ship started leaking from the top.
As long as one person knows a secret, it's only a matter of time before others know it. Rather than dwelling on the rule of law here, we should think about what we should do now."
"The problem now is," Fudge pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead, "the Muggle Prime Minister's attitude is very firm. We must respond to this."
"So what? Magic is magic, Muggles are Muggles. No matter how firm the Muggle Prime Minister's attitude is, what does it have to do with our Ministry of Magic?"
"Times have changed. The Muggle world has established the EU, and countries have strengthened their connections. The Muggle world's influence on the magical world is growing."
"Indeed, I never imagined in my lifetime that the Triwizard Tournament might be restarted. Those Muggles are really impressive."
"If we can't handle this matter properly, it won't be good for us."
"The other side's attitude is so firm this time, they must have something to rely on. We'd better be careful."
"Then investigate—see who leaked the information and put us in such a passive position."
"We can't investigate everything, can we? What if we really find something, what then?"
"That's true."
"I don't understand."
Among the people's chatter, a short, stout woman with a heavy accent suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.
"Why is everyone talking about the difficulties facing the Ministry of Magic, as if the Muggle Prime Minister's attitude matters so much?
Ever since the wise and mighty Minister Fudge took office, the magical world has maintained an orderly, stable, and comfortable environment.
Whether it's those ancient noble wizarding families or ordinary citizens of the magical world, everyone is delighted and welcomes this situation.
I still remember when the Minister took office, that scene of vitality and flourishing, it's still like in my eyes—"
"Flattery doesn't help solve the current problem, Madam Umbridge."
Scrimgeour really couldn't stand it anymore and directly interrupted her.
Dolores Umbridge was clearly old enough, yet insisted on dressing like a girl.
Pink hair clips, pink bows, frilled skirts, and an extremely small handbag.
He really didn't know what Fudge saw in her to make her his confidant and allow her to attend such important meetings.
"Interrupting a lady is not gentlemanly behavior, Director Scrimgeour—besides, I was merely stating a fact."
Umbridge said this while winking at Barty Crouch, as if she thought the gesture was cute.
"What, is it only allowed for you to speak to Director Crouch that way?"
Umbridge was obviously trying to curry favor with Barty Crouch Sr.
However, embarrassingly, the latter frowned and turned his head away.
He also looked down on Umbridge.
"Alright, stop arguing."
At this moment, Fudge spoke up to save Umbridge from embarrassment. He said with some distress. "Look at this yourselves—it's new information that just came in."
He pulled out a letter.
**
Esteemed Minister Fudge.
Regarding your position requesting a postponement of announcing the truth about the Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew case, Her Majesty's Government finds this unacceptable.
The Prime Minister has no intention of emulating Mr. Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. Her Majesty's Government, when dealing with matters of principle, absolutely does not permit procrastination or delay.
The Ministry of Magic's handling of this case constitutes damage to basic justice.
If this is not corrected promptly, we will be forced to take necessary and appropriate measures to ensure the truth is made known.
M.H.
Cabinet Secretary's Office
**
After the meeting attendees finished reading the letter, they looked at each other in dismay.
"Who is this M.H.? How dare they speak with such an arrogant tone?"
"Not sure, but since they're using the Prime Minister's personal seal, perhaps the Cabinet Secretary?"
"Who cares who it is—just know that this letter represents the Muggle government's attitude."
"Isn't this threatening us?"
"So, what if it's a threat? Can you go over there and hit them with a Memory Charm? Minister, please make a decision quickly!"
At this moment, all eyes turned to Fudge.
So, it was time to make a decision again?
At this moment, Fudge instinctively wanted to write to Dumbledore for help.
But he suddenly realized that he had already fallen out with him yesterday. Come to think of it, when was the last time he wrote to Dumbledore for help?
It must have been a year ago, right?
During his early tenure, Fudge had constantly bombarded Albus Dumbledore seeking help and advice.
But as time passed, this frequency had become lower and lower.
By now, when facing the Muggle Prime Minister, Fudge was actually more cautious than when facing Dumbledore.
Even though Dumbledore could get rid of this Muggle Prime Minister with just a flick of his finger.
The group discussed back and forth but still couldn't reach a conclusion.
Finally, the turning point came from another letter.
Not from the mysterious M.H.
Among the Prime Minister's secretaries, there were also staff members assigned by the Ministry of Magic.
Years of living in the Muggle world had taught him some skills.
At this critical moment, he found a way out for the Ministry of Magic.
A seemingly good way out. Once they had this way out, things became easier.
The Ministry of Magic immediately took action, throwing this big pot directly onto the 31st Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, and her leadership team.
Incidentally, they also had Barty Crouch help carry some of the blame.
Of course, strictly speaking, this couldn't really be called scapegoating.
Because the characterization of the "Potter murders and Sirius Black case" did indeed occur when Bagnold was Minister of Magic.
After Sirius was arrested, Barty Crouch, then Director of Magical Law Enforcement, did indeed throw him into Azkaban prison without trial.
During the wizarding war, Barty Crouch gained the trust of most in the magical world by advocating the use of tough measures against Death Eaters.
After Voldemort's fall, as a staunch anti-Voldemort figure, his reputation was naturally unparalleled, and many people expected him to become Minister of Magic.
Who would have thought that an incident later caused the situation to take a sharp turn for the worse.
His reputation plummeted, and he was eventually transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Instead, Cornelius Fudge from the Department of Magical Catastrophes became the lucky one, taking office as the 32nd Minister of Magic.
However, after taking office, he basically followed his predecessor's policies, only wanting to maintain the status quo.
He never even thought of doubting the truth or reinvestigating—let alone clearing Sirius's name. But so what?
After all, the Muggle government's requirement was just to announce Peter Pettigrew's crimes and give Sirius justice.
As for who discovered this truth, that wasn't important to the Muggle government.
As for Hogwarts, they might as well take this opportunity to share some of the credit with them.
Of course, they could only play a supporting role.
He believed that neither the Muggle government nor Dumbledore would have any objections to this.
Sure enough, when Fudge informed both the Muggle Prime Minister and Dumbledore of this separately, both sides accepted as expected.
For the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the magical world and Muggle world were ultimately one entity, and both bureaucratic systems had common ground.
As for Hogwarts, they only wanted results—the process didn't really matter.
This made Fudge extremely happy.
This is what's called a win-win situation!
The truth was revealed, the criminal was punished, the Minister repaired his relationship with the Headmaster, and gained tremendous honor—everyone had a bright future.
As for the previous administration's leadership team, their small sacrifice was necessary to maintain peace and stability in the magical world and protect collective interests.
He believed they should be able to understand.
Fudge's request to personally come to the school to announce this was also agreed to by Dumbledore.
Although this man was indeed not great, his position was crucial.
At this time, they really needed to unite all forces that could be united. Let bygones be bygones.
Facts proved this approach was very effective.
After breakfast ended, Fudge shook hands with Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and others one by one, preparing to return to the Ministry of Magic.
However, when Fudge's dragonhide boots stepped on the marble steps just cleaned by house-elves, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance, falling to the ground.
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