"Political Upheaval in Eastern Europe – Dramatic Changes in Russia, Former Minister for Magic Valdovsky Steps Down, Headmaster Katerina Takes Power."
The Daily Prophet usually only delivered newspapers every morning, but would issue special editions for emergencies.
Clearly, a coup d'état in a major country qualified as an emergency.
Wayne's eyes narrowed as he read the headline.
He immediately opened the newspaper to examine the details.
The entire edition consisted of only two pages, very thin, all about the coup.
These were reports from Russia, some parts vaguely described, only outlining the general process.
The coup happened remarkably fast – beginning at 3pm local time and concluding by 6pm.
Nearly half the Ministry of Magic's senior officials were detained before they could react. Some Aurors guarding the Minister for Magic turned traitor. After skirmishes with unknown casualties, the victor became clear – Headmaster Katerina immediately declared herself the new Minister for Magic.
"This is just rebellion... I never imagined Headmaster Katerina was this sort of person," Cedric murmured in astonishment, holding his own copy.
His impression of Katerina remained vivid – a strong-willed headmistress who protected her own, yet seemed thoroughly upright.
Nothing about her suggested an ambitious schemer.
"Failed attempts are called rebellions. Successful ones... are called restoring order," Wayne remarked offhandedly.
Cedric fell into deep thought.
Bloody hell, that made sense.
While Katerina dominated the article's narrative, Wayne glanced up to see Dumbledore also studying the newspaper pensively.
Noticing his gaze, Dumbledore looked over and tilted his head upwards slightly. Understanding the silent cue, Wayne nodded and said nothing more.
The sudden news didn't disrupt the feast's proceedings. For the young wizards, though initially shocked by the headlines,
Russia ultimately felt too distant. After the initial surprise, they treated it as a mere spectacle without deeper impact.
They ate, they played, occasionally mentioning it in conversation as an odd novelty.
When the feast concluded, Wayne didn't follow the badgers back to their common room. Instead, he ascended the stairs, greeted the two gargoyles, and entered the office.
Dumbledore had already prepared hot tea.
After taking a sip, Wayne heard him say: "This likely involves Tom."
"My thoughts exactly," Wayne shrugged. "Though it hardly matters."
"Indeed, it hardly matters." Dumbledore sighed softly. "Tom proves far cleverer than Voldemort."
"Had he used subterfuge, we might have intervened. But with a coup of this scale – learning of it only after completion – forceful interference would spark international disputes."
Dumbledore recognised Tom's troublesome nature.
Unlike Voldemort's reign of terror, Tom's approach of using overt strategies and conventional methods to achieve goals proved far more insoluble.
He'd never excelled at political manoeuvring, nor enjoyed dealing with establishment figures.
Wayne lowered his head slightly, a pang of guilt surfacing.
Fortunately, he'd previously made a pact with Tom not to reveal any information about him.
Otherwise, he truly feared that when Dumbledore and Tom eventually met, Tom might suddenly declare, 'My revered master, Wayne Lawrence.'
"Headmaster, beasts always bare their fangs eventually," Wayne changed the subject to offer reassurance. "With Tom's ambitions, he'd never be satisfied with just one coup."
"We just need to wait patiently for him to make a mistake."
Dumbledore nodded. "Quite right. For now, we can only wait. Additionally, we must sever any cooperation between Voldemort and Tom - we can't allow them to become too closely connected."
"I think..." Wayne rubbed his hands together. "You should first consider how to deal with the imminent trouble."
"Me?" Dumbledore looked startled. "What does this have to do with me?"
Wayne smiled sheepishly. "Who do you think... is currently most panicked about seeing Katerina transition from Headmaster to Minister for Magic?"
After a moment's contemplation, realisation dawned on Dumbledore as he murmured a name.
...
Indeed.
If one were to ask who in Britain besides Dumbledore and Wayne was most affected by the Russian coup...
The answer would undoubtedly be Cornelius Fudge.
Not just because he was Minister for Magic, responsible for both domestic affairs and international relations.
Simply Katerina's identity alone would trigger his sensitive nerves.
A school headmaster successfully rebelling and overthrowing the minister...
Fudge was already sweating profusely, imagining himself being ousted by Dumbledore.
"Minister, does this draft statement meet your approval?"
Mr Chang, Cho's father and Deputy Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, needed to represent the British Ministry of Magic's official stance.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Fudge took the parchment and scanned it. While perfectly adequate, something about it irritated him.
He turned the parchment face down and said to Mr Chang's puzzled look: "Let's not make any statements yet. We'll wait to see how other countries respond."
"Very well." Though somewhat confused, Mr Chang nodded in agreement.
"Chang," Fudge lowered his voice, "your daughter is dating Wayne, isn't she?"
Mr Chang hesitated before reluctantly admitting, "That's correct."
"Do me a favour, Chang." Fudge immediately became more affable. "Help arrange a meeting with Mr Lawrence. I need to discuss the current situation with him."
"Me? Couldn't you approach him directly?"
"No, it's better coming from you. I trust you. Get Mr Lawrence to meet me, and I'll guarantee your immediate promotion to Department Head."
'My current responsibilities are practically those of a Department Head already,' Mr Chang thought to himself, but didn't refuse. After all, Fudge was his superior and deserved some courtesy.
Seeing his agreement, Fudge's smile grew even warmer.
After Mr Chang left, Fudge hastily wrote to Umbridge, instructing her to come to the Ministry first thing tomorrow.
Only then did he begin to consider how to respond to developments in Russia properly.
...
Far away in St Petersburg...
The Russian Ministry of Magic was housed in an ancient castle with a thousand-year history, its architecture bearing distinct Orthodox Christian influences.
As the largest country in Europe, Russia's wizarding population more than doubled Britain's—an undeniable force to be reckoned with.
Their Ministry employed over a thousand staff members.
At the very centre stood a cathedral-like building, which served as the workplace for the Minister for Magic and their office staff.
In the Minister's office today, Katerina - currently the absolute focus of the magical world - wasn't seated on the hard-won ministerial throne. Instead, a young man with black hair and green eyes occupied it.
Katerina stood respectfully opposite him.
"Mr Riddle, we've finally taken the first step," Katerina said excitedly.
Tom smiled faintly: "Katerina, our dream isn't yet realised. We must continue striving."
"You're absolutely right." Katerina nodded solemnly. "Therefore, I believe you'd be most suitable as Minister for Magic."
"No, you're mistaken." Tom shook his head. "Your status and reputation far surpass mine. I'm better suited to working in the shadows, clearing obstacles for you... building our dream nation."
"As for the Minister's position... it matters not at all."
Once again, Katerina was overwhelmed by Riddle's magnanimity. "Then what should we do next? Regain control over Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and other nations?"
Tom gazed distantly towards the southwest. "A friend once told me: 'To defeat external enemies, we must first secure our home front.' These words hold great wisdom."
"First, let's judge those guilty pure-blood families - seize all their resources and companies. We can't let those vile pure-bloods continue preying on our people."
"From now on, the magical world shall have no exploitation. All shall receive according to their work and needs."
Katerina noted everything down, then hesitantly asked: "What about the schools..."
"How about me becoming Headmaster?" Tom said with a smile.
Katerina naturally had no objections. Her dream was to establish an egalitarian society like that Muggle nation of old.
Only with Tom's appearance had she truly seen hope.
"Remember, don't be too harsh." Noticing the murderous glint in Katerina's eyes, Tom cautioned.
"Every witch and wizard is precious. Send the guilty for reformation - no unnecessary killings."
"I understand." Katerina nodded and left to arrange matters.
Now alone in the room, Tom slowly clenched his fist, murmuring, "Young Master Lawrence... I remember your teachings... crystal clear."
Wizards shouldn't be divided into classes... except for him.
Henceforth, all wizards in the entire Soviet Union would contribute to the magical world's prosperity.
And he would stand above all, ruling everything.
This was... supremacy.
...
Hogwarts.
Wayne remained oblivious that his only student had twisted his philosophy beyond recognition.
Returning from the Headmaster's Office, he slept soundly, completely unconcerned about Tom's schemes.
Judging by actions rather than intentions, Tom's deeds hadn't yet crossed any lines. Letting him stir things up might actually benefit the world's development.
Thus, unlike Dumbledore, Wayne wasn't the least bit worried.
The next day, he rose as usual to attend classes, being a model student.
The fifth-year students followed Newt out of the Forbidden Forest, where this time he'd taken them to observe the most dangerous creature within - the Manticore.
This highly perilous XXXXX-class magical beast was notorious for the soft humming it emitted as it devoured prey, with its fur repelling nearly all magical effects.
Even the famously magic-resistant Three-Headed Dog was like a ragdoll before the Manticore, utterly defenceless.
Moreover, the Manticore had mastered human speech and possessed extraordinary intelligence, making it among the most troublesome of all XXXXX-class magical creatures.
The specimen in the Forbidden Forest had somehow wandered over from Greece two and a half years ago.
It had even befriended Hagrid, helping him breed numerous Blast-Ended Skrewts.
Thanks to his remarkable affinity for creatures, Newt quickly befriended this Manticore as well.
This was why he dared bring young wizards here.
With Newt present, the Manticore became quite amiable, even demonstrating its hunting techniques—much to the students' pale-faced horror.
Newt's purpose wasn't to teach students how to fight such creatures, but to make them understand the Manticore's danger so they'd flee if they encountered it.
Before leaving, Wayne stayed behind alone for some 'friendly physical exchange' with the Manticore, borrowing some of its fur.
Seeing the large bald patch on its body, the Manticore felt like crying.
Its proud magical defences proved utterly useless against this young wizard - even the simplest spells hurt terribly.
"Waaah! You're bullying me!" came a tearful female voice from the lion's head.
Ah, female.
"How is this bullying?" Wayne consoled. "You're not even human."
The Manticore paused, then wailed louder: "I'll tell Hagrid! I'll tell Newt!"
"Stop crying, I'll compensate you, alright?"
After consideration, Wayne decided to appease the beast: "One cow per month to nourish you. But when your fur grows back, I'll borrow some more."
Manticore fur made excellent resistance gear. Though Wayne didn't need it himself, he could sell it or share it with Hermione and others.
At 'cow', the Manticore drooled instantly. "No! Weekly!"
"Don't push it - every three weeks."
"Fortnightly, or I'll tell!"
Eventually, they settled on twenty days. Wayne returned to the castle with a bulging bag of 'local produce'.
Entering the entrance hall, he saw another crowd gathered by the noticeboard...