"Hacker is looking for me?" Wayne said, surprised, "Is he short of money again?"
The dual-faced Prime Minister Jim Hacker was not a greedy man.
When Wayne mentioned being short of money, he was referring to those government public welfare projects with low profitability that required investment. When Hacker couldn't find supporters, he would turn to the Lawrence family.
And Wayne, with more money than he knew what to do with, would usually accommodate him.
As long as he didn't lose money, he would invest, which also strengthened ties between the two parties.
"Not at all. He's been overwhelmed lately with another matter." Humphrey shook his head and suddenly said out of the blue, "It's been almost four years now."
Wayne immediately understood.
In Britain, elections are generally held every five years, but Hacker hadn't come to power through normal means. There had been a predecessor before him, but that person had encountered some trouble, allowing Hacker to seize the opportunity.
Now, inviting him to dinner was certainly about the upcoming election.
Whether in the House of Commons or the House of Lords, there were MPs supported by the Lawrence family who could influence the final outcome.
"Uncle, do you think I should go?"
Wayne was asking whether he should support Hacker.
People change, and politicians are particularly prone to this.
They might change their stance faster than they change their underwear.
Fudge was the best example. Once he had followed Dumbledore's lead, but now he was the one who hated Dumbledore the most.
The struggle between civil servants and the Prime Minister had lasted for centuries. Both sides were like playing on a seesaw—when one side was strong, the other would become weak.
The Prime Minister's power also increased over time. The first term and the second term could be worlds apart.
If he went to the trouble of elevating an enemy, even if he could deal with it later, Wayne would still find it irritating.
However, everything depended on Humphrey's opinion. He was the one who had been in contact with Jim Hacker the longest.
Humphrey then began his classic performance of long, complex sentences: "Considering the current circumstances, taking into account the disputes between the two factions, and analysing and summarising the situation, one could also conclude..."
Under Wayne's murderous gaze, Humphrey finally got to the point: "I think Hacker is the best choice."
"Although he graduated from LES and is somewhat of an outsider, I must admit," Humphrey shook his head helplessly, "Lord Hacker possesses a certain charm and a rare instinct that always allows him to make the right decision in times of crisis."
"Most importantly, he actually retains a shred of conscience and isn't the type to be ungrateful."
Well, even Wayne was somewhat surprised by this.
A shred of conscience... For such praise to come from Humphrey's mouth was already quite remarkable.
After all, his standard civil servant uncle often prided himself on being a moral vacuum.
"Then let's make it tomorrow. How about noon? I need to hurry off to Paris," Wayne said after a moment's thought.
His schedule for this holiday was already fully booked; he couldn't stay in London waiting for Hacker.
"No problem," Humphrey agreed immediately. Since Hacker was the one seeking Wayne's help, the timing would naturally be at Wayne's convenience.
When one's influence reaches a certain level, affecting election outcomes becomes a rather simple matter.
Especially in this era of print media, the power of newspapers was undeniably formidable.
After eliminating a certain family, the Lawrence family had gained control over the voice of Britain's media landscape.
Defeating Hacker outright was somewhat challenging, but digging up dirt on his competitors was all too easy.
Sometimes elections aren't about who is more outstanding, but rather about how candidates measure up against their peers.
The next day, at one of his family's steak restaurants, Wayne met with Hacker, who arrived completely bundled up.
The two chatted about everything under the sun - from magic to daily life, and even the recent economic situation - without touching upon the election at all.
Both men understood perfectly well that sharing a meal here meant the deal was already sealed.
Truth be told, Hacker rather enjoyed collaborating with the Lawrence family. They showed no particular thirst for political status, as their foundation was already sufficiently established.
Moreover, having a superhuman as the current generation's leader provided an exceptional advantage.
Cooperating with someone of similar strength required constant vigilance against betrayal, whereas working with someone far superior eliminated such concerns.
After all, worrying would be utterly pointless.
Wayne rather liked Hacker, too - the man constantly tickled his funny bone.
He occasionally revealed his own 'pure' foolishness unintentionally.
This was actually one reason for Hacker's popularity among voters - he appeared ordinary, unlike other political elites who carried themselves with airs of superiority.
The meal concluded with both host and guest thoroughly satisfied. After watching Hacker depart, Wayne activated Apparition and vanished.
...
In the wizarding world, news of Dumbledore becoming a wanted criminal in Russia had finally spread, with today's newspapers carrying related reports.
But what drew greater concern was the turmoil emerging within Russia itself.
The two individuals Dumbledore had rescued had already sought assistance from other countries' Ministries of Magic, simultaneously spreading word of the internal upheaval.
Upon learning that Katerina was treating pure-bloods like lambs for slaughter, outrage spread universally.
Fundamentally, the wizarding society remained dominated by pure-bloods, who functioned like major capitalist conglomerates in the Muggle world, influencing every aspect of magical society.
From their perspective, Katerina and Riddle's actions amounted to nothing less than 'peasant rebellion'.
...
Durmstrang.
Grindelwald had also received the news—indeed, his intelligence network was broader, providing him with more detailed insider information.
Hearty laughter echoed from his office, where Vinda Rosier, restored to her thirty-year-old appearance, stood quietly with a slight smile gracing her lips.
It had been too long since she'd seen her master in such high spirits.
Indeed, only Dumbledore could provoke such strong emotional reactions from him.
"Dumbledore, you really are regressing with age..." Grindelwald murmured, stroking Slytherin's Locket as his expression gradually sobered. "To be constrained by such insignificant figures and their so-called authority... living like this... isn't it exhausting?"
A typical sycophant might have seized this moment to disparage Dumbledore while elevating Grindelwald.
But Vinda Rosier simply listened quietly, without the slightest intention of offering commentary.
Someone had attempted that approach before—and had paid with their life.
Grindelwald closed his eyes in feigned slumber, his habitual posture when deep in thought, completely immersed in his own world.
He felt certain that after being exposed, Dumbledore had undoubtedly scurried back to hide in his bloody school.
However, Grindelwald currently had no intention of visiting his old friend for a chat.
Instead, he was contemplating how to deal with Tom.
The other party seemed to be targeting several Ministries of Magic in neighbouring countries, constantly making small moves.
Grindelwald had never taken the agreement with the International Confederation of Wizards seriously. He had said he wouldn't actively expand, but he never said he wouldn't accept voluntary allegiance from certain countries.
If he wanted to renege, he could easily come up with a hundred excuses.
What truly made Grindelwald wary was his verbal agreement with Wayne — using Poland as the boundary, he could no longer expand northward.
Initially, he hadn't thought much of it, but now he felt somewhat dissatisfied.
'It's just a mutated Horcrux, I could crush him with one hand. Why won't he let me touch him?'
But... Grindelwald wasn't without options. He might not expand territory, but his followers could spontaneously assist countries like Ukraine and Belarus in resisting invasion.
Although somewhat sensitive, it shouldn't be considered a violation of the agreement.
Having made up his mind, Grindelwald abruptly opened his eyes.
"Send for Rosier and Belby."
"Yes."
"Wait." Grindelwald stopped Vinda, who was about to leave. "Send an exchange application to Hogwarts. Two schools should communicate more to progress together."
Vinda would execute Grindelwald's orders meticulously.
However, after Vinda left, Grindelwald suddenly remembered a problem: he wanted this exchange, but would that brat Wayne agree?
...
"Of course I don't agree."
Holding the little girl who had grown another year older, Wayne said with clear displeasure.
"Hogwarts is the best magical school in the world. Why are you looking at me like that? Fine, it might not have been before, but I'm the Headmaster now, so it definitely will be in the future."
Wayne was arguing with Fleur about where Gabrielle should attend school.
In what seemed like no time, Gabrielle had grown from a little girl into a slightly bigger little girl, and she would be entering magic school next September.
Fleur wanted Gabrielle to attend Beauxbatons, but Gabrielle herself wanted to go to Hogwarts.
The two had been arguing about this for several days, and Wayne had been dragged into the dispute during his visit today.
"But I'm familiar with Beauxbatons, and Madame Maxime is very good to Gabrielle, too. She'll definitely receive the best care there."
The current vote was two against one, and Fleur unwillingly tried to justify her position.
"I can take good care of Gabrielle, too." Wayne raised Gabrielle's little hand and shook it, the little girl smiling triumphantly at her sister.
'That's exactly what I'm afraid of.'
Fleur thought to herself.
She knew exactly how much Wayne spoiled Gabrielle. Whenever Wayne was around, even she, as the older sister, couldn't get Gabrielle to listen, and the girl would play wildly all day.
Today, when Wayne visited, Gabrielle seemed even happier to see him than she, his actual girlfriend, was.
If she went to Hogwarts, wouldn't she become an uncontrollable little troublemaker?
Fleur had always wanted to raise her sister to become a proper French lady like herself.
"No, absolutely not." Thinking of Gabrielle becoming a little delinquent, Fleur shook her head vehemently.
"Gabrielle must go to Beauxbatons. Didn't you say Voldemort has returned? It's too dangerous for Gabrielle to go to Hogwarts. France is safer."
'I'll have Grindelwald pay a visit one of these days.'
Wayne silently complained to himself, but, seeing Gabrielle's pitiful little expression, he still wanted to fight for her happiness in the years ahead.
"Why don't you come to Hogwarts too?"
"Me?" Fleur was taken aback.
"Exactly." Wayne nodded. "Hogwarts is short of teachers, too. Weren't you a teaching assistant at Beauxbatons? Wouldn't it be better to become a proper professor at Hogwarts instead?"
"But I haven't heard about any professors leaving Hogwarts. It wouldn't be Defence Against the Dark Arts, would it?"
Fleur looked wary - she knew about the curse's existence. Was Wayne thinking she was too old and planning to replace her with someone younger?
Seeing her strange little expression, Wayne didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"What are you thinking? The Defence Against the Dark Arts curse has already been lifted, and I've found a suitable professor for that position. I'm actually planning to expand the teaching staff."
"After all, having one professor teach all seven years is quite a heavy burden."
The number of Hogwarts students kept increasing. Since becoming Headmaster, he had gained the authority to check the names in the Book of Admittance.
There were already two hundred new students enrolled for next year, and there might still be young wizards experiencing Magic Riots who would have their names recorded in the Book of Admittance later this year.
Having one teacher responsible for the education of over a thousand students—even if manageable—would be mentally exhausting.
Moreover, having accomplished professors like Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Sprout teach first-year students seemed rather wasteful.
Therefore, he planned to hire additional professors for each subject to handle the lower years.
After hearing his explanation, Fleur was clearly tempted.
Going to Hogwarts would mean she could stay with Wayne long-term while keeping an eye on Gabrielle - it was indeed an attractive proposition.
"Let's discuss it with Father after he returns."
Wayne knew Fleur was leaning towards accepting. Only Gabrielle pouted unhappily.
How annoying!
Was there really no escape from her sister's clutches?