"How do we proceed about it?" He asked as he leaned towards the Bones Lord.
"It is quite simple," Edmund Bones chuckled. "Apply enough pressure on the Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum, so that he is forced to resign—then have a new minister selected."
"Well, that part I understood," Antonio replied dryly. "What I meant was, how exactly do you plan to go about it?"
"Oh!" Edmund nodded. "Harold Minchum is a very complex character. Outwardly, he presents himself as someone detached from power, a selfless man whose only goal in holding office is the welfare of the wizarding society."
"But in reality, he is riddled with anxieties and insecurities. He clings to power like a lifeline. When needed, he will posture as a hardliner, talking tough on extreme actions against the Death Eaters, but when it is time to act, to take tough decision, to put himself in the slightest of discomfort, where he could be questioned even a little, he backs down."
"He is a man who plays to the gallery, he does and says what he thinks will polish his image," Edmund continued. "When he is with someone like me, he will talk about crushing the Death Eaters and what not. When he is with someone else, someone leaning towards the dark lord, he might subtly imply that he sympathizes with the new movement, at least its ideology if not with their violent actions and attacks. And when addressing the public, he plays the role of the just leader, the father figure, whom the common wizards and witches can trust."
"And it is this very trait," Edmund added, "that we are going to use to force him out."
"How?" Antonio asked moving the conversation further.
"You realise, Lord Olario," Edmund said, "that voting Harold Minchum out of his office of minister of magic is a far more difficult and complex task than getting our own candidate elected."
Antonio nodded. Of course, he understood that.
Any Minister for Magic was elected for a seven year term. Now, a minister could only be removed before their term ended either by voluntary resignation or by a formal vote of no confidence in the Wizengamot. And for that vote to pass, a two third majority was required, an incredibly difficult threshold to reach, especially given the fragmented state of the wizarding council.
On the other hand, electing a new minister was somewhat easier. First, when it came to removing a sitting minister, many families were reluctant to support impeachment, often favouring stability and continuity over upheaval.
But during an election, they were required to cast their vote for one of the candidates, making it easier to form voting blocs and alliances.
Secondly, and most importantly, electing a new minister required only a simple majority (half the total votes plus one), which was far easier to achieve than a two third supermajority.
"Good," Edmund replied. "That is why our approach is to force Harold Minchum to resign voluntarily."
"As I told you, he is a dubious character, and quite corrupt too. He has been Minister for Magic for just over two years, and in that time, he has used his position to funnel benefits to his family. Business benefits and some back door entry into jobs in the ministry."
"Well, frankly," Edmund sighed, "it is not the first time something like this is happening. Corruption at the top has mostly been ignored. Few consider, this as a right and a perk of their job of being a minister. But not this time…"
"We will add fuel to the fire," he said, a hard edge in his voice. "We will expose his corruption, his scandals, and if he does not have any, we will create one. If necessary, we will amplify his smaller acts of corruption as some grand sin. The goal is simple. We will destroy his reputation and public image."
"As I mentioned, he is someone who cares deeply about how he is perceived. By tarnishing that reputation, we will weaken his standing and, ultimately, force him to step down."
Antonio nodded, his face unchanged, but inwardly his thoughts were racing.
It was at this moment he fully recognised that, even though Edmund Bones was perhaps a good man, and he risking much to oppose Voldemort and the Death Eaters openly and directly, he was also a ruthless politician, through and through.
He was willing to use schemes, plots, and manipulation to achieve his ends. Even if the outcome was for the greater good, he had no qualms about how he got there.
Not that Antonio had some problems with it. He himself would not shy away from methods if necessary. It was just a random thought in his mind.
But as far as he could remember, Harold Minchum had either been removed or had resigned from his position in 1980.
He was succeeded by Millicent Bagnold, who went on to have quite a long tenure till 1990 and given way for Cornelius Fudge. She had gotten a second term which she obviously had not been able to complete.
But currently, it was still 1977. So obviously, in the canon, the Bones plan had not worked.
In all probability, Lord Bones had been killed by Death Eaters in the canon timeline. That raised a critical question. Had Edmund Bones been killed before he could implement his plan?
There was still a lot he did not know, too many questions, too many pieces of the puzzle yet to be solved.
"I understand all this," Antonio said. "And what you intend to accomplish, but I do not see how I can help you with any of it."
"I assume you are aware that I do not have a vote in the Wizengamot. The Olario family is just a normal pure blood magical family with no political mileage."
Edmund chuckled at this, amusement dancing on his face.
"When your wand and spells have enough power, you do not worry about political mileage. Political mileage starts worrying about what you might do."
"The Dumbledore family had zero votes in the Wizengamot," he said. "Albus Dumbledore himself is a half blood. But his wand has enough power."
"And right now, there is no one with greater political mileage than him. He got his family status elevated. The Dumbledore family now has one vote in the Wizengamot, and believe me, when the time comes, he will take that family name to even greater heights. He is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock, and Supreme Mugwump."
"Why?" Edmund echoed, then smiled. "Because when his wand speaks, very few have the courage to respond."
"We will support you," Edmund said. "And we do not expect much in return. Just that, if need arises and we are in some sort of trouble, your magic and wand will help us."
Antonio nodded in understanding.
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