Chapter 118: Dilemma
At the Ministry of Magic's grand hall, the Order of Merlin ceremony concluded in an atmosphere of perfect harmony, with smiles and congratulations all around.
Immediately afterward, Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Ryan politely declined all invitations and rushed back to Hogwarts. It was obvious to everyone that they were in a hurry; they even accidentally bumped into a wizard who was walking backward while chatting with a friend. While the other wizard was clearly at fault, for someone of Dumbledore's or Flitwick's caliber to be so careless was highly unusual. The only explanation was that their minds were deeply troubled, their awareness of their surroundings diminished.
Everyone who noticed wondered the same thing: what on earth had happened at Hogwarts?
Meanwhile, at the castle, the post-disaster reconstruction was in full swing. "Reconstruction" was perhaps too strong a word; the work mostly consisted of repainting walls and tending to the grounds. The clashes between the students, and between the golems and the animated statues, had caused almost no structural damage to the castle. At most, the Dagger wielded by Doro had left some scratches on the walls, but it was nothing serious.
As a reward for their distinguished service, the golems were granted the right to paint graffiti in certain areas of Hogwarts—which in practice meant covering the Dagger's scratches with cute, cartoonish murals. The little golems, who had previously been cooped up in the Adventurers' Club, now fanned out across the castle, happily chatting, playing, and working alongside the students.
The adorable constructs had another effect that exceeded the professors' wildest expectations: they were wonderful for morale. The students not only relaxed around them but, encouraged by the golems' cheerful presence, seemed to temporarily forget the terrifying events that had occurred and threw themselves wholeheartedly into games and repairs.
In the corridor outside the Hospital Wing.
"Believe me, Headmaster, our dear Minister Fudge will do everything in his power to claim this victory for himself," Ryan said. He had just heard that Dumbledore planned to publicly announce Voldemort's capture. While Ryan agreed with the decision in principle, the thought of the grotesque posturing that a certain political creature would inevitably engage in made his stomach turn.
Fudge would undoubtedly try to use this to strengthen his own influence. It was a universal trait of all political creatures, Muggle or wizard. They lived and breathed power. Such creatures become unnaturally euphoric at the prospect of seizing more authority and, when angered, can spew venom like the most vicious snake, hoping to instill fear and command reverence for their position. They never pass up the slightest opportunity to enhance their power.
Most unfortunately, Fudge was the most stubborn, self-deceiving kind of political creature.
"Cornelius Fudge... ah," Dumbledore sighed. The thought of Fudge was giving him a headache as well. He knew the Minister of Magic was a fundamentally weak man who preferred to pull the covers over his head and deny anything he couldn't accept.
Worse, it was widely believed that he had only become Minister because his rival had run into trouble and Dumbledore himself had essentially gifted him the position, which made his authority seem even less legitimate. In his first two years in office, Fudge hadn't done anything particularly noteworthy. But Dumbledore feared it was only a matter of time before Fudge, convinced of his own authority, would start trying to order around the true power players of the wizarding world.
The capture of Voldemort, a monumental victory, threatened to accelerate this process. There was no guarantee that Fudge's mind would remain clear in the face of such a triumph.
To put it bluntly, Ryan and Dumbledore weren't just worried that Fudge would become delusional. They were worried he'd become so delusional that he would order Aurors to surround Hogwarts and forcibly remove Voldemort to Azkaban.
If that happened, their only remaining option would be open conflict.
The problem was that, for most wizards, the magical world had been led by institutions for a thousand years. True legendary-tier wizards were too rare to have ever established a history of direct rule. Therefore, in the eyes of the average witch or wizard, not even Albus Dumbledore should defy an order from the Ministry of Magic.
In this respect, the wizarding world was remarkably democratic—more so than almost any other society. Whether this was because most ordinary wizards projected their own limitations onto others—thinking, I'm a scrub, so you must be a scrub, therefore no one can be that much more powerful—the end result was the same: the wizarding community had a deep-seated respect for democratic institutions.
This left Dumbledore and Ryan in a bind. Democracy, for all its frustrations, was a good thing. They couldn't turn back the clock of history and turn the wizarding world into their personal fiefdom.
"Should we... knock some sense into him?" Ryan suggested.
"Trying to discipline him now would only be counterproductive," Dumbledore said with a weary smile. "It would only strengthen his conviction that he, as Minister of Magic, should possess supreme authority, and that we are challenging his rightful power."
He had, admittedly, allowed Fudge's appointment, believing two years ago that a mild-mannered Minister would be good for the magical world. But why had everything changed so quickly? The sudden appearance of a top-tier alchemical artifact, and the shadowy master alchemist behind it... it all seemed to point toward the prophecy he had tried so hard to forget. With all his original plans in disarray, Fudge was rapidly becoming a liability.
Yet, considering the wizarding world's "ethical norms" and "free-spirited" social climate, their hands were tied. It wasn't as if the Headmaster and professors could abandon their duties, go down the list of registered wizards, and modify everyone's memories and thoughts. That was both unrealistic and unreasonable.
"What is the Minister's term of office? Is there any mechanism for early impeachment?" Ryan asked. If disciplining Fudge would backfire, then the logical solution was to replace him with a Minister who had a brain and was capable of communication.
"Very difficult, unless he's caught in a major, fundamental error," Dumbledore said, dismissing the idea. In his original plan, if Voldemort returned and Fudge accepted the truth, all would be well. If Fudge refused to believe it and attacked Dumbledore's credibility, the truth would eventually come out, proving Fudge spectacularly wrong and forcing him to resign in disgrace.
This plan had been born before Fudge even became Minister. At the time, Dumbledore had thought it was flawless, absolutely brilliant. Now, he just wanted to use a Time-Turner to go back and give his past self a couple of hard slaps across the face.
"If a difficulty doesn't exist, we must create one!" Ryan said, his expression turning serious. "The world doesn't offer smooth roads; you just have to be willing to use your brain!" He set his clever little mind to work, wondering what kind of trap would be most suitable for their dear Minister of Magic.
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