Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge returned to his office, and he was in a bad mood.
Whether it was the incident tonight that caused him to miss the lavish French dinner, or the content of the latest issue of "The Quibbler," it was all the reason he was in a bad mood.
Facing Dumbledore, his tone was slightly stiff, "Headmaster Dumbledore, you've said so much just to get an Obscurial admitted, right?"
Dumbledore replied calmly, "Yes! His name appears in the Book of Admittance. According to tradition, admission is an inevitable outcome."
"Heh…" Lucius Malfoy chuckled and said in a low, drawn-out voice, "That's an Obscurial who just caused a major incident."
"As a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, I must remind Headmaster Dumbledore... Hogwarts is not your backyard!"
"Of course I understand, and I will ensure the child's safety." Dumbledore smiled. "He is very talented, and we cannot stifle that talent just because he is an Obscurial."
"Is that so?" Lucius's voice turned cold. "Truly remarkable… How merciful! Not to stifle a child's talent…"
"Does black tea need some sugar?" Fudge spoke up to ease the tension after hearing Lucius's sarcastic remark. "If the Ministry of Magic wants to handle this matter, it may face protests from parents."
Dumbledore replied, "I can help issue a statement, and I will ensure the child's safety."
"That's all?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Adults... if they can't keep their promises, they always have to pay a price, right?"
Dumbledore maintained his smile. "If anything happens to this child, I'm willing to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic's investigation."
"Ah! As loving as ever…" Lucius's tone remained sarcastic, "That big oaf who got expelled for murder back then, you're hiding in Hogwarts too…"
"Dumbledore, do you always find a way to find dangerous individuals and hide them in the school? Do you really care about the other students? Do you really deserve to continue serving as headmaster?"
Dumbledore maintained his smile. "Perhaps you could hold another vote? See if you can dismiss me? Last time your reason was fairy tales, what reason do you plan to use this time?"
Upon hearing this, Lucius pursed his lips, his face growing even colder.
Faced with the still grim atmosphere, Fudge wiped the sweat from his forehead.
On one side was the Ministry of Magic's financial backer, and on the other was the prestigious headmaster; he didn't want to offend either side.
He could only speak again, "Headmaster Dumbledore, whether a tormented Obscurial can truly integrate into life in the magical world is indeed a question."
"How about this? While school hasn't started yet, the Ministry of Magic will evaluate this Obscurial. If he can integrate into a wizarding family, then we'll approve his enrollment."
"Of course, no problem. This is a necessary measure, and I have faith in this child!" Dumbledore nodded. "I can arrange it…"
"Shouldn't this be handled by the Ministry of Magic?" Lucius abruptly interrupted Dumbledore. "Do you think... the entire wizarding world is your backyard?"
"Or has the speculation from 'The Quibbler' really come true... Are you the uncrowned king? The invisible minister of the British Ministry of Magic? You're even unwilling to listen to Minister Fudge's decisions?"
Lucius's words only made Fudge blush.
Fudge shifted his gaze to the magazine "The Quibbler" on his desk, and then recalled the outrageous articles in it.
He didn't want to have to consult Dumbledore every time he made a decision.
Having served a full year as minister, he felt it was time to make his mark and break free from Dumbledore's constraints!
He already had a plan in mind and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, let the Ministry of Magic handle the search for wizarding families!"
...
After seeing Lucius and Dumbledore off, Fudge sat alone in a chair, chewing on wine gums to stave off his hunger.
When would Fudge, the puppet minister, gain real power after a year in office?
When he read this issue of "The Quibbler," he felt that even the sweet wine gums were like chewing an eraser.
At the beginning of his tenure, he was indeed not very confident and often wrote to Dumbledore for advice to ensure that the decision-making and execution methods would not go wrong.
But he couldn't say this out loud!
It was enough that everyone knew the truth!
By bringing this matter to the forefront, wasn't "The Quibbler" just slapping him in the face?
"You think I'm incapable? The owls that deliver messages to Hogwarts are exhausted; their corpses, pieced together, could circle England twice, right?"
"Since you've caused me trouble, don't blame me! That Obscurus is coming to your house! Let's see if you still have the energy to slander me!"
Fudge chewed the wine gums with a "smacking" sound, as if he were gnawing on the flesh of the editor-in-chief of "The Quibbler".
He pulled out a parchment and wrote a lengthy letter of appointment, appointing Xenophilius Lovegood as the guardian of the Obscurial.
Only after watching the letter of appointment turn into a paper airplane and leave the office did Fudge rub his stomach and slump into a chair.
"I wonder when Lucius will treat me to a meal again... That French fish soup was so delicious!"
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Vizette opened his eyes and found himself in a sunny hospital room.
There were candles on the ceiling, each inside a crystal bubble, bobbing up and down against the ceiling.
He slowly sat up, supporting himself on the bed frame, recalling everything that had happened.
He had transmigrated and possessed the power of the Obscurus.
Because of this dangerous dark magic power, he was almost killed by the wizard.
With the help of the note-taking meditation technique, he successfully imprisoned the Obscurus and even received Dumbledore's invitation to study at school...
So, what exactly was this notebook about?
Just as he was about to delve into his mind to find out what was going on, he heard a rustling sound.
There was a girl not far away.
The girl sat by the window; her profile was beautiful, with a wisp of long, light golden hair gently brushing against her ear.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on her face.
For some reason, when Vizette saw the girl, the world seemed to fall completely silent.
The girl stretched out her palms towards the sunlight, and her palms overlapped to form a hand shadow.
It was a rabbit's hand shadow, and she looked at it with a faint smile.
Vizette didn't know how long he had been watching; he only remembered that the girl had arranged many different kinds of animals: rabbits, puppies, ducklings, swans, pigeons...
After a while, the girl noticed him and came to his bedside, whispering, "You're awake!"
The girl's voice was peculiar, ethereal and dreamlike, as if it were the murmur of someone sleepwalking, yet her pronunciation was exceptionally clear.
She introduced herself with a smile, "Hello, my name is Luna, Luna Lovegood."
Luna had fair skin and long, fluffy, light blonde hair that reached her waist.
Her light eyebrows and pale silver eyes were quite distinctive, and her tiny radish earrings swayed gently.
"Hello, my name is Vizette." Vizette looked around. There were two other hospital beds nearby, but they were both hidden by curtains, so it was impossible to tell whether anyone was on them.
He slowly asked, "Which hospital am I in?"
"St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries." Luna blinked, as if recalling something. "The Healer has already examined you. As long as you wake up, you can go home."
"Go home? I feel like... I have no home... and no family..."
Vizette thought about his past and present lives and felt an unexpected sense of unity—both were that of an orphan.
In his previous life, he was a student who grew up in an orphanage, and his only thought was to do his duty as a student.
In this life...
The current goals seemed somewhat similar: to get into Hogwarts to study, which was something that had to be done.
"Of course you have a family!" Luna's lips curved into a beautiful smile. "I am your family!"