Even so, she left the office and closed the door behind her. The moment she was gone, Fudge dropped the pleasant act at once. "Dumbledore has already provided me with some rather unpleasant information about something you intend to do, something that will reflect badly on the Ministry, so explain yourself," he said, clearly displeased with Julian. "And how exactly would it reflect badly on the Ministry to give the wizarding world some good news for once?" Julian asked with a sly grin. Fudge looked startled, though interested all the same, so Julian continued laying out his plan, aiming to sway and corrupt the man in equal measure.
"The Ministry uncovers a shocking truth and corrects a grave mistake, all while freeing the head of the Black family and imprisoning the real criminal. Imagine the sort of favorable attention that would bring you, the minister who oversaw the entire thing. Praise from both muggleborns and purebloods alike, and you could present it as proof that the Ministry is more just under your leadership," Julian said, painting Fudge an appealing picture. The man, however, was a politician before anything else. "And aside from winning the backing of the Black family, what exactly do you get out of this?" Fudge asked warily.
"Nothing at all except my best friend getting someone who genuinely cares about him to raise him," Julian answered honestly. It was not a lie, since he did not actually need Sirius for anything else. By birth alone, he already possessed wealth, status, and political leverage. The only thing he truly lacked was strength, and he was already moving quickly toward gaining that too, so he had no real need for anything further. Fudge was taken aback by the answer, but after seeing no sign that Julian was lying, he accepted it for what it was.
"Then I suppose the only question left is what you'll be giving me in return for the trouble this matter is bound to cause," Fudge said, greed plain in his expression. Julian sighed. "Be reasonable. What exactly do you want?" he asked, wanting a baseline to bargain down from. He was not foolish enough to accept whatever outrageous demand Fudge might throw out first. "A personalized enchanted ring, full funding for my upcoming campaign, and exclusive Ministry contracting rights for your rings," Fudge said without the slightest restraint in his demands. Julian shook his head. "The ring is acceptable, and I need an exact figure for the campaign, but exclusivity is completely off the table," he countered.
Fudge did not appear bothered in the least by that refusal, which meant he had clearly expected it. He then named an absurd number of galleons, and Julian immediately came back with only a fraction of it, making it obvious he would not be so easily exploited. The two of them went back and forth like that for the next fifteen minutes, haggling until they finally settled on the price for Fudge not interfering with Sirius's release, one personalized ring and twenty thousand galleons toward the man's next campaign.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Ravenclaw. I'm sure you can find your own way out, as I am rather busy, you understand," Fudge said. Julian left the office with a smirk, passing the pink toad outside whose expression looked furious despite the fake smile still plastered across her face. There was even a vein throbbing in her neck. The whole time Julian had been inside, she had been using magic in an attempt to gather material she could later use to blackmail him, but Julian had used his magical senses to pinpoint each bit of intrusive magic and quietly cancel it with his wand, leaving her with nothing.
Fudge was definitely aware of that, but he was in for a nasty surprise once he learned just how badly Umbridge had failed. 'Back to the shop then, since my role in this whole mess is finished,' Julian thought as he left the Ministry, having made the world just a little better than it should originally have been. Ollivander looked surprised to see him back so quickly, since the seriousness of the matter had made it seem like it would take much longer. "I'll be leaving again in a moment. I just need to grab Helena quickly," Julian explained, and the old man merely shrugged and nodded.
The ghost in question looked just as confused by Julian suddenly returning, but after he explained how efficiently the capture had gone and the political nonsense that followed, she stopped caring. "What do you need me for, though?" she asked, puzzled about why he had come for her and Steve, who was lounging in a cozy transfigured pocket inside Julian's shirt. The opening of the pocket was large enough for the niffler to poke his head out and look around, but not large enough for him to escape and go on a stealing spree the moment the inevitable urge struck him.