The moment Fudge saw the scene inside the office, his mind went completely blank.
Finished.
Absolutely finished.
The exact disaster he feared most had happened.
Scrimgeour had actually tried to force Veritaserum onto Lucien Grindelwald—
And been caught in the act.
In front of Hogwarts professors.
In front of pure-blood patriarchs.
In front of Dumbledore himself.
There was no possible explanation left.
Hogwarts professors were famously protective of their students.
Even the slightest unfairness could provoke outrage from them.
And now?
An eleven-year-old student had been threatened, restrained, and nearly force-fed Veritaserum inside the Ministry of Magic.
Fudge suddenly felt his career flash before his eyes.
Even Scrimgeour froze briefly after the office doors burst open.
"Scrimgeour!"
Fudge exploded instantly.
"What have you done?!"
"What in Merlin's name is going on here?!"
He looked ready to strangle him alive.
"Expelliarmus."
Snape acted before anyone else could speak further.
The moment he noticed the potion vial in Scrimgeour's hand, he immediately sensed danger.
A violent burst of red light struck Scrimgeour directly in the chest.
Bang!
Scrimgeour flew backward into a filing cabinet.
At the same time, Snape flicked his wand sharply.
"Accio!"
The potion vial shot neatly into his palm.
Snape opened the cap slightly and inhaled once.
His already dark expression turned terrifying instantly.
"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
Snape's voice was ice cold.
"Veritaserum."
Those single words froze the atmosphere completely.
Fudge nearly blacked out on the spot.
Now it wasn't merely the Hogwarts professors who were furious.
Even Lucius Malfoy and the gathered pure-blood families stared at Scrimgeour strangely.
The head of the Parkinson family sneered openly.
"So today we discover the Ministry keeps Veritaserum prepared at all times."
His voice dripped with mockery.
"Mr. Parkinson, please allow me to explain—"
Fudge tried desperately to recover control.
But Professor McGonagall interrupted immediately.
"I think the Ministry would do far better explaining why Veritaserum was being used on one of our students."
Fudge opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
Nothing came out.
He genuinely had no explanation.
This wasn't merely a scandal anymore.
If this spread fully—
The entire British Ministry of Magic would face public outrage.
And the worst part?
Fudge and Scrimgeour already despised each other.
He had spent the entire day cleaning up Scrimgeour's disaster.
Now he was expected to shoulder this catastrophe too.
His frustration finally snapped.
He turned toward the surrounding Aurors furiously.
"Are you all blind?!"
"Release Mr. Grindelwald immediately!"
The surrounding Aurors nearly jumped in fright.
Nobody wanted to be connected to this mess anymore.
They retreated from Lucien instantly.
Molly Weasley rushed forward immediately and pulled Lucien into a fierce embrace.
"Oh, sweetheart…"
"It's alright now…"
"You're alright…"
A faint smile flickered briefly across Lucien's lips.
Then, in the next second—
His eyes reddened instantly.
He clung silently to Molly as though enduring tremendous injustice.
A child wronged by adults.
A child unfairly bullied by authority.
The message was obvious.
And everyone understood it immediately.
The atmosphere inside the room changed at once.
Even Dumbledore looked quietly toward Lucien before turning back toward Fudge.
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly.
"I believe an explanation is required."
As Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore possessed his own bottom line.
Whatever political schemes existed—
The safety of students came first.
The Ministry had crossed that line today.
Fudge inhaled deeply before turning toward Scrimgeour.
"Scrimgeour!"
"Who authorised you to use Veritaserum on an eleven-year-old student?!"
Scrimgeour looked ready to argue.
But Molly interrupted first.
"I think Tonks should explain instead."
She looked directly at Fudge.
"What do you think, Minister?"
The word Minister carried unmistakable mockery.
"Let me go already!"
Tonks finally tore herself free from the Aurors restraining her.
Rolling her wrists angrily, she immediately recounted everything that had happened since entering the office.
Including:
The intimidation.
The refusal to allow food.
The threats.
And the attempted use of Veritaserum.
The more she spoke—
The uglier everyone's expressions became.
Several hot-tempered wizards had already drawn their wands.
"So this is how the Ministry handles children now?"
"Threatening first-years?"
"Excellent behaviour from Britain's finest Aurors."
Even normally gentle Professor Sprout was visibly trembling with rage.
Her fingers tightened around her wand.
Professor McGonagall immediately stepped in front of her and quietly grabbed her sleeve.
Meanwhile, Fudge forced out a strained smile.
"Professor Sprout…"
"The Ministry will absolutely give Hogwarts a satisfactory explanation."
"But for now…"
"I think it would be best to bring Mr. Grindelwald to St Mungo's immediately for a full examination."
"If there are any injuries, treatment should begin at once."
"Exactly!"
Molly suddenly snapped back to attention and hurriedly checked Lucien over personally.
Only after confirming he had no visible injuries did everyone relax slightly.
Just as they prepared to escort him directly to St Mungo's—
A sugary voice interrupted.
"Minister…"
Umbridge stepped forward delicately.
"I don't believe it would be wise for Mr. Grindelwald to leave right now."
Fudge exploded instantly.
"Get out of the way!"
"If Mr. Grindelwald's condition worsens because of delays, will you take responsibility?!"
But Umbridge quickly lowered her voice.
"Minister…"
"There are still hundreds of wizards waiting downstairs."
"If they see Mr. Grindelwald in this state…"
"…the Ministry may lose control entirely."
Fudge froze.
Right.
The crowd downstairs.
He had barely managed to calm them already.
If they saw Lucien escorted out looking abused and traumatised—
The Ministry would truly explode today.
At that point, forget keeping his position.
He might not survive politically at all.
"You mean," Molly said furiously, "that for the sake of protecting the Ministry's reputation, you're willing to let Argus suffer?!"
Without hesitation, she grabbed Lucien protectively.
"I'm taking him to St Mungo's right now."
"I'd like to see who dares stop me!"
Arthur quietly moved to Lucien's other side.
He said nothing.
But his stance already spoke clearly.
Anyone trying to interfere would have to go through him first.
"Mrs. Weasley."
Lucien suddenly spoke softly.
He gently stepped free from Molly's embrace before glancing briefly toward Lucius.
Then he looked back toward everyone.
"I think it would be better if I went downstairs first."
"To reassure the people waiting in the Atrium."
"They've already spent far too much time waiting."
"If this continues, not only will they waste their own time, but they'll continue disrupting Ministry operations as well."
"Besides…"
Lucien smiled faintly.
"I'm not seriously hurt."
"There's no need to rush."
Molly looked at him helplessly.
"You child…"
"At a time like this, you're still thinking about everyone else."
"No wonder people keep bullying you."
Lucien smiled gently again.
"It's alright."
"Minister Fudge can accompany me personally."
Fudge blinked.
"Me?"
"Only if the Minister stands beside me will everyone downstairs truly feel reassured."
"It will also minimise damage to the Ministry's reputation."
Then Lucien looked directly toward him.
"Provided Minister Fudge is willing, of course."
Fudge nodded instantly.
"Yes!"
"Of course!"
"I'd be more than willing!"
Deep within the shadows where nobody noticed—
A tiny smile appeared briefly in Lucien Grindelwald's eyes.
The first act was over.
Now—
The second performance could begin.
....
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