Cornelius Fudge didn't stay long—he left Hogwarts, taking the bound Peter Pettigrew with him.
Harry, Ron, and Percy remained in a state of shock all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. Percy and Ron were mostly just disgusted; Harry, however, looked as though he had been struck by lightning.
"No matter what, it's still good news," Ron said after a pause, glancing at the dazed Harry.
"I know, it's just—this all happened so suddenly. I never thought I'd have a godfather." Harry shook his head.
Unlike in the original timeline, where Sirius Black had appeared before him directly, this time Harry's "godfather" felt like some intangible illusion—perhaps even a dream that would fade with the dawn.
Something as elusive as the wind.
"But we couldn't all have had the same dream," Ron said.
That thought calmed Harry a little, yet he still didn't sleep the entire night.
Part of it was because the image of that shadowy man—his godfather—kept flickering in his mind. He'd never seen the man before, but he secretly hoped Sirius Black would be as handsome as Professor Gold.
The other part was fear—that if he fell asleep, everything would vanish when he woke.
The next morning, Harry attended Herbology with dark circles under his eyes. By the time Pokémon Mastery class came around, he was sprawled over his desk, fast asleep.
Fortunately, Charles Gold knew perfectly well that Harry hadn't rested well, so he let him sleep.
Pokémon Mastery was never a strict class, and Charles had never been one for harsh discipline anyway.
"Alright, today we'll be studying Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂," Charles began cheerfully.
"Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ are two very similar Pokémon, both categorized as the 'Poison Pin Pokémon.' It's important to note that Nidoran♀ is exclusively female, while Nidoran♂ is exclusively male. Therefore, some researchers theorize that they are, in fact, the same species—just different genders."
"In the wild, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ rarely distinguish between one another within their colonies…"
"Appearance-wise, they're almost identical—large ears, sharp back spines, and front teeth like a rabbit or rodent…"
"However, male Nidoran tend to be more combative than the females."
The first-year curriculum moved slowly. Today's lesson was simply to cover Nidoran♀, Nidoran♂, and their evolutionary lines in full.
Many of the young wizards had already skimmed through the Pokémon Encyclopedia before class, but remembering just the Pokémon names and their types was already a small victory.
Hermione took meticulous notes as always.
Days passed quietly after that—so quiet that Harry began to wonder if that night's events had truly been a dream.
Even Dumbledore seemed puzzled. Is Fudge being unusually slow this time?
In truth, the moment Fudge returned to the Ministry of Magic, he made Charles's affairs his top priority. He immediately began proposing the establishment of an Official Pokémon Battle Club and a Pokémon Protection Bureau, even requesting that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement draft a Pokémon Protection Act.
That left Charles incredibly busy. The moment his classes ended, he was rushing between Hogwarts and the Ministry.
At the moment, Charles was in Fudge's office. Not far away sat Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office, his face as rigid as stone. His wild, seaweed-like hair hung on both sides of his head, making him look somewhat ridiculous.
Across from him sat a composed middle-aged woman—Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Beside her sat a well-dressed man: Bartemius Crouch.
The Ministry's most powerful department heads were all gathered here. Though Crouch was mainly present for the Sirius Black case—the man he had personally sentenced years ago.
"I can agree to the establishment of an Official Pokémon Battle Club and a Pokémon Protection Bureau," Scrimgeour said at last, his piercing eyes fixed sharply on Charles. His gaze carried a kind of aggression that would have made an ordinary man flinch.
But Charles Gold was no ordinary man. He smiled warmly, his expression gentle and kind as he said,"If you look at me like that again, I'll dig your eyes out."
Scrimgeour: "…"
The office fell into dead silence.
After a long pause, Scrimgeour stiffly turned his head away. His voice, however, didn't falter. "I need to know how many Pokémon you can provide for the Aurors."
There weren't many Aurors in the entire country—Britain didn't have that many wizards to begin with. So even if each Auror were given six Pokémon, Charles could easily handle the supply.
But that wasn't necessary.
"At most thirty," Charles said. "Ten Mightyena, ten Fearow, and ten Koffing. Aurors must submit an application before use—subject to my approval. After missions, all Pokémon must be returned."
Scrimgeour nodded. The number was far higher than he'd expected.
He didn't know what Mightyena, Fearow, or Koffing looked like, but recalling the terrifyingly strong creatures from a few months ago was enough to make his blood stir.
Those were beasts with the power of dragons. If the Aurors could be equipped with such partners, the Ministry's combat strength would skyrocket.
"I'll vote in favor when the proposal goes to session," Scrimgeour said, rising immediately. It was clear he had no desire to remain in the same room with Charles a second longer.
"Then we'll discuss the Pokémon Protection and Management Act later," Amelia Bones said politely. She showed no hostility toward Charles.
"With pleasure," Charles nodded.
He was about to leave—no doubt Fudge would soon be discussing Sirius's case with the others.
Stepping out of Fudge's office, Charles spotted Dolores Umbridge standing not far away. The toad-faced woman, ever the opportunist, gave him a hideous, forced smile.
He ignored her and stepped into the elevator.
As it descended, the doors opened again—and in walked a familiar face.
"Charles Gold?"
The pink-haired Nymphadora Tonks nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the towering figure of Charles standing inside.
(End of Chapter)