Chapter 195: Cornelius Fudge, Numerous Indirect Victims
Thinking about the look Lockhart gave them as the Aurors dragged the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from the courtroom, Harry asked with concern, "Lockhart won't retaliate against us, will he?"
Ethan shook his head, dismissing Harry's concern.
"Retaliate? Ten years in Azkaban. By the time he gets out, you'll have graduated already."
"And that's not even considering whether he'll regress. Do you really think Lockhart will improve at all in ten years?"
"Besides, even if he doesn't get worse, Lockhart in his current state probably couldn't beat you now, let alone ten years from now."
Ethan's logic actually made sense. Harry laughed. "You've got a point. We both know Lockhart's real skill level. Back at the Dueling Club, you sent him flying with a single spell."
"Don't exaggerate. Besides, that doesn't change anything."
Vartan and Finnerty hadn't heard the stories about Lockhart from school. Ethan wasn't about to boast, so Enid and Harry, who had witnessed it, filled them in.
Vartan patted Ethan on the shoulder as he listened, thinking to himself that his old friend's grandson was truly something special.
Lockhart's trial was over. Those sitting behind Dumbledore and the others had only been present for the final vote; otherwise, they were just spectators like Ethan and the others.
The Wizengamot members began to leave their seats one by one. In twos and threes, they discussed today's case as they walked down the stairs.
However, as they passed Ethan and the others, almost everyone whispered to one another and stared at the scar on Harry's forehead for a moment.
Perhaps because the news of Harry Potter's appearance had already spread throughout the wizarding world, Harry didn't face the same rush of people wanting to shake his hand as he had at the Leaky Cauldron. Even so, the attention still made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to cover the lightning-shaped scar.
But it was futile. After all, they already knew Harry Potter was here.
Slowly, the wizards who smiled and nodded at Harry all filed out.
No longer needing to respond to those friendly smiles, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up at Dumbledore, Fudge, and the others, still seated higher up and deep in discussion, and said:
"How much longer will this take? I can't wait to get back to school and tell Ron and the others the good news."
"Don't know. Should be soon," Ethan, who was discussing Arithmancy coursework with Enid, casually answered Harry's question.
But he was right. The discussion among those on the platform was finally wrapping up.
Aside from Dumbledore, these people were all senior Ministry officials. They were discussing how to handle the fallout from Lockhart's behavior.
This wasn't just a domestic issue. It had international implications as well.
Fudge and the others had clearly prepared several contingency plans. After Lockhart pleaded guilty, Fudge presented a number of options for the group to consider.
Dumbledore had no objections to most of them. Since Bones was in law enforcement, the discussion played out mainly between Fudge and Crouch.
Once the two finally reached an agreement, the discussion was winding down.
Dumbledore's proposal to expose Lockhart's crimes in the newspaper had been rejected, but Fudge and the others offered some concessions in return.
"Fine, we'll do it this way. We'll pull Lockhart's books from bookstore shelves. Nothing goes in the paper for now, and we let the matter quietly blow over." Dumbledore nodded, approving Fudge's plan to keep a low profile.
"I agree with this approach." Crouch nodded seriously.
"Good. We have a solution. Now it's just a matter of careful execution." Fudge breathed a sigh of relief.
The plan, once finalized, might cause some discussion and rumors, but as long as they kept the newspapers from reporting on it, they'd have room to maneuver.
Fudge's goal was to contain any scandals that occurred during his tenure so they wouldn't damage his political career.
Obviously, he achieved his goal.
"The rest is the Ministry of Magic's business. I'll take them back to school first."
Dumbledore waved his wand, and his plum-colored robes changed back.
"Wait a moment." Fudge stopped Dumbledore as he was about to leave.
"You two go ahead. I need to discuss something with Dumbledore." Fudge dismissed Crouch and Bones, then leaned in to whisper something to Dumbledore. The old man nodded occasionally.
Finally, Fudge pointed toward Ethan and the others. Dumbledore hesitated briefly, then nodded.
A smile spread across Fudge's face as he and Dumbledore stepped down from the platform. Short and stout, Fudge followed the tall, thin Dumbledore until they stood before the group.
None of them had met the Minister for Magic before, so Dumbledore made the introductions. "This is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic."
"Hello, everyone." Fudge waved, offering a friendly smile.
"Hello." The gathered wizards greeted the Minister, who seemed quite approachable.
They were all somewhat excited, especially Vartan Ohajian, the foreign wizard. In his country, even catching a glimpse of the Minister for Magic was rare. The territory was simply too vast, and staff were spread too thin.
So the old wizard, who had always wandered remote regions searching for werewolves to study, had never once visited the Soviet Ministry of Magic.
Ethan studied the wizard in the plum-colored robe, his gray hair just like his sister's, wondering about the various schemes he'd orchestrated to keep his position as Minister for Magic.
After the initial greetings, Fudge began shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with each of them one by one.
The first to receive his attention was the Savior himself, Harry Potter.
"Hello, Harry, wonderful to meet you." Fudge reached out and shook Harry's hand, patting his shoulder affectionately as he looked at the boy with the fond expression of an uncle admiring a neighbor's child.
Harry found this almost unbelievable. He hadn't expected the most powerful figure in the British wizarding world to be so warm.
Harry answered some of Fudge's questions politely, received a few words of encouragement, and then Fudge turned to grasp Ethan's hand.
"Truly a striking figure, Ethan. Now that I see you in person, I realize you're just as Isabella described: not only exceptionally talented, but with looks and presence to match. She's spoken of you often, says you're a role model for John to emulate."
As he said this, he winked, as if hinting at something.
But Ethan didn't understand the meaning behind Fudge's wink.
*He deliberately brought up Isabella's name just to talk about the Wizarding Cards? To tell me he's also paying attention to their development? Or what was the point?*
But Fudge wasn't finished. "Since last September, I've heard your name in quite a few places."
"Besides, John tells me you're studying the Animagus transformation, right? That's advanced Transfiguration. The fact that you're attempting it at your age is already quite remarkable."
"But if you succeed, don't forget to come to the Ministry of Magic to register," Fudge said with a chuckle.
"Of course. If I succeed, I'll definitely register." Ethan nodded, his gaze resolute.
"That's good." Fudge nodded with a smile and continued shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the remaining three people one by one.
Ethan muttered to himself, "He's heard my name in quite a few places since September?
"I don't think I did anything before Christmas, right? I started advertising in the newspaper during the Christmas holidays, so my name appeared there. As for publishing articles in the magazine, that was even later.
"What exactly is he talking about?" Ethan asked, wondering if something was going on that he didn't know about.
Before he could find any answers, Fudge had finished making small talk with the group.
Dumbledore led them through the iron door, leaving the gloomy courtroom behind.
As they reached the end of the corridor, Harry glanced back at Fudge, who was still waving goodbye to them, and quietly asked Dumbledore,
"Headmaster, is the Minister for Magic really this friendly? I'd have thought someone as important as the Muggle Prime Minister would be far more imposing."
"Ha. You'll understand once you've spent more time around him." Dumbledore didn't answer directly. He waved at Fudge at the corner and headed up the stairs.
They took the empty elevator back up to the main hall on the eighth floor. Bob, who'd been handling security checks, was no longer at his station. Whether he'd stepped away to slack off or had already finished his shift and clocked out was anyone's guess.
Passing the Fountain of Magical Brethren, Vartan pulled out a few coins and tossed them in again. Probably his earlier wish had come true, and this was to fulfill a vow.
When they reached the fireplace for the return trip, Ethan pointed to the badge on his robes and asked, "Does this need to be returned?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No need. Just keep it as a souvenir."
*Okay.* Ethan unclasped the badge, dropped it into his bag, took a small pinch of Floo Powder, and stepped into the emerald flames.
With a soft poof, Ethan found himself back in the smelly Hog's Head pub once more.
Although it was almost eleven o'clock, for the Hog's Head, which mainly operated at night and entertained wizards from all walks of life, it was still a bit early. The place was completely empty.
After Dumbledore, who was last in line, stepped out of the flames as well, he asked Ohajian and Finnerty, "With Lockhart's situation settled, what are your plans moving forward?
"Vartan, you're going to continue treatment at St. Mungo's, right? What about you, Fiona? Staying in the UK for a while, or heading home?"
Fiona smiled. "I'm planning to head back to Ireland today. After lunch, I'll find a Portkey."
"Mm. I'm heading to St. Mungo's to continue my treatment, see if I can recover all my memories."
"Also, I have something else to discuss with you, still related to Lockhart." Ohajian nodded, a surge of excitement washing over him as he remembered the idea Ethan had given him.
"Alright. It's about time. I'll send them back first, then come back and have lunch with you."
Once their destinations were settled, Dumbledore nodded and led the three of them out of the pub, just as he'd brought them in.
Whether they were borrowing the fireplace to visit the Ministry of Magic or flooing back to the Hog's Head, they never caught sight of the pub's owner, Aberforth Dumbledore.
Glancing at the old man's retreating back, Ethan called out, "Let's go. It's time for lunch in the Great Hall."
"Yeah. Let's hurry." Harry was practically bursting to talk, and he urged them along.
Over lunch in the Great Hall, news of Lockhart's situation spread across the long tables of every house.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron, and the others recounted the story. At the Hufflepuff table, Enid and her roommates passed it along.
At the Slytherin table, Ethan shared the story as well, fielding questions from Draco, Goyle, and the others.
As for Ravenclaw? By the time lunch ended, they'd heard about it too.
For a while, Lockhart became the talk of the school once again, a "distinguished figure" on everyone's lips.
The once-popular professor's arrest had livened up an otherwise dull week.
But someone got hurt in all this. And that someone, in turn, made life miserable for plenty of others.
That someone was Percy Ignatius Weasley.
In the Room of Requirement, the twins and Ethan were complaining about their brother.
"You wouldn't believe how terrible Percy's looked lately. It's not just bad. It's absolutely awful."
Fred was in a foul mood, and George was just as irritated. "Percy's been completely ticked off lately, picking fights with everyone."
"If you so much as step out of line, he'll dock points from you."
"Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that he can't actually put people in detention, I'd think Filch's office would be bursting at the seams with all the students he wants to punish."
As a Gryffindor prefect, Percy did have the authority to deduct points from his own house, though this was rarely done.
After all, a prefect was supposed to protect their house's points, not penalize students after all their hard work to earn them.
But given Gryffindor's current standing, any hope of overtaking Slytherin and claiming the House Cup outright had evaporated.
Sharing it with them like last year wasn't even feasible, not with the gap between the two sides so wide.
Not only had they lost to Slytherin in the Quidditch match, but thanks to their usual recklessness, they'd had more points deducted than any other house.
As a result, their hourglass held the fewest points of all the houses.
With nothing left to protect, Percy had abandoned all restraint. In just a few days, he'd slashed another dozen points from Gryffindor.
"He was absolutely thrilled to become Lockhart's assistant, hoping to get a glowing write-up with plenty of page time to lay a solid foundation for his career after graduation."
"Now that plan's fallen through, it's no wonder he's furious." Ethan offered the despondent twins a sympathetic smile.
"He's been holding onto this grudge for way too long." Fred was still somewhat indignant.
George, however, seemed to be in better spirits. "Maybe he got embarrassed in front of his girlfriend."
"Ginny told us she ran into Percy and a Ravenclaw prefect on a date."
Given Percy's personality, he was probably showing off for her. Now that his hopes were dashed, he had lashed out in sheer humiliation.
"Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better." Fred's expression brightened a little.
The two of them continued gossiping about Percy right in front of Ethan.
After losing quite a few points these past few days, they complained about their brother, who was still at school without a care in the world.
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