1990, Summer – Ministry of Magic, Britain.
The door to the Chairman's Office of the Experimental Charms Committee was suddenly thrown open, slamming hard against the wall with a deafening bang. The impact startled several self-writing quills hovering midair, causing them to scatter and fall to the floor.
"Willy Shafiq!"
"I have evidence proving that the series of explosions that occurred last week in the lower reaches of the River Thames are connected to your committee's alchemically modified rabbit—code-named White Branch!"
Behind the desk, a handsome man had been quietly writing in a notebook. At the accusation, he merely paused, lifting his pen with mild disinterest, and tapped the tabletop lightly with long, slender fingers.
Willy raised his head. His gray-blue eyes calmly met the gaze of the wizard standing before him, who was breathing heavily.
The man's name was Cornelius Fudge, currently Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
Cornelius was dressed in a finely pinstriped suit, clutching a rolled parchment tightly in his hand. Beneath his dark green bowler hat, his face was flushed red with barely contained excitement—as though success were already within reach.
Behind him, two assistants stood guard at the doorway, wands in hand, their expressions unreadable.
"That rabbit was supposed to have been destroyed last month," Cornelius continued, waving the parchment like a royal decree. "Instead, it escaped—and worse, this major failure was never reported. As Chairman of the Experimental Charms Committee, you will bear full responsibility for this!"
The air in the office seemed to freeze.
From the surrounding cubicles, several Ministry employees craned their necks to watch, tension written plainly across their faces.
Willy slowly stood up and adjusted his deep blue robes—immaculate, without a single crease before letting his gaze sweep calmly over Cornelius and his assistants.
"So?" he asked.
Cornelius froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such a reaction. He quickly recovered, straightening his back.
"So, until the accusations against you are withdrawn, under the Ministry of Magic Civil Service Regulations, you are temporarily relieved of your position as Chairman."
"And I strongly suggest you begin preparing for the upcoming trial."
"A trial?" Willy's lips curved into an amused smile. "When exactly?"
"July tenth," Cornelius replied quickly. "During this period, you are suspended from duty."
"July tenth… how interesting."
Willy let out a soft chuckle, walked around the desk, and leaned casually against its edge.
"Waiting until after the Ministerial election to hold the trial?" he said lightly. "Fudge, your scheming is so loud I can hear it from my office."
Cornelius's expression flickered. "That's merely the procedural schedule arranged by the Wizengamot—"
"To my knowledge," Willy interrupted, waving a hand dismissively, "I'm hardly the only one who's been accused or suspended on questionable grounds lately. If you look closely, you'll find that we all share something in common."
By now, the corridor outside had filled with onlookers, whispers rising and overlapping.
"The Chairman is close friends with Director Crouch…"
"Looks like Fudge is purging rivals ahead of the election…"
Realizing that Willy had torn the veil off the situation in public, Cornelius grew visibly flustered and raised his voice sharply.
"Enough, Shafiq! We have concrete evidence! These are officially approved documents from the Wizengamot. Stop trying to mislead everyone here!"
"Evidence?" Willy narrowed his eyes, the gentle air around him slowly fading. "Then show it to me. I'd love to see how a rabbit managed to cross half of London just to blow up the Thames."
"The evidence has been sealed by the Wizengamot!" Cornelius shouted, his bravado thin and brittle. "Until the trial begins, you have no right to view it as a suspect!"
"He has no right," came a furious voice, "but what about me?"
The crowd instinctively parted as Barty Crouch strode forward.
His meticulously groomed toothbrush mustache trembled with anger, and his perfectly pressed robes snapped sharply with each step.
"Ba—Barty?" Cornelius clearly hadn't expected him to appear so soon and instinctively took half a step back. "Didn't you… weren't you attending the International Confederation of Wizards conference?"
"The moment I learned the Ministry had descended into chaos," Crouch replied coldly, "I was already on my way back."
He fixed Cornelius with a blade-sharp stare.
"Cornelius, in your desperation to become Minister, you've resorted to fabricating charges and smearing my friends and colleagues? I trust the relevant reports and records are still intact. You're welcome to inspect them at any time."
"Shall I have someone fetch them now, Deputy Director Fudge?" Willy added, folding his arms and watching him with open interest.
Cold sweat beaded on Cornelius's forehead.
Under Crouch's overwhelming presence, he looked as though he might collapse at any moment. The murmurs around them grew louder—what had seemed like righteous enforcement was rapidly revealed as ugly political persecution.
Just as Cornelius was on the verge of breaking, a saccharine voice abruptly cut in.
"Oh my, Director Crouch, you've misunderstood Cornelius."
A short, stout woman stepped out from behind Cornelius.
She wore a glaringly pink cardigan, topped with an enormous velvet bow. Her pale, squat appearance made her resemble a toad.
Dolores Umbridge.
She positioned herself beside Cornelius, her face plastered with a false smile.
"Cornelius is simply following procedure. We do, in fact, possess officially signed documents from the Wizengamot. This is nothing more than impartial enforcement of the law, isn't it?"
Willy watched the pair perform their duet, understanding flashing briefly through his eyes.
"So our Undersecretary has weighed the pros and cons—and chosen a side."
Umbridge's appearance came as no surprise.
As Chairman of an independent department, Willy's rank was not inferior to Cornelius, despite lacking the title of a major department head. There was no chance Cornelius would dare move against him alone.
"Hehe, Mr. Shafiq, you're too kind," Umbridge giggled softly. "We're merely safeguarding order in the wizarding world. As for the Ministerial election—that's a matter for the candidates themselves. It has nothing to do with you or your colleagues."
"Regardless," Umbridge seized on her words like a lifeline, straightening up again, "the documents are valid. We must act accordingly and temporarily remove Willy Shafiq from office."
Though Umbridge had no desire to truly offend a senior official from a pure-blood family, she had already placed her bet on Cornelius.
Through a series of exchanges and compromises, they had obtained this legally binding order. Now, with no way back, they could only press forward.
Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back.
Today, they would see Willy Shafiq, Chairman of the Experimental Charms Committee, completely brought down.