Chapter 66: Headmaster’s Arrangements
Ministry of Magic, second floor.
Auror’s Office.
In the open office area, a compartment is half-open, and the intern Auror working at the desk is busy.
Since the establishment of the Ministry of Magic, many aspects of the work system have referenced Muggle designs, with weekends off and holiday shifts, but after centuries of evolution, there are still many differences. Rotational assistants follow the Minister and directors on external visits, and suddenly returning to the Ministry midway to prepare documents is a very rare matter.
The one busy at work is of course the intern Auror Tonks. She failed her last stealth training and was assigned by Mad-Eye to work as an assistant in Umbridge’s office. She is still in the rotation period, handling assistant affairs on one side while preparing for the next Auror assessment.
She was originally visiting Ireland today, watching the leprechauns’ song and dance performance, but halfway through the performance, the director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation suddenly had a fit and wanted them to demonstrate how the song and dance performance plays in the Projection Mirror.
Caught off guard, sudden attack.
That pink toad Umbridge at the time clawed several nail marks into her handbag, but her face still smiled happily, pinching her throat in a saccharine voice to praise the novel performance. Later, when she heard that the Projection Mirror was produced by a Hogwarts professor, a foreign professor, a Muggle Studies professor, she nearly crushed the little pink bag.
Tonks couldn’t figure it out. Umbridge is clearly a Pure-blood Witch, so why does she know more about Muggle television than Tonks, this Half-blood? It was Kingsley who reminded her at the time that she realized the Projection Mirror had similarities to television.
Anyway, things went wrong. As soon as the visit ended, Umbridge made her come back to draft documents, preparing to bring a lawsuit against that Professor Levent.
“Prohibition of using magic in front of Muggles, prohibition of exposing the Wizarding World to Muggles, control of magical creatures and items, concealment of magical locations…”
Tonks muttered at the《 International Confederation of Wizards Secrecy Law》, her tone irritated: “Professor Levent didn’t violate any core regulations at all. Damn Umbridge, she just wants to step on others for a promotion!”
Her father is a gentle and kind Muggle-born Wizard, her mother is a brave Witch who dared to rebel against a Pure-blood family. Tonks, raised in such a family, holds a simple and pure sense of justice and completely cannot accept such framing and smearing behavior.
The more she flips through the articles, the more irritated she gets.
“Ah! I can’t write it!”
Tonks pounded the desk hard, her impatience reaching its peak. She simply tore off the half-written article and threw it forcefully into the trash bin.
Hearing the ripping sound of the paper breaking, Tonks suddenly felt relieved. She slumped on the desk and let out a long breath: “Damn Mad-Eye, he should be the one writing this false accusation document. Let’s see if he gets angry!”
“With Moody’s temper, he’d probably charge straight into the office and whip her face with his staff.” A deep, slow voice came from the doorway.
“Kingsley, why are you back on the weekend too? Is the Auror squad working overtime…” Tonks didn’t lift her head, muttering and nagging without expecting an answer. “I also want to whip the pink toad’s face with Mad-Eye’s staff.”
Kingsley walked to the desk and asked with a smile: “What’s wrong?”
“The Projection Mirror thing still got exposed.” Tonks sighed and briefly explained the accident that happened in Ireland.
“Hm…” A flicker of surprise passed through Kingsley’s eyes. After a moment’s thought, “When necessary, some things are better known by the relevant office directors.”
“What are you saying?”
Tonks looked up and stared straight at him. “I’ve been working so diligently these past few weeks. Many people have praised how well I do as an assistant in the Office for the Misuse of Magic, reporting affairs with appropriate detail, distinguishing priorities, intercepting all letters sent to the office, and arranging for her to follow the Minister on visits. I was just waiting to smoothly pass the stealth test, and now you’re telling me she should know about these things?”
“It’s a matter of time.” Kingsley was unhurried, his expression calm. “I believe Professor Levent and Headmaster Dumbledore are already prepared.”
“What does this have to do with Dumbledore?”
“The Projection Mirror involves the Quidditch House Cup. Hogwarts is also involved, and the Headmaster has unavoidable responsibility.”
“Ah?” Tonks’s mind couldn’t turn around.
“Do you think the Tribunal can try Dumbledore?”
“Probably not.”
“Right…” Kingsley led her patiently. “Put the Headmaster and the professor together in the document, prosecute them together. No matter what charges Umbridge fabricates, the Headmaster will be fine, and the professor will be fine too.”
After several months, Tonks once again felt her superior’s political wisdom and exclaimed that she had learned something.
Knowing the outcome in advance, drafting the document now carried no guilt. Tonks wrote while asking for advice, and the false accusation document progressed rapidly.
“Captain, do you think I can pass my stealth test smoothly?”
“Well… you’d still have to ask Mad-Eye.”
Seeing his subordinate’s dejected expression, Kingsley paused, considering that she had helped him complete the task assigned by the Headmaster, and gave his own suggestion: “If you can make sure Director Umbridge doesn’t take her anger out on you over this, Mad-Eye should let you pass.”
Tonks frowned and fell into thought.
……
In the evening, dinner time.
Melvin came to the High table in the Great Hall and saw the Headmaster discussing case details with the Auror director.
The Aurors had conducted a carpet search. That mysterious Wizard was very experienced. Besides leaving a few traces at the scene, he left no other clues after escaping the encirclement. The whole day’s search yielded no results, and the Auror director was slightly irritated.
“Rufus, who do you think the Dark Wizard is?”
“Too few clues, no useful information, can’t determine identity.” Scrimgeour frowned and replied, while his hands continued cutting the steak. “No recent reports of foreign criminals entering the country. The wizards in Knockturn Alley have been very quiet too. I suspect it’s a Dark Wizard who sneaked in before the Christmas Holiday.”
“Have you heard the Centaurs’ speculation?” Dumbledore asked calmly. “Only desperados would use a Unicorn to extend life.”
“You know, Headmaster Dumbledore, the Centaur Tribe rejects the Ministry of Magic. They only told me the situation at the time.” Scrimgeour’s tone was stern. “Those Dark Wizard guys have rotten brains and souls. Who knows what they’re thinking. No matter what kind of desperado it is, they’ll end up in Azkaban with the Dementors sooner or later.”
Dumbledore said softly: “What if… it’s Voldemort?”
Hearing this name, Scrimgeour’s expression instantly stiffened. A complex look mixing shock, anger, and hatred flashed in his eyes, then he scowled and asked in a deep voice: “What makes you sure it’s him? Do you have any intelligence?”
Dumbledore put a piece of beef into his mouth and chewed slowly: “It’s the Centaurs’ inference, possibly from astrological Divination. Who can say for sure about such things? But it’s not impossible. There have been rumors in recent years that he’s hiding in Albania. What do you think, Rufus?”
“…”
Scrimgeour fell silent.
Recently, Minister Fudge and Umbridge’s faction have begun showing exclusion toward Dumbledore. He had originally thought to take advantage of the momentum to clear out Dumbledore’s forces. If the Dark Lord really showed signs of making a comeback, it should be that bunch of incompetents getting cleared out.
But this could also be Dumbledore’s power play.
