Chapter 69: Fudge’s Little Scheme
The enthusiastic young wizards surrounded Vaughn until noon, only to reluctantly disperse under Professor McGonagall’s urging.
Vaughn breathed a sigh of relief, finding Fred and George’s loose lips truly unbearable for the first time.
He quickly ate lunch and was about to sneak to Snape’s office when Professor McGonagall called him to the staff table and instructed:
“Mr. Weasley, I’ve just received notice from the Ministry of Magic that the joint investigative team will officially visit the school this afternoon, accompanied by reporters from the 《Daily Prophet》. You will be interviewed then…”
Professor McGonagall seemed to be in excellent spirits today, radiant. Her thin, serious face looked kind and approachable due to her happiness, with wrinkles smoothed out.
She looked at Vaughn kindly, completely ignoring the Serpent Shield Badge on his chest. At this moment, in her eyes, he was simply a good student who brought honor to the school, regardless of his house:
“This afternoon, you need to accompany me, Headmaster Dumbledore, to the station to welcome them. Out of courtesy, Mr. Weasley, please dress formally… Of course, if you don’t have one, you can go to Diagon Alley through my office fireplace to purchase one. The school will cover this expense.”
Vaughn nodded: “I had a formal outfit custom-made before the start of school, and I haven’t worn it yet.”
Professor McGonagall chuckled softly: “Very good, child, then go prepare!”
As Vaughn was about to leave, he noticed Snape standing nearby, looking blank and cold. He put on a “well-behaved” smile and asked Professor McGonagall: “Can I ask Professor Snape to come along?”
Snape, who was lost in thought, suddenly jolted. He widened his dark, vacant eyes and glared fiercely at Vaughn.
Professor McGonagall, not noticing this, said emotionally: “Of course, child… Severus, do you see? Your student cares so much for you!”
Snape: “…”
He tried to struggle: “I have something to do…”
But Professor McGonagall immediately interrupted: “Severus, don’t refuse your student’s kind offer. It’s still the holidays, what could you possibly be busy with?”
As she spoke, she glanced at Snape’s hair, where a tuft was sticking up. She tactfully reminded him: “I think the shampoo you used yesterday was very good. It’s still early, you can use it again.”
And so, the matter was happily decided.
Vaughn returned to Slytherin, took a shower, and organized his notes, which contained his research on the werewolf virus and some details from the development of the Wolfsbane Potion.
These might be useful during the interview.
At three in the afternoon, Professor McGonagall sent her Patronus to deliver a message saying the Ministry’s train was about to arrive. Only then did he hurry to the Hogwarts gates.
When he arrived, Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were already there. Old Dumbledore had resumed his usual smiling demeanor: “Come, my dear, let’s go welcome the Ministry officials. But you don’t need to worry, the joint investigation is just a formality.”
He would only dare to speak in such a tone to a child when Professor McGonagall was present. Otherwise, Vaughn would definitely have mocked him.
Vaughn rolled his eyes discreetly and followed behind him.
“Speaking of which, why did the Ministry’s investigation team come by train? Isn’t the fireplace more convenient?”
Dumbledore blinked: “That’s bureaucracy. The joint investigation team is to show importance. How could something as informal as a fireplace represent proper decorum?”
Professor McGonagall coughed: “Albus!”
Dumbledore immediately shut up.
Then, the group walked along the stone path to the platform. After waiting for a short while, a rather luxurious-looking train slowly emerged from the distant mountains.
The train moved slowly and steadily, like a stout, plump man in elaborate clothes, proceeding at a leisurely pace, taking tens of minutes to stop at the platform.
After waiting a bit longer, once the steam and smoke had cleared, the compartment door finally opened.
A short, stout figure dressed in a pinstripe suit, wearing a bright red tie and a black cloak, jumped out first. He took off his top hat and enthusiastically opened his arms to Dumbledore:
“Albus Dumbledore, my dear friend!”
Vaughn saw Dumbledore pause in surprise, then happily stepped forward to embrace the short, stout man: “Cornelius, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?”
Cornelius Fudge?
Vaughn suddenly understood. No wonder the so-called investigation team was so concerned with “decorum”; it turned out the Minister himself was gracing Hogwarts with his presence.
After enthusiastically greeting Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge lightly kissed Professor McGonagall’s hand, effusively praising how wonderful she looked today, like a blooming iris.
Only when he saw Snape, whose face was cold and eyes lifeless as stone, did his fiery smile abruptly pause. He mumbled: “Oh, oh—Snape, the renowned Potions Master of Hogwarts… Excuse me, is that the smell of potions on you? It’s certainly… unique…”
Snape’s face grew colder, his gaze as if he wanted to devour the dear Minister of Magic.
However, Fudge wasn’t in the mood to care about a mere professor. He approached Vaughn, shook his hand vigorously, and said to the people following behind him:
“Look, today’s main guest, Mr. Vaughn Weasley. With this beautiful fiery red hair, I knew it had to be Arthur’s child… Child, I am your father’s superior, you know?”
Vaughn smiled: “Yes, Father has mentioned you, Minister of Magic, the esteemed Mr. Cornelius Fudge!”
Arthur had indeed mentioned him, with phrases like “that pig’s head,” “foolish shorty,” “treacherous villain,” and so on.
Fudge, clearly unaware of the multitude of excellent evaluations he had in his subordinate’s eyes, laughed heartily and ruffled Vaughn’s hair.
“…”
Vaughn’s smile visibly stiffened, while Snape beside him actually chuckled.
With the esteemed Minister of Magic present, the other accompanying members of the so-called investigation team immediately became negligible. It was clear that these Ministry officials and invited potioneers knew this was just a formality. After exchanging greetings, they gathered around Snape and Vaughn to discuss academic matters.
Until a sharp voice cut through the air: “Mr. Weasley, I am Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the 《Daily Prophet》, responsible for your interview. When shall we begin?”
Rita Skeeter?
Vaughn looked up at the sound. He saw a middle-aged woman, slightly overweight but dressed in a dazzling gold and green tailored silk dress, looking very vulgar. She pushed her sparkling gold glasses up her nose and smiled alluringly at him.
Vaughn’s eyes showed a hint of something unusual as he extended his hand: “Hello, Ms. Skeeter!”
Rita’s plump hand grasped his and gave a light shake but didn’t let go: “Oh, my dear, you are quite handsome. You don’t look like a sloppy potion-maker at all.”
Snape and the other potioneers nearby: “…”
Unfortunately, people without news value were usually automatically ignored by Ms. Rita. She put an arm around Vaughn’s shoulders and whispered: “My little darling, I know your secret!”
Vaughn frowned. What nonsense was this?
“A child under 12 years old developing the Wolfsbane Potion… such a thing wouldn’t even be written in novels, but you, Mr. Weasley, not only publicized it but reportedly had a host of important figures paving the way for you, tsk tsk…”
Rita whispered softly and acidly in Vaughn’s ear.
A fancy quill floated beside her, furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment.
But to Rita’s surprise, Vaughn did not react as she expected upon hearing her words. He showed neither the fear of a secret being exposed nor the anger of being falsely accused.
She knew her words were fabricated, of course. But her interviewing trick lay precisely in this: she liked to deliberately provoke her interviewees. If she could elicit real information, that was best, but if not, she could make the interviewee lose control and hand over ammunition.
But the boy in front of her…
He merely gave her a strange look!
Rita was about to say something else when Fudge, having finished his pleasantries with Dumbledore, beckoned: “Mr. Weasley, child, come over quickly. Let’s have a group photo together!”
Vaughn smiled: “The Minister is calling me. I’m sorry, madam, please let’s discuss the interview later.”
Pushing Rita’s hand off his shoulder, Vaughn walked between Fudge and Dumbledore. This spot offered a panoramic view of Hogwarts Castle, an excellent place for a photograph.
The enthusiastic Minister deliberately stood on a rock to appear taller. He put an arm around Vaughn, showing a friendly, open smile, and subtly blocked Dumbledore behind him.
Vaughn, also smiling and allowing the photographer to take pictures, mused—
It seemed that even at this time, Fudge was already wary of Dumbledore…
This was to be expected. Last year, in 1990, when the previous Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, retired, the Ministry had not yet decided on the final candidate for Minister.
Both externally and within the Ministry, Dumbledore and Barty Crouch were considered the most prestigious and capable of winning everyone over. These two were also the strongest figures who fought against Voldemort during his reign of terror.
Unfortunately, Barty Crouch’s son, Barty Crouch Jr., was discovered to be a Death Eater after the war. Although the elder Crouch personally sent his son to Azkaban, this incident caused some neutral wizarding voters to lose faith in him.
In people’s simple reasoning, how could a person who couldn’t even manage his own son govern the Ministry of Magic?
With the elder Crouch out of the running, Dumbledore became the only candidate. However, Dumbledore refused the position of Minister for Magic, telling his friends that he feared becoming addicted to power.
Many people took this as a statement of noble integrity, but Vaughn knew that due to his experiences in his youth, Old Dumbledore genuinely feared it.
He knew his own will and beliefs were not as firm as he might have appeared.
The last time he had awakened was due to Ariana’s death; now, there was no second Ariana.
With two important figures consecutively passing up the Minister position, other qualified individuals, perhaps out of caution or believing they couldn’t gain enough support, all declined.
Thus, Fudge, then Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, who was merely watching the show, inexplicably found himself thrust into the ministerial seat…
“It’s always been said that Fudge was Dumbledore’s puppet, and after he took office, he frequently sought Dumbledore’s advice. In reality, the seeking of advice was true because this fellow took office in such a hurry that he was completely unprepared. He desperately needed someone to strategize for him, even…”
Vaughn suspected that the rumor of him being a “puppet” was likely spread by Fudge himself.
This way, he could borrow Dumbledore’s prestige to intimidate potential rivals and consolidate his power, while also placing Dumbledore in the spotlight, subjecting him to public scrutiny and making him hesitant to interfere with the Ministry.
“Looking at it this way, he’s quite a clever man…”
With a fake smile on his face, Vaughn considered Fudge’s transformation. It was clear that after a year in office, the esteemed Mr. Fudge felt his position was secure.
This fox had begun to harbor suspicion towards the tiger whose prestige he had previously borrowed!
“It’s good that he’s wary. As long as Fudge is wary, he will try every means to obtain the Wolfsbane Potion. And I have already indicated my intention to publicly share the recipe and cooperate with the Ministry. That’s why he came personally today and is so enthusiastic… Does he think I’m worth recruiting and wants me to hand over the recipe for the Ministry to handle?”
In an instant, Vaughn had analyzed Fudge’s intentions.
The smile on his face became even more sincere.
As expected, shortly after the photos were taken, Fudge deliberately called over a few employees, stating they greatly admired Dumbledore and hoped to chat with the Headmaster more.
Once those employees had pulled Dumbledore aside, Fudge quickly led Vaughn away from the crowd.
“Mr. Weasley…”
“Please call me Vaughn, Minister. You work with my father, so you are an elder to me. No need to be so formal.”
Fudge clearly didn’t suspect the sincerity of a 12-year-old boy. He immediately agreed, saying cheerfully: “Yes, good child, so polite…”
After a few compliments, he quickly got to the point: “I heard you’re planning to publicly release the Wolfsbane Potion recipe and give up the patent. Can you tell Uncle Fudge why?”
Vaughn put on an innocent and foolish expression, learned from Ron, the kind a primary school student would have: “I want to help those wandering werewolves, but they can’t afford the potion, so I want to make the recipe public and see if I can persuade everyone to make the Wolfsbane Potion free.”
“Oh, how kind—” Fudge patted Vaughn’s shoulder forcefully, then said somberly: “But child, you are still young and don’t understand the difficulties involved. To put it simply, even if you make the recipe public, persuading potioneers to provide the Wolfsbane Potion for free is another matter. Which potioneer would be willing to waste their time? Or, they might sell it at a high price, and you wouldn’t know…”
After elaborating on the drawbacks, seeing Vaughn fall into thought, he said: “I have a better idea, would you like to hear it?”
“Uncle Fudge, please tell me.”
Fudge’s expression was very sincere: “Hand the recipe over to the Ministry, to Uncle Fudge. I can promise you that a special department will be established solely to handle this matter. The Ministry is wealthy enough to cover all expenses for werewolves… but I have a small request—”
“I want you to publicly urge those wandering werewolves to accept the ‘Werewolf Registration Act.’ Oh, child, this is to prevent us from giving the potion to bad people. If they aren’t registered, what if a bad werewolf like Greyback gets the potion, right?”
Vaughn’s expression became hesitant, seemingly swayed but also showing some reservations.
As a seasoned politician, Fudge was not impatient. He said considerately: “Vaughn, go back and think about it carefully. Consider what Uncle has said.”
“Let’s not talk about this topic for now. Uncle Fudge has some good news for you.”
Vaughn asked curiously: “What good news?”
Fudge, with the air of a loving elder, said: “Of course, it’s your Order of Merlin, child. You’ve done a great deed, and Uncle must reward you. So, before departing, I requested the Order of Merlin to make a resolution to award you the Order of Merlin, Second Class.”
As he spoke, he took out a letter and personally opened it for Vaughn to see.
“At Uncle’s urging, the Order of Merlin has decided to hold your investiture ceremony at the Wizengamot Court in three days!”
Looking at Fudge, who had turned back and was happily chatting with Dumbledore, Vaughn sneered inwardly.
If this weren’t all part of his plan, and if he didn’t know Dumbledore had also lent his influence, perhaps someone else might have been deceived by Fudge’s facade.
It had to be said that Fudge’s political maneuvering was mature. He was patient, not pushing too hard and causing annoyance, and immediately offered a “reward” after making his request—
Wouldn’t someone who fought to get you the Order of Merlin, Second Class, be trustworthy?
But Vaughn knew that his receiving the Order of Merlin was mainly due to Dumbledore’s efforts. That old man had immense prestige at the Wizengamot and within the Order of Merlin.
He was both the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot and a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class. The reason the old men and women of the Order of Merlin could reach a conclusion so quickly was entirely due to Dumbledore leveraging his connections; it had nothing to do with Fudge.
However, Fudge clearly understood how to take credit for himself, and he felt no shame at all.
His face had long been shed the day he became Minister of Magic.
Afterwards, the group returned to Hogwarts. Although the investigation was said to be a formality, the proceedings still had to be followed.
They witnessed Vaughn brewing a vial of “Wolfsbane Potion” in Snape’s office, which successfully passed magical and werewolf blood tests.
All of this was recorded by the accompanying photographers and would later be published in 《Extraordinary Potions》 and the 《Daily Prophet》.
Once the formalities were completed, the investigation team, having finished their work, cheerfully agreed to tour their alma mater. After they all left, Rita Skeeter, who had also graduated from Hogwarts but showed no attachment to the place and had deliberately fallen behind, approached Vaughn again.
She leaned close to Vaughn’s ear and said in a husky, languid tone: “Little handsome, you still haven’t answered my question!”
That fancy quill flew out again, scribbling on the parchment.
Vaughn looked at it with great interest: “What do you want me to answer?”
“Many things—”
As soon as she uttered one word, Vaughn pulled out his wand, cast a Silencing Charm that sent the quill flying, and summoned the parchment to himself.
Rita became furious: “You…”
Before she could finish speaking, his wand was already at her throat. Vaughn didn’t even look at her, merely smiling as he scanned the parchment in his hand and softly read aloud: “…When I asked Mr. Weasley how, as a 12-year-old child, he accumulated such profound knowledge in Potions Mastery and developed the Wolfsbane Potion, this shy boy stammered…”
“Alas…” Vaughn chuckled and sighed, looking at the ashen-faced Rita Skeeter, “I’ve long heard that you love to twist facts, fabricate exaggerations, and are adept at being ambiguous so people can’t grasp any solid evidence. I didn’t expect it to be true.”
Rita’s crimson lips twitched, and she struggled to control her anger: “Mr. Weasley, is this how you treat a reporter? Casting spells on a poor, innocent journalist in the sacred halls of Hogwarts?”
Vaughn looked around and shrugged: “No one saw anyway!”
“…”
Looking at the boy before her, Rita suddenly felt a sense of fear.
Because from his smiling eyes, she couldn’t detect any trace of mirth.
In a flash, Rita decisively conceded.
She completed the transition from anger to pleading in one second, then knelt on the ground with a thud, quickly forcing out tears:
“Mr. Weasley, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have made up stories about you…”
What was the point of being arrogant then subservient? For Rita, as long as she could get the wand away from her throat, giving her a chance to counterattack or escape, she could always get revenge later.
But after only a few sentences of begging, she saw Vaughn imitate her earlier action, lean close to her ear, and whisper: “Ms. Skeeter, I know your secret too… You always dig up other people’s private secrets!”
Rita was stunned and stammered: “Wh… What?”
Vaughn didn’t answer, retrieved his wand, winked at her, and said: “You can guess whether I’m lying or if I really know!”
With that, he hummed a tune and leisurely walked away, leaving Rita Skeeter in a state of unease and dread.
What did he know?
No, he must be bluffing!
But what if he really knew?
In the time that followed, it was as if two little people lived inside Rita Skeeter, arguing and debating. For she did indeed have a secret, a secret that made her invincible in the journalism industry. Once this secret was revealed, Azkaban would be her only destination!
She was an illegal Animagus!
Lost in thought, as night fell, Rita, who had been assigned a room in Ravenclaw, finally decided to take a risk and confirm it.
“He couldn’t possibly know. No one has ever known. Even I’ve eavesdropped on secrets of powerful figures like Fudge without being discovered. How could a first-year student know… how could he…”
Deeply immersed in unease and fear, Rita transformed into her Animagus form—a fat beetle.
She flew out of the Ravenclaw common room window and all the way to Slytherin. After waiting for a while, when a student uttered the password to open the door, she immediately slipped inside.
She wasn’t worried about not finding Vaughn at all. When she was a student at Hogwarts, she had already used her Animagus form to map out the ventilation ducts of several houses.
Hogwarts, not having been renovated for many years, was her greatest advantage on this trip.
Through the ventilation ducts, Rita quickly found Vaughn’s room. She carefully pressed herself against the grille of the ventilation shaft and looked down.
The large dormitory contained only the damned Vaughn Weasley, with a giant cat curled up in his arms, its pointed ears twitching.
He was humming a tune, the same one he was humming when he left in the afternoon.
The damned boy!
Thinking of how he had humiliated her and her afternoon of worry, Rita’s anger flared. She decided to wait there and closely observe his every move. She would record his privacy and secrets, and then expose them all!
As she was happily contemplating this, she heard Vaughn sigh:
“Guo Guo Cha, do you know? When a person’s emotions fluctuate dramatically, their memories and thoughts become as conspicuous as torches in the night to someone skilled in Memory Magic—”
Not good!
Rita suddenly became alert and hurried to return through the ventilation shaft.
But as soon as she flapped her wings, the air around her suddenly became viscous.
It was then that she heard Vaughn’s distorted voice from the heavy air:
“Full Body-Bind!”
“Beetle Fly!”
Rita, unable to control herself, fell out of the ventilation shaft. She struggled desperately, trying to break her Animagus transformation, but the spell interfered with her.
She watched helplessly as she fell, landing at Vaughn’s feet. He picked her up with a smile and put her into a glass jar he had prepared.
“Ms. Skeeter, hello again. As I said, I know your secret!”
Rita knew she was finished…
