bioinnovel Chapter 191 What does the Minister think?
Chapter 191 What does the Minister think?
Chapter 191 What does the Minister think?
Belvina had no idea what Connery Fudge was thinking.
It's not fair to blame Fouché for overthinking things, because bringing down a minister isn't difficult for some people.
The two most famous cases are Maximilian Claude and Nobi Ritchie.
In 1781, Maximilian Claude, then Minister of Magic, died under mysterious circumstances during his term of office, and the cause of his death remains a subject of much speculation.
In 1962, the Ministry of Magic welcomed its first Muggle Minister, Nobby Ritchie. In 1968, Minister Ritchie was forced to resign due to a mysterious illness.
Young Belvina is naturally not as shrewd as Abraxas Malfoy, but if she really wants to cause trouble, Minister Fudge will definitely have a headache.
Connelly Fudge, harboring resentment, wore his thoughts on his face and became increasingly anxious. He couldn't control himself and couldn't help but speculate about Belvina's intentions.
"Minister, you would never guess what happened in the middle of the match," Belvina said, her eyes still fixed on Umbridge as she spoke to Fudge.
"What happened? Slytherin won?" Cornelius Fudge asked absentmindedly. "I mean, I heard Harry Potter has never lost a Quidditch match."
Belvina finally averted her piercing gaze, looking at Fudge's anxious face, and said, "Slytherin won, Mr. Potter lost the match. But Minister, do you know how he lost?"
"What are you trying to say, Belvina!" Umbridge barked furiously, as if protecting her master. "This is the Ministry of Magic, not a place for you to run wild!"
Snapped!
A resounding slap landed on Umbridge's broad, sagging face.
"What are you doing, Belvina!" Cornelius Fudge's voice was filled with anger; she had actually hit someone right in front of him!
Belvina always struck hard; Umbridge's pale face turned bright red, her cheeks swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"You have no right to speak here, Umbridge, and there will be no next time," Belvina said calmly.
I already warned you in advance.
Then, Belvina looked at Cornelius Fudge. The calmness in her eyes made Fudge's heart skip a beat; those eyes held the ferocity of a predatory beast.
Belvina walked to the desk, placed her hands on the surface, and looked directly into Fudge's eyes across the entire desk.
She whispered, "Connelly."
Cornelius Fudge was startled; this was the first time Belvina had addressed him by his name, whereas before she had always used his title, such as Director or Minister.
"Connelly, the Dementors have attacked the stadium," Belvina continued. "Almost all the Dementors around Hogwarts have appeared at the school, attacking students watching the game, attacking everyone."
"impossible!"
"impossible!"
Cornelius Fudge and Umbridge once again spoke in unison, they simply did not believe Belvina's words. How could Dementors attack Hogwarts? It was utterly absurd!
"You're lying!" Umbridge roared. "You liar! You're tarnishing the honor of the Ministry of Magic!"
Snapped!
Another resounding slap landed on Umbridge's broad, loose-skinned face, this time on the other side.
Belvina always struck hard; her hand lashed out and caused Umbridge to lose her balance, falling to her knees.
Then, the acacia wand slid down her sleeve, and Belvina raised it—
"Stop, Belvina!" Fudge rushed out from behind his desk. "Do you know what you're doing?"
Belvina looked at the flustered Fudge and said calmly, "I know exactly what I'm doing, Connelly. I've already warned her."
As he spoke, a blinding white light illuminated the minister's office, and Umbridge, enveloped in the magical light, instantly collapsed to the ground, convulsing and writhing, her obese body utterly repulsive.
Belvina said softly, "I'll say it again, the Dementors attacked Hogwarts, not just one or two, but all of them. Was I clear enough this time?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Connelly Fudge, who was already extremely anxious, became even more panicked, and his increasingly round face immediately turned a deep liver color.
"Impossible—absolutely impossible—Dementors are loyal to the Ministry of Magic, how could they possibly attack Hogwarts!" Fudge exclaimed frantically. "Absolutely impossible!"
Actually, Fudge already believed Belvina. He might have exaggerated a bit, but the Dementors definitely attacked the school. After all, who would joke about something like that?
However, Fudge refused to believe the cruel truth: the Dementors were under the Ministry of Magic's command. If the Dementors' attacks on schools were exposed, the Ministry of Magic might be able to withstand it, but Minister Fudge would be in a different situation.
Connery Fudge will definitely be heavily criticized and condemned by everyone, and it might even trigger a vote of no confidence, forcing him to step down.
Therefore, Cornelius Fudge dared not admit it, nor could he believe that Dementors had attacked Hogwarts.
"A Dementors attacking Hogwarts? That's ridiculous," Belvina said. "I almost thought I was back in my student days, that the Minister of Magic was still Mintham, or Bagnorell."
During Belvina's student days, Voldemort was at the height of his power, and the Death Eaters ran rampant. The two people she mentioned were the Ministers of Magic who were present throughout her student years.
Harold Mintham was a hardliner, but the Ministry of Magic, under his leadership, failed to stop Voldemort from reaching his peak and curb the unstoppable Voldemort, which was indeed a difficult task for him.
Millicent Bagno was a witch of both power and luck. In the second year of her term as minister, Voldemort attacked the Potters in Godric's Hollow, and the war ended.
"The Dementors attacked the pitch, and all the students were there at the time," Belvina repeated. "Connelly, you should be thankful, thankful that the professors at Hogwarts are all truly learned."
"Impossible—how could this be—absolutely impossible—" Cornelius Fudge murmured, his lips and hands trembling uncontrollably, a mixture of fear and anger.
The lingering fear stemmed from the Dementors' loss of control; had the school professors failed to stop them, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
The anger stemmed from the Dementors' loss of control, Belvina's tough stance, and the person who suggested using the Dementors.
Belvina was very disappointed by the Minister of Magic's muttering to himself. Instead of thinking about solutions, his first reaction after receiving the news was to refuse to admit it and face Cornelius Fudge's behavior. This was utterly disappointing. For the first time, Belvina had the idea of replacing the Minister—Amelia Borns might be a good candidate.
"What's done is done, and no matter how much you deny it, you can't change the fact that it happened," Belvina said. "Instead of refusing to acknowledge it, it's better to find a way to remedy the situation before things get even worse."
When time was of the essence, Connelly Fudge grasped at a straw, and the panicked minister suddenly found his pillar of support.
Fudge exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, that's right! We have to find a way to salvage this situation. We can't let it get any worse. I'm the Minister for Magic, I have to step up and do something!"
Whether in the former Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters or the current Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge has never been a competent leader.
Whenever he is in trouble, Fudge, just like his name suggests, refuses to admit it and avoids it passively. He is just a little incompetent, but not a bad person at heart.
Belvina sighed. She felt that she had put Fudge in a position where his abilities did not match his. She deserved half the credit for his achievements, and naturally, she deserved half the blame as well.
"Minister," Belvina reverted to her former form of address.
Cornelius Fudge looked over helplessly, his hands trembling violently as if he were suffering from a serious illness.
"Who made that suggestion to you?" Belvina asked. "Who suggested you use the Dementors? Who suggested you send them to Hogwarts?"
Slap me, then give me a treat.
By slapping Umbridge, Belvina humiliated Fudge, throwing his pride to the ground and stomping on it.
Now, Belvina should pick up her pride, shake off the dust, and put it back on Fudge's face.
Find a way to resolve the mess Cornelius Fudge made and save face for the Minister of Magic.
Following Cornelius Fudge's angry, terrified gaze, Belvina saw Umbridge, who had just gotten up from the ground, trembling all over.
With her cheeks swollen high, Umbridge had too many things she hadn't expected. She hadn't expected Belvina to dare to lay a hand on her in front of the minister, and she certainly hadn't expected the minister to be so decisive in selling her off.
It was indeed Umbridge's idea to use the Azkaban guards to hunt down Sirius Black.
However, she did not propose sending Dementors to Hogwarts.
"Very good. Whoever made the suggestion should be responsible for it to the end. What does the minister think?" Belvina said, glancing at the swaying Umbridge as she spoke.
Then, Belvina beckoned, and Umbridge's short, thick wand flew over, landed on the carpet, and rolled under the desk.
Belvina continued, "The Dementors must return to Azkaban; they must pay the price for their arrogance. What do you think, Minister?"
"We'll do it your way," Fudge said without any opinion of his own. Being easily swayed was his old problem, and he probably would never be able to change it in his lifetime.
"Also, the Aurors, the law enforcement team, and the strikers—they need to get moving too," Belvina said.
"The Ministry of Magic's salary isn't for nothing."
Connery Fudge nodded quickly and said, "No problem, I'll give the order to Amelia immediately."
"Finally," Belvina looked at Umbridge again, and continued, "I personally think that cleaning work suits Dolores very well. What does the Minister think?"
“Of course,” Cornelius Fudge said matter-of-factly, “Dolores should pay for his mistakes.”
Umbridge stared at Fudge in disbelief. All her efforts and hard work had been wasted because of Belvina's few words.
Cleaning at the Ministry of Magic was the job of Alford Umbridge, Dolores Umbridge's biological father, whom she never wanted to acknowledge, before he retired. He had spent his entire life cleaning at the Ministry of Magic!
"I'll go see Amelia myself right now and work with her to revise the plan to capture Sirius Black," Fudge said excitedly. "This time, there absolutely won't be any more mishaps!"
As the minister spoke, he walked to the coat rack and picked up his coat and top hat.
As Cornelius Fudge reached the office door, he suddenly stopped, turned to Belvina, and said, "Do I need to see Dumbledore?"
“No need, Minister.” Belvina turned around. “You’re the Minister for Magic, aren’t you?”
"That's good, that's good," Fudge said softly. He dared not meet Dumbledore now, much less face Dumbledore's wrath.
Cornelius Fudge walked out of the minister's office without looking back, his steps quick as if the whole world was waiting for him to come to his rescue.
At this moment, Umbridge spoke up venomously, saying, "You're getting revenge on me, Blake!"
"Revenge?" Belvina said calmly. "You don't deserve it, Dolores."
After saying that, Belvina walked toward the wine cabinet in the minister's office, intending to take one or a few bottles of wine without the owner's permission.
This was to tell Connelly Fudge that even though there was a rift between them, their personal relationship had not changed.