bioinnovel Chapter 379 Old Deng is making plans
Chapter 379 Old Deng is making plans
Chapter 379 Old Deng is making plans
"It seems you've successfully persuaded Connelly."
After watching Cornelius Fudge leave, Dumbledore's voice suddenly rang out above him.
Belvina looked up and saw Dumbledore standing at the top of the sixth-floor staircase, as if everything was under his control.
"People can scare each other to death, my dear professor," Belvina said. "I will apply to the board of trustees for workers' compensation and emotional distress damages."
"As far as I know, Hogwarts doesn't have such a rule. However, I can personally sponsor you a Galleon to soothe your wounded heart."
As Dumbledore spoke, he slowly walked down the stairs.
"That's really hurtful. I'm a Black, and the professor only offered me one Galleon."
"Looks like you're recovering well, you're even in the mood for jokes now." Dumbledore came to the landing. "Walk with this old man for a bit!"
As they spoke, the two walked downstairs side by side.
"No matter how difficult the road ahead may be, life goes on," Belvina said. "Tomorrow, the sun will still rise as usual."
"Yes, the sun will always rise," Dumbledore repeated softly, looking somewhat wistful.
No matter how dark or long the road ahead may be, the sun will eventually rise and shine on all things as usual.
However, some people will remain forever in the long darkness, never to see the sun rise again.
"Professor, I don't understand your reasoning," Belvina asked. "You could have persuaded Connelly little by little, why did you seem so eager?"
"You should know that the return of Voldemort is something that not only Cornelius finds hard to accept, but everyone else does too," Dumbledore said. "Voldemort's return means the war is about to begin again, and it means that people will die."
Belvina nodded. Although she was young when Voldemort first rose to power, she had a deep understanding of that dark period.
Especially after entering Hogwarts, students would often be called out by professors and return crying with red eyes.
In those years, everyone in the wizarding community lived in fear, terrified that they might inadvertently become enemies of Voldemort and his henchmen, or that the Dark Mark might one day hang over their homes.
Now that everyone has enjoyed thirteen years of peace and tranquility, if they were suddenly told that they were going to return to the days of fear and anxiety they had before, the wizarding community would be in an uproar.
During the Quidditch World Cup, the Ministry of Magic was already overwhelmed with shouts from the angry public over nothing but a camp riot and the Dark Mark. If the news of Voldemort's return were made public now, one can imagine the public's anger would be unimaginable.
The Ministry of Magic itself might not be in much trouble, but Cornelius Fudge and his high-ranking officials will all be in deep trouble, and resigning would be considered a lenient punishment.
"To keep his position as minister, Cornelius is most likely unwilling to admit Voldemort's return, much less announce it," Dumbledore continued. "He wouldn't dare do that."
"Indeed," Belvina said. "Even if we manage to persuade Connelly, someone will find a way to shut him up."
As he served as minister for longer and longer, Cornelius Fudge not only became obsessed with power but also developed paranoia, constantly imagining that someone was going to take away his power.
If someone were to exploit Fudge's paranoia, they could easily sow discord between him and Dumbledore, making him wary of Dumbledore.
"In that case, I might as well be firm from the start and make my stance clear," Dumbledore said. "If he's willing to listen, that would be best. If he stubbornly refuses to admit it, then it's your turn to step in."
As he spoke, Dumbledore pointed to Belvina.
As Dumbledore said, he was tough on Fudge from the beginning, forcing Fudge to admit that Voldemort had returned.
It was less persuasion and more of an order. The result was predictable: Cornelius Fudge reacted quite strongly, and he now considered Dumbledore an adversary.
At this point, if Belvina steps in and provides appropriate guidance and persuasion, the desired effect can be achieved with half the effort.
Belvina indeed did just that; her attitude was extremely gentle, and her persuasive methods were incredibly tactful.
Instead of persuading Fudge to admit Voldemort's return, she tacitly allowed Fudge to keep this horrifying news a secret. She merely used Hector Foley's example to remind Fudge that he should prepare in advance.
"Professor, I still think this is somewhat unnecessary," Belvina said. "Connelly doesn't trust me as much as she used to."
"That's why I need to turn against Cornelius so you can regain his trust," Dumbledore said. "You're a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, and I'm its public enemy."
Is it important to regain Fudge's trust?
Belvina didn't think it mattered; Fudge was not a qualified wartime leader.
Comparatively speaking, Belvina prefers Amelia Borns, the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Although Ms. Burns is a strong and opinionated person, she is unlikely to obey Dumbledore, but she will probably choose to cooperate with him.
"And another point, if I were to fall out with the Ministry of Magic, who would benefit the most?" Dumbledore continued, seemingly to himself, "Voldemort, he would certainly be happy to see that happen."
"The professor wants to lull Voldemort into a false sense of security, to make him misjudge the situation and believe it's in his favor," Belvina said. "But will Voldemort fall for that so easily?"
"He will," Dumbledore said confidently. "I believe Cornelius will soon take action against me, and then he will have no choice but to believe me."
Besides exploiting Fudge's paranoia, Dumbledore has another card in his hand that he hasn't played yet: Severus Snape.
Top spy, requesting deployment!
At that time, with Cornelius Fudge persecuting Dumbledore in various ways from the outside and Snape providing a constant stream of intelligence from the inside, Voldemort will definitely misjudge the situation and inevitably make mistakes in his actions.
Whenever Voldemort makes a mistake, Dumbledore has the opportunity to seize upon it and strike him precisely.
"Belvina, go back to the Ministry of Magic after the school year ends," Dumbledore suggested. "Cornell needs you more than I do."
"I happen to be planning to return to the Ministry of Magic," Belvina said. "No matter what, the Ministry of Magic cannot collapse; even if it's a mess, it has to keep going."
"That's exactly what I mean." Dumbledore stopped in his tracks. "The Ministry of Magic must stand with us. It cannot fall, much less betray us."
Once the Ministry of Magic falls to Voldemort, Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix will be left isolated and vulnerable, making the fight against Voldemort even more difficult and resulting in more deaths.
Before they knew it, Belvina and Dumbledore had arrived at the door of the Muggle Studies classroom.
"Oh, by the way, I just overheard you and Cornelius discussing the Triwizard Tournament." Dumbledore stood in the classroom doorway. "I think the Triwizard Tournament can continue."
Belvina paused for a moment; her thoughts on the Triwizard Tournament were completely opposite to Dumbledore's.
In Belvina's view, continuing the Triwizard Tournament was a complete hindrance and a waste of resources. They should use that time and energy to figure out how to deal with Voldemort.
Seeing Belvina's slight confusion, Dumbledore continued, "Appropriate leisure and entertainment can help relax the mind and release stress. It would be a wonderful thing if the Triwizard Tournament could end perfectly."
Although the Triwizard Tournament was fraught with twists and turns, as long as the tournament ended successfully, it would be a cause for celebration for the Ministry of Magic, which had had a rough year.
At that time, even if Belvina, who hosted the three-way battle, didn't achieve any great success, she would at least have put in a lot of effort, which would be considered a qualification.
"I think Professor Karkaroff will be back at Hogwarts soon," Belvina said knowingly. "However, we'll still need a new referee."
Belvina assured that Igor Karkarov would return like lightning within three days!