bioinnovel Chapter 399 Where Does Confidence Come From?
Chapter 399 Where Does Confidence Come From?
Chapter 399 Where Does Confidence Come From?
In the Ministry of Magic's reception room, two female directors sat facing each other.
In front of Ms. Burns, who wore a monocle, sat a steaming cup of coffee that looked very bitter.
Belvina sat across from her, a sandwich and a glass of chilled orange juice in front of her, but her attention was not on the simple meal.
An unfolded copy of the Daily Prophet obscured her beautiful face, and also shielded Ms. Burns from her probing gaze.
Belvina stared intently at the newspaper in her hands; today's front-page headline read, "For the Greater Good."
"For the greater good" is a slogan uttered by Gellert Grindelwald more than half a century ago, and many wizards have gathered under this inspiring slogan.
However, the front page of the Daily Prophet was not about introducing this dark wizard who had been out of fashion for half a century; its target was still Albus Dumbledore.
In this report written by Betty Braithwaite, she recounts Dumbledore's life after graduating from Hogwarts in Rita Skeeter's style.
At that time, eighteen-year-old Dumbledore left Hogwarts with a string of dazzling accolades. He and his good friend Ephias Doge were preparing to set off for Greece and travel around Europe.
Just before setting off, news arrived of the death of his mother, Candra Dumbledore, forcing the young Albus Dumbledore to abandon his journey and return to Godric's Hollow to care for his younger siblings.
Here comes the main point of the report: in Miss Braithwaite's writing, Dumbledore's decision to give up the trip was not noble, because he failed to fulfill his responsibility to take care of his younger siblings.
His younger brother Aberforth grew up wildly like a wild child, and his frail sister Ariana died that summer.
Betty Braithwaite, the journalist, blamed it all on Albus Dumbledore, on his meeting with Gellert Grindelwald that summer.
In a front-page story in The Daily Prophet, Miss Braithwaite detailed the passionate friendship between the two young people, their ideals, and their political beliefs.
And then there was that slogan that later stirred up Europe: For the greater good.
Although Betty Braithwaite did not draw her own conclusion, she conveyed through her writings to all readers of the Daily Prophet that Albus Dumbledore was not a dutiful man, but an ambitious schemer and the best friend of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
If this were merely Miss Braithwaite's opinion, the public might still have some doubts.
Even though Albus Dumbledore's reputation has been tarnished recently, he once defeated Grindelwald and was the only person Mystic feared.
This is why the name of Bashida Bashat appeared on the front page of The Daily Prophet.
Bathilda Bagshot was not only Dumbledore's neighbor in Godric's Hollow, but she was also the author of "A History of Magic" and a renowned historian of magic.
In addition to eyewitness accounts, the Daily Prophet also published the correspondence between Dumbledore and Grindelwald from that time, providing physical evidence as well.
With witnesses and physical evidence, the story between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, the great wizard and dark wizard of our time, is one that cannot be ignored.
It must be said that this article in The Daily Prophet not only had great selling points, but also satisfied Cornelius Fudge's desire to smear and suppress Dumbledore, truly killing two birds with one stone.
Belvina quickly finished reading the report, which was so blatantly biased, and casually tossed the newspaper onto the table.
Belvina wasn't interested in Dumbledore's ideals from his youth; everyone's been young, it's no big deal.
Belvina was quite interested in the friendship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and she suggested that Miss Braithwaite should elaborate on it.
GGAD, huh!
Belvina knows so much!
At first, she thought it was just a love-hate drama plot fabricated by some people.
But now it seems that Belvina was too naive back then; she was too young and lacked discernment.
"So?" Amelia Borns picked up her coffee. "What do you think of this report?"
"The writing is mediocre, and it's not persuasive enough," Belvina said. "If Rita had written it, it would have been much better than Braithwaite's."
After all, Belvina used to work in the public information office, and she's a professional when it comes to reading news and reports.
Betty Braithwaite's report is not good enough; it's far worse than Rita Skeeter's.
"You know that's not what I'm asking, and you don't need to pretend in front of me," Ms. Burns said.
"If you're asking me why I voted in favor," Belvina said, "I can only tell you that Professor Dumbledore doesn't care about these things."
She picked up the sandwich in front of her and continued, "Professor Dumbledore said he wouldn't care what Connelly did as long as he wasn't removed from the Chocolate Frog picture book."
At this point, Belvina suddenly felt that the sandwich in her hand had turned into dry bread, with no taste at all.
Why did Dumbledore only care about his Chocolate Frog picture card?
Could it be because his name appeared at the same time as Grindelwald's in the Chocolate Frog cartoon?
Belvina, her gossip-loving mind at work, was like a melon seed in a melon patch; she desperately wanted to know the untold stories of GGAD.
"Fudge has already kicked Dumbledore out of Wizengamot, and I reckon his next step will be to reach out to Hogwarts and kick Dumbledore out of the school as well," Ms. Burns said worriedly.
Now that Voldemort has returned, if Dumbledore is expelled from the school, the pure-bloods of Slytherin House could seize the opportunity to grow powerful, with unimaginable consequences.
"That's the price of telling the truth," Belvina said nonchalantly. "As long as Dumbledore is willing to play by the rules, he'll be at Cornelius's mercy."
Cornelius Fudge, who holds the Ministry of Magic, has a clear advantage in the "battle between the two ministers".
At the same time, pure-blood wizards who oppose Dumbledore will also step forward and become Fudge's allies, working together to target Dumbledore.
In other words, as long as Albus Dumbledore doesn't overturn the table, Cornelius Fudge will have the upper hand and then relentlessly bully the rule-abiding Dumbledore.
Unless Voldemort, who has been hiding, comes out on his own initiative, or the Minister of Magic is replaced.
The former is almost impossible; Voldemort, hiding in the shadows, is probably laughing his head off right now. How could he possibly expose Cornelius Fudge's lies?
As for the latter, Amelia Borns is preparing to launch a bloodless coup to overthrow the current minister, Fudge's, rule.
Belvina was also preparing to overthrow Fudge, but her style was completely different from Ms. Burns'.
Whether it's becoming the Scroll King at the International Magical Cooperation Division or casting a vote in favor at a routine meeting, Belvina's goal is to regain Fudge's trust.
Get Cornelius Fudge to trust her again, to accept her again, and then—
Belvina will show her old friends through her actions that women and children can be careless, but men cannot.
"If Hogwarts loses Dumbledore, the school won't be the safest place anymore," Mrs. Burns said worriedly. "I'm very worried about the Slytherins."
"Amelia, your concerns are valid." Belvina's tone remained relaxed. "You're worried that the Dark Lord will extend his reach into the school, just like the Death Eaters secretly formed a society within Slytherin House a decade or so ago."
Belvina changed the subject, continuing, "However, the Slytherins of today are not the same as the Slytherins of the past; they are not as capable."
At this point, Belvina suddenly wanted to laugh. No wonder people always say that Dumbledore is a schemer!
Look at those Death Eater kids in school. They're all spoiled brats. They're good at shouting slogans and cursing, but if a real fight breaks out, they'll run away faster than anyone else.
"Aren't you really at all worried about Hogwarts and Dumbledore?" Mrs. Burns asked, puzzled. She was curious about why Belvina was so confident.
"Albus Dumbledore, he doesn't need my concern," Belvina said seriously. "As for Hogwarts, 'Sleeping Dragon, stay away, Amelia.'"
Ms. Burns was still puzzled by the inexplicable confidence that Belvina displayed.
Perhaps only by figuring out all the details of the day Voldemort was reborn will Ms. Burns understand where Belvina's confidence comes from.
Belvina Wolbuga Black now has the confidence to flip the table.
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