Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 410 The Final Ultimatum

Chapter 410 The Final Ultimatum

Belvina said she was tired and weary.

She turned and walked back to the sofa, pouring herself another cup of tea.

Then she sat there and enjoyed her afternoon tea as if nothing had happened.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, sat listlessly against the wall, looking like a fish in a net or a dead tree in the forest.

After a long while, until the aroma of tea in the office faded and the ice ball in the wine glass melted, Fudge, looking ashen-faced, finally raised his head and looked at Belvina again.

"If you hadn't gone to Hogwarts, would things have been different?"

Cornelius Fudge asked the question he most wanted to ask: if Belvina's impression of Dumbledore hadn't changed, would she still support him?

"Of course there will be differences," Belvina said calmly, her emotions barely fluctuating.

She put down her empty teacup and continued, "I may still see Professor Dumbledore as a tiger and a snake—but Cornelius, wasn't it you who pushed me toward Dumbledore?"

The emotions conveyed in Connelly Fudge's eyes were too complex to be clearly expressed in words.

The minister simply watched with a complicated expression as Belvina stood up, walked to the window, and reached out to cup the illusory sunlight.

"I'm not talking about going to Hogwarts to be a teacher, I'm talking about Voldemort."

Belvina stood by the enchanted window, the sunlight shining on her, making her appear as if she were standing in the light.

She continued, "I might be as foolish as those idiots outside, thinking of Dumbledore as an ambitious schemer, but I'm not so foolish as to think he wants to be Minister for Magic, nor am I as foolish as to think he's using Voldemort's name to cause trouble."

"I'm also fighting the mysterious man. I've sent so many people to search for him," Cornelius Fudge said weakly, his voice very soft.

"And the result?" Belvina asked. "The Aurors, the Strikers, and the Law Enforcement Team—they could have closely monitored, even secretly arrested, those Death Eaters who were still at large, thus crippling Voldemort's influence to the greatest extent possible. But—"

She gave a mocking laugh, then said, "So many people have been toiling away for months across more than 200,000 square kilometers of land, and they've come up with nothing! Even today, some people still think they're hunting down Bertha Jorkins, who's been dead for months!"

"What can I do?" Cornelius Fudge's tone was somewhat aggrieved. "If I were to reveal the truth without any regard for consequences, like Dumbledore did, those idiots outside would be terrified. Society would be in chaos even before the Mysterios attacks."

As if he had found an outlet, Fudge poured out all the anxiety, panic, and grievances he had been holding in for the past few months.

The minister continued, "The Ministry of Magic declared Malfoy and his companions innocent more than a decade ago, yet now it's monitoring them and even secretly arresting them. Isn't the Ministry of Magic contradicting itself?"

Although Cornelius Fudge became increasingly agitated, he instinctively avoided Belvina's gaze when she looked over.

"You should also think about me. If I take action against them, I'll be ousted within a week," Fudge continued. "Do you want me to end up like Richie, mysteriously contracting an illness?"

Nobi Leach, the only Muggle-born Minister of Magic to date, was forced to resign due to a mysterious illness.

When Leach took over as minister, several of the most senior Wisengamo members resigned from their posts in protest against his appointment, because the new minister was a "mudblood".

Although Cornelius Fudge was not a Muggle, he still dared not attack so many pure-blood wizards at the same time, fearing that the scandal of Nobi Leach's departure would be repeated in his case.

"And what's more, Dumbledore actually wants to get rid of the Dementors? That's impossible!" Fudge complained. "For hundreds of years, the Dementors have guarded Azkaban. Only with the Dementors there can we sleep soundly."

Cornelius Fudge couldn't do either the task of monitoring and arresting pure-blood wizards like Malfoy, or the task of eliminating Dementors; he had neither the courage nor the ability.

Since Azkaban Castle became a wizarding prison in 1718, only one minister, Edridge Diggory, has sought a solution to replace the Dementors in more than two hundred years.

Later, Minister Digory died of dragonpox, and the alternative plan was abandoned. Since then, no minister has ever considered dismissing the Dementors.

"What are you afraid of, Cornelius?" Belvina sighed. "Albus Dumbledore is outside, and Amelia and I are inside. What do you have to be afraid of?"

"I—" Cornelius Fudge stammered, unable to get the words out.

With Dumbledore as a powerful ally and the International Department of Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement providing strong support from within, Fudge originally had no reason to fear anyone.

However, Connelly Fudge's obsession with power, his preference for pure blood, his foolishness and shortsightedness led him to push his supporters to the opposite side and turn himself into a lone wolf.

Now things are really messed up. The original supporters want to replace Fudge, Lucius Malfoy and others only see Fudge as a tool to deal with Dumbledore, while Voldemort—that old man Tom Riddle—is probably laughing his head off.

"The Malfoys are an old, pure-blood family, but aren't the Black and Burns also old, pure-blood families?" Belvina continued. "Aren't the Longbottom and Weasley also old, pure-blood families?"

These are just the pure-blood families that have clearly stated their positions. Belvina didn't even mention the pure-blood families like Shakel and Digori, who haven't publicly stated their positions yet.

If Connery Fudge had had the courage to stand up, he would have received far more support than he imagined, and his situation wouldn't be so dire now.

"You should have told me this sooner," Fudge muttered under his breath, sounding like he was regretting it, or perhaps complaining.

"If I had told you this sooner, would you have given me a chance?!" Belvina's anger, which had just subsided, flared up again. "Wasn't it you who refused Dumbledore's invitation that night at the Triwizard Tournament awards ceremony?"

That night, Cornelius Fudge was preoccupied with winning over the boy who had miraculously survived. He not only refused Dumbledore's invitation but also deliberately avoided Belvina.

"After the school year ended, I returned to the Ministry of Magic, trying to regain your trust and speak with you alone. But what did you do then?"

Cornelius Fudge was speechless. He had long since accepted that Belvina was Dumbledore's woman and someone who could not be trusted.

"This is the first time we've been alone together in a month!" Belvina continued. "Now that you're cornered, backed to the edge, you've finally remembered me. Where were you before?!"

Having said that, Belvina closed her eyes to avoid seeing Fudge's pathetic state any longer.

"It's too late, too late, it's all too late," Cornelius Fudge murmured, knowing that the situation was beyond repair.

At this point, even if Fudge mustered the courage to stand up and admit his mistake, and publicly clear Dumbledore's name, no one would support or trust him anymore.

No one would support a cowardly and weak wartime leader, and no one would trust a foolish and short-sighted wartime leader, especially one who repeatedly missed opportunities due to his own selfishness.

Cornelius Fudge knew in his heart that his political career was coming to an end, that he would be ousted from office, and then slink away from the Ministry of Magic.

Worse still, Fudge would be branded a sinner, and every drop of blood shed by the wizard in the ensuing war would be his fault.

"Now, what should I do?" Cornelius Fudge asked. "What should I do, Belvina?"

Fudge appeared to be asking Belvina a question, but he was actually asking himself one.

The first solution is to resign from the ministerial position voluntarily. Leaving voluntarily is at least a little more dignified than being forced out.

The second solution is not to resign, but to fight Dumbledore, Belvina, and Burns to the end. Fudge is still a minister, so he still has a chance of winning.

The third solution is to completely side with Malfoy and others, handing over the Ministry of Magic to Voldemort, who is hiding in the shadows. Fudge would most likely be able to keep his position as Minister and become Voldemort's puppet.

Belvina opened her eyes, but her right hand remained pressed against her heaving chest, continuing to suppress the raging anger burning within her.

If Cornelius Fudge had realized his mistake sooner, Belvina and Amelia wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble, and Malfoy and the others would have been imprisoned long ago.

Without the Death Eaters aiding and abetting Voldemort, dealing with this wicked tiger would be easier, and less wizard blood would be shed.

But fate had other plans. Cornelius Fudge only realized his mistake when the situation was beyond saving. He had wasted too much time and squandered too many opportunities.

"Connelly, resign," Belvina said softly. "Resign before your image and reputation are completely damaged."

If Connelly Fudge insists on not resigning, he will face a combined attack from Belvina and Burns.

The Moon newspaper will publish an article about Fudge, giving a comprehensive look at his life and making him pay for everything he did to Dumbledore.

At the same time, Belvina will also use her trump card—Igor Karkaroff, a former Death Eater who will be Fudge's death knell.

Within the Ministry of Magic, Amelia Burns, along with others, will oust Fudge and hold a new election for minister.

Whether to resign and preserve his last shred of dignity, or to resist to the very end, was entirely up to Cornelius Fudge.

Belvina looked up at Fudge and said, "I'll take care of Rufus. Resign, Connelly."

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