Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 8 The Most Powerful Man

Belvina Black walked step by step down the thick crimson carpet into the depths of the corridor.

On both sides of the corridor were rows of gleaming wooden doors, each with a nameplate displaying the name and position of the person inside.

This floor is devoid of the hustle and bustle, conversations, and hurried footsteps of other floors; all that exists here is silence, a silence that oppresses the heart and squeezes all the air out of the lungs.

The Ministry of Magic's majesty, complexity, and unfathomable nature are fully displayed at its center of power, inspiring awe and reverence.

However, the Ministry of Magic's overwhelming power was nothing but a castle in the air, easily blown down by a gust of wind. Many people, including Belvina, saw the emptiness and weakness within the Ministry, recognizing it as a paper tiger.

Belvina continued walking without stopping. After turning a corner and walking a short distance, the passageway led to a spacious area. A dozen or so wizards and witches sat at rows of tables, each busy with their own tasks.

A gleaming brass plaque hangs on the two heavy solid wood doors.

Public Information Service.

Belvina Black II.

Upon seeing their boss appear at the gate, the male and female wizards all stood up to greet him, waiting for their leader to give them a speech.

Belvina gave a slight bow in response, and after everyone resumed work, she walked toward the innermost gleaming mahogany door.

Bob Gordon strode up to him and said, "The minister is here and is waiting for you in his office."

"Why did the minister suddenly come over?" Belvina asked, puzzled. "Did he say anything to you?"

"No, he didn't say anything," Gordon said quietly. "But the minister seemed quite happy, so it shouldn't be a bad thing."

The Minister of Magic, theoretically the most powerful person in wizarding society, visiting his subordinate's office so early in the morning seemed a bit strange, giving the impression that he wouldn't come unless he had a reason.

Belvina nodded to indicate that she understood, and then walked towards the office.

Bob Gordon returned to his seat, thinking he would find a suitable time to speak with Belvina and tell her that Barnabas Guffey, the editor of the Daily Prophet, wanted to meet with her.

dong dong dong.

A knock was made on the slightly ajar mahogany door. Through the small crack, it was clear that Belvina's office was quite simple, making it hard to believe that the owner of this office was a woman.

"Belvina, come in quickly, I need to talk to you!" Minister Cornell Fudge's voice came from the office, his tone unusually relaxed, as if he had encountered something very good.

The office, with its bare walls and white walls, was almost entirely devoid of decoration. There were no lace curtains, no fresh flowers, not even a single painting. A large desk sat at the far end of the room, its clean surface bearing only a photograph. Along the walls stood rows of overflowing filing cabinets, a wine cabinet filled with various types of alcohol, and a sofa set placed in the center of the open space.

"Minister, what would you like to drink?" Belvina asked as she walked toward the fully stocked liquor cabinet.

Belvina has always addressed Fudge by his title; she used to call him Director when they were in the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, and now she calls him Minister.

"How about a glass of fine wine?" Fudge joked with a smile. "No, thank you. A cup of tea will do."

Before Fudge could finish stating his request, Belvina had already quickly prepared hot tea and placed it in front of him.

Fudge pretended to be angry as he straightened his pinstriped clothes and said in a serious tone, "I haven't even finished speaking, and you've already made the decision for me?" But Fudge's seriousness didn't last long. Almost instantly, he broke down and continued with a smile, "You know me so well, Belvina, you're like a mind reader."

He doesn't seem like the high and mighty Minister of Magic at all; he's more like a lively uncle teasing his beloved niece.

When Cornelius Fudge was still a lowly figure among his subjects, Belvina was already his subordinate. A year earlier, during the election for Minister of Magic, few people believed that Fudge, who was merely an assistant minister, was a shoo-in. It was Belvina who stood by him and supported him, helping him choose the right path and ultimately succeed in taking over the Ministry of Magic.

For Fudge, Belvina was not only a former retainer of the prince's residence, but also someone who had helped him rise to power. If he couldn't reward her with land, then he would give her more trust and tolerance.

So even though Belvina stirred up trouble at the Public Information Office, causing complaints from the media, Fudge remained indifferent.

"Minister, you look great today. Is something making you happy?" Belvina sat down opposite Fudge, casually draping her short jacket over the back of the sofa, showing respect for her superior while inadvertently displaying friendliness.

In fact, Belvina was not good at these manipulative tactics, and sometimes she even seemed quite clumsy. But fortunately, Fudge was not a particularly clever person either, and she was able to win the favor of this theoretically most powerful man by treating him with sincerity.

Fudge, a short, stocky man, stood up from the sofa and paced around the room with his hands behind his back. He said, "This morning, I mean earlier, I chatted with Albus for a bit via FlooNet."

What did Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore, the head of the Ministry of Magic and the head of Hogwarts, talk about while they were separated by a furnace?

No one would believe I wasn't curious.

The actions of these two individuals can cause great changes in wizarding society; their getting together must mean something is going on.

"Albus and I discussed the difficulties we've been facing," Fudge continued. "You know, Gringotts is in big trouble, the goblins are in trouble, and the public is blaming the Ministry of Magic—thank goodness for you, Belvina, otherwise who knows how incompetent the media would have portrayed me, and I might have become the goblin killer again."

Belvina didn’t know if Cornelius Fudge was a goblin killer, but she did know that there was indeed a killer in the Ministry of Magic, namely the old man killer Dolores Umbridge!

The Gringotts trespassing incident was indeed a major problem for the British wizarding community, so much so that the International Confederation of Wizards personally intervened.

But what difficulties could Hogwarts possibly have?

The Dark Lord has been out of power for ten years. The Death Eaters are either being transformed by Dementors in Azkaban or keeping a low profile and no longer as arrogant as before. The Slytherin students are also behaving themselves. Anyone with a brain wouldn't openly promote pure-blood supremacy in school. What difficulties could Hogwarts possibly have?

Is it because of Harry Potter?

Was Dumbledore worried that the protagonists of the era would grow up to be distorted? Or was he worried that Harry Potter would be sorted into Slytherin?

That's impossible. The Sorting Hat is with Dumbledore almost every day. Do they never talk to each other? Besides, it's Godric Gryffindor's hat. Would it side with someone else?

If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it anymore. Belvina, who chose to lie down, picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Fudge, pacing back and forth, continued, "You know, I owe my position as minister to Albus, and I've troubled him quite a bit since becoming minister. Hearing today that he's facing difficulties, I'll certainly do everything I can to help him!"

Of course I know! If Dumbledore hadn't repeatedly refused the ministerial position, it would have been yours!

While it was true, Belvina certainly couldn't say it that way. Even if Fudge was incredibly tolerant of her, he couldn't possibly allow her to say such things so bluntly. The stark truth was too cruel and too brutal.

"What difficulties has Professor Dumbledore encountered?" Belvina asked cooperatively. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

Cooperate when you should cooperate, respond when you should respond, don't let the leader's words fall flat, and don't make the leader feel embarrassed.

"What difficulties could Albus have? It's still Hogwarts' business," Fudge said, seemingly pleased with Belvina's attitude.

Cornelius Fudge sat back down on the sofa, his muscular frame leaning forward, his eyes fixed on Belvina, and said, word by word, "Albus has given us a lot of help, helped us solve a lot of problems... You could say that without Albus Dumbledore, there would be no Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, and no Belvina Black of the Public Information Service, right?"

Fudge spoke solemnly, his expression serious, and even the strands of his hair exuded a seriousness.

The intense gaze made Belvina feel a little uneasy, and that bad feeling surged up in her heart again. She felt that Fudge had dug a big pit in advance, waiting for her to jump into it!