The words of Rufus Scrimgeour, the official head of the Auror Office, fell like a thunderbolt into the electric atmosphere of the silent room.
Fudge, along with Sirius and Kingsley, stared at Scrimgeour in absolute astonishment. Their eyes were wide, filled with disbelief.
Everyone present, except for the eternally slow-witted Dawlish, possessed a certain degree of political acumen.
Under normal circumstances, such an impartial statement from the Auror Office's head might have caused little more than a ripple of acknowledgment. But in this particular moment with Fudge's face purple with restrained rage, Scrimgeour's decision to say such words carried profound political implications.
From the moment Scrimgeour opened his mouth, Sirius felt the pressure on him lift completely. Without drawing unwanted attention to his movements, he exchanged a knowing glance with Kingsley. The two men tacitly fell silent, holding their breath.
"Minister—"
It was Dawlish who spoke. The man was firmly aligned with the Minister's faction, and he found the oppressive atmosphere increasingly unbearable. His piglike face contorted with anxiety as he looked at the now-silent Fudge with hesitation, gathering his courage before asking the question that had been troubling him.
"Should you reconsider whether it's appropriate to gather forces right now to arrest Bryan Watson? Perhaps we should... explore other options?"
The words emerged tentatively, like a frightened creature peering from its burrow.
As soon as these words left his mouth, those in the office who weren't on the Minister's side nearly laughed out aloud. Even some of them had to disguise their amusement by turning away or pretending to examine paperwork. The tension that had gripped the room didn't dissipate completely, but it transformed into something almost amusing.
Even Fudge himself immediately shifted his homicidal gaze from Scrimgeour to Dawlish.
"Dawlish, are you betraying me too?" Fudge asked, his voice dropping to something far more sinister than simple anger.
"What?" Dawlish responded, his confusion so genuine that it looked pathetic. "Oh, of course not. I... uh, but the grounds for arresting Watson... I simply meant..."
In fact, Dawlish had no intention of backstabbing the Minister of Magic. However, the terrifying prospect of leading his subordinates into confrontation with Bryan Watson placed enormous psychological pressure upon his shoulders. This rising dread had prompted his ill-timed question, bubbling up from his subconscious.
"No one here is betraying you, Cornelius."
At that moment, a sudden commotion outside the door interrupted the tense atmosphere. The sound of footsteps approaching drew everyone's attention toward the entrance.
Madam Bones suddenly appeared from behind the half-open door with her stern expression.
"They disagree with you because they cannot find a single law to support your order. No Auror in this office, myself included, would be willing to stake their professional reputation on such legally fragile grounds."
Madam Bones approached Fudge directly, her sharp eyes meeting his with steadiness.
"The Minister of Magic holds great power, Cornelius—greater power perhaps than any other single individual in our government. But that tremendous authority does not give you the right to act arbitrarily and arrest a resident who has given such distinguished service to the British wizarding community and has violated no laws at all."
Sirius and Kingsley both observed the solemn Madam Bones with deep respect and admiration. Even Scrimgeour gave her a subtle nod of acknowledgment. They all admired her because none of them dared to tell Fudge to his face what needed to be said. And yet she did it with such grace, that even her criticism carried a tone of regret rather than condemnation.
The powerful presence shining from Madam Bones seemed to physically press down upon Fudge. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his jaw was clenching as he struggled to maintain control over the furious emotions roiling within his chest.
When he finally spoke again, each word was forced through gritted teeth like drops of venom from a serpent's fang.
"That's easy for you to say, Amelia. You're not the one standing in this position, bearing this burden. Watson didn't insult you. You simply don't understand..."
"Cornelius—"
Madam Bones sighed and directly interrupted his spiraling justifications.
"We have discussed our differing philosophies and approaches many times before. But right now, in this moment, we are talking about your intention to arrest Bryan Watson. I must remind you—"
Madam Bones focused on Fudge with a piercing gaze.
"Setting aside the crucial question of whether such an action is even legally defensible, there is another matter you must consider. The third task of the Triwizard Tournament is imminent. All of Europe's eyes are focused upon Hogwarts at this very moment. The wizarding communities of France, Bulgaria, every nation represented in this tournament is watching us closely.
The previous incidents have already made Britain the subject of considerable mockery and criticism throughout the European wizarding community."
Madam Bones's voice grew quieter but more forceful.
"Do you intend to create yet another scandal? To arrest Hogwarts's most famous professor mere days before the tournament concludes?"
Fudge fell silent.
What frightened him most, however, wasn't the concern about the tournament's events or even the notion that the magical event couldn't continue without Watson's supervision.
Rather, it was what his eyes revealed as his gaze swept slowly across the faces of Bones, Sirius, Kingsley, and even Scrimgeour.
Aside from Dawlish, everyone in the Auror office stood in opposition to him.
Did this mean he had been politically isolated?
Fudge's face turned ashen as he shifted uncomfortably, cold sweat was breaking out on his back.
"Given the current tense atmosphere between the Ministry and Bryan, I believe a frank dialogue is necessary," Madam Bones said. "If you're willing, Cornelius, I can negotiate with Bryan to hold an internal consultation meeting after the third task of the Triwizard Tournament concludes."
The corner of Sirius's mouth twitched; his expression was clearly skeptical.
Anyone with even the most basic political acumen could see that Madam Bones's gesture was ultimately futile, because the conflict and rift between Hogwarts and the Minister of Magic had become irreparable.
Unless one side completely abandoned their position and withdrew completely from the field, reconciliation was impossible.
"Let's do that, then."
To the surprise of everyone else in the office, Fudge actually agreed to Madam Bones's proposal.
He looked coldly at the earnest Madam Bones.
"After the Triwizard Tournament ends, I'll have a chat with Watson about all of this. Come on, Dawlish, you're coming with me."
With those words, Fudge led the still-confused Dawlish out of the Auror office with swift, decisive steps.
The people outside who hadn't retreated in time caused a commotion of shuffling footsteps and startled exclamations, but Fudge paid them no mind.
The oppressive atmosphere inside the office didn't relax despite the Minister's departure.
"Will Fudge really negotiate with Bryan?" Sirius asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty and surprise. But as soon as the words left his mouth, Kingsley, standing beside him, discreetly nudged his arm with a subtle gesture.
Understanding immediately what his friend was communicating, Sirius glanced warily at Scrimgeour and fell silent, recognizing that the Auror Office head's intentions remained unclear and potentially dangerous.
Scrimgeour, appeared not to notice Kingsley's subtle gesture or Sirius's distrustful look. Instead, he turned his attention toward Madam Bones, who stood with her eyes lowered in thoughtful silence, and spoke in a voice completely empty of any emotion.
"You're probably aware, Madam, that the Minister has no genuine intention of backing down to Watson and Dumbledore. He agreed to your proposal only because he wants to buy time."
"Buy time?" Sirius frowned deeply and blurted out, "For what?"
"To find a suitable reason to throw Bryan into Azkaban," Kingsley said. The look he gave Scrimgeour contained unmistakable confusion and surprise.
Scrimgeour had always been firmly on the Minister of Magic's side, or so everyone had believed. His two statements during this meeting, however, unmistakably indicated that his stance seemed to have shifted.
For quite some time, ever since Dawlish had groveled himself with the Minister and subsequently been promoted, Scrimgeour had been deliberately sidelined and marginalized. This humiliation had clearly not gone unnoticed or unforgiven.
But what had prompted him to decide to break with the Minister of Magic and align himself instead with Madam Bones?
Even Kingsley, with his considerable political awareness, could discern the shifting landscape clearly enough. There was absolutely no reason why Madam Bones couldn't perceive it as well.
She concealed any surprise she felt remarkably well, her expression was remaining pleasant and composed even as her thoughts raced through complex calculations.
"What do you think the Minister went to do with Dawlish, Rufus?" she asked apparently casually, smiling at Scrimgeour, whose face showed its usual cold and stern look.
This was a test.
Kingsley, observing silently from the sidelines, immediately recognized this fact with keen awareness. Madam Bones was testing whether Scrimgeour had any genuine intention of changing his allegiance or whether this was just a temporary divergence before he returned to Fudge's orbit.
Under Madam Bones's gentle but searching scrutiny, Scrimgeour's brow twitched with subtle tension as he fell into a brief silence.
Soon, however, the corner of his mouth pulled into a small sarcastic smile.
"Isn't it obvious, Madam? The Minister must have taken Dawlish to St. Mungo's Hospital to consult with Madam Umbridge about potential countermeasures against Watson."
"That's what I think as well—" Madam Bones smiled pleasantly. "Then, could I trouble you to do me a favor, Rufus?"
After a moment's hesitation, Scrimgeour nodded. "What can I do for you, Madam?"
"I believe Bryan needs to know about what happened in this office this morning. Could I trouble you to write him a letter informing him of the relevant circumstances?"
Scrimgeour's expression tightened subtly at this request, and for a moment Sirius thought the man might refuse.
As even him, who wasn't particularly skilled at reading between the lines of political talk, could discern Madam Bones's underlying purpose with this specific request. She needed to bind Scrimgeour to Bryan's side, to make him complicit in the coming confrontation.
Once Scrimgeour had written such a letter, there would be no returning to neutrality or to Fudge's faction.
He watched Scrimgeour with both curiosity and tension, waiting to see which way the scales would tip.
This time, however, Scrimgeour didn't keep them waiting long.
"Of course, no problem, Madam," Rufus Scrimgeour said calmly.
Thus, merely two hours later, Bryan at Hogwarts had already received Scrimgeour's letter, delivered by a owl.
Another letter arrived simultaneously, this one from Sirius.
Comparing the two letters, Bryan easily understood what had happened within the Auror Office this morning.
At the same time, reading between the lines of Amelia's hand in Scrimgeour's intervention, Bryan guessed with reasonable confidence what Amelia's primary reason had been for having Scrimgeour write this letter.
Standing at his office window, gazing out at the clear blue sky stretching endlessly above Hogwarts, Bryan revealed a mysterious smile.
Fudge and Umbridge had probably already decided to have a complete showdown after the Triwizard Tournament concluded.
And what they would do no longer required much contemplation or careful analysis.
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