No one reacted to the sudden punch.
The main reason is that, packed into a whole office of wizards, no one expected someone to stamp a "serious punch" on the face of the Minister of Magic of the United Kingdom like a Muggle. Even Dumbledore was still smiling as he looked at Fudge, who was lying on the ground—
Not because he was some kind of smiling tiger, but because everything happened too fast for him to react.
Lupin speaking out in "objection" was indeed something they had privately discussed, but William's whole act was not in the script.
As Fudge's short and pudgy body thudded onto the ground, the office fell into a brief silence.
And Sirius, almost betrayed for the third time, remained dazed, kneeling and sitting there, staring blankly at Fudge's painfully distorted face falling in front of him. He opened his mouth, then blinked in confusion—had the world truly gone mad beyond his understanding?
Then, the quickest to react wasn't Dumbledore or Professor Meow, but rather...
"...Minister!!!"
An unpleasant shriek erupted from the back of the crowd as a middle-aged woman in dark pink attire brusquely shoved aside the bewildered Professor Sprout, bypassed Peter Pettigrew, who was half-collapsed and his pupils violently trembling, and yelled as she was about to leap onto Fudge—
"Bang—"
Seeing the pink toad pouncing in his direction, William instinctively lashed out with a side kick.
Direct hit to the face, delivering a billion-fold critical strike.
Umbridge fell to the ground with a nosebleed, leaving a white pant leg on William—her powder was just too thick.
"..."
Looking at the two stacked on the ground, William finally exhaled a stale breath, his previously congested chest feeling much relieved.
Compromise? Detour? Bullshit, as long as my fists are strong enough—
Seeing five Aurors standing on guard in front of the Professors, William chuckled, then pulled a magic wand out of his pocket. After all, battles between wizards were more convenient to handle this way, allowing for controlled strength, since he didn't intend to kill anyone—
"Wait."
Dumbledore stood up from his seat, and the originally tense atmosphere deflated because of his words. The four or five Aurors who were already ready to cast spells lifted their heads at his words, and the hair of the young girl among them changed from brown to a striking gold.
The patrolling of Aurors within Hogwarts Castle had been ongoing since the Dementors were sent away—
This was one of the reasons why, even though Dumbledore planned to keep Fudge in the dark, the latter could still show up so quickly. After all, the search for Peter Pettigrew was far too blatant to remain unnoticed.
"Professor, I've said, this is more convenient..."
"William Richard," Dumbledore forcefully interrupted William's words, frowning with a stern tone, "You assaulted the Minister of Magic and must be punished... So, Hufflepuff loses fifteen points, and you will also need to undergo one week of detention—"
He then looked past William, "Minerva, Mr. Richard's detention is up to you, please take him out—"
"Dumbledore!"
Fudge, who had been feigning fainting, suddenly found his head no longer aching, nor his vision blurred at that light punishment, and furiously sprang up, glaring at Dumbledore with probably the most intense anger he'd ever shown him.
Pointing at his own nose, still bleeding but now completely crooked to one side, his fingers trembled slightly, "I'm only worth a week's detention?"
"..."
Dumbledore remained silent, unable to suppress a sigh—did this man really think such a verdict was for anyone else's benefit?
A week of detention... you're worth a damn.
...Forget it, tired of it, let it end.
The elderly man's tense posture slightly relaxed, as he leaned gently back, his face serene, and slowly closed his eyes.
"?!"
Seeing Dumbledore with an expression that plainly showed he didn't intend to interfere, Fudge felt as if his lungs would burst from anger, opening his mouth, fingers trembling as he tried to speak, only to be grabbed by the collar the next moment.
"!!"
What, he still dares?!
Fudge's face changed dramatically, with the leftover pain on his face lingering, prompting him to wave his pudgy arms to fight back, still shouting, "Are you Aurors just freeloading? Someone's assaulting the Minister of Magic—"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"..."
Indeed, the once dumbfounded Aurors now acted decisively, multi-colored spells shooting towards William, who remained unfazed, fixatedly pinning Fudge's arms and pressing his head onto the desk—
"Swoosh—"
Then, a golden light burst from his pocket, a golden golem expanding to about two meters tall, brandishing a long sword in front, blocking all spells, with the golden holy light blazing, blinding everyone present—
Only Lupin had put on sunglasses beforehand, casually handing out a pair each to Harry, Professor McGonagall, Tonks, and those who hadn't acted.
"Oh, thank you."
Tonks blinked in confusion, pressing the glasses' frame down, instinctively taking two steps back, not knowing if her slacking off had been noticed by the senior members just now.
And as the Aurors... and Professors, were rigidly held by the golem, William had already succeeded in bending Fudge's legs, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Grabbing the sparse few strands of hair on top of Fudge's head, he jerked Fudge's head and slammed it onto the desk—