"Are you saying that Sirius was wrongly accused?"
Fudge sat tremblingly in the principal's office and listened to everyone's narration. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Sirius unconsciously: "But this is too unbelievable."
"If he was wrongly accused, why didn't he defend himself when he was arrested?"
Facing Fudge's question, Dumbledore explained: "Cornelly, Sirius was willing to enter Azkaban in order to atone for his sins."
It's a pity that even when he spoke for Sirius, Fudge didn't respond lightly.
"Albus, you have never been the Minister of Magic, so you don't understand that I can't consider this matter just for him. It is very complicated to reverse the case. A wrongful conviction for twelve years will have a great impact on the credibility of the Ministry of Magic." It is a huge challenge and people will be deeply disappointed with the Ministry of Magic."
Although Fudge did not explicitly refuse, his reluctance was written between the lines.
Just say it clearly - don't care about my business, don't come to me.
Are you kidding me? The recent handling of the Dementors has made him very anxious, and the public support rate has almost dropped to an all-time low. For this reason, he goes to Dumbledore every day for advice, and now he is asked to overturn the case of the 'evil criminal' Black? Isn't this looking for trouble for yourself? Anyone who can't handle his position as Minister of Magic will be insecure.
More than one senior official in the Ministry of Magic is eyeing his position, and no one wants to stand at the pinnacle of power.
Compared with fairness and justice, Fudge cares more about the 'black gauze hat' on his head. As long as he can keep his position as Minister of Magic, he can fall out with anyone, including Dumbledore.
Instead of reversing the case for Sirius, he wanted to take Sirius back directly to deal with him, at least to restore some poor support.
If it wasn't a bit difficult, he would have done it long ago.
'Even without this incident, people are basically disappointed with the Ministry of Magic. '
How many useful policies has the Ministry of Magic in England introduced during Fudge's tenure?
The answer is zero.
The three most common things most wizards do on a daily basis are - eating, sleeping, and cursing the Ministry of Magic.
Fudge's behavior made Dumbledore a little helpless. He wanted to listen to his opinions and was wary of him. He really didn't know what to ask him to say.
If he insists on capturing Sirius, it will be really troublesome.
Dumbledore has been away from the center of power for too long due to personal reasons. His former friends, such as Nicoléme, have also died one after another over the years. Perhaps the only wizards with powerful magic left in the tower are those who have survived to this day. That one.
And he may never meet the one in the tower in this life.
Harry felt a little angry. Although he didn't like Sirius very much, he wanted Peter to be punished as he deserved. He couldn't understand why the Minister of Magic kept pushing and delaying things that were obvious. But he had no choice but to look at Dudley.
Feeling Harry's gaze, Dudley, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"Mr. Fudge, the original order to arrest Sirius should not have come from you."
"Oh, yes, Mr. Dursley." Fudge was slightly startled when he heard this, and nodded.
If Fudge was defensive towards Dumbledore, his tone towards Dudley was much better.
The current relationship between the two is barely a partnership.
Dudley strolled up to Fudge, who was a full head taller than the short Fudge.
"Then what do you have to worry about?"
Just listen to Dudley whisper: "I think what happened is like this."
"Not long after the wise and powerful Minister of Magic, Mr. Fudge, took over as Minister of Magic, he discovered that Sirius's case was not simple with his instinct that was different from ordinary people. In order to find out the truth, and in order to prevent any wizard from being unfairly wronged, he alone One person secretly investigated. Finally, with his unremitting efforts, he discovered an astonishing secret."
His story immediately attracted Fudge's attention, and his tone was full of fascination and inducement. As he narrated, Fudge began to breathe heavily.
"Sirius, the heinous criminal, turned out to be innocent."
"Minister Fudge is an upright and kind-hearted wizard, and he will never tolerate any unjust, false or wrongful convictions in his eyes."
"This was a dereliction of duty by the previous Minister of Magic, but Minister Fudge is willing to take full responsibility and apologize to the people on behalf of the Ministry of Magic."
The previous Minister of Magic, Millicent Barnold, has been retired for a long time. If someone who has withdrawn from the center of power will not be labeled as such, how can she be labeled?
To dump the blame on his predecessor and then step on him to gain power, this is the quality that every good politician should have.
Fudge's eyes brightened with every word, and Dudley knew that now was the last step.
He leaned down and whispered in Fudge's ear: "Because of the dementors, your reputation is already very low. If you don't find a way, your position may not be stable. As far as I know, Barty... Because Mr. Crouch did not compete with you last time, he has made deep reflections and has now attracted many supporters."
"This is not good news for your loyal allies."
"It is in our interests that you continue as Minister for Magic."
The words have reached this point. If Fudge doesn't react again, then he will really consider changing someone. People can be stupid, but they can't be too stupid.
"You're a smart guy, you should know what to do."
Dudley said and sat back down.
Fudge thought for a while with his underdeveloped brain and found that this plan was perfect. Not only could it reverse the current predicament, but it could also raise the support rate to the top.
In particular, Dudley's last wise words were of great benefit to Fudge.
Well, he always thought he was excellent, otherwise why would he be the Minister of Magic and not someone else.
"This, this. I deeply regret what happened to Mr. Black, and I deeply hate Peter Pettigrew's bad behavior. Please rest assured that the Ministry of Magic will never unjustly accuse a good person, and will never let any bad person go."
As if he was under the Imperius Curse, Fudge made a 180-degree change in his conversation. He changed from his previous pushback and obstruction to his righteous speech.
"We will definitely give everyone justice."
Fudge's words almost made the others' jaws drop.
Sirius, Lupin, Harry, Hermione and others all looked at him with strange eyes, but Fudge was unmoved. There was not even a trace of red on his wrinkled face. Being thick-skinned is what every good person should do. The qualities a Minister of Magic should have.
Dudley sat in his seat with a normal expression, as if he didn't know anything, while Dumbledore looked at Dudley with a smile, wondering what he was thinking.
The original Fudge was very short, described as: a stocky little man.
In addition to focusing on power, this guy is also quite greedy for money.
(End of chapter)
