Chapter 163: Forgive
The next day, when Arthur saw Luna in the Great Hall, she seemed completely fine.
Luna also saw Arthur and waved at him while having breakfast with Cho.
Arthur was about to walk over to them when a prefect from Ravenclaw came over and told him that Dumbledore wanted to see him in his office.
Arthur was confused.
Was it about yesterday? Then why didn't he call him last night?
As he walked to the eighth floor, the statue at the entrance of the Headmaster's office glanced at him and opened without asking for a password.
The Headmaster's office was the same as usual, and Arthur looked around but didn't see Dumbledore.
When the portraits of the previous Headmasters saw Arthur's arrival, they all greeted him. Arthur was often in the Headmaster's office, so they remembered him well.
Even the portrait of Headmaster Black winked at him secretly.
Arthur smiled and greeted each of them.
Fawkes flew onto his shoulder, tilting his head as if wondering why Furry didn't come along with him.
Arthur lightly tapped the head of the phoenix, annoyed that he only cared about his own phoenix at home.
"Sorry, Arthur, I was dealing with some things earlier and made you wait."
Dumbledore's voice came from the right side, and Arthur turned his head to find an invisible door from which Dumbledore appeared.
Once seated in his own chair, Dumbledore motioned for Arthur to sit down as well. He seemed to be in a good mood.
After Arthur was seated, Dumbledore conjured tea and desserts.
"These are the new products that the Honeydukes will be launching soon. I'm their VIP customer, so I get them in advance."
Dumbledore seemed like a naughty old child, proud to be a VIP customer of a candy store.
Arthur didn't refuse his kindness as he hadn't eaten breakfast before being called here.
He picked up a piece of pink transparent candy and took a bite. A fragrant strawberry flavor entered his mouth, and it tasted good.
After taking a sip of tea, Arthur brought up the main topic.
"Professor, did you call me here today because of the Dementor incident yesterday?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"I called you today to plead for Fudge, and of course, there are some other matters."
"Plead?"
Arthur didn't understand.
Dumbledore explained, "Because of what happened on the train yesterday, you caused a lot of trouble for him. Also, the Malfoy and Flint families have been pressuring Fudge because of you. I just had a conversation with him."
Dumbledore didn't expect that Arthur could cause such big trouble for Fudge.
Most of the members of the Order of Merlin wrote complaints to the Ministry of Magic last night, and what Dumbledore didn't expect was that several pure-blood families in Slytherin also secretly put pressure on Fudge.
In just a few years, Arthur had become a wizard with tremendous influence over every word and action.
Arthur realized that his few letters had exhausted the Minister for Magic.
However, he didn't feel any sympathy for Fudge since it was his own doing.
Seeing that Arthur remained stubborn, Dumbledore persuaded him.
"The magical world is already in a difficult situation. We can't let Fudge worry about these matters anymore."
Arthur knew that Dumbledore really wanted to save Fudge, and he sighed.
Do you know that the person you are trying so hard to save will turn against you completely in two years and treat you as an enemy who killed his father?
However, Dumbledore said so, and Arthur had to give face.
"Professor, I can let him go, but Fudge should show some appreciation, right?"
As soon as Dumbledore heard that, he knew Arthur had agreed. He smiled and reassured Arthur that he would discuss compensation with Fudge.
Then he brought up another matter.
"Gaunt, I hope that this semester, you can help me protect Harry. If possible, it would be best if you could teach him the Patronus Charm."
Dumbledore said this seriously and explained Sirius Black's situation, using the version that was widely accepted in the wizarding world.
Arthur listened and felt a little speechless, "Professor, with you at Hogwarts, what is there to worry about?"
Dumbledore let out a sigh, looking somewhat weary.
"I may not be in the school for a long time, so Harry's safety is entirely up to you."
Arthur wanted to say something sarcastic but couldn't find the right words.
He certainly knew what Dumbledore was going out to do—he was looking for Voldemort's Horcrux.
But the problem was that Arthur had already taken care of all the Horcrux outside, except for one Hufflepuff's Cup and one Harry.
At this point, Dumbledore's efforts would be in vain.
But he couldn't say that, as he still needed a few more years to grow. It would be better for Dumbledore to focus on Voldemort.
Arthur nodded and agreed, knowing that Sirius wouldn't do anything to Harry and he didn't need to waste his energy.
Dumbledore looked at Arthur with relief, thinking that Arthur had agreed because of the friendship between him and Harry.
"That's all for now, thank you for coming, Gaunt."
Hearing Dumbledore's hint of leaving words, Arthur got up and headed towards the door.
But Dumbledore remembered something and suddenly said, "Oh, please don't reveal Professor Lupin's identity, after all, it's really difficult to find a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
Dumbledore knew Arthur would probably figure out Lupin's werewolf identity, so he reminded him.
Arthur didn't look back, waved his hand at Dumbledore, and left the office.
Looking at the time, it was almost time for the first class. Their first class today was Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Arthur silently pondered Luna's situation on his way. Luna was particularly vulnerable to Dementors due to witnessing her mother's death at a young age.
The young witch needed to learn the Patronus Charm, but in order to learn the spell, she had to face a Dementor or a Boggart for practice.
Arthur didn't want the young witch to suffer repeatedly, so he was also troubled.
By the time he arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he still had no idea what to do.
...
https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit
You can find up to 35 advance chapters at my patreon.