Chapter 256

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"Anyway, Cornelius, we should start taking measures."

"What measures, Dumbledore? What are you talking about?"

"We have all witnessed terrible events, and it is not for you, Cornelius, to deny the fact of Voldemort's resurrection."

"And what did we see, Dumbledore?!" Fudge started screaming again. "No one knows what exactly! Some wizards in Death Eaters costumes kidnapped two boys, let some freak out of the cauldron, and the boys just escaped. Escaped, Dumbledore! Using some kind of modified Inséndio, transgression, and Accio! If You-Know-Who could be fooled so easily, we wouldn't have all those troubles! The troubles of that war!"

"However, Harry told me the conversations and details of what happened."

"And you are willing to believe that Lord Voldemort was reborn, based only on a dubious picture and the words of a boy who... who..."

"You've read Rita Skeeter's articles, Mr. Fudge," Potter, who had stopped pretending, stated the fact rather than asked, making all the Weasleys almost jump in surprise. There was Ron, too, by the way. He must have hidden from my gaze behind an overweight Molly.

"So?" asked Fudge defiantly, shifting his gaze from Dumbledore to Potter and back again. "What if I found out that you were hiding some facts about this boy? A wizard who speaks Parseltongue, huh? And all the time strange statements and seizures..."

"I assume you're talking about the scar pains Harry has been experiencing lately?" the Headmaster asked coldly.

"So you admit that he's been having pains? Headaches? Nightmares at night? Perhaps even hallucinations?"

"Look, Cornelius," Dumbledore stepped toward his interlocutor, and I felt the increased density of magic from the headmaster rather easily. "Harry is as healthy as we are. The scar has not damaged his brain. I believe the scar hurts when Lord Voldemort is around Harry or plans to commit murder."

Fudge retreated half a step away from Dumbledore, but he still looked as stubborn as ever.

"I'm sorry, Dumbledore, but I've heard before that a scar from a spell can act as an alarm clock."

"Look, I saw Voldemort reborn myself!" shouted Harry. He tried to get out of bed, but the Weasley matriarch did not let him do it. "I saw the Death Eaters! You've all seen them! I can tell you their names! Macnair..."

"He's acquitted! Now he works in the Ministry!"

"Avery... Nott... Crabbe... Goyle..."

"You're just repeating the names of those supposed Death Eaters who were acquitted thirteen years ago!" stated Fudge angrily. "You could have read their names in the old court transcripts! For God's sake, Dumbledore... the boy has told the same crazy stories before... his stories are getting longer and more implausible, and you keep swallowing them... the boy can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still believe him?"

McGonagall shook her head disappointedly.

"We all saw everything..."

"There is no real evidence other than the dubious image and words of the boy!" Fudge began to lose his temper. "It seems that you are ready to sow panic that will destroy everything that we have managed to built over the past thirteen years!"

I listened and didn't know whether to be surprised or to laugh. How much Fudge clings to power! Not surprising, though, with his greed. As a wizard, he is, frankly, not very good, judging by the lack of a conscious reaction to the increasing density of the headmaster's magic. The more the wizard is familiar with the magical arts and the greater his personal power, the more sensitive he is.

For the next ten minutes, the headmaster tried to get through to Fudge's mind, proposing various measures, but they were quite radical. Dumbledore should have understood that since Fudge refuses even to admit the fact of Voldemort's return, then it is not worth mentioning any resignations of dementors and ambassadors to giants.

As a result, the headmaster and Fudge simply threatened each other. The minister obviously tried to show his displeasure with Dumbledore's behavior and, in no less obvious way, promised to invade the headmaster's fiefdom, that is, the school, establishing his own order. Fudge was not even surprised or persuaded by the mark on Snape's hand, which he hastened to show - the minister simply let its description pass his ears. He didn't even look at it!

In general, Fudge left, shamelessly throwing a bag of money on the bed to Potter and me. However, the headmaster did not waste a second, approaching the wizards around Harry and beginning to give out valuable instructions.