Chapter 678: A Fortunate and Wonderful Plan to Secure the World (Edited)

[Albus Dumbledore Infiltrates the Ministry of Magic]

News arrived from the Ministry of Magic that the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, infiltrated the Ministry of Magic on Thursday night with malicious intentions. The wise Minister Cornelius Fudge detected the intrusion in advance and directed his Aurors to apprehend him.

Minister Fudge did not personally pursue Dumbledore, fearing for the safety of the Ministry, but he has accused Dumbledore, and the Wizengamot will soon judge him for his actions.

"We received a warning that thieves would infiltrate the Ministry that night to steal secrets." This was Minister Fudge's response when a journalist asked how an ambush could be preemptively carried out.

"What I did not expect, however, is for the intruder to be Dumbledore!" Fudge said that this had surprised him.

"Although Dumbledore has made many indelible contributions to the magical world and has been acclaimed as the greatest white wizard of the century, that is no reason for him to ignore the rules and do as he pleases." Fudge expressed his strong condemnation of Dumbledore's actions: "We will not yield! Justice will be served. I also believe that the Wizengamot will give Dumbledore a fair trial."

Over the past year, Albus Dumbledore has claimed the return of the man whose name cannot be mentioned. However, the truth is that it has been a quiet year in the magical world, with no signs of the mysterious man's return.

It is reasonable to assume that Dumbledore wanted to gain something from it, but when his plans did not go well, he finally acted even more irrationally...

"Snap!"

Hermione threw the Daily Prophet onto the table.

"The magical world is quiet?" She scoffed. "Have they forgotten about the ten Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban?"

"Forget about it? Fudge attributed this matter to Sirius," Harry snorted coldly.

"And the article doesn't hold up under scrutiny," Seamus grimaced. "If what was said earlier is true, then why is the Wizengamot needed for a trial?"

Although most people did not know exactly what had happened on Thursday night, their confidence in Fish and Dumbledore, and their disgust with Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic, meant they did not believe Fudge's nonsense in the newspaper but were outraged that the Ministry was once again targeting Dumbledore.

"Why isn't Fish mentioned?"

(??ˇ?ˇ??)

Fish had a different approach from the others, and after hearing Hermione read the news report, he said with great disgust, "Fish was there that night."

Upon hearing that Fish had been there that night, everyone laughed at the newspaper... If Dumbledore had really wanted to infiltrate the Ministry, how could he have taken Fish with him?

Everyone at Hogwarts had a very clear idea of Fish's abilities, and if it was an attack on the Ministry, then it was fine to bring Fish along, but to infiltrate...

Although Fish was a cat, no one thought much about his ability to infiltrate.

"On that note, I probably already know why," Fred choked out a laugh. "Percy had written to us before and mentioned that when they said something bad about Fish in the papers, not only Umbridge but also Fudge received a ton of howler letters, and the Ministry of Magic was as busy as Hogwarts that day."

"I suppose the Daily Prophet's editorial team was in a similar state that day." George sneered with disdain on his face. "So that they would never dare to attack Fish in the papers again."

Since Percy had been inadvertently awakened by Fish, he and the twins, who had previously disliked each other, had grown much closer. They maintained regular correspondence, with Percy occasionally helping the twins with some of their product development issues.

Due to today's Daily Prophet, the students and professors at Hogwarts momentarily diverted their attention from the upcoming N.E.W.T. exams and enthusiastically discussed the news, even the seventh-year students who had exams the next day.

Professor Marchbanks and the other examiners from the Wizarding Examinations Authority whispered about it at the teachers' table. These elders trusted Dumbledore more than the Ministry of Magic, where they worked.

"If I had known this would happen, Tiberius and I should never have resigned from the Wizengamot," said Professor Marchbanks with some remorse.

"I appreciate your trust and kindness, Griselda," Dumbledore replied with a gentle smile. "But don't worry, I have a powerful witness like Fish."

"Yes, and don't we have ourselves?" Professor Tofty waved the knife in his hand and said with a smile, "Then we'll all try to get involved."

Apart from Professor Marchbanks, the other examiners were also mostly veteran members of the Wizengamot. The only difference was that for each trial, apart from a few presiding judges like the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and the Minister of Magic, the rest of the jury was irregular, with only about fifty members invited to participate.

"So be careful not to make any statements in support of Albus when he returns," Professor Marchbanks raised an eyebrow, causing the group of elders to burst into laughter.

Voldemort, holed up in Malfoy Manor, was also reading the news in the Daily Prophet, which he skimmed through and then tossed aside.

"Fudge is a loser, he couldn't even catch Dumbledore like that!" he scoffed contemptuously. "Did Dumbledore choose such an idiot to be Minister of Magic in the first place? Is it because he can control him better? It's a shame that... Fudge is not only a waste but also a fool."

"My Lord, would you like me to use my contacts to confirm Dumbledore's accusations?" respectfully asked Lucius Malfoy from the side.

Although he had already made the decision to betray Voldemort, Lucius still remained dormant and had to behave as he normally would.

Voldemort gently stroked the snake Nagini he held in his hand and, after a moment of contemplation, shook his head and said, "No, even if we condemn Dumbledore, we will only add a small harmless problem to him. Let Fudge, that fool, play his role."

If it hadn't been for Fish, Voldemort would have hoped for Dumbledore to be expelled from Hogwarts, to have the chance to deceive Harry.

But now, his deception had been used up, and the discomfort was becoming more apparent as it connected to Harry's mind. To make matters worse, there was no way to fix the big problem that Fish posed...

It would be better to keep Dumbledore at Hogwarts, so his whereabouts could be more easily confirmed.

Overall, Voldemort was satisfied with the outcome of his plan. Although he hadn't achieved the goal of weakening Dumbledore's power, it had also exposed how weak the Ministry's defenses were.

"Your most important task now is to intensify your infiltration of the Ministry. Afterwards, I will personally pay a visit to the Department of Mysteries."

A smirk formed on Voldemort's lips.