"It's said he's already returned to England and should be at the Ministry of Magic now. Apparently, he was invited there," Tonks replied.
"All right. Let's hope he brings good news when he gets back here." Kayson nodded, and then an envelope abruptly appeared before him.
He tore open the envelope in surprise and gave it a casual glance.
"What is it?" Sirius asked.
"Dumbledore wants me to go to the Ministry of Magic. I don't know what it's about, so I'll head over first," Kayson explained. Then, with a hum, he vanished through Ender teleportation.
By the fountain at the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore sat quietly on a bench, waiting. Kayson soon appeared beside him.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"It's Fudge. He asked me for a private meeting. Clearly, he's already lost his bearings. His approach toward me is no longer simply... I need a somewhat acceptable explanation..."
Dumbledore rarely paused after saying that, and Kayson spoke up.
"A bootlicker?"
"More or less. He's changed his approach toward me. For instance, he's invited me to this conversation. Clearly, he intends to pressure me," Dumbledore explained.
"How so? Did he set up an ambush of seven or eight hundred axemen in his office?" Kayson asked.
"Who knows? Let's go in." Dumbledore casually shrugged and headed toward Fudge's office.
Neither of them had the habit of knocking. They simply pushed open the door and walked in.
Fudge, who was using the cigar cutter built into his alchemical arm to trim a cigar, looked up at Dumbledore. Just as he was about to put on a fake smile, he spotted Kayson behind Dumbledore, and his mood instantly soured.
"Let's be frank, Cornelius." Dumbledore sat in the chair directly opposite Fudge, while Kayson took a seat on the sofa to one side.