And So June Arrived

Loren briefly reviewed the tenures of several Ministers and found that Professor McGonagall was right. Many Ministers had taken office because of unexpected circumstances, and many had left for the same reason.

The position of Minister for Magic was much like that of Hogwarts Headmaster: there was no fixed term. Combined with wizards' long natural lifespans, it was not unheard of for someone healthy and unharmed to remain in office for decades.

Take the fortunate Phineas Spavin, for instance. He served for thirty-eight years before the Wizengamot persuaded him to step down due to senility. He was already 147 when he retired.

Hector Fawley took office in 1925 and served for fourteen years. He was dismissed for failing to take Gellert Grindelwald's threat to the entire Wizarding World seriously enough.

Eugenia Jenkins took office in 1968 and served for seven years before being dismissed because she could not deal with Voldemort's rise. Her successor, Harold Minchum, lasted only five years and was likewise dismissed for failing to deal with Voldemort.

Millicent Bagnold caught a lucky break. Not long after taking office in 1980, Voldemort unexpectedly fell, and she served steadily as Minister for ten years before retiring with honor.

The 1990 Ministerial election came at a delicate moment. Crouch, originally the most qualified successor, had been politically sidelined after the scandal involving his son being a Death Eater came to light, leaving him as Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, handling trade matters. The obscure Cornelius Fudge seemed mild-tempered and ineffectual, so Dumbledore took a liking to him. Believing Fudge could bring the Wizarding World a period of stability and peace, Dumbledore used his own reputation to canvass votes for him, and Fudge was ultimately elected.

The result was that Dumbledore nearly ruined his reputation in his old