Fudge had clearly dressed for the occasion. He was a short, stocky wizard, and today his hair had been curled. He wore a finely striped suit, a violet tie, a long black cloak, and silver pointed boots.
Moriarty watched Fudge approach. He knew that from this moment on, every word he spoke had to be carefully considered. Yet these mentally taxing speeches were not Moriarty's true feelings; they were merely tools for achieving his goal.
Just as now, Moriarty lightly shook Fudge's hand and quickly released it, saying evenly, "I believe Mr. Fudge knows perfectly well that our headmaster, Dumbledore, has always opposed students becoming involved in politics. Yet I still came. Mr. Fudge, do you know why?"
Fudge's eyelid twitched at the mention of "Dumbledore." After hearing Moriarty's question, he looked anxiously at Lucius.
Before Moriarty's arrival, they had anticipated many possible ways the conversation might go, but Moriarty cutting straight to the heart of the matter had not been one of them!
How was he supposed to answer that?
Fudge stood there awkwardly. He could hardly say, "Because once I become Minister for Magic, I can give the Slytherin Family many benefits, so please support me"!
Fudge had his own little calculations as well. There were too many Pure-blood families, and they were far too greedy. There would never be enough benefits to divide among them. If he promised Moriarty benefits today, he would have to promise Malfoy benefits tomorrow. A week later, before he had even become Minister for Magic, he would already have been stripped of all real power!
Clearly, Fudge had not yet become a hypocritical politician. Moriarty glanced at him and continued along the line of his earlier question. "The reason I came is because I hope Mr. Fudge can bring different changes to