Hoping for the British Ministry of Magic to suddenly realize its mistake is less desirable than hoping Voldemort will reform. Umbridge immediately exploded as soon as Vincent finished speaking—literally exploded.
Her fluffy, elegantly tousled hair, like a spring, knocked off the black velvet bow hair clip pinned to it, and her loose, chubby face was exaggeratedly creased with wrinkles due to her ferocious expression.
"You say I'm narrow-minded? What do you, a student, know! My contributions to the Wizarding World are obvious to all. What makes you think I'm hindering the development of individuals and society!"
"Contributions?" Vincent scoffed. "You mean flattering your superiors and abusing your power for personal gain?"
He glanced at the Wizengamot members and said, "Senior Deputy Minister Umbridge, I heard that you were expected to join Wizengamot this year, but you were too greedy. You even tried to take advantage of the Magical News Department, and almost ruined the reputation that the Ministry of Magic had worked so hard to build over the years."
She's committed such a serious crime and yet she's still allowed to stay in the Ministry of Magic; her flattery skills are truly exceptional.
"I...I..." Umbridge was speechless, as if she had been pinched in a vital spot.
Seeing her make a complete fool of herself, Fudge was so regretful that he wanted to strangle his past self from 15 minutes ago.
"You...you..." In his eyes, Umbridge, whose face was deathly pale, was already useless.
She stammered for a long time without being able to say a word. In order to minimize her impact on the Ministry of Magic, she would better keep quiet.
"Ah—" Umbridge's scream, comparable to that of a banshee, suddenly rang out.
The members of Wizengamot who were relatively close by were dizzy, and even Fudge's eardrums hurt from the scream.
"Framed!" Umbridge's eyes were bloodshot, she looked like a bloodthirsty demon. "Wayne! Do you know how serious a crime it is to frame a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic!"
It took her ages to come up with this excuse; her brain is really full of fat.
"Do you know what a ridiculous lie you've fabricated? Do you think you can cover up your and Dumbledore's unspeakable secrets like this?"
Umbridge craned his neck. "I'm telling you, don't even think about it! I'll dig out your secrets!"
Being bad isn't scary; the problem is being bad, stupid, and selfish.
Vincent observed the fascinating expression on Fudge's face with great interest, ignoring Umbridge seemed ready to bite him. "Hearing officer, I feel my personal safety is seriously threatened. I request that you immediately remove Senior Deputy Minister Umbridge."
His commanding tone made Fudge's expression even more interesting.
You're really angry but you have to hold it in; if you keep holding it in, it'll definitely be bad for your health.
Fudge gently clutched his chest, his tone particularly cold, "Senior Deputy Minister Umbridge, control your emotions if you don't want to be asked to leave."
Umbridge thought he had misheard; he should be the one coming to help him.
The charge of falsely accusing a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic is far more serious than the charge of spreading rumors and creating panic. If Vincent were put in Azkaban, no wizard would ever dare to claim that Voldemort had returned.
Her idea was wonderful, but reality was not as simple as she thought.
With the involvement of Wizengamot, the highest court of wizards, at this hearing, even Fudge could only resort to underhanded tactics and dared not act openly.
"Senior Deputy Minister Umbridge?"
Fudge's emotionless words made Umbridge's legs go weak.
Everyone knows she's Fudge's mouthpiece. It's nothing for her to lose face; it's the Ministry of Magic that's really in trouble.
She stumbled and sat down in the chair, then slid unceremoniously onto the cold floor.
"Minister Fudge... I..."
"I am now the hearing presiding officer."
Umbridge shuddered and stumbled back into his chair.
It is true that she used her position to get the Magical News Department to change the newspaper supplier, but the truth is that she framed Vincent by falsely accusing a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic.
Not all of those Wizengamot members were Fudge's people, and Fudge himself wasn't exactly clean, so how could he possibly expose her abuse of power for personal gain?
But judging from her pale but still ferocious glare at Vincent, she didn't seem to realize what she had done wrong.
In her eyes, the members of the Wizengamot group, like herself, achieved their current status through unscrupulous means.
A person with malicious intent sees everything as a conspiracy; their evil is so comprehensive that even Voldemort would have to admit defeat.
Fudge certainly has a knack for making people like this shut up.
Vincent shrugged at Dumbledore in regret.
"Professor, I've finally figured it out. This hearing was a complete farce."
Dumbledore shook his head. "A farce can have some effect, but your aggressive attitude will likely backfire."
Vincent leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, seemingly unconcerned. "I don't care what other people think now, and I'm not the only one suffering the backlash."
Although Umbridge cannot represent the Ministry of Magic, her disgraceful behavior certainly demonstrated her unreasonable side.
If even such a stupid and wicked person can hold a high position, it's clear that the Ministry of Magic isn't as honest and dedicated as Fudge claims.
The two voices were not loud, but they reached Fudge's ears with perfect clarity.
He clutched his chest and forcefully pulled at the crimson robe that symbolized Wizengamot. "We will focus our investigation on whether there was any inside story regarding the appointment of Vincent Edward Wayne as chairman of the Board of Governors after the hearing."
"Now—" he stared at Dumbledore Vincent with a sinister gaze, "We shall now hold a vote."
Raise your hand if you agree with the allegations that the two witnesses spread rumors and created panic.
As soon as he finished speaking, Fudge raised his hand immediately.
After him, about a dozen members of the Wizengamot group raised their hands.
There were 40 people present, and if it weren't for Elphias Doge, Marchbanks, and Ogden, this fabricated charge might actually have been established.
Vincent gave Dumbledore a thumbs up. "Great, Professor. Let's go to the Hog's Head Pub to celebrate later."
Fudge's facial muscles twitched wildly.
"Those who agree that the charges are unfounded, please—"
With a loud bang, the door to the Courtroom Ten was violently pushed open.
Scrimgeour ran up to Fudge, panting, as if something urgent had happened.
Vincent moved his fingers, allowing their conversation to be transmitted quietly.
"Mr. Minister, it's an emergency! The Dementors have all left Azkaban, and the prison's security system is on the verge of collapse. We need to send reinforcements there as soon as possible."
Fudge's hand, clutching his crimson robe, fell limply to his side, his lips trembling slightly. "What exactly happened? We have an agreement with the Dementors, how dare they leave without permission?"
Scrimgeour took a deep breath. "My guess is that someone took advantage of the hearing to draw attention away from the outside world and quietly reached a new agreement with the Dementors."
There aren't many wizards with this ability. Dumbledore one, and Voldemort, whom he claims has returned, is another.
Fudge's vision went black for a moment, and he swayed, his face drained of color.
If it really was Voldemort's doing, then this is a very serious matter.