The Price of Power

Vincent was entering Prongs Magical Appliances for the first time. How should he put it? The style was very Sirius Black.

The entire shop was decorated in red and gold. The most eye-catching item in the center was not some magical appliance, but a 1979 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the Fat Bob.

Vincent gave it a brief once-over and found that, like the motorcycle at Black Family Manor, its engine contained a broom-like levitation device. It even had an invisibility function.

It reminded him of the Weasleys' Ford Anglia 105E. He wondered how that elusive flying car was doing in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.

"Vincent?" Sirius Black approached with a glass full of whiskey. "What brings you here? Didn't you say you were going to be some kind of shut-in?"

"I never said I'd be a shut-in for the rest of my life." Vincent held back the offered glass. "I'll pass on that. I drove here today."

Sirius Black turned away with little interest and headed toward Lupin, who was apparently communicating with someone beside the sofa. "Don't stand on ceremony here. Help yourself and make yourself at home."

Vincent glanced outside the display window. The familiar presence in the alley across the street was probably Wales. Someone also seemed to be watching him from inside the third building to the left, though he had no idea who it was.

He walked up to the display window and met the eyes watching him through the glass and across the street.

The other person seemed startled and no longer dared to stare at him so openly.

"Are they monitoring you?" Vincent walked over to the two men on the sofa.

Sirius Black lightly swirled the whiskey in his hand. "Anyone connected to the Order of the Phoenix is being closely watched by the Ministry of Magic."

Fudge had reacted quickly enough, but news of the Order of the Phoenix's reformation should not have leaked out. No one should know that the Ministry of Magic itself had quite a few Order members.

Vincent sat down on the sofa opposite them and saw Dumbledore communicating with Lupin.

That old bastard Dumbledore really loved freeloading. He had not painstakingly set up his private Magical Base Station for the Order of the Phoenix to use for secret communications.

"Good morning, Professor."

Even through the projected light screen, Dumbledore could see Vincent's resentment. "My boy, your timing is perfect."

Vincent immediately stood up. "No, it's time for me to leave."

The sight nearly made Sirius Black drop his glass.

Dumbledore said unhurriedly, "I received word—"

Vincent stopped.

"The Ministry of Magic is discussing whether to hold a hearing over the 'rumor that Voldemort has returned.'"

Telling the truth had actually become spreading rumors. Fudge was truly beyond saving.

He calmly sat back down. "Professor, am I one of the main figures in this hearing too?"

Dumbledore merely smiled without answering.

Vincent still looked deeply resentful, as though he was not worried about the hearing in the slightest.

Dumbledore had broadcast the "rumor," while Vincent, as the owner of the Dubidubi Video Platform, was supposedly a "distributor of rumors."

The Ministry of Magic was clearly holding this hearing to target the two of them. They would definitely shamelessly bring out the Eleventh Decree—the "Information Security Act" that had been hastily enacted a few days ago.

A new decree and a hearing—Fudge truly stopped at nothing to conceal Voldemort's return.

After a brief silence, Dumbledore said quietly, "The Ministry of Magic may add a law forbidding the private establishment of personal Magical Base Stations. Given the retroactive period in the Information Security Act, Wayne Enterprises and you personally may face an official investigation."

With a retroactive law in place, the hearing was merely a formality. Whether they were guilty or not would still be up to Fudge.

He had even exploited the International Confederation of Wizards' system. The Wizengamot panel attending the hearing would certainly be won over in advance as well.

Simply put, they had no chance of winning. It was the other side's home ground, the rules were made by the other side, and even the judges belonged to the other side. No amount of effort could change an outcome that was destined to end in defeat.

Sirius Black and Lupin looked at Vincent, who seemed ready to lie down and give up, as though they wanted to say something but held back.

If either of them had encountered this, they would probably be frantic by now. How could they possibly react as calmly as he did?

"Vincent," Sirius Black finally could not hold it in any longer, "you don't have to keep insisting. We'll find a way to solve everything. At the hearing, just say you didn't know anything."

Vincent shook his head. "That's exactly the result they want. As long as Voldemort's return remains in doubt, Professor Dumbledore will immediately be charged with attempting to divide the British Wizarding World."

And once Dumbledore was convicted, the currently missing Voldemort would definitely come out and stir up trouble.

Maybe he would even be so excited that he danced like a snake, flailing his arms while letting out crazed "Hehehe" laughter.

Sirius Black drained his whiskey in one gulp. "That idiot Fudge. The Wizarding World will be destroyed by him sooner or later."

The current state of the British Wizarding World was far more dire than during the wizarding war Voldemort had started in 1970. It was bad enough that the Ministry of Magic was not united—they actually still wanted to conceal the truth.

With everyone completely unprepared, no one knew how many people would die in the end.

After a long silence, Dumbledore finally spoke. "The hearing may not necessarily follow Cornelius's script. Even if I am no longer Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, that does not mean he can control the entire Wizengamot."

The Wizengamot was the Supreme Wizarding Court. Its roughly fifty members mainly came from four groups: senior Ministry of Magic officials, academic leaders, judicial and legal experts, and representatives of pure-blood families.

An organization that encompassed the prominent figures of the British Wizarding World was not something an ambitious man could completely control. At most, Fudge could suddenly convene a hearing like he had during the International Confederation of Wizards vote, creating a time gap so that wizards who did not support him could not arrive in time.

And Dumbledore had not served as Chief Warlock for so many years for nothing. Even if he was also something like a mascot in the Wizengamot, his connections far surpassed Fudge's.

They had a chance of winning, but Vincent still looked ready to lie down and give up. "Professor, how about reconsidering my suggestion? I don't want them summoning me to hearings every other day."

Dumbledore's eye visibly twitched on the projected light screen. "My boy, I told you already. Power corrupts the heart. I have seen far too many people lose their humanity after being corrupted by it."

Fudge was the most typical example. To maintain the power in his hands, he had become so utterly deranged that he no longer cared about the safety of the British Wizarding World.

Vincent curled his lip. "Professor, you really are a saint. You're no longer the person you were when you were young. How do you know that the current you cannot hold power without losing your clarity?"

Endless sorrow showed in Dumbledore's blue eyes.

When he had been young, he had pursued power alongside Grindelwald. If not for the death of his sister Ariana, he might never have come to his senses.

It was precisely because he had paid such a painful price that he resisted power so strongly.