Moody's happiness lasted only a few seconds before his face quickly darkened again.
It would be good to find a way to expose the Death Eaters lurking in the Ministry of Magic, but Luke Wood, who should have died in Azkaban, is still alive and well. He can't be happy until this mystery is solved.
Does the Ministry of Magic still have spies planted by Voldemort that haven't been discovered? Or is there some trouble in Azkaban? Or is Luke Wood imitating Sirius Black's prison break?
All the speculation made Moody's face so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.
Suddenly, he turned and stared intently at the passageway outside the room.
"Professor Moody?"
Shh—they're coming.
The sound of scattered conversation drifted in from outside, and Umbridge's signature high-pitched voice made Vincent and Hermione frown instantly.
Wasn't the pink toad out of favor? Why is it following us here in the middle of the night?
Could it be...?
"Minister Fudge, this way please, we're almost there."
This humble and obsequious tone doesn't seem like she's having an affair with Fudge; someone must have tipped her off.
Their guess was correct; Umbridge, dressed in a pink bathrobe and matching pink slippers, stood humbly outside the room.
A moment later, Fudge, wearing a felt hat and a dark suit, walked in side by side with Dumbledore was dressed in a pure white robe.
Moody stormed forward, "Fudge! You knew all along that Augustus Luke Wood wasn't dead, didn't you?"
Umbridge darted forward to stop her. "Stop! You're insane!"
Moody roughly shoved away the grimacing woman, pointing at Luke Wood lying on the ground, barely alive. "You've been refusing to officially announce the news because he's not dead! Did he escape? Or were you released?"
Fudge's face turned extremely ugly from the yelling, and when he saw Luke Wood with half his face disfigured, his face turned even uglier.
The dozen or so high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic behind him also didn't look too friendly. Some of them had a look of disbelief, like Umbridge being pushed against the wall; some, like Scrimgeour, didn't react much; and others, like Barty Crouch, were filled with righteous indignation.
Clearly, Moody's anger was not without reason; the Ministry of Magic had known all along that Luke Wood was not dead, or that his death was actually used to cover up something more serious.
Vincent and a somewhat numb Hermione retreated to Bagman's side in the corner of the room, intending to quietly remain invisible.
If Fudge can't give a reasonable explanation tonight, Dumbledore, who's standing by with a squinting smile, won't let him off the hook.
"This matter..." Just as Fudge was about to speak, Scrimgeour stepped forward from behind.
His expression was filled with guilt and self-reproach. "This is my responsibility, I—"
"Rufus!" Fudge interrupted him sternly. "Do you want to leak the Ministry of Magic's top secrets?"
Scrimgeour's face turned pale instantly.
He met Moody's eyes, which seemed to burn with raging anger, and his whole body trembled. He clenched his teeth and the muscles in his cheeks bulged. "Minister Fudge, this can no longer be kept secret."
His eyes hardened. "This is my fault, and I will take full responsibility."
"Rufus!" Umbridge charged at him, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws. "What responsibility can you take? Can you bear it all by yourself?!"
This seems to be a very serious matter.
The officials behind him also tried to persuade Scrimgeour, but his gaze remained unchanged, which made Vincent look at him with new respect.
"Listen to me, everyone." Scrimgeour clenched his fist. "The Death Eaters have infiltrated us. If we don't make a decision to change things soon, the British Wizarding World is doomed."
The higher-ups fell silent, leaving only Umbridge's shrill voice.
"Rufus, if any turmoil occurs in the Wizarding World, it will all be because of you!"
You're making such alarmist claims; it seems you've gotten yourself into big trouble.
Scrimgeour's straight back swayed slightly, but he quickly straightened up again. "Is that so?"
He stared intently into Umbridge's eyes. "Since when did our Ministry of Magic stop trying to solve problems as soon as possible, and instead start covering them up?"
He turned and glanced at the executives behind Fudge; apart from Barty Crouch, they all had their heads bowed in shame.
"Phew—" He let out a long breath, looking at Dumbledore and Moody, "It all started on the day Peter Pettigrew was executed..."
As the Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic, Scrimgeour was naturally personally escorted as such a high-ranking prisoner.
But when he arrived at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Peter Pettigrew was gone, and the Auror guarding the ward was under the Imperius Curse.
"We held an emergency meeting and ultimately decided to go to Azkaban to find a scapegoat to carry out Peter Pettigrew's execution."
Scrimgeour paused, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "Yes, I chose Luke Wood to be the scapegoat. He used to be an employee of the Department of Mysteries and knew many of the Ministry of Magic's secrets. His death will only bring benefits."
Needless to say, the Death Eaters released the Dark Mark at the execution site and then took advantage of the chaos to rescue Luke Wood, who was disguised as Peter Pettigrew.
Despite letting two vicious criminals escape, the Ministry of Magic continues to choose to keep it a secret.
If a living person like this disappears in Azkaban, he will eventually be discovered.
Since countless prisoners die every year anyway, we might as well just let Luke Wood "die".
After Scrimgeour confessed everything, he closed his eyes, as if savoring a long-lost sense of ease.
Moody patted him gently on the shoulder. "Rufus, you've worked hard."
Revealing such a shocking scandal in the Ministry of Magic is essentially an announcement of the end of his political career.
Be brave enough to take responsibility for your mistakes; this is a principle that even children understand.
But the higher-ups at the Ministry of Magic didn't seem to understand this, especially Umbridge, whose eyes seemed to want to devour people.
Without a doubt, as Fudge's mouthpiece, she was the culprit who suggested finding someone to replace Peter Pettigrew.
No wonder they kept preventing Scrimgeour from confessing; they were afraid of being held accountable.
If the Ministry of Magic had admitted its mistakes from the beginning, perhaps the camp attack during the World Cup would not have occurred, and the Triwizard Tournament would not have been plagued by so many unexpected events.
Unfortunately, regret is useless; someone must be held accountable for this series of events.
Scrimgeour cannot escape responsibility, but is the blame really entirely on him?
What happened to Umbridge, who suggested finding a replacement? And what about the higher-ups who agreed to her suggestion?
Vincent, who was practically invisible, spent the entire time observing Fudge's micro-expressions.
He remained calm and showed no sign of panic.
Damn it, all of this will probably be covered up again.