Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore sat at one side of the large table, with Fudge sitting opposite him.
Umbridge and the two Auror led by Delores were standing.
The minister's secretary plus bodyguards.
"Knock knock—"
"Come in."
When Vincent came in, he found that the atmosphere among them was fine.
At least that's how it appears on the surface.
"Oh—isn't this our rising star?" Fudge stood up enthusiastically and gave him a big hug.
A qualified politician's every move is imbued with meaning.
Vincent responded just as enthusiastically, "Minister Fudge, what you said makes me blush."
"Really? Haha—" Fudge patted his shoulder lightly, "I'm not just being polite, you already have the ability to deserve this title."
"It was just luck, Mr. Minister."
After offering a few words of flattery, Vincent sat obediently next to Dumbledore.
"That's all I just said. If you have any questions, Vincent will provide the details."
Fudge squinted and asked his first question, "Child, can you be sure the diary is his? I mean solid evidence, not just guesswork."
"I have it, Mr. Minister." Vincent placed the diary, which was almost broken in two, on the table.
"This is physical evidence; there should still be traces of the use of Dark Magic."
As Fudge picked up the diary, he winked at Dumbledore without making a sound.
"I also have witnesses, and quite a few of them."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"People who attended Lockhart's book signing during the summer vacation, Death Eaters staying in Azkaban, and a House-elf."
Fudge had heard about what was happening during the summer vacation.
His "good friend" Lucius had suggested that he revoke the Order of Merlin awarded to Lockhart.
"These were all things Professor Dumbledore reminded me of," Vincent winked innocently at him again.
"Thanks to your reminder, I was able to put everything together."
Dumbledore smile. "Cornelius, as you know, Lucius used to have a very close relationship with him."
"So that's how it is!" Fudge's eyes lit up.
We're all "good friends," so it's not easy for the minister to cover up for someone's mistakes.
This is difficult, extremely difficult.
"There are House-elf too?"
"He is the Malfoy family's House-elf named Dobby, and he has known about the diary for several months."
It would indeed be quite difficult to testify in court.
But this chip is quite significant, and its effect is not much less than that of the diary.
Externally, Lockhart handled everything.
Internally, his "good friend" had to use Gold Galleons to corrupt him.
Sigh, this is tough.
Fudge leaned back in his chair, his face full of pain. "It's not that I don't want to deal with them, but they are so deeply entrenched that they can have a very profound impact on the Wizarding World."
Vincent was already cursing in his mind.
Eating alone?
You'll stuff yourself to death!
"Mr. Minister, actually—" He lowered his head somewhat awkwardly, trying to wink at Dumbledore from an angle where he couldn't be seen.
"Cornelius, Vincent used a considerable amount of Orichalcum Bullet beforehand."
Fudge suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh dear, I almost forgot about that!"
"Child, of course we will make it up to you."
Dumbledore, under Vincent's wink, moved his lips again:
"Cornelius, the impact of this matter is simply too great. More or less all the teachers and students in the school are involved, and I find it difficult to guess what they are thinking."
It certainly doesn't sound good to work for free.
The key issue is certain unstable factors.
Lucius is a Hogwarts School Board Member; if he wants to use this as an excuse to do something underhanded...
"Albus Dumbledore, I understand what you mean." Fudge promised him, "No one will try anything funny about this, I promise."
Vincent then looked up and said, "Mr. Minister, actually many of my classmates have played a role."
He certainly wouldn't eat alone.
We share the good times and the bad.
Moreover, with this hint, Fudge shouldn't be as stingy as he was last year.
Want something more practical? Sure.
"Children, I heard you want to start a company?"
"Yes, the company Gwent."
Fudge reached out to Umbridge for a blank parchment and a quill pen, and quickly signed his name at the bottom.
"Albus Dumbledore, with your and my guarantees, I don't think anyone will try to stop us, right?"
Dumbledore took the parchment and signed his name at the bottom, "Absolutely not, Cornelius."
According to proper procedures, Vincent must be an adult before he can start a company in the Wizarding World.
However, with the guarantee of the Supreme Mugwump and the British Ministry of Magic, the step of finding an agent can be skipped.
Moreover, such a guarantee is itself a great form of advertising.
From this moment on, the expensive Wizard Cards were destined to fail.
It's alright.
Vincent's ecstatic reaction gave Fudge a lot of ideas.
Young, promising, and naive.
At least that's how he and the officials at the Ministry of Magic saw it.
So, as an investment in the future...
"Son, I will also submit your name for the selection of youth representatives in Wizengamot next year."
Of course, it can only be the Britain representative.
Fudge glanced at Dumbledore discreetly, noticed a slight displeasure, and then calmed himself down.
"Mr. Minister, is this true?" Vincent seemed particularly excited.
"I will do my best." Fudge made no attempt to hide the admiration on his face. "If Gwent's influence is sufficient, I think you will definitely be able to earn a second Order of Merlin."
A level 3 badge for entertainment purposes, the same as Lockhart's.
It's a bit unsettling, but it's better than nothing.
Vincent was so excited he was almost at a loss for words. "I'm so grateful to you, Mr. Minister."
"You deserve it." Fudge glanced at Dumbledore again.
Even the best-tempered person would be a little unhappy if poached to their face.
He only managed to gain a small amount of goodwill and didn't inquire further about his plans after graduation.
A qualified politician cannot completely offend someone; they must leave enough room for compromise.
However, all of this was just wishful thinking on his part.
Vincent never even considered working for someone else.
Hermione and the others knew, Dumbledore knew too.
After exchanging pleasantries for another ten minutes or so, Fudge smiled and declined their offer to see him off, then left with Umbridge and Delores.
Not long after they disappeared, Vincent quickly rubbed his aching face.
"Professor, is there another reason why you declined the position of Minister for Magic?"
Dumbledore skillfully suppressed his fake smile. "It's not a large percentage, but it is certainly one of them."
Being hypocritical all day is tiring enough, but now we also have to keep an eye on the elusive Voldemort.
Are you interested?
"Hermione has her, you can ask her."
"Is that so—" Dumbledore nodded regretfully, "You should be interested in the words of the Supreme Mugwump, shouldn't you?"
"No, not at all." Vincent shook his little head like a rattle-drum.
Being a troublemaking Dark Lord is fine, why make things difficult for yourself?
He has no masochistic tendencies, nor does he have any particularly great ambitions.
He simply wanted to foster good relations between wizards and Muggle, and then recount this story to his descendants.