This time, Fudge had arrived ten minutes early, afraid someone might trip him up again.
Although he was Minister for Magic, he still couldn't do whatever he wanted within the Ministry.
For instance, since many international affairs still fell under the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Barty Crouch Sr. had easily kept Harley's return to Britain a secret.
He had a few trusted supporters there who regularly passed along important information.
But last year, when Britain successfully secured the right to host the Quidditch World Cup, Fudge had tried to sabotage Barty Crouch Sr.
He had ordered Barty Crouch Sr. to oversee the construction of the Quidditch World Cup grounds, with both the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Games and Sports involved. Barty Crouch Sr. was made solely responsible.
To burden Barty Crouch Sr. further, Fudge had hinted that Ludo Bagman, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, should avoid doing any real work.
That way, if anything went wrong with the grounds, it would be Barty Crouch Sr.'s fault; if the Quidditch World Cup was a success, Fudge would get the credit.
Fudge had thought he'd come up with the perfect plan. Instead, Barty Crouch Sr. simply assigned Fudge's supporters to the work, keeping them so busy they were run off their feet.
As a result, those supporters hadn't had time to report any important news to Fudge, and he still thought Harley was vacationing in France.
If the owl sent to notify Harley about receiving the Order of Merlin hadn't brought back a letter, Fudge still wouldn't have known she was back in Britain!
This had infuriated the Minister for Magic and strengthened his resolve to promote his own supporters.
When Dumbledore arrived, Fudge hurried over to greet him with a