The Ministry of Magic Needs a Hundred Waldore

The next morning, Isaac was awakened from his dreams by an excited Krik.

Since moving into Hogwarts, he had never seen Krik like this, anticipation mixed with excitement.

It was as though Dumbledore's surprise was meant for Krik, the house-elf, rather than Isaac, the wizard.

"Wake up, Mr. Waldore. Today is your big day!" Krik's voice was hoarse but excited.

His two large eyes shone frighteningly bright, with none of their usual composure.

First came breakfast, then brushing his teeth and washing his face.

With Krik's magic, Isaac even styled his hair in a trendy fashion—looking into the bathroom mirror, he realized that fashion really did come full circle.

For instance, his current hairstyle looked remarkably like Grindelwald's back in the day.

"Try this, Mr. Waldore. It is a gift from all the house-elves at Hogwarts."

Krik held up a robe and carefully unfolded it before Isaac.

Unlike Hogwarts' standard robes, the one Krik held was far more lavish and looked like formal attire.

The robe had a velvet texture, purple on the outside and white within, with the Hogwarts crest on its chest.

Isaac spread his arms and let Krik dress him in the distinctive robe.

"Perfect, simply perfect! Mr. Waldore, let us go. Professor Dumbledore, the Heads of House, and Minister Fudge are waiting for you in the Great Hall."

Krik efficiently straightened Isaac's robe, checked once more that it was free of wrinkles and stains, then walked ahead to lead the way.

The moment Isaac entered the Great Hall, everyone's attention turned toward him. Minister Fudge, standing beside Dumbledore, rose to his feet at once.

"Our Wizarding World's hero, not yet enrolled, has arrived~"

As soon as Fudge finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted. The Ministry officials and Aurors who had come with Fudge eagerly did their part to liven up the atmosphere.

The loud applause echoed endlessly through Hogwarts' Great Hall.

A Daily Prophet photographer was also holding up a magical camera and taking pictures of Isaac the entire time.

Each time the magical camera flashed, it puffed out a cloud of purple smoke.

The instant he spotted the magical camera, Isaac got his expression under control.

Isaac walked unhurriedly over to Fudge and Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Professor. Is this the surprise you mentioned?"

Only when Isaac approached Hogwarts' "side" did he realize that the four Heads of House behind Dumbledore were not as excited as the Ministry officials and Aurors.

Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Pomona Sprout of Hufflepuff all looked at Isaac with encouragement tempered by concern.

A young wizard who had not even enrolled yet, and an orphan at that, had encountered Death Eaters outside.

Even though Isaac was standing safely before them now, the concerned Heads of House could not help but worry.

As for Slytherin's Head of House—the Potions master Professor Severus Snape—he was expressionless, his eyes hollow.

Still, Isaac could feel Professor Snape's scrutinizing gaze moving over him.

"Let me introduce you. This is the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

He has brought you a reward from the Ministry of Magic."

The moment Dumbledore finished the introduction, Fudge impatiently stepped before Isaac. He had intended to reach out and pat Isaac on the head as a gesture of warmth, but then his hand paused.

Isaac's hairstyle left him with nowhere to start. He could hardly reach around Isaac's head to pat the back of it, could he?

That would have been far too "ugly."

So Fudge's large hand landed warmly on Isaac's shoulder.

As Fudge moved, the Daily Prophet reporter frantically photographed the two of them.

Purple smoke poured from his camera in cloud after cloud, and the Aurors near the photographer twitched their mouths before shifting two steps away.

Without drawing attention to it, Fudge presented the photographer with photographs of himself and Isaac from every possible angle.

Only after the photographer had gathered enough material did Fudge speak with a kindly expression.

"Hello, Isaac. I believe this is our first meeting. I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic of Britain.

You may call me Cornelius."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Minister Cornelius." Isaac flashed a cheerful smile, not forgetting to add the respectful title of Minister after Fudge's name.

Sure enough, after hearing Isaac's words, Fudge's smile became several degrees more genuine.

"I am pleased to meet you as well, Isaac.

First, I must apologize to you. Your encounter with Death Eaters outside the school was the fault of the relevant departments at the Ministry of Magic.

There were oversights in our hunt for Death Eaters."

"No, Minister, you cannot be blamed for this!" Isaac knew exactly what Fudge wanted to hear, and he did not mind saying something flattering at a time like this.

"That Death Eater's appearance was merely an accident. He was too cunning. You cannot erase the contributions made by the Ministry's Aurors and Minister to the Wizarding World's public safety and stability because of one isolated incident."

Isaac had not yet reached the stage where he refused to play along, and besides, one did not slap a smiling face.

Minister Fudge had come to give him honors and money. If an ordinary person encountered such a good thing, would they not sincerely say thank you?~

The minor conflict between Fudge and Dumbledore was their business.

One was Britain's Minister for Magic, while the other was Hogwarts' headmaster. Isaac was only a young wizard, so there was no need for him to get involved in a dispute between such important figures.

To put it bluntly, he was not even worth using as cannon fodder yet.

When Fudge heard Isaac's defense, his entire old face bloomed like a chrysanthemum. Fudge dared to guarantee that if Isaac had been an adult wizard, he would have hired him as his personal assistant based on those words alone.

Most wizards had strange tempers, and the more powerful the wizard, the stranger their temper tended to be.

At the Ministry of Magic, wizards who were not strong enough had no right to meet Fudge. Those who could meet him did not speak as pleasantly as Isaac did.

Fudge suddenly felt that Britain's Ministry of Magic needed a hundred Isaac Waldores.

Originally, Fudge had planned to use this opportunity to salvage some of the Ministry's reputation—after all, a Death Eater attacking a young wizard who had not even enrolled yet would make every wizard in Britain with children panic.

For Fudge, the more stable the Wizarding World was, the more beneficial it would be to his political career.

But now, Fudge changed his mind.

No matter how much he praised the Wizarding World's stability, it could not compare to a single compliment from Isaac, the person involved.

And Isaac's compliment had hit precisely where it mattered.

Fudge decisively abandoned the long-winded preamble he had planned and went straight to the point of his visit to Hogwarts.

"Thank you for your understanding, child.

Now, let me get to the point."

Cornelius Fudge put away his smile and solemnly announced to everyone...