McGonagall: My Disappointing Old Gay Bestie!

Is Umbridge a fool?

Of course not.

She is a graduate of Slytherin, and any witch or wizard who can enter Slytherin House, whether they are clever or cunning, is undoubtedly intelligent.

Could she really fail to read the room regarding Fudge?

If she lacked that capability, how could she have become his confidante? Fudge would never have promoted her to a high-ranking bureaucrat in the Ministry of Magic if she were only good at sycophancy.

She had to do this because their original plan was to "persuade" Isaac Waldore to return.

This was a task assigned to her by Fudge. Even if Fudge currently acts as if he treats Isaac like his own son, as long as he has not explicitly canceled the plan, Umbridge must step up and play the villain.

There is nothing wrong with playing the villain.

Umbridge is well aware that all her power stems from Fudge; she can be the villain, or she can be the clown.

The only thing she cannot do is fail to execute the tasks Fudge entrusts to her.

Besides, her persuasion attempt left room for maneuver. That room is Fudge, the Minister himself.

If Umbridge plays the villain, then naturally, Fudge must play the hero.

In short, every bad or terrible thing that happens at the Ministry of Magic is the result of Umbridge, the subordinate, acting on her own interpretation of her superior's intentions.

Every good thing is the result of Minister Fudge setting things right.

It does not matter if Umbridge plays the clown, as long as Minister Fudge appears wise and powerful.

That was the plan, but things took a slight turn.

Umbridge never expected Professor McGonagall to suddenly step in to protect her student.

This was awkward.

Professor McGonagall stands here representing Hogwarts, and who stands behind Hogwarts?

Albus Dumbledore.

Fudge's current "main quest" is to reduce Dumbledore's influence over the Ministry of Magic.

It is unrealistic to completely eliminate Dumbledore's influence on the Ministry.

The largest faction in the Ministry is not composed of pure-blood or half-blood wizards.

The largest faction there is the academic circle—the vast majority of wizards in Britain graduated from Hogwarts.

Dumbledore is the leader of that academic circle.

Therefore, Fudge can only reduce Dumbledore's influence, which is fortunate since Dumbledore rarely interferes with the Ministry's administration anyway.

When Professor McGonagall stood up to oppose Umbridge, Fudge could no longer play the hero.

Doing so would contradict his own political philosophy.

Even if he hates Umbridge to death right now, and even if it means abandoning this political show halfway through, he must stubbornly support this pink toad of a subordinate.

There is no choice; Fudge can withstand one or several political crises, but he cannot accept the Ministry of Magic being overshadowed by Hogwarts in a public setting.

Doing so would mean all of Fudge's past efforts in the Ministry would be for naught.

So, our Minister Fudge now needs a way out.

"Minister, Professor McGonagall, may I say a few words?" Isaac poked his head out from behind Professor McGonagall's robes, raising a hand like a primary school student wanting to speak in class.

"Of course, of course, my little Isaac, what would you like to say?"

Fudge, whose expression had been tense, saw his sternness melt away like ice upon hearing Isaac's voice.

Given Isaac's performance today, he was looking forward to what Isaac had to say next.

"It's like this: yesterday, Professor Dumbledore reminded me that the magic I used to fight the Death Eaters could be written up as a paper and published in an academic journal.

But I have never written anything like that; perhaps I could stay at Hogwarts and ask the professors to guide me?

Oh, and Minister, perhaps you could provide some guidance on my magic?"

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Look, just look! What a perfectly timed way out!

Fudge was overjoyed; he never expected Isaac to have such a surprise waiting for him.

Was the point of Isaac's words to ask Fudge for magical guidance? Certainly not.

Don't make Professor McGonagall laugh.

Fudge teaching Isaac how to be a politician is one thing, but teaching Isaac magic... that's just a joke, isn't it?

The point of Isaac's words lies in Dumbledore's suggestion.

He suggested that Isaac organize his magic and publish it in the magical world's academic journals.

Fudge can question Dumbledore's political philosophy, and he can question Dumbledore for hoarding power at Hogwarts.

The one thing he cannot question is Dumbledore's strength and insight.

If that weren't enough, add in the rumors from Diagon Alley—the ones suggesting Isaac might be a distant relative (or illegitimate son) of Dumbledore.

Hogwarts has Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick; to put it bluntly, even if Isaac's thesis were complete nonsense, those two could prop him up all the way to the top of the magical world's academic journals.

Not to mention, there is always Dumbledore himself.

Fudge realized that the path Isaac had paved for him wasn't a step down, but a ladder to further elevate his own reputation.

Thinking all this through in a flash, Fudge spoke up in a hurry, terrified that if he were any later, that woman Umbridge would say something unpleasant again.

"When it comes to teaching ability, I certainly can't compare to the professors at Hogwarts, but since you have made this request, Isaac, I cannot refuse."

"Then, let me see this spell you've invented?"

"My pleasure."

Isaac stepped into the open space of the Great Hall, drew his wand, and without any preamble, swung it with force.

"Protego Fiendfyre!"

Crimson-gold flames ignited in swirling rings, then, under the manipulation of Isaac's Transfiguration, surged outward in all directions.

Once the intensity of the flames reached a threshold, the scattered fire gradually converged in mid-air, eventually taking the form of a phoenix soaring through the hall.

It was just like Dumbledore's phoenix.

Inside the hall, the lenses of Dumbledore's spectacles reflected the glow of the flames, hiding his eyes from everyone.

As for Professor McGonagall, her brows furrowed slightly upon seeing Isaac's spell, as if she had fallen into deep thought.

When she finally unearthed a memory from many years ago, she snapped her gaze toward Dumbledore.

This spell, this specific manifestation—wasn't it the signature magic of her old friend's old flame, Grindelwald?

Back then, Grindelwald had set a massive fire in Paris; if it hadn't been for Nicolas Flamel and Newt Scamander leading a group to stop him, the entire city of Paris would likely have been burned to the ground.

At this moment, the way Professor McGonagall looked at Dumbledore changed entirely.

It was one thing that the child Isaac looked like Grindelwald, and another that he possessed the same talent for prophecy.

But now, he was using Grindelwald's signature magic!

The outside world was already whispering that Isaac was Dumbledore's illegitimate son—looking at it this way, was he Dumbledore's son or Grindelwald's?

Fine, just fine. So you've been secretly raising a child for your old lover and didn't even tell your best friend!