Lie Low and Grow Strong

"Skylar Malfoy, Order of Merlin Special Medal, Order of Merlin, Second Class, Youth Representative of the International Confederation of Wizards, Youth Representative Britain Wizengamot, Most Promising Newcomer Award in * Transfiguration Today *, Champion of the 1994 Triwizard Tournament..."

Skylar looked at his string of titles and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Given his current popularity and status among the young wizards at Hogwarts, his position as Prefect next year and then as president of the student council should be a foregone conclusion. Even Dumbledore cannot go against the will of the people who have been united.

At this rate, he'll probably have more titles than Dumbledore before he even graduates.

Hmm, I also need to find an opportunity to upgrade that Order of Merlin Second Class medal to First Class, to satisfy my abnormal obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Of course, Skylar's collection of these newspapers, reading every single report without missing a single one, wasn't to find these articles that so lavishly praised him to satisfy his vanity. The real reason was that he knew a dramatic upheaval was imminent; three Grand Sorcerer had already appeared, and Grindelwald's escape was also unexpected—

Even he, who was always able to calculate flawlessly, was not entirely certain how the chaotic world would unfold.

Whether in the Muggle World or wizarding world, the media has always been the mouthpiece of those in power.

Reading these newspapers is the quickest and most effective way to understand the thoughts of the Ministry of Magic of various countries.

Coincidentally, neither the Britain Daily Prophet, nor the France Le Cri de la Gargouille, nor the Germany Silver Bat Daily, nor even the North America New York Ghost Daily, mentioned a single word about Voldemort's return or Grindelwald's escape.

Leaving aside what the Ministry of Magic in other countries are thinking, let's take the Britain Ministry of Magic, which is closest to us, as an example.

Just like in the original story, Voldemort did not announce his resurrection; instead, he chose to disappear and lurk in the shadows.

Only in this way can he devote himself wholeheartedly to rebuilding his army and making arrangements for his Horcrux. This is actually Skylar hoped for, and it can even be reasonably inferred that this is also a good thing for Dumbledore.

No one was prepared.

Voldemort needs time, and so do Skylar and Dumbledore; the real confrontation has not yet begun.

But the most direct result of this situation is that Fudge is even more convinced that Dumbledore and Harry are talking nonsense.

This is why none of the things Dumbledore and Harry said during the awards ceremony were reported.

Harry and Dumbledore, one the "Boy Who Lived," the other the "greatest wizard in the world," are both highly talked-about public figures. In Muggle World parlance, they are both "internet celebrities with their own built-in audience," and top-tier ones at that.

It is almost certain that Fudge's manipulation and suppression are behind the collective silence of the media.

On the contrary, if one observes these newspapers as closely as Skylar, one can see that short articles about unfavorable rumors about Harry have begun to appear.

Only one night had passed since the awards ceremony, and the Ministry of Magic's efficiency in this matter was truly astonishing, leaving Skylar quite surprised.

It's reasonable to predict that the media will start with Harry, then gradually move on to unfavorable rumors about Dumbledore, followed by issues concerning Hogwarts' education... and then, well, the Ministry of Magic can then legitimately intervene in the management of Hogwarts.

Thinking of this, the image of that terrifying woman who looked like a pink toad involuntarily surfaced in Skylar's mind.

Even Dumbledore would likely be powerless to reverse this situation. In fact, Dumbledore simply didn't have the extra energy to deal with the Ministry of Magic.

While Voldemort lies low, the Order of the Phoenix also needs to rebuild its strength and recruit new members.

Voldemort's forces are currently weak, but Dumbledore and the Order of the Order of the Phoenix are not much better off.

Of the previous generation of Order of the Phoenix members, some died, some were injured, and some went missing. Today, only Dumbledore, Moody, Hagrid, the Weasley, Sirius Black, Lupin, Ephias Dorge, Emmeline Vance Diggle, Sturgis Vance Dogie, Podmore Mrs. Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Aberforth Dumbledore, totaling 14 people.

Even so, Moody and Dogie are old and frail, their fighting strength not what it once was; Mrs. Figg is a Squib and cannot participate in combat affairs; Sirius Black is a wanted criminal and cannot show his face freely; Aberforth and Dumbledore have a complicated feud and are generally not directly commanded by the Order of the Phoenix.

Therefore, before Sirius Black is exonerated, there are only 11 people who can actually participate in the battle.

Fortunately, in the four years since Harry enrolled, Mr. Weasley recruited Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Hestia Jones for the Order of the Order of the Phoenix at the Ministry of Magic. Then his two eldest sons, Bill and Charlie, also joined the Order of the Phoenix, which revitalized the organization, which was facing a generational gap.

Of the five new additions, Kingsley is the most valuable. He not only possesses the strength of an elite Auror, but is also steady and reliable. Most importantly, he is a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, with his own background and connections, which allows him to have a say in many matters within the Ministry of Magic.

But such a valuable talent was eliminated last year under Skylar's arrangement.

This is undoubtedly a major blow to the Order of the Phoenix.

To make matters worse, because of Percy's dereliction of duty in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and because of Skylar's behind-the-scenes instigation, Mr. Weasley was greatly implicated, and many families that were originally on good terms with him, such as the Prewett family, Longbottom family, and Diggory family, began to distance themselves from him and keep their distance.

As a result, Mr. Weasley's voice and influence within the Ministry of Magic declined significantly, greatly affecting his ability to recruit new members for the Order of the Phoenix.

It's safe to say that the Order of the Phoenix has no chance of recruiting new members from the Ministry of Magic.

Aside from Skylar, who is hiding his true intentions, the most powerful force on the surface is undoubtedly Fudge and his Ministry of Magic, but they are not taking any meaningful action. Fudge refuses to believe this and instead lists Dumbledore as his greatest enemy, because he fears that Dumbledore's actions are all aimed at seizing his power.

Moreover, the Order of the Phoenix is in a worse situation than in the original story. In addition to dealing with the Ministry of Magic's smear campaign and suppression, they also have the added instability of Grindelwald's successful prison break. One can imagine how much of a headache Dumbledore must be facing right now.

The situation is already brewing and a storm is brewing.

It's fair to say that all the major factions are currently playing it safe and developing their strength, it's a battle of who can develop faster and better!