Support for Little Whinging

Kingsley's words made the atmosphere in the Minister's office extremely awkward. Fudge knew he was mocking him for opposing Dumbledore at every turn in order to maintain the illusion of peace.

But could he really be blamed for that?

Dumbledore was so old—who knew whether he was talking nonsense!

"Ah, I'm willing to believe Dumbledore too—" Fudge's eyes darted about. "But you know, I'm the Minister. Every word I say could affect all the wizards in the United Kingdom. It's of utmost importance. I can't simply believe one person's side of the story, even if that person is Dumbledore."

"Heh—" Kingsley chuckled, narrowing his eyes.

"Then when you smeared him as a senile madman in the Daily Prophet, did you not consider how that would affect other wizards?"

Fudge stammered, unable to say a word. He looked like a duck being strangled by the throat.

"I didn't—no, I mean, that was just a joke. It wasn't what I truly meant."

"Come to think of it, I happened to have something to ask you about." Fudge abruptly ended the topic. "Could your people—the Order of the Phoenix—handle the Dementor problem? Many wizards and Muggles have already been attacked. At this rate, they may soon no longer be satisfied with merely draining happiness."

"Minister Fudge, you don't think the Order of the Phoenix has done nothing, do you?" Kingsley tapped the map on the desk with his wand, turning it back into an ordinary piece of parchment.

Fudge's lips moved. Though he said nothing, everyone could guess that was exactly what he meant.

"In fact, we've been dealing with the trouble caused by the Dementors all along." Kingsley rose to his feet. "While you were playing around with Howlers, our people—including several children who haven't even graduated—were outside fighting Dementors to the