Minister Fudge, Panicked Yet Defiant!

Minister Fudge was very flustered.

But his panic did not stem from the Voldemort Dumbledore claimed had returned.

It stemmed from Dumbledore himself.

In his view, Voldemort had been dead for nearly ten years. There was no way he could rise again.

Dumbledore was absolutely just spreading alarmist nonsense!

That old man might have been old, but his ambitions were not. The positions of Hogwarts Headmaster and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot were no longer enough for him!

He actually wanted to manufacture an incident and fabricate lies to seize the power of the Minister for Magic!

So, after receiving word from the Aurors, he hurriedly discussed countermeasures with his trusted aides and rushed to Diagon Alley without stopping.

The Aurors had failed to gather the details properly.

That meant Minister Fudge could not be sure whether Dumbledore had colluded with the Gringotts Goblins, one of the parties involved, and agreed to insist that Voldemort had returned.

Nor could he be sure whether Dumbledore had leaked this shocking false news to reporters from the Daily Prophet.

Thus, Minister Fudge had originally come to Diagon Alley to do two things.

First, make the Gringotts Goblins keep their mouths shut. Second, make the Daily Prophet speak according to his wishes.

But after arriving, he realized there was a third thing he needed to do.

Minister Fudge saw Professor Dumbledore standing outside Ollivanders Wand Shop, along with a half-giant with a criminal record.

Fear, rage, panic, resentment, and all sorts of other emotions churned within him.

In the end, they became an unwavering determination to cling to power.

He turned his head and whispered a few words to the female secretary in the pink coat beside him, assigning her tasks.

Then, seeing this capable confidante—humble beyond measure before him and haughty toward everyone else—lead two Aurors straight toward the Daily Prophet offices and Gringotts, he felt somewhat relieved.

Only then did he straighten his clothes, have the remaining two Aurors disperse the few wizards strolling along the street, and stride toward Dumbledore himself.

"Professor Dumbledore, I think you owe me a reasonable explanation!"

While still several steps away from Dumbledore, Minister Fudge seized the initiative and spoke sternly in an interrogative tone.

"You want an explanation too?!"

Dumbledore was irritated. The fact that he had listened to the cold rebukes of a young wizard with a pure heart did not mean he was willing to tolerate the provocations of an incompetent politician.

"Y-you... what kind of attitude is that?! Dumbledore, I admit that you are powerful, but remember this: I, Cornelius Fudge, am the Minister for Magic!"

The impatience that slipped from Dumbledore's lips utterly shattered Minister Fudge's composure. Furious and embarrassed, he nearly stamped his feet.

"All right, Fudge. You are the Minister. Of course I know that."

Dumbledore tried hard to calm himself and compose his state of mind, but his tone still carried a trace of sharpness. "But you should not be here right now. You should be at the Ministry of Magic! Have your colleagues, have the entire British wizarding world, raise their guard! Voldemort has returned!"

"You... nonsense!"

Minister Fudge's entire face radiated doubt and displeasure. "Stop playing tricks and deceiving people, Dumbledore! Vold... You-Know-Who died long ago! He cannot return. I said so!"

Unable to stand anyone questioning Dumbledore, Hagrid spoke up. He was involved in the matter himself and believed he had every right to speak.

"Mr. Minister, it's true! In the underground vaults of Gringotts, I saw Voldemort attached to the back of a wizard's head with my own eyes. I would never mistake that terrible face, and he even cast a spell on me!"

Hearing someone actually dare to contradict him only made Fudge angrier. He turned and immediately launched a personal attack on Hagrid.

"You are a vile wizard with a murder charge hanging over you. Why should anyone believe a word you say?

If You-Know-Who had truly cast a spell on you, would you still be alive to stand here and lie to me? If Dumbledore were not protecting you, I would have thrown you into Azkaban!"

"Enough, Fudge!"

Dumbledore was angered. He had always felt guilty toward Hagrid, so he could not simply watch Fudge insult him. "Hagrid is a good wizard. You cannot speak of him like that!"

By then, Hagrid's face had turned red. Remembering the injustice he had endured all these years, he was so angry that tears streamed down his face.

"I didn't kill anyone! Aragog didn't kill anyone either!" Hagrid roared. "Voldemort framed me! He was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets back then! He was the one who killed people! In the underground vaults, he already admitted it to me!"

"Clap, clap, clap—"

Hearing Dumbledore defend Hagrid and Hagrid argue back, Minister Fudge was so enraged that he laughed instead and began applauding.

"Good, good, good! So this is how we're playing it? It seems that the great Professor Dumbledore not only wants to use the dead You-Know-Who to force me from office, but also wants to pin another crime on him so that your big oaf of an underling can be completely exonerated!

The dead cannot deny anything. What a fine scheme!"

"No, Fudge, you are being too sensitive! I believe Hagrid would never lie. Voldemort truly has not died, and before long, he will return in force! You must make the wizarding world sufficiently vigilant!"

Dumbledore stressed earnestly.

However, Minister Fudge did not believe a single word.

He abruptly thrust his old face, still considerably younger than Dumbledore's, close to Dumbledore's ear and whispered viciously.

"Stop acting, Dumbledore! I have seen through everything!

If you do not want your reputation ruined, and do not want that big oaf beside you sent to Azkaban, then you had better stop spreading this idiotic, sensational nonsense! Consider this a warning from the Minister for Magic!"

After saying that, Minister Fudge ignored Dumbledore and Hagrid and gave a sharp, dashing turn toward the Daily Prophet offices.

The two Aurors left behind immediately followed him.

It was quite a stylish scene, except for one minor flaw: after Minister Fudge had walked some distance, his legs could not stop trembling for a few moments.

Fortunately, no one noticed.

Dumbledore, left where he was, felt the worry in his heart grow heavier.

He had never expected that in just one day, the plan he had originally envisioned, nearly flawless as it had seemed, would turn into a tangled mess he could not begin to unravel.

What was he supposed to do next?

Leaving aside Dumbledore's guilt and frustration, Dudley and Harry, who had entered Ollivanders Wand Shop, found themselves in a completely different situation.

Time returned to the moment the cousins had just entered the wand shop.

Ollivanders Wand Shop had soundproofing magic, so once they pushed open the door and entered, they could no longer hear the sounds from the street outside.

That was because wandmaking was delicate work that required a quiet atmosphere.

When the two first entered the shop, there was no one behind the counter.

Dudley and Harry were immediately drawn to the tall wooden shelves on either side of the shop, piled high with wand boxes.

To wizards, wands were like firearms to Muggles.

This old-fashioned room filled with wands was practically a wizarding arsenal, magnificent and magical.

Yet in Dudley's eyes, these wands presented an entirely different sight.