Fudge's face could not have grown any darker. He stood where he was, his eyes moving constantly between Sirius and Scrimgeour, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned pale.
Sirius's casual yet thoroughly provocative behavior made Fudge feel that his authority as Minister for Magic was facing an unprecedented challenge.
More importantly, there was Scrimgeour's attitude. He stood ramrod straight, looking as though none of this had anything to do with him.
That attitude left Fudge feeling betrayed. Had the man really gone over to Dumbledore? Had Dumbledore begun to resent his neglect? Was this his way of warning him?
He never dared turn to look at Dumbledore beside him. He felt that his every move was under the man's scrutiny.
Well, in reality, Dumbledore was staring at Sirius's shoes with great interest, paying no attention whatsoever to the atmosphere among them.
Ever since he had decided to stop concerning himself with these matters, he would not volunteer to help unless Douglas specifically came to ask him.
And his task today was simply to stop the Ministry of Magic from going mad and forcibly taking Remus away.
Fudge took a deep breath, once again trying hard to stay calm, but his voice already carried unmistakable anger:
"Rufus, what is the meaning of this? What was your assignment today? Who told you to pull something like this without my permission?"
Scrimgeour frowned slightly. In his view, the Auror Office was not anyone's personal power base, but an organization responsible for the safety of the entire wizarding world. He felt a certain contempt for Fudge's reaction.
Besides, his loyalty lay with the Ministry of Magic, not any particular minister. As long as the Minister for Magic was in no danger today, he had no intention of acting as anyone's