The applause gradually died down.
But the emotion woven from admiration and astonishment still lingered in the air.
Cornelius Fudge knew his opportunity had come.
This was a stage tailor-made for him.
With his round belly thrust out and the friendliest, most ministerial smile on his face, he rose from the High Table.
Almost impatiently, he took the enchanted megaphone from his assistant.
"Well said! Very well said!"
Amplified by magic, Fudge's voice rang out over the street.
He stepped onto the platform and patted Lupin warmly on the shoulder, his manner familiar, as though that rousing speech had been delivered at his instruction.
"Professor Lupin's words have moved me deeply!"
Fudge cleared his throat and began his own performance before all the wizards and reporters below.
"This is precisely what I, and the Ministry of Magic under my leadership, have always advocated!"
His voice was impassioned, every word ringing with conviction.
"Enlightenment! Progress! And the deepest humanitarian concern for every wizarding community!"
"Once, our werewolf brethren lived in the shadows."
"But today, guided by the Ministry of Magic's enlightened, progressive policies, and thanks to my foresight and efforts, they can finally stand proudly in the sunlight!"
He deftly shifted the premise, replacing the self-mastery Lupin had spoken of with the Ministry of Magic's benevolent grace.
He interpreted the graduates' proof of their own worth as " " of his personal leadership.
The reporters below went wild.
"Minister! Does this mean the Ministry of Magic will introduce more legislation to support the werewolf community?"
"Minister! Do you believe this initiative will become the greatest political legacy of your term?"
Flashbulbs blazed frantically like stars in daylight.
Quick-Quotes Quills scratched furiously across parchment, their rustling swelling into a tide of praise.
Surrounded by all that light and praise, Fudge felt like