Fudge waved his hand dismissively. "He probably went to Hogwarts. After something like that, he'd definitely go see his daughter."
The assistant didn't breathe a sigh of relief as he had expected; instead, his young face became even more tense.
"But... according to information from the Floo Network Authority of the Department of Magical Transportation, the Weasley seem to have deliberately severed their family's connection with the Ministry of Magic's Floo Network."
Fudge's finger froze in mid-air.
He slowly raised his head, looked at his assistant's face, and softly repeated the words: "Actively cut off?"
The Floo Network is a public network controlled and managed by the Ministry of Magic. Generally, if a wizarding family wants to disconnect their home's Floo Network connection, they need to obtain approval from the Ministry of Magic, go through a formal process, and have it executed by the Floo Network Authority.
However, there is one exception: if a wizarding family voluntarily blocks access to the Floo Network, the Ministry of Magic will lose its ability to monitor and connect to that node for a period of time.
This is an extremely rare behavior, usually only seen in wizarding families that are extremely wary of the outside world.
Arthur Weasley, an ordinary official working at the Ministry of Magic, actually disconnected his own home's Floo Network?
Fudge frowned slightly. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything...
The office door was suddenly pushed open.
Fudge's chief of staff rushed in, his face as white as a sheet, his tie askew, and his whole demeanor panicked.
Fudge's thoughts were interrupted, and he immediately scolded her, somewhat annoyed, "What's the rush? You have no class at all!"
The chief of staff completely ignored Fudge's reprimand; he strode to his desk, his voice trembling with barely suppressed panic:
"Minister—we've received a report that a Dark Mark has appeared on the roof of the home of Ministry of Magic official Arthur Weasley family near Ottery St Catchpole in Devon!"
Fudge's expression changed instantly.
He felt a chill run through his body, as if someone had poured a basin of ice water down the back of his neck, the coldness creeping down his spine to his feet.
The Dark Mark, the mark of the You-Know-Who.
That thing can only appear in one place—where that person appeared, or where someone has committed murder.
Fudge's lips trembled, and his mind went blank.
But perhaps it's because I've experienced too much lately: being slapped in the face by that book, being blackmailed by the Muggle Prime Minister, and being thoroughly insulted by the entire Wizarding World...
All these things piled up together, which actually helped him quickly regain his composure amidst the chill.
As a shrewd politician—or at least that's what he thought—he quickly pieced together all the clues.
What was written in that book? It described the second part of the story, what Hogwarts is currently experiencing.
The Weasley family — Ginny Weasley —that diary.
Fudge's mind raced, and in an instant, he understood almost everything.
He stood up, strode to his desk, and pressed the red button on the surface.
It was an emergency communication button connected to the Ministry of Magic of Ministry of Magic's broadcast system. Apart from him, only the Undersecretary and the Head of the Auror Office had the authority to use it.
In an instant, Fudge's voice echoed throughout the entire Ministry of Magic.
"Top Emergency! Attention: The Floo Network Authority is hereby ordered to immediately disable the Floo Network at the residence of Ministry of Magic official Arthur Weasley, and to immediately seal off the Floo Network access to all fireplaces in the vicinity once the Auror Office members have completed their operation."
His voice echoed through the corridors of every floor of the Ministry of Magic, and everyone in every office stopped what they were doing and looked up.
"All members of the Auror Office, immediately use the Floo Network to establish a perimeter around the residence of Ministry of Magic official Arthur Weasley near Ottery St Catchpole in Devon. Do not make any rash moves."
He paused, then swallowed.
"The other party might be... a sixteen-year-old Dark Lord."
After saying that, he released the button.
After a moment of stunned silence, the entire Ministry of Magic was immediately enveloped in an atmosphere that was both serious and somewhat chaotic.
Rapid footsteps echoed down the corridor, office doors were pushed open one after another, officials peeked out, exchanged glances, and then quickly began to act on orders.
The Auror Office reacted the fastest. Scrimgeour was the first to rush out of his office after the broadcast ended, his Dragon Hide coat still unbuttoned, wand already in hand.
"Everyone, follow me!" His voice cut through the noise of the corridor. " Floo Network Authority, now!"
A dozen or so Auror stood up from their workstations and ran briskly toward the Floo Network Authority.
Their faces were expressionless, but everyone knew in their hearts that this enemy was different from the dark wizards of the past.
The Dark Lord was only sixteen years old, yet his infamy still cast a deep shadow in their hearts.
Fudge finally released the button like a deflated balloon, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away.
He slowly turned around and walked to the window, watching the entire Ministry of Magic instantly come to a flurry of activity.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and through the windows, one could see figures dressed in robes of various colors moving quickly in the main hall in the distance.
One by one, the green flames of the Floo Network lit up in the fireplace, casting a ghostly green glow on the walls.
Scrimgeour's figure had already disappeared in front of the fireplace of the Floo Network Authority, and the Auror behind him followed one after another, their figures engulfed by green flames.
Fudge looked at all of this, his expression somewhat complicated.
His assistant and chief of staff stood behind him, but neither of them spoke.
The office was as quiet as an empty room.
Fudge gazed out the window at the busy figures, and at the green Floo Network flames that lit up and then went out in every corner of the Ministry of Magic.
He suddenly felt somewhat powerless.
He spent his entire life carefully avoiding storms and anything that could capsize him.
He carefully maintained a balance among all parties, carefully avoided provoking anyone, and carefully preserved his own position.
He thought that as long as he was cautious enough, he could stay in the ministerial position until the day he could leave normally.
But now it seems that he might not make it to that day.
The assistant and chief of staff were awaiting Fudge's next orders when they heard a calm yet weary voice:
"I've lived my whole life on thin ice. Do you think I can make it to the end of my normal term?"