Fudge paced anxiously back and forth in his office. The flames in the fireplace flickered, making his shadow stretch and shrink.
"Senile. Absolutely senile," he muttered under his breath. "Veritaserum? How dare he use Veritaserum?"
The mere thought of that name made him shudder instinctively.
If Dumbledore really drank Veritaserum in full view of everyone, then told the entire wizarding world, "You-Know-Who has returned"...
Fudge stopped short, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
What would become of the Ministry of Magic's authority? Of the stability he had painstakingly maintained over the past few years? Everything the Ministry had built over the past eleven years would come to nothing!
How would the public see him-a coward who only buried his head in the sand and refused to face danger?
He could already picture the future front pages of the Daily Prophet: "Minister Fudge deceived the entire wizarding world," "Eleven years of lies finally exposed," "Ministry's credibility in tatters."
"No. Absolutely not."
Fudge bit his fingernail and hurried to the window.
Below the Ministry building, wizards came and went as usual.
None of them knew that the wizarding world's highest administrative official was currently running in frantic circles like a Niffler trapped in a cage.
Fudge turned, snatched today's Daily Prophet off his desk, and read it carefully once more.
The paper recorded everything Dumbledore had said in the Great Hall at Hogwarts the previous night, including, "I will take Veritaserum before everyone and answer all questions truthfully."
"He can't do this! What is he thinking? Does he have any idea how much trouble this will cause?"
Fudge crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it into the fireplace, then grabbed his cloak and strode toward the door.
Yes. Hogwarts.
He had to stop Dumbledore before he actually went through with drinking the Veritaserum.
Fudge shoved his office door open, nearly colliding with a young assistant who was about to knock.
"Minister? Are you going out?"
"Pass the word along. Cancel all my meetings this afternoon." Fudge hurried out without looking back, his words rushed.
"If I'm not back before dark, have Madam Amelia Bones oversee Ministry affairs in my absence."
He did not know whether rushing off to see Dumbledore like this was wise, but he could no longer worry about that.
Maintaining stability mattered more than anything else-as for Rita's article, even if he had to do it all over again, he would still have deflected the controversy.
He simply had not expected Dumbledore to pull something like this. It was too ruthless a move, leaving him barely able to cope.
Once the squeezing sensation of Apparition had passed, Fudge stood outside the gates of Hogwarts.
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, Snape was looking at Dumbledore with a peculiar expression.
"Will you be using Occlumency when the time comes?" Snape stared suspiciously at Dumbledore.
His black eyes remained fixed on Dumbledore's bright blue ones. He clearly had his doubts about Dumbledore.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his fingertips resting lightly together, and gave a gentle smile.
"My Occlumency is always at the ready, Severus. You needn't worry about that."
Snape raised an eyebrow. "Then how will you make the Veritaserum work?"
"If you keep everything out of your mind, the potion won't work at all. Any Potions Master could tell you that."
"Fudge may be an idiot, but at least one or two of his advisers will know their business."
Dumbledore's smile deepened slightly, a glint of cunning flashing in his blue eyes. "Who said I intended to let the Veritaserum work on me?"
Snape froze, then slowly narrowed his eyes. "...You never intended to tell the truth."
"I only need people to believe I'm telling the truth." Dumbledore smiled faintly.
"As long as they believe I'm telling the truth, every word I say will become the truth in their eyes. The effect is exactly the same."
A sneer curled Snape's lips. "So you intend to drink a perfectly harmless beverage in front of the entire wizarding world."
"Then solemnly tell them, 'You-Know-Who has returned'-and everyone will have no choice but to believe you because of the 'Veritaserum'?"
"More or less." Dumbledore took out a Sherbet Lemon and leisurely unwrapped it. "Of course, the details still need a little polishing."
Snape gave a derisive sneer. "Sometimes, I truly don't know whether you're the world's greatest Light wizard or its greatest showman. Perhaps both."
"Thank you, Severus. You always know how to pay a compliment."
Snape snorted coldly and turned to head toward the window.
Just then, someone knocked on the door of the Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile of expectation appearing on his lips. "Come in."
Fudge flung open the door, all but charging inside as he looked for Dumbledore. "Dumbledore! How could you be so reckless!"
"Cornelius." Dumbledore rose amiably and gestured for him to sit. "Coming here at this hour, you must have had a tiring journey. Would you like some tea?"
"No tea!" Fudge cut him off with a sharp wave. "I'm here to ask you about the Veritaserum! You can't actually do it! Do you know what the consequences will be?"
Dumbledore sighed and slowly sank back into his chair.
An expression of precisely measured sorrow and regret appeared on his face. "Cornelius, the public is pressing me too hard. I have no choice but to prove my innocence."
"If you'd seen those newspapers describe me as a selfish old madman for three weeks running, you would understand my position."
"But this is a public inquiry!" Fudge said anxiously. "Taking Veritaserum? You didn't even consult me beforehand! I'm the Minister for Magic! Something this important should at least-"
Dumbledore said nothing and merely kept sighing.
Fudge had intended to continue his tirade, but the sight of Dumbledore's "sorrowful" blue eyes suddenly drained away half his anger.
He sighed and sat in the chair opposite Dumbledore, which gave a dull creak under his weight.
"Then... what about the news concerning You-Know-Who? Will it come out?"
Dumbledore lowered his eyes, seemingly unwilling to look at the Minister, who appeared rather ridiculous at that moment.
He took a deep breath to keep his face straight, then looked up with a sorrowful expression. "I'm afraid so."
Fudge sucked in a breath. He closed his eyes, his expression looking as though someone had punched him in the face.
His mind filled with those scenes: the overwhelming barrage of questions, the reporters' Quick-Quotes Quills, the cold faces of those people at the International Confederation of Wizards...
If the public learned that that man really had returned, panic would spread like wildfire through the entire wizarding world.
Everyone would blame him, and his own name would be nailed to the pillar of shame amid the chaos.
"You... you can't do this." Fudge's voice grew hoarse. "Do you understand how hard this will hit the Ministry? All our efforts these past few years, all our work to maintain stability..."
"Cornelius, I understand your difficulties." Dumbledore's tone was full of regret, but a trace of amusement flashed through his eyes. "But there really is nothing to be done. I've already announced before everyone that I will take Veritaserum."
"I cannot go back on my word under these circumstances."
"But..." Fudge looked up as though grasping at his last straw.
"Couldn't you... hold back... just a little? Say you 'suspect,' for instance? Don't say you're 'certain'?"
Dumbledore looked at Fudge and heaved a heavy sigh. "Cornelius, you must understand. Having come this far, I have no way back."
Fudge's shoulders immediately slumped, and he buried his face dejectedly in his hands.
Only after a long while did he speak, his voice muffled. "Then what am I supposed to do? I can't simply stand by and watch the entire wizarding world collapse."
A smile secretly curled Dumbledore's lips before he quickly suppressed it, restoring his expression of regret.
He rose, walked around the desk, and gently patted Fudge's shoulder, his tone like that of someone comforting a younger man who had been wronged.
"Cornelius, I have a proposal."
Fudge looked up through his fingers.
"Over the next three months, the Ministry could provide Hogwarts with additional funding to strengthen the defenses around the castle."
"I recall that you previously approved an 'extraordinary security budget.' That money should still be sitting in the Ministry's reserve vault."
Fudge paused. "That money was intended for..."
"Dealing with 'all potential threats.'" Dumbledore smiled. "Those were the terms you personally approved back then."
"Additionally, I hope you will sign a special permit allowing Hogwarts, when necessary in the future, to hire outside security personnel who are not subject to the Ministry's official staffing restrictions."
Fudge frowned. "Outside security personnel? Who?"
"I will vet the candidates myself. Rest assured, they will all be reliable, experienced wizards."
"But!" Fudge shot to his feet. "Wouldn't that amount to the Ministry tacitly admitting that You-Know-Who is still alive?"
"Cornelius, you need to look at it from another angle." Dumbledore shook his head. "If you actively cooperate with Hogwarts to improve its defenses, the public will see the Ministry as having prepared in advance rather than passively taking blows."
"I believe that, with your political wisdom, you should understand the benefits better than I do."
"Besides, the fact that I will take Veritaserum can no longer be changed. The news of the Dark Lord's return can no longer be stopped."
Fudge scratched his head. Staring into Dumbledore's sorrow-filled blue eyes, he kept feeling that he had been drawn into a trap, yet he could not say what was wrong.
He considered Dumbledore's proposal. The Ministry only needed to spend some funds it had no use for to secure a favorable position in the coming public debate, and might even bolster its credibility.
When Fudge spoke again, his voice was much wearier. "...Do you really have to do this?"
"I have no other choice, Cornelius." Dumbledore lowered his eyes, his voice taking on a heaviness that made further questioning seem cruel.
Fudge hesitated for a while before finally sighing. "All right. I'll approve the additional funding and the permit for outside hires."
"If... if what you've said is true... I hope the decision I've made today isn't a mistake."
The door closed, and Fudge's heavy footsteps gradually receded down the corridor.
Snape emerged from the shadows by the window and offered a mocking compliment. "The world's greatest showman indeed."
Dumbledore settled back into his high-backed chair, took off his Half-moon Spectacles, and wiped them, a faint smile curling his lips.
"Severus, when an old madman says he has no other choice, it often means he made his choice long ago."
At a loss for words, Snape gave a cold laugh and left the Headmaster's Office.