If William Does Not Step Forward, What Will Become of the People?

A group of wizards were waiting at the golden elevator entrance.

The leading male wizard was short, stout, and slightly bald.

He wore a magnificent black robe with red clouds on it, and held a green top hat with silver trim in his hand.

Behind the male wizard stood a short, plump witch who looked like a toad, with a velvet bow in her short hair and a thick folder in her arms.

The other wizards kept their distance, their faces showing fear.

The elevator doors opened, Minister Fudge went in first, followed closely by Umbridge.

As for the other wizards, they all realized they hadn't followed and chose to wait for the next elevator.

"How did the test go, Dolores?"

After the elevator doors closed, Fudge asked in a low voice.

Umbridge, in a sweet, high-pitched voice, said:

"Minister, I took a team of Auror to that cemetery, but we found nothing; there were no signs of a battle whatsoever."

"But the Muggle newspapers..." Fudge hesitated, "... say quite a few people have died."

"It's just a landslide." Umbridge had already prepared his excuse.

"A completely natural disaster, with no human involvement whatsoever."

"Ah, how pitiful." Minister Fudge's tone didn't convey much pity.

He loosened his collar and said with a relaxed air, "So, the place where the You-Know-Who was supposedly resurrected is fake?"

Umbridge didn't answer directly, but just chuckled:

"Minister, do you really believe Dumbledore's words that a mere Stark wizard could fight and even injure the You-Know-Who?"

"William is more than just a little wizard." Minister Fudge shook his head cautiously.

"I've read the reports from Paris and Venice. William is truly powerful, and I believe most Auror are no match for him."

Fudge had witnessed firsthand how terrifying geniuses could be.

"So..." Umbridge rolled her eyes, then immediately said, "Dumbledore had a reason for doing this."

"What's the reason?" Fudge pricked up his ears.

"It's nothing more than wanting to increase Stark's prestige and support him to become the youngest Minister for Magic," Umbridge analyzed.

He only has two years left to graduate...

Fudge remained silent.

Although elections are held regularly for the Minister for Magic, the position has a fixed term and no time limit.

In theory, you can be re-elected indefinitely, as long as you perform well enough.

Therefore, this is an extremely flexible profession, with a career lifespan ranging from a few months to several decades.

The shortest-serving Minister for United Kingdom Ministry of Magic was undoubtedly Basil Flack, who served for only two months.

At that time, it was still during the Goblin Wars, and he was just there to take the blame and fill the gap.

Flack worked for two months, only to be kicked out for the ridiculous reason that Goblin and Werewolf had formed an alliance.

The longest-serving minister was Faris Spavian, who took office at the age of 109 and served for 38 years.

Fudge doesn't expect a lifetime appointment, but everyone should have dreams.

His dream is to challenge himself to live for sixty years.

Is there ever a minister who serves for sixty years?

Let's start with him!

It's only been five years; how could he bear to leave his post?

Especially with power, once you get involved, you can never give it up.

But Fudge also felt a sense of urgency.

As Umbridge said, given William's current fame, it's practically a certainty that he'll run for office in the future.

If Dumbledore promote the project, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become the youngest Minister for Magic after graduation.

Public opinion was particularly skeptical that the You-Know-Who had been resurrected... and William was the only one capable of dealing with him.

This is a complete Dumbledore from back then.

Perhaps in less than two years? United Kingdom public opinion has completely shifted to:

William won't come out? What will become of the people?

And what does Fudge have to do with this?

Hateful!

The two suddenly fell silent because the elevator doors opened on the seventh floor, at the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

Mr. Weasley and Percy were standing at the elevator door, seemingly arguing.

Upon seeing Minister Fudge, Arthur stopped arguing. He hesitated for a moment, then didn't go in.

But Percy seemed to see his biological father? His expression changed in an instant? He walked in with a broad smile.

He greeted them warmly, "Good morning, Minister! And also, your advisor, Mrs. Umbridge!"

Percy eagerly reached out his hand.

Minister Fudge paused for a few seconds before extending his hand and smiling, "Hello... I remember your name is..."

"Percy, Minister," Percy quickly introduced himself.

"I worked for the Department of International Magical Cooperation? Remember? Just a few months ago? I was working for Mr. Crouch..."

Percy suddenly shut up.

Crouch was controlled by his son, Barty Crouch Jr.., and was actually working for criminals.

Fortunately, Fudge didn't delve into it further, but instead looked at Arthur who had walked in.

Mr. Weasley has to come in.

Although he didn't want to be in the same elevator as Fudge, he still caused Percy to say something inappropriate, inadvertently leaking some information.

During this period, many members of the Order of the Phoenix have visited the Burrow.

During this time, he suddenly discovered that his son Percy... might have some problems.

It's not a problem with their brains or their bodies, but rather a clash of political ideologies.

Fudge seemed like a good friend, his face warm, as if casually inquiring:

"Arthur, isn't your office on the second floor? How did you end up on the seventh floor?"

The Ministry of Magic has nine floors in total, with the main hall on the eighth floor.

Because it's deep underground, the more floors there are, and the farther away from the ground, the better.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the largest department within the Ministry of Magic, is located on the second floor.

The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, where Weasley works, is also on this floor.

Before Percy could answer, Mr. Weasley immediately lied, "I like Gobstones, so I came to the Gobstones Club to ask if there were any games recently."

Gobstones is a wizarding game that resembles marbles. Each time a point is lost, the winning stone sprays a foul-smelling, sticky liquid into the face of the loser.

This is an extremely niche game, and it doesn't look very elegant either.

But Fudge, as expected of a minister, could handle any topic, and he spoke eloquently:

"I also like this game. Back when I was at Hogwarts, I even joined the school's Stone Club."

I still remember our captain, he was...

Eileen Prince's girl.

She led us in a competition against the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After she graduated, I think she married a Muggle. I remember... she was Snape's mother.

Arthur just gave an awkward laugh; he didn't like the game at all.

"Have you been busy lately?" Fudge asked again. "I heard you've been busy dealing with the sewage backflow in the toilets?"

"It was done by anti- Muggle pranksters!" Arthur said angrily. "It's happened twice recently, once at Wimbledon and once at Elephant and Castle."

A Muggle flushed the toilet, but the filth didn't disappear...

Fudge interrupted, "Is this some kind of trivial matter for you to concern yourself with? It's about the sewers!"

"Arthur, to be honest, I've always wanted to move you to a different spot," Fudge said with a smile.

"Since Crouch's incident, the Department of International Magical Cooperation has been without a director."

Your son Percy works there too, right?

Percy's eyes lit up as he looked at his elderly father.

He had never been so excited before.

Fudge continued:

"This department must break free from the shackles of the tightly bound bureaucratic system. We need to open the windows, let in some fresh air, and get rid of all the red tape."

I believe in you; you can revitalize this creaky, old bureaucratic machine.

"You mean a big clean-up?" Arthur laughed.

"Indeed, too many people are just sitting behind their desks... It really needs a major cleaning."

Just then, the elevator rang.

"The fifth level is the Department of International Magical Cooperation, which includes the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Law Office, and the British Seats of the International Confederation of Wizards."

Mr. Weasley said quickly, "Minister, I still prefer my current position."

Alright, Percy, you've arrived. Time to get off.

I'll also go and visit a good friend of mine.

Percy was reluctantly pulled away by Mr. Weasley.

Fudge's face instantly darkened.

Umbridge spat into the elevator and said:

"What the hell? They're asking for it!"

However, she didn't control the distance well and vomited on Minister Fudge's shoes.

(Please give me your recommendation votes and monthly tickets, everyone.)

Thanks to "Zhenjian Suiyue" and "Hell Tourist" for the reward.)