Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Announcement
Arthur nodded, then quickly shook his head.
"It was fun being the Headmaster at first, but dealing with the daily tasks became boring after a while."
It had been a few days since Dumbledore left, and Arthur had become quite familiar with the duties of being the Headmaster.
Apart from causing some trouble during the Triwizard Tournament, he spent most of his days as an emotionless stamping machine.
Snape needed a batch of Lacewings and the Horn of Bicorn?
Approved.
Professor Flitwick needed teaching materials for his class?
Approved.
While the work wasn't complicated, there were still plenty of weird tasks to handle.
Luna nodded as if she understood while Cho rolled her eyes.
The position of Hogwarts Headmaster holds a higher status in the English wizarding world than even the Ministry of Magic, and yet these two were discussing if it was fun or not.
In order to avoid suspicion from others, they said a few words briefly, and then Cho and her group left.
Before they left, Arthur instructed them to inform Hagrid that Dumbledore would prepare a 'substitute' for Buckbeak before the Ministry officials arrived tomorrow.
Arthur was determined to keep his word since he had promised Hagrid he would do it.
The next afternoon, Ministry officials arrived at Hogwarts.
To Arhur's surprise, the one leading the group was not Fudge, but Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office.
Although he was somewhat puzzled, Arthur welcomed the high-ranking wizard into his office.
Welcoming Scrimgeour as Dumbledore in his office was already a lot of show of respect.
As the head of the Auror Office, Scrimgeour was in charge of the most important military force in England.
This gave him a lot of influence and authority.
But Scrimgeour was not satisfied with his position.
He was an ambitious wizard who had always been against Fudge becoming the Minister of Magic.
In his eyes, Fudge was a weak and incompetent politician.
If it weren't for Dumbledore's support, how could Fudge have become the Minister of Magic?
Only someone as determined and strong as himself could take the Ministry of Magic to greater peaks.
It was for this reason that he was wary of Dumbledore.
In Scrimgeour's eyes, the Ministry of Magic should be the highest authority in the English wizarding world, and no one should disobey it.
However, Hogwarts seemed to be somewhat beyond his control, all because of Dumbledore's existence.
This trip to Hogwarts was not just about executing Buckbeak but also about a more important goal - to challenge Dumbledore and defeat him.
In the past year, Dumbledore had rarely been seen at Hogwarts, and each time he came, it was short and went in a hurry.
It was no longer a secret.
Considering that the Headmaster was already over a hundred years old, many people suspected there was something wrong with his health.
Scrimgeour did not deny Dumbledore's power, but how much stronger could an old wizard be?
So, this time, he decided to test Dumbledore's strength. If he won, he could use this victory to rally support and bring down Fudge.
If he lost, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Losing to the greatest Wizard of the century wasn't something to be ashamed of.
Scrimgeour stepped into Hogwarts Castle with a group of Aurors following closely behind him.
Along the way, the young wizards he encountered were all intimidated by Scrimgeour's aura and quickly avoided his path.
Standing outside the Headmaster's office, Scrimgeour took a deep breath before instructing the stone statue to tell Dumbledore.
When he entered the office, he saw the old Dumbledore, and his determination strengthened even more.
"Long time no see, Dumbledore,"
Scrimgeour said this with a raised eyebrow, sensing that something was wrong.
Scrimgeour's tone was completely equal in greeting Dumbledore, which was almost impossible considering Dumbledore's status.
But Arthur didn't think too much about it.
He had known from watching movies in his past life that Dumbledore and Scrimgeour didn't get along.
"Long time no see, Scrimgeour. I didn't expect the Ministry of Magic to send you in this time,"
Dumbledore replied.
"I came here on purpose, Dumbledore. The seriousness of this incident was worthy of a personal visit,"
Scrimgeour replied seriously.
"Before I arrived, Fudge instructed me that the trial verdict must be announced in front of all the staff and students..." he continued.
"After all, this incident has caused quite a noise, and we owe the wizarding community an explanation."
Arthur nodded, unconcerned.
"Then let's do it after the banquet ends. How does that sound? Also, you can't take away Buckbeak's, or otherwise, our Care of Magical Creatures professor will be very upset."
Scrimgeour didn't care about the body of a mere animal. He nodded in agreement and left the office without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Arthur took the opportunity to swap Buckbeak's body for something else.
At the banquet, the Great Hall at Hogwarts was filled with outsiders.
There were reporters from the Daily Prophet, as well as some pure-blood families of the Crabbe and Goyle families.
Hagrid was a little worried as he sat in the professor's seat.
He thought something might go wrong. But knowing that Arthur handled the situation personally, he managed to stay calm.
The pure-blood families looked happy as they thought that this fight with Dumbledore was already a win for them.
As long as they united, what could Dumbledore do?
He would have no choice but to give in.
Soon, the banquet ended, and Arthur stopped all the young wizards who were about to leave.
Professor McGonagall's expression was not good.
She believed that the Ministry of Magic's intention was to attack Hogwarts and humiliate Dumbledore.
"I'm sorry, but I still need to take up some of your time,"
Arthur stood up and called everyone.
"Today, the Ministry of Magic has reached a verdict for the Buckbeak incident."
"Now, the Head of the Auror Office, Rufus Scrimgeour, will read it aloud."
Arthur nodded at Scrimgeour, who then stood up slowly, his sharp eyes sweeping across the room like a hawk.
"Before I announce the verdict, there is something very important I need to do,"
He said loudly, directing his gaze at Arthur, who appeared somewhat puzzled.
"Dumbledore! Today, right here, in front of all the staff and students of Hogwarts, let's have a wizard's duel."
...
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