#443 - Chapter 443 Wizengamot Meeting

When Sebastian entered the spacious meeting room on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, he was met with the sight of a group of wizards dressed in purplish-red robes.

They were scattered around the oval-shaped tiered meeting room, the silver "W" badge on the left breast of their robes shining brightly under the lights.

Each person's actions and expressions varied. Some were buried in the documents on the table, their brows furrowed; some were talking in low voices, occasionally glancing towards the door; and others seemed absent-minded, drumming their fingers idly on the armrests of their chairs.

Sebastian's gaze quickly swept over these wizards, pausing briefly on the half-moon spectacles on Dumbledore's face.

Dumbledore was standing on the platform, with Fudge, looking gloomy, sitting directly in front of him. There were two topics on the agenda today, one of which was about Voldemort, so Fudge was naturally unhappy.

Sebastian nodded slightly towards Dumbledore, then walked towards the empty seat next to Amelia Bones and sat down directly.

"Sebastian," Amelia said, tilting her head slightly and whispering, "Fudge still refuses to acknowledge the return of the Dark Lord. Should we take this opportunity to attack him and drive him out?"

"No need," Sebastian chuckled lightly, his tone relaxed, "Let him jump around a little longer."

"Besides, there are too many people in the wizarding world who like to pretend to be asleep, just like Fudge, and many of our friends here are the same," he curled his lips into a smile. "Forcibly waking them up will only be counterproductive. Let's wait a little longer."

Seeing Sebastian take his seat, Dumbledore opened a document in front of him and tapped the table lightly, drawing the attention of all the wizards.

"I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, formally open this Wizengamot session."

The meeting room fell silent instantly, with only the occasional rustling of the quill of the meeting recorder across the paper.

"The first item on the agenda," Dumbledore glanced at the members present, his gaze finally resting on Sebastian, "is to discuss whether to officially accept Mr. Sebastian Swan as a member of the Wizengamot."

His voice was unhurried and calm, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"There is a detailed dossier in front of each of you, which lists Sebastian Swan's outstanding contributions in various fields. Please read it and then engage in free discussion."

As Dumbledore's voice fell, low murmurs of discussion gradually arose within the meeting room.

"Is there even a need to discuss this? Look at this brilliant resume. As the richest man in the wizarding world, he has made numerous donations to the Ministry of Magic, and after becoming a professor at Hogwarts, he has also donated a large amount of Galleons to support the education of the wizarding world."

"He developed the new town of Hogsmeade, which boosted the wizarding economy and created a large number of jobs."

"The reforms at Azkaban also came from his suggestion. After undergoing labor reform, those prisoners have turned over a new leaf, stopped engaging in petty theft, and found legitimate jobs."

"Indeed!" Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office, spoke up in support. "We Aurors have provided data showing that after the Azkaban reforms, the number of dark wizards in Knockturn Alley has decreased sharply, and the frequency of criminal incidents has also been greatly reduced."

"Oh?" A voice filled with interest came from the crowd. "Is it really true that he also invented the learning method that increases the success rate of the Patronus Charm?"

"I can confirm that this is indeed Professor Swan's achievement," Dumbledore explained from the platform. "There is no falsehood in this matter. If you recall, the Ministry of Magic once stationed Dementors at Hogwarts."

"During a Quidditch match against Durmstrang in the European Inter-School Cup, the Dementors rioted and stormed into the school, and the students summoned their Patronuses to drive them away."

"Cough cough—" Hearing about the Dementor riot, Fudge's face turned even darker. He coughed and muttered, "That was just an accident."

Unfortunately, with the exception of a few wizards, most of them ignored Fudge's grumbling and instead discussed it excitedly.

"I remember it. I watched the live broadcast of the match at the time, and I was stunned when all sorts of Patronuses soared into the sky."

"Don't laugh at me, but I still haven't mastered the Patronus Charm. Honestly, Hogwarts should open a summer adult class so we can go back and brush up on our Patronus Charms."

"I'd like to add something," Healer Bolton, the head of St. Mungo's Hospital, stood up and said, "Sebastian has developed an advanced application of the Patronus Charm—healing souls damaged by dark magic."

"Frank and Alice Longbottom, these two heroes were tortured by Death Eaters at the end of the last wizarding war, and their souls eventually became fragmented and completely insane."

"Sebastian personally taught Neville Longbottom and used advanced Patronus techniques to heal them both. Now they have recovered and their family is reunited."

Everyone also remembered this incident. The news reported it crazily at the time, celebrating the return of the two heroes.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, listening to the discussions with a smile on his face.

Honestly, for him, this seat on the Wizengamot wasn't very attractive.

After all, in this system, any decision requires repeated meetings and discussions, and even complex proposals can take one to two years to be finalized.

Sebastian was quite averse to this inefficient working model. From the bottom of his heart, he preferred dictatorship.

Of course, that dictator had to be himself.

Moreover, even if he wasn't a member of the Wizengamot, it wouldn't stop him from influencing the direction of the wizarding world. After all, he had quite a few friends in the Wizengamot.

This proposal was actually put forward by Amelia. In her words, she was tired of relaying the contents of the meetings to Sebastian every time. It would be more efficient and convenient for Sebastian to become a member of the Wizengamot and participate in the meetings himself.

"Sebastian also resolved the riots at the Quidditch World Cup, preventing the Ministry of Magic from losing face in front of the whole world."

Amelia raised the document in her hand and said loudly to everyone, "These materials are enough to prove Sebastian's excellence. The Wizengamot has no reason to keep such an outstanding person out."

Loud echoes of agreement sounded around, and even Fudge didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Seeing this, Dumbledore said loudly, "We will now begin the vote. Please raise your hand if you agree to Sebastian Swan becoming a member of the Wizengamot."

As he spoke, he raised his hand first, scanning the room with a smile.

"Passed unanimously," Dumbledore led the applause. "Welcome Sebastian Swan to officially join the Wizengamot."

When the applause subsided slightly, the meeting room fell silent again, and he put on a serious expression.

"Now we will begin discussing the second item on the agenda, regarding Voldemort and how to deal with the upcoming wizarding war."