Chapter 305: Change of Government in the Ministry of Magic
The candlelight in the principal's office seemed to dim.
A bright silver deer flew out from the tip of Snape's staff, jumped lightly in the air around the office, and finally flew out of the window and disappeared into the night.
Dumbledore looked back blankly and watched it go away, watching its silver light disappear, and then turned to look at Snape, whose eyes were filled with tears at some point.
"Lily... after all this time, are you still...?"
"Always," said Snape.
Dumbledore fell silent and didn't say a word for a long time.
Snape just stared at Dumbledore, as if waiting for the far-reaching old headmaster to give him an explanation and tell him the meaning of everything he had done to protect Harry.
After a long time, Dumbledore sighed deeply and wiped the tears from his eyes with emotion.
"I will give you an explanation, Severus." He said slowly, "You have to know that I also don't want Harry to go down the destined path... He is still so young."
Dumbledore's voice was very soft, almost as if he was talking to himself, as if this explanation was not for Snape, but for himself.
"This is why I exposed the existence of the Elder Wand to Voldemort. I need to let him get this wand... But before Voldemort gets this wand, the owner of the wand must be you!"
Snape froze.
"Are you kidding?" He frowned, "How can I get the recognition of the Elder Wand from your hand? It is a Deathly Hallows anyway!"
"I'm not kidding, Severus." Dumbledore said softly, "I will find a suitable opportunity for you to kill me in front of other Death Eaters... Only you can kill me yourself. , in order to completely gain Voldemort's trust."
"I tell you, Dumbledore, this joke is not funny at all!" Snape sneered and said in a sarcastic tone, "If you want to change the subject in such a boring way, then I can only say that you are really The old lake is painted.”
"Please listen to me, Severus, I am telling you a plan very seriously - a plan that has a glimmer of hope for Harry to survive." Dumbledore looked at Snape and said seriously .
"Then keep talking." Snape swung his cloak and sat back on the sofa. "I'm curious about what tricks you are playing."
Dumbledore smiled and looked at Snape's eyes through his glasses with his deep blue eyes, his expression looking very relaxed.
But the words that came out of his mouth were like a stormy wave, shaking Snape's heart heavily.
"I only came up with this plan not long ago because I got this ring from Voldemort by chance."
Dumbledore smiled and rubbed the black gemstone ring on his index finger, and said to Snape, "Perhaps you have guessed that this is one of the legendary Deathly Hallows - the Resurrection Stone."
"Now I have both the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone in my hand, and I also know the whereabouts of the Invisibility Cloak... So it's just the right time. The Deathly Hallows, which we have been searching for for decades to no avail, are easily gathered here. one place."
"In legend, the person who collects the three Deathly Hallows will become the master of Death. This is obviously a myth and exaggerated. The Deathly Hallows are just three extremely powerful magical creations."
"But after my research, I found that the combination of these three magical artifacts does have some special effects... It allows the holder to have a choice on the way to death, and can stop in the narrow gap between life and death. .”
"With this ability, I can wait for Harry's arrival in the lost land and guide his wandering soul back into my body... This is the only way to keep Harry alive."
Dumbledore looked at Snape gently, his tone was quite calm, as if he was talking about something ordinary.
Snape seemed shocked by Dumbledore's thoughts. His penis shrank violently, his throat was choked, and he didn't make any sound for a long time.
Dumbledore didn't speak, just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to digest the complex and shocking information.
The starlight outside the window gradually dimmed, and a ray of dawn flashed across the distant sky.
"Are you crazy?!" Snape shouted loudly, "What do you think, using the life of a great wizard to exchange for an ordinary student? And at this moment when the wizarding world is in chaos?!"
"The value of life is equally precious, Severus, no one is better than the other." Dumbledore chuckled, "Why not exchange the life of an old man like me for the survival of a young man? ?”
"This is completely different!" Snape growled, "Can I understand this? Voldemort is trying to destroy the stability of the wizarding world. At this time, as the only wizard he fears, you are planning to escape?"
"Don't worry too much. I'm not the only one in the wizarding world who can deal with Voldemort." Dumbledore still said gently, "Professor Dracula will not leave the students alone."
"What about Grindelwald?" Snape asked, "He escaped from Nurmengard not long ago. Don't tell me you don't know the news!"
"Don't worry, Grindelwald has changed a lot from fifty years ago, and he will not start another war." Dumbledore said, "As for his philosophy... In fact, that was also mine. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to change the thinking of the magical world.”
"Don't look at me like that, Severus, I didn't go on this road just to save Harry's life; I have other things to do on the way to death..."
"Voldemort is not the only threat to the wizarding world. Behind Voldemort there is a more terrifying god of death waiting for an opportunity."
"At that time, I will deal with the threat of death... As for Voldemort and other dark wizards in this world, I will leave it to you."
His tone was light, but his blue eyes looked sharply at Snape, as if he could truly see the soul of what they had been talking about.
After a long moment, Snape nodded stiffly.
Outside the window, wisps of bright sunlight lit up from the horizon, illuminating the black lake and the castle inch by inch, dispelling the last darkness before dawn.
Dumbledore seemed satisfied.
"Thank you, Severus..."
He whispered softly, while walking around the desk, close to Snape's ear, and slowly told him his plan.
…
A lot happened this summer.
Voldemort was back, the Daily Prophet published the story, and the Ministry of Magic distributed free wartime emergency Defense Against the Dark Arts household pamphlets to every wizarding family.
Fifty years later, the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald, escaped from Nurmengard and took over as the headmaster of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry;
Many parents in Durmstrang protested, but the students in the school seemed to be possessed. Most of them were unwilling to go home for the summer vacation, but preferred to stay in Durmstrang and listen to Grindelwald. Give them lectures;
The Austrian Ministry of Magic turned to the International Confederation of Wizards and tried to arrange for Aurors to sneak into the school to investigate the situation. However, usually before entering Durmstrang's castle, the Aurors would lose their minds and wander around like headless flies.
Many original seventh-grade students have graduated. Victor Krum, a well-known seeker in the wizarding world, did not stay in Durmstrang to listen to Grinder like his other classmates because of an old grudge against his grandfather. Waugh imparted his ideas;
He left school and returned to the Bulgarian Quidditch team to become a professional player. However, due to the activity of the two Dark Lords, most wizards tended to stay at home, and the Quidditch movement became somewhat declining, and the prospects were Worrying.
Fred and George also graduated successfully, and they opened a joke shop in Diagon Alley with the Galleons they won from Bagman;
Because of the increasingly repressive atmosphere in the wizarding world, the joke shop was welcomed by many wizards. Their business was very prosperous, and it took only two months to find the confidence to open a branch in Hogsmeade.
In addition, the government of the British Ministry of Magic has also changed——
"So you are no longer the Minister of Magic?"
Dracula took a newspaper away from his face and looked at the guy in front of him with a pale round face and two teeth exposed outside his lips with interest.
"Yes...yes, Your Majesty Earl." Fudge replied cautiously.
The newspaper originally held in Dracula's hand was thrown lightly on the table next to him. The title on it was:
"Ms. Bones succeeds Fudge as the new Minister of Magic"
Most of the front page was taken up by a large black-and-white photo of a witch, standing on a stage with a serious face and waving her hands outside the frame.
"Ms. Amelia Bones, the former Director of the Department of Magical Legal Enforcement of the Ministry of Magic, is confirmed to succeed Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic, and Rufus Scrimgeour, the former Director of the Auror Office, takes over as Director of the Department of Magical Legal Enforcement. One position.
This appointment was widely and warmly welcomed by the wizarding community because of the evasion and inaction of the former Minister of Magic Fudge, as well as the confirmation of the rumored evidence that he had become a vampire. ” read the newspaper.
Dracula looked at the reserved Fudge and said "tsk".
"Didn't you hide your identity as a vampire very well? Why were you exposed anyway?" he asked, "I thought you could hide it forever."
"Those two bitches, Amelia Bones and Scrimgeour, tampered with one of my popular public speeches," Fudge said bitterly, "It was originally a cloudy day, because That’s why I agreed to speak outdoors.”
"Who would have known that these two people used the simple excuse of needing good weather to appease the magic world and used weather spells to move the clouds away!"
"So you exposed your identity as a vampire on the spot?" Dracula gloated and laughed, "Just be lucky, it's pretty good that a low-level vampire like you didn't turn into ashes when exposed to sunlight."
"But... but all my early efforts were in vain!" Fudge covered his round face and said painfully, "The same goes for those who voted. I tried my best to send each of them a letter the day before. A makeshift Defense Against the Dark Arts manual, and the next day they turned against me!"
"What manual?" Dracula asked curiously.
"A temporary defense manual in time of war." Fudge said, taking out a purple booklet from his arms and handing it to Dracula.
The brochure is printed with eye-catching words:
"Published with permission from the Ministry of Magic
Protect you and your family from black magic
…
If you see or encounter an Inferi, please report it to the Ministry of Magic immediately. "
…
Dracula flipped through the wartime pamphlet and then curled his lips.
"It's such a thin booklet with no substantial content. How do you expect those wizards to support you with this?" He glanced at Fudge mockingly and said casually.
"You can't say that..." Fudge murmured, "I'm just a little bit unwilling and feel that I shouldn't be kicked out so hastily."
"Why, can I understand that you are blaming me for turning you into a vampire?" Dracula raised his eyebrows.
"Don't dare, don't dare..." Fudge shook his head quickly.
His current identity is just a low-level vampire who came to Dracula's castle to meet the leader of the vampires. He was surrounded by high-level vampires with terrifying auras, and he did not dare to have any thoughts of offending Dracula.
What's more, he also wanted to ask for help this time. Otherwise, he would have found a place to hide secretly by himself. How would he have come to a place full of vampires to find trouble for himself?
"Tell me, what is your purpose for coming to me?" Dracula asked casually, "I don't believe you are a person who is willing to completely integrate into the vampire family."
"Yes... yes, I do want to trouble the Earl with something." Fudge bent down and said with an apologetic smile, "I know that you have the absolute right to speak in the vampire clan, and the werewolves not far away also have your right to speak. influence, so I came to you specifically.”
"I'm here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. I hope to form an alliance with the vampires and the two groups to fight against You-Know-Who and Grindelwald!"
Dracula glanced at Fudge, feeling a little funny.
"Have you not already abdicated? How can you still come to negotiate on behalf of the Ministry of Magic?" Dracula asked.
"I haven't completely failed yet. As long as I can negotiate the cooperation between the Ministry of Magic and vampires and werewolves, I can make great contributions to the Ministry of Magic." Seeing that he couldn't hide it from Dracula, Fudge simply told the truth. .
"When Amelia Bones makes some big mistakes, I may well get another chance to come back as minister!"
"Is that so?" Dracula chuckled, "Then why don't you take a look and see who this is?"
He snapped his fingers.
A curtain was pushed open, and a middle-aged witch stood behind the curtain, looking at Fudge with a serious expression.
Her face looked exactly like the one in the newspaper next to her.
…
…
