Chapter 135: The Mouse Appears

"Hey little brat, where have you been? Is this still Hogwarts?"

Old Crouch, who had just climbed out of the fireplace using Floo powder, looked at the magnificent reception room in front of him.

While feeling confused, he began to yell at the Auror who was leading the way without any scruples.

This is a grumpy and eccentric old man who was a well-known hardliner and resistance hero during the Voldemort era.

He had a great chance of succeeding the post of Minister of Magic, but was rejected because of his son Barty Crouch Jr.

Not only did it fail, but because of this incident, the current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, became resentful of him.

From being the powerful Chief Steward who managed the Aurors, he was kicked out to work at the Department of Magical Games and Sports, becoming a truly marginal figure in the Ministry of Magic.

But even so, ordinary Aurors did not dare to look down on him or be presumptuous in the face of him.

For example, Wayne Jonathan, who is being scolded now, can only stand aside and wait until the old leader has vented his temper.

Then he quickly explained.

"It shouldn't be a problem. The location marked by the Floo powder will never be wrong, but I've been here since I graduated."

"I don't know when the school became so rich."

These words touched the hearts of the members of the inspection team as they looked at the gorgeous Baroque decorations around them.

Almost everyone's eyes were filled with greed and anger, and the sunlight shone on the gilded decorations.

The golden light flashed, reflecting the greed in everyone's eyes, while the anger was hidden deep.

Because many of them believed deep down that every gold galleon spent here should have gone into their own pockets.

Old Crouch looked at the people behind him and smiled disdainfully. These guys in the Ministry of Magic are becoming more and more corrupt.

Although he had long been away from the center of power, he must have heard something about what had happened recently in the British wizarding world.

The fat guy Cornelius Fudge was in such a hurry only because he was thinking about his own pocket.

On the surface, the goal is to choose a mature, stable and experienced leader to handle the relationship with Hogwarts.

But to put it bluntly, he just wanted to take the blame. After all, the influence of Hogwarts in the entire European wizarding world is not just talk.

Moreover, they used the public power of the British Ministry of Magic to ask for gray income from an underage child.

No matter how you look at it, it sounds disgusting and despicable.

But despite feeling disgusted, the old man could only sigh helplessly, after all, the other party had the leverage over him.

Sometimes you have no choice but to bow your head, and just as he was thinking about what to do next, an annoying voice sounded in his ear.

"Where are the reception staff? The Ministry of Magic has spent so much effort to organize such a large-scale observation group to come to Hogwarts."

"Why is there no one to receive us? Where is Dumbledore? Oh, by the way, he doesn't have to show up."

"Dumbledore's reputation in the British wizarding world is not very good right now, so it's better not to get too involved with the Ministry of Magic."

Dolores Umbridge, wearing such a striking pink coat, twisted her fat body.

He walked from the back of the team to the front, without any regard for the face of old Crouch, the nominal leader.

He stood directly at the front of the line, looking around and making comments from time to time.

Just like a croaking toad under the moon at night.

However, this toad seemed to have many cockroaches and crickets to accompany it, including most of the members of the expedition team.

After seeing the fat lady appear, they all walked up to her and held her stinky feet.

"Hogwarts is so extravagant that the renovation of this living room was not notified to the Ministry of Magic."

"Where did they get the money to spend such a huge amount? They must have some unclear interest transfer with the First Savings Bank of the Magical World."

"This is a very serious issue and we must take it seriously and take photos of all the decorations to keep as evidence in the future."

The toad croaked and the lackeys barked as well.

"That is, such obvious corruption is simply unacceptable."

"I'm saying that Hogwarts needs to be better managed. Mr. Cornelius Fudge is a little too kind."

"It means that you have no vision at all. It's a waste to spend money on such things."

Everyone was talking at once, the greed in their words almost undisguised, and old Crouch, who was left at the back of the team, had already been left behind.

Looking at this group of noisy trash in front of me, I can't help but shake my head, hoping that there are still some upright people around me.

Tom Highway, one of the two Aurors in charge of the security of the inspection team, was also unhappy with the group of people in front of him.

He said indignantly.

"These guys are just a bunch of rats who only know how to steal rice. They have no sense of the real crisis at all."

"That guy named Karl Hohenzollern is the biggest threat to the entire British wizarding world. Everything he does now is...

"They are shaking the foundation of the British wizarding world. Now the entire British wizarding community is truly materialistic and morally corrupt."

"If we continue like this, we'll be in big trouble sooner or later."

"Keep your voice down, your situation is bad enough already." Old Crouch warned with a squint.

Tom seemed to have no intention of stopping at all. He looked at his old leader with resentment on his face.

He said with great grief and indignation.

"Now even the group of dark wizards in Flip Flop Alley have begun to obtain loans from that so-called bank in various ways."

"Where did the money in that bank come from? It's just the savings of ordinary wizards. Do you think those people have any credibility?"

"The current prosperity of the British wizarding world is nothing more than a bubble blown up by soapy water."

"And the soon-to-open European Magical World Bond Exchange is a hidden catalyst."

"They say, on the one hand, that Karl Hohenzollern and Dumbledore have serious financial problems."

"On the one hand, they were extremely hasty in approving the establishment of the exchange and even helped them obtain approval from the Ministries of Magic of other European countries."

At the end, the Auror named Tom's face turned red. After a moment of silence, he spoke without hesitation.

"In the final analysis, it's just an uneven distribution of the spoils. We are using the law enforcement power of the Ministry of Magic to help them get their stolen money back."

“It’s just disgusting to the extreme.”

"Shut up!" Old Crouch turned his head and stared at the other person, saying with a serious expression.

"Don't ever say such things again. You are an upright child and one of the few upright people in the British Ministry of Magic."

"But if you want to change all this, you must maintain your position and power, not just because of one or two words."

"Just like me being kicked into the sky, do you understand?"