Chapter 493: Countermeasures and Umbridge's Joining

"According to what happened just now, that's indeed the case." Madam Rosmerta answered with a serious expression, "Lucius asked for a carpet search as soon as he entered the bar, and those hitters really listened to him and started to blast people without any hesitation... When I went over, Madam Umbridge had just arrived, and the two sides soon formed a standoff... Although Mr. Malfoy's attitude towards Umbridge was not bad, he did not give in at all on the matter of searching the bar. I had no choice but to come over to discuss it with the Minister."

"Then let Oldfield and I deal with it personally and deal with this matter first." Fudge's face looked very ugly.

"Minister, the situation is very serious now. Even during the interrogation, magic photos can be regarded as conclusive evidence. Of course, these photos that are suspected of meeting each other cannot prove anything. Strictly speaking, this cannot cause any substantial harm to our side. But as long as the photos are leaked, some groundless speculation is inevitable, and the reputation will be damaged again. It is irreversible." Oldfield's face was very serious. He continued: "In my opinion, it is meaningless to just perfunctorily deal with it. They can complain to the Ministry of Magic, publish articles in the Daily Prophet, and contact other parents of Hogwarts... They have too many ways to make trouble."

"So what do you mean?" Fudge's face became increasingly gloomy.

"The key figure this time is Lucius. If he hadn't spread the news, this matter would have been easy to control. However, some necessary interests still need to be given up." Oldfield analyzed seriously: "In addition, the relationship between us has not been revealed to the outside world. It is not appropriate for the minister and I to come forward on this matter. I think it is better to let Mr. Krall and Mr. Nott talk directly; as for the minister and I, we should meet Umbridge secretly and let her mediate in this incident. If Umbridge can really help suppress this matter, then her loyalty can be confirmed, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Soon, a burst of hurried footsteps leaving the secret room sounded at the door.

Yang Tian originally planned to go out with the others, but when he noticed that Pierce Thicknesse and Lev Flint were still sitting quietly at the conference table, he could not help but wait with peace of mind...

This time, the delay seemed to be even longer. After a full hour, the door of the Chamber of Secrets slowly opened again, and six people entered the Chamber of Secrets one after another, including Umbridge!

Seeing the scene in the house, Umbridge was stunned for a moment, as if she had not expected such a scene at all.

Fudge's expression showed the side of an old fan-shaped warrior, embarrassed, complacent, inquiring, gentle... all kinds of complex emotions intertwined, almost making his face twitch. After Fudge's introduction, everyone quickly greeted each other again, and then sat together and started talking.

"Ms. Umbridge, in fact, we often hear the Minister mention your extraordinary experience." Oldfield said gently with a smile: "Although you may not know the existence of our group because we were in different positions before, please believe that you have always been one of us."

Umbridge felt a chill in her heart when she heard this. This old guy is really not simple! Although every word he said seemed to be an explanation, in fact, he was constantly showing his superiority, labeling her as a newcomer, and even excluding her from the core.

Fudge seemed to have sensed the deep meaning in Oldfield's words. He hurriedly explained, "Umbridge, you should understand that everyone who wants to become a minister must have a team behind them who will go all out to serve them. The people in front of you played such roles back then. And you were personally trained by me after I became the minister, and I have full trust in you as well. You are all my right-hand men and women, and we should cooperate well in the future."

If it were the old Umbridge, she might really be dissatisfied. But now, her position has changed fundamentally. She smiled and said softly: "Minister, you are too polite. You just said that you cultivated me. For this, I have always been grateful... As for you, you are also the backbone of the Ministry of Magic. As long as you are wholeheartedly working for the Minister, I will cooperate with you and will never have any grudges." Her voice was soft and firm, which moved people. Just say it, who can't say nice words?

After hearing this, Fudge showed a satisfied smile on his face. But thinking about the situation just now, he frowned and asked, "What do you think of Lucius's request just now?"

After hearing this, the people who had just gone out to negotiate also became gloomy and silent.

Will Krall was the first to lose his temper and said, "This bastard has a really big appetite, right? With three director positions in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, isn't he afraid of being stuffed to death? Doesn't the Malfoy family have so many experienced agents to take over?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Krall." Umbridge interrupted hesitantly, "In fact, based on Mr. Malfoy's past style, the three director positions may not necessarily be given to his family. He can use these three positions to win over the three directors to his own use, or in exchange for other greater benefits..."

"You mean..." Fudge thought for a moment and asked unkindly, "Will he cooperate with old Batty?"

"Shouldn't it be?" Umbridge said after careful consideration: "The Malfoy family advocates profit first, and a strong Ministry of Magic is not in their interests... What I said is just a general term, such as exchanging offensive and defensive alliances with other pure-blood families, or exchanging commercial interests with certain alliances, etc. In short, there are many ways."

"Then what should we do?" Klar asked unconvincedly, "Should we just give up these positions?"

"What else? Don't you know what kind of temper Lucius has?" Oldfield retorted unhappily, "Fortunately, the position of director is only a mid-level position, so it doesn't matter if they are allowed to go out. And this may not be a bad thing. Throw them into those departments that don't obey orders at all and let them fight each other. Who knows, this may really have an unexpected effect!"

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