Chapter 228: Principal's Portrait Commission

The air in the headmaster's office almost froze. Fudge and Dumbledore stood at both ends of the table, neither of them willing to give in.

Fudge was still wearing the slightly loose green robe, but the expression on his face was completely different from his usual smooth expression.

Dumbledore was no longer the gentle and kind old man. His gaze was cold and his blue eyes flashed like ice.

"Cornelly, I thought I made it clear in my letter that Dementors are not welcome at Hogwarts, and I will not allow any Dementors into Hogwarts."

Dumbledore's voice was low, and his tone was full of unquestionable firmness.

After hearing Fudge's purpose, his face turned extremely dark, and his usually kind appearance was completely torn away by anger, replaced by a terrifying majesty.

Fudge tugged at his collar uncomfortably, with an awkward smile on his face, but he persisted stubbornly.

"Dumbledore, I understand your concerns, but Black is outside, we can't take it lightly!"

"Black is too cunning. The only thing we can be sure of is that he will come to Hogwarts. Only here will he have the opportunity to hurt Harry Potter."

"Dementors are the most effective defense, they... they must be present!"

"Dumbledore, you have to understand my difficulties. Black's escape from prison has caused panic in the entire wizarding world. If he hurts the savior, I can't bear the responsibility at all."

"Dementors cannot distinguish between good and evil. They only devour students' happiness and hope indiscriminately!" Dumbledore's voice was no longer gentle, but filled with thunderous rage.

"I will never let them into Hogwarts, no matter what you say!"

"Dumbledore, the safety of Hogwarts is my responsibility!" Fudge raised his voice, put his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

"The Ministry of Magic has decided that Dementors will be stationed at Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore stared into Fudge's eyes, suppressed his anger and said:

"Cornelly, you are risking the lives of your students. Do you really understand how terrible Dementors are? Do you want to turn Hogwarts into another Azkaban?"

"Dumbledore, let me emphasize again that Dementors are employees of the Ministry of Magic. They will obey the Ministry's orders and not do anything unnecessary."

The atmosphere between the two was tense. Although Fudge felt uneasy, he still stood straight and looked at Dumbledore stubbornly.

Sebastian had been sitting nearby, observing silently, until this moment, when he finally felt the need to intervene.

This guy Fudge insisted on dragging himself along.

If only he and Dumbledore were present, Fudge's attitude might not have been so tough.

However, now that he was present, Fudge did not want to and would not show weakness.

After all, as the Minister of Magic, his authority cannot be trampled upon.

Then let me step in and act as a peacemaker.

Sebastian sighed softly, stood up, and walked over to the two of them.

"Minister, Headmaster Dumbledore," Sebastian said in a dissuasive voice, "both of you have reason to worry."

"Well, let's choose a compromise."

"Dementors can come, but they can only guard outside the walls of Hogwarts or at the various entrances. This way, they can effectively prevent Black from entering the campus without causing too much impact on students' daily lives."

"What do you two think?"

Fudge seemed to have found a way out and quickly agreed to the suggestion, nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, yes. The Dementors are outside the school and will not enter the campus. The students will not be disturbed."

He breathed a silent sigh of relief and glanced at Sebastian with gratitude.

Fortunately, Sebastian was brought here, otherwise today would not have ended well.

Being watched by Dumbledore was really stressful.

Luckily, I held on and didn't embarrass myself in front of Sebastian.

He forced a smile, "Isn't this the best solution?"

Dumbledore frowned slightly. Although he was still reluctant, he knew that this was the best compromise at the moment.

After all, Fudge was the Minister of Magic, and he didn't want to embarrass Fudge.

"Okay, let's go with this plan. As long as the Dementors don't enter the campus, I can accept it for now."

After reaching a consensus, the atmosphere in the principal's office eased. Everyone was talking and laughing, without any trace of the tension that had just been there.

After chatting for a while, Fudge stood up to say goodbye. In order to ease the relationship between the two, Dumbledore decided to see him off in person.

"Sebastian, wait here for a while. I'll go see Cornelius off."

As soon as the door of the principal's office closed, Sebastian heard someone calling him.

"Hey, Swan's boy!"

Sebastian turned his head and looked at the portrait of the headmaster who made the sound.

The person in the portrait is Phineas Nigellus Black, the most unpopular headmaster in the history of Hogwarts.

"Principal Black, what do you want from me?"

"Come closer, let's talk in private." Principal Blake's goatee twitched, looking very funny.

Whisper?

We have something to talk about in private.

Sebastian walked up to the portrait puzzled, ready to hear what he would say.

Seeing the looks from the other headmasters' portraits, Headmaster Black curled his lips and spoke in a low voice.

"You are the most outstanding graduate of Slytherin, and I am the headmaster of Slytherin. Considering this relationship, I hope you can do me a favor."

help?

This is a bit new. I wonder what this former principal is going to do to get my help.

Sebastian smiled and said, "I'd like to hear more about it."

"Do you remember Sirius Black? You two were classmates in the same year."

"Of course I remember. He just escaped from Azkaban, and now the Ministry of Magic is hunting him all over the world."

"Ah... this useless guy," Principal Black showed a trace of sadness on his face, "I have been dead for so long, and I still have to worry about these younger generations."

"Sebastian, we are all Slytherins, so we can barely be considered a family. Since we are family, I would like to ask you to help him."

"Help Sirius?" Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "Principal, I don't know if you still remember that I don't have a good relationship with that guy."

"I owe you a favor," Principal Black muttered softly, "The Black family is so poor. There are only two males in total."

"The legitimate heir is missing. He hasn't appeared in years. He must have died outside."

"Now Sirius is the only one left. Although he has been expelled from the family, he still has the blood of the Black family in him. He is the only one left in our family."

"Please help me find him and lock him up in number 12, Grimmauld Place."

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