Chapter 497 Cornelius Fudge

Fudge stood there stiffly, his throat seemed to be stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't utter a word.

The Voldemort in front of him looked no different from the one he had more than ten years ago, except that he was not the Minister of Magic at that time. In Voldemort's eyes, he was just an unknown little character.

It was not until this moment that he realized how stressful it was to face Voldemort.

Fudge wanted to say in a tough tone, "I'm not at all happy to see you," but this thought only appeared for a moment before he threw it out of his mind.

His mind raced, thinking about how to get out of this situation, but he found that he had absolutely no idea.

His wand, his magic, and the power he relied on most, all seemed so pale and powerless in front of Voldemort.

At this moment, the fireplace in the distance began to flash green flames, and the Aurors who were on vacation rushed over one after another after receiving the emergency notice.

However, after seeing Voldemort in the hall of the Ministry of Magic, no one took action rashly, but just came quietly behind Fudge and stood with him.

Voldemort didn't care about the reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic at all. He had just obtained the snakewood staff and dared to fight even Dumbledore, let alone these so-called Aurors.

So, he just raised his hand to signal the Death Eaters not to attack for the time being, and then looked at Fudge with a half-smile.

"Why? Minister, you don't welcome us?"

The hall was in deathly silence, and the Death Eaters surrounded Voldemort, staring at Fudge with a sarcastic smile. Their eyes were full of fanaticism and contempt, as if they were going to pounce on him and tear him to pieces in the next second.

The return of the Aurors gave Fudge a sense of confidence. He suppressed his trembling and squeezed out a sentence with all his strength. His voice was weak and hoarse: "You...what do you want to do? This is the Ministry of Magic."

Voldemort put on a warm smile on his face. "Don't be nervous, Minister Fudge. I am only here to pick up my servants to go back for Christmas. I also came here to say thank you for your long-term cooperation."

Cooperation? Thank you?

Voldemort's words were like a bombshell, shocking everyone.

Amelia Burns stood in the crowd, listening to Voldemort's words, recalling in her mind Fudge's actions over the past few months - frantically suppressing Dumbledore, smearing Harry Potter, and resolutely denying the news of the resurrection of the mysterious man.

At first, she just thought Fudge was extremely stupid, treating a crisis that could endanger the entire wizarding world as a rumor created by a political enemy, politicizing it and using it to consolidate his own power.

However, it now seems that things are far more complicated than that.

The meaning of Voldemort's words made her think of a more terrifying possibility - Fudge might have really reached some kind of agreement with Voldemort in secret.

Otherwise, his aggressive behavior and disregard for obvious danger are hard to explain.

Perhaps, Fudge once tried to use Voldemort's power to get rid of Dumbledore, but he completely underestimated the power and ambition of the Dark Lord. Today's attack on the Ministry of Magic is the best proof of this.

Fudge's mind was in a mess, and he couldn't figure out what Voldemort meant for a moment.

What nonsense is the mysterious man talking about?

When did I ever cooperate with him?

However, Fudge soon discovered that the wizards who had approached him now took a few steps back, their eyes full of doubt and confusion.

"Fudge cooperated with the mysterious man? Did he reach some kind of agreement with him, or did he completely surrender to him?"

"No wonder he keeps targeting Dumbledore and the Savior."

"No wonder these prisoners escaped from Azkaban so easily."

"I was wondering why Fudge was so hardworking that he was still working on Christmas Day. It turns out that he was secretly meeting a mysterious person here."

The Aurors' hushed discussions made Fudge realize the seriousness of the matter. He turned pale and hurriedly explained.

"No! I never cooperated with him. He wanted to sow discord between us and divide us. Yes! That must be it!"

His voice was full of panic, almost pleading. However, his explanation failed to quell the suspicion of the crowd, but instead made the doubts in their eyes deepen.

"Cornelly Fudge," Voldemort's voice sounded again, with an irresistible pressure, "I admire your ability to manage the Ministry of Magic, and I also need talents like you."

"Come, join us and become my Death Eater. Here, you will have supreme power and be able to display your talents."

Hearing Voldemort's call for Fudge, the Aurors around him retreated again, keeping their distance from him. They stared at Fudge with strange eyes, waiting for him to make his final choice.

Under the gaze of everyone, Fudge felt numb.

Shouldn't recruiting be done quietly and privately? Now that so many people are watching, how can I just agree to your request?

To be honest, Fudge never thought he would face such a choice.

Voldemort's proposal seemed tempting, but it actually contained a threat of death.

What would it mean to refuse? It meant that he might be killed immediately, and even his body would become a symbol of Voldemort's victory.

What about agreeing? He couldn't imagine the criticism, ridicule and betrayal that would follow his surrender.

What's more, from the first day he became the Minister of Magic, he wanted to be a Minister of Magic without any constraints.

He didn't want to see anyone's face, whether it was Dumbledore or the many pure-blood families.

Therefore, after taking control of the Ministry of Magic, Fudge began to slowly eliminate Dumbledore's influence, even at the cost of turning against him.

After implementing tax reforms, he began to eliminate the influence of pure-blood families in the Ministry of Magic.

He wants to leave a significant mark in the history of magic and become a unique Minister of Magic.

Faced with Voldemort's invitation, Fudge was hardly tempted at all. He thought very clearly that if he had to find a boss for himself, why not just go straight to Dumbledore.

At least, under Dumbledore, there is no need to kowtow or crawl on the ground kissing robes.

Joining the Death Eaters not only means completely betraying the entire wizarding world, but also means living cautiously, and may even be ruthlessly wiped out one day because of losing your usefulness.

"Merlin! What should I do?" Fudge cried desperately in his mind, "Should I bow my head to save my life, or should I choose to defend my last dignity in front of everyone?"

The moment of silence seemed to last an incomparable length of time in Fudge's mind. He took a deep breath, and the chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually became clear.

No Minister of Magic ever surrendered without a fight!

No matter how scared he was, or how much he wanted to live, he could not accept that his name was nailed firmly on the pillar of shame in the history of magic.

He wanted to preserve his reputation, even if it was just the last bit of dignity that remained.

He was Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, and although incompetent he must not be the first Minister of Magic to openly submit to the Dark Lord.

Fudge straightened his back and tried to make his voice sound calm and firm.

"No, Dark Lord, I refuse. I will not join you, nor will I betray the wizarding world."

"You think you can use threats and violence to make me surrender? But you are wrong! As the Minister of Magic, I may have made mistakes, but I will never lead the wizarding world into the abyss of darkness."

A dangerous light flashed in Voldemort's red eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

In his opinion, a Minister of Magic was just a small figure. After truly taking over the Ministry of Magic, he could let Yaxley be the Minister of Magic, which would be a reward for him.

However, Voldemort didn't say much, but the others couldn't help it. Bella raised her eyebrows and shouted wildly.

"Damn it, no one can refuse the master's kindness!"

As she spoke, she waved her wand violently and a green spell shot out.

"Avada Kadawa!"