Chapter 715: Emergency Measures
"I know it's hard, Connelly, but we have to do it!" Dumbledore said. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ļ½ļ½ļ½Uļ½Eć ļ½ļ½ļ½ļ½
"No, no, I won't do that!" Fudge shook his head vigorously, "The Dark Lord hasn't come back at all, it's all a lie you've made up, and you've joined forces to deceive me." Vampires and giants, these lowly bloodlines ......"
"Connelly, you are so obsessed with your official position that it has made you lose your due judgment. Dumbledore said, his voice rising and one could feel the aura of power that hung around him, his eyes burning again.
"You value the so-called pure wizard bloodline too much, you always have been! You don't realize that it doesn't matter where a person comes from, what matters is what kind of person he grows up to be! Your Dementor has just killed the last member of a very old wizarding family, look at the path that person has chosen in life! Let me tell you now, as long as you follow my advice and take some measures, then the Ministry of Magic and the entire wizarding world will always remember you, and they will see you as the bravest and greatest Minister of Magic of all time. If you don't act, history will remember that it was you who stood by and gave Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we worked so hard to rebuild!"
"Ridiculous!" Fudge whispered, looking at Dumbledore in panic as he stepped back, "Crazy ......"
"If you're so obsessed with it, Connelly!" said Dumbledore, "we'll have to go our separate ways, you do what you see fit, and Hogwarts and I do what I want." ā
There was not the slightest hint of threat in Dumbledore's voice, it sounded like a statement.
But Fudge was furious, as if Dumbledore was approaching him with a wand.
"Yes, yes, Dumbledore!" he shouted threateningly, waving a finger, "I finally understand what you mean, you and your Hogwarts...... I have always given you full freedom, I have always respected you, and I may not approve of some of your decisions, but I have always remained silent. Not many people will allow you to hire a werewolf, keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without consulting the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me......"
"The only thing I want to do against is Voldemort!" said Dumbledore, "and if you're against him, Connelly, then we're still on the same side." ā
Fudge didn't seem to think of an answer, his little feet unsteady, he swayed back and forth for a moment, his hands spinning his bowler top hat, completely out of idea, as if expecting Dumbledore to change his mind.
Finally, he spoke, with a hint of pleading in his voice, "He's not coming back, Dumbledore, he can't!"
Before Dumbledore could speak, Snape, who had been standing beside Aven, strode forward.
As he walked, he lifted up the left sleeve of his robe.
He stretched out his arm to show Fudge, who flinched back in horror.
"See?" said Snape, hoarsely, "see, Dark Mark." It's not as noticeable as it was an hour ago, when it was charred black, but you can still see it. Each Death Eater bears Voldemort's imprint, a way for Death Eaters to identify each other and a code for Voldemort to summon them back to him. When he summons the Death Eaters, we must immediately apparition and appear beside him. Over the years, this mark has become more and more apparent. It's the same with Karkaroff's, why did you say Karkaroff ran away after Barty Crouch Jr. was caught? We both felt the mark burning, and we both knew he was back. Karkaroff feared that Voldemort would take revenge on him, that he had betrayed many of his fellow Death Eaters, and that certainly no one would welcome him back among them. ā
Fudge stepped back from Snape, shaking his head incessantly, as if he hadn't heard Snape at all.
His eyes widened, visibly frightened by the ugly mark on Snape's arm!
Then, he looked up at Dumbledore and whispered, "I don't know what you're up with you, Dumbledore, but I've heard enough. I don't want to say anything more, but when you're calm down and figure out what's going on, I'll need to talk to you about how this school is run. Now, I have to go back to the Ministry of Magic. ā
He pushed Snape away from Snape in front of him, past Dumbledore, and strode out of the room, the Aurors hurrying to follow.
The door slammed shut, and in silence, Dumbledore turned to look at the others.
"Fudge's attitude was expected, but it certainly made things sour and changed the whole thing!" Dumbledore said, "There's some work to be done right away, Sirius, and I want you to get back to the Ministry of Magic right away......"
"I just got fired, and I've had enough of that job!" Sirius muttered.
"Go and send a letter to Arthur, help him, and to all those who can be persuaded by us to see the situation, we must inform at once that Arthur has access to those in the Ministry of Magic who are not as short-sighted as Connelly. Dumbledore said, "While you're back in the Aurors' office to pack your things, take a chance to talk to the other Aurors." ā
"Okay, but I want you to leave the more exciting stuff to me!" Sirius said.
"This is an important matter, after helping Arthur and all the people in the Ministry of Magic who are willing to help us, you can go and inform Remus Lupin, Arabella Feig, Mundungus Fletch, and a few other ......seniors," Dumbledore paused and continued, "After doing these things, you can go back to Hogwarts." I hope you'll help Evan get in touch with the vampires and try to convince them. I don't have much hope for that, but at the very least, we need to know what secret Voldemort has acquired, about the power he is trying to wield!"
Evan nodded, he also wanted to know about this, what secrets the Slytherin family had kept for generations.
Also, what was that big trouble that Keresis had been hoping Voldemort had helped them solve?!
"Professor, I don't have a way to contact those vampires?" it occurred to Evan that he didn't know where Keresis was.
Vampires have many enemies, and if their whereabouts could be discovered so easily, they would be doomed a long time ago!