"Earl Dantes has arrived!"
Scrimgeour bowed slightly as he stepped forward.
"We've all been waiting for you."
Earl Dantes nodded calmly and asked, "What happened? Where is Minister Crouch?"
Scrimgeour shrugged lightly. "Barty Crouch has fled to avoid punishment."
"Fled?" Earl Dantes asked, narrowing his eyes. "What crime did he commit?"
Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, stepped forward.
"Rufus, play that memory directly. As our Ministry's Honorary Deputy Minister and the owner of the Ministry of Magic Development Foundation, the Earl has the right to know the former Minister's crimes."
Scrimgeour nodded. He pulled out a thin silver thread — a memory strand — and carefully placed it onto a spherical metal protrusion on the podium. As he gently rotated it, the memory wrapped itself around the sphere.
The air shimmered.
A blue-and-white scene appeared above the hall like a floating hologram.
"Hello, Mr. Barty Crouch. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Leonard Vanber."
In the projection, a tall man with a weathered face sat across from Barty Crouch. The two spoke calmly at first, but their conversation grew increasingly tense.
"You only need to provide us with the Ministry of Magic's defense map of Merlin City," the man said. "As the person responsible for liaising with prominent families and chambers of commerce, this should be easy for you."
"No!" Crouch replied instantly. "You're asking me to steal a defense map! If I'm found out, my political life will be over!"
The man leaned forward slowly.
"But this is an opportunity to immediately rise to the position of Minister for Magic."
Several seconds of silence followed.
Finally, Barty Crouch Senior spoke again.
"Fine… I'll do it. But once I become Minister, your Fire Serpent Party must not make things difficult for me."
"Of course," the man replied smoothly. "You will be our partner. When your subordinates appear, we will retreat three steps. We only seek wealth, not lives."
"Then it's settled."
The scene faded.
Earl Dantes looked genuinely surprised.
"Barty Crouch had a secret arrangement with the Fire Serpent Party?"
Scrimgeour nodded solemnly. "Yes, my lord."
"So the breach of Merlin City… the thieves… all that was aided by him?"
"Yes, my lord."
The Earl slapped his thigh in frustration.
"I never imagined Barty Crouch was this kind of person!"
He turned toward Amelia Bones.
"Has the arrest already begun?"
"It has," Amelia said quietly. "But the former Minister was assassinated by agents sent by the prominent families. The new acting Minister has already become a puppet of the Fire Serpent Party. The Ministry is in chaos, from top to bottom. Our highest priority now is to elect a new Minister."
The Earl tilted his head.
"Director Bones, aren't you the perfect candidate? Or perhaps Mr. Scrimgeour?"
Amelia shook her head.
"My prestige isn't strong enough, and Scrimgeour was criticized heavily for excessive enforcement during earlier speeches. He has even less of a chance."
"That complicates matters," the Earl muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Scrimgeour smiled faintly.
"Isn't there still you, my lord?"
The hall fell silent. Several senior officials looked up at once.
Arthur Weasley, seated among the officials, looked surprised.
"Yes… no one is more qualified than the Earl!"
"Please agree, Earl! We all support you!"
Ever since the Ministry of Magic Development Foundation had been established, work in the Ministry had become stricter, but salaries had risen considerably.
Busy work was not frightening.
Only empty pockets were.
Their incomes had improved dramatically, and officials across the Ministry held Earl Dantes in remarkably high regard.
He had removed many idle officials who had held positions without working and placed competent people into key roles.
In truth, much of what happened before had simply been retaliation against Barty Crouch Senior.
After Cornelius Fudge was "killed," Earl Dantes should have become Minister long ago.
Amelia Bones understood this clearly. That was why she chose to withdraw. Being a puppet Minister was less appealing than controlling her own department with real authority.
"Me? Minister?" Earl Dantes waved both hands repeatedly.
"That's not good! It's far too rushed!"
"What's not good about it?" Scrimgeour said, already guiding him toward the podium.
"Just now, all of our officials unanimously agreed that only you are fit to lead the British wizarding world!"
"No, no. I lack knowledge and talent."
"Yes, yes. There is no one more suitable than you!"
"I'm not suitable. I'm not even British. People won't obey me."
"You are suitable. We will all follow you!"
Three times he declined. Three times he yielded.
The "yellow robe" was placed upon him.
Scrimgeour gently pushed him onto the stage and announced loudly with a bright, satisfied smile:
"Please welcome our trusted Minister for Magic — Earl Dak Dantes!"
Thunderous applause erupted.
"Minister Dantes!"
"Minister Dantes!"
Earl Dantes cleared his throat.
"To be honest… I never planned to become Minister for Magic. But everyone is simply too enthusiastic, and it would be difficult to refuse."
He leaned both hands on the podium.
"I will say only a few simple words."
Applause rose again.
"Our greatest problem right now is the Fire Serpent Party. Whether it was Mr. Fudge or Mr. Crouch, their downfalls were connected to this organization.
As someone who has fought them more than anyone else, I have some authority to speak on this matter.
In truth, most members of the Fire Serpent Party are low-class wizards who simply cannot survive.
They are not called criminals because they are evil — they are criminals because they cannot make a living."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"I will implement reforms in the British wizarding world. We will create job opportunities for lower-class wizards. We will give them room to live with dignity.
When wizards can support their families, who would be willing to risk a Dementor's Kiss just to become a criminal?"
Someone in the crowd raised a hand.
"Will this hurt the interests of the pure-blood families?"
Earl Dantes shrugged.
"Since Mr. Bulstrode apparently has a better solution, I suggest that Mr. Bulstrode become Minister instead."
All eyes turned instantly toward Watson Bulstrode, head of the Bulstrode family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
He laughed awkwardly.
"No, no… I was only asking casually."
Dantes nodded.
"Reform is urgent. I will have Wang Shujing prepare a complete reform plan. We will discuss it properly later."
No objections were raised, so he continued.
"Education reform must also be added to our priorities.
Hogwarts has become unreasonable."
He turned toward Scrimgeour.
"How many of the most recent Hogwarts graduates joined the Auror Office?"
"Two, Minister."
"And their quality?"
"Very poor. Their combat ability is terrible. They still need at least half a year of Ministry training to barely become functional."
Earl Dantes nodded.
"Do you see?
Hogwarts is the only magical school in Britain.
Yet after O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, the students entering professional departments are still unqualified and require additional training.
Is that normal?"
The hall stirred with uneasy discussion.
"Of course not," he answered himself.
"We must reform magic education. Young wizards are the future. We must ensure your children succeed.
And more than that — we must lower the threshold of magical learning so that all children in the British wizarding world receive professional and complete education."
He pressed one hand down gently, restoring silence.
"Eliminating groups like the Fire Serpent Party cannot be done by me and my attendants alone. We need a continuous flow of fresh blood to stand with us."
Applause rose once more.
Earl Dantes raised both hands to quiet them.
"Now, since I stand here, I will act on my words.
But first…"
He pointed at Scrimgeour.
"We must focus all efforts on capturing Barty Crouch and bringing him to justice.
As a former Minister, he knows too many secrets. If he reveals those secrets to the Fire Serpent Party, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Rufus, I am allocating five hundred attendants to you.
Capture Barty Crouch as soon as possible."
Scrimgeour straightened instantly.
"Yes, Minister!"
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