The night's chill was dispelled by the warm fire in the kitchen and the steaming cocoa on the table. Harry sat on a sofa just big enough for him, with the Prophet Daily spread out on his lap.
Sirius leaned lazily against the cupboard, absent-mindedly using his magic wand to make a slice of bacon flip in the pan.
Meanwhile, Remus sat opposite Harry, holding a mug in both hands, speaking in a relaxed manner about the ceremony he had witnessed.
"I must say, it was much more solemn than last time," Remus said. "Although I didn't see Fudge take his oath in person, I heard he stammered and even got two words wrong."
"I think Vid was very concerned about this election; he seemed to want Ms. Bones to win... Well, Vid must be disappointed now."
Harry muttered, glancing at Sinclaire on the newspaper and pausing to look at the photo of Dumbledore, then clicked his tongue at the list of Umbridge's crimes.
He remembered Vid once saying Ms. Umbridge was a very elegant, gentle, kind, and childlike person.
Of course, Harry naturally understood from the subsequent wave after wave of exposés that Vid had his own reasons for saying that back then.
But looking again at the picture of that woman in the news now, he couldn't help feeling a vague and inexplicable sympathy for his friend.
— Maybe... should I call to console him later?
Harry toyed with the small communication pea in his hand, considering.
Hearing this, Remus smiled slightly.
A large portion of the Galleons in Vid's vault had been spent under Remus's management, so he naturally knew what Vid had been up to recently.
But even though Vid and Harry were friends, Remus did not disclose the information about the employer who was also his student without consent.
At this moment, Sirius finally finished the last piece of bacon on his plate and walked over to Harry. He rested his hands on the back of the sofa, glanced at the newspaper, and immediately let out a snort of laughter.
"Listen to this—showing respect to former Minister Fudge? What's there to respect about Fudge... his ability to cover things up?"
The second page of the newspaper contained Sinclaire's speech at his inauguration, which had already been broadcast live on the Flow Mirror, but the Prophet Daily included the full text again.
"On the contrary, it's actually a clever thing to say."
Remus said in a light tone, "What Sinclaire means is he wants stability and won't purge Fudge's subordinates. This attitude reassures other officials and hints they should help him smoothly take over the Ministry of Magic."
"And what about this?" Harry's finger moved over the newspaper, asking with interest, "Restoring public confidence in the fairness of law enforcement, respecting procedural justice... aren't these all Ms. Bones's proposals?"
"Hey, Harry, did you actually read this report carefully?" Sirius asked in surprise. "I thought you'd never read this kind of official document!"
"I initially thought it was uninteresting, but isn't Vid quite concerned? Hermione also said the new minister's policies are very important, so..."
He shrugged, letting everything remain unsaid.
Remus took a couple of sips of the nearby red tea, then began analyzing for the two of them:
"This is extending an olive branch to Amelia Bones and the ideas she represents. Most people really hope the Ministry of Magic can enforce laws fairly; their worry is that Ms. Bones would carry out radical reforms harming various interests."
Remus paused, waiting for the two to digest this, then said:
"He's saying he'll enforce laws fairly and wants justice to stand up to scrutiny, not expand recklessly. This is a hopeful sign."
"And later—'continue to support the work of Aurors,' 'ensure arrest actions and trials will be more professional and prudent'—this means he will support Aurors but also control them, dismissing Scrimgeour's previously aggressive ways."
"So, in other words..." Harry looked further ahead: "Here—'respect educational freedom,' does it mean he won't interfere with Hogwarts? Is that what it means?"
He asked happily.
Although Fudge hadn't had the time to meddle much in Hogwarts' affairs, Harry had overheard conversations between him and Dumbledore and felt every word seemed to have hidden meanings, making him uncomfortable.
During a visit to the Weasley Family, he also disliked Percy's disrespectful comments at the dining table towards Dumbledore and Vid.
Though Percy often didn't get to say much before being unceremoniously laughed at by the twins or someone else, that moment of uncomfortable feeling stuck in Harry's throat was not easily forgotten.
Ever since Mr. Barty Crouch took a leave of absence—later confirmed to have been murdered—Percy skyrocketed from a junior staff member to entering the Minister's office, becoming the Minister of Ministry of Magic's assistant. His attitude nearly represented Fudge's true thoughts.
"I think that's what he means."
Remus's tone became deep and thoughtful:
"Fudge feared Dumbledore; actually, Sinclaire may not be unafraid of the current Hogwarts either. Vid's Poppet Legion... it really scared a lot of people."
He smiled helplessly and said, "But whether to support or oppose will cause turmoil, potentially jeopardizing his not-yet-stable minister position."
"So by not interfering with Hogwarts and showing he values 'procedures' and 'stability,' keeping everything as it is now is the best, and also..."
"And also using 'stability' to restrain Dumbledore and Vid, to prevent them from becoming the culprits of disrupting 'stability,' right?" Sirius suddenly said.
Remus nodded slightly, his voice still gentle but hopeful: "That's actually a very good signal, isn't it? Indeed, Sinclaire is a bureaucrat, but precisely because of that, he values order and won't make foolish moves driven by personal desires."
Harry agreed, saying, "I remember Vid saying before—he'd rather have smart enemies than have a fool. Because intelligent people think of the long-term big picture and anticipate the consequences of actions; fools only act on whims—he also said Fudge was such a fool."
"Therefore, I think it's a good start." Remus smiled: "Sinclaire being elected might indeed be our best choice."
"Ha!"
Sirius snorted, turning to his godson and saying:
"Listen, Harry, there are people in this world who speak more pleasantly than they sing! Furthermore, who knows how many people's embellishments this speech went through, it's entirely nice-sounding words, made for people like Remus who are kind-hearted!"
"So don't trust easily—it conveys a universally satisfactory attitude, but it might not be Sinclaire's real thoughts!"
Seeing Harry and Lupin wanting to retort, he raised a hand to interrupt them:
"I'm not saying he's a bad guy, or he's the next Fudge, not at all... Listen, my point is, what he says doesn't matter; what's important is what he'll do next."
"I heard when Fudge first became Minister, he not only didn't interfere with Hogwarts but wrote to Dumbledore every day for advice! And what happened later?"
He couldn't forget that Fudge once insisted he was a loyal follower of Voldemort and even slandered him and Peter Pettigrew for conspiring, stubbornly wanting to send him back to Azkaban.
As for Dumbledore, Fudge's attitude shifted from initial reliance and flattery, to ignoring and questioning, and later, creating obstacles everywhere, opposing just for the sake of opposition.
Fudge, too, started as a humble, low-key, and down-to-earth figure.
Sirius flicked the newspaper, looking at what seemed like a "politician template" of a new minister with open sarcasm.
"Don't jump to conclusions, friends," Sirius said. "Being too optimistic can easily lead to a harsh blow from reality."