"Good afternoon."
Fudge walked briskly into the conference room deep within the Ministry of Magic, drawing sidelong looks from everyone who had already been waiting there.
At the sight, the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile.
Before the meeting began, he had been staying at the Joint Operations Office.
First, he had talked with Tver about the current state of the wizarding world. Of course, it was mostly Tver talking and him listening.
But that did not stop him from realizing one thing very clearly. You-Know-Who was not someone he could deal with at all. Just looking at You-Know-Who's plan last night, which had nearly achieved four goals in one stroke, even if Fudge had known about it in advance, he still would have had no way to respond.
Under these circumstances, continuing to sit in the Minister's chair would be nothing but torment.
Even without Barty Crouch, people would not want to see him remain Minister.
So once he understood that, he accepted his new post without hesitation. That was also the second reason he had stayed in the Office.
To familiarize himself with his new work.
Fudge had become Minister, so he was not actually as useless as everyone imagined.
It was simply that his obsession with the Minister's position had forced him to oppose Dumbledore and Tver, while he lacked the strength to match them. That was why he had seemed so helplessly furious.
After all, even Voldemort had to flee in defeat when facing those two together. For Fudge to hold out for more than a year could already be considered quite something.
But now that he had decided to step down as Minister and was no longer confined to the Ministry's little patch of ground, his perspective naturally broadened a great deal.
His way of doing things also returned closer to the style he had been known for before becoming Minister, thorough, smooth, and able to get along with every side.
That was also why Tver had chosen to keep him working in the Office.
The Joint Operations Office was about to become an extremely important department for the next few years, and the amount of coordination required would only keep increasing.
Fudge, who was familiar with the Ministry of Magic and was also a politician, would be able to share much of Tver's workload.
So whenever he thought about how Tver had entrusted him with this important department, one that connected two worlds and even held the authority to command the armed forces of two governments, the smile on Fudge's face became far brighter than the defeated look he had worn when he left the Ministry that morning.
"I don't know what the reason is, but can you stop grinning like an idiot? We've been watching you sit there and smirk for ten minutes!"
Babajide snapped loudly, rapping the table hard with his hand in an attempt to pull Fudge out of his daydream.
"Ahem, my apologies."
Fudge composed himself and looked at the few people attending the meeting.
There were not many of them. Aside from him and Umbridge, there was only Babajide representing the Wizards' Confederation, Dumbledore representing the Order of the Phoenix, and Barty and Cynthia, who were preparing to take power.
The last to enter was Tver. He did not represent any faction openly, yet he was connected to everyone present. Behind him was his young assistant Percy, who no longer bothered to hide his identity.
Seeing this, Fudge was instantly impressed by his own quick thinking that morning.
He had climbed out of a huge pit and chosen a bright future instead.
At the thought, Fudge could not control the smile on his face. He kept glancing at Barty, who was about to suffer, until Barty felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin this meeting at once. You-Know-Who won't give us time to hold meetings at a leisurely pace."
Barty coughed lightly twice and very naturally began taking over the role Fudge had once held.
Becoming Deputy Minister had brought him closer to the center of power, and had also made people acknowledge him again as a former Minister candidate who had once been cast aside. But the lack of real authority had long since worn away his patience.
"I won't repeat what happened last night. Now, You-Know-Who has not only taken away the Dementors from Azkaban and, er, half of the Death Eaters inside, but has also caused such a commotion in front of muggles. I believe someone must take responsibility for this…"
"I'll take responsibility!"
Fudge said it as if it were only natural, even with a hint of eagerness.
"Yesterday, I was deceived by You-Know-Who. Not only did I fail to take the correct countermeasures, I also interfered with Dumbledore's actions."
"I…"
At this point, a trace of reluctance welled up in Fudge's heart again. But after Tver gave him a faint glance, he swallowed and continued, "I have failed the trust of the wizarding world. I have decided to resign and recommend Mr. Barty Crouch, who is far more capable than I am, to succeed me as Minister of Magic!"
Fudge's decisiveness left Barty unable to deliver the speech he had prepared.
Of course, the election of a Minister was not decided by the recommendation of the previous Minister. But because of his son, Barty had always carried a faint stain in the eyes of many wizards.
Fudge's endorsement would therefore play a crucial role in winning over another faction within the Ministry.
Even the dispirited Umbridge stared in astonishment at Fudge, whose face was full of righteous resolve. Her probing gaze seemed as if it wanted to cut him open and check whether someone had used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him.
Dumbledore, however, calmly glanced at Tver, who had entered just after Fudge. His composed eyes seemed to have realized something.
"Everyone, the main purpose of this meeting is to discuss how to deal with You-Know-Who and clean up the long string of messes he has caused." Babajide helplessly tapped the table again, pulling the meeting back on course after the atmosphere had gone astray.
"I don't care who the British Ministry of Magic chooses as Minister. What I care about is how the British Ministry of Magic intends to deal with You-Know-Who!"
"Will you keep ignoring him as before, or…"
Since Fudge had been so straightforward, Barty Crouch stopped pretending as well. He directly took on the role of Minister, looking at Babajide and everyone else present with a forceful air.
"The Ministry will respond firmly to the crimes of You-Know-Who and his followers!"
Babajide did not mind being interrupted. Instead, he smiled with some approval.
The past year, along with the experience of the last Wizarding War, had taught him that You-Know-Who himself was not the greatest threat. Or rather, someone else would deal with You-Know-Who.
What the wizarding world, including the Ministry of Magic and the Wizards' Confederation, truly needed to handle was mainly You-Know-Who's subordinates.
If the Ministry could step forward and strike against those Death Eaters, the Confederation's work would become much easier to carry out.
"How exactly will you be firm?"
Dumbledore, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"If the Ministry adopts a hardline approach, putting aside the loss of personnel, how will you prevent the wizarding world from being exposed during those operations instead?"
"I believe that as long as his objective can be achieved, Voldemort will not care about the lives of his own followers."
The question immediately left Barty and Babajide stumped.
During the last Wizarding War, the Death Eaters and the Giants had always caused quite a commotion. Fortunately, muggle technology had not advanced much then, and the Ministry of Magic and the Confederation had acted relatively cautiously, so there had never been a large-scale breach of secrecy.
But times were different now. They could not possibly remain passive and take the beating like last time, then wait for You-Know-Who to be defeated by a baby again, could they?
Besides, was Dumbledore not the one who had always advocated taking a firm stance against You-Know-Who?