"Why him?" Richard raised his right eyebrow. "Let's say he has a motive-losing the ministerial election. But there must be other reasons besides that."
"Scrimgeour wanted to become Minister," Bagnold continued. "He would have been if I hadn't returned to politics. It was a great disappointment for him. If he manages to remove me, he has every chance of becoming the next Minister of Magic. What better motive? To blacken my name... I had barely even taken up my post as Minister when chaos erupted among the British wizarding community. An unprecedented escape from Azkaban! This could easily create a scandal of unprecedented proportions."
"In that case, he had a serious motive," Rich agreed.
"And not just motive, but opportunity!" Bagnold raised her index finger. "On Friday, the thirteenth of this month, Scrimgeour was still listed as acting Minister. On that day, he went on his annual inspection of Azkaban. On the sixteenth, Azkaban guards discovered a shortage of prisoners."
"Could this be related?" Richie asked questioningly.
"Yes, Richard," Bagnold sighed deeply. "The thing is, Azkaban has been set up for centuries in such a way that human guards don't need to patrol every day. Dementors constantly roam the prison corridors, draining prisoners of their magical powers and plunging their minds into nightmares. The prisoners are simply unable to escape; they're immersed in their own fears. Guards only make rounds twice a week."
"What about food?" Richard asked. "Someone feeds the prisoners."
"The food is multiplied by the security wizards and moved around the cells using spells," the minister explained.
- Millicent, you said that Scrimgeour's involvement would be impossible to prove...
"Exactly," Bagnold nodded in agreement. "Scrimgeour was in Azkaban, accompanied by the Minister's Senior Assistant, Dolores Umbridge, and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones. The Warden and the Aurors from the Minister's security detail were also present.
"So there was a whole crowd there, and anyone could be suspected," the young count stated. "I assume everyone was questioned?"
- Yes. They interrogated the leaders, but without the Truth Potion.
"Did anyone pass anything to Sirius Black during the inspection?" Richie asked.
Bagnold paused, her mind racing. Three lines formed on her forehead, just below the bridge of her nose, from the intensity of her thoughts.
"Hmm," she drawled. "But really... According to the Aurors, Scrimgeour stopped by Black's cell and exchanged a few words. Black asked Scrimgeour for a newspaper, citing how boring it was in prison. Scrimgeour had a recent copy of the Daily Prophet with him. On the front page was an article with an interview with Arthur Weasley. There was also a photo of Arthur with his entire family. Scrimgeour handed the newspaper to Black!
"Didn't the investigators have any questions?" Richard asked, surprised. "Magic can do anything! Scrimgeour could easily have transfigured some object useful for an escape into a newspaper, which he handed to the prisoner. Otherwise, how can such an incident be explained? Azkaban stood for hundreds of years, no one ever escaped, and then this happened!"
"Scrimgeour, you bitch!!!" Bagnold hissed through clenched teeth with incredible malice. "I hope you rot, you beast!"
"Assistant," Richie drew the minister's attention.
"What assistant?" Bagnold asked.
"She might know too, so I wouldn't rule out Umbridge. How did she even get her position?"
"Fudge pulled Umbridge along with him," Bagnold explained. "Dolores worked in the Improper Use of Magic Sector. Fudge was Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes when I was there. Their departments were close. Apparently, Fudge was friends with Umbridge, and after he became Minister, he pulled Dolores along with him."
"Kick her out!" Richard declared categorically. "Millicent, you're an experienced politician. You should understand perfectly well that your deputy needs to be on your team. And fire Scrimgeour for good measure."
"If only it were that easy," Bagnold sighed sadly. "I can't fire any of them without serious grounds. It's easier with Dolores-I can transfer her to another position in another department. And Scrimgeour can't be ousted from his post as Head of the Auror Office. No matter, I'll definitely come up with something. I'm more concerned about something else right now-what to do with Black?"
"Millicent, couldn't Black have escaped on his own?" Richard asked. "What if he possessed some rare talent? For example, like Nymphadora Tonks, he was a Metamorphmagus, transformed into Scrimgeour, and walked out of prison without a care. Or maybe he was an Animagus, like McGonagall."
"No," the Minister shook her head. "Black wasn't registered as an Animagus. And even if he were, he would have escaped long ago. Likewise, Black couldn't have transformed into Scrimgeour, since no one from the inspection committee ever entered his cell. So the theory about the transformed newspaper seems most likely to me."
"Okay," Richard agreed. "And what were you planning to do? I can send you a good detective who used to work at Scotland Yard to help."
"A Mage?!" Bagnold's eyes widened in surprise.
"No, Squib," Richard shook his head.
"We could use a detective," the Minister said. "Actually, I was thinking about putting up wanted posters for Black and writing about his escape in the Daily Prophet before it leaks out through other sources. I also wanted to ask the Muggle authorities to assist us in the search, perhaps by placing an ad on television."
Richard clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side.