Chapter 622: A Flustered Dumbledore
Fudge acted more swiftly than anyone could have predicted.
The first sign was in The Daily Prophet.
Previously, the paper had regularly run articles attacking Dumbledore, each concluding with a firm denial of You-Know-Who's return. But since Fudge's visit to The Three Broomsticks, the tone of the publication had shifted entirely. For a whole week, not a single mention of You-Know-Who appeared in its pages.
The furious voices that had dominated its columns seemed to have vanished overnight, leaving behind a strangely harmonious narrative—though it hardly felt that way to everyone.
"Kyle, can you explain what's going on?"
On the eighth floor, in the Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore sat behind his desk, looking uncharacteristically troubled. An open copy of The Daily Prophet lay in front of him.
The headline was not on the front page but still occupied an entire page inside the paper:
"Is Dumbledore's Intention to Run for Minister of Magic Long-Planned or a Spur-of-the-Moment Decision?"
A special correspondent, Rita Skeeter, had penned a lengthy article filled with revelations supposedly sourced from well-placed informants. It chronicled Dumbledore's alleged frequent contact with senior Ministry officials and speculated that he intended to challenge Fudge for the position of Minister.
According to the article, Dumbledore was supposedly outraged by the slander directed at him by Fudge and sought to restore his tarnished reputation.
In the center of the page, a large photograph accompanied the piece. The image depicted Dumbledore shaking hands with none other than Dolores Umbridge.