[187] The Dragon's Game

"Hall, you..." Headmaster Dumbledore put his glasses back on and reached for the tiara on the table. "I can't believe Tom actually did it."

Hufflepuff's golden cup. Ravenclaw's tiara. Slytherin's locket. All of them turned into Horcruxes by Voldemort. Something most people wouldn't even dare to dream of — in Voldemort's eyes, it was utterly insignificant. If he hadn't been unable to find Gryffindor's sword, he'd probably have turned that into a Horcrux too. Perfect founder's gift package.

"Anyway, the items are yours now. How do you plan to remove Voldemort's stain on them without damaging the tiara?" Hall said, demonstrating a knife-wielding gesture.

Dumbledore: "..."

"Your request... is a bit difficult."

Hall spread his hands helplessly. "After all, I still need to return this crown to Ms. Helena Ravenclaw."

Dumbledore fell silent at the mention of that name.

Okay, okay. Hall's reasoning was perfectly sound.

Dumbledore looked at the crown on the table and felt a headache coming on.

"Hall..."

Before Dumbledore could finish, Hall rudely slipped away. This wasn't about Galleons!

Hall thought, "Finals are coming up soon! I need to study hard! Adult matters should be left to adults!"

For over a month before the final exams, Hall's school life was remarkably peaceful compared to before. He even had time to check the Daily Prophet now and then.

"Tsk tsk. I'm really not surprised Fudge might not hold onto his position as Minister for Magic."

Hall contentedly shook the newspaper. The wizarding world was small — even adding up all the different groups, it wouldn't exceed a hundred thousand people. But for such a small group, going through proper procedures was incredibly slow.

The Azkaban incident happened at the beginning of the school year. Now it was almost June. The Dementor invasion of Hogwarts happened too. But the large-scale impeachment of Fudge had only started recently.

Draco peeked at the magical photos in the newspaper — a bewildered Cornelius Fudge, surrounded by a throng of photographers.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"If things go smoothly, we should see the new Minister take office before the start of third year. But honestly, it's a bit difficult."

Draco took a sip of pumpkin juice, then frowned in disgust. No matter how many times he drank it, he still didn't like the sticky texture.

"How so?" Hall looked at him curiously. Hall had prepared himself for collusion between government and business in a few years, but he genuinely didn't pay much attention to the upper echelons of the wizarding world right now.

Draco clearly knew this too.

"Because, apart from Cornelius Fudge, the other ministerial candidates aren't exactly perfect. Parkinson, Greengrass... honestly, just hearing their surnames tells you they're not great candidates."

Draco gave Hall a look.

"..."

Whether it was Parkinson or Greengrass, they were both unmistakably pure-blood wizarding families.

"If I remember correctly, Pansy's family is Parkinson, and Daphne's is Greengrass, right?" Hall said with a smile, as if suddenly remembering something.

Draco, surprised Hall remembered, fell silent for a moment.

"...Hmph. The Parkinson and Greengrass candidates are quite distantly related to them by blood."

Hall nodded. He understood. In such a small magical world, they all share the same surname — how distant could they possibly be? Surely not further than Rosier from France and England.

Thinking this, Hall clicked his tongue. Why couldn't Rosier from France run for Minister for Magic in England... Well, even if they did, Hall couldn't say whether he wanted them to win or not. His cooperation with Rosier wasn't as solid as he'd imagined. He could use Rosier. But he wouldn't trust Rosier.

"Besides these pure-blood wizards, aren't there any half-blood wizards competing? What about Muggle-born wizards?"

Hall seemed unwilling to give up. He could start planning the collusion between government and business in advance. Hermione wouldn't graduate for at least five years. Even if she was a genius, it'd take at least six to ten years for her to become Minister for Magic. Hall couldn't just wait around all those years.

"A smart person knows not to put all their eggs in one basket."

"Half-blood wizards do exist," Draco nodded. "Muggle-born wizards? Those are definitely nonexistent."

Zabini chimed in. "Exactly! The Minister for Magic is already the highest-ranking official in the British wizarding world, capable of managing all affairs of the Ministry of Magic. Such an important position in the hands of a Muggle-born? Think about it. If that were to happen... I think it's highly unlikely."

Hall nodded. This was the most common prejudice held by pure-blood families against Muggle-borns.

"Let's see... Anyway, Fudge's position is definitely out of the question. Regardless of the next Minister's character and ability, he shouldn't disrupt the normal learning of young wizards at Hogwarts."

Hall finished his breakfast.

He found Russell Rosier just before exams were about to begin.

Russell became excited upon seeing Hall, his already handsome face instantly radiant. "Hall!"

Russell gazed at Hall with captivating blue eyes.

Hall ignored him. Captivating depth? He couldn't tell. He just thought the guy was a bit flamboyant. But considering Russell was French, Hall couldn't completely deny it. His stereotypes about the French only intensified.

"Have you reached out to the British Ministry of Magic?" Hall asked bluntly.

Russell answered without hesitation. "Yes! But none of them are very important positions. If you have something extremely important to discuss..."

"No," Hall chuckled. "You just need to help me find some reputable — but ordinary — wizards within the Ministry. Gender doesn't matter."