What? Dumbledore Is Going to Be Minister for Magic!
Puzzled, Rita Skeeter picked up the parchment and scanned it. Her expression froze, then changed to one of shock.
"Is…is it true?" Rita Skeeter's tone was strange, whether excited, panicked, or both.
"I can assure you, it is! We have Peter Pettigrew and the Dark Mark on his left arm."
Yvonne nodded, then giggled and teased him. "I think it's good news material, don't you? I'm afraid we'll have to print more copies of the Daily Prophet tomorrow…"
Rita Skeeter's hands were shaking as she clutched the parchment. With the instincts of a news editor, she could only imagine the commotion it would cause if word of this got out!
However, Rita Skeeter seemed to realise something and her excited expression suddenly cooled.
"What's wrong?" Ivan asked, noticing the change in Rita Skeeter's expression.
"You should know that I'm just a small newspaper reporter. I can write for the Daily Prophet, but only if I'm vetted by an editor-in-chief… They won't let me say anything against the Ministry of Magic…" Rita Skeeter adjusted her glasses and replied in disappointment.
As a journalist, Rita Skeeter was very interested in such heavyweight news material, but having been in the profession for many years, she knew what she could and could not write about.
Like the gossip stories of famous wizards, the chaotic private lives of high-ranking officials were news that could be reported.
It would be easy to get into unnecessary trouble if it was reported that Sirius was attacking the entire Ministry of Magic.
She did not want to lose her job at the newspaper she was so fond of…
Yvonne was taken aback by Rita Skeeter's attitude, and after a moment's thought, she realised what she was worried about.
Ivan folded his hands on the table and stared at Rita Skeeter through his half-moon spectacles, mimicking Dumbledore.
Rita Skeeter suddenly felt a great deal of pressure.
She had been worried that the Ministry of Magic might try to liquidate her, but now she realised that the man in front of her was no simple character, but the most powerful and prestigious wizard in the wizarding community.
Killing him was as easy as crushing a bug…
When Rita Skeeter was caught between a rock and a hard place, Ivan said, "You think Fudge will stay in his position after this?"
"What?" Rita Skeeter asked, unable to respond for a moment.
"I have informed some of my old friends in the court of this case. Even without your report, I can pass it on to many wizarding families through the students of Hogwarts. The news should have spread by now…" Ivan went on.
When she heard Yvonne's calm voice, Rita Skeeter was shocked. Her pupils contracted as she stared at the seemingly kind-looking centenarian in disbelief. A chill ran down her spine…
She had a shrewd feeling that she was in the middle of a huge whirlpool, and she regretted coming here today.
Rita Skeeter certainly knew what the man was talking about.
It was a clear indication that Minister for Magic Fudge was using this incident to get rid of him, and that he had a well-thought-out plan.
Whether or not the Daily Prophet was willing to lend a helping hand would not affect the overall situation, but if they did not satisfy this most powerful white wizard, they would most likely be liquidated in the future…
It took Rita Skeeter several minutes to absorb all of this information. She swallowed and could not resist asking.
"Are you really planning on taking up the post of Minister for Magic?"
Instead of answering directly, Ivan made it plain that he resented the Ministry's recent behaviour…
In fact, Ivan was not lying, as was his attitude towards the Ministry.
Both the original dimension and the modern Ministry of Magic are equally rotten and incompetent, as evidenced by the Dementors' uncontrollable entry into the Quidditch pitch.
Instead of thinking about how to deal with it, the Ministry of Magic officials tried to fob it off with random excuses in an attempt to deny the Dementors' uncontrolled attacks on students…
This constant self-deception annoyed Ivan.
There was no need for a Ministry of Magic to exist, so he wanted to see if he could use this opportunity to knock Fudge out of office and replace him with Dumbledore.
This is not impossible!
One of the main reasons Dumbledore was so passive in the face of the Ministry's oppression was because the Headmaster did not want to engage in infighting with the Ministry, knowing that Lord Voldemort had been revived.
This, coupled with the fact that he was a rule-abiding individual, led to his being forced to leave the school temporarily, in the face of the Ministry's natural weakness.
I don't have that many rules now…
Although Ivan didn't say much, Rita Skeeter knew what he meant, and after a moment of hesitation, she spoke through gritted teeth.
"Good! I can write about it!"
Rita Skeeter immediately came to the conclusion that Sirius, who had been mistakenly imprisoned in Azkaban, would not be enough to affect Minister Fudge's position, but Dumbledore might be behind it.
And Rita Skeeter didn't forget that he had something on her, so she had no choice!
Thinking of this, Rita Skeeter hated that annoying brat, who had promised her not to tell anyone that she was an illegal Animagus…
"Wise choice!" Ivan said appreciatively.
As the two men came to an agreement, the atmosphere in the room became less oppressive and more harmonious, with Rita Skeeter volunteering to be the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet to persuade Ivan to agree to speak against the Ministry.
More than an hour later, Ivan watched them leave the guest room and breathed a sigh of relief.
Winning the Daily Prophet's support was an important part of Ivan's plan, rather than the triviality he had previously stated.
His threat to become Minister for Magic was not due to his bad humour, but rather to placate Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet's editor-in-chief so that they would side with him.
This was also the surprise he was planning to give Dumbledore. If the old Professor came back late, then prepare to be the new Minister for Magic…