Mysterious Journey
Chapter 688: The Advantages of the Ministry of Magic
Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office.
As the most widely recognized greatest wizard in the magical world today, Albus Dumbledore's words obviously still carried considerable weight. At least within the confines of Hogwarts Castle, no one could ignore Dumbledore's opinion.
With the old wizard taking the initiative to speak, the Ministry of Magic's delegation instantly fell silent.
Compared to Newt Scamander, who was straightforward and not particularly adept at social graces.
Since the second half of last year, Dumbledore felt as if he had become a different person. Whether it was in dealing with people, or discussing important matters, he gave the Ministry of Magic delegation the impression of a seasoned elder who was both capable and patient.
And in Cornelius Fudge's view, Albus Dumbledore's change in attitude was not entirely inexplicable.
This represented the school's recognition and respect for the current Ministry of Magic.
At the same time, it was also a manifestation of Dumbledore actively extending goodwill to the Ministry of Magic he led.
"Cornelius, Newt, you should both take a step back for now, don't be hasty. The association is currently just some ideas written on parchment, no one has even seen its true form yet, why are you arguing about it out of thin air?"
Dumbledore smiled gently, waving his left hand casually.
The exquisite silver teapot beside the tea table floated over, filling the teacups in front of Cornelius Fudge and others, as well as Newt, with hot tea. The fragrant and elegant black tea, along with the lavish refreshments, eased the tense atmosphere in the air quite a bit.
Sure enough, after all these years, Newt Scamander still had that stubborn, dull personality.
"Dumbledore" glanced at Newt's stubborn expression, shaking his head inwardly with a sneer. He leisurely finished the blueberry biscuit in his hand, cleared his throat again, slightly adjusted his expression and tone, and continued.
"Cornelius, I understand your concerns. In recent years, the influence of the British magical world has been gradually declining globally... Oh, Minister, you don't need to refute me here—"
Noticing that Fudge seemed about to retort, the old wizard pointed his finger, and a small biscuit floated to the Minister of Magic's mouth.
Then, Dumbledore blinked his blue eyes and said with a lively smile.
"Do you like blueberry biscuits? Cornelius. Don't worry, there are neither Daily Prophet reporters nor wizards from other countries here. Anyone who can enter here is clearly trustworthy, the important pillars supporting our world."
"Well, um... but..."
Cornelius subconsciously took the biscuit floating in front of him, holding it in his hand with a slightly awkward expression.
The middle-aged wizard's expression was a bit uneasy, suddenly facing such a nightmarish anxiety, he didn't know whether to answer Dumbledore's question first, or try the biscuit according to Dumbledore's suggestion.
"Newt, from my perspective, what you said just now was indeed a bit inappropriate."
Dumbledore turned his head, looking at Newt Scamander with a slightly serious expression.
"Perhaps the Ministry of Magic hasn't done a very good job in terms of magical creatures, but do you know how hard they've been working? People can always easily see the superficial shortcomings, but they easily overlook the efforts these gentlemen have made behind the scenes."
"Eh? No, I..." Newt Scamander was slightly taken aback.
"Since the downfall of the Dark Lord more than a decade ago, it doesn't mean the chaos has ended there."
Before Newt could sort out his thoughts, "Dumbledore's" half-moon glasses flashed a gleam, and he continued with a smile.
"In fact, in places you can't see, Cornelius and the others have been fighting against the remaining dark magic forces, trying to restore the magical world to its former prosperity and tranquility—under these circumstances, it's understandable that other aspects are somewhat neglected. But I believe Cornelius hasn't failed to notice these omissions, otherwise there wouldn't be these discussions today."
"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. You flatter me, Professor."
Cornelius Fudge was first stunned, then quickly reacted, puffing out his chest and saying.
"The Ministry of Magic has always been committed to maintaining the stability of the magical world, these are things we should be doing."
Although Dumbledore's statement made them feel slightly unworthy, it did not affect the mood of the Ministry of Magic officials present, which suddenly became pleasant and proud—they were certainly trustworthy, important pillars ensuring the normal operation of society.
The tense atmosphere, which had become slightly confrontational due to Newt's outburst, eased up again quite a bit.
Of course, Newt Scamander's mood on the other side was not so pleasant.
According to Newt's original idea, Albus Dumbledore, as one of the initiators of the "association", should have completely stood on his side to support him, rather than watching from the sidelines throughout the whole process, and even seeming to be trying to smooth things over and pull the side.
If traced back to the source, these things were all caused by that little girl Dumbledore had thrown over.
However, before Newt could retort, Dumbledore suddenly changed the subject.
"But on the other hand, Cornelius, the Ministry of Magic's operational model may have limited your way of thinking. At Hogwarts, the good development of the students will ultimately benefit the school's reputation in society. Just like the meaning of Hogwarts' existence, in my opinion, the magical world is not so much a larger school."
"Times have changed, power doesn't mean strength, win-win cooperation is the most ideal trend."
"The biggest beneficiary of the successful establishment of the Magical Creature Association is not Newt, but the British magical world where the association headquarters is located. In terms of rule-making, we have a natural advantage—I'm not referring to privileges, but some more basic, yet more important things, such as ideas, language, habits..."
Dumbledore drew his wand and skillfully drew a few fiery magical words in the air.
"For centuries, European magic spells have influenced the entire magical world, not because our pronunciation and characters have greater magic, but because most of the practical basic spells come from here."
"Let me put it this way, the Ministry of Magic's support for the establishment of these associations will bring far more reputation than just what's in front of us. In the case of the Magical Creature Association, we can openly collect magical creature data from all over the world. In addition, the establishment of the Magical Creature Protection Association also represents global magical cooperation in a brand new field, which is clearly much smoother than sporadic communication."
"The Magical Creature Council, the Magical Creature Product Safety Supervision Association, these are all positive attempts. If industry standards in these areas gradually take shape and achieve good results, then the magic ministries of various countries will follow suit."
"The magical world sharing information and research results, concentrating resources for research and allocation, what a wonderful prospect."
"However, if the Ministry of Magic doesn't provide any corresponding support in the early stages of the establishment of these associations, and even holds certain hostility and resistance... frankly speaking, we ourselves are the vane of the magical world, do you think the outside world will give us so much time to slowly grind, pull, adapt, and negotiate?"
Dumbledore shook his head and said with certainty.
"Absolutely impossible. The relevant association standards in the magical creature field are different from those in the fields of spells, potions, and alchemy."
"This is just an advanced idea and initiative. If you don't establish enough authority in the first time, since everyone can try to regulate and formulate the rules, who will care about the source's voice? The whole world is groping, and a few magic governments with good strength may even turn the tables and take the lead in becoming the standard setters for the industry."
Dumbledore didn't say too much about the unknown challengers, but most of the wizards present were well aware.
The Magical Congress of the United States of America, and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In recent years, this loyal ally who once followed behind the British Ministry of Magic has unconsciously become a behemoth in the current magical world, taking over the leading role in the International Confederation of Wizards.
"But now..."
Dumbledore smiled and pointed to Newt, saying lightly.
"We have Newt Scamander, the most knowledgeable person in the magical world when it comes to magical creatures. All it takes is a little permission from the Ministry of Magic, and the clear support of you all, and we can recreate the glory of the past—"
Scanning the Ministry of Magic officials who were deep in thought, Dumbledore (Grindelwald disguised) had a playful smile on his lips.
Just as Elena said, today's magic government has long been smoothed out of its former sharpness. On the one hand, it wants to continue to hold on to the glory of the past, but on the other hand, it is hesitant to launch a revo... um, innovation on a global scale.
But precisely because of this, in a sense, it is the most suitable cover and help.
"Don't you think... that with the assistance of the then Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and others, the magical creature field established clear industry standards for the first time in history... if this sentence could appear in textbooks such as 'A History of Magic' and 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', perhaps it would be more meaningful than a First Class Order of Merlin?"
Glancing at the Minister of Magic, who seemed to be somewhat moved, Grindelwald raised his eyebrows and added one last sentence.
Compared to those aggressive strongmen, foolish politicians like Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge are simply too suitable to be pushed to the front as a shield. Money, interests, and vanity have never been valuable.
If there are no accidents, the next scene should be a bargaining scene.
"These false names are not important, Professor Dumbledore, you know me."
Sure enough, with Dumbledore's voice falling, Cornelius Fudge shook his head and took the initiative to speak.
"The Ministry of Magic has actually been paying attention to the chaos in the magical creature field, and this was originally something the department was planning to promote next. However, since Mr. Newt Scamander intends to promote it himself, the Ministry of Magic will of course fully cooperate. It's just that, in terms of international public opinion, perhaps Hogwarts' support is still needed."
"Of course, you don't have to worry about this aspect, I will write to those old friends tomorrow."
Dumbledore replied with a smile, tapping the table thoughtfully, and continued.
"By the way, the early stage of the association's establishment will definitely consume a lot of resources. The Ministry of Magic's budget has never been very sufficient, so I plan to discuss with the goblins at Gringotts later, and let them bear the funding in this regard—the Ministry of Magic should have also carried out some corresponding work in the early stage, I think those can be 're'-counted and included in the reimbursement together."
"Okay, no problem! Professor Dumbledore, you have considered everything very carefully."
Cornelius Fudge quickly agreed to the matter, giving Umbridge a look.
"In short, let's promote this matter as soon as possible!"
Since experiencing the Gringotts Wizarding Bank storm, the Ministry of Magic has been hoping to find a few more reasons to collect some "tribute" from Gringotts, but due to Hogwarts' partnership with Gringotts, it has not found a very good opportunity.
Now that Dumbledore has taken the initiative to hint, the whole matter is obviously much easier to handle.
At the same time, Newt, who had been unable to find an opportunity to join the conversation, finally reacted.
Although he didn't understand how the Ministry of Magic's attitude had changed so quickly, from the current results, Professor Dumbledore had successfully persuaded Cornelius Fudge and others, and had fulfilled the promise he had made to him before coming.
"So, in that case, we've reached an agreement, right? Is the association okay like this?"
Newt Scamander touched his nose and turned to look at Dumbledore, who was sitting not far away.
For some reason, today's Dumbledore gave him a somewhat strange feeling—not the kind of stranger, but not the casual elder he usually was, but a smooth politician who was very comfortable in his own skin.
Perhaps, this is some of the changes Dumbledore has had to make for the future of Hogwarts in recent years?
"That's right, at least in terms of the main framework, you will get the full support of the Ministry of Magic."
Dumbledore nodded happily and replied with a smile.
"It's just that, in this case, Newt, you'll be busy for the next period of time. If there's anything else, or any concerns, I suggest you say it all now, so that you don't have to communicate additionally later."
"Well, in that case, I have one more request..."
Newt Scamander thought carefully for a while, looked up at Dumbledore, and then looked at Fudge.
Noticing the hesitation on Newt's face, Cornelius Fudge, who was about to have a large income and the potential to leave a strong mark in the history of magic, waved his hand and said with a relaxed smile.
"Mr. Scamander, just say whatever concerns you have, everything is negotiable."
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Chapter 1 ~Goo ah~
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