"Who is this Dumbledore?" the prime minister asked. He had heard Foggy mention Dumbledore's name frequently.
"Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Magic and Magic, widely recognized as the greatest wizard of our time, recipient of the Merlin Medal, president of the International Union of Mages, and chief wizard of Weisengamore," Foggy said in one breath. "At the same time, he's also the only wizard that the demon who can't even speak his name is afraid of. He knows a lot of secrets about the unknowns, probably so …"
"Since this wizard is so great, why not let him defeat the demon?"
"This goes back to our original topic. The unknowns seem to be immortal," Foggy said gloomily. "Or rather, not so easy to defeat. Even Dumbledore can't do it."
The office fell silent again, and the prime minister asked no more questions.
He couldn't help but wonder if they could really win this war against a terrifying monster who couldn't die.
He felt his mind in a mess, and he couldn't sort it out no matter how hard he tried.
If he could, he really wanted to wake up and find that it was all a dream.
About five minutes later, the man in the portrait broke the silence. He suddenly said in a crisp, bureaucratic voice, "To Prime Minister Muggle, requesting a meeting. This is an urgent matter. Please reply immediately, Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of the Ministry of Magic. "
"Yes, yes, of course," the prime minister said distractedly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the flames in the grate turned emerald green again, and a second wizard appeared in the middle of the flames.
He spun for a while and walked to the antique carpet.
The prime minister looked at the scene without showing any fear.
Foggy stood up, and the prime minister hesitated for a moment before standing up as well.
He watched the newcomer straighten up. The man brushed the ashes off his black robe and looked left and right.
This man …
Looking at him, the prime minister suddenly had an absurd thought. Scrimgeour looked like an old lion.
His tawny hair and bushy eyebrows were streaked with gray, and behind gold-rimmed spectacles were a pair of sharp yellow eyes. Despite his limp, he walked with a swagger that gave the impression at once of a sharp, tough fellow.
The Prime Minister thought he could well understand why, in these dangerous times, the wizarding world wanted Scrimgeour, rather than Foggy, to be its leader.
In times of war, this kind of tough, hawkish leader was needed.
All in all, the prime minister's first impression of Scrimgeour was pretty good, much better than Foggy's.
He hoped that the other party could solve the current problem, or at least not let the situation worsen further.
"How do you do?" said the Prime Minister politely, holding out his hand.
Scrimgeour did not rush to shake hands with them first. His eyes darted around the room as if to make sure it was safe.
His appearance made people suspect that there were several armed thugs hiding in the room.
Then, Scrimgeour gave the Prime Minister's hand a cursory shake and pulled out a wand from under his robes.
"Foggy told you everything?" He asked as he strode to the door and tapped the keyhole with his wand. The prime minister heard the lock click.
"Well, yes," said the prime minister. "If you don't mind, I'd like to leave the door unlocked."
"I don't like to be disturbed," said Scrimgeour impatiently. "Or being watched," said Scrimgeour impatiently. "Or being watched. You don't seem to understand your situation. You're in danger. This office isn't safe at all."
As he spoke, he pointed his wand at the window, and the curtains were drawn.
They could clearly see what looked like an angular glass partition appear above them, enveloping them.
A silver-white glow flashed across the glass, and the space returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
The prime minister looked at it, trying to adapt himself to the situation. It was just a spell. He didn't think much of Scrimgeour's words. Apart from the Queen, his was the safest place in all of England and the world. But he admired the measures taken by the other party. He was clearly a professional.
"I just heard Foggy …"
"It looks like Foggy didn't tell you everything very well. Or rather, you don't understand," Scrimgeour interrupted the prime minister impatiently. Scrimgeour interrupted the Prime Minister and said impatiently, "I'm a busy man and don't have much time to waste here. Let's get straight to the point. First, we need to discuss your safety. "
Scrimgeour's attitude made the prime minister's newly risen good opinion disappear. These wizards seemed to be all the same.
"Foggy just told me that there's a crazy wizard who wants to come and control me. That's obviously ridiculous." The prime minister straightened his back as much as he could. "I'm very satisfied with the current security measures, thank you very much …"
"We're not satisfied," Scrimgeour interrupted him again. Scrimgeour interrupted him again. "Your defenses here are practically non-existent. If he wants to, he can come over at any time. If the Prime Minister is afflicted with the Soul Snatch Curse, the Muggles will suffer, especially under such circumstances. By the way, the new secretary outside your office … "
"I'll never kick Kingsley Sarkel out, if that's what you're suggesting!" the prime minister said excitedly. "He's extremely efficient. He does twice as much work as anyone else!"
"Obviously, that's because he's a wizard," Scrimgeour said without a trace of a smile on his face. "A well-trained Auror, sent to protect you. But according to the latest information I've received, that's not enough."
"Hey, wait!" the prime minister shouted. The Prime Minister shouted. "You can't just put your people in my office. I decide who works for me …"
"I take it you're very satisfied with Sarkel?" Scrimgeour said coldly, interrupting him again.
"Yes, I mean, he used to be …"
"Then there's no problem, is there?" Scrimgeour asked.
"I … Yes, as long as Sarkel's work stays, um, as good, there shouldn't be any problem," the prime minister said weakly, but Scrimgeour didn't seem to hear him.
"And about Herbert Jolly, your Assistant Minister!" he continued. "Not long ago, the man who amused the public by imitating ducks."
"Foggy just told me that he's being controlled!"
"That's right, a crappy Soul Snatch Curse," Scrimgeour said disdainfully. Scrimgeour said disdainfully. "His mind is muddled, but we can't eliminate the possibility that he's in danger. That's why we've isolated him. You need to replace him with an assistant minister. We'll arrange for an Auror to come over as soon as possible …"
"Wait, maybe Herbert just needs to rest more and drink less …"
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