Elwyn did not interrupt. He knew the content of the prophecy, but this prophecy was about Harry, after all.
It was up to Harry himself to decide whether to tell Scrinkle or not.
"I think you've talked to Dumbledore about this, right?" Harry finally said.
"Yes, we've talked about it, but he refused to tell me the full content of the prophecy," Scrinkle replied.
"Then I'm sorry, I have nothing to say," Harry immediately said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.
"Oh, of course, if it's a secret, I don't want you to leak it." Scrinkle seemed to have expected Harry's answer. His tone was relaxed and friendly. "Elwyn just said that we should be more honest. You might not understand what I mean … No, no, I'm not interested in prophecies … Honestly, does it really matter whether you are the Star of Salvation or Dumbledore's successor?"
Harry did not know how to answer. He turned to look at Elwyn, not understanding what Scrinkle meant.
"You think it doesn't matter, Mr. Minister?" Elwyn asked. "I think it's quite important."
"Of course, it's important to you, but not to me," Scrinkle said and laughed. Scrimgeour laughed as he spoke, "Similarly, to the current Magus World and most of the Magi who don't understand you … This is how you think, isn't it? Do you understand what I mean? Perception, impressions, and what you really are aren't important. Whether you are the Star of Salvation or Dumbledore's successor isn't important either. It's what people think of you. That's what matters. "
Elwyn blinked. What Scrinkle said made sense.
What a person shows to be recognized by others is not how you are originally, but how you look in the eyes of others.
In other words, people made judgments based on their appearances, rumors, and their own likes and dislikes. There were too many such examples, such as Snape, the former Sirius, Peter the Dwarf, Quirinus Quirrell, Gidro Lockhart, and that lunatic Barty Crouch Jr., and so on. The impression they left on the masses was completely different from their actual situations. Without a deeper understanding, no one would know what they were really like.
Therefore, Elwyn, Harry, and the current Ministry of Magic were the same in the eyes of the public.
Most wizards did not know them at all. They could only judge from the information they read in the newspapers and imagine and believe in their appearance, status, and identity.
"For Harry, people believe you are the Star of Salvation. They think you are a hero, so you are. Harry, regardless of whether you are the Star of Salvation or not, you are already one in the eyes of the people. How many times have you faced the Great Demon whose name cannot even be uttered? And how many times have you faced that fiendish prophecy!" Scrinkle said quickly, "As for you, Elwyn, your performance in front of the people, helping Sirius prove his innocence, fighting the vampires in the Quidditch World Cup, and what you did in Egypt are completely beyond the standards of a wizard of your age, or even an adult wizard. These are enough to make people believe that you are a talented wizard, the successor of Dumbledore, and that you will become a great wizard in the future. Therefore, in the eyes of many wizards, the two of you are now the symbol of hope. Everyone knows and is willing to believe that you can destroy that Great Demon. If you ask me, this is enough. It will naturally make people feel encouraged. "
Scrinkle finished speaking in one breath. He was slightly panting and looked a little excited.
"In short!" Without waiting for Elwyn and Harry to answer, he continued, "Elwyn, Harry, this is the impression that most people have of you. You should realize this. You are very important now. Hmm, in other words, you have the obligation to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic and give people confidence."
Well, this was the real purpose of Scrinkle's conversation.
To put it bluntly, he wanted Elwyn and Harry to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic. However, for him, this kind of cooperation would not stop at a simple level. He wanted Elwyn and Harry to completely rely on the Ministry of Magic. If possible, they would be at the mercy of the Ministry of Magic. That would be the best.
Under the rhododendrons, the little gnome began to dig for worms near the roots of the trees.
Soon, it caught one and was pulling it up, trying to pull it out of the frozen ground.
"Tell me, what do you two think?" Scrinkle asked, staring at Elwyn.
Harry was also looking at Elwyn. He knew that it was time for Elwyn to make the decision and give him an answer.
"As members of the Ministry of Magic, we naturally have the obligation to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic." Elwyn paused and said tactfully, "With all due respect, Mr. Minister, I still don't understand what you want us to do. How do you want us to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic?"
"Oh, the cooperation is very simple. It's not troublesome at all. I promise you," Scrinkle said, calming down. "For instance, I remember you had a newspaper, didn't you, Elvin?" Scrimgeour said, his ragged breathing calming.
"Yes, Hogwarts Magic Newspaper," Elwyn said.
"Yes, it's the most popular newspaper in the wizarding world. As part of the cooperation, I feel that Hogwarts Magic Newspaper should not continue to publish articles that are harmful to the Ministry of Magic and can easily cause panic. "
"Even if those articles are true?" Elwyn asked.
"Nothing is absolutely true, Elwyn. As I said, the key is what people are willing to believe. They don't need the truth, but what they want to see and what we show them," Scrinkle said.
"Yes, Mr. Minister. If this is also an obligation, I will consider it," Elwyn said. "Is there anything else about the cooperation?"
Scrinkle seemed to be satisfied with Elwyn's attitude and continued, "Well, speaking of news and publicity, I feel that if the two of you can visit the Ministry of Magic from time to time, it will give people a favorable impression. I plan to call Sirius Blake back and let him become an Auror again. Of course, before that, I think you will be very willing to talk more with Gardwin Robards, the Auror office director who will replace me. He is an experienced Auror. Harry, I heard from Dolores Umrich that you have aspirations to become an Auror. This will be easy to arrange... "
Harry did not answer. He felt jealous. So Umrich is still in the Ministry of Magic?
"Umrich is still working in the Ministry of Magic?" Elwyn asked in surprise.
He did not doubt that Umrich would return to the Ministry of Magic, but he was surprised that she had returned to the Ministry of Magic so quickly.
"Yes, she just came back not long ago," Scrinkle said indifferently. He noticed Harry's expression and said, "Oh, I know. She did some wrong things in the Hogwarts last year, but she is still very capable. Also, she has been taught a lesson. You may not know, but she seems to have been attacked by a monster or something..."
He suddenly stopped and did not continue, as if he felt that it was not good to talk about this with Elwyn and Harry.
After all, the two of them were sixteen and fifteen years old. Two cute boys who were not yet adults, and some of the topics were too heavy.
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