Spilch!
As a cylindrical object rolled off the desk with a plop, Kasenhis let out a long sigh.
He took off the glasses that had been stuck on the bridge of his nose and wiped them on his wizard robe.
Dumbledore sighed as well, walked over, and handed him a piece of velvet cloth.
As for what he was wiping off the glasses..? Everybody could see...
"Thank you," Kasenhis said naturally, accepting Dumbledore's cloth, wiping the lenses clean, and then sliding the glasses back into place.
Meanwhile, across the desk, Umbridge stared wide-eyed at the calm Kasenhis and the howling Fudge... who now had only one arm!
Umbridge's tiny brain just couldn't process it — how could a mere Hogwarts professor dare to storm into the Minister of Magic's office and tear off the Minister's arm?
That was the Minister of Magic!
The pinnacle of power in the wizarding world! A supreme and exalted figure! How could anyone dare?!
On the other side, most of the Aurors watching this scene had a strangely satisfying feeling bubbling up inside. After all, Hogwarts was the only magic school in England — their own children were there, or if not their kids, then the kids of relatives and friends.
And now this brilliant Minister, who had stuffed Dementors into Hogwarts, getting an arm chopped off... really wasn't that big of a deal.
It wasn't until one quick-witted Auror suddenly had a light bulb pop up over his head:"Uh... Oh no! It's my wedding anniversary today! We have a candlelight dinner planned! Scrimgeour, you go first?"
"If anyone wants to leave, now's your chance," Scrimgeour said after taking a deep breath, his hand gripping his wand already soaked with sweat.
How could he not want to find an excuse to give Fudge a taste of his own medicine? But there was no choice. After all, he was a senior official at the Ministry of Magic, and his conduct absolutely had to stay within the rules set by the Ministry.
So subjectively, he didn't really hold any malice toward Kasenhis for roughing up Fudge to ensure the little wizards' safety. That was also why he didn't mind seeing a few Aurors quietly slip away.
But objectively, he was a senior official at the Ministry.
And now that the head of the Ministry had been hacked off an arm right in his own office, if Scrimgeour didn't show some sort of reaction, he might as well pack up and quit his job as the head of the Auror Office.
"Kingsley, you're still here, right?" Scrimgeour said quietly.
"If you're not planning to make a move, I think I'll be heading out too..." Kingsley replied, glancing at Kasenhis, who was just standing there with his hands in his pockets, showing no hint of hostility at all.
But who knew what terrifying thing would happen if they actually tried to attack?
Kingsley had been an Auror for many years and naturally had his own informants and network in Knockturn Alley.
He also knew very well that this seemingly harmless, almost cuddly-looking professor, when he first stepped into the wizarding world, had already killed several dark wizards in Knockturn Alley.
As for this so-called Alchemy Professor — how good his alchemy was, Kingsley couldn't judge, since that wasn't his specialty. But when it came to Dark Magic, this Alchemy Professor absolutely had the potential to become the third Dark Lord.
And what made things even trickier was that Kasenhis wasn't alone.
Dumbledore was standing right there in the office, the Elder Wand already in his hand — and those unreadable, emotionless eyes made it impossible to guess what he was thinking!
The choice was: should he side with the Hogwarts professor and offer him protection, or should he side with the Ministry of Magic and arrest the man who had just taken half the Minister's life?
Kingsley, being practically part of Dumbledore's personal faction and a pillar of the Order of the Phoenix, knew exactly what kind of person Dumbledore was.
Even if he used his toenails to think, he could guess what Dumbledore would choose at this moment.
"Kasenhis, let's go," Dumbledore said.
Kingsley breathed a sigh of relief. This meant Dumbledore had made his choice, and Kingsley, as the Auror team leader, didn't have to get caught between Scrimgeour and Dumbledore.
As for Fudge's opinion?
Nobody cared.
"No, I'm sorry, Dumbledore. You may leave, but Professor Kasenhis cannot," Scrimgeour said, taking a deep breath and forcing the words out.
"...I've always thought you were one of the rare Ministry officials who actually gets things done. That's quite precious within the Ministry," Dumbledore said as he stepped in front of Kasenhis and turned to look at Scrimgeour.
"And exactly because of that, I can't let him go," Scrimgeour said in a low voice.
"I'm sorry, but judging wizards is the responsibility of the Wizengamot. Aurors are only responsible for enforcement. Therefore, we'll wait for the Wizengamot's summons," Dumbledore said, closing his eyes and reopening them calmly.
Scrimgeour finally let out a long breath.
Dumbledore had handed him a way to back down without being blamed by anyone.
But of course, the performance still needed to be acted out properly!
In the next moment, Scrimgeour suddenly fired a bright red flare at Dumbledore — only for Dumbledore to casually flick it aside with his wand and respond with a light Disarming Charm.
As Scrimgeour's wand flew into Dumbledore's hand and was then steadily placed onto the desk, Scrimgeour finally let go of the huge weight pressing on his heart.
Meanwhile, Kasenhis was sitting on the desk, while Fudge lay there like a dead dog.
Kasenhis knocked his knuckles against the desk. "Withdraw all the Dementors."
"We can't..." Fudge said weakly.
"Hmm?"
"The device controlling the Dementors... it's been damaged. The Department of Mysteries is trying to fix it. Until they do, we.. we can't command the Dementors," Fudge said.
"...Then you better pray that the Dementors behave themselves and that the little wizards are lucky enough," Kasenhis said with a curl of his lip. "After all, if something like this happens three more times, you'll unlock the achievement... 'Empress Lü's Collection'?"
No one present understood the reference — only Dumbledore showed an exasperated smile.
In the distant ancient East, there had been an Empress surnamed Lü, who had her enemy's limbs chopped off, stripped them of their senses, and turned them into a human swine — a piece of trivia barely known in England.
(P.S. Yup, folks, that's the inventor of BDSMs...)
"Let's go, Kasenhis... back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore sighed.
"...I'll be waiting for your summons," Kasenhis said, glancing around the office at everyone — Fudge lying limp on the desk, Umbridge still frozen by the Binding Spell, and Scrimgeour and Kingsley standing there like two lonely soldiers.
With two booming sounds, the office was left with nothing but a sky full of purple sparkles and burning golden feathers.
_________
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel