Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 705 The New Minister

Chapter 705 The New Minister

In the afternoon, after the final history of magic exam concluded, cheers erupted from every corner of the castle.

Although the end of the exams means Hogwarts will soon be on holiday, and it also means they might encounter attacks from Death Eaters or Voldemort after leaving the school, that's all for the future.

At least for now, everyone is happy. Until the official holiday begins, they can play and relax at Hogwarts without worrying about Death Eaters and Voldemort.

Many students left the castle and came to the grass outside, enjoying the warm evening breeze of June.

Xiren wanted to sit by the Black Lake. His last exam was the History of Magic, and the long passages on the paper were making him dizzy. He needed to relax.

Harry and his two friends shared the same idea—no homework, no exams, no worries about Death Eaters, just lie on the grass by the Black Lake, not thinking about anything, until the sun completely sets, and then return to the castle for a sumptuous dinner.

Thinking this, they unconsciously quickened their pace and walked out of the gates of Hogwarts Castle.

"Look, Headmaster Dumbledore's back too." Ron stopped instinctively on the stone steps, looking at the two people walking towards him. "He's with someone else. Who's he? Is he the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for next year?"

After saying that, Ron couldn't help but chuckle.

Since Dumbledore rejected Tom Riddle's application to stay at the university to teach, no professor has been able to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts course for more than a year.

Thinking about it that way, Dumbledore really should find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

More importantly, this year's professor for this course is still Severus Snape, their least favorite professor, without a doubt.

For the first time, Ron hoped that Voldemort's curse was real. Perhaps Snape's identity as a Death Eater would be revealed while they were talking.

He was then captured by the Aurors and imprisoned in Azkaban, where Dumbledore brought new professors to familiarize him with the school.

Under Ron's eager gaze, Dumbledore soon appeared before them.

Xiren looked curiously at the middle-aged wizard beside him. His short, gray hair stood stiff like sharp thorns, his cheeks were slightly sunken, his lips were thin, and he looked stern and rigid.

"Good afternoon, Sirius, Harry, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger," Dumbledore began. "Please allow me to introduce you. This is Minister Pierce Sinkenness."

"Pierce, they are—"

“Ah, of course I know him, Albus,” said Pierce Sinkness, stepping forward and staring intently at Harry as if he were a priceless treasure.

"Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, we finally meet." He extended his hand formally. "I hope our collaboration goes smoothly from here on out. To be honest, things have been coming up one after another, and I'm really overwhelmed."

He continued talking to himself, seemingly oblivious to Harry's increasingly embarrassed expression.

Harry couldn't understand what he was saying at all. What was the cooperation going to be between him and the Ministry of Magic?

But out of politeness, he still shook the other person's hand.

"Hello, Minister Sinkness," he said. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by cooperation; no one has ever told me."

"It'll be ready soon, Harry," Pierce Sinkness said. "Frankly, it's the only way to solve the Ministry of Magic's predicament, if you can—"

"Pierce!" Dumbledore suddenly shouted. "We have plenty of time to catch up, but now, I'm sure you still remember what our primary task is, don't you?"

"Ah—" Pierce Sinkness reluctantly looked away from Harry, and after a moment of silence said, "To be honest, Albus, I don't really believe in those so-called fortune telling and prophecies. If you hadn't insisted on coming—I mean, I'm an amateur, you could have made the decision yourself."

Then he looked at Harry again.

"Harry Potter, can we chat? Just the two of us, I think we'll have a lot in common."

Harry didn't speak, he just looked at Dumbledore.

"So this is why you insisted on coming here, Pierce," Dumbledore said calmly. "I thought we had the same goal."

“Oh, Albus, our own is the same—to deal with the Death Eaters and the Man of Void,” Pierce Sinkness said. “But you know, the Ministry of Magic is a complete mess right now, and we need Harry Potter.”

"Alright," said Dumbledore. "Harry, if you'd like, you can keep the minister company, but don't miss dinner; I recall there's pork chops tonight."

Harry wanted to say he didn't want to, but he couldn't help it; after all, the other party was the Minister of Magic, and he found it difficult to find a reason to refuse.

"Sirlen, may I come with you?" Dumbledore continued. "How about to the Headmaster's office? I've had the kitchen prepare some Butterbeer in advance; I remember you like that."

"Yes, Professor," said Sirius, as he followed Dumbledore back into the castle and to the headmaster's office on the eighth floor.

The atmosphere on the way was somewhat somber. After hesitating for a moment, Sirius said, "Professor, the newly appointed Minister of Magic seems to value Harry quite a bit."

"Pierce certainly has his own ideas," Dumbledore said, seemingly not really interested in the topic, and quickened his pace through the corridor.

"Ah, we've arrived."

Without even needing a password, the gargoyle jumped to the side as soon as Dumbledore approached.

The two rode the spiral staircase to the top, and Dumbledore pushed open the oak door.

The principal's office was the same as before, with the silverware on the table smoking and the principal pretending to be asleep on the wall.

On the table in the middle was a bottle of butterbeer, and it was ice-cold.

"Professor, have you decided to completely remove the curse?"

Siren assumed that Dumbledore had summoned him alone because of the curse. After all, Voldemort's actions were becoming increasingly aggressive, and if Dumbledore wanted to stop him, he would definitely have to deal with the trouble caused by the curse first.

However, Dumbledore shook his head.

"It will happen soon, but not now," he said. "I came back to ask you, are you sure you've made a real prophecy?"

He asked with a serious expression, "Is it a genuine prophecy, not the kind of guesswork most students give to Sybil?"

Clearly, Dumbledore also knew what the Divination class was all about.

"I did see a huge snake and a panicked crowd in the crystal ball," Siren recounted in detail what he had seen.

E