Fudge acted more swiftly than anyone could have predicted.
The first sign was in The Daily Prophet.
Previously, the paper had regularly run articles attacking Dumbledore, each concluding with a firm denial of You-Know-Who's return. But since Fudge's visit to The Three Broomsticks, the tone of the publication had shifted entirely. For a whole week, not a single mention of You-Know-Who appeared in its pages.
The furious voices that had dominated its columns seemed to have vanished overnight, leaving behind a strangely harmonious narrative—though it hardly felt that way to everyone.
"Kyle, can you explain what's going on?"
On the eighth floor, in the Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore sat behind his desk, looking uncharacteristically troubled. An open copy of The Daily Prophet lay in front of him.
The headline was not on the front page but still occupied an entire page inside the paper:
"Is Dumbledore's Intention to Run for Minister of Magic Long-Planned or a Spur-of-the-Moment Decision?"
A special correspondent, Rita Skeeter, had penned a lengthy article filled with revelations supposedly sourced from well-placed informants. It chronicled Dumbledore's alleged frequent contact with senior Ministry officials and speculated that he intended to challenge Fudge for the position of Minister.
According to the article, Dumbledore was supposedly outraged by the slander directed at him by Fudge and sought to restore his tarnished reputation.
In the center of the page, a large photograph accompanied the piece. The image depicted Dumbledore shaking hands with none other than Dolores Umbridge.
The caption beneath it read:
"Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, Dolores Umbridge, recently took over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
While some have speculated that her appointment was a move to spy on Dumbledore for Fudge, this may not be the case.
An informed source suggests that the two are often seen laughing and chatting in Hogwarts' corridors, indicating a close relationship.
We have reason to believe that Dolores Umbridge may, in fact, be a double agent—appearing loyal to Fudge while secretly aligning herself with Dumbledore…"
Kyle couldn't help but laugh as he read the article. "This is rich! I bet Umbridge will be livid when she sees this."
"I have no doubt," Dumbledore replied, though he sighed heavily.
Kyle glanced at the paper again. "By the way, Professor, since when did Umbridge become one of us?"
"Didn't you orchestrate this?" Dumbledore asked, his piercing blue eyes fixed on Kyle.
"Of course not," Kyle said matter-of-factly. "If I had that kind of power, I'd have brought Umbridge to our side ages ago."
"That's not what I mean," Dumbledore said, his tone more serious. "Professor Umbridge has always been a loyal follower of Cornelius Fudge. I've never doubted that for a moment."
He tapped the photo in the article. "In fact, this photograph was taken just after Sirius was taken into custody. At the time, Umbridge was lobbying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, which I allowed. Moreover, the location of this meeting wasn't Hogwarts but the Ministry of Magic."
"I see..." Kyle murmured, realization dawning. "I should've guessed. Rita Skeeter loves to embellish—or outright fabricate—her stories."
"So, you had nothing to do with this article?" Dumbledore asked again, his gaze searching Kyle's face.
"Not a thing," Kyle said firmly. "Like you just pointed out, that photo was taken at the Ministry, and I've been here at Hogwarts since Sirius was taken away. I couldn't have been involved."
Dumbledore studied Kyle for a long moment but found no trace of dishonesty in his expression.
"Then, do you have any ideas on how to end this farce?" Dumbledore asked, leaning back with a sigh. "Rita Skeeter has written many articles about me over the years, but none have caused as much trouble as this one."
"You probably don't realize it yet, but in just a few hours, I've received more letters than I've had in the last six months combined."
He gestured behind him, revealing a towering stack of letters—piled nearly to the ceiling.
"And this is only a portion…"
Before Dumbledore could finish his thought, another owl flew through the open window, depositing yet another letter onto the already overflowing desk.
"You see?" Dumbledore said, gesturing to the growing pile. "People seem to have taken this article at face value, believing that I truly intend to run for Minister of Magic. They're even offering advice—enthusiastically, I might add—which is, quite frankly, terrifying."
"To be honest, I'm beginning to dread the sight of owls."
Dumbledore, afraid of owls?
Kyle stifled a laugh at the thought. If this tidbit ever got out, it would no doubt end up as another Daily Prophet front-page story.
"Professor, this might not be such a bad thing," Kyle whispered. "The more people believe it, the less likely Fudge will suspect the truth."
Dumbledore's expression hardened. "This isn't what we agreed on."
Kyle winced. The headmaster's tone carried unmistakable disapproval.
Dumbledore vividly recalled Kyle's earlier proposal: create a subtle illusion, just enough to make Fudge suspicious. And that's exactly what Dumbledore had done—speaking more warmly than usual to Amelia Bones, exchanging a few polite words with Barty Crouch. Small gestures, nothing overtly suggestive.
But now, the situation had spiraled out of control.
Since morning, letters had poured in, many from supporters eager to back his supposed campaign. Among them were several members of the Wizengamot, and one letter in particular stood out: an official correspondence from the French Ministry of Magic.
It came from the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation—a person Dumbledore had never interacted with directly. In fact, he hadn't even known their name before today. Though the letter appeared to be a generic greeting, the timing made its purpose clear.
Even foreign Ministries are getting involved…
Dumbledore sighed as he glanced at the letter. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before he was genuinely thrust into the role of Minister—a position he had no desire to hold. All he wanted was to remain an unremarkable headmaster, far from the political machinations of the Ministry.
"Well… there's nothing I can do about that," Kyle said with a shrug. "We'll just have to see how Fudge reacts."
"If he wants to keep his position, he'll have to take action to stop you. At that point, we simply do nothing and let him come out on top."
"Really?" Dumbledore gave Kyle a sharp, probing look.
His intuition told him Kyle had a hand in the Daily Prophet article, but there wasn't a shred of evidence to prove it. Even when he'd subtly attempted to uncover more, Kyle's mind revealed nothing.
Dumbledore was well aware of Kyle's proficiency in Occlumency, a skill rare for someone so young. Even Snape had failed to break into Kyle's mind—what little he saw was clearly constructed to deceive him. The ability to not only shield one's thoughts but also project an entirely convincing false narrative required a level of mastery uncommon even among seasoned wizards.
With another sigh, Dumbledore rubbed his temples. If he had foreseen this level of chaos, he never would have agreed to Kyle's plan to create an illusion in the first place.
Now, his only hope was that Fudge would take decisive—and self-serving—action to restore balance.