Chapter 748
Sinkernis's Speech
Chapter 748 Sinkernis's Speech
The chill of the night was dispelled by the warm fire in the kitchen and the steaming cocoa on the table. Harry sat on a sofa just big enough to fit him, with the Daily Prophet spread out on his lap.
Sirius leaned lazily against the cupboard, absentmindedly making a slice of bacon flutter in the plate with his wand.
Remus sat opposite Harry, holding a mug in both hands, and spoke in a calm tone about the ceremony he had witnessed.
“I must say, it was much more solemn and dignified than last time,” Remus said. “Although I didn’t witness Fudge’s swearing-in ceremony in person, I heard that he stumbled over his words and even mispronounced two words.”
“I think Wade is very concerned about this election. He seems to want Ms. Burns to be elected... Wade is going to be disappointed.”
Harry muttered to himself, glanced at Sinkness in the newspaper, then looked more closely at Dumbledore in the photo, and then saw the list of Umbridge's crimes, and gasped.
He remembered that Wade had once said that Ms. Umbridge was a very elegant, gentle, kind, and childlike person.
Of course, in the subsequent rounds of revelations, Harry naturally realized that Wade had ulterior motives for saying those words.
But looking at the woman's photo in the news again, he still felt a vague sense of sympathy for his friend.
—How about... I call him later to comfort him?
Harry fiddled with the tiny communication pea in his hand, pondering something in his mind.
Upon hearing this, Remus smiled slightly.
A large portion of the Gallon in Vader's vault was spent through Remus's manipulation, so he naturally knew what Vader had been doing lately.
Even though Wade and Harry were friends, Remus did not disclose his employer and student's information without permission.
At this moment, Sirius finally finished the last piece of bacon on his plate, walked behind Harry, leaned on the back of the sofa with both hands, glanced at the contents of the newspaper, and immediately let out a sneer.
"Listen to this—paying homage to former minister Fudge? What respectable... ability to cover things up?"
The second page of the newspaper contained Sinkness's inaugural address, which had already been broadcast live once in the live stream, but the Daily Prophet still included the full text.
"On the contrary, that's a very clever statement."
Remus said casually, “Synkenis means that he wants stability and won’t purge Fudge’s old men. This attitude reassures the other officials and also suggests that they should help him take over the Ministry of Magic smoothly.”
“And this?” Harry’s finger moved across the newspaper as he asked with interest, “Rebuilding public confidence in the impartiality of law enforcement, respecting procedural justice…aren’t these all Ms. Burns’s propositions?”
"Hey Harry, did you actually read this report?" Sirius asked in surprise. "I thought you wouldn't read these bureaucratic articles at all!"
“I initially thought it wouldn’t be very interesting, but isn’t Wade very interested? Hermione also said that the new minister’s proposals are very important, so…”
He shrugged, his meaning unspoken.
Remus picked up the black tea beside him, took two sips, and then analyzed the situation for the two of them:
"This is an olive branch extended to Amelia Burns and the ideals she represents. Most people actually hope that the Ministry of Magic can enforce the law fairly, and what they are worried about is that Ms. Burns will make sweeping reforms that will harm the interests of all parties."
Lamb paused, waiting for the two to process the information before speaking:
"He is indicating that he will enforce the law fairly, and at the same time, he will ensure that the judiciary 'can withstand scrutiny' and will not expand recklessly. This is a hopeful sign."
"And then there's more—'continue to support the work of the Aurors,' 'ensure that arrests and trials will be conducted in a more professional and prudent manner'—which means he will support the Aurors, but will also control them, a departure from Scrinker's previous radical approach."
“So…” Harry looked behind him, “Here—‘respect for educational freedom,’ that means he won’t interfere with Hogwarts? Is that what it means?”
He asked happily. Although Fudge hadn't had much time to get involved in Hogwarts' work, Harry had overheard his conversation with Dumbledore and felt that every word the minister said seemed to have a hidden meaning, making him feel uncomfortable.
When he visited the Weasleys, he also disliked Percy's disrespectful comments about Dumbledore and Wade at the dinner table.
Although Percy often hadn't even had a chance to say two words before being mocked by the twins or someone else, Harry didn't easily forget that feeling of having a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Ever since Mr. Barty Crouch took leave—which was later confirmed to be his murder—Percy had risen through the ranks from a junior clerk to become the Minister of Magic's assistant. His attitude almost perfectly reflected Fudge's true thoughts.
"I think that's what he meant."
Remus's tone became deep and thoughtful:
"Fudge is afraid of Dumbledore, but Sinkernis may not be unafraid of the current Hogwarts either. Wade's puppet army... has actually frightened a lot of people."
He smiled helplessly and said, "But whether it's support or opposition, it will cause turmoil, and may even put his already precarious ministerial position in jeopardy."
"Therefore, his decision not to interfere with Hogwarts, demonstrating his appreciation for 'procedure' and 'stability,' and maintaining the status quo is the best course of action, and also..."
"It's also to use 'stability' to limit Dumbledore and Wade, so they won't become the sinners who disrupt 'stability,' right?" Sirius suddenly said.
Remus nodded slightly, his voice still gentle yet hopeful: "This is actually a very good sign, isn't it? Indeed, Sinknis is a bureaucrat, but precisely because of that, he values order and won't do anything foolish because of personal desires."
Harry agreed, saying, "I remember Wade once said that he would rather his enemy be smart than a fool. Because smart people consider the long-term consequences of their actions, while fools just do whatever they want—he also said that Fudge was such a fool."
“So I think this is a good start,” Remus said with a smile. “Sinkness’s election may really be the best choice for us.”
"what!"
Sirius chuckled and turned to his godson, saying:
"Listen, Harry, there are some people in this world who are better at talking than singing! What's more, this speech has been polished by countless people; it's full of pretty words, meant specifically for kind people like Remus!"
"So don't believe it too easily—it conveys an attitude that pleases everyone, but it doesn't necessarily reflect Sinkness's true thoughts!"
Seeing that Harry and Lupin were about to object, he raised his hand to interrupt them:
“I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, or that he’s the next Fudge, no… guys, I mean, what he said doesn’t matter at all, the point is what he does next.”
"I heard that when Fudge first became minister, he not only didn't interfere with Hogwarts, but he also wrote to Dumbledore every day to ask for his opinion! And what happened next?"
He would never forget that Fudge had insisted he was a loyal follower of Voldemort, and even falsely accused him of conspiring with Peter Pettigrew to stubbornly try to send him back to Azkaban.
Fudge's attitude toward Dumbledore changed from initial dependence and flattery to ignoring and questioning him, and later he even created obstacles at every turn, opposing for the sake of opposing.
This Fudge was initially a friendly, humble, low-key, and unassuming person.
Sirius flicked the newspaper, looked at the new minister who seemed like a "politician template," and revealed an undisguised sneer.
"Don't jump to conclusions, my friends," Sirius said. "Being too optimistic can easily lead to a harsh reality check."
(End of this chapter)