Hogwarts in the shadows

Percy went over the solutions he had been thinking about in his mind again.

He took a deep breath and organized his words before speaking.

"Master, Minister Fudge is right about one thing regarding solving this attacker incident, and that is that it requires money."

"But it cannot be compensation, neither for the families of those who died nor for those who suffered financial losses."

Hephis still looked at Percy with a smile on his face, motioning him to continue.

"The attack happened three hours after the World Cup final. Logically speaking, the Ministry of Magic should not be held responsible for anything that happened at that time. Moreover, the Ministry of Magic responded very quickly and arrested the attackers in a timely manner."

"Of course, the main credit goes to you for stopping it immediately and organizing the crowd to fight back."

Percy flattered Hephesus a little without leaving any trace.

"That's indeed what you said, but it's difficult to implement. After all, those people won't accept your statement." Hephis said.

Percy continued, "So this is where money comes in. Money still needs to be given, just not that much. We should express our deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased with a sincere heart, and at the same time give them help to the best of our ability in the form of humanitarian aid."

"As for those who have suffered financial losses, they can find another way to recover the money from the captured attackers. Whatever they can come up with, they can pay to the victims. Of course, the families of the victims will still be compensated first."

Hephis applauded. "Your idea is indeed very good, but it will not do you any good. Even if this plan is finally implemented, you are just a proposer. The decision and credit will belong to the current Minister of Magic, Fudge."

"Please enlighten me, Master," Percy said respectfully.

"You will be interviewed by the Daily Prophet tomorrow, so you must be firm in your attitude. The reappearance of the Dark Mark does not mean that Voldemort has appeared, but it will cause panic among the people to a certain extent. So at this time, hardliners will be popular among the people."

"Besides, Lucius and other pure-blood families will cooperate with you. You have finally obtained the money from them, and they will subsidize the Ministry of Magic in the name of loans. In this way, no one in the Ministry of Magic will dare to take away your credit."

"Of course, as long as everything goes smoothly for you at the Ministry of Magic, the repayment date can be extended indefinitely."

"Master, you are wise." Percy quickly stood up and bowed, with admiration shining in his eyes.

"Lucius, starting tomorrow, you will cooperate with Percy and release Percy's ideas first. Once public opinion is muddied, mobilize all your forces to occupy the highest point of public opinion. Remember not to completely ban negative comments, but let them write with more depth."

"Yes, master." Lucius also quickly stood up and replied respectfully.

"As for those who have suffered financial losses, if they are willing to accept the truth serum, we can generously donate and give them one-tenth of their losses as compensation." Hephis said disdainfully.

"Master, truth serum..." Percy hesitated.

There was a hint of teasing in Hephis' eyes. "The Ministry of Magic's rules prohibit forcing people to use Veritaserum, but they don't say that people can't take it voluntarily. Those who really want the money will take the initiative to drink it. As for those who are unwilling to accept it, either the value of the item is too low or their butts are not clean. Maybe we can catch a few big fish."

"Master, you are wise." Percy praised again.

Hephis suddenly thought of something else, and a cunning look flashed in his eyes.

"Oh, right, Lucius. Unite the shareholders of Hogwarts and have Dumbledore speak out to divert the negative comments in his direction."

Lucius looked embarrassed. "But... we have given out all the sponsorship money for this year. I'm afraid he..."

"Now that we have paid for this year, do we not have to pay for next year?" Hephis chuckled and continued.

"If he doesn't come out, those wizards will not agree to Percy's plan, and you will have to pay a large amount of gold Galleons to help the Ministry of Magic settle this matter. Then by next year, you will have no money. Isn't that a normal thing?"

"Yes, master, I will arrange it immediately." Lucius responded respectfully.

Hephis shrugged, "There is still such a good opportunity, put more people in, there are only a few idle positions with your people, it's a waste of money."

"Yes, Master." Lucius responded somewhat awkwardly.

Hephis patted Percy's arm, "Well, Percy, I'll see your performance tomorrow."

Percy quickly assured with a flattered look on his face: "Master, rest assured, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

"Okay, let's sit down and eat!" Hephis picked up the chopsticks.

Upon hearing this, the two of them sat down respectfully, their bodies straight, with admiration in their eyes.

The next few days were a turbulent time in the British Ministry of Magic.

The Prophet was published twice a day for the first time.

Almost every page was occupied by the figure of Percy Weasley.

From the corners to the center, there is a portrait of Percy, big and small.

Percy's remarks caused an uproar not only in the British wizarding world, but also in the wizarding community around the world.

As a result, he was pushed to the forefront of public opinion.

The abuse came in like a tide, including accusations that he was callous and lacked empathy.

But it also caused a lot of people to think.

Reporters from various countries heard the news and flocked to the Ministry of Magic in their respective countries.

Interview officials from the Ministry of Magic to find out how the Ministry would respond if an attack occurred in the country.

Any official with a bit of common sense would avoid meeting these reporters.

They didn't dare to say anything at all in case it really happened.

Then what they say now may become the fuse for their future downfall.

During this period, Percy was on the front page of the Prophet every day.

Especially after he made a scathing comment about the Death Eater who released the Dark Mark.

The entire British wizarding community was in an uproar.

He minced no words, comparing the Death Eater to a cowardly rat hiding in a dark sewer.

They are trying to spread fear and cause panic among people in the name of their master.

Percy even threatened that even if Voldemort himself came, the current Ministry of Magic had the ability to capture him.

It can be said that his remarks are quite bold.

Many people even predicted that Percy Weasley would die within a few days.

But Percy wasn't afraid at all.

Every day he gave passionate speeches in crowded places, without concealing his whereabouts.