Amid the shocked, sorrowful, and sympathetic cries of everyone around him, Charles had already bitten down on the Elder Wand.
However, it was obvious that the wand must have some kind of protective enchantment preventing physical damage.
Otherwise, after wandering through the world for so many centuries, sometimes even being buried in graves, the Elder Wand would have surely been damaged long ago.
Yet after all these years, it remained completely functional.
Charles took a bite.
He couldn’t even scrape off a single wood chip.
Instead, his teeth hurt from the impact.
So Charles changed his strategy.
Just like eating ice cream that had been frozen rock-solid, he switched to sucking on it instead.
After only a few licks, the Deep Blue System began ringing continuously inside his mind.
“Deduction Points +500…”
“Deduction Points +500…”
After just a few more licks, nearly five thousand Deduction Points had already been added to his total!
Charles sucked in a breath.
“So this is the value of a Deathly Hallow?”
“Just a few licks give me this many Deduction Points?!”
Immediately, Charles remembered his experience in the dream of R’lyeh.
This time, he didn’t think about anything else.
He focused entirely on taking advantage of this opportunity to earn Deduction Points.
One bite.
Two bites.
Three bites…
Charles’s Deduction Points continued skyrocketing.
In the blink of an eye, they were approaching the peak of his previous total of one hundred thousand points—enough to transform an ordinary spell like Lumos into a forbidden spell on the level of the Eternal Blazing Sun!
Unfortunately, just as Charles was reluctant to part with the Elder Wand, Dumbledore spoke gently, a helpless expression on his face.
“Mr. Evans, could you please let go of my wand?”
Only then did Charles awkwardly release it.
Dumbledore lightly tapped the wand.
The few traces left on it immediately disappeared without a trace.
At this moment, a nurse from St.
Mungo’s also hurriedly brought over a meal tray and placed it in front of Charles.
“Poor child.”
“Look how hungry you are.”
“Eat, quickly. Take your time, though. If it isn’t enough, there’s plenty more.”
Come to think of it, Charles only realized this now.
During the entire time he had been kidnapped by Dark, aside from the Ascension Potion, he genuinely hadn’t eaten or drunk anything else.
Even the small amount of food that had remained in his stomach had been vomited out because of the disgusting potions.
He was genuinely starving.
This time, Charles didn’t use Deep Blue to convert the food into Deduction Points.
Instead, he buried his head in the meal and began eating ravenously.
Aside from satisfying his hunger, Charles also wanted to use the opportunity to think about how he should respond if the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic questioned him about what had happened in Dark’s underground chamber.
However, once everyone saw Charles beginning to wolf down his meal, the atmosphere in the hospital room relaxed somewhat.
This included several wizards who clearly radiated an unmistakable bureaucratic aura.
Compared with questioning a child who had only just experienced a magical outburst and been kidnapped by Dark, they were obviously more concerned about something else.
Their approval ratings.
Charles was alive.
And aside from being extremely hungry, he seemed mentally normal.
For them, this was the best possible news.
Otherwise, once the newspapers reported Charles’s horrific condition, the magical population—who were already dissatisfied with them—might have their anger instantly ignited.
Then there would be protests and demonstrations.
Political opponents would also seize the opportunity to make a huge issue out of it.
They might even be forced out of office ahead of schedule.
Compared to that, how exactly Dark had died…
Did it really matter?
He had probably drunk his own potion and ended up killing himself.
If necessary, they could simply construct a legendary story based on the remaining traces.
Once a person was dead, the truth was no longer important.
What mattered was protecting their positions during the crisis.
And so, after a short while, a short old man with fluffy white hair approached.
He glanced at Dumbledore beside the hospital bed. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Deep within his eyes was a trace of wariness, as though he were afraid Dumbledore might use this incident as an opportunity to make a move against him and seize his political power.
Then he approached Charles and introduced himself.
“Mr. Charles Evans, I’m Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister for Magic.”
“That would be equivalent to what you Muggles call…”
“What was it again?”
“Prime Minister.”
“Yes, that’s the word.”
“I’m deeply sympathetic toward what happened to you.”
“That madman Dark has already caused enough suffering for the magical world.”
“Thanks to your courage and intelligence, Dark was eliminated this time, and you deserve enormous credit for it.”
After delivering a series of polished official statements, Fudge finally revealed his true intention.
He hoped Charles would cooperate with the Ministry of Magic on some publicity efforts.
He wanted Charles to give some interviews and help calm public opinion.
Make a big problem smaller.
Make a small problem disappear.
Dumbledore immediately showed anger.
“Minister, Charles is still a child.”
“He has only just gone through something so terrible.”
“And you’re already talking to him about this?”
Fudge gave an awkward chuckle.
But his attitude remained firm.
He even tried to tempt Charles.
“Think about it.”
“You’ll become a star in the wizarding newspapers.”
“You’ll be the next Boy Who Lived.”
“You know about the Boy Who Lived, don’t you?”
“He’s practically a legend in the magical world.”
“When you start school, every student will look at you with admiration.”
“Even all those pretty young girls…”
“Ahem.”
“Just imagine it!”
A trace of mockery appeared in Charles’s heart.
As they say, reputation doesn’t compare to seeing someone in person.
Cornelius Fudge.
The politician from the original story who was willing to do anything to protect his political career.
He had even dismissed Voldemort’s return as nonsense, giving the Death Eaters ample time to grow stronger and eventually allowing the Ministry of Magic to fall.
Many Harry Potter fans had jokingly called him a Death Eater spy.
And judging from his behavior now, he really was a complete creature of political power.
Unfortunately, the incentives Fudge had offered might work on an innocent child who knew nothing about the world.
But Charles’s body contained the soul of an adult.
The Boy Who Lived?
A title with no actual benefits?
Whoever wanted it could have it.
Back in his previous life, even being named an outstanding employee at his workplace at least had some value when it came to promotions!
Therefore, after a moment, Charles repeated the key point.
“A star?”
“Worshipped by everyone?”
Fudge nodded repeatedly.
“Yes!”
“Exactly!”
In Fudge’s mind, there was no child who could resist such temptation.
What he never expected was for Charles’s expression to become incredibly resolute.
It was even filled with a strong sense of responsibility.
“Minister Fudge, if you’ve paid any attention to me, you should know that I’m already a household-name celebrity in the Muggle world.”
“I’ve always firmly believed that public figures have a responsibility of their own.”
“I have to tell everyone the truth about what happened and expose Dark’s evil deeds in full.”
“Only then can justice be served.”
“Parents and children will also pay greater attention to safety precautions, and perhaps something like this won’t happen again in the future.”
“I, Charles Evans, have an iron backbone.”
“I will never bury the truth for the sake of a mere title!”
“That price isn’t enough to buy me!”
This child, Charles…
Such courage.
Such determination.
Such a strong sense of responsibility.
He was undoubtedly a Gryffindor!
Fudge, meanwhile, looked extremely embarrassed.
His scheme had been exposed by a child, and he had even been lectured in return.
The humiliation made his face burn.
He almost wished he could immediately leave this embarrassing scene.
But if Charles really told the full story and the magical newspapers reported it extensively, the magical population might become enraged.
His position would truly become unstable.
So Fudge endured his embarrassment and remained there.
Cold sweat covered his forehead as he desperately racked his brain for a way to change Charles’s mind.
Then he remembered the information he had read about Charles.
It had mentioned that Charles was a famous genius student throughout the Muggle world.
Fudge hadn’t paid much attention to that at the time.
But now it was clear that using fame and celebrity status to tempt Charles was completely useless.
So what else could he do to calm the situation?
A thought flashed through Fudge’s mind like lightning.
He suddenly remembered something else mentioned in the reports.
Charles seemed to have an unusual obsession with food.
And judging from Charles’s behavior after waking up, the information was clearly accurate.
With this realization, inspiration struck Fudge.
He immediately offered another condition.
“Mr. Evans, to express our apologies and compensate you for what happened, from now on, all of your food-related expenses in the magical world will be covered by the magical government!”
As soon as he said this, Charles, who had been burying his head in his hospital meal, immediately looked up.
An unusual light appeared in his eyes.
“Minister, are you serious?”
“Anything I eat will be reimbursed by the magical world?”
“Even if I have a very large appetite…”
“And perhaps a tiny little bit of an unusual eating habit…”
“That would still be okay?”
Hearing Charles’s question, Fudge was overjoyed.
He solemnly nodded.
“Of course.”
“We can sign an agreement right now.”
“The Ministry of Magic will permanently cover your food expenses!”
The next moment, without the slightest hesitation, Charles gave his answer.
“Deal!”
At the same time, he sincerely sighed.
“Minister Fudge, you’re truly a good person!”
As Charles happily accepted the condition, Dumbledore, who had previously been looking at him with a relieved expression, nearly tore out his beard.
Wait.
Wasn’t Charles just saying that he had an iron backbone?
And now he had agreed simply because his food expenses would be covered?
Charles Evans…
I misjudged you.
You definitely aren’t a Gryffindor.
You’re obviously a Hufflepuff!
Fudge, meanwhile, revealed the sly smile of an old fox.
Pride surged through his heart.
“I, Fudge, really am a genius.”
“I saw through this child’s weakness so easily.”
“With such a tiny cost, I’ve resolved a political crisis.”
“I can even use this opportunity to promote the Ministry of Magic’s humanitarian concern for the public.”
“As for covering his food…”
“Hahaha!”
“How much could this child possibly eat?”
“Even if we let him eat for a hundred years, could he really eat the Ministry of Magic into bankruptcy?!”
(End of Chapter)