When Amortas, in a calm voice, revealed his intention, a long silence fell on the Weasleys' sitting room. Sirius was slightly open-mouthed, with furrowed brow and wide eyes, indicating that he thought Amortas was joking.
And Remus knew that Amortas would obviously not show any sense of humor about such a serious matter; his eyes flickered with thought as he strained to understand why Amortas had come up with such a ridiculous suggestion.
"Apply for a position in the Auror's office and become an Auror."
Sirius leaned back, his mouth agape, unable to close it
"You mean, you're asking me to become under the command of Cornelius Fudge?"
"Perhaps you and Cornelius Fudge don't have much in common, but there's no grudge, is there?"
Amortas smiled and said.
"The issue isn't that, Amortas..."
Sirius rubbed his face hard with his open hand, trying to clear his thoughts, "You want me to become an Auror, make a criminal who's been imprisoned in Azkaban for ten years or so an Auror for catching criminals, Amortas, what exactly are you thinking?"
"First, you've been proven innocent, Sirius, you were imprisoned in Azkaban due to a mistake by the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding Police Force,"
Amortas' gaze upon Sirius was incredibly profound.
"Second, I think this job is very suitable for your personality, isn't it? Stimulating, dangerous, fighting against evil - I believe you would enjoy it."
"The problem is not here, Amortas—"
Remus finally put forward his opinion.
"Auror's office is the elite force of the Ministry of Magic. I have learned from a friend in the Don Department that every Auror has to undergo long and rigorous training and examination before formally entering this position. Of course, Sirius's skills will not fail him, but it may be impossible for him to bypass the selection mechanism and become a formal Auror directly, even for Albus Dumbledore."
"Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be very difficult--" Amortas nodded, his expression unflappable, "but fortunately, I have just done the Ministry of Magic a big favor. From Cornelius Fudge to each department head, they are all eager to return my favor. I believe that if Sirius comes with my recommendation letter, the Ministry will seriously consider it. At least, it's more likely than if I were to propose entering the Ministry myself as an official in some department--"
Another silence fell, as Sirius and Remus, one considering whether becoming an Auror was really suitable for himself, and the other considering whether Amortas could pull it off, respectively.
Ah-hem--
After a while, Sirius and Remus unconsciously exhaled in unison. It must be admitted that, upon further thought, Amortas' seemingly absurd suggestion actually had a bit of sense to it.
However, this does not mean that the two of them have accepted the proposal. Remus looked deeply at the young but exceptionally imposing face opposite him, surrounded by a wispy blue smoke, and asked directly what he was most concerned about.
" What are you up to, Amortas? Are you planning to send Sirius to the Auror's Office as a spy? Or do you want to become the Minister of Magic?"
Remus lived in a magical world filled with discrimination and hostility. He naturally held a posture of rejection and aversion towards politicians, so when he keenly realized the possible purpose behind Amortas' proposal, he immediately became alert.
"Well, politics isn't something to joke about, Remus. Fudge represents the interests of a group of people, and it's not something that can be achieved by sending a spy."
Amortas chuckled.
"And I have no desire to become the Minister of Magic, as I do not wish to spend the rest of my life contemplating and weighing the interests of various parties."
Amortas' gaze made Remus unconsciously nod; indeed, that was in keeping with Amortas' style.
"I must admit that becoming an Auror seems like a pretty interesting thing--"
Sirius looked thoughtful.
"But what does that have to do with my purpose? I mean, I want to take care of Harry and play an active role in combating Voldemort, but doesn't being an Auror have nothing to do with that?"
"That brings up some of my judgments and thoughts--"
Amortas put down his teacup, interlacing his fingers on the tabletop, with deep and profound eyes that revealed no thoughts. Remus hesitated for a moment and subconsciously straightened up.
"On the night of the World Cup final, after Cleona had fled from in front of me and the commotion began to calm down, Cornelius Fudge did not stay on the scene to command the rescue efforts or console the public. He immediately returned to the Ministry of Magic and urgently summoned Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster."
Amortas spoke in a calm and composed tone,
"Do you think that's what Fudge was thinking?"
"What?" Sirius asked instinctively.
"Fudge asked Dumbledore whether there was a way to keep me permanently at Hogwarts in simpler terms, he wanted Dumbledore, the headmaster, to imprison me at Hogwarts-"
"He dare to propose such a request!"
Sirius's eyes widened in shock, and he angrily pounded the seeds, while Remus also tensed his face, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips.
"Ah, that's not surprising. The power I showed that night had already exceeded the control of the Ministry of Magic. Cornelius Fudge knew that he had no means to restrain someone like me, and he also anticipated that if I wanted to seize power, I could easily get rid of him even if I couldn't become the Minister of Magic. So, even though the credibility of the Ministry was on the verge of collapse at that time, he still kept a close eye on me. He was wary of Albus Dumbledore, but compared to him, he thought I seemed to be more dangerous-"
Observing the two of them listening intently, Amortas continued,
"Looking at the two of you listening so intently, I continue to say, 'If in the future, the magical world descends into war because Voldemort has returned, I believe that the Ministry of Magic led by a minister as narrow-minded as Cornelius Fudge will be able to do nothing more than drag Dumbledore's heels. Dumbledore himself knows this, but due to his own 'noble qualities,' he does not want to interfere heavily with the Ministry. And I hope that by then, the Ministry will listen to some reasonable suggestions.' "
"Are you suggesting that I should become an Auror and have some influence in the Auror's office, Amortas?"
Sirius blurted out.
"That's right--" Amortas smiled again, "The Auror's Office is a crucial department."
"Scrivensworth would not easily give up his position, Amortas, and if it were just to make Sirius an Auror, it wouldn't achieve much."
Remus, with his cool-headed nature, directly hit the core of the issue.
Rufus Scrimgeour would certainly not be someone to side with Amortas, and this was something Amortas was well aware of.
"There will always be a way."
Political intrigue is the same no matter which world it's in, and Amortas had no intention of spilling his plans too early. He spoke vaguely instead.
After a series of explanations, Sirius understood Amortas's plan, but he was still hesitant. To be honest, he had never thought of becoming an official at the Ministry of Magic like Arthur. Moreover, Amortas seemed to hope that he would become the director of the Auror's Office, which was a major decision. Even decisive Sirius found it hard to make up his mind at that moment.
Amortas did not pressure Sirius to agree immediately. While Sirius was deep in thought, Amortas turned his gaze towards Remus again,
"As for you, Remus, you hope to stay in Hogsmeade so that you can rush to help as soon as Harry is in danger. But let me be frank; there's no need for that. If Harry encounters a danger that neither I nor Headmaster Dumbledore anticipated, then you might not be able to help either..."
(This chapter is complete)
