Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Evan didn’t interrupt either. He knew the content of the prophecy, but this prophecy was about Harry after all.

Whether to tell the other party and how to tell it should be decided by Harry himself.

“You’ve talked to Dumbledore about these things, I suppose?” said Harry at last.

“Yes, we did, but he wouldn’t tell me the full prophecy,” Scrimgeour replied.

“Then I’m sorry, I don’t have anything to say either,” said Harry immediately, trying to keep his voice as pleasant as he could.

“Oh, of course, if it’s a question of confidences, I wouldn’t want you to divulge …” Scrimgeour seemed to have anticipated Harry’s answer, and his tone was light and friendly. “Evan just said that we should be more open with each other. Perhaps you haven’t quite understood what I mean… No, no, I’m not interested in the prophecy … and in any case, does it really matter whether you are ‘the Chosen One’ or Dumbledore’s successor?”

Harry didn’t know how to answer. He turned to look at Evan, not quite understanding what Scrimgeour meant.

“You think it doesn’t matter, Mr. Minister?” Evan asked, “I think it’s very important.”

“Of course, to you it will matter enormously, but to me, it’s not particularly significant,” said Scrimgeour with a laugh. “Likewise, for the Wizarding community at large, for most wizards who don’t know you… it’s all perception, isn’t it? You understand what I mean, don’t you? Perception, impression — it doesn’t matter what you truly are, nor whether you are really the ‘Chosen One’ or ‘Dumbledore’s successor’. What matters is what people believe you are.”

Evan blinked. These words sounded quite reasonable.

What people perceive you as is not who you really are, but how you appear to others.

In other words, people judge based on appearances, rumors, and personal biases, forming their own imagined version of reality. There were countless examples of this — Snape, Sirius Black in the past, Peter Pettigrew, Quirinus Quirrell, Gilderoy Lockhart, and that lunatic Barty Crouch Jr. The impressions they left on people were completely different from who they really were. Before getting to know them in depth, no one knew their true selves.

The same was true for Evan, Harry, and the current Ministry of Magic in the eyes of the public.

Most wizards didn’t know them personally; they could only judge based on the information in newspapers, imagining and believing in a version of them shaped by what they read.

“For Harry, people believe you are ‘the Chosen One,’ you see. They think you quite the hero — which, of course, you are, Harry, chosen or not! You already are in their eyes. How many times have you faced He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named now? And then there’s that widely discussed prophecy!” said Scrimgeour quickly. “As for you, Evan, your performance in front of people, helping Sirius to prove his innocence, fighting against vampires in the Quidditch World Cup final, and the things you did in Egypt, are completely beyond the level of wizards of your age or even adult wizards. These are enough to make people believe that you are a very talented wizard, the successor of Dumbledore, and will become a great wizard in the future. Therefore, in the minds of many wizards, the two of you are now a symbol of hope. People know, and more importantly, they want to believe, that you can destroy the Dark Lord. As far as I see it, that’s enough — well, naturally, it gives people a lift.”

Scrimgeour finished his words in one breath, slightly panting, his expression somewhat intense.

“In short!” He continued without waiting for Evan and Harry to respond, “Evan, Harry, this is the impression you have left on the vast majority of the public. Once you realize this, you might consider it, well, almost a duty, to stand alongside the Ministry, and give everyone a boost.”

Well, that was the real purpose of Scrimgeour’s conversation.

To put it bluntly, he wanted Evan and Harry to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic. But to him, this so-called cooperation wouldn’t be something simple — it was clear that he wanted them to fully align with the Ministry. If possible, he would prefer them to be entirely under its control.

Under the rhododendron, the gnome was now digging for worms at its roots.

Soon, it managed to get hold of a worm, and it was now tugging very hard on it, trying to get it out of the frozen ground.

“So, what say you?” Scrimgeour asked, fixing his gaze on Evan.

Harry was also looking at Evan, waiting for him to decide and give a response.

“As members of the Wizarding community, we naturally have an obligation to cooperate with the Ministry,” Evan paused and said tactfully. “But if I may be frank, Mr. Minister, I still don’t quite understand what you want the two of us to do, and how you want us to ‘stand alongside the Ministry’?”

“Oh, well, nothing at all onerous, I assure you both,” said Scrimgeour, his breath coming to a steady pace. “For instance, if I recall correctly, you run a newspaper, don’t you, Evan?”

“Yes, The Hogwarts Magic News,” said Evan.

“Exactly, the most influential paper in the Wizarding World right now. As part of our cooperation, I believe that in times like these, The Hogwarts Magic News should stop publishing articles unfavorable to the Ministry and likely to cause unnecessary panic.”

“Even if those reports are true?” Evan asked.

“There is no such thing as absolute truth, Evan. As I said earlier, the point is what people are willing to believe. They don’t need the truth — they need what they hope will happen and what we choose to show them,” said Scrimgeour.

“Alright, Mr. Minister, if this is part of our duty, I’ll consider it,” said Evan. “Is there anything else regarding our cooperation?”

Scrimgeour seemed very satisfied with Evan’s attitude and continued, “Well, speaking of news and public image, I think it would give the right impression if the two of you were to be seen popping in and out of the Ministry from time to time. I plan to recruit Sirius Black back and make him an Auror again. Of course, before that, I think you would be willing to speak to Gawain Robards, my successor as Head of the Auror Office. He is an experienced Auror. Harry, Dolores Umbridge has told me that you cherish an ambition to become an Auror. Well, that could be arranged very easily. …”

Harry didn’t answer. He felt anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach: So Dolores Umbridge was still at the Ministry, was she?

“Umbridge is still working at the Ministry?” Evan asked in surprise.

He wasn’t exactly shocked that she had returned, but rather that she had managed to do so so quickly.

“Yes, she just came back not long ago,” said Scrimgeour indifferently, noticing Harry’s expression. “Oh, I know, she did some wrong things at Hogwarts last year, but she is still very capable, and she has also learned her lesson. You may not know, she seems to have been bitten by a troll or something…”

He stopped abruptly and didn’t continue speaking, as if he felt it was not a good idea to tell Evan and Harry about this.

After all, one of them was sixteen and the other fifteen years old, two cute young boys who were not yet adults, so some of the topics were still too heavy.

Scrimgeour gave an awkward laugh to smooth things over. “Anyway, my main hope is that you two will engage more positively with the Ministry and participate in more of its activities. That would give everyone a lift…”

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