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*****
Two weeks later, George, as usual, sent a Thought Projection of himself to work at the Ministry.
Umbridge still hadn't assigned him any tasks, which suited him just fine. He spent his days moving between various departments, absorbing magical knowledge and experience.
He worked with Arthur Weasley, studying the various illegal magical artifacts that had been confiscated. He visited the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to observe how they used spells in coordination to handle magical incidents.
He learned memory modification techniques from colleagues at the Obliviator Headquarters, engaging in discussions about the structure of deep-seated memories in the brain.
He also studied magical creatures and their management across different divisions of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, explored the design and refinement of magical transport methods within the Department of Magical Transportation, and sat in on spell testing and research sessions with the Experimental Spells Committee.
Except for the Department of Mysteries, which remained off-limits, George didn't miss a single department. As a result, he picked up quite a lot of valuable knowledge.
Thanks to his fame and magical prowess, his colleagues treated him with great respect.
That respect only deepened when they realized how advanced his magical skills were—and that he could offer useful suggestions for their research. Many warmly invited him to transfer from the idle Department of Magical Law Enforcement to join their teams instead.
At the same time, the Ministry's and Minister Fudge's public image had improved slightly following the press conference. People had stopped calling him the most incompetent Minister in history.
However, that wave of goodwill would last only until today.
"What's going on? Why is there no one in the Auror Office today?"
As George exited the elevator and arrived on the second basement floor, he passed by the Auror Office and noticed it was completely empty. He turned to Arthur, who had arrived a bit earlier, to ask about it.
Aurors were different from other employees. Because they needed to respond to incidents at a moment's notice, the office always had people on duty 24/7.
George usually arrived with precise timing using Apparition, and at this hour, the Auror Office was normally packed.
"George, you haven't heard yet?"
Arthur looked at him seriously. "Something big happened. Last night, Azkaban was blown open with an explosion curse. Every Death Eater and prisoner has escaped."
"Azkaban was blown up?!"
George's expression shifted to one of astonishment, though he quickly formed a suspicion in his mind.
In the original timeline, there was indeed a mass breakout of Death Eaters—but that wasn't supposed to happen until next summer, after Voldemort's return.
Now, because of George's presence and influence, Voldemort had clearly found a way to break his loyal Death Eaters out early.
But that was exactly what George wanted.
If Voldemort remained inactive, it would take years for George to get promoted under normal circumstances—especially with Umbridge giving him no real work or chances to earn credit.
Now, all he needed to do was keep an eye on whether Barty Crouch Sr., head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, came under the Imperius Curse. If so, it would mean Voldemort was indeed following his original plan and preparing to return.
As for Crouch himself, George had no intention of saving him.
If Barty Crouch died, then Amy—presumably someone George favored—would likely take over as department head. That would work to George's advantage.
Besides, he didn't see Crouch as an innocent victim. In George's eyes, the man brought it upon himself.
As a law enforcer, Crouch had knowingly broken the law by secretly swapping out his Death Eater son from prison and hiding him at home. Worse, he cast a powerful Memory Charm on Bertha Jorkins when she uncovered the truth.
It was like a judge using their position to secretly release a son sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple murders. No one would see that as excusable.
"No rush... Let the bullets fly a bit longer," George mused inwardly, then continued his usual routine of visiting various departments.
However, due to the Azkaban break-in, every department in the Ministry was clearly on edge today.
Who had the power to break out Death Eaters? Who could blow up Azkaban under the watch of so many Dementors?
Everyone had their suspicions, but no one dared speak them aloud or even fully believe them.
They all claimed that Voldemort had died—defeated by the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter—but deep down, no one fully believed the Dark Lord was truly gone. Otherwise, they wouldn't still be afraid to speak his name.
Likewise, outside wizards learned through the newspapers that Azkaban had been blown open and that all Death Eaters and prisoners had escaped. Naturally, panic spread once more.
Many wizards began hurling abuse at the Ministry and Minister Fudge. This was far more frightening and serious than last year's Sirius Black incident.
Fudge immediately convened another press conference, claiming that the previous operation to apprehend Sirius Black had diverted too many Dementors to Azkaban, creating a gap in its security that allowed the Death Eaters to slip away.
He insisted that, since those Death Eaters had been drained by Dementors for years and had little strength left, the Ministry would recapture every last one of them as quickly as possible.
That statement briefly calmed public fears.
"Now you want me to join the team. According to our contract, I'm only supposed to join next year, right?"
On the Ministry's second floor, George was approached by Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Sports.
"Circumstances are different now," Ludo explained. "You might not know this, but the Quidditch World Cup is being hosted here in Britain. The Minister has attached great importance to it—and construction of the stadium began a year ago.
"Yet our England team has performed poorly this season. If things continue this way, we'll be knocked out before the finals."
"But…we agreed that I'd join the team next year and, besides, I'm already employed at the Ministry."
George looked conflicted.
In truth, joining the England Quidditch team now and playing in the finals could further burnish his reputation—and perhaps he might even catch a few fleeing Death Eaters during the match. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Still, he wouldn't agree without negotiating for better terms.
"George, precisely because you're already an Assistant at the Ministry, we need you now more than ever," Ludo whispered as he leaned in. "The Minister said that if you join immediately and lead the team to victory, you'll receive commendations that will help your future promotions."
Ludo's voice dropped even lower. "Honestly, the situation is dire. The Minister hopes that a strong performance by the team will distract everyone from current troubles. You're clever enough to see why this matters."
Ludo had to persuade George today—not just for the Minister's sake, but for his own. Hosting the finals in Britain meant that, if the England team performed poorly, Ludo himself would be disgraced. But with George on the roster, even if they fell short of the finals, a top-six finish was entirely plausible—and that would be enough to save face.
(End of Chapter)