With extraordinary comprehension, I built a floating city at Hogwarts.

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Percy glared at his twin brother with displeasure and said dismissively, "That's just an excuse they make up for themselves. Anyone with a brain knows that no one would actively suspect their boss of having problems unless they didn't want to work for the Ministry of Magic anymore. Mr. Crouch's investigation is over, and they thought I was quite capable, so they promoted me."

The Weasleys looked at each other, all feeling incredulous.

The originally warm atmosphere in the Weasley kitchen suddenly turned tense.

Mr. Weasley sensed something unusual about Percy's promotion. He put down his knife and fork and looked at his son:

"Percy, what kind of position did they give you?"

Percy straightened his back, his voice revealing barely concealed excitement: "I've become Minister Fudge's assistant in the Minister of Magic's office."

For a young person who has just graduated from Hogwarts a year ago, this is undoubtedly a dream job.

However, none of the Weasleys showed any joy. They were well aware of the tension between Fudge and Dumbledore, and understood the potential risks lurking behind this assignment.

Percy's appointment as assistant minister is problematic in every way.

Mr. Weasley's expression turned serious as he stared into Percy's eyes. "This is strange. I suspect Fudge put you in his office to use you to spy on our family, or—to spy on Dumbledore."

He asked in a deep voice, "You agreed?"

The atmosphere in the kitchen instantly plummeted to freezing point; everyone held their breath, awaiting Percy's answer.

Percy took a deep breath and readily admitted, "Yes, I agreed."

Mrs. Weasley's face changed drastically, her anger flaring: "Percy, how could you agree to let someone spy on your family? Don't you understand how much trouble this will cause us? We are family, we should trust each other, not suspect each other!"

"Why not agree?"

A hint of stubbornness and indifference flashed in Percy's eyes as he looked at his father, his voice tinged with resentment:

“You probably have no idea how bad your situation is in the Ministry, do you? You also have no idea how hard it is for me to work in the Ministry of Magic because of you. Whenever people hear my name, Weasley, they look at me strangely, as if I have some kind of stain on me.”

His voice gradually became agitated, and the emotions he had initially been deliberately cultivating were now replaced by genuine bitterness and resentment:

“Ever since I entered the Ministry of Magic, I have been struggling desperately to get rid of the influence of your bad reputation. Otherwise, I have no hope of promotion and can only stay at the bottom and muddle through life. Do you know how desperate that is? I try to prove myself every day, but your reputation is like an invisible shackle that I can't break free from.”

He paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "Fortunately, I'm the only one in my family who got into the Ministry of Magic, otherwise even more people would blame you for it. You haven't even considered my situation, why you haven't been promoted all these years, or why your family's situation is so bad. Haven't you really thought about the reasons at all?"

He paid no heed to Mr. Weasley's increasingly contorted face and, following his emotions, poured out all the bitterness of the past year.

"Are you done?"

Mr. Weasley's face had turned ashen. He glared angrily at Percy, stood up abruptly, and slammed the plate in front of him to the ground.

If Mrs. Weasley hadn't pulled him back in time, he probably would have rushed up and started punching people.

“Arthur, calm down.” She gripped her husband’s arm tightly and kept saying, “And Percy, you too, don’t say anything more.”

However, Percy seemed not to hear his mother's words and continued to vent his emotions: "What's wrong with me? I'm just speaking my mind. You always tell me to think about the family and sacrifice for the family, but who has ever considered my feelings? I'm a person too, I have my own dreams and pursuits!"

“Percy, you should apologize to Father.” Bill suddenly felt that Percy had become a stranger, and even their brotherly bond had cracked at this moment.

Percy, however, remained unfazed and continued to coldly warn Arthur, "Fudge is already suspicious of you, Father. He's considering kicking you out of the Ministry of Magic. What will happen to the family if you lose your job? Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny are all still in school. Have you thought about their tuition, living expenses, and our household expenses? You have no idea how difficult it is for them at school because they have a father with a notorious reputation in the Ministry of Magic!"

"Shut up, Percy!"

Bill shouted angrily, feeling that Percy's words had gone too far, and intended to stop him from continuing.

"Bill, you haven't experienced it yourself. You don't know how many strange looks you have to endure when you go to school with secondhand books and wearing secondhand robes!"

However, Percy didn't stop there, and retorted even louder, "Especially during my freshman year, I was laughed at countless times. Do you know what that feels like? Do you know how much we longed to have brand-new books and robes like everyone else?"

Percy glared at his father angrily: "Don't you know that this could make us lose face in front of others?"

Everyone else stared at Percy in disbelief, speechless with shock at his words.

While Percy was right—they had indeed faced ridicule and scorn because of their father's reputation—

But how could he dare to say that?

Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley's weeping broke the heavy silence.

Everyone glared at Percy; at that moment, he became the enemy of the entire family.

“I know you all want to join the Order of the Phoenix and pursue that honor and justice.”

At this point, Percy's voice became earnest, "But have you really not considered Dumbledore's current situation? He himself is mired in numerous difficulties and troubles. You still insist on associating with him. Aren't you afraid of being dragged down with him and falling into the abyss? This is utterly foolish."

He sighed and offered his opinion: "Everyone thinks Dumbledore has gone senile. He knows the entire wizarding world is trying to avoid mentioning that name, yet he insists on spreading the news of the return of the Mystic. He's not just going against Fudge, but against the entire British wizarding world—very few people will support him."

“Percy, Dumbledore had his reasons for doing that. Harry and Dumbledore both saw the return of the Man of Void; they wouldn't lie.” Mrs. Weasley looked at her son with pleading eyes, hoping Percy would stop making a scene.

A hint of mockery and disdain flashed across Percy's face: "Mother, of course I'd like to believe Dumbledore. But without evidence, who will believe us?"

He let out a cold laugh. "The only evidence is their side of the story, and that alone won't convince anyone... Especially in this era when no one wants to face the return of the Dark Lord, people are more willing to believe that Dumbledore is senile and untrustworthy."

“Mr. Levin Green, we all know him, right?” Percy suddenly brought up the topic. “He predicted long ago that the Man of Void would return, and he told us privately that the entire wizarding world would be thrown into chaos in the next few years.”

Fred raised an eyebrow and teased, "Oh, that Levin Green? I remember you always idolized him and wanted to follow him around, didn't you?"

“Yes, didn’t you also say that he is the future leader of the magical world?” George chimed in.

Percy glared at them. "I'm getting down to business. Did you see Mr. Green step forward and announce that the Mystic has returned?"

He glanced around and continued, "I've read the interview with him. Throughout the interview, he used words like 'speculation,' 'suspected,' and 'I believe,' but he never explicitly stated that the mysterious man had returned. Because he knew very well how foolish and dangerous it would be to spread such news without solid evidence."

At this point, Percy gave a cold laugh:

“Jaina, the deputy director who had a good relationship with Levin, has now been promoted to director of the Department of Law Enforcement. She and her allies together control half of the Ministry of Magic’s departments. But even so, they dare not publicly acknowledge the return of the Voidman. They know how much panic and chaos it would cause.”

He shook his head: "Dumbledore not only proclaimed Voldemort's return, but also made such foolish suggestions: abolishing Dementors and recruiting giants... This is simply creating trouble for the wizarding world! If he really wanted to solve all the troubles and threats, he should have suggested killing all the vicious prisoners in Azkaban and making the giants disappear from Britain completely! Instead of making such impractical and impossible foolish suggestions that only cause trouble for everyone."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Weasley could no longer hold back.

"Are you done?" He threw what he was holding at Percy. "I really misjudged you! Who do you think you are? How dare you speak of Dumbledore like that?!"

"I was just expressing my opinion."

Percy, however, looked at his father without flinching.

"If you insist on betraying the Ministry of Magic and joining that illegal organization, then I have nothing more to say. But please remember one thing: from this moment on, I no longer belong to this family! 4.9"

Percy nimbly dodged the object Mr. Weasley angrily hurled at him, which struck the wall with a dull thud.

He turned around expressionlessly and walked upstairs with heavy steps to pack his luggage.

Upstairs in his room, Percy quickly packed his things, clothes, books, and personal belongings disappearing one by one into his suitcase.

Finally, he stood in the center of the room, took a deep breath, and the magic of Apparition instantly enveloped him.

With a distorted air and a flash of light, Percy's figure disappeared from the room.

In the lobby downstairs, Mrs. Weasley had just realized that something was wrong with what was happening upstairs.

She hurried upstairs, pushed open the door to Percy's room, only to find the room empty and the air chilly.

"He's gone," Mrs. Weasley murmured, her voice filled with unspeakable loss and pain, as if she were on the verge of collapse.

Tears welled up in her eyes again.

Mr. Weasley heard the commotion and came over. Seeing the empty room, his face darkened even more.

"Let him go! Just pretend I never had this son!"

“No, Arthur, you can’t do this.” Mrs. Weasley finally broke down in tears. “I’m going to find him and have a good talk with him.”

She turned and walked toward the door, knowing roughly where Percy would go.

In fact, Percy doesn't have many places to go now.

Chapter 459 Percy Takes Office

After everyone quickly finished eating, they gathered in Bill's room to discuss the matter. Soon after, they heard the sound of things being smashed downstairs again.

“Something just doesn’t feel right about this,” George said thoughtfully, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Bill looked at George, puzzled, waiting for his explanation.

“Think about it,” Fred chimed in, “Percy isn’t stupid. How could he not know that the Man of Void has returned?” He analyzed seriously, “Then why would he deliberately go against my father and choose to side with the Ministry of Magic?”

“Why?” Ron scratched his head, looking at Fred and George with a puzzled expression. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

"Because Percy, that guy, is too power-hungry."

Ginny suddenly spoke up, which surprised everyone.

She was both a girl and the youngest child in the Weasley family, and in the past she had never participated in such serious discussions, at most she would just sit on the sidelines and listen.

Making big decisions and undertaking important tasks has always been a man's job—that's a Weasley tradition.

Even their mother, Molly, who is usually so assertive, still listens to Arthur when it comes to external affairs.

But Ginny broke with tradition this time.

Her assessment of Percy carried a hint of disdain: "He's always wanted to climb the ranks, to become Minister for Magic. Now that there's an opportunity for him to become Assistant Minister for Magic, of course he won't let it slip by."

"So, he was willing to fall out with Father and even leave our family for this position?" Ron stared wide-eyed at his sister, seemingly incredulous.

“That’s right.” Ginny sighed helplessly. “He’s probably been feeling pretty stifled these past few months. You know, he’s always wanted to prove himself and become the best in the family. So it’s more advantageous for him to side with the Ministry of Magic this time.”

"He's insane!" Ron waved his hand angrily. "How could he treat his family like this? Is power and status really that important to him?"

“Don’t be so surprised.” Ginny glanced at Ron indifferently. “Everyone has their own ambitions.”

"Hasn't Dad thought about these issues?"

Bill suddenly seemed to realize something, looked at Fred and George with a strange gaze, and finally stared at Ginny, "How did you two come up with so many ideas?"

His gaze lingered on Ginny for a particularly long time.

This youngest sister, who seems to have just started attending Hogwarts yesterday, is now analyzing problems with remarkable clarity and logical reasoning—and to be somewhat disrespectful—she is far more intelligent than Arthur Weasley.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Ginny gently shook her head, a warm smile playing on her lips. “If you were like us, spending every day with Levin and learning from him, you could also learn some of his wisdom.”

When Levin was mentioned, Ginny's eyes seemed to light up.

"Is that really true?" Ron stared at his sister in disbelief.

How could he not know that Levin had this effect?

...It seems to really have this effect.

At least two years ago, he would never have believed that Hermione could win the Triwizard Tournament in her fourth year.

“Ginny really learned a lot at Levin’s; she’s in the management of the Faculty of Learning.”

Fred shrugged and said, "Getting back to the point, Percy is a greedy guy, so I'm not surprised he did something like this. After all, power and status are the most important things to him."