Edward was staring at the mirror in front of him while discussing with the person on the other side.
"Are you alright? You don't look too good!" asked Amelia.
"I'm fine, I just recently lost a close friend. And it seemed that she meant more to me than I realized."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm not that fragile."
"I know that men, in general, do not like to talk about their emotions," said Amelia. "But if you ever need someone to talk to, know that I'm always here."
Edward paused for a moment, then he said: "I know. So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I just wanted to report that everything was going as planned, however, I wanted your opinion on something."
"Do tell."
"Recently, Dolores Umbridge has hinted that she wanted to switch sides and be loyal to us. So, do you think I should accept it?"
Edward was not surprised by her action given what he knew about her from the books and movies, so he pondered for a moment:
"She can be useful. Our reign must have a positive image. However, we will still need to do some dirty things in the shadows, so she can be in charge of that. And if we ever need someone to take the blame for something or be the 'bad guy', she would be perfect for that."
Amelia sighed, "That's exactly what the Think-Tank said."
"Then, what's the problem?"
"I just do not like her," replied Amelia with a stoic look on her face, making Edward speechless for a brief moment as he wondered whether his aunt just contacted him to complain.
"In that case, don't accept her loyalty; she is not that important to the overall plan," replied Edward nonchalantly. Since his aunt did not like Umbridge, then she does not have to accept her as one of their own.
"No, I will not let my personal feelings get in the way of our plans. With her help, the final step will go more smoothly."
"Well, do as you please. This situation does not have to be a chore for you. If you do not want to do it, just tell me."
"I know," added Amelia before ending the conversation.
--Scene Break--
Remus Lupin walked out of his class and headed to the Great Hall to grab a meal. In his way, he smiled as he heard the students praise his class and teaching method; he was quite popular in school after just a few days.
Of course, he also knew that the reason that these students thought so highly of him was that their previous professors were truly horrible--at least based on what Lupin learned in the past few days.
After entering the Great Hall, he saw a few professors already having their meals at the staff table. Ignoring the usual stares of Severus, Lupin went to sit in a specific spot; to be precise, it was the spot next to Edward.
"Remus Lupin," he said as he introduced himself.
"Edward Bones," replied the latter as he shook Lupin's hand. "Many of my students have a lot of praise for you."
"Well, it seems that I have some advantage over their previous professors."
"That's true, so what can I do for you?" asked Edward directly.
Lowering his voice, Lupin whispered: "First of all, I would like to thank you for all you have done for werewolves in the magical world."
"No problem."
"Nevertheless, I was wondering if there was a way to completely get rid of being a werewolf. I mean, not just control the changes, but turning into an ordinary wizard."
Although a little surprised by this question, Edward answered: "It's possible after extensive study." He lied. Edward could reverse the werewolf bloodline through the Life Code. However, if he did that, not many of the werewolves would be willing to serve him, and he needed to form an elite force only devoted to him.
"However, I'm currently very busy and do not have time for that. But it should be possible in the future."
Lupin hurriedly nodded: "As long as the possibility exists, then it's fine." Then he started eating his food in a happy mood.
However, the peaceful mood did not last long. Soon afterward, Amelia Bones with many Aurors following her walked into the Great Hall, to the surprise of everyone present.
She first saluted Dumbledore, then looked at the students and asked: "Who is Ron Weasley? Please raise your hand."
On the Gryffindor's table, all the students looked at Ron--who was trembling as he thought that he was about to be arrested. Nevertheless, he still raised his hand.
Amelia and the Aurors walked to him, she asked: "I understand that you have a pet rat by the name of Scabbers. Where is it?"
Before Ron could process what was going on, the rat in his pocket jumped out and tried to make a run for it. However, the Aurors were ready and a spell hit him.
Soon after that, under the shocking gaze of everyone watching, the rat turned into an ugly man. The Aurors instantly used magic to lock him in place.
Meanwhile, with a calm demeanor on her face, Amelia Bones said: "Peter Pettigrew, you are under arrest for your betrayal of the Potters family, thus leading to their death. Additionally, for your crime of using dark magic and killing 12 muggles."
"I didn't do it, I'm innocent," screamed Peter. "It was Sirius, Sirius Black did it."
"There is no need to quibble, Mr. Pettigrew," said Amelia. "We have already investigated the whole situation and know that Sirius Black was not the Secret-Keeper of the Potters, but was changed at the last minute to you, thus is innocent. After you stand trial in front of Wizengamot and are found guilty, Mr. Black will be released immediately and paid remuneration for his unjust incarceration."
Meanwhile, most of the teachers at the staff table had shocked looks on their faces. Even Dumbledore had a difficult time hiding his surprise.
"I should have known that Sirius was incapable of doing such a thing," said Lupin. "Wormtail, how could you betray James and Lily like this? They were your friends?"
"I'm innocent, please believe me," replied Peter adamantly. He then looked at Dumbledore and said: "Professor, you know me. You can vouch for me."
"Peter, I need you to look me straight into the eyes and tell me that you did not do it," asked Dumbledore, trying to suppress his emotions. Unfortunately, Peter Pettigrew did not dare to look at the headmaster.
During the entire event, only two people remained calmed: Edward and Snape. However, the potion master was secretly holding his wand, ready to attack at any moment. It took him a great deal of restraint to not use a Killing Curse on Peter Pettigrew.
Soon after that, Peter Pettigrew was escorted out of Hogwarts, the teachers left to deal with the aftermath, and Dumbledore called Harry to his office.
Peter Pettigrew became sensational news in the British Magical World as it was constantly publicized in the newspaper. With sufficient evidence, Wormtail was sentenced to imprisonment in Azkaban. Edward designed a special item for him to prevent him from turning into an animagus and escaping. Sirius Black was released and his name was cleared of all the wrongdoings.
More importantly, due to negligence regarding this case, Minister Fudge resigned from his position of Minister, and Amelia--while running unopposed--was quickly elected for the position.
With countless loyal followers, the support of 95% of British wizards, Edward managed to take over the British Magical World without shading a single drop of blood.
The first step of his worldwide conquest ended.
(AN: So, I planned a lot more before Fudge left office. For example, Edward used a muggle flower known as Devil Breath to control him and made him resign. Then, Dumbledore would check Fudge to see whether he was under control or dark magic was used on him. Then, he would have Snape checked whether any kind of potion was used on Fudge. But they would not find anything as muggle knowledge was a blindside for even a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore. But, I realized that this was unnecessary, and decided to quicken the pace of the story, so these things were removed.)
Title: Foundation of Civilization
