Harry looked at him puzzled: "What's wrong?"
"Among Pure-blood Family, family visits are very intimate affairs," Ron explained.
"Usually, they write to each other to arrange it in advance and cancel other engagements to show respect to the other party. For this person to show up unannounced during a gathering is very presumptuous. Some petty families might even get angry about it."
Neville quickly added: "Our family wouldn't be that petty."
Charlie opened the door, and standing outside was Minister Fudge.
Fudge was also taken aback to see so many people inside.
He clearly hadn't expected to run into the Longbottom Family's visit.
"Ah, Minister, please come in." Charlie stepped aside.
Fudge walked in, and everyone in the room stood to greet him.
His gaze lingered on Madam Augusta and Frank for a moment, then he offered an apologetic smile.
"I'm truly sorry, I've interrupted your gathering," Fudge quickly said.
Madam Augusta smiled politely:
"It's alright, Minister. You must have something important, right?"
You better have something important, or I'll show you what Lupin's wrath is!
Fudge cleared his throat, then turned to Charlie, his expression becoming serious.
"Mr. Charlie, I'm here today on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to formally invite you to become the Minister for Magic's Intern Assistant." He paused, emphasizing his words.
"Because you are still in school, it's only an intern assistant position. As soon as you graduate, you will be promoted to a full-time position without any assessment."
The room instantly fell silent.
Hermione's mouth dropped open.
Minister's Assistant? This was one of the most central positions in the Ministry of Magic.
It was known that there were four offices on the first floor of the Ministry of Magic: the Minister's Office, the Minister's Advisor's Office, the Senior Undersecretary's Office, and finally, the Minister's Assistant's Office.
Almost all past Ministers for magic started from the position of Minister's Assistant.
Oh my, if she were invited, she wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Fudge also seemed quite confident, clearly thinking these terms were generous enough.
But Madam Augusta frowned slightly.
She looked at Fudge, her eyes chilling a few degrees.
This seemingly generous offer was actually a big trap.
The unique nature of the Minister's Assistant position made it one of the most sensitive roles in the Ministry of Magic.
Those who held this position were almost always the Minister's confidants. The outside world would also tacitly assume that the assistant belonged to the Minister's faction.
Fudge was using this method to try and tie Charlie to his side in advance.
What was even more outrageous was that Charlie was still a student.
He might not see through these political intricacies and could very likely be misled by these seemingly attractive terms, thus unknowingly being labeled as belonging to the Minister's faction.
For ordinary people, becoming the Minister's Assistant was indeed a path to great success. But Charlie was not ordinary.
With Charlie's talent, his world would definitely not be limited to a small British Ministry of Magic.
Entering the quagmire of politics at school age was absolutely unacceptable.
Fudge's intentions were malicious.
Madam Augusta was about to speak, but Frank stood up first.
"Minister." Frank's tone was calm.
"Charlie is still in school. Isn't it too early to discuss these things now?"
Fudge smiled.
"Precisely because he's still in school, it's an intern assistant position. He'll be directly promoted upon graduation, which is an unprecedented treatment at the Ministry of Magic."
"Even so, it should wait until after graduation," Alice also chimed in.
"Settling it now wouldn't be good for Charlie."
Fudge's smile stiffened.
He hadn't expected the Longbottom Family to stand up against him so quickly.
Madam Augusta was about to remind Charlie not to agree easily.
Just then, Charlie spoke faintly.
"I apologize, Minister."
"I refuse."
Fudge was stunned.
"What?" Fudge thought he had misheard.
"I said, I refuse," Charlie repeated.
Madam Augusta was also taken aback, then a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.
She hadn't expected Charlie to be unswayed by external factors, much clearer-headed than she imagined.
Charlie sneered inwardly.
What kind of Minister's Assistant? Does that mean I have to be Fudge's assistant?
Does he deserve keys? How many?
If they made me Minister for Magic, I might consider it.
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