The secretary, who was roughly his age, probably younger, blinked owlishly and looked up at Sirius. "I'm very sorry, sir but the Minister is currently busy in a meeting."

Sirius barely refrained from rolling his eyes. He'd known that the slimy old man would want to avoid him at all costs.

"Luv, I don't recall asking what he's doing at the moment. I'd like to see the Minister. Now." His tone made it clear that the topic wasn't up for debate, as did his expression.

"He's right through the door." She was a sensible one.

"Thank you." He marched straight to he door and opened it, not caring to knock.

He saw the man slouching in his chair with a plate of biscuits before him and glass of amber coloured liquid in his hand. Fire whiskey.

"Drinking on the job? Hardly advisable, Minister."

The man started in his seat when he saw Sirius. "Auror Black? What are you... what are you doing here? Is there something that you... that you wish to discuss?"

"Indeed there is. Can you guess?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Fudge's forehead. "No, I don't know."

Liar.

He sank further into his chair, like that was any help.

"That's funny. See, I recall seeing these certain robed, hooded creatures, commonly known as Dementors, looming over the Hogwarts grounds. Would you be so kind as to tell me as to where they came from?"

The polite words which were uttered in a light, almost nonchalant tone somehow sounded deadlier than the most potent poison known to man. To anyone, Sirius' stance appeared at ease. But, to those who knew him well, he was like a raging storm, just about to hit the land and destroy anything and everything in his path.

Fudge gulped once, twice and several times more before opening his mouth. Now that he wasn't surrounded by advisors who fell over themselves pleasing him, he felt a lot less braver.

"It was a necessary step, Auror Black." His voice was uncertain, almost wavering.

"A necessary step you say?" Sirius had to exercise a great deal of restraint to stop himself from strangling the man. While he deserved it, Fudge was still the Minister.

"Read this out for me, will you?" Sirius pulled out a roll of parchment from his pocket and slid it over to Fudge. He took a seat on the opposite side and crossed his legs at the knee. "You insist that what you did was necessary. This shall clear up the matter."

The parchment had been sealed with wax and on it was the official seal of the British Ministry of Magic.

"This is—"

"Yes, I know exactly what it is. I was the one who procured it less than an hour ago. Read it."

Fudge picked up the roll, broke the seal and began to read:

"I, Cornelius Roland Fudge, do most solemnly swear to—"

"Blah blah blah. Yes we all know that bit. Skip to the end," Sirius drawled.

Fudge looked at Sirius with confusion. "Why?"

"Humour me." Sirius was damn certain that if Regulus had been present, he would have laughed himself silly. Unlike Sirius, the younger Black had a terrible poker face.

"I will preserve, protect, and defend its Constitution.

I will faithfully discharge my duties as such to the best of my ability without fear or favor, affection or ill-will.

I will not abuse, misuse or manipulate my power.

I will not act without the consent and approval of two thirds of the Wizengamot which include the incumbent Heads of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Auror Department .

I—"

"See that last bit right there? Head of the Auror Department? That's me. Now, I don't particularly remember signing anything remotely close to authorising the stationing of Dementors around hundreds of children!"

"Au—"

"Amelia wasn't informed either. She isn't exactly pleased. I have a feeling you'll be having another visitor once I leave. I doubt she'll be as cordial as myself."

But Sirius knew that she could do no worse than what he himself was about to do. He'd made... precise arrangements before walking in here.

"It was an emergency."

"An emergency? This wasn't a bloody emergency, Fudge. It was malfeasance in office. You violated your oath, Minister."

The older man opened his mouth to defend himself but Sirius silenced him with a raised finger. He was only just getting started.

"Do you know what happened because of your actions?"

Of course he bloody knew. That would explain why he was sweating like a pig. Fudge wasn't going to say it out loud but Sirius was more than happy to do the needful.

"Harry—my Harry— nearly fell to his death last night! Those bloody Dementors which you sent almost cost him his life! He lost something very dear to him and everything that happened yesterday is on you, Fudge."

There was something beyond anger in Sirius' voice. It was a father's wrath. His voice promised terrible retribution to the wrongdoer who in this case was Cornelius Fudge. Nothing that the other man said now could change his fate.

"I'm so—"

"I don't want your apology. Your advisors and the other employees might be willing to deal with that rod way up your arse, but I'm not them."

Fudge's expression turned indignant. He was obviously not used to being addressed this way.

"You don't know what it feels like to watch your only child in danger just the way you have no idea what it's like to have your soul sucked on by monsters."

"Do you remember what I'd told you last month? In regard to Harry? Allow me to repeat it for you: If anyone tries to harm him in any way, I'll destroy everything they hold dear.

Sirius' voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Ring a bell?"

"Are you threatening me, Black?" Fudge's pudgy face has turned red rapidly. From anger, embarrassment or both; Sirius didn't care.

"Oh it's not a threat, Minister. What I gave you that day was a warning. Today, it's a promise."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You abused your power. You weren't thinking about the students, or catching Bellatrix Lestrange or anything of that sort. You were just being one selfish bastard."

"How da—"

"You don't deserve to be here."

Only then did the Minister understand what Sirius was planning to do. All colour rapidly drained from his face when he realised the gravity of the consequences of his heinous actions.

In the eyes of Sirius Black, he'd committed an unforgivable crime and the repercussions of his decisions would be severe.

Could Black really do that? Could he honestly convince the majority of the Wizengamot and have them turn against him?

He forced himself to sound strong enough before he spoke. "You can't do that. There's no way you can make all of them betray me."

"See that's where you're wrong, Minister. I don't need to make them do anything. You're still under the impression that I'm the villain here. That's you. Once the Wizengamot finds out about what you have done, they'll want to throw you out."

"You forget, Fudge, that the witches and wizards who form the Wizengamot are parents. Before anything else, they are mothers and fathers. How do you think they will feel about their children's safety in your hands? You, who will do anything to keep your power? You willingly and intentionally endangered the lives of hundreds of students. So, like I said, I won't have to make them do anything."

"This is more than just about misuse of power isn't it? This is you getting back at me. This is not just a professional issue for you. It's personal."

"You went behind my back and in the process, you harmed Harry, my boy. What did you think was going to happen? That I'd just roll over and let you carry on with your job? Damn right it's personal."

Of course not. With a horrible sinking in his gut, Fudge realised that he was the one who'd have to bend the knee that day.

"I'm sorry."

Great. Now came the fake, meaningless and last minute attempts at making amends.

"Your apology means nothing. Not to me and certainly not to my godson."

"I'll be utterly ruined if I'm removed."

"That's sort of the point of this entire exercise, Fudge. To destroy everything you hold dear. I'd promised as much, hadn't I? And Merlin knows that I'm a man of my word."

The minister's red face comically turned white. His life was as good as finished.

Sirius reached into his pocket and fished out another parchment. This one was also folded and sealed.

"That's a subpoena. Two weeks from today. As per the laws, you shall receive a fair trial, just like any other criminal."

While Sirius was the leader of this little mission, he wasn't alone in it. The majority of the Wizengamot was on the same parchment as him. And, he'd called in a favour and set someone on a certain task. He was sure that they'd prove immensely useful.

Sirius Black was going to ruin Cornelius Fudge: absolutely, completely and mercilessly. That's what you get for harming one Harry Potter.

Four hours before kicking Fudge's arse:

It was eight o'clock in the morning when Sirius got out of the elevator on the third floor. Most employees were only just coming in, so the place was relatively empty.

Sirius found his destination without much difficulty.

The door of the office was ajar. The room was a mess: there were parchments strewn all over the desk, the books were out of their respective shelves, a green robe had been draped roughly over the back of a chair and there was a red purse hanging from another one.

He saw the woman sitting at her desk, reading through something. Her infamous Quick Quotes Quill hovered right above her, whizzing around restlessly.

Her blonde hair was pulled up in a shabby bun atop her head and her glasses rested on her nose, slightly askew, as she worked.

"Miss Skeeter."

Rita Skeeter's head snapped up at the sound of the voice.

Damn it!

Why was he here, in her office, at this hour? As far as she could remember, she hadn't done anything to offend him. She wouldn't, not after the little firing he'd given her over a year ago.

She hadn't seen him in a year. He looked much better than he had back then. He had gained back the weight which he'd lost over the years and she could make out the powerful muscles underneath that blazer.

"Auror Black. How may I help you?" Experience had taught her not to screw with the man standing in her office.

He walked towards her desk and sat down in one of the chairs, perfectly at ease. "Do you recall our previous conversation, Miss Skeeter?"

Of course she did. Last year, she had published a rather bold article, claiming his involvement with You-Know-Who and the very next day, he'd stormed in here. She'd only just managed to escape with her job and position intact.

"Vividly."

"Very good. So, I've come to call in that favor you owe me."

"Favor?" Ah yes. She'd been allowed to stay where she was on the proviso that one day, when he asked her for a favor, she'd fulfill it without question. That particular task could be anything.

A ball of anxiety settled on her chest. What would he ask of her?

Nevertheless, she straightened her shoulders and pulled on her most confident smirk. "What do you need?"

"Miss Skeeter, as we're all well aware, you happen to be incredibly proficient at slandering people in your articles. Your pieces are harsh, ruthless and downright cruel. They're less factual and more of falsity."

"I suppose you want me to stop?" That would really be miserable. She had become famous—infamous— because of her merciless reviews and articles. If she stopped, she might as well quit being a reporter.

"Quite the contrary. I find that I'm in need of your talent. There's this annoying, filthy creature in the ministry who's been causing and creating a lot of trouble. He's actually a bit of a tyrant and a manipulative arse. This has been going on for a couple of years now. This man is condescending, misogynistic, selfish and power-hungry."

She was beginning to see where he was going with this.

"Given your expertise in this kind of thing, I want you to do an exposé on this man. This time, I want your writing to be more truth than lies. But please, you're welcome to be as blunt and colourful as you like. Get creative, Rita. Without leaving out even a single detail, I need you to reveal all of his misdoings to the public. I'm most certain that you'll do an adept job. I'll owl the details to you by the end of today."

She was quite liking this so far. Sure, this time she'd have to write the truth instead of the varied stories she told all the time. But then as long as she got to tarnish someone's reputation utterly and thoroughly, Rita Skeeter would maintain her record.

Oh how she would destroy this poor soul who had been dumb enough to get on Sirius Black's black side.

"So who is this man?" It was rare that someone actually approached her with requests to publicly defame a person.

"Minister for Magic."

She wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly. Black wanted her to write an article in which she humiliated Cornelius Fudge?

"You want me to vilify the Minister?"

"Miss Skeeter, it's not vilification if it's true. Like I said, get creative and do what you need to in order to get the message across. I trust you know how to handle it."

She knew that she had no choice. There were times when she'd gone after a few high ranking ministry officials, but she had never even thought of Fudge.

"What about my job? I know that I owe you a favor but if I do this, there's an eighty percent chance that I stand to lose my job."

He seemed undeterred by her hesitation. "If you do this right, Fudge will be far too deep in his own troubles to create any for you. Be rest assured that your job will be safe. And, you'll receive a generous compensation from yours truly."

There was a lot at stake here. But, if she pulled this off, she'd take her career to the next level. It was risky, yes. But the thought of success and Black's offer was far more alluring.

"So do we have a deal?"

She smirked, her mind already formulating ways to destroy the Minister. The stakes were high but she would enjoy this challenge. There was a lot waiting for her on the other side.

"Yes, sir."

Last night's victory had boosted Draco to become Slytherin's most popular student. After the match, once they were all back in the common room, the Slytherin Quidditch team had hooded Draco onto their shoulders and carried him around.

He was the reason they'd won the game against Gryffindor and he'd beaten the Harry Potter after all.

Everyone had miraculously forgotten about what had happened to his father only two months ago. He was currently the Seeker who'd defeated the Boy Who Lived.

Somehow, that didn't make him as happy as it should've. Harry was in the Hospital Wing, recovering from the fall while he'd been enjoying himself. He had wanted to go there the previous day itself but the team hadn't let him get away. He felt guilty about it.

He wasn't sure how Harry would react on seeing him. Hooch had announced that it was a fair game, but he was still a tad bit apprehensive of the other boy's reaction.

He hoped that his victory hadn't dampened their friendship.

That day, after Herbology, he decided to pay Harry a visit. Not because he was a sodding ten year old girl who was worried about her best friend, but simply to check up on him.

The Hospital Wing was empty, save for Harry's bed. The curtains were open and he saw the other boy on the bed, carelessly flicking through a magazine.

"Looking peachy, Potter."

Harry looked up rolled his eyes at him. "About time you came and visited, prat."

"Shut up, Potter." Draco was relieved to note that the wasn't any bitterness or resentment in Harry's tone. "You put up quite the show last night," he commented.

"Hey! I di— wait a second, we're you actually worried about me? No bloody way!"

Draco felt his face heat up and turn red. "Don't flatter yourself, Potter. There's no way I'd bother myself with you."

But Harry was far too happy to pay any attention to Draco's process. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Draco. So how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?"

"To finally be the one who caught the snitch?" Draco was damn certain that if Harry hadn't been lying in bed, tired from the fall, he'd have whacked him good for that sentence.

"You're lucky that I'm feeling merciful today, Potter. Get well soon, you idiot. I expect you out of here by tomorrow."

He was replied with an exaggerated bow followed by a rather sarcastic: "As you wish, my Lord."

On his way out, Draco ran into Regulus. The man beamed when he saw him. "There's the champion! I was just looking for you. C'mere!"

The blonde was pulled into a hug by the youngest Black. Draco could only return it, hoping that his face wasn't the colour of Weasley's hair.

Such displays of affection had been practically nonexistent throughout his life. Any rare encouragement or praise from his father was in the form of a short nod or at the most, a hand on his shoulder. Hugs? Never heard of those.

"Merlin, I'm so proud of you, kid! You were amazing yesterday."

Warmth blossomed in his chest at Regulus' words. "Thanks, Regulus."

"So, you ready for your magic session? We'll have one this Saturday afternoon. So, don't land yourself in detention, capiche?"

"Yeah, don't worry."

"Brilliant. After we're done on Saturday, we'll go out for that treat I owe you."

That night, Rita Skeeter received an envelope from Sirius Black. With eager fingers, she opened it and read the letter, her eyes gleaming.

The contents were just what she needed to utterly destroy the Minister for Magic. Oh this was going to be such fun. She was going to do her very best on this.

Cornelius Fudge was going to regret his very existence.

Sirius Orion Black had already made sure of that.

Whoo! What do you think? I had an amazing time writing this chapter, especially the scene between Sirius and Fudge.

Next chapter, we get to see Fudge's downfall.

Vote and comment!