Things are multifaceted. Different conclusions can be drawn from different perspectives.
This is the case with Scrimgeour at the moment.
In the absence of important information such as the Horcrux, no matter how you look at it, Dumbledore is highly suspicious.
Of course, this is also due to preconceived biases.
Scrimgeour looked at Dumbledore from a conspiracy theory angle, and with the addition of various coincidences, a huge 'conspiracy' naturally formed in his mind.
As for Andy...
In Scrimgeour's opinion, Andy was too young, and even if he really had ambitions, he couldn't do anything at such a young age.
Which adult would side with a young wizard?
At most, they would let their own children interact with him as classmates first to see if Andy's talent and ambition were in line with their family's interests. Only then would they consider investing.
"Hoo..."
Taking a deep breath, Scrimgeour already had a rough picture in his mind.
Next, he had to confirm his suspicions.
First, would Dumbledore's pursuit fail?
Second, would Grindelwald's strength increase significantly?
Finally, and most importantly, if the pursuit failed, what would Dumbledore do next?
After thinking about this, Scrimgeour suddenly turned to look at Andy.
He couldn't defeat Dumbledore.
Nor could the Ministry.
So he needed a powerful ally.
"Mr Collins..."
Scrimgeour spoke softly, "I would like to believe that you have nothing to do with Ms Skeeter. But...unfortunately, many Death Eaters believe that she is your person and that you ordered her to publish that article."
"...In seven days, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will put the Death Eaters on trial."
With that, Scrimgeour's gaze fixed on Andy, as if he wanted to see some panic on Andy's face.
Unfortunately, Andy's face showed no expression at all.
"This is very bad for you."
Scrimgeour continued. "Although there are some rumours in the wizarding world against Dumbledore, many people are willing to believe in him, including your friends."
"Even... this incident might affect Dumbledore's opinion of you."
Andy shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care.
"Mr Scrimgeour, do you think... I care about such things?" Andy asked in return.
After a pause, Andy continued, "Voldemort, Grindelwald, Dumbledore... these people. Who of them overly cares about what others say about them?"
"By the way, you have already met Professor Dumbledore, right?"
"Do you think he cares about those rumours?"
Scrimgeour's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Indeed, judging from Dumbledore's reaction, he seemed unconcerned by the rumours.
It was as if the rumours did not even exist.
Seeing this, Andy smiled and said bluntly, "Mr Scrimgeour, if you have something on your mind, just say it. If I think it's appropriate... it's not impossible for us to work together."
Scrimgeour's expression darkened.
People who didn't care about rumours were either open-minded and had long since become unconcerned by such trivial matters.
Or... they simply don't care about these people!
Which one is Dumbledore?
People treat cats and dogs as pets, spay and neuter them, feed them the same food every day, and play with them when they're happy, but ignore them when they're not.
Although they insist that they love them, does anyone truly care about what their pets think?
If they care, would they neuter them?
Skrimgeorch felt a chill.
He suddenly realised a question: did these extraordinary wizards still regard ordinary wizards as their peers?
After a moment of silence, Scrimgeour asked again, "Do you know what the missing item from the Gringotts vault is?"
Andy shook his head. "No."
Scrimgeour's eyes brightened slightly.
"Are you not curious at all?"
Before Andy could reply, Scrimgeour continued, "My guess is that the missing item from Gringotts may be related to Voldemort…or even involve the secret he is hiding."
Andy spread his hands. "Many people can guess that."
Scrimgeour asked, "Don't you want it?"
Andy paused at this.
This was not an easy question to answer.
After a moment's thought, Andy asked in return, "Why? Do you want to help me?"
"It's mutual help!" Scrimgeour corrected.
Andy raised an eyebrow. "So... what do you want?"
"Dumbledore!"
Scrimgeour said with a serious expression, "To be precise, it's Dumbledore's secret."
Andy wasn't surprised by this.
Given Scrimgeour's suspicious nature, it was only reasonable for him to suspect Dumbledore. Even Andy sometimes viewed Dumbledore through the lens of conspiracy theories.
As for cooperation...
Andy wasn't curious about the Horcrux but rather about Dumbledore's secrets, which piqued Andy's interest.
In the field of 'love', Dumbledore was a forerunner.
So Andy is curious: what does Dumbledore love?
The wizarding world?
How does deep love feel?
What form does the power of love take in the magical world?
"Cooperation...is not impossible."
Andy says. "But I have one condition: we must share any information we get about Professor Dumbledore."
Scrimgeour's lips twitch slightly.
He had expected that Andy and Dumbledore would not be on the same page. When their interests diverged, they would also oppose each other.
"Yes!"
Scrimgeour said, "I will help you trace the missing object from Gringotts, as long as you help me keep an eye on Dumbledore."
"You can share what you discover about Dumbledore."
"But I can only help you find the object. Whether you can get it or not depends on your own abilities."
Andy tilted his head and put on a fake smile, "No problem, that sounds reasonable."
Scrimgeour looked at Andy and suddenly asked, "There is one thing I am curious about...the confessions of the Death Eaters and the matter of monitoring Dumbledore are both very disadvantageous to you."
"Aren't you worried that Dumbledore will find out about these things?"
Andy was silent for a moment and asked in return, "What will Dumbledore do if he finds out?"
What will Dumbledore do?
Scrimgeour paused for a moment.
"I understand."
Scrimgeour abruptly stood up and held out his right hand. "It's a pleasure to cooperate!"
"It's a pleasure to cooperate." Andy also stood up and shook Scrimgeour's hand.
This was a move that was not without risk.
But Scrimgeour had come to him of his own accord.
As to how much value he could bring, that would depend on his investigative abilities.
After a moment's thought, Andy suddenly added, "I can give you a hint: to investigate Dumbledore, you can start with the Deathly Hallows."
"The Deathly Hallows?"
Scrimgeour was a little surprised. "Isn't that a fairy tale?"
Andy laughed. "When Dumbledore was young, he and Grindelwald searched for the Deathly Hallows together."
"What's more important is..."
"Dumbledore's wand is most likely the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows!"
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