Hogwarts 1991

Chapter 426 "Justice" reporters will not bow to government pressure
"No, no, that's not the case...we don't want them to bow their heads, how can you think like that! Let me repeat, we are not the Auror authoritarian magic wizarding world in the United States. Our magic wizarding world in Great England allows freedom of the press."

Fudge pretended to be surprised and said, "Is it... Crouch? Professor Dumbledore also knows!"

Dumbledore was not involved in their mixed farce, he was stroking his bone wand, his eyes were blank, and he seemed to be absorbed in some thought.

"Well, that's right."

Crouch nodded in agreement.

He sort of understood why he lost the ministerial election last time. Compared to Fudge, he really... still has a little bit of honor and shame.

Fudge went on to say, "As I said earlier, some of the reports in the Daily Prophet, like the one you wrote earlier... some of them are factually wrong..."

"Ah, the facts are wrong, that's different!" Rita exclaimed, her tone relaxed, and then she immediately emphasized, "Of course... I will not be pressured by the government to yield!"

"Of course not!" agreed Fudge.

"Reportable accuracy is extremely important to a piece of news... We must not let the public know some fake news!" Rita began to regain her obsession with reporting accuracy, and began to say with an unusually 'sincere' smile.

Fudge went on to say, "By the way, I personally feel that some of the information in it may be outdated when the article is published tomorrow. For example, Crouch and I have revised our views on the Death Eaters prison escape not long ago—we have always believed that these criminals are likely to attack Hogwarts, and we are fully prepared...

"...Look at so many Aurors, and fire dragons...so many preparations...we're just not good at expressing, we haven't reached the point of telling reporters...our opinions and plans, after all, we have to keep them secret!? It would be bad if the Death Eaters knew to change their plans..."

Crouch nodded again and again.

"That's right, obsolete? Ah, this is serious... However, I will not bow to the government's pressure." Skeeter emphasized again like a 'hairpin bend'.

"Oh, really not," Crouch said.

"But I must not publish something that is out of date...it would cause a serious misinterpretation of the information by the public."

Rita Skeeter said 'seriously'.

"By the way, that report of yours may involve the secrets of the Ministry of Magic!" Fudge seemed to remember something again, and then added with a serious expression.

"Like?" Rita asked.

"I can't tell you!"

"why?"

"Because it's classified!" Crouch interjected, having learned it too.

Rita Skeeter was speechless, but she had already become a catfish on the chopping board, so she could only nod her head and said very 'sincerely', "Well, you can't be too careful when it comes to confidentiality, especially when it comes to the safety of the Ministry of Magic in England...Even I personally have to take responsibility."

"...How about? I'll show you my report, and you can modify the 'content' that involves confidentiality?"

"That couldn't be better!" Fudge, Crouch was overjoyed immediately.

Rita Skeeter immediately added another sentence, saying: "However, you should know...Minister——I will not bow to government pressure!"

"Of course, of course!" Fudge and the two agreed again and again.

"However, you can never be too careful about secrecy..." Rita said.

"Not too much, not too much!" The two repeated.

"If there are some basic principles of accuracy and confidentiality in the report, then the situation will change completely. This report will violate my journalistic ethics and at the same time refute the public interest, so I must carefully consider it..."

"That's right, we must be cautious!" The two of them had smiles on their faces.

"So..." Rita Skeeter took out a thick parchment draft from her crocodile satchel with great difficulty, slowly and painfully (depending on the situation, this satchel has also been cast with the magic of the [Untraceable Stretch Curse]), "I will leave this report to you... Check to see if there are any secrets related to the Ministry of Magic... or any inaccurate information."

"it is good!"

The three hands held the manuscript almost together. Fudge and Crouch looked at each other, and then said to Rita Skeeter, "But you let go? Dear Ms. Skeeter!"

Rita grabbed a corner of the press release and said in a serious and forceful tone, "The news report can be handed over to you, but there is one thing I have to make clear to you..."

"?" Two people.

"There's no doubt about it—"

Rita Skeeter stared straight ahead, and with an inviolable attitude, emphasized for the last time in a tough tone:

"I, am - will not bow to Ministry of Magic pressure."

"Of course!" Fudge patted (Kratch's) thigh and replied firmly.

--Snapped!

—a loud slap.

After hearing the answer, Rita finally let go of her hand in a "painful and difficult" way, and Kraqi also let go because of the pain in her thigh just now, so the press release fell into the hands of the most cheeky Fudge.

Fudge was very happy when he got the press release, and he quickly said to Rita Skeeter, "This is a good start of cooperation, the proposal just now, think about it carefully? You are a very smart...principled...candidate with the right position. Let me say...that position is the most suitable for you!"

"What I appreciate the most is that you insist on the accuracy of the news, which can balance the confidentiality of the Ministry of Magic and the public interest. What's more, you have not bowed to the pressure from the Ministry of Magic or anyone...very principled."

——Perhaps aware of Rita Skeeter's fear, Fudge explained, "I won't ask for anything. The Ministry of Magic will give you the greatest support. If you can succeed... you will naturally know that accuracy and confidentiality are good reports that are in the public interest, and standing on the right position... will always be invincible!"

"Consider that offer, Ms. Skeeter, I'm not kidding!"

"Okay, sir!"

Facing Fudge's proposal, Rita Skeeter still hesitated.

——It sounds like this proposal is not to turn yourself into a puppet, but how much support can the Ministry of Magic give yourself?

And now she still has a problem - how to face the photographer Bozo who just ran over?

(The photographer came here with the fat man, Madam Pomfrey, and Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the twins, some little wizards. The little wizards were in a coma, and they were floated here by Madam Pomfrey and the big belly.)
Bo Zuo had great expectations for the 'value' of this news report. If he knew that it had been edited by the ministers...it is likely that he would find another reporter again.

Before Rita actually agrees to Fudge's proposal, she still wants to keep the photographer working for her.

And at this time (when Crouch and Fudge were arguing endlessly about the ownership of the report, and they were tit-for-tat), Dumbledore finally said, "Okay, Madam Pomfrey is here, let's go in and see how the little wizard is doing with her first, shall we?"

After speaking, he pushed open the oak door of the infirmary.

But they saw right away—

Snape was bending over the hospital bed, looking through the pockets of the little wizard McGuffin.

This sight surprised everyone.

"Severus, what are you doing?"

Even Fudge put down the press release in his hand and looked at the Potions professor in surprise.

"I'm looking for Death Eaters!"

Snape explained blankly,

—In fact, he was looking for traces of Wormtail Scabbers.

Judging from the Niffler who was still in his hand, it was undoubtedly the little wizard lying on the bed who got the old mouse Pettigrew Peter away.

——Judging from his activity trajectory, it should still be in this little wizard's pocket?
Why is it gone?

Snape was very puzzled, he wondered if he had been tricked by Sirius Black again.

But if you think about it carefully, all the evidence supports your own inference.

When he was planning to search again, Fudge and the others came in.

So I had to quickly find such an excuse to explain my behavior.

"The Death Eater is still in this little wizard's pocket... Rita Skeeter, you saw it too, didn't you!" Snape asked.

"Oh, yes."

Rita Skeeter was unable to resist the question from her photographer Bozo. She couldn't help herself, so she nodded vaguely and responded to the question.

"What do you mean, I don't quite understand it from the beginning?"

"Why did the little wizard say that the Death Eater was in his pocket..."

Fudge was a little dazed, but then he realized something.

——If the Death Eaters had been caught, this press release would have had a proper angle to revise.

Snape was a little impatient, he waved his wand and pointed at McGuffin's pocket, and said, "Fly around!"

Something gibberish jumped out of the McGuffin's pocket.

It's all tiny miniature gadgets,
For example, an iron ring like a key chain is strung with many things like small toy skateboards; some kind of small shackle anklet for children to play with; a certain huge red sock; a palm-sized sackcloth; a lot of gold galleons, silver Sickles, copper Knuts... two pairs of small adult-style broken leather shoes; The mold of...

"What the hell is this!"

Madam Pomfrey finally arrived with Harry and other young wizards. (And Fat Black.)
She was not happy to see so much mess in her infirmary.

"Stop the curse!"

"Restore as usual!"

Crouch saw something, he had a gloomy face, and he waved his wand directly. The things that were originally small and miscellaneous like toys... began to magnify directly, and everything returned to its original appearance.

"Shrinking Curse!"

"The Untraceable Stretching Curse!"

"Alchemy, enchantment, ancient fusion spellcasting methods..."

"And it's in a pocket, it's too dangerous... Dumbledore, Professor Snape, is this how you teach your students?"

"Although it seems that this little wizard's mana is indeed beyond the average level, and may even be stronger than the average graduate student... But it's too dangerous... What if the [Unmarked Stretching Curse] in the two robe pockets fails? This method of studying magic that is almost stepping on the edge of the Ministry of Magic's laws is abnormal and extremely dangerous!"

Crouch said sharply.

Snape snorted coldly, and said with a slightly mocking tone, "Dangerous, after what happened just now, you are still worried about this little wizard!?... What do you expect?"

"Let's see the more dangerous and embarrassing facts!"

After he finished speaking, he directly found a round iron ball from the pile of hill-like things, that is, the 'werewolf ball', which McGuffin called a werewolf suppressor, and threw it directly into Crouch's hands.

"Please, Mr. Crouch, please see what this little wizard can do!"

Neither Crouch nor Fudge understood what this meant.

They just thought Snape looked going crazy.

Rita Skeeter next to her came over to explain a few words.

They stared at the small ball in their hands in disbelief, and hurriedly cast spells to open the ball.

The thing spewed out a stream of white mist and flashes, and then a figure appeared in it——

"This is?"

"Andonin Dolokhov!"

growled Fudge, startled.

In fact, not only him, but everyone except Dumbledore was almost dumbfounded on the spot.

No wonder they...

A Death Eater appeared on the spot... looking so miserable, it could almost be said that he was only half-breathed.

The black robe full of large holes was scorched and glued together with the skin, where the Death Eater's left calf... the white bones were broken in two, and directly protruded from the scorched flesh... There were red scars on his fingers, as if new skin had grown in to wrap the flesh...

Only the trembling eyelids and the slightly heaving chest could tell that the Death Eater was still breathing and alive.

"Ms. Skeeter? What's the matter?"

Fudge hurriedly asked Rita Skeeter next to her.

"I don't know, when I arrived, it was like this."

Several people looked at Snape.

Snape shook his head, "You can only ask Harry...or this little wizard!"

He pointed at the McGuffin with his wand, and then waved it again. Seven or eight iron balls jumped out of the messy things that came out of his pocket, and rolled to Fudge and the others.

"Are these?"

"That's right, ten Death Eaters...the culprits of the attack on Hogwarts School this time are all inside!"

"By the way, let me remind you that Bellatrix has been turned into a ghoul...and has become a Wendigo! You better be careful, don't get scratched or get cursed if you come into close contact...I don't want to give you the antidote to remove the curse at this time!"

Snape's words silenced the scene.

(End of this chapter)