"Harry Potter- Ravenclaw"Chapter 29: Outrageous Investigative Reporting
After reading the article, Wyzett rummaged through his notes and pulled out a slender bookmark.
It was the one Dumbledore had given him—a magical bookmark that allowed him to send messages directly to the headmaster, who would sense them no matter where he was.
When he'd last used it, he'd still been within the grounds of Hogwarts. Now, outside the castle, Wyzett wasn't sure if it would still work—but it was worth a try.
He pressed his wand to the bookmark and wrote:
[Headmaster Dumbledore, Merry Christmas! Has anything unexpected happened at Hogwarts lately?]
If the bookmark failed, he'd simply write a proper letter and send it by owl. But as the words faded into the parchment, Wyzett found himself pondering something else.
Would Dumbledore actually tell him the details? Or was all of this unfolding exactly as the headmaster had foreseen? Perhaps, as usual, Dumbledore would reply with one of his enigmatic reassurances: "Don't worry. Enjoy your Christmas holiday!"
Sure enough, two neat lines appeared on the bookmark a moment later.
[Merry Christmas. I'm quite fond of the wool socks you sent—they're wonderfully warm.]
[I wouldn't call anything that's happened 'unexpected.' In fact, it's saved me considerable effort. So don't trouble yourself—let The Daily Prophet have its day in the sun!]
From the tone, Wyzett could tell that, whatever was happening at Hogwarts, it was all within Dumbledore's expectations.
Still, he decided to press a little further, scribbling another message onto the bookmark.
[Headmaster Dumbledore, are some of the anonymous letters Rita Skeeter mentioned from the Parkinson family? Are they involved in the upcoming reports?]
Dumbledore's reply came quickly, but remained as cryptic as ever:
[Given The Daily Prophet's editorial standards, publishing such pieces must have required a great deal of careful selection. Don't let it trouble you. I have some matters to attend to, so let's leave it at that for now.]
...
The next morning, The Daily Prophet published another of Rita Skeeter's "investigations":
[The Birth of Evil: A Terrifying Halloween Night—An Innocent Caretaker, and Hogwarts' Secret Crisis Surfaces!]
This piece focused on Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat. Rita Skeeter claimed she'd received an anonymous tip: that on Halloween night, Dumbledore had tortured a half-Kneazle, subjecting it to cruel Dark Magic experiments that left it petrified.
The article ended with her trademark "Stay tuned!"—clearly promising more scandal to come.
The day after, The Daily Prophet ran a statement: the Ministry of Magic had dispatched Aurors to Hogwarts to investigate.
Reading this, Wyzett felt an uneasy chill. This wasn't just a typical conspiracy theory—something real must have happened at Hogwarts over the holidays for the Ministry to intervene.
After all, Diagon Alley was full of potion ingredients from magical creatures. The Ministry wouldn't send Aurors just because a half-Kneazle was allegedly mistreated. The only explanation was that a genuine incident had occurred.
And with Dumbledore's cryptic "I have some matters to handle," it was clear those matters were tied to the Ministry's investigation.
...
Wyzett tried messaging Dumbledore again, but received no reply.
After some thought, he penned a letter to Penelope Clearwater—the Ravenclaw prefect. If anyone would know what was really happening, it would be her.
The next morning at sunrise, Thor—his owl—landed on the windowsill, bearing Penelope's reply.
"Thank you, Thor!" Wyzett said, holding out his palm. The phoenix-shaped mark on his skin glowed faintly as he stroked the owl's ruffled feathers.
"Coo…" Thor closed his eyes, trilling contentedly, then, once his feathers were smoothed, flapped away toward the garden.
Wyzett opened the letter. It confirmed his suspicions.
Something had indeed happened at Hogwarts. After Christmas, students had begun collapsing without warning.
The hospital wing's diagnosis: a slow-acting, curse-laced poison—something between Despair Draught and Draught of Living Death, trapping its victims in endless nightmares.
Madam Pomfrey had used her experience to slow the poison's effects with conventional potions, buying Snape time to brew an antidote.
Penelope and the other prefects had to take charge, organizing students and keeping everyone together to prevent further incidents.
She also mentioned the Ministry Aurors. The day after the poisonings, they'd arrived at the castle with a squad of Hit Wizards.
Her exact words: "It's the first time I've seen the Ministry act this fast! If they'd moved like this during the First Wizarding War, it never would have happened!"
Put together with The Daily Prophet's relentless coverage, it was clear: not just pure-blood families, but the Ministry itself was involved.
Just as Xenophilius had said: "Cornelius Fudge would love nothing more than to see Headmaster Dumbledore disgraced. If Dumbledore's reputation is ruined, it can't threaten his position as Minister for Magic!"
...
Another day passed, and The Daily Prophet published yet another of Rita Skeeter's sensational exposés:
[Crisis Update: A Bloody Christmas! Multiple Victims at Hogwarts—All Evidence Points to Dumbledore as the Mastermind! Our Worst Fears Realized!]
This report mirrored Penelope's letter: several students who'd stayed at school for the holidays had been poisoned and were now in the hospital wing.
According to Rita Skeeter, Dumbledore had used the quiet of the holidays to conduct a new round of secret Dark Magic experiments.
Unfortunately, despite extensive searches, the Ministry Aurors had found only vague, inconclusive clues—nowhere near enough to arrest Dumbledore.
At the end of the article, Rita Skeeter signed off with a flourish:
[Though the truth may be buried by invisible hands, I have reason to believe that truth and justice may be delayed, but will never be denied! I'll continue to follow this story and report any new developments as soon as they arise!]
After reading this pompous finale, Wyzett understood perfectly why Xenophilius looked down on The Daily Prophet.
It was clear that both the paper and the Ministry of Magic were working to undermine Dumbledore's influence.
And at least among those who believed every rumor they heard, these reports were having exactly the intended effect…
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