The students from Beauxbatons seemed quite pleased with the contents of the Daily Prophet, especially Fleur, who shot a gloating look over. She'd never particularly cared for Dudley, who had boasted quite a bit when the Triwizard champions were announced, and she wasn't all that fond of Harry either, even if he was the legendary 'Boy Who Lived.' She didn't see what all the fuss was about.
The Durmstrang students, on the other hand, were quite angry, though their Headmaster, Karkaroff, looked rather smug. Viktor's face was unreadable; he actually had quite a good impression of both Dudley and Harry.
"Well written," Dudley said, his expression calm in contrast to the furious Hogwarts students. He finished reading the paper and tapped it lightly with a finger. "The storytelling is just about at a third-rate novelist's level."
"How can you just sit there, Dudley?" Hermione exclaimed, her cheeks puffed out in a huff. That woman hadn't just written horrible things about her, but she'd said so many nasty and completely nonsensical things about Dudley, too.
"If you get angry, you're just letting that woman win, aren't you?" Dudley said, gently pinching Hermione's puffy cheek. She instantly went red and slapped his hand away. It didn't hurt a bit; in fact, it was a little nice. The other students watched in awe. Only Mr. Dursley would dare do that to the 'Gryffindor's angry lioness.' Anyone else would have had their legs broken.
"So we're just going to let it go?"
"Have you ever known me to let anything go? I warned her, and I warned the Daily Prophet..." If that woman hadn't been so foolish, what reason would he have had to sort out the Daily Prophet? "I, Dudley Dursley, always pay my debts."
Dudley flashed a 'hearty' smile, revealing two rows of pure-white teeth that looked a bit like a hydraulic press. The other students felt a shiver run down their spines, especially the Slytherins who had already learned their lesson the hard way. The more observant students from Slytherin even noticed Harry subtly adjusting his glasses.
It was over for the Daily Prophet. They were done for.
This issue, which contained so many fabrications about Dudley and Harry, unsurprisingly sold out everywhere. Even wizards can't resist a bit of gossip. Everyone was curious about what the 'Boy Who Lived' was really like. As for Dudley, most people only knew him as the inventor of the Exploding Snap card game. Only a very small number of wizards knew he was also the famous Professor Jerry, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, and the youngest member of the Wizengamot.
After reading the paper, many were left stunned. They'd had no idea the student world was so wild!
---
### The Daily Prophet Office
Rita Skeeter, the one responsible for the story and ecstatic about the paper's sales, was busy touching up her face with foundation, trying to smooth out the many wrinkles. She had a very important date tonight.
"Aren't you worried you'll get yourself into trouble, Ms. Skeeter? I heard Dursley is a very popular author, even more so than that big fraud Lockhart was," said a pot-bellied man who walked up to her. He was Barnabas Cuffe, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet.
"I told you to call me Miss, I'm not married yet," Rita Skeeter shrieked, nearly bursting the editor's eardrum.
"Yes, yes, Miss Skeeter," Barnabas Cuffe said, digging his finger into his ear.
Hearing this, Rita Skeeter calmed down and said in her distinctive tone, "Hmph, so what if he's more popular than Lockhart? He's just a common little book writer. When it comes to writing, I don't think he can compare to us. I don't know what he's so smug about. He'll learn what happens when you cross the Daily Prophet. And Mr. Cuffe, I don't think you should be asking me that question. You should be asking yourself, you're the editor-in-chief, after all, hmph hmph."
"Me? What do I have to worry about?" Barnabas Cuffe shrugged. "The articles you give me are all based on real information. We're just telling the truth."
In their minds, what could the boy do, even if he was angry? As Rita Skeeter said, he was just a book writer. Did he really think he could put on a show for the Daily Prophet? Now, he was getting what he deserved. As for Dudley's threats, the Daily Prophet had faced much worse and they were still around, weren't they?
Suddenly, the door to the newsroom was pushed open violently. Two wizards in official uniforms walked in.
"Is Rita Skeeter here?"
Rita Skeeter looked at them, bewildered. "That's me. Who are you?"
"Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You're being accused of maliciously fabricating facts, infringing upon an individual's right to an image, defamation, and several other crimes. Multiple wizards have been harmed by your rumors, which have caused extremely negative effects in the wizarding world. This is a summons from the Wizengamot. We need you to come to the Ministry of Magic now to cooperate with the investigation." The two men flashed their Ministry IDs at Rita Skeeter and showed her a summons with the official seal. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has an office for Hit Wizards in addition to the Auror Office. The two men were Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. Aurors are responsible for capturing dark wizards, while Hit Wizards are responsible for capturing magical criminals. They are similar to the relationship between SWAT and regular police.
"Wait, you can't arrest me! I'm a journalist for the Daily Prophet!" Rita Skeeter yelled, not wanting to go with them.
"Are you resisting?" The two Hit Wizards immediately drew their wands and pointed them at Rita Skeeter. Hit Wizards, while not as skilled as Aurors, have far more experience in apprehending criminals. Rita Skeeter's refusal to cooperate was immediately seen as an attempt to resist.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
A curse hit Rita Skeeter, and her legs became instantly stiff. She toppled over.
"I'll sue you for using violence! I'll sue you! You'll see, you'll lose your jobs over this!"
Rita Skeeter, who had landed face-first, was swearing at the two men like a madwoman. However, they just glanced at her and cast another spell.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Now she couldn't yell anymore. Not only were her legs stiff, but her whole body was frozen in place. As the two men carried Rita Skeeter out, a powdery, milky-white face was imprinted on the floor. It was Rita Skeeter's face, of course.
"What in Merlin's beard...?" Barnabas Cuffe, the editor-in-chief, took a while to process what had happened. He stared in disbelief at the direction they had gone.
Had the people at the Ministry of Magic gone mad? When had they ever been so bold? Daring to arrest a writer from the Daily Prophet! Weren't they afraid of getting a roomful of Howlers from angry wizards tomorrow?
But soon, Barnabas Cuffe's face was filled with excitement. This was perfect, wasn't it? He hoped Rita Skeeter wouldn't come back today. Tomorrow's paper would sell out again. He already had the headline in mind: "Ministry of Magic, Violent Law Enforcement!"