Chapter 136
On the night Peter Pettigrew appeared, every media outlet in the wizarding world reacted like sharks smelling blood.
Fudge had even gone to the Daily Prophet in advance, hoping they would give the matter heavy publicity. They had indeed put in a great deal of effort and were the ones who sent reporters to Hogwarts that very night.
But in the end, the next day's paper mentioned the matter only briefly.
Almost no one looked into the reason. Most people were simply eager to mock the newspaper with the largest circulation, speculating that its editor-in-chief had lost his judgment.
Fudge was equally dissatisfied. When they should have been helping him recover his image, they had instead held back.
At the same time, many smaller papers believed their opportunity had arrived.
What they didn't realize was that this marked the beginning of their downfall.
When the entire environment was misled, being wrong together didn't seem so terrible. After all, even the most authoritative newspaper hadn't escaped. That was the public's habitual way of thinking.
But what if one outlet had remained clear-headed?
Unfortunately for the others, the Daily Prophet was that lone survivor.
As early as the Christmas holidays, Lucius Malfoy had already met with the paper's management and reached an agreement. Suppress first, then release later—this strategy often produced the greatest impact.
Even Rita Skeeter, who loved stirring controversy, received a warning letter. It contained no details, only a reminder to keep quiet for the time being. During this period, she was not to let her Quick-Quotes Quill produce anything "creative."
If she caused trouble, there might soon be a new defendant before the Wizengamot—for being an unregistered Animagus.
There would also be no shortage of charges related to illegal surveillance.
In short, Rita Skeeter had no choice but to comply.
Besides, a major opportunity was coming—and she was the one who would present it.
The long silence had driven her nearly mad. She needed to write, to vent her frustration through her enchanted quill.
The thought alone thrilled her. The entire wizarding media had been deceived by a cowardly traitor—what irony. Recently, she had even been mocked by younger reporters. Today would be her chance to silence them.
Exaggerated and sensational language flowed from her pen, becoming the article Hermione was now reading.
> "This is the most outstanding young wizard I have ever encountered. His manners are refined, his speech measured, perfectly reflecting the superior upbringing of his noble family…"
Rita's tone overflowed with praise.
Was this a joke? How could she possibly afford to offend the heir of a shareholder's family—especially when he also held her secret?
Lucius had paid both money and leverage to become one of the Daily Prophet's shareholders.
With that investment, the paper not only gained financial support but also elevated its reputation. While others were misled, it alone appeared cautious and restrained. In a time of emotional public opinion, such "calm judgment" seemed especially valuable. The newspapers that had rushed ahead were now objects of ridicule.
Those were merely minor losers.
The greatest loser—apart from Peter Pettigrew—was, of course, Minister Fudge.
This incident had severely damaged his reputation. Whatever public goodwill had been restored by Pettigrew's appearance collapsed completely.
An innocent man imprisoned for twelve years. A real traitor treated as a hero.
This was the leadership of the Ministry?
Fudge could only issue weak statements, arguing that he had not been in power at the time and that the original injustice was not his responsibility.
It was the best he could do.
Only now did he suspect he had been manipulated by that boy—but there was nothing he could prove, and nothing he could safely expose.
Malfoy had removed himself entirely from the affair.
The Daily Prophet's front page read:
> "A man never falls in the same place twice. This saying perfectly describes Draco Malfoy. Peter Pettigrew never imagined that the Imperius Curse he relied upon would fail. Few people know that in his second year, this boy once made a serious mistake that nearly brought disgrace to Hogwarts. Readers interested in the full story may pre-order my latest work…"
Rita's quill continued:
> "Pettigrew's shallow understanding of Dark Magic was exposed. When learning the Unforgivable Curses, he apparently overlooked a key fact—the Imperius Curse weakens with repeated use. Unfortunately for him, it succeeded only once on Draco Malfoy. After that, the student turned the situation around and lured him into a trap."
> "After casting the Imperius Curse, Pettigrew became overconfident. He believed that capturing Sirius Black meant complete safety. This was his greatest mistake. He never imagined his control would fail against a student."
> "What he also did not know was that Sirius had already sent a letter explaining the truth. Interested readers may find the full text on the back page…"
> "At first, the Daily Prophet approached the letter with caution. However, given the potential implications, we chose to investigate thoroughly. If the claims were true, this would represent one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in wizarding history."
> "Our investigation uncovered numerous clues. Some were easily verified. For example, Sirius Black had been sent to Azkaban without a trial and had never confessed—once seen as a sign of guilt, but now open to a different interpretation."
> "Our reporters also interviewed Aurors involved in the arrest. Those present at the scene gave remarkably consistent accounts."
> 'I didn't personally witness Black commit the crime,' one Auror said. 'We acted on orders. That was all.'
> 'At the time, I was prepared for a fight,' another recalled. 'But he didn't resist at all. We didn't even need to cast a single spell.'
> 'Back then, we thought it was fortunate no one was hurt. But later… it began to feel strange.'
> 'If he had truly been loyal to You-Know-Who, he could have fought back. I'm certain he was capable of it.'