The development of the Daily Prophet app was still handed over to the five Raven's Feather kids. There really wasn't much to build—just a fresh coat of paint on the interface.
Sullivan mostly wanted to give the five of them a little bonus, show them that sticking with him came with real opportunities, and set an example that would help Raven's Feather attract even more talent.
Time flew by. Before he knew it, September 1st, 1992 had arrived. Over the past month the Daily Prophet app had finally launched as planned.
But on launch day, Fudge and Cuffe discovered that the app store wasn't just getting the Daily Prophet. Apps for Today's Transfiguration, Witch Weekly, the New York Times, and a whole lineup of other papers and magazines dropped at the exact same time.
The New York Times was obviously Old Stewart's project. The rest were British outlets Sullivan had helped get onto the Magical Network through equity deals, with Rita Skeeter making the introductions.
So instead of the epic head-to-head battle Fudge and Cuffe had pictured between the Daily Prophet and Today's Headlines, the whole thing turned into a chaotic free-for-all. Today's Headlines, with its first-mover advantage, already held the stronger position.
Today was the first day of the new term. Hogwarts students poured into King's Cross Station, ready to board the train to Hogwarts Castle.
Sullivan was there too, and he hadn't come alone. He'd brought Lupin and Teemo along. They had two main goals today.
The first was to catch the house-elf Dobby. The second was to stir the wizarding world's public opinion up even more.
It didn't take long for Sullivan to spot the perfect target for the second goal—a very odd pair. One tall, one short. One man, one woman.
The tall man wore ragged, wildly eccentric clothes and had a cloud of cotton-candy white hair. The short girl looked like a first-year, with dark golden-brown hair, silver eyes, and a pair of carrot-shaped earrings. Her eyes were slightly wide, giving her a permanent look of surprise.
That was Xenophilius Lovegood and his daughter Luna.
The Quibbler had built its entire reputation on going against the Daily Prophet. Whatever the Prophet approved of, the Quibbler criticized. Whatever the Prophet rejected, the Quibbler spun into conspiracy theories.
Sullivan had already tried sending Rita Skeeter to talk to Xenophilius, but the man apparently hated Rita just as much and refused to speak with her. So Sullivan had come himself.
Most people in the wizarding world treated the Quibbler like a joke, but with Magic Phones behind it, the magazine might actually cause the Daily Prophet some real headaches.
Sullivan stepped forward and offered his hand. "Hello, Mr. Lovegood. I'm Sullivan, one of the professors at Hogwarts. I'm also the inventor and founder of Flying Feather Magic Phones. It's good to meet you here."
Luna tilted her head, silver eyes curious. "The phone you mentioned—is that the little square box that sends messages?"
"That's exactly it," Sullivan said with a smile. Xenophilius made no move to shake his hand, so Sullivan patted Luna's head instead. "Pretty amazing, right? Your dad's interested in it too, I hear."
Luna lit up. "He is! He thinks it's fascinating!"
"Does Mr. Lovegood use one himself?" Sullivan asked, trying to steer the conversation back to the father.
Xenophilius, who had been staring into the distance, suddenly spoke without warning. "Mr. Su, you've got quite a few wrackspurts floating around you. Been having any troubles lately?"
"Ah—plenty," Sullivan answered, caught off guard but rolling with it. "I think I can handle them, though."
Xenophilius gave a faint smile. "Sometimes when you run into problems, it helps to stop thinking about them. Even if you do think about them, you probably can't solve them anyway."
Sullivan fought the urge to roll his eyes. He dropped the small talk. "Mr. Lovegood, would you be interested in putting the Quibbler on the Magical Network? Same as Today's Headlines and the Daily Prophet."
"What do you want in return?" Xenophilius asked, taking half a step back and folding his arms.
Sullivan kept his tone light. "Relax. I just want to give the Daily Prophet a few more competitors. That's all."
"You want me to go after the Daily Prophet?"
"You already do that every issue, don't you?"
"Only because they're wrong," Xenophilius said firmly. "I'm not targeting them personally. I'm simply pointing out the possibilities they ignore."
Sullivan shrugged. "Then just keep doing exactly that."
Xenophilius shook his head. "Mr. Su, if my information is correct, you're involved with Today's Headlines as well."
"I won't deliberately attack the Daily Prophet. And if Today's Headlines makes a mistake, I'll call that out too. Can you live with that?"
The man was a true believer. Sullivan could see it in his face. He quickly ran the numbers in his head. Bringing the Quibbler onboard was meant to annoy the Daily Prophet, but if it annoyed his own paper a little too, that wasn't the end of the world. It would keep Rita Skeeter on her toes and remind her she wasn't irreplaceable.
"All right," Sullivan said. "But I have two conditions. I want forty-nine percent of the Quibbler, and any story involving me has to be approved by me first."
Xenophilius didn't even hesitate. "The equity is acceptable. But the Quibbler is built on independent thought. Our reporting is honest and objective. We don't accept outside review of any kind."
Sullivan felt a spark of irritation. The man clearly thought he was indispensable. "That's a real shame," he said coolly. "I don't think we can work together after all."
He turned to Luna and smiled. "Your name's Luna, right? I bet you'll be proud to tell your classmates that your dad runs the Quibbler. Too bad hardly anyone actually reads it. Have a good term, kid."