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As for the contents of the Daily Prophet, Beauxbatons was pleased to watch the spectacle. Fleur in particular looked over with obvious schadenfreude. She did not like Dudley, the man who had spoken so boldly when the champion list was announced. Of course, she did not like Harry much either. Even though he was the legendary Boy Who Lived, she did not think there was anything remarkable about him.
The Durmstrang students were quite angry. Karkaroff, however, wore a gloating expression. Viktor's face did not reveal much. He himself actually had a favorable impression of Dudley and Harry.
"Not badly written."
Compared with the indignant Hogwarts students, Dudley looked much calmer. He slowly finished reading the newspaper and flicked it lightly with his finger.
"Her ability to invent stories barely qualifies her as a hack novelist."
"How can you still sit there, Dudley?"
Hermione interrupted him loudly, her cheeks puffed with anger. That woman had not only fabricated things about her, but had also written many bad things about Dudley. The key point was that many of them made no sense at all.
"If you get angry, would that not mean she succeeded?"
Dudley lightly pinched Hermione's puffed cheek. Her defense broke instantly. Her face flushed red, and she slapped Dudley hard.
It barely hurt.
The surrounding young wizards watched in amazement. Only Mr. Dursley dared treat the furious Gryffindor lioness that way. If it had been anyone else, she might have broken three of their legs.
The sharp-eyed Slytherin students even noticed Harry silently adjusting his glasses from the side.
It was over. The Daily Prophet was finished.
"Are we just supposed to endure it?"
"When have you ever seen me endure something?"
Dudley smiled. "I warned her, and I warned the Daily Prophet."
If that woman had not created trouble for herself, how could he have a reason to deal with the Daily Prophet?
"I, Dudley Dursley, always repay my debts."
Dudley smiled brightly, showing two rows of terrifyingly white teeth. The young wizards nearby felt uneasy. The Slytherins in particular, having suffered before, shivered in unison.
The newspaper, filled with false information about Dudley and Harry, sold extremely well, exactly as Dudley had expected. Even wizards were not immune to gossip. Gossip was a shared human trait. Everyone was curious about what kind of person the Boy Who Lived truly was. As for Dudley, most people's impression of him was only that he had invented Wizard Cards. Only a small number of wizards knew that he was not only the famous Mr. Jerry, but also a First Class Order of Merlin recipient and the youngest member of the Wizengamot.
After reading the article, people were greatly shocked.
So student circles were this chaotic?
At the Daily Prophet office, Rita Skeeter, the culprit behind the article, was in an excellent mood because the newspaper had sold so well. She was touching up her makeup, trying to hide the wrinkles with powder. She had an important appointment that evening.
"Are you not worried about causing trouble for yourself, Miss Skeeter? I hear Dursley is a very popular author, even more popular than that fraud Lockhart was."
A paunchy man walked over. He was Barnabas Cuffe, editor of the Daily Prophet.
"I told you to call me Miss. I am not married."
Rita Skeeter shrieked so sharply that she nearly shattered the editor's eardrums.
"Yes, yes, Miss Skeeter."
Barnabas Cuffe dug at his ear forcefully.
Only then did Rita Skeeter let it go. In her usual tone, she said, "Mm-hm. So what if he is more popular than Lockhart? He is only a book scribbler. We both write, but I do not think he can compare with us. I truly do not know what he has to be so arrogant about. He will learn what happens when he offends the Daily Prophet. And Mr. Cuffe, I think you should not be asking me that question. You are the paper's editor, are you not?"
"Me? What do I have to worry about?"
Barnabas Cuffe shrugged. "Your copy gave me truthful information. We merely speak with facts."
In their eyes, so what if the other party became angry? As Rita Skeeter had said, he was only a book writer. He had dared show the Daily Prophet a cold face, so this was what he deserved. As for Dudley's threat, what storm had the Daily Prophet not seen? Was it not still standing?
Suddenly, with a bang, the newsroom door was shoved open hard. Two wizards in uniform walked in.
"Is Rita Skeeter here?"
Rita Skeeter looked at them in confusion. "I am. You are..."
"Magical Law Enforcement. Someone has accused you of malicious fabrication, defamation, unauthorized use of likeness, and several other charges. Multiple wizards have been harmed by your rumors, and the case has caused extremely negative effects in the wizarding world. This is a Wizengamot summons. You are required to come to the Ministry of Magic now and assist with the investigation."
The two men showed Rita Skeeter their Ministry identification and presented a summons bearing an official seal.
Aside from the Auror Office, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement also had Hit Wizards assigned to enforcement work.
Aurors were responsible for catching Dark wizards. Hit Wizards were responsible for arresting wizarding criminals. The two groups handled different kinds of threats within magical law enforcement.
"Wait. You cannot arrest me. I am a reporter for the Daily Prophet!"
Rita Skeeter shouted loudly, unwilling to leave with them.
"Are you resisting?"
The two Hit Wizards immediately drew their wands and pointed them at Rita Skeeter.
Hit Wizards were generally not as elite as Aurors, but in terms of dealing with criminals, Aurors were far less experienced than they were. Since Rita Skeeter had not cooperated immediately, she was treated as someone intending to resist.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
The spell struck Rita Skeeter. Her legs instantly became rigid, and she fell straight over.
"I will accuse you of using violence! I will sue you! Just wait. You will lose your jobs for this!"
Rita Skeeter, face on the floor, cursed the two men like a madwoman. The men merely looked at her and added another spell.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Good. Now she could not shout either. Not only her legs, but her entire body was stiff where she lay.
When the two men carried Rita Skeeter away, a pale powdery imprint of a human face remained on the floor. Rita Skeeter's face, to be precise.
"This..."
It took Barnabas Cuffe a while to react. He stared in disbelief in the direction the others had left.
Had the Ministry gone mad? Since when did they have this much courage? They dared arrest the Daily Prophet's sharpest quill. Were they not afraid of receiving an entire room full of Howlers from angry wizards tomorrow?
Very quickly, Barnabas Cuffe became excited.
Was this not perfect? It would be best if Rita Skeeter did not return today at all. Tomorrow's newspaper would sell well again.
He had already thought of the headline:
The Ministry of Magic: Violent Law Enforcement!
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