Chapter 671: Chapter 671: A Great Victory (Edited)
In the face of Rita's attack, Harry remained unfazed; he had foreseen this. Calmly, he organized and collected the letters of support from his followers and Rita Skeeter's victims, responding to each one while gathering evidence.
Even though Harry continued to write articles from the editorial room, he didn't remain silent. He announced that he would respond to Mrs. Skeeter in the next issue of "Bedtime Tidings."
Although Harry had only mentioned the news to his close companions, what is Hogwarts? It was the only magic school in the UK. Publishing news here was equivalent to holding a press conference. In less than a day, the showdown between Harry and Rita Skeeter spread throughout the wizarding world.
The Boy Who Lived against the venomous Prophet reporter, their clash was like a collision of planets. The entire wizarding world was amazed.
Originally, with Voldemort's retreat and the inactivity of the Death Eaters, and while the Triwizard Tournament was on hiatus between the first and second task, the wizarding world was at peace. But now, Harry and Rita had put on a big show, adding excitement to the peaceful life. Therefore, everyone focused their attention on this showdown and watched from a distance.
When the weekend arrived and the second issue of "Bedtime Tidings" was printed, it was snatched up in an instant by the students waiting outside the printing press.
Despite the editorial team being prepared and printing double the copies, there were still many young wizards who couldn't get one.
The reason was simple: some students in the front of the line took more than one copy. Some wanted them for themselves, others to send to their families, which meant two copies. And if they had many relatives, they needed even more.
This situation caused discontent among the young wizards who couldn't get the newspaper.
"Hey, why do you have the right to take so many copies?" An older Slytherin student grabbed a third-year Gryffindor student by the collar and dragged him closer.
He snatched the newspapers away and, upon counting, found he had four copies, which further infuriated the now empty-handed Gryffindor.
"It's because I have many relatives..." The Gryffindor student knew he was in the wrong, lowered his head, and dared not argue with the older student.
"But I don't even have one copy." The boy who stopped him was Slytherin's Seeker, Lucien Bole. Due to his anger, he appeared even more imposing; his chest and arm muscles stood out, making him look like a gorilla standing there.
"It's precisely because of people like you that I wasted my time here in vain," Lucien clenched his fists.
The Gryffindor student who was stopped was stunned and hastily said, "You can take these copies..."
"Of course!" Lucien glared at the boy angrily and kept two copies for himself, then handed the other two to his friend, Peregrine Derrick.
"Wait, I..." The student wanted to say something more, but Lucien looked at him with anger, and he obediently fell silent.
"What, you, you? There's too much unnecessary talk!" Lucien pushed the boy and prepared to leave with the newspapers.
Angelina couldn't take it anymore and came out to defend the boy, stopping Lucien and Derrick.
"They've been too much!" Angelina was indignant. "It's wrong that he took so many copies, but at least you should leave him one."
Angelina was acquainted with Lucien and Derrick. As Slytherin Quidditch players, she had built up a great deal of animosity with the Gryffindor team, including Angelina.
Therefore, they naturally showed no courtesy and wanted to teach her a little lesson—did they expect her to return a copy? There was no chance!
"So, what do you mean? You say you don't want others to take more, but you got two copies for yourself," Angelina pointed at the newspapers in her hands and said loudly.
Their dispute attracted the attention of the onlooking crowd, who pointed and explained what had happened to the curious ones who were not in the know.
Soon, the young wizards who were watching divided into two camps. One group regarded the Slytherin students as bullies taking out their frustration on the weaker ones, while the other group thought that, although Lucien and his friend were acting authoritatively, it was also not right to take more than necessary.
Interestingly, those who belonged to the first group were the ones who had received the newspaper, while those in the second group, for the most part, didn't have one.
The hallway was filled with tension, and a confrontation seemed imminent.
Noticing that he and his friend were being pushed into the center of the dispute, Lucien had an idea and immediately handed the two additional copies to other Slytherin students.
"What do you say now?" Lucien praised himself, satisfied with his cunning.
"Why don't you hand out the newspapers in the order of the line? Right now, you're only giving them to Slytherin students, which is equivalent to robbing others of the newspapers," Angelina responded without missing a beat. More Gryffindor students arrived at the scene, drawn by the commotion, making her feel even more confident.
"Are you looking for trouble?" Lucien got angry, and his hand moved closer to his wand. The situation was no longer just a verbal dispute; some Slytherin students also approached.
"Accio newspaper!" Suddenly, a female voice joined the scene and broke the building anger between the two groups.
Hermione appeared suddenly and, with the "Accio" spell, took the newspaper.
"What are you doing, Granger?" Lucien was furious but also cautious of Hermione and her boyfriend, Tom Yodel.
"Geminio," Hermione pointed her wand at the newspaper in her hand, and it instantly split into two copies. "They'll return to their original appearance after a while, but at least now they'll have enough to read."
Hermione handed the duplicated copies to Lucien.
"Please, we're wizards," she said disdainfully, then walked away from the conflict area, taking the newspaper with her. At that moment, Harry and Luna also arrived with freshly printed copies.
The dispute faded away without a trace.
While student conflicts were easily resolved, the differences between Harry and Rita Skeeter would not be resolved with a simple duplication spell.
Upon opening the second issue of "Bedtime Tidings," you could see that Harry had written in bold letters at the beginning: [Barkings].
This title couldn't help but make people associate it with the theory of "throwing a stone into a pack of dogs" that Rita Skeeter had proposed earlier; just from the title, a strong scent of gunpowder could be perceived.
Upon receiving the newspaper, Angelina stopped arguing with the Slytherin students and quickly searched for Harry's response in his article.
["I don't know if Miss Rita Skeeter seriously considered what she wrote before putting that phrase, but according to her theory, she must be the one barking the loudest, right? According to her logic, she's the one who's been hit by a stone."]
Reading the first line, Angelina couldn't help but laugh. The Gryffindor students around her also seemed very pleased.
The dispute between Harry and Rita Skeeter had only just begun, and Mrs. Skeeter hadn't had time to launch her media offensive to brainwash passersby. Therefore, the young wizards of Gryffindor impulsively chose to support their fellow Harry Potter. After all, Rita was as fictional as her articles, whereas Harry was very real. His behavior over the past four years was well known to everyone. Comparing the two, they naturally leaned more towards Harry.
After a brief counterattack at the beginning, Harry began to present his content.
[What Aunt Skeeter said is not actually wrong. If someone is bothered by a certain comment, that indicates that this comment has something to do with what concerns them. If someone doesn't care at all, how could they get angry?
But the problem we face now is that only a small group of people has the power to throw "stones," and this group, even if they aim at the wrong person, won't be criticized, let alone held accountable. This group of "people" has the power to regard others as "dogs," and I believe that's wrong. Before throwing a stone, one must exercise care and caution, and if someone is accidentally hurt, they should also apologize or have their stone-throwing power revoked.]
Harry's words prompted reflection in others.
"What's with the dogs and stones?" Ron scratched his head, "Isn't it about that old witch Rita Skeeter?"
"Harry believes that articles published by journalists like Rita should be supervised and reviewed," Angelina explained to Ron. "Harry has even cited several examples to demonstrate how Rita has fabricated facts and caused trouble for others during her interviews. The upcoming editions of 'Bedtime Tidings' will track and report on these figures!"
The second issue of "Bedtime Tidings" sparked intense discussions in the wizarding world, from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade, from the Ministry of Magic to wizarding villages. Everyone was debating whether there should be restrictions on the power of journalists.
"Journalists have too much power!"
"But if we restrict freedom of expression, won't it affect public opinion oversight?"
Arguments for and against became increasingly heated, even the Ministry of Magic was considering establishing a department to control opinions in the Daily Prophet.
The wizards at the Ministry were naturally in favor, as they believed that the more power they had, the better. But the greater the support, the greater the opposition. Many opposed simply because, if journalists became minions of Ministry officials, they would only sing their praises, so how would the public opinion oversight they should carry out be done?
Both sides argued without reaching a solution, and the situation remained deadlocked.
But regardless of the outcome, the Hogwarts school newspaper, "Bedtime Tidings," had gained great notoriety. Countless letters arrived from different parts of England asking if it was possible to subscribe to "Bedtime Tidings."
Of course, Harry replied yes and offered a very low price, the same as the Daily Prophet, just one knut per copy.
That amount of money barely covered the cost of a snack for the messenger owls. The main source of funding for "Bedtime Tidings" was still the advertising at the end of the newspaper.
While "Bedtime Tidings" spread throughout the wizarding world, Fred and George Weasley also seized the opportunity to expand Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes worldwide. Many knew that there were two Weasley children at Hogwarts who had opened a joke shop.
This drove Mrs. Weasley crazy with anger, and she used her last resort: the Howler. But this artifact had limited effect on Fred and George, who had accumulated enough experience over all those years of mischief and could be incredibly shameless. So they cleaned up the ashes of the Howler from their tables and then informed their peers that everything was on sale with a 10% discount.
Both of them were in a situation where they had nothing to lose anymore, after all, their mother wouldn't come to Hogwarts to kill them, so what did they have to fear? Of course, they still had to be cautious in their dealings, as many of the products were on the list of prohibited items at Hogwarts.
In the days following the arrival of the Howlers, Percy followed the twins closely, but it was to no avail. Fred and George had a hundred ways to carry out transactions in secret, so Percy couldn't prevent them from accumulating ample profits.
Given their mother's intense reaction, Fred and George had already made a decision... they wouldn't return to the Burrow during the summer holidays! Perhaps it would be a good option to rent a small shop or stall in Diagon Alley.
As for the initial capital, Fred and George thought they might be able to save enough money before the end of the school year. It would be great if they could also recover the debt that Bagman owed them.
Thanks to the exposure brought by the advertisements, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes made a lot of money, attracting more stores to this newly born newspaper. Flourish and Blotts, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Honeydukes... a variety of shops applied for advertisements, generating revenue for "Bedtime Tidings." This revenue would be used to pay writer fees and cover the newspaper's operating expenses.
Thus, a positive cycle was established, and Harry's newspaper gradually took shape.
While "Bedtime Tidings" gained fame, its nemesis, Rita Skeeter, wasn't so lucky.
A large number of witches and wizards she had defamed came out of nowhere and held her accountable. They forced her to publicly announce her temporary retirement from journalism before the liquidation was complete. But soon after, Rita received a summons from the Ministry of Magic; Hogwarts had sued her before the Wizengamot, demanding that she explain the source of information for her article on Hagrid's lineage.
Hogwarts wouldn't accuse an innocent person or spare a guilty one. If Rita claimed that Hagrid was a half-giant, then she had to present evidence! Even if she could present evidence, there was still a hurdle waiting for her: Rita had been banned from entering Hogwarts for journalistic activities, so how did she obtain that evidence?
The lawsuit was enough to keep Rita Skeeter too busy to spew nonsense in the Daily Prophet.
With Rita Skeeter out of the picture, the wizarding world returned to calm, and the commotion at Hogwarts subsided.
The days of tranquility passed, and when the calendar reached February, the second event of the Triwizard Tournament arrived.
Chapter 672: Chapter 672: The Second Event (Edited)
[Helga Hufflepuff's Cup (damaged): The personal possession of Helga Hufflepuff, one of the founders of Hogwarts. Before it was damaged, it might have had some special magical power, but now it's just an ordinary cup.]
Tom played with the golden cup in his hands. This cup once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, but it later became one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and now it was simply an ordinary cup with nothing special about it. Although calling it ordinary wasn't entirely correct because, magic aside, the cup was made of pure gold and still had significant value.
At this moment, there was a very noticeable reddish-brown streak on Helga Hufflepuff's cup, as if it were oxidized. Yes, gold can also oxidize! Although gold itself is chemically very stable, it has a strong chemical affinity with sulfides and can adsorb hydrogen sulfide gases from the air, resulting in the appearance of dark colors like oranges or reddish-browns on its surface. Furthermore, not to mention the limitations of ancient manufacturing techniques, gold often contains impurities.
Tom knew that this mark was probably caused by Godric Gryffindor's sword, a very valuable sword made by goblins, which had the ability to absorb things that would make it stronger. Who knows how many poisonous magical creatures Godric Gryffindor had killed with this sword, as it only needed one thrust to destroy a Horcrux, no need to strike it twice.
"Have you discovered anything interesting?" Hermione leaned bored on Tom's shoulder, playing with her hair while looking at the cup in his hands.
"If you'd like, you can drink from it." Tom rested his cheek against Hermione's bun, nuzzling her playfully and whispering in her ear.
"No, thanks." Hermione didn't like the idea of drinking from a cup that had once been a Horcrux of Voldemort, so, of course, she wouldn't use it for drinking.
"Very well, as you wish..."
Hermione still wanted to say something, but her face suddenly turned red. She spoke quietly but hurriedly, "Tom, please... it's a public place..."
"Oh? How do I recall that someone has ever been in a library... [oh]?"
Hermione's face was now as red as the sunset.
"It was an accident..."
"An accident?"
"Yes!"
...
While the two were playing, Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared, startling them.
"For making noise in the library, five points deducted from Ravenclaw." Professor McGonagall was also young at some point, and she knew perfectly well what mischief these two young couples had in mind, so she showed no mercy and deducted points from both of them.
"Mr. Yodel, after tonight's dinner, come to my office." After punishing them a bit, Professor McGonagall said calmly.
Tom: ???
His mouth could have held an egg at that moment.
"Professor McGonagall, you must have made a mistake. How could it be me? You'd better choose someone else, and if it's Hermione, let me decline on her behalf." Limited by the confidentiality agreement, Tom couldn't reveal too much, but he chose to playfully hint to Professor McGonagall to choose someone else.
Yes, before the start of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, the organizers would find the most valuable person to each champion and submerge them in the depths of the Black Lake. The champions would have to pass a series of tests to rescue the most valuable person to them.
Tom felt this was ridiculous. Who was the most valuable person to the champions? Wouldn't the organizer decide that?
Although it was a bit idealistic, Tom simply accepted the situation. But was it too absurd for him to be chosen? Did he have any connection to any of the three champions? Tom thought Dumbledore was up to something.
Professor McGonagall looked at Tom, not saying much more, then left the library, leaving Tom sitting there with a bewildered expression.
"So, what's the content of the second task? Why are you so angry?" Hermione asked, very curious. Both of them were sitting in a corner of the Charms classroom, allowing themselves a quiet and relaxed conversation.
This class was perfect for getting distracted, as they were practicing the Banishing Charm, the opposite of the Summoning Charm, which could send objects away from the wizard. So the classroom was a bit chaotic, which allowed them to speak quietly.
"There's no problem in telling you..." Tom explained to Hermione the reason Professor McGonagall had sought him out.
"Honestly, it surprises me because I don't understand why they chose me. If they had chosen you, it would make sense, but why me?"
Hermione: ...
"Maybe you're the most important person to Miss Delacour," she said sarcastically.
"Are you kidding?!" Tom was surprised, "The most important person to her would be her sister!"
"How do you know she has a sister?"
Tom: ...
They couldn't talk anymore that day.
In the end, Tom went to Professor McGonagall's office at night. When he opened the door, he found Cho Chang, Luna, and Professor McGonagall waiting for him.
Tom raised an eyebrow; it was clear now. Hermione was right. Cho Chang was the most valuable to Cedric, Luna to Krum, and, by process of elimination, he was the most valuable to Fleur.
"Professor, there must be some mistake..." Tom felt uncomfortable. What was going on? Why had they chosen him? How would he explain this to Hermione?
Professor McGonagall finally revealed the truth to Tom. It turned out that the organizers had the chance to meet with the three champions and had hypnotized and interrogated them. Then, they modified the memories of the three.
The most important people to the champions were determined from the results of the interrogation.
Upon hearing this, Cho Chang blushed, Luna's eyes shone with joy, but Tom's eyes were filled with fear.
Seeing Tom's stunned expression, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Yodel, you're not actually Miss Delacour's first choice... it's just that her first choice left Hogwarts some time ago and is not available now. So we turned to the person she considers most important or longs for the most."
Professor McGonagall seemed to be suppressing a laugh. "Miss Delacour has many grievances against you."
Tom's face became very interesting: all because he declined her dance invitation? Really?
"I hope you can help us, Yodel," Professor McGonagall said with a serious look.
"What if they don't end up rescuing me?" Tom thought maybe Fleur, upon seeing him at the bottom of the lake, would decide to leave him there.
Tom: ...
Reluctantly, Tom finally drank the potion offered by Professor McGonagall and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the competition began as planned. The stands by the lake were filled with students from the three schools, and beneath the stands were a series of small wooden cabins surrounding the lake.
Students chatted and speculated about what was inside the cabins.
"There's probably a wizard in each room, and the champions will have to defeat the wizard to move to the next floor."
"But there aren't enough wizards for that... Are some older students involved in the challenge?"
"It doesn't seem like it; I didn't see any older students missing."
As Hermione listened to the buzz around her, she felt uneasy. She didn't understand how her boyfriend suddenly became the most important person to another woman. Tom hadn't had time to tell Hermione the truth before Professor McGonagall interrupted. If Hermione knew that Tom was Fleur's "Plan B" and was included on the list because he rejected Fleur's invitation, she would surely burst into laughter.
But she felt relieved because Tom was her partner now.
What more could Fleur do if Tom Yodel liked Hermione Granger more? Tom Yodel's first kiss wasn't from Fleur but from me, Hermione Granger!
When the three champions gathered, they looked at each other without saying a word.
There was nothing more to say. The three were completely puzzled about the challenge ahead.
After the first task, they didn't get much information about the second. Now, standing by the Black Lake, all three had a bad feeling about what lay ahead.
As everyone gathered, Ludo Bagman stood in a prominent spot in the stands and began explaining the rules of the challenge.
"First, we'll review the results of the three champions in the first round of the competition. Cedric Diggory scored 88 points in the first event, taking the first place. Viktor Krum from Durmstrang scored 40 points, taking second place. Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, 32 points, needs to improve her score." Ludo Bagman was radiant and excited.
His excitement was simple: he no longer had to pay his debts!
At the final of the Quidditch World Cup, he owed goblins a large amount of money. These goblins had very powerful connections, and even he, as a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official, didn't dare not to pay them. So he had to find a way to pay them. But recently, Gringotts had a crisis, and a group of high-ranking officials were arrested, including some of his creditors.
With no creditors, naturally, he didn't have to pay, so he was very happy.
"In the second challenge, the champions must overcome trials to rescue the most important and beloved people in their hearts, their 'treasures,' who are now... there," Bagman shouted loudly while pointing at the lake.
"Yes, in the bottom of the lake! We've sunk the most important people for the three champions into the lake. They have three hours to retrieve what has been taken from them. If, after three hours, they haven't succeeded... hehehe." Bagman chuckled maliciously, not mentioning the consequences for the three after that time.
The three champions immediately looked towards the lake, but all they saw was the dark water with nothing else.
The black water of the lake seemed capable of engulfing all hope and life. No one knew what lay beneath the water's surface, and this challenge could be enough to make someone with thalassophobia die of fear on the spot.
As they gazed at the deep and seemingly endless surface of the lake, Fleur's face turned pale. In her mind, the person submerged in the Black Lake had to be her younger sister. Due to the magnitude of the commotion caused by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Fleur had sent her sister home to keep her safe. She wondered how she could be involved if she had already sent her sister back home.
Both Krum and Cedric looked uncomfortable, quickly seeking solutions and ways to stay underwater for several hours.
"We've said that the advantage gained in the first task would carry over to the second, so now, please approach, the three champions. The organizing committee has provided you with some small items that may assist you in solving this challenge," announced Bagman to the three.
Immediately, the three approached him.
Bagman made a hand gesture, and a table appeared in front of the champions with two objects on it. On the left, there was a mass of greenish-gray intertwined rat tails, and on the right, a metal canister with a meter and a connected breathing apparatus, along with a small booklet.
Cedric, coming from a wizarding family, was puzzled by the object on the right but recognized the plant on the left as "gillyweed," which allowed people to breathe underwater.
Both Fleur and Krum had some knowledge of the Muggle world and recognized the objects on the table as scuba diving equipment used by Muggles. It was self-contained underwater breathing apparatus equipment that allowed divers to breathe freely underwater.
"What you see in front are two small items that can help you. The 'gillyweed' on the left requires 30 points to redeem, and the scuba diving equipment on the right needs 20 points. But wait, there's more to say. You can't enter the Black Lake directly; first, you must go through those cabins. But we can simplify that process by using points!" Bagman stopped Cedric when he was about to take the "gillyweed," indicating that he should listen to everything first.
"In those cabins, there are three levels of tests, but you can choose to skip the tests by spending points. One test can be skipped for 30 points!"
Upon hearing this new rule, the three champions immediately began calculating in their minds.
There were only two items available, which meant that if the first two champions chose them, Fleur, who was in third place, would have no chance. But Krum's score was a bit awkward; if he bought the item, he couldn't skip the test, and if he got stuck in the test without being able to get out, it would be a problem.
The items also had advantages and disadvantages. The "gillyweed" was better than scuba diving equipment. In addition to the unknown ability of the three wizards to use scuba gear, just the weight of the scuba gear made them reconsider: if they chose it, they would have to carry it while completing the tests. If there were intense physical tests, they would definitely be exhausted.
"Well, let's decide in order of the score. Mr. Diggory, have you made a decision?" Bagman looked at Cedric with some expectation. Cedric thought for a moment and made his decision.
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