บท 328: Chapter 328 "Weird Interview"

After the stout old man emerged from the fireplace, he dusted himself off and approached Dumbledore with a smile, embracing him warmly.

Dumbledore, seemingly expecting the old man's arrival, showed no signs of surprise.

He pointed towards Jerry, who stood by the desk, and explained with a smile, "You should thank Jerry Carmen for discovering Sirius and apprehending him single-handedly."

"Jerry Carmen?" The old man looked at Jerry in surprise, then seemed to recollect something and smiled.

"Ah, yes! Mr. Carmen is a talented Seeker on our Quidditch team. I never expected him to possess such formidable magical abilities and excel at Quidditch!"

"The truth is, Minister, your arrangement of Dementors and Aurors for patrolling left Sirius with nowhere to escape. I happened to seize the opportunity and catch him," Jerry replied, deliberately giving credit to the Minister, aware that the old man before him was Cornelius Fudge, the current British Minister of Magic.

Fudge's eyes lit up upon hearing Jerry's words, and he looked at Jerry with admiration. "Mr. Carmen, you will undoubtedly be the backbone of our wizarding world in the future!"

Under the protection of Dementors and Aurors, it was undoubtedly the Ministry of Magic's failure to prevent a dangerous Death Eater like Sirius from infiltrating the school.

When the words left Jerry's mouth, it turned into an accomplishment of the Ministry of Magic. Fudge couldn't help but appreciate this articulate young wizard.

"Minister, why have you come so late?" Dumbledore interjected, steering the conversation.

Fudge wasted no time and quickly expressed his intentions, "Headmaster Dumbledore, as you know, the entire wizarding world has been in unrest due to Sirius."

"I've faced scrutiny from the International Federation of Wizards. Now that Sirius has been apprehended, we must publicize the news to restore stability. I've brought Rita Skeeter, a reporter from the Daily Prophet."

Fudge meant to announce Sirius's arrest through the morning newspapers, allowing all wizards to learn about it and calm the storm.

"Indeed, the wizarding world needs tranquility. Please have Ms. Skeeter interview Mr. Carmen. He knows the process of discovering and capturing Sirius best." Dumbledore agreed, nodding and smiling before waving Jerry over.

"Mr. Carmen, this will require some of your night's rest. Feel free to reject it." Dumbledore said.

"It's my pleasure!" Jerry stepped forward to join Ms. Skeeter, the female reporter and looked at her with narrowed eyes, a half-smile forming as if he was brewing something.

Initially, the news of Sirius's arrest in this interview alone was a major breakthrough.

However, it was now not Hogwarts's professors or headmaster who had discovered and captured Sirius, but a third-year student.

This was undoubtedly another sensational revelation.

Moreover, this third-year student was exceptional in his own right. He was not only a talented Seeker on the English Quidditch team but also a star player who had led the team to victory on numerous occasions.

Ms. Skeeter could already envision the high demand for tomorrow morning's newspapers.

Perhaps, she could even embellish the truth and add more captivating content to fill the pages, such as fabricating complicated romantic relationships involving the third-year wizard at school.

That way, it would undoubtedly sell out by tomorrow morning.

"Mr. Carmen, please follow me. I'd like to conduct a private interview." Ms. Skeeter eagerly pulled Jerry towards the corner of the headmaster's office, with a photographer closely following behind.

The interview had to be held away from the prying eyes of the headmaster and the Minister, as sensitive questions would be difficult to ask or include in the article.

Jerry obediently followed Ms. Skeeter to the corner.

"Mr. Carmen, could you please share how you discovered and subdued Sirius?" Ms. Skeeter took out a journal and a dazzling green quill from her crocodile leather handbag, preparing to conduct the interview.

"No problem at all!" Jerry repeated the account he had given earlier to Dumbledore and the others.

"What? Your Patronus is a Giant? And you've created new flying magic? Are you planning to write a book on air magic and flying?" Through the interview, Ms. Skeeter quickly grasped the concept of true genius.

However, despite this, the content she recorded in her notebook with her shorthand pen included many additional private details, making it even more sensational and captivating.

For example, when mentioning Jerry's Patronus being a Giant, she added a paragraph about how Jerry fell in love with a Giant girl while traveling in Greece, so he summoned the Giant Patronus.

When describing Jerry's creation of the flying technique, she omitted that Jerry received guidance from the school professors and studied various magic books, instead adding that Jerry had a playmate who was a blood-cursed orc when he was an orphan.

The girl eventually transformed into a Pegasus and flew away, inspiring Jerry to create a new flying spell with white wings out of longing for her.

Even the magic book titled "The Theory of Air Magic and Flying" that Jerry was planning to write became a tribute to the blood-cursed orc girl who became a Pegasus.

As for how Jerry discovered Sirius, Ms. Skeeter described a scenario where Jerry and his little girlfriend were on a date in the woods outside the castle during a Halloween dinner at Hogwarts.

They coincidentally stumbled upon Sirius, who was plotting to enter the castle and harm Harry.

Sirius kidnaps Jerry's girlfriend, prompting Jerry to use his newly learned flying technique and the Patronus Charm to engage in a fierce magical duel, ultimately defeating the dreaded Death Eater and rescuing his girlfriend.

By the end of the interview, Ms. Skeeter had already come up with a headline for tomorrow's newspaper: "Sirius Arrested: Jerry Carmen, Prodigy or Genius?"

"Alright, that concludes today's interview. Thank you, Mr. Carmen, for your cooperation," Ms. Skeeter exclaimed excitedly as she closed her notebook, intending to conclude the interview and hastily begin drafting the article she had already planned.

Meanwhile, Jerry clicked his fingers, using a mind control spell to discreetly retrieve Ms. Skeeter's notebook and swiftly scan its contents.

"Ms. Skeeter, are you writing news or making up a fairy tale?" reading Ms. Skeeter's notes, Jerry felt his temples throbbing, his patience wearing thin.