Chapter 1058: Truth and Lies
Chapter 1058: Truth and Lies
Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, and Albert took the umbrella offered by Isabelle and ventured into the rain-drenched streets.
Hogsmeade looked deserted in the rain, devoid of any Valentine's Day cheer. The passersby on the street hurried along, and there were barely any students in sight.
Albert paused briefly in front of the Death Eater wanted poster. The bounty offered was the same as it had been for Sirius Black—a thousand galleons for anyone who could provide information leading to the capture of the fugitive.
But how credible was this wanted poster? The credibility of the Ministry of Magic was appallingly low at the moment.
However, it might not be a bad idea to expose Voldemort's lair and let the Ministry take the fall for it.
Cold raindrops hit the umbrella and splashed onto Albert's boots as he continued on his way, heading toward the Three Broomsticks pub with a pattering sound.
Due to the rain, the Three Broomsticks was livelier than usual. As Albert's gaze swept the pub, he spotted Lee Jordan waving at him.
"You're here much sooner than I expected!" Lee Jordan moved aside to make room for Albert to sit down.
"Where did you leave off in your discussion?" Albert asked straightforwardly.
"We've pretty much covered everything," Lee Jordan said, gesturing to the reporter facing them and indicating that she could ask any questions she had.
"Ahem!"
Rita Skeeter gave a slight cough and put down the parchment she had been holding.
"Get to the point," Albert said, not interested in beating around the bush.
"You can't expect me to write for free. At the very least, I'll need a fee that matches this price," Rita Skeeter said, holding out her palm to Albert. She knew that the young man before her had no shortage of money. "Also, this article cannot bear my signature."
"So, you're scared too," Albert said, amused as he surveyed Rita Skeeter, who was no longer as glamorous as she used to be. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything, considering how often you've caused trouble for the Ministry of Magic in the past." He turned to Luna and asked, "Would the lack of a signature be a problem?"
"Not at all," Luna replied, fiddling with the tiny paper umbrella in her drink as she hummed 'Weasley Is Our King'. "But many people submit articles to The Quibbler precisely because they want their work published in the magazine."
"I can only offer you this much," Albert said, holding up two fingers. "I can give you half the payment now."
As he spoke, Lee Jordan pulled a small bag of galleons from his pocket and placed it in front of Rita Skeeter.
"To be honest, there's no market for this type of article," Rita Skeeter said. "And if it's published in The Quibbler, do you really think people will take it seriously? I think you, of all people, should be clear on that." She really didn't want to get involved with anything related to the mysterious figure; even without thinking, she knew it was extremely dangerous.
"Or are you planning to publish it in..." Rita Skeeter's words trailed off as she was interrupted.
"That's not something you need to concern yourself with," Albert said calmly, taking a sip of his butterbeer.
Of course, the main publication would be The Quibbler, while the Defense Daily would serve to divert the Ministry's attention. Otherwise, once this earth-shattering article was released, there would be no one to take the initial heat, and even The Quibbler would be in deep trouble.
"Alright, deal. They're really out of luck," Rita Skeeter muttered as she picked up the bag of galleons and stuffed it into her purse. She knew that if she didn't agree, there was a high chance her memory would be modified.
"Tell me your plan," Albert said, gesturing for her to proceed.
Rita Skeeter took out her notebook and shared her writing strategy with Albert. She intended to narrate the entire incident starting from last year's Triwizard Tournament, incorporating parts of Harry's previous article and Fudge's report, along with Umbridge's actions at Hogwarts and the Azkaban breakout.
Naturally, Albert's predictions for the future would also be included.
With Rita Skeeter's capabilities, crafting an article wasn't difficult. She had done similar things in the past, and now she could provide even more detailed insights.
"You left out one thing—the incident in Spain last summer," Albert reminded her. "Fudge insisted that Crouch, Goyl, and Crabbe weren't Death Eaters."
For some reason, after Rita Skeeter's thorough analysis, she got the feeling that Fudge might actually have connections to the Death Eaters.
"You don't need to directly affirm something," Albert added. "Instead, use an analytical and speculative tone, presenting the evidence before the readers and letting them draw their own conclusions." He was filling in the gaps that Rita Skeeter had missed.
He was well aware that people might not believe something just because others said it. However, if they saw the evidence, analyzed it themselves, and came to their own conclusions, they would likely be firmly convinced.
"I dare say that if this article is released, the entire Ministry of Magic will be in an uproar," Rita Skeeter said quietly. "Do you have a grudge against Fudge?"
"You should know that, too," Albert replied, taking a sip of his butterbeer. "Fudge has caused me some trouble in the past as well. You can consider this my small act of retaliation. Of course, there's no need to include this in the article."
"Are you sure it's just a little grudge?"
Rita Skeeter suspected that if this article were published, Fudge might actually be ousted from his position by the end of the summer.
Of course, Rita Skeeter had also heard the prophecy about Fudge's impending downfall.
Hmm, she wondered what she would think if she knew that the person responsible for that prophecy was sitting right in front of her.
The two of them discussed the article for about half an hour, refining its structure and content, before Rita Skeeter finally got up to leave. Before departing, she reminded them once again, "Absolutely, do not use my name."
She had no choice; she was also worried that Albert might dig a hole for her, and if that happened, she would truly be finished. Just look at what happened to Fudge—it was clear that you couldn't afford to offend that heartless young man.
After Rita Skeeter left, Albert turned his attention to Luna.
"How are your preparations coming along?" he asked.
"What preparations?" Luna asked, confused, not immediately understanding Albert's question.
"For the Wizarding Card Club," Albert clarified.
"Oh, they're going well," Luna replied, comprehension dawning on her face.
"Time is running short," Albert said. "We'll be graduating at the end of June this year, and from then on, you'll have to rely on yourself. If you feel that you can't take over the club, I'll have to temporarily hand it over to Hermione Granger." After saying this, Albert turned to Lee Jordan and added, "You'd better hurry up, too. I have a feeling that Fred and George will be leaving Hogwarts early, and it might happen sooner rather than later."
"So, they really do plan to drop out early?" Lee Jordan muttered. "It's just a few months until graduation. Damn, I'm jealous."
"You knew this would happen," Albert said, then turned back to Luna. "Do you have any other questions? If there's anything you want to ask, now is the time. We'll answer them for you. If not, I'll be on my way."
"Well..." Luna pulled out a notebook from her pocket. "I do have a few questions.
After Valentine's Day, Albert's mood improved significantly. Perhaps it was because he had just spent the romantic day with Isabelle, or maybe it was because the Felix Felicis he had been brewing for half a year was finally ready. Or it could be that the predicted future hadn't deviated too much from his expectations—Fred and George had indeed left Hogwarts on their brooms, and Dumbledore had been ousted from his position as headmaster.
The known future might be uninteresting, but it was safe and predictable, and that was comforting.
Before the mysterious figure was defeated by Harry Potter, it was definitely not a good idea to let the plot veer too far off course, allowing the situation to spiral out of Albert's control.
Albert had never aspired to be a savior, and he despised the idea of having to clean up after others. If he could help it, he would never risk his life fighting Voldemort, even if defeating him would grant a significant amount of experience. It just wasn't worth the risk.
Back then, he had no choice. If he didn't try his hardest, he would end up a good-for-nothing loser. Besides, with the cheat system at his disposal, putting in a little extra effort would set him up for a successful life. But now, things were different. He had money, a family, a business, and a wife. He was already a winner in life, so why would he want to risk it all by fighting a powerful dark wizard like Voldemort? Even if he won, it would still be a losing proposition.
In this regard, Albert truly admired Dumbledore, despite their occasional differences of opinion on certain matters.
Not long after Valentine's Day, Hermione had been seeking him out frequently, each time looking like she wanted to say something but stopping short.
She had obviously noticed the issue with the prophecy.
In fact, anyone with a brain and a belief in prophecies would be able to find the answer within the prophecy, and Hermione was undoubtedly one of the best at this.
"In the near future, Dumbledore may die."
Looking at the savior trio who had finally come to him for answers, Albert calmly spoke the cruel truth.
"Who will do it?" Harry asked, his voice shaking after a moment of silence. He was having a hard time accepting this outcome.
"I saw the Dark Mark," Albert said quietly.
"That's impossible!" Ron exclaimed, clearly unwilling to accept this harsh reality as well.
"This situation is probably not what we imagine it to be. I refuse to believe that Dumbledore will fall at the hands of Death Eaters, even the mysterious figure wouldn't be able to defeat him." Hermione analyzed calmly, "There must be something we don't know about."
"Don't worry," Albert said, trying to soothe their worries, "The future is just a prediction, it hasn't happened yet, and it can still be forcibly changed. I've already told Dumbledore about this prophecy, and I believe that if he doesn't want to die, he will find a way to avoid any potential fatal dangers and alter his destiny. So, you don't need to worry about it."
"Can such a thing really be done?" Hermione asked in surprise. Not just her, but even Harry and Ron, who had been shocked by the news of Dumbledore's possible death, were now dumbfounded.
"Why would I lie to you?" Albert retorted.
"But..."
"As one of the most powerful wizards in the world, Dumbledore certainly has the ability to avoid danger and alter his future, as long as he knows about it in advance and is willing to take action," Albert explained, "Even with a Time-Turner, it is possible to alter the future to some extent, albeit at a great cost. Not to mention something as uncertain as divination."
"But your prophecies have always been accurate," Ron stammered.
"That's because I've never intentionally interfered," Albert guessed what they were thinking, "And those situations weren't worth my time or effort to change."
"And can a Time-Turner really do that?" Hermione asked, equally perplexed as this contradicted what she had learned.
"Yes, but it's risky," Albert said to Hermione, "Professor McGonagall said what she did to discourage anyone from attempting it. The vast majority of people would only make things worse, and besides..."
"Let me give you an example," Albert continued, "Let's say Potter kills Weasley in a duel. Then, Hermione, you go back in time and use the Stunning Spell to ambush both Potter and Weasley, preventing the duel from happening. The future might then change to someone ambushing Harry and Weasley, instead of Potter killing Weasley in a duel. And only you would know the truth."
"Must you use those names?" Harry couldn't help but complain, but he also felt relieved. To be honest, the news of Dumbledore's possible death had scared him quite a bit.
However, upon hearing Albert say that Dumbledore was aware of this and had a way to change the future, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
The future hadn't happened yet.
And it could be changed.
In fact, Albert was also curious about what the future would look like if Dumbledore didn't die. Where would the story lead then?
He didn't really want Dumbledore to die, after all, it was better to have a tall person holding up the sky instead of having to do it himself.
Unfortunately, even though he tried to comfort Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the future was uncertain. Who knew what would happen?
"By the way, there's something else I don't understand," Harry said, changing the subject after they had put the matter of Dumbledore's fate aside for now. "What is Umbridge trying to accomplish?"
"What is Umbridge trying to do?" Albert repeated.
"Yes, what is her endgame?" Harry persisted.
"She wants to expel you, get rid of Dumbledore, and become the new headmaster of Hogwarts," Albert replied.
"But what excuse will she use? The Defense Association?" Hermione asked, confused.
"You have to remember that they are the rule-makers," Albert said, "Whatever they say goes. If they say you've violated Ministry laws, then you have. You need to understand that within the rules they've established, you will never be their equal."
The trio gaped at him, as Albert's words hit them hard. Could it really be true?
"Your opponent has never been one to play by the rules," Albert continued, "Otherwise, Umbridge and Fudge wouldn't have come up with those ridiculous Educational Decrees to try and strip Dumbledore of his powers. As the ones who make the laws, they will always hold the upper hand, using these frameworks to bind and restrict others. Perhaps the original intent of the laws is good, but when the judicial system becomes corrupt and is used for evil, the consequences are far-reaching and devastating."
Albert looked at the silent trio and added, "In the Muggle world, the collapse of a country often starts with the decay of its legal system and justice. Soon, the rot spreads to other aspects, and everything falls apart."
"Even without me saying this, you can see the harm they're causing. When a government loses its credibility, its downfall is imminent, and the Ministry of Magic is already showing signs of this. That's why I said Fudge's successor will have a tough time. They won't be able to fix the mess, not even Dumbledore."
(End of Chapter)
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