Chapter 354: The Love-Hate Story of Black
Chapter 354: The Love-Hate Story of Black
Since they boarded the train just before departure, there were hardly any empty compartments left... but they didn't need one.
After walking towards the front for a while, they encountered Cedric, who had just emerged from a nearby compartment and was heading towards the front of the train.
"Oh, Mr. Cedric," Fred said, jogging a few steps to stand before him and bowing slightly, "It's such an honor to meet you here."
"It's truly an honor," George echoed, following closely behind.
Cedric took a cautious step back.
"You two are up to no good again."
After these years of acquaintance, he knew their personalities all too well.
To put it simply, from the smile that Fred unconsciously revealed upon seeing Cedric, Cedric could discern whether it was the joy of a long-awaited reunion or a premeditated disguise.
And the answer was clearly the latter.
Such politeness was a telltale sign of trouble.
"You've grown distant, your feelings have faded," Fred sighed. "You used to run over and embrace us, but just now, you took a step back."
"You've become so formal," George added, feigning a pained expression, "You weren't like this before becoming Head Prefect."
"That goes without saying, George," Fred said. "Head Prefect Cedric should probably prefer to be friends with Percy."
"Be friends with Percy?" Fred exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror. "Does that mean you'll have to carry that book, 'The Guide to Becoming Head Prefect,' from now on?"
"I'm afraid that's the case," George nodded solemnly.
"Kyle, you must never become a Head Prefect."
"Because it will make your life so much less fun."
Just as Kyle was happily enjoying the show, he suddenly lost his smile... He hadn't even said a word, yet he was being unfairly implicated.
He was only in his fourth year, and Fred and George were already considering his future for next year?
What deep-seated grudge did these brothers hold against the Head Prefect?
"What are you talking about?"
At this moment, Cedric frowned and looked at them disdainfully, "Also, how did you know I became a Head Prefect? I don't recall telling you."
The same old story—after years of friendship, Cedric knew their personalities like the back of his hand.
And it wasn't the first time they had mocked Percy.
So, from the very beginning, he had no intention of telling them about this. He wanted to delay it as long as possible. Even when he came out earlier, he didn't wear his Head Prefect badge.
"Do I need to tell you?" Fred rolled his eyes. "Four consecutive years as the top student, who else could be the Head Prefect if not you?"
"I think you must not have visited the Ministry of Magic before," George suddenly couldn't help but laugh, "Currently, there are two pieces of information that are most frequently mentioned in the Ministry."
"The escaped Sirius Black..."
"And you becoming the new Head Prefect."
"Mr. Digory is truly formidable. His publicity is on par with that of The Daily Prophet."
Cedric's face turned red instantly, "He specifically promised me not to spread the news."
Kyle shook his head beside him.
Cedric was still too naive. It was as impossible as not allowing Percy to flaunt his Prefect of the Male Students badge.
"So, are you heading to the Head Prefect compartment now?" Kyle asked.
"I didn't want to go," Cedric said, "but Percy reminded me three times in five minutes, insisting that I must go."
"Then go ahead," George patted his shoulder, "Oh, by the way, remember to ask him later if the previous Prefect of the Male Students also told others that he had an incredibly large head."
"And that he wore it on his chest... I personally find it quite comical."
"What are you doing here?"
At this moment, Percy suddenly appeared behind them.
"You were just talking about something comical..."
"Nothing," Fred replied vaguely, "We just saw someone wearing a very comical badge... It was hilarious."
Percy frowned, his intuition telling him that Fred and George were up to something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I'm warning you, behave yourselves, or else..."
"Deduction of points?"
"Or detention?"
"We were just having a chat in the corridor," Fred said, "I don't think that's against the rules."
"I'll be watching you..."
Percy's face turned sour, and he ignored the twins, turning to Cedric instead, "Hurry up, I still have some announcements from the professor to make, I'm waiting for you."
Cedric spread his hands and followed him towards the front of the train.
Later, Kyle and the others found the compartment he had exited from.
Conna and Autumn were already inside, along with Ginny and Luna.
The four girls were sitting together, reading The Quibbler, but aside from Luna, the other three didn't seem very interested.
When Kyle and the others entered, Autumn even yawned.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"Some... interesting speculations."
"This magazine claims that Sirius Black was intentionally released by Fudge to secretly eliminate those who didn't support him," Conna whispered.
"Perhaps this is the truth," Luna raised her head and said, "Otherwise, why would the Ministry of Magic have searched for him for a month without any leads?"
"And this..." Ginny stretched her neck and read, "There might be a secret relationship between Sirius Black and Fudge.
Fudge, being constrained and unpopular, had Sirius Black voluntarily give up his freedom and enter Azkaban with a deadly determination to win over the criminals for Fudge.
After a decade or so, he might have built a secret army specifically to clear obstacles for Fudge, and all those who opposed him were controlled by poison.
But Fudge couldn't bear to let Black stay in that dark place any longer, so he secretly released him..."
Kyle clicked his tongue.
What is this, the untold story of Black and Fudge? The writer of this article is quite something.
Black's expression would be quite a sight if he saw this.
Too bad The Quibbler doesn't have high sales; it would be better if it was published in The Daily Prophet.
"But everyone knows that Sirius Black is a Death Eater," Ginny asked in confusion, "How could he possibly be on Fudge's side?"
"That's just his cover identity," Luna said, "The contributor mentioned that Black is the only Death Eater who wasn't tried, which is likely due to Fudge using his privileges for some underhanded dealings."
"But wasn't he the Minister at that time?"
"He became the Minister later," Luna said, "And there were no competitors."
The compartment fell silent.
It felt like... at first glance, it sounded somewhat reasonable, and if they hadn't already known about Black's deeds, they might have believed it.
Kyle couldn't help but shake his head; he also remembered a previous issue of The Quibbler.
There was an article in it claiming that Fudge had the Department of Mysteries develop a poison specifically to control his opponents.
At the time, Diana was so angry that she almost grabbed her wand to have a chat with Mr. Lovegood.
Unbeknownst to them, a few years later, the content was connected... so the poison Black used was developed by the Department of Mysteries.
No wonder Chris mentioned that foreign wizards might like this magazine; these stories about the love and hate affairs and gossip involving the Minister of Magic are quite entertaining.
And if it were about the ministers of other countries, the entertainment value would double.
After all, they don't know much about other countries, so they can read without thinking and just enjoy the fun.
(End of Chapter)
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