Chapter 510: Making the Headlines
Chapter 510: Making the Headlines
Ron Weasley was having a less-than-pleasant summer vacation. Not long ago, he had a falling out with Percy over borrowing his owl to send a message.
Ever since that phone call, Ron had completely lost touch with Harry. In her letters, Hermione mentioned that Harry's uncle might detest wizards, which was why he prohibited Harry from contacting his friends in the wizarding world. She suggested that Hagrid should pay Harry a visit on their behalf.
Ron thought it was a great idea and wrote a letter to Hagrid, but his owl, Errol, was already quite old, and he couldn't bring himself to make the aged bird fly that far. Since Percy became a prefect, the family bought him an owl, so Ron wanted to borrow it. However, Percy kept making lame excuses, which annoyed Ron greatly.
"Percy still won't lend me the owl," Ron grumbled as he came downstairs in a huff while playing Wizard Chess with Ginny.
"Hermes has already gone out to deliver a message," Percy explained casually.
"Don't tell me you have endless letters to send every day," Ron snapped, checking on Errol. "Come up with a decent excuse when you lie next time."
In the end, Ron couldn't bring himself to send the elderly Errol on a trip across half of Britain, which would be a strenuous journey for the aged owl.
"I do have that many letters to send!" Percy retorted, his face turning crimson as he glared at Ron. "And who I send them to is none of your business!"
Ginny sneaked a glance at Percy, knowing exactly who he had been writing to all summer.
"Any news from Harry yet?" George asked as he took a sip from his drink and picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet on the counter, sitting down next to Fred.
"No," came the reply.
Ron suspected that the last phone call had caused some trouble. The person who answered the phone was likely Harry's uncle, and his tone had been less than pleasant—in fact, it had been downright nasty.
"Hermione thinks Harry might be stuck at home. His adoptive uncle hates wizards, so she suggested that Hagrid pay him a visit on our behalf," Ron explained.
What Ron didn't know was that Hagrid had also written several letters to Harry, but he hadn't received any replies either. He suspected that Harry might be in some sort of trouble. However, remembering Dumbledore's words about not disturbing Harry's life unless it was important, Hagrid hadn't considered going to see him directly.
Of course, if Hagrid had known Harry's situation, he would have likely paid the Dursleys a personal visit.
"When I have the money, I'm definitely getting my own owl," Ron muttered, stuffing the letter back into his pocket.
"Money? You're dreaming," Fred teased. "When we strike it rich, you can come work for us!"
"You think you'll be rich?" Ron scoffed, rolling his eyes.
He was well aware of what Fred and George were up to, but he didn't understand where they got their confidence from. Given their family's situation, they couldn't possibly provide any help.
"That's none of your business," George replied, taking a sip of his drink and opening that day's issue of the Daily Prophet. However, he ended up spraying the drink all over Percy's face, who was sitting across the table. "What are you playing at?" Percy roared.
"Look at today's headline!" George ignored the furious Percy and spread the newspaper on the table, calling out to the others excitedly.
"What is it?"
Fred was the first to lean in, and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's Albert! That guy went to France and became the International Wizard Chess Champion!"
The Weasley children gathered around the table to look at the headline photo.
It was a picture of Albert holding the International Wizard Chess trophy.
Ron read the caption under the black-and-white photo aloud: "British contestant Albert Anderson defeats all opponents to become the youngest champion in the history of the International Wizard Chess Tournament."
Looking at the triumphant boy in the photo, Ron couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
The guy was only a few years older than him, yet he had already achieved the glory of becoming an International Wizard Chess Champion.
As for himself? Well, if given the chance, Ron would have loved to participate in the International Wizard Chess Tournament and experience the same glory as Anderson.
Unfortunately, it would remain a fantasy, as he couldn't even get to France, let alone compete in the tournament.
"I remember that guy saying in his last letter that he was going to the US and that we shouldn't send him any letters! I guess he got the location wrong!" Fred mused.
"What are you kids up to?" Mr. Weasley asked as he walked in from work, seeing the children gathered around the table.
"We're looking at the news about Albert becoming the International Wizard Chess Champion," Percy said, still wiping his face with a handkerchief. "I had no idea he was so good at Wizard Chess."
"That's only because you don't know much," Fred retorted sarcastically.
"The reporters from the Daily Prophet are searching for him to do an exclusive interview, but no one knows where he is," Mr. Weasley added, privy to some inside information.
"I think he mentioned going to the US," Ron said.
"Dad, how did Albert end up in France and win the International Wizard Chess Championship?" Ron was curious, knowing that Albert was a Muggle-born wizard, which could make certain things more complicated.
"It seems someone took him to France." Mr. Weasley didn't know much more than that. "Apparently, it was recommended by Mr. Bode Broad, one of the former International Wizard Chess Champions."
Fred and George looked at each other in surprise. "Is it that Mr. Broad?" George asked. "I remember Albert used to visit Mr. Broad for tea quite often during our first year."
"What's wrong, Percy?" Ginny asked, noticing the change in Percy's expression.
"Look here," Percy gestured to the fourth page.
"Being a Muggle-born wizard, Albert always had people who were jealous of his success."
Mr. Weasley's tone carried a hint of disgust. "They claimed he used magic to get to France and compete in the tournament because it's unlikely for an underage Muggle-born wizard to manage such a trip on his own."
At that moment, everyone's expressions turned ugly as they faced these malicious accusations.
"Of course, this matter was quickly suppressed," Mr. Weasley reassured them. "Fudge wouldn't allow such an article to stand, especially after a British wizard finally won the championship. It would be like slapping his own face."
"Mr. Broad revealed in an interview that he asked a friend to take Albert to France to compete..." Mr. Weasley pointed to an interview on the Prophet, "...and many people were quite unhappy about that."
"Albert knows quite a few famous wizards," Fred suddenly said. "He often corresponds with them, so it's normal that some would speak up for him."
"No, it's very abnormal. In fact, just now, the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office received numerous tip-offs. Someone reported that the Malfoy group had stockpiled a large number of Dark artifacts in their homes." Mr. Weasley's tone turned excited. "They even got a search warrant, allowing me to lead a team to their homes for an inspection."
...
...
In the McDougall's kitchen, Katrina burst in, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"What's wrong?" Mrs. McDougall looked at her daughter in confusion.
"Have you seen today's headline in the Prophet?" Katrina asked.
"Sit down and tell us," Isabel said, taking off her apron and placing a cup of milk tea in front of Katrina. She picked up the Prophet and glanced at the headline before saying to her mother, "Katrina probably wants to tell us that my boyfriend has won the International Wizard Chess Championship!"
"Your boyfriend?" Mrs. McDougall was not surprised that her daughter had a boyfriend.
In fact, she had heard Isabel mention him before—a boy named Albert Anderson, said to be a talented genius.
"Indeed, my daughter has good taste," Mrs. McDougall said, looking at the newspaper. "Why don't you invite him over sometime?"
"Mhm," Isabel replied noncommittally.
Just then, a woman's voice came from the fireplace.
"It looks like I have some urgent business tonight," Mrs. McDougall said, glancing at the clock. "I might have to work late and won't be back tonight."
With that, she disappeared into the fireplace.
Isabel and Katrina exchanged glances, having seen this happen countless times before.
Katrina recalled Isabel's earlier words, and her expression turned complicated.
The sisters sat at the table, discussing the newspaper article, but their attention was soon drawn to a photo on the third page.
In the photo, a beautiful French girl was kissing Albert's cheek, with two other lovely girls by his side.
The Daily Prophet had fabricated a romantic history for Albert with this photo.
"Isabel, be careful. That guy might be secretly dating other girls behind your back," Katrina said, staring at the photo for a long time before looking up at her sister.
After all, Louise's enthusiastic greeting kiss was quite misleading.
"You're overthinking things," Isabel said calmly, unperturbed by the article.
"I don't think foreign girls are usually this passionate," Katrina pouted. "I just don't want you to be deceived."
"The Prophet loves to stir up trouble and twist facts to attract readers," Isabel said, pointing to the author's name. "Rita Skeeter always stirs up drama. Haven't you realized that yet?"
Katrina couldn't understand why Isabel was so calm and unbothered by the article.
"Don't worry, even if they were rivals, they wouldn't stand a chance," Isabel said peacefully. "Besides, they aren't even rivals to begin with."
Katrina, of course, didn't know that Isabel could easily contact Albert through the two-way mirror and ask him about it if she wanted to. As for how to ask without making Albert feel uncomfortable, Isabel had her ways.
Moreover, Isabel didn't believe the article. She knew Albert well, and as a Legilimens, she could tell if he was being unfaithful.
Her sister's reaction, however, was a bit beyond her expectations, causing Isabel to sigh inwardly.
Yes, I didn't miss a chapter. The story in France will come later.
(End of Chapter)
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