Chapter 586: Rita Skeeter's Refusal
Chapter 586: Rita Skeeter's Refusal
"Yes, Mr. Dug MacFay, I have witnessed the resurrected Voldemort and am well aware of the ritual he employed.
Professor Dumbledore is not joking; he has indeed returned. I am willing to attend your meetings and answer any questions you may have at any time..."
Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron.
Kyle sat in a relatively quiet corner, penning a response to Dug MacFay on a piece of parchment.
During the holiday break, he often received similar inquiries about whether he had truly encountered the resurrected Voldemort.
Most of the correspondents were magical creature experts he had met in Romania's Dragon Sanctuary.
For instance, Professor Lokinell from Beauxbatons, Mrs. Rozino, a North American dragon researcher, and Mr. Lima, Hagrid's favorite, who had published 'The Monster Book of Monsters'.
Perhaps Dumbledore had informed Newt, who then located them.
And then there were those who had bestowed upon him the Order of Merlin award.
Dug MacFay was among them, and this was his second letter that morning inquiring about the matter.
However, one could tell from the hasty scrawl on the parchment that even though he now knew the news, his mind was far from calm.
In the letter, he also mentioned that Dumbledore planned to hold a personal meeting to elaborate on the matter and formulate subsequent plans.
He wanted to know if Kyle would attend this meeting and refrained from asking certain questions in the letter, anticipating a face-to-face conversation.
To be honest, Kyle hadn't received this information from Dumbledore himself, but he didn't mind making an extra trip if necessary.
Kyle handed his reply to the nearby rat owl, who struggled to squeeze out through the skylight, leaving a few feathers behind.
"Tom, bring two butterbeers," Kyle called out. "Also, have you ever considered widening the window a bit?"
"I don't see the need," the old Tom replied, peering over the counter at the owl feathers on the floor. "If you had a regular owl, you'd find that window just right.
"Merlin's beard, what have you been feeding that owl? Dragon liver? Or did you use an Engorgement Charm on it?"
Kyle shrugged noncommittally.
However, the person sitting across from him was amused by Old Tom's remark and let out a shrill, somewhat forced laugh.
"The Triwizard Tournament champion using an Engorgement Charm on his pet owl—now that's a story I could write about, isn't it?"
"Couldn't it?" Kyle said without looking up.
Rita Skeeter raised an eyebrow but remained silent, her hand resting on her flashy self-inking quill.
"You know how much this tortures me," she said impulsively.
"Because I won't let you write about me using an Engorgement Charm on my owl?" Kyle asked. "Surely it's not that big of a deal; it was just a joke from Old Tom."
"You know I'm not talking about that," Rita Skeeter said in a lowered voice.
"The Minister of Magic in 1858, Dug MacFay, the resurrected mysterious wizard, and Dumbledore's personal meeting.
"Any one of these three pieces of information is enough to shock the entire wizarding world... But I'm not allowed to write about any of it. Isn't that torture?"
"Don't be ridiculous; I never stopped you from announcing the resurrection of the mysterious wizard to the wizarding world, did I?"
At that moment, Old Tom arrived with two butterbeers and a plate of buttered biscuits.
"How much?"
"No charge this time," he said, revealing a mouthful of wobbly teeth. "Consider it a congratulations for winning the Triwizard Tournament. It's been a while since Hogwarts has held that honor."
"In that case," Kyle said, "add a glass of Ogden's Old Firewhisky."
"No problem, that'll be ten galleons, please."
"I thought you said it was on the house?"
"Only the butterbeer and biscuits," Old Tom said calmly.
"Never mind then... You're stingy."
Old Tom turned around without a word and returned to the bar.
Kyle pushed one of the butterbeers towards Rita Skeeter and continued, "In fact, if you really want to report on the mysterious wizard, not only will I not stop you, but I'll also offer you a generous reward.
"To be honest, when it comes to spinning stories, you're far more suited to the job. I almost believed it myself just now.
"But if you don't have any other business... I should get back to writing tomorrow's front-page article."
She stood up and said, "The Prophet has been pestering me... Oh, and thank you for the butterbeer."
"Are you scared?" Kyle asked with a smile. "This is the first time I've known that you can be afraid, too."
The next second, the butterbeer cup slammed onto the table.
"I, Rita Skeeter, am never afraid to publish any article!"
The commotion attracted the attention of quite a few people, but upon seeing that it was Rita Skeeter, they all quietly turned away.
No one wanted to associate with such a notorious gossip monger, not if they cared about their reputation...
Rita Skeeter paid no heed to the onlookers. She took a deep breath and said, word for word, "But I won't, and I can't publish an article that others dislike. It would ruin my reputation.
"I don't know what game you're playing, but I know that if I tell everyone that the mysterious wizard from a decade ago is back, guess what will happen?
"They'll brand me as a nutcase like Xenophilius Lovegood, and my career will be over. I won't make such a stupid decision!"
"What if I offer you photographic evidence?" Kyle asked calmly.
This time, Rita Skeeter fell silent. She sat back down and picked up the butterbeer, draining it in one go.
After a long while, she said, "I can pay for that photo with all my savings."
"I don't need the money," Kyle said.
Rita Skeeter fell silent once more.
While her writings were largely artistic renditions, they were always based on a grain of truth.
But she had never written anything as blatantly false as claiming the resurrection of the mysterious wizard.
Rita Skeeter could imagine that if she did write such a thing, not only would the readers of the Prophet be up in arms, but the Ministry of Magic would come after her as well... unless, of course, the mysterious wizard actually reappeared.
But that was impossible. Everyone knew that the mysterious wizard had been killed by none other than the Savior, Harry Potter...
Resurrection? Preposterous.
While Dumbledore had said as much, no one believed it, and she was no exception.
The only person in the magical world who had survived the Killing Curse was the one and only Harry Potter, and even he hadn't truly died.
As for those who had died and come back to life... there were none, not even the infamously evil He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from the medieval ages.
The most they could hope for was to become a ghost.
"I don't understand why you're doing this. Is it just to scare others? If so, you could've come up with a different reason, or you could've just given it to me, and I would've written it for you. There's no need to bring up the name of the mysterious wizard; it's a taboo!
Rita Skeeter's tone carried a hint of pleading. "It's not worth it, and you'll be affected, too. You just won the Triwizard Tournament, and you're a member of the Order of Merlin. There's no need to go crazy with Dumbledore and that Potter! It's not worth it!"
Kyle merely looked at her calmly, saying nothing.
Rita Skeeter's expression shifted, finally settling into a gloomy and fierce look.
"I'd rather go to the Ministry right now and admit that I'm an Animagus," Rita Skeeter whispered fiercely. "But I swear, you won't get off easily, either!"
While doing so might mean that she would no longer receive any confidential information, and she might even face various investigations and pay a hefty price, it was still better than being directly reported by Kyle.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and her expression grew increasingly fierce.
"I will disclose every word you said today. I'll tell everyone that you, just like Dumbledore, are a bona fide lunatic and a show-off!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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