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Chapter 607: I'm Always Good at Praising Myself
Chapter 607: I'm Always Good at Praising Myself
After taking the group photo, Colin led Ivan and Harry to a classroom upstairs.
"Here we are! You two should go in now!" Colin said.
Ivan nodded, pushed the door open, and walked in. The room was spacious, with desks and chairs pushed to the back, leaving a large open area in the middle.
Fleur and Krum had already arrived and were talking to Ludo Bagman. Rita Skeeter, whom they hadn't seen in a while, was also there, dressed as flamboyantly as ever.
Perhaps hearing the door open, everyone turned around. Ludo Bagman stepped forward and pulled Ivan and Harry inside.
"You're finally here! Come in, relax, the competition won't start right away. We've called you here to check if your wands are functioning properly, to avoid any unnecessary accidents..." Ludo Bagman patted their shoulders and spoke warmly. Then, he pointed to Rita Skeeter and added, "Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce you. This is Rita Skeeter, a columnist for the Daily Prophet. She's writing a piece about the tournament..."
"This isn't just a small piece, Mr. Bagman. I'm confident it will be tomorrow's headline!" Rita Skeeter quickly stood up and walked over to Ivan, a forced smile on her face.
"We meet again, Mr. Hals!" Rita Skeeter's tone sounded odd, as if she was barely suppressing her anger.
"You two know each other?" Ludo Bagman looked curiously at Rita Skeeter and Ivan.
"Due to my Order of Merlin award a few years ago, Ms. Skeeter did a feature on me," Ivan explained calmly.
Rita Skeeter's face turned sour, and Ivan's words reminded her of the time he had threatened her with leverage.
However, she quickly composed herself to avoid drawing attention. Clearing her throat, she looked at Ludo Bagman and asked, "Mr. Bagman, I need to interview Mr. Hals privately. Is there a quiet place where we won't be disturbed?"
"You can use the cubicle over there; it's more private," Ludo Bagman pointed to the right.
"Let's go, Mr. Hals!" Rita Skeeter's smile was fake as she grabbed Ivan's arm and dragged him over.
Ivan frowned, feeling that such pulling and tugging was unseemly.
Once inside the cubicle, Rita Skeeter locked the door and her smile vanished, replaced by a look of intense anger.
"Shouldn't you give me an explanation, Hals?" Rita Skeeter hissed, her voice low and teeth clenched.
"An explanation? For what?" Ivan asked, feigning confusion.
"About that incident, of course! Do I need to refresh your memory? The one involving the Ministry of Magic!" Rita Skeeter's lips trembled, her anger reaching its peak.
Last time, she had been tricked into writing many articles that smeared Fudge, only to find out that Dumbledore never stood up against Fudge or announced his candidacy for Minister of Magic, nearly getting her fired from the Daily Prophet!
"You should go see Dumbledore. Why are you coming to me? I'm just responsible for passing on the message! Think about it, as a student, what can I do when faced with the headmaster's orders?" Ivan shrugged innocently, not wanting to take the blame.
After all, why should he bear the brunt when Dumbledore had dumped a pile of messy tasks on him? It was a miracle that everything had been resolved satisfactorily. The old professor should deal with these minor aftereffects himself.
"I will go see him!" Rita Skeeter's tone was harsh. Then, with a dark look, she questioned Ivan about why he had told Dumbledore that she was an Animagus.
"Do you really think I knew your identity? Lady Beetle!" Ivan looked at Rita Skeeter with a playful expression.
"You didn't tell him, but Dumbledore told you?" Rita Skeeter was taken aback at first, but quickly reacted, her face full of disbelief.
But upon further reflection, it seemed entirely possible, and it even clarified some of her doubts.
Before the Order of Merlin interview, she and Ivan didn't even know each other, and there had been no prior conflict. There was no reason for him to investigate her.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, was different. She had written several articles about him in the past, uncovering some explosive information. It was possible he held a grudge against her. Most importantly, he had the ability to investigate her.
However, there were still some questionable points, such as why Dumbledore would tell a young student about her Animagus identity.
Rita Skeeter had always suspected that Ivan was just stringing her along, perhaps hearing some rumors and lacking any concrete evidence to prove she was an Animagus. Thus, he was constantly probing and asking questions.
But Ivan's answers were airtight, leaving Rita Skeeter feeling frustrated.
Ivan deliberately attributed the discovery of Rita Skeeter's identity to Dumbledore, wanting to help the old professor ease some pressure.
Given Dumbledore's shrewdness, Ivan wasn't worried about being exposed.
If the old professor couldn't handle this gossip editor, he shouldn't be the headmaster at all.
"Alright, you wanted to do an interview with me, right? Shouldn't we talk about something more important now?" Ivan, annoyed by Rita Skeeter's constant questioning, interrupted her.
Although Rita Skeeter was still somewhat resentful, she moved a chair over, picked up her quill, and prepared to ask questions.
"Wait... the format of this interview needs to change!" Ivan suddenly thought of something and interrupted Rita Skeeter's actions.
"What?" Rita Skeeter looked at him in confusion.
"I'll do the talking, and you'll do the writing!" Ivan was wary of this gossip editor. Considering how Rita Skeeter had embellished the last interview, he emphasized, "This time, not a single word can be changed, understood?"
Rita Skeeter was so angry she almost snapped her quill in half. This wasn't an interview at all!
This was an affront to her identity as a journalist and writer!
"Hals, I must remind you, writing a proper article isn't that easy..." Rita Skeeter held back her anger and tried to reason with him.
"That's not necessarily true!" Ivan raised an eyebrow, always confident in his own abilities.
(End of Chapter)
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