Chapter 726: White Cuts Black
Chapter 726: White Cuts Black
"Sorry, Professor Flitwick," said Nearly Headless Nick, appearing at the door of the Charms classroom and interrupting the lesson, "but Professor Dumbledore asked me to inform Mr. Anderson that he is to be interviewed by the Prophet."
"Oh, the champion interview? Off you go then, Mr. Anderson," said Professor Flitwick, offering Albert a gentle smile. "I'm sure missing one lesson won't hurt."
"See you all!"
Albert quickly gathered his things and bade farewell to his three roommates before following Nearly Headless Nick out the door.
The students in the Charms classroom began to whisper amongst themselves. Everyone knew about the interview, as it had been a long time since the British wizarding community had won the School Potions Championship.
Led by Nick, Albert arrived at a smaller classroom, where most of the desks had been pushed to the back, leaving a large empty space in the middle.
There were already two people inside: Rita Skeeter, whom Albert had met once before, and a photographer holding a camera.
"Wonderful, our champion is here," said Rita.
Hearing the footsteps, Rita Skeeter turned and strode towards Albert, reaching out to grab his shoulder and attempt to pull him towards a nearby seat.
However, she soon realized that she couldn't move the man before her at all. Albert stood there like a statue.
"I suggest we find a quieter place for the interview," said Albert, glancing at the photographer and calmly making a suggestion.
"Sorry, Mr. Fuzo," Rita Skeeter said to the photographer beside her. "Could you give us some privacy for the interview?"
"No problem!"
The man named Fuzo glanced at Albert, nodded to Rita, and then turned and left.
"He's gone. No one will disturb us now," said Rita, closing the classroom door and turning to Albert. "Shall we begin the interview?"
"Do you know why I agreed to this interview?" Albert ignored Rita's raised eyebrow and stared directly into her eyes. "If I hadn't accepted, you probably would have made up some ridiculous story, and I don't appreciate that."
"People like to read about extraordinary things." Rita shrugged off Albert's accusation.
"I don't want you to fabricate stories about me," said Albert. "I thought we had an understanding the last time, or you would have ended up in Azkaban already. By the way, there are plenty of Dementors outside the school grounds."
"You're threatening me." Rita Skeeter eyed Albert with interest, unfazed by the threat, having been threatened many times before.
"You can take it that way," said Albert, withdrawing his wand and pointing it at the notebook floating in mid-air. The first few pages were torn out by an invisible force, burning in mid-air, and quickly turning into a pile of ashes.
"I know you journalists like to stir up trouble," Albert continued. "I can provide you with some interesting content, but I don't want to see any negative gossip about me in the newspaper."
"Intriguing stories?"
"Yes, intriguing stories."
"Go on." Rita Skeeter agreed.
Rita Skeeter hated being threatened by a young wizard, but she decided to endure it.
In the past, she had written many reports and angered many people, but no one had ever given her such an unpleasant feeling.
This guy seemed even more formidable than she had imagined, especially his eyes, which made her feel as though he could see right through her. It made her very uncomfortable.
Rita Skeeter sat down and listened as Albert recounted his experience in the Potions Championship.
"You think Guy Bernard is the grandson of the Extraordinary Potioneer Association's President Bernard," said Rita Skeeter, knowing she had hit a bombshell. "Did you know him beforehand?"
"It's what you think, not what I think," Albert corrected her. "I'm merely recounting the Potions Championship to you. The rest are your own conclusions and comparisons."
Rita Skeeter's mouth twitched, but she understood what Albert meant.
"So, after the second round, everyone realized the relationship between Bernard and his grandson," she said.
"You could say that," said Albert. "Everyone who was suspected was furious, especially after finding out about this."
"Do you think that Bernard, the president, has already handpicked his grandson to be the champion?" Rita Skeeter asked, knowing full well the impact of her words.
"It's not what I think, it's what you think," Albert corrected her again. "I'm merely recounting what happened during the competition. The rest are your conclusions and inferences, and I have nothing to do with them. Do you understand?"
Rita Skeeter scoffed, but her excitement was palpable. The fact that the organizers of the Potions Championship had cheated, only to ultimately lose to Albert Anderson, was undoubtedly big news.
Changing her tone, she asked, "Who attacked Guy Bernard? What was the point of stuffing Aliott leaves into his mouth?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was to mock Bernard and his grandson. The contestant from Wagadu is currently the most suspicious," Albert replied.
"The Wagadu contestant?"
"That guy not only attacked me but also targeted and eliminated the contestant from Custos Doreiz. He's very skilled in wandless magic, so he wasn't worried about being checked for signs of backfiring spells."
"How did you defeat the Wagadu contestant?" Rita Skeeter grew more excited as Albert divulged one scandalous detail after another.
"A bit of luck, I suppose," Albert said. "After the ambush, I could only hastily cast the Iron Armor Charm for defense. In the end, it seems the spell rebounded, and the Wagadu contestant was knocked out by their own Stunning Spell."
Albert went on to reveal that the organizers had modified the original competition rules, which ended up disadvantaging many contestants. He also commented that the overall standard of the contestants in this competition was still quite high.
He then explained to Rita the differences between this Potions Championship and the previous one, essentially confirming that President Bernard had abused his power to try and help his grandson cheat.
After Guy Bernard was eliminated, Albert continued, the organizers had abused their authority again by inspecting everyone's wands, but they failed to find the attacker and only managed to anger the contestants further.
He also mentioned how the headmaster of Castrobrush had objected to the judges' scoring, ultimately leading to the judges having to reevaluate their scores.
"Did the headmaster of Castrobrush also realize that the judging wasn't fair?" Rita Skeeter asked, not believing for a second that the headmaster had such altruistic intentions.
"With the Shrinking Solution, it was obvious to everyone that my potion was better than the one made by the contestant from Castrobrush," Albert said. "If their score had been higher than mine, people would have thought they cheated."
Rita Skeeter looked absolutely thrilled, as Albert was providing her with enough information to write a captivating article.
"I hope you'll remember what I said. You really don't want me to cause you any trouble," Albert warned amicably.
Rita Skeeter suddenly realized why Albert had agreed to the interview and why he was telling her all this.
It was because President Bernard had caused him trouble during the competition.
This was blatant retaliation.
And the article would be based on her "analysis" of Albert's interview.
He was using her.
What a cunning and scheming individual.
Damn that Gryffindor, she thought. Why didn't he go to Slytherin?
Rita Skeeter then recalled something else. There had been talk about awarding Albert Anderson the title of "British Youth Representative for the Wizengamot."
Dumbledore himself had once held that title, and it was said that wizards who earned it would eventually become members of the Wizengamot.
Come to think of it, the young man before her was like a carbon copy of Dumbledore, already accumulating countless dazzling achievements even before leaving school.
Two world-class champions.
Moreover, he was only in his fifth year. Who knew how many more titles he would accumulate after leaving school?
The worst part was that there was one way in which Albert didn't resemble Dumbledore.
His heart was dark; he held grudges and was adept at taking revenge.
Rita Skeeter had no doubt that if Albert gained power, he was the kind of smiling, malicious individual one did not want to cross. Just look at the soon-to-be-unfortunate President Bernard—he was the perfect example. Once this article came out, his reputation would be in tatters.
Not only that, but he would also become a laughingstock to all.
How embarrassing to cheat and still lose! In contrast, Albert would gain immense positive renown and be seen as a true hero.
(End of Chapter)
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