Chapter 87: Is Everything a Curse?
Chapter 87: Is Everything a Curse?
"Too exciting! I never dreamed the plot would take such a turn." Fred and George Weasley muttered to each other as they took a detour to hide in the bushes, peering through the gaps to observe the commotion.
Dumbledore held Fudge's hand. "Don't worry, Fudge, you'll be fine."
"You promise, Dumbledore?" Half of Fudge's face had turned pitch black.
"I promise, Fudge."
Fudge's expression relaxed, and he drifted off to sleep.
Dumbledore withdrew his glowing fingers and turned to Kingsley Shacklebolt. "We need to get him to the Hospital Wing."
"But, Minister Fudge said—"
"The Basilisk's venom needs to be treated quickly", Dumbledore said.
The man named Kingsley Shacklebolt quickly acquiesced. "Whatever you say."
Dumbledore then turned to Professors Flitwick and Mcgonagall. "Filius, Minerva, you stay here and maintain order, and get rid of the Basilisk." The two professors nodded.
Hagrid volunteered to carry Fudge, and he strode off toward the Hospital Wing with Dumbledore and Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Lucius took advantage of the chaos to slip away and find his son, Draco Malfoy.
"What's the truth about the Chamber?" Lucius asked.
"It was Potter and his friends! Dad, Potter is a Parseltongue, and that's how he found the Chamber!" Draco said, clearly annoyed.
"Parseltongue!" Lucius was genuinely surprised. He had thought the diary he gave to the Weasleys' youngest daughter had been discovered.
"Have you found out who opened the Chamber?" Lucius asked vaguely.
"Not yet, not yet", Draco said nervously, glancing at his father. He didn't mention that he had been briefly controlled by a dark magic object.
"Is that so?" Lucius didn't notice this small detail, and his expression became inscrutable.
...
Rita Skeeter wanted to follow and photograph the Minister of Magic's condition, but she glanced at Lockhart, weighing her options. She quickly decided on her true target.
Competition is fierce, and she had to take him down!
"Click!"
"Click!"
"Click!"
"Click!"
Lockhart, flailing his arms to shield his face, cried, "Hey, stop it! Stop it right now!"
But Rita Skeeter only snapped photos more enthusiastically. Her creative juices were flowing, though unfortunately, she hadn't brought her self-writing quill or parchment due to her reservations.
She sneaked a glance at Felix, who watched silently.
Rita Skeeter felt relieved. It seemed 'he' didn't care about the others. Next time she came to Hogwarts, she would be better prepared.
"Goodness, Professor Mcgonagall must be furious", Hermione said, hiding behind a large pillar. Harry and Ron looked at their Transfiguration professor, whose face was contorted with anger.
The situation had escalated to Lockhart lunging at Skeeter to grab her camera, but he wasn't a match for her physically. Skeeter's two-inch-long nails left a dozen scratches on his face.
"My handsome face!" Lockhart was livid.
Professor Mcgonagall had to step in to separate them, her lips trembling with fury. "Professor Lockhart, please leave immediately! And as for you..." She glared at Rita Skeeter with disgust.
"Oh, don't worry about me, Professor Mcgonagall", Rita Skeeter said, her face thick with bravado. "I'll just wander around. It's been years since I've been back to school; it's quite nostalgic."
"Suit yourself." Mcgonagall had more pressing matters to attend to. She and Professor Flitwick worked together to drag the Basilisk away.
Felix looked around. Lockhart seemed like an angry bull, and he didn't want to get involved. He turned and walked toward the Hospital Wing.
After a while, Lockhart finally calmed down. He suddenly realized he was facing an unprecedented crisis. He tidied his messy hair and said to Rita Skeeter, "Skeeter, we need to talk, one-on-one."
The woman gave him a haughty glance and handed her biggest catch—the magical camera—to her two assistants. "Watch it, and stay back."
The two assistants left, leaving only Lockhart and Skeeter on the open ground.
In the shadows, the twins and the Golden Trio were each hiding, holding their breath.
Rita Skeeter gave Lockhart a disdainful look, her mouth curling into a victorious grin. "What do you want to talk about? I don't think it's necessary—"
"Famous best-selling author!"
Lockhart's handsome face twisted, but he glanced around and whispered, "We don't need to make a scene. I can give you Galleons as compensation, as long as you don't mention this."
Rita Skeeter glanced at him.
"Two thousand Galleons!" Lockhart said, wincing.
No response.
"Four thousand!"
"Ten thousand Galleons! You greedy woman!"
Rita Skeeter forced a stiff smile but didn't budge. She leaned in and said, "Lockhart, you can go back and think about it. Consider how much a great author's reputation is worth."
"And", she toyed with her nails, "think about how to clear your name from the charge of attacking the Minister of Magic."
"It was an accident!" Lockhart gritted his teeth, but the woman was already leaving, satisfied.
He gripped his wand, wanting to do something, but ultimately gave up. He walked back to his office, dejected.
The bustling courtyard returned to its usual calm.
The twins exchanged a glance and quietly slipped away. Behind a column, Harry and his friends looked at each other.
"Dirty money deal!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly.
Ron shrugged. "That's normal. When my father searched the Malfoy estate, he already knew in advance. What do you think that was about?"
Harry, watching Lockhart's direction, couldn't help but ask, "Do you think Lockhart will be sent to prison?"
Ron didn't hesitate. "Hard to say, but if I were Fudge, I mean, as the Minister of Magic, I wouldn't want to lose face."
"Doesn't it seem too convenient?"
"What do you mean?"
"Everything that happened today was an accident, right? The Basilisk has been dealt with, and he could have safely coasted through the year, then write a book like 'My Year at Hogwarts' and make a fortune."
"You mean the Dark Lord's curse?" Ron caught on.
Hermione blinked, intrigued. "An interesting theory, Harry. Maybe the curse amplifies the probability of accidents. We can look into it."
Ron grimaced. "Hermione, don't you think you're too busy lately? Let's see, classes, homework, weekend runic tutoring, grading papers, studying advanced Transfiguration, and now you want to research curses—"
Hermione huffed. "Don't you think solving puzzles is incredibly rewarding?"
...
On the other side, Rita Skeeter, who had been leisurely observing, suddenly turned back after leaving the courtyard.
Her eyes scanned the area. Lockhart had moved too quickly, and she had lost sight of him. But she soon saw her chance—
"Hey, you three! Young wizards, stop for a moment."
...
(End of Chapter)
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