Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 938: Rita Skeeter's Gift - Novel Cool

Chapter 938: Rita Skeeter's Gift

Chapter 938: Rita Skeeter's Gift

"Thank goodness I didn't misjudge..." Kyle and Conna had just reached the staircase when they saw Professor McGonagall hurrying towards them, her face bearing an expression of relief.

"Professor McGonagall, what's the matter?" Kyle quickly scanned the surroundings.

It was quiet, without any screams or cries for help, indicating that Voldemort hadn't launched another attack.

"It's about the Ministry of Magic," Professor McGonagall said as she approached, "They want you to visit the Ministry as soon as possible."

"The Ministry?" Kyle asked, puzzled. "Why can't they come to Hogwarts to discuss it?"

"Minister Bones didn't say," Professor McGonagall shook her head, "She just sent an owl with a message. It's probably not an urgent matter, you can take your time to consider it and go when you're free."

"Oh, here it is..." She took out a letter from her pocket and handed it to Kyle, "This was originally for you, but the owl delivering it seemed to have gotten lost and ended up in my hands."

Kyle took the letter, not overly surprised by Professor McGonagall's mention of the lost owl.

This wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred.

It was likely due to the alchemical fog; whenever he was in the garden, owls would circle around him as if influenced by a Loyalty Charm.

Of course, the effect of the alchemical fog was not as powerful as the Loyalty Charm, only affecting inexperienced owls.

For seasoned messenger owls, it was just a minor obstacle in their work, nothing they couldn't handle, and they would quickly find their way.

Usually, in such situations, Landon would step in, standing outside the cottage to identify the owl delivering the message for Kyle and guide them.

However, Landon was currently away and not present.

Kyle opened the envelope and unfolded the parchment inside.

The content was brief, aside from the unnecessary greetings and pleasantries, the remaining message was almost identical to what Professor McGonagall had said... asking Kyle to visit the Ministry of Magic as soon as possible.

"I understand, Professor McGonagall," Kyle folded the letter and put it back into his pocket.

"If you need any help, let us know," Professor McGonagall said with a smile, "If you don't want to go, it's fine, I can refuse on your behalf."

Kyle raised an eyebrow, "Can I refuse?"

"Why not," Professor McGonagall said, "You defeated Voldemort and thwarted his plan to occupy Hogwarts. He won't let you off easily.

"In this situation, it's definitely safer to stay in Hogwarts. I believe Minister Bones will understand... after all, she also saw that Voldemort didn't die."

"I see."

Kyle thought for a moment, "It's alright, Professor McGonagall, I'll go, but not now..." He added, "The most important thing right now is to have lunch. Conna hasn't eaten for almost a day."

"Miss Prince?" Professor McGonagall noticed Conna standing next to Kyle, "I heard about your situation from Sirius Black. I'm glad you're alright. How are you feeling? Do you need to see Poppy Pomfrey again?"

"However, she might not have the antidote for the Drink of Despair. Perhaps you should seek Professor Slughorn instead."

"Oh, and the potions you brought have saved many people. Since this morning, people have been asking me to convey their gratitude to you..."

For some reason, at this moment, Professor McGonagall seemed to have transformed into a different person, becoming quite chatty.

She spoke about various topics, even complaining about the weather outside... which was unusual for her, especially since she appeared rather busy.

It was understandable; the Death Eaters' attack had just ended, and the school had suffered heavy losses, with even the castle's magical protection being riddled with hundreds of holes from countless spells.

Under such circumstances, it was natural for Professor McGonagall, as the acting Headmistress, to be busy.

However, she had said a lot, and if not for Conna's interruption, she might have continued talking.

"I'm fine, Professor McGonagall," Conna said with a smile, "And I didn't really help much in this battle. Providing potions was the least I could do."

"Who said you didn't help?" Professor McGonagall's tone changed, "Bill told me that when you were at the Astronomy Tower, you saved at least two people and stopped over a dozen Death Eaters from climbing the tower. How could that be considered not helping?"

Professor McGonagall's tone was urgent, as if she feared that Conna wouldn't believe her, and she even brought up Bill as an example.

But she wasn't wrong; Conna's fainting and leaving the scene did occur after Snape joined the battle.

Before Snape's appearance, she had been fighting alongside everyone in the Astronomy Tower.

However, Professor McGonagall's reaction was a bit exaggerated.

"Professor," Conna looked as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself. Seeing Professor McGonagall's conflicted expression, she smiled and said, "Just say what's on your mind, it's fine."

"Am I being that obvious?" Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows and then sighed. "Alright, I just hope you don't overthink things, Conna."

"You're a good kid, and that traitor... I'm sorry, what I mean is, you're not like Severus Snape. What he did has nothing to do with you, and you shouldn't punish yourself because of him. It's not worth it.

"Also, if you hear any rumors or gossip, don't pay any attention to them. You can leave those matters for the professors to handle."

"Of course, Professor," Conna replied with a smile.

If it were before, Professor McGonagall's words might have had some effect, but now... Well, they were still useful, at least the feeling of being valued and cared for made Conna feel comfortable.

However, before this, she had already learned the truth and knew that Snape hadn't betrayed everyone, so naturally, she didn't feel sad.

As for other people's opinions... for Conna, these were the least important. She wouldn't have any interactions with those people anyway.

"Professor McGonagall, I..."

"Professor McGonagall, I've already said something similar to Conna just now," Kyle interrupted, taking a step forward and cutting off what Conna wanted to say.

Conna looked at Kyle, as if she had thought of something, and unconsciously nodded along with his words. "Yes, Professor McGonagall, Kyle has been rambling on and on, and I'm starving from listening to him."

"That's good, that's good," Professor McGonagall looked at the two of them, especially Conna, and only relaxed when she was sure that Conna wasn't forcing a smile.

"Weren't you planning to have lunch? Why not go to the Great Hall?"

"There are too many people," Conna said, "and most of them are wizards we don't know. It feels a bit noisy."

"And," Kyle added, "if I go to the Great Hall now, I probably won't be able to have a proper lunch. I really should have brought Harry along."

"Potter?" Professor McGonagall blinked, not understanding what Harry Potter had to do with this.

"If I could push him out to draw fire, I might get some peace for a while," Kyle shrugged, "I have to say, the title of Savior is quite useful."

"So, you're going to look for Potter now?" Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle with a hint of helplessness.

"No, I'm not," Kyle shook his head, "we're just planning to change locations for lunch. Besides letting Harry out to draw fire, I can also actively avoid them.

"Hmm... The kitchen is a good place. We were just planning to have lunch there. Not only is the space large enough, but we can also order food, which is much more convenient than the Great Hall."

"The Hogwarts kitchen..." Professor McGonagall frowned, not entirely convinced by Kyle's suggestion.

Indeed, there were no other wizards in the kitchen, but there were house elves.

Given the enthusiasm of the house elves, they would probably ask you what you needed every few seconds... It would be impossible to have a quiet meal.

Don't ask how Professor McGonagall knew this.

A few years ago, she had gone to the kitchen to deliver Dumbledore's message about hosting a banquet. In just a few minutes, her arms were filled with cookies, smoked meat, and cakes.

In a sense, those house elves were even more enthusiastic than the wizards in the Great Hall.

"Conna, come with me," Professor McGonagall said directly, "the Hogwarts kitchen can deliver meals directly to the professors' offices. I also have a lot to talk to you."

"Okay, sure," Conna agreed without hesitation and followed Professor McGonagall.

"Wait, Professor McGonagall, what about me?" Kyle stood in place, pointing to himself, "Aren't you going to invite me to the office too?"

"I'm sorry..." Professor McGonagall turned around, "but I think you should go to the Great Hall now. Those wizards have come from different places, just to catch a glimpse of the two Saviors. I don't think you should disappoint them.

"The Savior... that's easy." Kyle blinked, "I'll go find Harry."

"Remember what I said earlier," Professor McGonagall reiterated, "I'm talking about two Saviors. One is Potter, and the other is you, Kyle."

"They're some well-known wizards who have come from far away, just to see the one who defeated Voldemort. I think it's a reasonable request."

"You can go and see them; it'll be beneficial for you." Professor McGonagall added, then left with Conna.

Kyle watched their backs and rubbed his forehead.

He understood what Professor McGonagall meant. He had defeated Voldemort, although there were many unknown factors, and many people were unaware of them. They had only witnessed Voldemort's defeat and his hasty retreat from Hogwarts.

And so, they attributed this achievement to Kyle.

If he took this opportunity to interact with these wizards, he could quickly boost his reputation in the wizarding world.

Sometimes, reputation was indeed useful, and Professor McGonagall didn't want Kyle to miss this rare chance.

However, she didn't insist that Kyle go.

Ever since Voldemort's escape, Kyle's name had already spread throughout the wizarding world. Meeting these wizards would only be an added bonus.

It was useful, but not crucial.

It was up to Kyle's personal preference.

Kyle, of course, had no intention of going. What difference would it make if he went? Could he become the Minister of Magic or the Headmaster of Hogwarts? None of those were possible.

His age was a limiting factor. Unless he could defeat Voldemort in his prime right before everyone's eyes, there was only a slim chance.

Since he couldn't become the Minister or the Headmaster, Kyle naturally lost interest. He went to the underground corridor and headed towards the kitchen alone.

But just as he reached the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff Common Room...

"Breaking news! What a huge scoop!"

An excited, trembling voice suddenly came from behind, almost startling Kyle.

It was a beetle flying in mid-air, rapidly expanding and growing, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a witch wearing flower-framed glasses.

"Rita Skeeter?" Kyle looked at her, "I thought you'd be preparing tomorrow's Daily Prophet."

"To be precise, today's issue. The delivery owls will soon appear at every wizarding location."

Rita Skeeter corrected, "Such big news can't wait until tomorrow to publish; otherwise, we'd be criticized."

"So, you've already returned to the newspaper office?"

"Of course. After you defeated that person whose name shall not be spoken, I've already planned the front-page content."

Rita Skeeter nodded confidently.

Although she often reported on the sensational news of famous wizards, which was known to everyone, it didn't mean she lacked professionalism.

On the contrary, no one understood the front page better than Rita Skeeter.

When Voldemort left Hogwarts, a newspaper that would shock the entire wizarding world was already in the works.

The reason for the delay in returning was to print as many copies as possible.

"And this." Rita Skeeter took out a camera, "I want to buy it. Name your price, and I won't haggle as long as I can afford it."

This camera recorded her biggest scoop in her career. If possible, Rita Skeeter wanted to keep it as a permanent memento.

She had even prepared to go bankrupt for it.

"It's yours."

"..."

"Huh?"

"What? Didn't you hear me?" Kyle repeated, "It's just a camera, and I'm giving it to you as an early promotion gift... Who knows, I might ask you to publish articles in the future."

As the journalist who exclusively reported on the Death Eaters' grand battle at Hogwarts, Rita Skeeter's fame was guaranteed.

So, an early promotion gift made sense.

However, Rita Skeeter wasn't a novice; she knew that Kyle was well aware of what this camera meant to her.

By giving it directly to her, it implied that the camera's price wasn't in Galleons but something else, and the promotion gift was just an excuse.

As for what that something was, Kyle had made it clear.

"Thank you."

Rita Skeeter hesitated for only a second before putting the camera away.

(End of Chapter)

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