A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 641: Rita Skeeter in Action - (2)

Rita Skeeter, who had just been promoted, rushed back to her office and instructed her two assistants, "Fetch all the news related to the recent shooting incident at Dumbledore School this year. Include the list of victims, the ideals and demands of the anti-gun movement, government statements on the matter, the names of the drafters of the gun control bill, and any baseless rumors... I want it all! Also, get me a ticket to Scotland."

Two days later, Rita Skeeter arrived in the town where the shooting had occurred and personally convinced several victims' families to agree to interviews.

Her terms were generous—The Daily Prophet had a substantial circulation, enough to stir up waves. She promised to publish a series of reports to help the families exert pressure on the government, and the families agreed without much hesitation.

They also used their connections to have Rita Skeeter swagger into the school where the shooting took place.

Rita Skeeter casually interviewed some teachers, brainstorming a sharp report in her mind with over ten thousand words. But she wasn't satisfied. She wanted to find a clever angle that would be both shocking and fitting for the new year.

As she walked, her disheveled gaze fell on the students. She came up with a good idea.

"Hey, little guy," she greeted a boy with feigned warmth, "What's your name?"

"Andy, Andy Murray," the boy she had fixated on replied, looking to be only eight or nine years old.

"Oh, Andy, Andy," she repeated twice, pulling out her press pass and waving it in front of him. Authoritatively, she asked, "Can I interview you alone?"

"Perfect, that's why I'm here," Rita Skeeter lied, glancing quickly at the tennis bag on the boy's shoulder, smiling, "I talked to your teacher, and she told me you're very talented."

"It's 'he'," the boy corrected.

"What?"

"My P.E. teacher, it's 'he'," the boy emphasized, then eyed her skeptically.

"I must have remembered wrong," Rita Skeeter apologized, though there was no trace of shame on her face, "So—let's talk about Quaffle, tennis, oh, such tongue-twisting words."

The little boy stared at her, displeased with the woman who suddenly appeared and dared to blaspheme tennis.

"Oh, come on, I just misspoke. Do you know how much research I did before coming here?" She pointed to her thick glasses. "Since when did you start playing tennis?"

"...Three years old," after a standoff, the little boy replied.

Rita Skeeter was somewhat surprised. "So, I've stumbled upon a little genius?" She chuckled, "I should put you on my watchlist and interview you again in a few years. What headline should I use? The Birth of a Genius... or perhaps the Fall of a Genius? It's really something to look forward to."

The little boy left indignantly, but Skeeter held onto his wrist. In the midst of the dispute, teachers from the school appeared.

"What are you doing? Who are you? Oh, Mrs. Skeeter—" the female teacher was quite surprised.

"It's me," Skeeter let go, using a nonchalant tone, "I bumped into little Andy while wandering around the campus, but he wanted to go to the gym in a hurry... there was a little misunderstanding."

The female teacher looked at her and then at the boy rubbing his wrist, and her attitude cooled down. "I think it's not for that reason, Andy... Andy wouldn't want to go to the gym."

"Why would you say that?" Skeeter was puzzled for a moment, but soon realized the key to the problem. "Because the shooting happened in the gym?" She stared at Andy in disbelief, saying, "He was one of the witnesses?"

"That's right," the female teacher said coldly, "After that incident, Andy generally only goes to the playground to play, and the school is planning to build a new sports center."

Rita Skeeter cursed her misjudgment.

"I—" she stammered, trying to make amends.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Skeeter, please leave. Otherwise, I'll have to call security," the female teacher said firmly.

Rita Skeeter's face turned pale and red alternately. Several times she reached into her crocodile-skin bag, but she gave up taking out her wand. Because, being employed by the Ministry of Magic, her wand was tracked with magical threads, and any magic she used throughout the year would be known to the woman sitting in the Minister's office.

Damn it.

"Alright, I apologize." She shrugged and turned to leave.

As she walked out of the school, Skeeter contemplated various ideas. She had gathered enough information for now; today was just an extra gain. But she felt something was missing. What was it? She turned to look back, seeing the female teacher crouching down to comfort the little boy, who remained stubborn.

Tennis, the little boy... She figured it out.

"Lucky for you," Rita Skeeter said coldly in her heart, having spent another dozen hours on the train, returning to The Daily Prophet headquarters. Not long after, she seamlessly composed a news article.

"Nine months later, my new friend Andy still can't escape the shadow of fear. He wept in front of me, confessing his heartbreak over the loss of his playmate, revealing that they had planned to play a tennis match together, becoming eternal friends and rivals. But all of it turned to nothing. His parents couldn't even console him with a well-intentioned lie, as little Andy was one of the eyewitnesses to the tragedy, witnessing his companion fall in front of him..."

"I know some will bring up the 1987 Hengford shooting incident. Yes, the government reacted swiftly, announcing a ban on semi-automatic rifles the following year and imposing restrictions on handgun ownership. But this is far from enough!"

"Only nine years later, tragedy repeats itself, this time more sinister in nature, as 16 out of the 17 victims were children. Must we turn a blind eye? The perpetrator carried four handguns during the attack, all 'licensed and distributed by the government,' highlighting significant loopholes in our gun control system. I implore the government officials who are currently busy planning vacations or preparing for New Year parades to direct their attention to these victims and their families. They should be celebrating the New Year as joyfully as you. But their lives came to a permanent halt in March 1996."

"...We must show greater determination, courage, and responsibility to make the right choices... Encouraged by the journalist, little Andy has bounced back, vowing never to give up tennis. Ladies and gentlemen, a great sports star is emerging, with a bright future and endless possibilities. But please don't forget, if we continue to be indifferent, little Andy will face the threat of firearms day and night in the future..."

In the office, silence reigned for quite a while, with a cigarette quietly burning.

"How is it?" Rita Skeeter squinted her eyes and asked.

The previously serious-faced woman tore off a piece of paper, wrote quickly, and after a while, she pushed the note and the article in front of Skeeter. Then she took a deep drag of her cigarette, exhaling a minty smoke ring.

"Your new office is ready."

You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.

As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:

• Early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
• You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
• You Get Ad-free Chapters.
• Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.