Ron eventually went to sleep.
He believed Harry's account that Scabbers had hidden himself beforehand.
He might see Scabbers lying next to his pillow first thing tomorrow morning.
Basil and the others were finally able to sleep.
However, before Basil went to sleep, he made a point of sweeping the bed with Scourgify.
The next day, just as Ron had predicted, Scabbers returned to his bedside.
However, it was a picture of it, with a short, fat man who looked like a rat next to it.
It's worth mentioning that ever since Ron made over 300 Galleon by reselling Magical Creature Containment Box, he's started ordering all sorts of items.
This also includes The Daily Prophet.
Scabbers's photo was on the cover of the newspaper.
Perhaps it's because today's Daily Prophet is much thicker than usual.
So when the owl dropped it next to Ron's pillow, he was startled awake.
Then I saw the newspaper.
"Scabbers! No!!! Ouch!!!"
Ron vomited all over the place.
Everyone was woken up, including Basil was pretending to be asleep and wanting to stay in bed.
When they opened their eyes, they saw the filth beside Ron's bed, the pillow thrown far away, and the newspaper he was waving in his hand.
[Scourgify]
Basil pointed, and the filth on the ground and the drool at Ron's mouth disappeared.
Harry and the others then reluctantly approached.
Without saying a word, Ron silently unfolded the newspaper in his hand and placed it on the hexagonal table.
It was an article with a picture of Scabbers on it, and a man next to her.
This person is very short; relative to adults, Harry only a few inches taller than Harry in the photo.
His thin, light-colored hair was disheveled, and there was a large bald patch on the top of his head.
He's very fat, almost as fat as Crabbe and Goyle.
His skin was very dirty, almost as dirty as his Scabbers fur, and his pointed nose and watery little eyes had the characteristics of a mouse.
A major blunder by the Ministry of Magic
This report was filed by our special correspondent Rita Skeeter.
Azkaban, located in the middle of the North Sea and surrounded by the sea, is undoubtedly the safest prison, guarded by Dementor.
Historically, no one has ever managed to escape from there.
However, if the prisoners inside are innocent, or if the wrong people are imprisoned, its advantages become disadvantages.
Sirius Black was one of the most notorious prisoners in Azkaban.
A single incantation killed thirteen people.
He betrayed his friend James Potter, joined forces with You-Know-Who, and murdered the hero Peter.
Peter, a friend of James Potter and Sirius.
A recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, sought out Black for the sake of his friend, but was ultimately killed.
In the end, only one finger remained.
The above are the facts that the Ministry of Magic has told us.
But sadly, we overlooked one thing.
When Black was arrested, Crouch, who was then the Director of the Department of Magical Law and just one step away from becoming Minister for Magic, was eager for a promotion and put Crouch in prison without a trial.
The truth only came to light yesterday.
Peter is still alive, and his Animagus is a rat.
He lived with the Weasley family as a pet for nearly eleven years.
In the past year, he has also shared a bed with Rowan Weasley, the youngest son of the Weasley family, and Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.
Fortunately, before we received news that Harry Potter had been bitten to death by a rat, Albus Dumbledore discovered the true nature of this vile and filthy rat.
He was taken to the Ministry of Magic for questioning.
Under the influence of the Veritaserum, he confessed to everything.
"I betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort. But what could I do? The Dark Lord was so powerful and terrifying. It was Sirius who insisted that I become the Secret Keeper. Even after I said I didn't want to be the Secret Keeper, they didn't tell Dumbledore. As a result, my mother was not protected either."
"Of course, I have no choice but to betray them."
When this fact was exposed, I thought that Minister Fudge, who loved to cover up the truth and was a coward, would be eager to destroy the evidence.
Or they might shift all the blame onto Crouch.
Or they might be stalling for time in an attempt to minimize the impact.
But the truth is, our seemingly obese and weak minister is far more responsible than we imagined.
He defied public opinion and released Sirius on the spot.
It showcased the outstanding qualities of a responsible Minister for Magic.
Of course, if that were all, we could only praise him for being responsible.
After all, Fudge was not the Minister for Magic at the time.
This is not his fault.
However, just yesterday, while releasing Sirius, he also immediately released Narcissa Malfoy, who had been wrongly imprisoned in Azkaban.
Seeing this, Harry also felt a little nauseous.
I cast a Scourgify on my pillow.
Turn to the next page.
At the very top is a photo of Sirius and his mother, Malfoy.
Years in prison have left Sirius with sunken cheeks, lifeless eyes, and skin as white as wax.
But you can still tell he's handsome.
Malfoy's mother, perhaps because she hadn't been in prison for long, was still graceful, tall, and charming.
Her eyes were slightly red—were they tears of joy? Because of her release from prison?
But Sirius seems to be comforting Malfoy's mother.
The two of them helped each other up.
At this moment, Ron let out a gasp, then lowered his head in guilt and remorse.
Harry, who was engrossed in the photograph, was awakened.
He quickly looked down.
Those who have read issue 678 of The Daily Prophet should know this.
Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to six months in prison for economic crimes.
Those with children at Hogwarts, or those living in Hogsmeade Village, should know what happened at Hogwarts yesterday.
Acromantula, Class (Known animal that kills wizards/Unable to be tamed or subdued) creature.
It enjoys eating human flesh, is cruel by nature, and is extremely dangerous.
Even one is extremely dangerous to a wizard.
Yesterday, after their exams, the first-year students were playing in the area outside the castle when a group of Acromantula attacked from the Forbidden Forest.
Fortunately, Hogwarts has excellent teaching staff and a safe environment.
Albus Dumbledore, who had been summoned to the Ministry of Magic, sensed the danger and returned in time.
In the end, none of the young wizards were injured.
Dumbledore into the Forbidden Forest and found the "culprit" —Lucius Malfoy's head.
It has been in the Forbidden Forest for at least a month.
It is also the origin of the curse that caused the Acromantula to relentlessly attack the castle.
Dumbledore said, "This is extremely vicious Dark Magic. A curse ritual that takes months to complete, with the life of a wizard as a sacrifice."
I asked, "But what is the purpose of this?"
Dumbledore replied, "You remember before the start of the school year, a dark wizard broke into Gringotts, didn't you? That treasure that was targeted was later transferred to Hogwarts."
According to my investigation, the item is suspected to be Philosopher's Stone, which can be used to create countless treasures such as gold and Elixir of Life.
This dark wizard is suspected to be Quirinus Quirrell, the Hogwarts Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
He was also the one who killed Lucius Malfoy, cursed Narcissa Malfoy with a curse that prevented her from speaking and leaking information, forced her to take Polyjuice Potion, and sent her to Azkaban. He also smuggled a large quantity of Polyjuice Potion into the prison under the guise of mailing alcohol.
Then comes the critique of the prison system, specifically why Azkaban was able to smuggle in luxury goods like alcohol.
Even though Lucius Malfoy was rich and powerful, he only spent six months in prison.
And then there's the excessive praise for Fudge.
It was disgusting; Basil didn't watch it.
Thanks to classmate sw6767, classmate Liu Renmin, classmate ☆Zixing for the reward, classmate The Whale Eating Meow, classmate Mocha Molly, classmate <(——)>, classmate Willing Barrier, classmate 20221126114102730, classmate Ultimate Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior, classmate Chen Henxi for her monthly ticket and other students' recommendations and subscriptions!