Treasure Boy

"Why are you here?"

Albert had just left Hagrid and was on his way back to the castle when he ran into an acquaintance who should not have been at Hogwarts.

"Someone invited me here."

Rita Skeeter's gaze drifted downward to the leather case swaying slightly in Albert's hand. Curious, she asked, "What's in your suitcase?"

"How many Galleons did old Malfoy give you?" Albert suddenly asked.

"He was very generous," Rita Skeeter said with a smile.

"That guy certainly has plenty of money." Albert sneered. "To get Hagrid's Hippogriff killed, who knows how many Galleons he's already spent."

"Do you think that Hippogriff is innocent?" Rita Skeeter seemed interested and wanted to interview Albert about his views on the matter.

"This is actually very simple," Albert said calmly. "Someone deliberately grabbed a dog by the tail, got bitten, then blamed the dog and decided to beat it to death."

"You certainly know a lot about it." Rita Skeeter had naturally looked into the matter, and the actual situation really was more or less like that.

Still, the truth had nothing to do with her.

She was a reporter.

She was only responsible for newspaper sales.

So-called truth was hardly important in the face of a bestseller.

"Who do you think will win this time?" Rita Skeeter pressed.

"Hagrid never had any chance of winning from the start. The reason is simple: he has neither money nor influence. He can't bribe Ministry of Magic officials, so naturally he can't win."

"Do you think the Ministry of Magic is corrupt?" Rita Skeeter continued to press him.

"At the very least, it has never been fair." Albert stopped walking and said to Rita Skeeter, "I can give you a little piece of news. In a while, you'll understand what I mean."

"What