In the British Wizarding World, the Black Family is synonymous with status and wealth.
Sirius Black, as the only paternal descendant in the family, wielded influence no less than that of the Pure-blood men.
However, after clearing his name, he became less willing to make high-profile appearances. During the Quidditch World Cup final, if Fudge hadn't personally invited him, he wouldn't have bothered with those so-called VIPs.
Facing such a big shot, the young Gerry was extremely nervous, even forgetting the most basic etiquette of making tea.
Sirius Black didn't pay attention to these details; he tried his best to appear more approachable. "Gerry, I read today's newspaper, and a few articles seem to have not been rigorously reviewed."
Gerry lowered his head, avoiding his eyes. "The Magical News Department is newly established, and we're already working hard to solve these problems. Please give us more—"
"Alright." Sirius Black raised an eyebrow. "I'll get straight to the point. Name your price."
Gerry lowered his head even further. "Mr. Black, this isn't about the money."
"I understand." Sirius Black smiled, then his face immediately darkened. "It seems the Malfoy family has expanded their network quite a bit over the past decade or so."
A former junior employee of the Daily Prophet accepted bribes as soon as he joined the Ministry of Magic? These kinds of tricks are far beyond the capabilities of three young people.
Therefore, this is actually pressure exerted by those above.
Sirius Black slowly took a cube out of his pocket, and then took out today's newspaper from inside.
He spread out the newspaper, pointed to the article about Harry, and said, "Gerry, I won't make things difficult for you. I just want to know who is smearing my godson."
Seeing Gerry Gary was hesitant to speak, he took out a small bag woven from platinum silk from the cube.
"You give me the answer, I'll pay you. It's simple and straightforward, and there won't be any trouble."
Gerry stared longingly at the small bag in his hand.
The platinum silk used for weaving alone is worth hundreds of Galleon, so the contents inside must be even more valuable.
Gerry took a deep breath, and after a fierce internal struggle, he finally mustered the courage to raise his head.
"Mr. Black, the appearance of this article was actually an accident."
His eyes darted away. "Someone replaced the article, causing all the newspapers printed today to be..."
We reported it immediately after we discovered it, but the higher-ups didn't care about this strangely appearing article, thinking it was just a minor, harmless matter, and told us not to talk about it.
It's no wonder he was so hesitant and reluctant to speak up at first, when he discovered the problem and it wasn't taken seriously.
Sirius Black took out another small bag. "Why not replace that article? Can't your newspaper update the news in real time?"
Gerry's hands clenched into fists unnaturally, and he looked somewhat angry. "We've changed newspaper suppliers, and now we can't update the news in real time using magic."
Why would anyone change suppliers? The new supplier must be a relative of some high-ranking official!
An incompetent leadership created an incompetent Ministry of Magic, and over the years, those below had no choice but to give up and lie low.
Fortunately, Gerry had only recently arrived from the newspaper office; otherwise, getting him to talk would not have been as easy as it is now.
Although it makes no difference to Sirius Black whether he spends a thousand or ten thousand, it will waste a lot of time.
Who are these high-ranking officials you mentioned?
Gerry pursed his lips, looking troubled.
Sirius Black took out a third small bag from the cube. "As the victim's godfather, I have the right to know who exactly caused this 'accident,' don't I?"
He reached out and patted Gerry's shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, if the Ministry of Magic fires you because of this, I'll arrange a better job for you."
Gerry, who had been hesitant, suddenly made up his mind and whispered in his ear, "It's Senior Deputy Minister Umbridge. Director Crouch, who came with her, wanted to launch an investigation, but she sternly refused."
It turns out it was Umbridge, that pink toad. If I'm not mistaken, the change of suppliers is definitely related to her, which is why this bizarre "accident" didn't get any attention.
Sirius Black was so angry he laughed.
There are reasons why the British Wizarding World has been plagued by large-scale and heinous incidents in recent years. As long as these scoundrels exist, how can the Ministry of Magic guarantee social stability and prosperity?
"Mr. Black?" Gerry was startled by his murderous gaze. "Are you... are you alright?"
Sirius Black shook his head. "I'm fine."
He stood up from the sofa. "Thank you for your hospitality, Gerry. I'm going to put an end to this 'accident' now."
Young Gerry stared blankly at his departing figure.
It was indeed an accident that articles smearing Harry appeared in the newspaper, but ignoring them or not taking any action was not an accident, but rather a deliberate act.
After leaving the Magical News Department, Sirius Black went straight to the elevator and arrived at the Minister's Office and logistics department on the basement floor.
He walked on the thick carpet, his eyes scanning back and forth between the small signs on the wooden doors on both sides.
Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes fixed on the name on the sign in front of him.
"Minister's Office the Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic — Dolores Jane Umbridge"
He softened his expression slightly and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a shrill, unpleasant voice from inside.
As soon as Sirius Black opened the door, the pink wallpaper in the room bombarded his eyes.
The wallpaper alone wasn't the problem; the real issue was that it was covered with ceramic plates printed with disgusting cat patterns.
He didn't actually dislike cats; he just felt the whole room reeked of disgust, especially the pink toad sitting behind the pink desk.
"Oh, it's Mr. Black! Come in, please."
She's so old, yet she still tries to speak in a high-pitched voice like a young girl.
The voice was thin and shrill, making people tremble.
Sirius Black took a deep breath and reluctantly walked into the office.
Half an hour later, he came out of there, feeling a chill all over his body.
If it weren't for Harry, he would have beaten up the pink toad inside as soon as he went in.
But in any case, this "accident" was finally resolved smoothly.
Sirius Black quickly left the Ministry of Magic, breathing in the fresh air outside.
He raised the Magical Communicator and checked the time.
At 9:13 a. m., it was already time for Hogwarts classes.
He quickly edited a text message and set a timer to send it, then raised his wand Apparition, disappearing in front of the red phone booth.