Gerry was a former employee of the Daily Prophet and was very familiar with the art of manipulating public opinion.
He knew that Fudge was just making empty promises, but things would inevitably repeat themselves, and the promised independence of the Magical News Department had become a joke.
"Mr. Minister, I understand."
After seeing Fudge off, Gerry returned to his desk with a conflicted expression.
The Daily Prophet is a traditional newspaper, and even though it can change the content of the newspaper at any time, it can never compete with emerging social media in terms of timeliness.
With a "ding," his Magical Communicator received a new message.
It was a notification from dubidubi video; Rita Skeeter, whom he follows, had updated her video.
Gerry hesitated for a moment, but then clicked on the video.
On the projection screen, Rita righteously accused the Ministry of Magic of inefficiency, saying that 24 hours had passed and they still hadn't extracted any useful information from the two Death Eaters.
She then added details to the live broadcast analyzing Dumbledore's duel with Voldemort during the day, repeatedly emphasizing in a joking tone how difficult it was to forge the evidence, and hoping that the Ministry of Magic would release the testimonies of several witnesses as soon as possible.
Gerry reached out and pressed and held the thumbs-up button at the bottom of the video, giving this episode a triple tap of likes, comments, and shares.
As a media professional, he used to look down on Rita when she was working at the newspaper.
Distorting facts and fabricating stories, they use a lot of sharp language to stir up readers' emotions, thereby guiding or even manipulating public opinion.
But times have changed, and he has now degenerated into the kind of person he once looked down upon.
Rita, on the other hand, completely changed her style, backed by the newly established Wayne Media, and focused on boldly revealing the truth.
Gerry had a strong feeling that no matter how outlandish or captivating the story of Barty Crouch Jr.'s escape from Azkaban was embellished, it probably wouldn't garner much attention for long.
In the rapidly changing era of social media, all wizards have a voice, and anyone can become a "journalist".
"Traditional print media is coming to an end." Gerry sighed, and began to seriously consider how to complete the task directly assigned to Fudge.
After dawn,
Gerry meticulously crafted Barty Crouch Jr.'s thrilling prison break story, working through the night.
This poor child, who lacked fatherly love since childhood, met the person who would change his life when he was most vulnerable and in need of care.
He felt a fatherly love he had never experienced before from Voldemort, and he was willing to sacrifice everything for this false fatherly love.
Vincent had arrived early to enjoy breakfast in the Great Hall, immediately became interested.
No wonder the new Marauder's Map wasn't working; it turns out Barty Crouch Jr. was impersonating Barty Crouch.
The father and son share the same name, and as long as they don't actively reveal themselves, they can indeed deceive everyone with the Veil Stealing Curse.
Vincent took a small sip of milk, picked up the newspaper, and continued reading.
Gerry's writing is very evocative. In his story, Barty Crouch is an ambitious politician who, upon learning that his son has sided with Voldemort, is willing to betray his own son for the greater good, just to remain in the Ministry of Magic.
Barty Crouch Jr.'s escape from Azkaban was full of twists and turns, from his initial refusal to drink the Polyjuice Potion and make an exchange, to how he managed to evade the Dementors Dementors' inspection.
Just when he thought he was finally feeling fatherly love from Barty Crouch, the man used the Imperius Curse to control him and imprison him in his home. He realized that he had simply been transferred from Azkaban to another prison called home.
For 13 long years, he longed to escape every moment, and he desperately missed the false fatherly love that Voldemort had given him.
Finally, last year, his opportunity came.
Jorkins, who had been cursed with the Memory Charm by Barty Crouch, suddenly remembered everything. She sneaked over while Barty Crouch was away and removed the Invisibility Cloak to confirm that Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive.
Jorkins wanted to go back and tell the truth, but was stopped by the House-elf Winky, while Barty Crouch Jr. thought it was a golden opportunity.
If he misses today, he will be imprisoned at home forever by his biological father Barty Crouch.
He thought of the warmth Voldemort had brought him, even if it was just a false fatherly love, and even though Voldemort was long dead, he longed to feel that fatherly love again.
He seized the opportunity to steal Jorkins' wand and used Dark Magic to injure her and Winky.
After Barty Crouch returned home, Barty Crouch Jr. did to him what he had done to himself.
Escaping from the prison called home was just the beginning. Voldemort had been dead for many years, and he was still unable to embrace his father's love.
So he fabricated a fact, the fact that Voldemort was still alive.
He began to act secretly, wanting to tell everyone that the father who truly brought him warmth had returned.
Vincent smiled, closed the newspaper, and ate the last bite of toast.
There are still talented people in the Ministry of Magic. This story is so intricate and fantastical that it portrays Voldemort's return as the final fantasy of Barty Crouch Jr., a fanatical Death Eaters lacked fatherly love since childhood.
If this were the era of traditional print media, the Ministry of Magic might actually have succeeded.
Unfortunately, the era of social media has quietly arrived, and the sharing and dissemination of information is no longer one-dimensional. Even the Daily Prophet, an official newspaper, cannot stop the popularization of information exchange among ordinary people.
But this cannot be blamed on Fudge and the higher-ups in the Ministry of Magic for being short-sighted. After all, who could have imagined that the arrival of the era of social media would break the monopoly of traditional media and promote information transparency?
After enjoying his breakfast, Vincent greeted Hermione and then went to the Headmaster's Office alone.
When he went in, Dumbledore had just finished reading today's newspaper. He noticed that the burns on the other man's left hand showed no signs of healing.
"Professor, your hand..."
Dumbledore raised his left hand, which was covered in scabs. "You mean this? Severus has done his best to make it function properly; it just looks a little scary on the surface."
Vincent reached down and touched the unhealed scar on his neck, a mark left by the Werewolf.
It's already quite an achievement to fight Voldemort and drive him away without using Dark Magic, and to avoid mutual destruction.
Vincent sat down opposite him. "Professor, if there were no live stream, would you use Dark Magic to keep Tom here?"
Dumbledore. "I am not like you, Vincent. I studied countless Dark Magic with Gellert Grindelwald when I was young, but I have always maintained a sense of awe towards Dark Magic."
Every kind of magic has its purpose. Dumbledore's opposition to Dark Magic was not because it was useless or evil, but because it was often used to kill innocent people.
Magic is neither black nor white; the key lies in whether the purpose for which it is used is righteous.
Vincent "Oh," and glanced at the newspaper on the table. "Professor, do you think it's more terrifying to be subjected to the abuse of Dark Magic, or to be unable to fathom the human heart?"
Dumbledore. "Child, you don't need to test me. I won't side with Cornelius."