March 27,
The trial, which was 12 years in the making, has finally begun.
Before dawn, the wizards who were listening in had already arrived at the Ministry of Magic and entered the magnificent reception hall.
This was a public trial, and the Ministry of Magic even invited relatives of the 12 Muggle victims from that year.
With such a grand setup, Rita Skeeter, the Queen of news, would naturally be present.
She simply changed into a pair of ordinary black-rimmed glasses and managed to sneak in.
At least they were disguised; while they couldn't be described as swaggering, they were at least somewhat dignified.
"Name."
"Rita Skeeter".
The young lady in charge of the inspection was so frightened that her face turned green.
Notify our superiors! There's a large group of wizards and civilians around. Are we just supposed to stand by and watch?
Rita leaned closer to her. "Is there a problem?"
"No... no."
After successfully passing through security, we arrived at a row of golden doors at the end of the hall.
There are a total of twenty doors, leading to twenty elevators.
"Excuse me, may I bother you?"
Rita turned around and looked behind her.
This is a handsome young man in his early twenties, a bit naive and green, probably only graduated a few years ago.
"Madam, are you really Rita Skeeter?"
"It's me, no doubt about it." Rita lightly tapped the frame of the black-rimmed glasses, turning them back into the original gold-rimmed glasses studded with jewels.
Sensing her overpowering, high-profile aura, the handsome young man instinctively shivered.
His voice was soft. "Ms. Skeeter, the Ministry of Magic has long considered you a thorn in its side. I know of a ventilation duct that leads directly to the main street outside."
Rita seemed somewhat surprised.
This handsome young man wasn't trying to pick her up; he was actually a die-hard fan.
"Thank you, but I believe today is a day of justice, and no one can take me away from you."
As expected of the Queen of News, she explained the situation clearly in just one sentence.
Today's court hearing is also a blatant political stunt, especially since the Ministry of Magic has not yet officially issued an arrest warrant for her.
Although many wizards around her scoffed at what she had just said, the handsome young man, a die-hard fan, was clearly encouraged.
A true media professional is one who stands with the people in the face of power, even at the risk of their own life, to expose the dark secrets of the Ministry of Magic.
Rita thoroughly enjoyed the attention she received.
So what if she looks down on me? So what if she despises me? Her image is very positive now.
According to her partner, people only see what they want to see, and the truth of the matter doesn't matter at all.
If this can be maintained, sooner or later all wizards will be convinced.
While waiting for the elevator, Rita chatted with the handsome young man for a long time.
His name is John Hollingworth, a Hogwarts student who graduated in 1990, the same year as Tonks, and a popular reporter for the Witch Weekly's advisory section.
"Hollingworth? John, Claire Hollingworth is yours..."
"She is my great-aunt."
Claire Hollingworth was the first prominent Britain war correspondent to cover the Germany invasion of Poland.
Although she was Muggle, her repeated visits to the battlefield and her writing of reports earned her the respect of many wizard journalists.
It's surprising that the successor of such a legendary journalist is working as a reporter for a gossip magazine like The Witch Weekly. It seems the competition for this position is fierce this year.
"John, would you be interested in switching jobs and coming to help me?"
Faced with Rita's offer, John answered without hesitation, "I'm interested, very interested."
He seemed particularly agitated, probably because he was extremely dissatisfied with his current job.
That's true; no aspiring journalist would choose a gossip magazine.
Rita extended her hand to him. "Welcome, John."
"I... I really can..."
"Of course, my partner plans to start a new newspaper. There are no problems with funding. The only thing we lack is capable people."
John knew that it was his great-aunt's legendary story that moved Rita, not his own abilities.
He grasped Rita's hand. "Ms. Skeeter, I will prove that your judgment was correct."
Since they had already decided to switch jobs, the two of them naturally had to attend the court hearing together.
Take the elevator to the Department of Mysteries on the ninth underground floor, and continue down a corridor constructed of rough stone walls. Soon you will see one heavy wooden door after another.
Each door leads to a courtroom, and today's trial will be held in the innermost one.
Upon entering the Courtroom Ten, Rita and John couldn't help but admire the Ministry of Magic's efficiency in infrastructure development.
The sentry posts and Temporary Headquarters surrounding Hogwarts Castle were set up in just one night. The courtroom in front of us, which was expanded to the size of a football field, had its original black stones replaced with white ones, and the lighting changed from dim to bright, must have taken many nights to build.
Rita chose a corner to sit down and pointed to the most conspicuous iron chair at the bottom.
"John, do you know why the Ministry of Magic is making such a big fuss about this trial?"
John, sitting next to her, pondered for a moment, "Is it to incite public sentiment? To get everyone to stand with them?"
"That's right." Rita smiled.
The analysis is sharp and gets straight to the point.
Peter Pettigrew, such a shameful traitor, is destined to be condemned by everyone. The Ministry of Magic's stance of severely punishing him will surely win over the hearts of the people.
Rita opened her notebook, hesitated for a moment, and wrote a small line of text on it.
"John, what do you think the verdict will be?"
"Hmm... the only option is the death penalty, but we can't let Peter Pettigrew off too easily."
Rita wrote down the words "parade," but quickly crossed them out.
"What do you think about making him kneel down and repent?"
John paused for a moment, "Kneeling before the Potter Memorial in Godric's Hollow? Or perhaps at Potter's birthplace?"
Rita said with a mocking smile, "Perhaps we should also add the Black Ancestral Home, if the Ministry of Magic doesn't mind that this family has produced two Death Eaters."
They may not mind, but the public will.
Sirius Black's cousin Bellatrix is still serving time in Azkaban, and his younger brother, though the exact cause of his death is unknown, was one of Voldemort's earliest followers.
He can only represent himself, not the entire Pure-blood Supremacy Black Family.
Even though this family has fallen on hard times.
As time went by, the courtroom, the size of a football field, became increasingly filled with wizards.
The arrival of the 12 Muggle victims caused quite a stir, with everyone whispering and discussing among themselves.
Rita and John were no exception.
"If you were to write an article, what would you emphasize?"
"I will probably focus on the suffering that those Muggle relatives have endured over the past 12 years, and make everyone reflect on the dangers of abusing magic."
"60 points, barely passing."
Rita stopped writing rapidly in her notebook and opened it to John.
How can we finally stop this tragedy from repeating itself?
With just a few simple words, she escalated the issue to the conflict between wizards and Muggle, leaving room for endless speculation.
John nodded, seemingly understanding.
The key is the level of discussion. With discussion comes attention, and the more attention there is, the easier it is to become a hot topic.
Of course, one must have conscience and a bottom line, but as a journalist, one must first be famous; otherwise, without influence, anything one says is futile.
Rita, the Queen of news, truly lives up to her idol; that newly established newspaper will likely completely revolutionize the news industry in the Wizarding World.