The News Media Are Having a Collective Field Day / The Malfoy Family Makes the Rules in the Wizarding World ...

Let these news media outlets start their frenzied celebration in the days to come!

Chapter 318 The news media are having a collective celebration.

In the days that followed, although Peter Pettigrew remained silent, legends about him spread like wildfire throughout the Wizarding World, with new tales emerging almost daily.

' Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew Peter have a secret meeting late at night in a Muggle bar, during which their conversation repeatedly mentions the You-Know-Who, and even the You-Know-Who's wand resurfaces.'

The paparazzi of the Daily Prophet took more than twenty photos of this crucial hot topic. Even if they published two photos in each of their morning and evening papers, they could fill a whole week with completely different headlines.

Most of these news stories were embellished by Rita Skeeter's brilliant writing. She even highlighted two major news stories in the final two installments: "Lucius Malfoy requests a secret meeting with Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, intending to use money and influence to clear his name!" and "Lucius Malfoy insists Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Wizardry is harboring Peter Pettigrew Peter —is it an accusation or defamation?"

Besides the Daily Prophet, the Witch Weekly, which usually focuses solely on the witch market, also surprisingly published these current affairs articles about Peter Pettigrew, demonstrating the wide reach of this event.

Oh, by the way, another magazine that participated in this news extravaganza was <The Quibbler>, edited by Luna Lovegood's father.

Compared to the popularity of the previous two publications, the Quibbler was undoubtedly a rather niche magazine, previously only subscribed to by the 'truly intelligent' wizards that Luna Lovegood mentioned.

But this time, the magazine unexpectedly published top-secret news that even Rita Skeeter couldn't get her hands on!

In recent issues of the magazine, * the Quibbler * published a series of articles focusing on the battle that took place in the Hogwarts Great Hall, and how the Ministry of Magic shamelessly stole the spoils of victory from Harry and the participating professors. The articles not only include photographic evidence but also audio recordings from the scene.

Following this, the Quibbler published photos of Lucius Malfoy at the Leaky Cauldron, as well as photos of him talking with Peter Pettigrew in the pub, along with the crucial accompanying audio recording of their conversation!

Contrary to the news published in the Daily Prophet, Lucius Malfoy explicitly expressed his support for Peter Pettigrew in an audiobook released by the Quibbler.

The question, "Peter, how can I help you?" perfectly encapsulates Lucius's stance.

Especially when paired with that profile picture of him smiling and holding the You-Know-Who's wand, it's clear he's reached an agreement with Peter Pettigrew Peter!

In any case, among the ever-growing readership of "The Quibbler," Lucius Malfoy's identity Death Eater has long been established, and he is already a criminal with conclusive evidence of supporting the Dark Lord's restoration.

Thanks to these sensational news stories, the sales of recent issues of "The Quibbler" have naturally soared, and editor-in-chief Xenophilius Lovegood made a fortune, with money practically overflowing from his pockets.

All of this was, of course, Harry's doing. He provided all the scoops published in the Quibbler, and some were even written by Harry himself based on his actual conversations with Lucius!

Luna Lovegood had spoken with her father long ago about publishing an article to help Harry fight the media war. As a father Xenophilius naturally loved his daughter who depended on him for support, so even though he had never met Harry, he still chose to give his full support.

At this critical juncture, Harry was naturally very grateful to Luna Lovegood's father for taking the initiative to release news.

Unlike other the Quibbler publications, if Xenophilius were to mishandle this matter, he too could potentially be implicated, but he still offered his assistance.

In short, while major news outlets were busy reporting on the events and the Ministry of Magic was forced to deal with a series of scandals, Harry, who had secretly orchestrated everything, had already quietly flown back to Hogwarts, keeping his achievements hidden.

However, the eye of the storm he left behind continued to rotate and expand, eventually forming a storm that swept across the entire Britain Wizarding World!

In a small, secret interrogation room on the lowest level of the Britain Ministry of Magic, Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge sat facing each other, the atmosphere between them heavy.

Lucius wanted to meet with Fudge, and considering that Lucius was his financial backer, Fudge agreed out of courtesy; moreover, as Minister of Ministry of Magic, it wasn't considered a violation of regulations for him to want to speak alone with Lucius, who was currently only a suspect.

However, Fudge was in a difficult position when Lucius made his first request.

"Fudge, you have to help me!"

Looking at Lucius's wide-eyed expression, Fudge really wanted to ask...

How can I help?

The news outside is making headlines, and you were caught red-handed by Mad-Eye Moody. If I were to openly advocate for you, wouldn't I be dragging myself down with you?

"Fudge, I have to remind you... if I were to confess to Wizengamot, it wouldn't just be about Peter Pettigrew!" Seeing the other party hesitate, Lucius simply chose to be blunt. "I think... a group led by Amelia Bones will definitely be very curious about why you suddenly have such a large sum of gold, right?"

"This... Malfoy, you can't say that." Fudge panicked instantly. "We're friends, and you said... those things were just gifts between friends..."

Amelia Bones is the current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and, besides Fudge, a wizard with considerable influence within the Ministry of Magic.

Therefore, Fudge knew very well that if the other party found out that he had accepted bribes, his position as minister would probably be over.

"Fudge, if you've always been my friend, then that gold is simply a gift between friends." Seeing Fudge's cowardly appearance, Lucius continued to press, "But if you don't consider me a friend, then I'll have to go and tell the rest of the Ministry of Magic."

Hearing Lucius's blatant threat, Fudge's fear deepened, and he stammered, "But the situation outside is so chaotic, and Dumbledore will definitely not let go of the opportunity to suppress you... Even if I wanted to help you, I'm powerless to do so."

"No... as long as you're willing to help, we will definitely succeed in the end." Lucius smiled confidently. "Fudge, we're friends on the same side. Helping me is helping yourself. Don't you... want to completely take control of the entire Ministry of Magic?"

"Ministry of Magic..."

Upon hearing Lucius's words, Fudge fell into deep thought.

Chapter 319 The rules of the Wizarding World were set by the Malfoy family.

In the dimly lit, cramped interrogation room, Cornelius Fudge appeared calm as he pondered, but his mind was in turmoil.

As Lucius said, although Fudge was the Minister of Ministry of Magic in Britain, the Ministry of Magic was not ultimately under his sole control.

His personality was not as assertive as that of his predecessor, Millicent Badnor, and his rise to power was quite controversial. As a result, many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic did not really take him seriously as minister.

In particular, the Auror Office under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had completely lost Fudge's ability to command the Auror Office beyond his rank after Alastor Moody chose to return to power.

Therefore, if we can truly seize this opportunity to thoroughly reorganize the entire Ministry of Magic...

"Fudge, I really don't know what you're still hesitating about?" Seeing Fudge hesitate, Lucius quickly added fuel to the fire. "Think about your situation. Now, apart from some marginalized Auror and ordinary officials, is there anyone else who would willingly obey your leadership? You finally managed to get Barty Crouch transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but you can't handle the newly appointed Amelia Bones either."

"Oh, and right, there's also the most important and most despicable Albus Dumbledore. He's not only the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, but also the President of the International Confederation of Wizards... As long as he doesn't lose power, everyone in the Britain Wizarding World will still think your Minister position is nothing more than picking up the trash that Dumbledore doesn't want!"

"Enough!" Fudge shouted angrily, seemingly stung by Lucius's words, and stormed off.

However, Lucius seemed completely oblivious to the other's fury, maintaining his confident demeanor. "Fudge, I advise you to calm down and think carefully... why does that rat Peter Pettigrew Peter insist on having me help him resurrect the You-Know-Who?"

"What do you mean?" Upon hearing this, Fudge's mind stirred slightly, but he calmly sat back down in his chair.

He had finally waited for this moment when Lucius Malfoy would reveal his secrets to him!

Fudge may be somewhat cowardly, but the fact that he became a minister proves that he is definitely not a complete idiot.

In fact, he had been assessing the entire Malfoy family ever since the first day he accepted bribes from Lucius.

Including in the conversation just now, the reason Fudge kept backing away was actually because he wanted to know what kind of power Lucius Malfoy and his family behind him possessed.

"My Malfoy family has been a prominent family in Britain for over nine centuries. Besides possessing immeasurable wealth, we are revered by all wizards who aspire to the glory of Pure-blood," Lucius boasted proudly to Fudge, flaunting his family's wealth. "Peter Pettigrew Peter resorted to such a despicable scheme to plot against me because he coveted the power of the Malfoy family. But Fudge, things always have two sides. The power of the Malfoy family can also help you climb to even greater heights!"

"You...you're telling the truth, my friend?" Fudge looked at Lucius with surprise. "Are you really sure you can help me...no, I mean, I can get you out of this mess?"

"Of course we can, and I guarantee it's a golden opportunity. If we succeed, the Wizarding World will have far fewer unpopular figures like Dumbledore." Lucius smirked at Fudge, "I don't know if you remember Nobby Leach, the Mudblood Minister for Magic when my father was alive. He was just as detestable as Dumbledore, which is why he quickly lost power and was forced to step down..."

"I think you should face the facts now, Fudge... As long as you maintain a long-term friendship with the Malfoy family, you will always be a popular minister."

"Oh...I think I understand, Lucius." After a moment of contemplation, Fudge suddenly smiled and took Lucius's hand. "We've always been friends, haven't we? So I will absolutely not let this kind of unfounded accusation take effect."

Having successfully extracted information about the Malfoy family's influence from Lucius, Fudge had no further hesitation and decisively chose to board the ship.

The Lucius just mentioned was the Minister for Magic who came to power in 1962 and was the first Muggle-born minister in Britain history.

His appointment made history, but it also aroused strong dissatisfaction among many Pure-blood Wizards. Several of the most senior members of the Wizengamot even resigned from their posts to protest this disgraceful appointment.

However, Nobi Leach's tenure was short-lived. In 1968, he was forced to resign due to a mysterious illness.

There was a rumor at the time that Lucius's father, Abraxas Malfoy, had been involved in the behind-the-scenes dealings of Nobi Leach's departure... But now, hearing what Lucius said, it seems that Nobi Leach's departure was orchestrated entirely by the Malfoy family!

Now, Fudge knows very well that his next choice will determine whether he will suffer the same fate as Nobi Leach back then.

Therefore... becoming someone favored by the Malfoy family not only secures a more stable and long-lasting position as minister, but also brings in a large sum of gold—why not?

Conversely, those 'unlikable' characters like Albus Dumbledore and Amelia Bones might as well take this opportunity to become the next Nobby Leach!

"In that case, I'll await good news, Cornelius."

After watching Fudge leave, Lucius took out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his hands with disgust.

Hmm... the Ministry of Magic?

Since the Ministry of Magic was founded in the 17th century, no member of the Malfoy family has ever served as Minister of Ministry of Magic...

But the vast majority of ministers were merely dogs kept by the Malfoy family.

The family to which Lucius Malfoy belongs has a history that can even be traced back to the early days of Hogwarts. His first ancestor, Armand Malfoy, who followed William the Conqueror into Britain, was also a friend of Salazar Slytherin!

Even more extreme, a previous member of the family named Lucius Malfoy was once a suitor of Queen Elizabeth I during the Golden Age. After being rejected, he even placed a curse on the then-Queen, saying he would never marry.

Even so, the Britain royal family dared not speak out against them, because they simply could not afford to offend a behemoth like the Malfoy family!

With an ancient heritage, astonishing wealth, and the ability to wield absolute power behind every Minister for Magic, this is the true strength of the Malfoy family!

Therefore, Albus Dumbledore, of humble origins and hypocritical nature, and Harry Potter, Half-blood- breed with a sordid surname, will never know...

To attempt to use the rules of the Wizarding World to defeat the Malfoy family, the very rule-makers, is utterly a foolish and unrealistic expectation!

(P. S. There's a history of the Malfoy family written by Rowling on the Pottermore website. Their family has indeed existed for more than ten centuries, from France to England. However, it seems that the family tree has always been passed down through a single generation. Hmm... maybe they did too many bad things?)

Chapter 320 'Infiltrating' Hogwarts is Dangerous

In November, continuous rain plagued Hogwarts, even severely impacting the highly anticipated Quidditch Match, which ended abruptly in a torrential downpour.

Lupin also seemed to be affected by the weather. He first missed a week of classes due to illness, and then for a considerable period after Halloween, he was indeed particularly weak and looked sickly.

When he returned to school, some observant students noticed that he had lost a significant amount of weight, and the patched-up clothes he wore now looked rather loose.

This inevitably worried some students who were close to Lupin. Hermione, for example, kept telling Lupin to rest more and even offered to take over Harry's teaching assistant duties, but Lupin politely declined in the end.

Lupin said this was a long-standing problem he had developed, and he was already used to it. He added that eating more chocolate would help him recover quickly.

And that was indeed his plan. On a rare sunny day, Lupin chose a time when he didn't have classes and went to Hogsmeade Village to replenish the chocolate that had been eaten up.

His destination was Honeydukes, a star establishment in Hogsmeade Village.

This place is famous for its wide variety of magical sweets, with hundreds of varieties of chocolate alone, making it a favorite among Hogwarts students and teachers.

Naturally, this place is also Lupin's favorite, ever since he was studying here.

Unfortunately, for more than a decade after leaving school, Lupin was so poor that he could only occasionally buy some cheap chocolates from outside to make do.

Therefore, Lupin was very fortunate to be hired by Dumbledore to return to the school.

Although his professorship wasn't high, it did gradually fill his pockets, allowing him to occasionally splurge here and casually browse through hundreds of chocolates before picking out a few he liked.

It was in Honeydukes that Lupin heard some news that greatly concerned him.

"Please, boss, I rarely come back, just let me know the news!"

At the Honeydukes counter, a young and energetic witch was pleading with the owner. Her medium-length, bubblegum pink hair caught Lupin's eye twice.

Judging from her demeanor and tone, she was definitely very familiar with the owner of this place.

"I should be the one asking you to stop bothering me, Tonks," the owner of Honeydukes said helplessly. "How could I possibly remember when you suddenly come running up to me and asking me like this?"

"Oh, please help me think again!" Tonks persisted. "Candies with such a unique flavor as Acid Pops are probably only bought by those two rascals, the Weasley Brothers. Please help me remember who has bought them this week."

"Are you talking about Acid Pops? I think I vaguely remember them." Just then, the candy store owner came out of the cellar. After thinking for a moment, she gave a somewhat uncertain answer.

"I remember Miss Granger in third grade bought a lot of Acid Pops, but that didn't happen this week, it was before Halloween."

"Granger in the third year? What kind of person is she? Does she have any specific characteristics?" Tonks' eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he eagerly pressed for more information.

"That's Hermione Miss Granger, she's very famous at school," the landlady explained. "She's the sister of the infamous Harry Granger. It's said that when they entered their first year, Harry Granger even burned the Sorting Hat in front of the entire school so that Miss Granger could be sorted into Ravenclaw ..."

"Wait... Harry Granger?" Tonks raised an eyebrow. "You mean Harry Potter, the one who was adopted by Muggle family? The super famous the Boy Who Lived?"

"Yes, that's him." The candy store owner nodded matter-of-factly. "He's much more famous at school than Miss Granger. It's a pity he didn't come to Hogsmeade on the Permission Day. I was hoping to meet him."

"Hermione Granger... Okay, I understand, thank you!"

Tonks cheerfully grabbed a handful of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, casually tossed down a perfectly accurate coin, and ran off with the air of a seasoned customer.

"Checkout!" Seeing this, Lupin hurried to the counter, and before he could even carefully select the chocolates, he bought them all and chased after him...

He even forgot to ask the boss for change, which was unprecedented for him!

"She's gone... uh, no, she's right there."

After hastily leaving Honeydukes, Lupin thought he had lost his target, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the target was actually not far in front of him.

The witch seems to have changed her hair color and height; she now has pure black hair and appears shorter, certainly not looking like a typical idle young woman anymore.

The problem is, you changed your hair and shrunk your height, but you didn't think to change your clothes at all. Aren't you just treating everyone around you like idiots?