Hogwarts was bustling with excitement at the start of term, and the new Alchemy Class had also drawn everyone's attention.
Interestingly, when the news first broke, the Daily Prophet had not actually been optimistic about the new course. It even published an article claiming that Hogwarts had made a mistake by changing its curriculum.
Their reasoning was simple: Alchemy was not common in England, whereas it was highly prevalent in France. If graduates wanted to make a name for themselves in the field, they would have no choice but to go to France.
Some therefore believed that Hogwarts was training talent for France, and even implied that Minerva McGonagall, the new headmistress, was being a little too eager for quick results.
From the war against the Death Eaters to Snape's hearing over a Horcrux that had shaken all of England... Hogwarts had always been at the center of public controversy. As such, those articles did indeed spark a heated wave of discussion after they were published.
That was until Hogwarts announced the name of the new professor, at which point the articles in the Daily Prophet suddenly took a dramatic turn.
Rita Skeeter furiously took up her quill and lambasted a select few of her colleagues for being short-sighted, calling them a group of muddle-headed old fools with rigid thinking.
In her own article, she lavishly praised Alchemy Class, declaring it the wisest decision Hogwarts had made in a century and claiming that Minerva McGonagall possessed greater foresight than Dumbledore.
Strangely enough, the article did not mention any details or data about alchemy. It was filled from beginning to end with praise.
Yet this very article... which professionals considered utterly devoid of substance, single-handedly changed people's views on alchemy and instantly reversed public opinion of Hogwarts, including Minerva McGonagall herself.