"The subtitle read: 'Medal Recipient Hints: I Offended an "Organization" Hidden Deep Within the Wizarding World, and Someone Is Very Close to It.' The article itself did not explicitly point to any connection between Dumbledore and that organization.
But the gaps between the lines left just enough room for readers to make their own guesses—
Lockhart had offended certain people by using the Memory Charm, and Dumbledore happened to be one of the main forces pushing for the public trial.
Rita's byline had been printed in dark ink, its wavy underline longer than usual, nearly reaching the edge of the page.
After reading the article, Lockhart folded it and set it on the left side of his desk. He left the newspaper there for the entire morning. He neither opened it again nor threw it away or buried it beneath some documents. He simply let it remain there, like a label that had already been firmly affixed and needed no further pressing.
He rose to his feet and turned toward the windowsill, where the glass reflected his blurred silhouette. Lowering his head, he straightened his cuff, his fingers brushing lightly over the edge of the fabric. He drew his gaze back from the sky outside without looking at the newspaper.
Hogwarts Castle still seemed immersed in the unreal afterglow of a carnival.
Gilderoy Lockhart, the newly minted "hero professor," had stood before the Wizengamot court and, with his "superb" magic, irrefutable "evidence"—those altered memories—and incomparable personal charm, not only cleared himself of the stigma of being an "impostor," but also pointed directly at an "international magical organization hidden extremely deeply and bent on framing him," whose members had even infiltrated the Wizengamot itself!
His performance had been flawless: internally consistent, emotionally sincere, and powerfully stirring. Coupled with a face capable