This supplementary report in the Daily Prophet was like a block of ice thrown into a frying pan, causing a crackling sound throughout the entire Wizarding World.
Rita Skeeter then wrote a more detailed and lengthy article, using her Quick-Quotes Quill to directly target the Ministry of Magic.
The article's title was even larger than the previous supplement. " Ministry of Magic: When Problems Arise, We Choose to Bury Them—On When the Ministry of Magic's Fig Leaf Will Be Lifted."
Her writing in that article was extremely sharp; she didn't intend to hold back at all from the very beginning.
"Words written in blood have appeared on the walls of Hogwarts, an innocent cat has been petrified, and what is our Ministry of Magic doing?"
Just two days ago, they were issuing a statement urging the public to "maintain rational judgment," as if what we were witnessing wasn't a real petrochemical incident, but a collective illusion.
"Our Ministry of Magic always has a very clear approach to problem-solving."
"If the problem doesn't exist, then everyone's happy; if the problem does exist, then pretend it doesn't exist."
"As for those who are truly living with the problems, like Mr. Filch's cat that still hasn't recovered, they have to bear the consequences themselves."
"I can't help but ask: if even warnings carved on stone walls can be ignored, what will appear on the wall next time—a student's name?"
The crowd in front of the newsstands in Diagon Alley was even more dense than a few days ago.
The owls flew back and forth, scattering the supplements everywhere. The newsstand owner didn't even have time to tidy up before a hand reached out and snatched away the newly arrived newspapers.
" Rita has really hit the nail on the head this time." An old wizard with gray hair gripped the newspaper and tapped the headline on the front page with his knuckles.
"Look at what she said, ' The Ministry of Magic never thinks about how to solve problems, they only rack their brains to cover them up.' I wouldn't have believed that ten years ago, but now—"
He shook his head, folded the newspaper, and stuffed it into his robe pocket.
"When the You-Know-Who didn't die that time, they initially kept it a secret, but later, when they could no longer conceal it, they revealed it—"
He abruptly stopped speaking, swallowed hard, and quickly changed his tune. "I mean, it's always been like this. If you can't hide it, you just deny it; if you can't admit it, you pretend it never happened."
The young witch standing nearby, carrying a stack of newly bought newspapers, chimed in, "My child attends Hogwarts, and he wrote back yesterday saying the whole castle is talking about it."
The students were terrified, saying the monster in the Chamber of Secrets would come out and attack them.
"An attack on a person?" The old wizard frowned. "The newspaper said the cat was petrified."
"The cat is just the beginning," the young witch said in a low voice, "What if there's something else coming?"
"But only the first half of the second part has been released; the second half hasn't come out yet, and nobody knows what will happen next. That's the scariest part."
At the Leaky Cauldron, Tom was wiping the glasses a beat slower than usual.
He listened intently to the conversation among the customers at the bar, his gaze sweeping over the open newspapers, before he whispered to a regular next to him:
"This time, the Ministry of Magic has really shot itself in the foot."
"When Minister Fudge issued that statement a couple of days ago, I thought he was quite clever; he neither offended anyone nor said anything definitive, but then—"
"And what was written in the book came true that very night," a regular customer chimed in. "Isn't that a coincidence?"
"He just told everyone to 'judge rationally,' and then this happened at Hogwarts. Who believes his nonsense now?"
"The problem is," another wizard in a dark red robe leaned closer, "The book only goes up to the petrification of a cat before it ends."
"The second part hasn't come out yet, so nobody can guess what will happen next. That's what makes it so unpredictable."
At the Three Broomsticks, after serving a table of Butterbeer, Madam Rosmerta stood behind the bar flipping through the latest newspaper supplement for a while, then shook her head and said to the bartender next to her:
"Did you notice? None of Lockhart's female fans who protested in front of the Ministry of Magic showed up today."
"They knew that if they made a scene now, it would be too embarrassing, after all, the story of the cat turning to stone in the book was true."
The shop assistant nodded. "I heard a few are still putting on a brave face, saying that even if the petrified cat is real, it doesn't mean Professor Lockhart can't even beat House-elf."
"But even they themselves probably don't believe it when they say that."
Madam Rosmerta placed the newspaper under the bar without saying a word, but her expression said it all.
In the Minister's Office on the third floor of the Ministry of Magic, Fudge stood by the window, staring at the supplement of the Daily Prophet in his hand with a livid expression.
The chief of staff stood in front of his desk, barely daring to breathe.
Fudge whirled around, slamming the newspaper on the table. " Rita Skeeter! How does she know everything?! How did she know something happened at Hogwarts?!"
"Minister, the news came out yesterday afternoon," the chief of staff said cautiously.
"A student mentioned it in a letter to their family at the Leaky Cauldron, and then it spread like wildfire—"
"Then why didn't anyone tell me beforehand?" Fudge's voice rose as he paced back and forth in his office, his steps quick and heavy.
"I was dealing with the protests from Lockhart fans yesterday afternoon, and then I turned around—what was this piece of writing about?"
"She portrayed me as a fraudster who specializes in covering up scandals!"
"Minister, your name wasn't mentioned directly in the article—"
"She insulted the entire Ministry of Magic! That's even worse than calling me by name!"
Fudge stopped and pointed to the line of text on the newspaper, reading it aloud.
"' The Ministry of Magic never tries to solve problems, but instead racks its brains to cover them up'—who else is that talking about?!"
The chief of staff opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
Fudge started pacing again, from the window to the door, and then back to the window.
He walked quickly, the hem of his robe fluttering with his movements, like a Niffler trapped in a cage.
"Last time I already steered public opinion towards the book itself, and I issued a statement asking the public to 'judge rationally'—isn't that enough?"
"Then, as soon as I turned around, something happened over there, exactly as described in the book."
He ran his fingers through his hair, making his usually neatly combed hair a mess.
"What do we do now? Should I issue another statement saying ' the Ministry of Magic is investigating'? Who would believe that?"
"Last time when I asked them to make a rational judgment, they believed me. But now? They just think I'm stalling for time!"