The sky was still dark, and the wizards who were watching had arrived at the Ministry of Magic one after another and came to the splendid lobby reception hall.
It was a public trial, and the Ministry of Magic even invited relatives of the 12 Muggle victims.
With such a big show, Rita Skeeter, the news queen, will naturally not be absent.
She simply changed into ordinary black-rimmed glasses and blended in.
At least it was disguised, so it can't be said to be arrogant, but it can be regarded as grand.
"name."
"Rita Skeeter."
The young lady in charge of the inspection was so frightened that her face turned green.
Inform the superiors. There is a large group of wizards and civilians around. Can we just watch?
Rita leaned toward her, "Any questions?"
"No...no."
After successfully passing the security check, we came to the rows of golden doors at the end of the hall.
There are twenty doors in total, leading to twenty elevators.
"Sorry to bother you."
Rita looked back behind her.
This is a handsome young man in his early twenties, a bit immature and green, he probably just graduated a few years ago.
"Ma'am, are you really Rita Skeeter?"
"It's me, it's true." Rita tapped the frame of her black-rimmed glasses, turning them into gold-rimmed glasses studded with jewels.
Feeling her high-pitched aura hitting his nostrils, the handsome young man shivered subconsciously.
His voice was very low, "Ms. Skeeter, the Ministry of Magic has long regarded you as a thorn in the side. I know a ventilation pipe that can lead directly to the street outside."
Rita looked a little surprised.
It turned out that this handsome guy was not a chat maker, but a die-hard fan of hers.
"Thank you, but I believe that today is the day when justice comes, and no one can take me away in front of you."
She is worthy of being the queen of news. She can explain the situation clearly in one sentence.
Today's court hearing is also a complete political show, not to mention that the Ministry of Magic has not officially issued a wanted order for her.
Although there were many wizards around her who spit at what she just said, the handsome young man who was a die-hard fan was obviously inspired.
Media talents who choose to stand with the people in the face of powerful forces and even risk their lives to expose the Ministry of Magic’s shady secrets are true media professionals.
Rita enjoyed all the looks around her.
No matter how disdainful she is, no matter how disdainful she is, her current image is very positive.
According to her partner's words, people only see what they want to see, and the truth of the matter doesn't matter at all.
As long as it can be maintained, all wizards will be convinced sooner or later.
While waiting for the elevator, Rita chatted a lot with the handsome guy.
His name is John Hollingworth, a Hogwarts student who graduated in 1990, the same class as Tonks, and a reporter for the consultation column of "Wizard Weekly", which is widely popular among witches.
"Hollingworth? John, Claire Hollingworth is yours..."
"She is my great-aunt."
Clare Hollingworth, the first famous British war correspondent to report on the German invasion of Poland.
Although she is a Muggle, her actions of going to the battlefield many times and writing reports have made many wizard journalists awe.
I didn't expect that the descendant of such a legendary reporter would actually work as a reporter in a gossip magazine like "Wizard Weekly". It seems that the competition for positions this year is very fierce.
"John, would you be interested in jumping over and helping me?"
Faced with Rita's olive branch, John answered directly without thinking, "I'm interested, very interested."
He seemed particularly excited, probably because he was particularly dissatisfied with his current job.
That's right, no aspiring journalist would choose gossip magazines.
Rita held out her hand to him, "Welcome to join you, John."
"I...I can really..."
"Of course, my partner plans to start a new newspaper. There is no problem with funding. The only thing missing is capable talents."
John knew full well that it was his great-aunt's legendary deeds that moved Rita, not his own abilities.
He held Rita's hand and said, "Ms. Skeeter, I will definitely prove that there is nothing wrong with your vision."
Now that they have decided to change jobs, the two of them naturally want to attend the court hearing together.
Take the elevator to the Department of Mysteries on the ninth underground floor. Walk down a corridor made of rough stone walls and soon you will see heavy wooden doors one after another.
Each door leads to a courtroom, and today's trial will be held in the innermost one.
Entering the Tenth Courtroom, both Rita and John had to admire the efficiency of the Ministry of Magic in infrastructure construction.
It only took one night to build sentries and temporary headquarters around Hogwarts Castle. The courtroom in front of me was expanded to the size of a football field, the original black stones were replaced with white, and the light was changed from dim to bright.
, I don’t know how many nights it took.
Rita chose a corner and sat down, pointing to the extremely conspicuous iron chair at the bottom.
"John, do you know what the Ministry of Magic's purpose is for making this trial so public?"
John, who was sitting next to her, lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Is it because you want to incite people's emotions? Let everyone stand with them?"
"That's right." Rita smiled.
The analysis is sharp and gets to the point.
A shameful traitor like Peter Pettigrew is destined to be beaten, and the Ministry of Magic's attitude of severely punishing him will surely gather people's hearts.
Rita opened the notebook she carried with her and hesitated to write a line of small words on it:
"John, what do you think the outcome of the trial will be?"
"Well...it can only be the death penalty, but it can't be too cheap for Peter Pettigrew."
Rita wrote the word "parade" but quickly crossed it out.
"What do you think about asking him to kneel down and repent?"
John was stunned for a moment, "Kneeling in front of the Potter monument in Godric's Hollow? Or is it the Potter's former residence?"
Rita's face was full of mockery, "Maybe we should add a Black ancestral home, if the Ministry of Magic doesn't mind that this family has two Death Eaters."
They don't mind, and people will mind too.
Sirius' cousin Bellatrix is still serving time in Azkaban, and although the specific cause of his death is unknown, his brother was one of Voldemort's earliest followers.
He can only represent himself personally, and cannot represent the entire pure-blooded Black family.
Even if this family has declined.
As time goes by, more and more wizards sit in the courtroom the size of a football field.
When the 12 Muggle victims entered the scene, they caused quite a stir. Everyone was whispering among themselves and talking about something.
Rita and John are no exception.
"If you were asked to write an article, what would you focus on?"
"I will probably focus on the pain that those Muggle relatives have suffered over the past 12 years, so that everyone can start to reflect on the dangers of misuse of magic."
"60 points, barely passing."
Rita stopped writing rapidly in the notebook and spread it out in front of John.
"Tragedy keeps repeating itself, how can it be stopped completely?"
In just a few words, she rises to the level of the opposition between wizards and Muggles, leaving room for unlimited imagination.
John nodded in understanding.
The key point is the degree of discussion. When there is discussion, there will be attention. The more attention there is, the more likely it will become a hot topic.
As for conscience and a bottom line, of course you must have one, but as a reporter you must first be famous, otherwise it will be in vain if you have no influence.
Rita, the Queen of News, is indeed his idol. The newly established newspaper may completely subvert the journalism industry in the wizarding world.