At Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall flips through the new student list as she does every year.
Aside from children from pure-blood and half-blood families, those young wizards from Muggle families need some extra help.
After all, to Muggles, wizards are more like fairy tales.
A letter delivered by an owl is surprising, but not convincing.
To ensure Muggle parents agree to let their children attend school, professors usually have to make a trip.
However, someone like Slytherin’s Head of House, Professor Snape, is extremely unsuited for this kind of work.
In the Transfiguration classroom, besides Professor McGonagall, there are also Ancient Runes’ professor, Bathsheda, Muggle Studies’ professor, Charity, substitute Care of Magical Creatures’ professor, Grubbly-Plank, and Flying Instructor, Madam Hooch.
“Everyone, this is this year’s new student list.
Please check whether there are any problems with the young wizards you are responsible for.”
There are fewer than 50 new students on the list, not even as long as a paper a student lazily writes.
Excluding wizarding families, each professor is assigned at most 2 young wizards.
“Professor McGonagall, could Rayleigh Travers’s address be wrong?” When the list reaches Madam Hooch, she is used to reading from the bottom up, and her brow cannot help but furrow.
“I remember the Travers Family is in the south, but his address is in the North Sea, and it is Azkaban.” Madam Hooch reads it three or four times.
If it were not summer vacation, she would even suspect the address is a prank by the Weasley twins.
“Travers?
Such a familiar name.”
“Buck Travers.” Professor McGonagall stands up and speaks the Death Eater’s name.
This murderer who killed members of the Order of the Phoenix is someone she can never forget for her entire life.
“Maybe it is just the same surname.” Everyone looks at each other, not certain about this explanation.
“Professor McGonagall, have you seen today’s newspaper?” Professor Sprout, covered in dirt and full of anger, rushes into the Transfiguration classroom.
“What’s wrong, Professor Sprout?”
“The Daily Prophet says the Ministry of Magic threw a baby into Azkaban and kept him imprisoned for 11 years.
Today, the entire magical world is discussing this matter.
The Headmaster has already gone to the Wizengamot.”
“Rayleigh Travers?” Madam Hooch looks at Professor Sprout, her tone both certain and seeking confirmation.
“The report does not have that child’s name.
The Ministry of Magic and those Aurors have gone too far.
How can they throw a child into Azkaban!
That is Azkaban, Dementors are everywhere.
Poor child!” Professor Sprout starts crying as she speaks.
The professors hurriedly take the newspaper.
The front page is a full-page headline, and the title is in extra-large bold font: [The Little Star of Azkaban: Hogwarts’ New Student]
Below it is a magical photograph: A dark, cold Azkaban cell, and a small figure standing in front of a Dementor.
He uses the Patronus Charm to drive the monster away and falls into his mother’s arms.
Below the photograph is a line of small text: [The child who has never seen sunlight.]
Rita Skeeter, in some ways, is the best reporter in the British magical world.
This report is worthy of her writing level, and even far exceeds it.
Ordinary words in another person’s pen are transformed by her into something flowery and dazzling, all with highly personal descriptions.
If her previous articles could be called fabrication and attention-seeking, then if this article is true, it is absolutely a rare masterpiece.
Every sentence of the article flies toward the Ministry of Magic like an Unforgivable Curse, and it points even more directly at the current Minister, Cornelius Fudge.
After all, just yesterday, the Ministry of Magic solemnly issued an announcement.
Now Hogwarts has also been dragged in.
Dumbledore, as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is heavily attacked by Rita.
The entire magical world knows that the acceptance letter must bear the current Headmaster’s signature.
The letter sent to Azkaban naturally would not lack it, and it has already been photographed by that woman Rita and hung in the newspaper.
[This is dereliction of duty!
This is a crime!
This is contempt and trampling of the Wizengamot Rights Charter!] The article scolds without any concealment, even comparing the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts to an institutionalized version of You-Know-Who.
[In the name of equality, they trample on law and justice, and then suppress wizards who oppose them.
They brand these wizards as pure-blood worshippers, and then throw them into Azkaban to be drained into idiots by Dementors, not even sparing a baby]
[If the soil cannot be purified, it can only nurture flowers of sin…
Through the cell door, I look at the shining star inside, and a burning tear rolls down the corner of my eye.]
The Transfiguration classroom has unknowingly become crowded with professors.
Aside from Professor Binns and Headmaster Dumbledore, basically all of Hogwarts’ teachers are here.
“Professor McGonagall, is this true?” Everyone looks at McGonagall.
The new student admission list is right there on the table.
Professor McGonagall takes off her glasses and transfigures the quill beside her into a handkerchief to wipe with.
“Everyone, do not get excited.
Headmaster Dumbledore has already gone to the Wizengamot to handle this matter.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will protect every student.”
…
At this moment in the Ministry of Magic, Fudge has smashed his office into a complete mess.
Like an enraged bull, he wishes he could throw that reporter named Rita into Azkaban.
“Damned witch, she actually set a trap for me!” Fudge roars furiously at everyone in the office.
Less than 24 hours have passed since the Ministry of Magic’s announcement, and Rita has used this report to viciously slap the entire Ministry of Magic in the face.
He has every reason to believe this is a conspiracy!
Rita Skeeter, that despicable, sinister witch!
The shameless, low-down conspiracy she has launched against the Ministry of Magic and the Minister himself!
The corridor outside the office is packed with Ministry of Magic’s officials.
They argue loudly, debating whether the newspaper’s contents are true or false.
Not a single official, high or low, goes to verify the truth.
Instead, they rack their brains trying to prove that the Ministry of Magic did not imprison the wrong person.
Minister’s secretary, Poli squeezes past them and pulls Dolores aside.
“Dolores, Rita’s report is fake, right?”
“No.” As Senior Undersecretary, Dolores went to the archives to search the records from that year the moment she saw the report.
“If it is true, how could a baby survive an Unforgivable Curse?
That was the Imperius Curse!
If the child was brought into Azkaban by Jessica, how did he grow up?”
“The one who acted was Barty Sr.
We all know he would not show mercy to Death Eaters.” Poli stares into Dolores’s eyes, hoping to get the answer she wants from her gaze.
“Who knows?” Dolores helplessly shakes her head.
“Merlin above, our savior even survived You-Know-Who’s Killing Curse.”
“But…”
“Enough, Poli.
Hurry and go stand guard by the Floo.” The Minister’s personal assistant, Janus, walks over and signals Dolores not to say more.
“The Minister believes that if former Minister Millicent Bagnold steps forward, the situation will turn around.
I heard him say that Headmaster Dumbledore and Barty Sr.
also bear unavoidable responsibility in this matter.” Poli worries that Minister Fudge will be forced out of office because of this.
Right now, they are all people in the same boat.
“You are counting on the previous Minister to step forward?
Listen to me, Poli!” Janus shakes his head, pushes Poli into the corner, and takes the documents from her hand.