Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 152 151. The Twins' Anger and Rita's Interview

Lockhart paused deliberately, and the reactions of those middle-aged witches were very cooperative - they finally did not stare at him fanatically after Lockhart revealed Harry's identity.

To be honest, the looks in these witches' eyes made Harry feel a little... creepy. It was as if they would pounce on him and hug him at any time. It was very scary.

On the other side, Lockhart continued after briefly whetting the appetite:
"In fact, Harry and his classmates will get a real, magical me - yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am extremely happy and proud to announce that this September, I will become the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!!"

"Damn Lockhart!!"

Almost at the moment Lockhart finished speaking, Harry heard Fred and George shouting in unison behind him, and their words undoubtedly brought about angry glares from their mother, but they no longer cared about such trivial matters.

anger!
"No wonder - no wonder this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class requires one person to buy seven books! He's basically here to sell books!!"

All he could hear was the sound of the crowd clapping and cheering, which drowned out Fred's angry voice. In fact, after hearing her son's words, even Mrs. Weasley, who had wanted to twist the twins' ears, put her hands down in embarrassment.

"Instead of giving the money to Lockhart, I'd rather buy Ron a new wand! That way at least our brother gets something."

George also started cursing, without even having to talk to Fred. They had a complete tacit understanding and had already found new targets for the goods they had just purchased in the new year. After confirming with each other's eyes, they both thought the same thing.

We have to prank Lockhart!

He is not enough to resolve the hatred of seven books per person without playing pranks!
"...Oh, I wouldn't mind if you gave me a new wand now," Ron muttered, but Fred and George pretended not to hear.

"That's not the case, kids." Mr. Weasley was open-minded. He put his hand on the twins' shoulders and said with a smile, "At least he is your professor now."

"At least," Fred and George said emphatically in unison.

After being bluntly exposed by the twins, even Mrs. Weasley, a fan of Lockhart, felt a little embarrassed, not to mention Hermione, who was originally only curious about the novel magical world presented in Lockhart's books.

"Harry? Dear Harry?" Calling Harry's name again, Lockhart joked in a friendly manner: "As your future professor, can we take a photo together? We can both be on the front page."

Lockhart's brisk remark caused a good-natured laugh, which was seen by the others as proof of the new professor's witty and friendly character.

As for Harry——

"I'm sorry, Harry, I'm afraid I'll have to take up a moment of your time."

Following these words and a strong smell of perfume, an arm suddenly stretched out from the crowd and held Harry's arm. Surprisingly, Harry did not feel shocked this time - he had recognized who was speaking.

Rita Skeeter.

Lockhart knew this reporter, and when he became famous, he had given Rita a lot of gold Galleons - so now he could only watch Rita take Harry out of the crowd after saying these words, and the boy who had just said that he was not familiar with him was now very well-behaved and obedient.

Lockhart thought he was being hit by static electricity.

"...Oh, it seems Harry has other things to do, but it doesn't matter - let's continue." Picking up the book in his arms, Lockhart grinned at the reporter sent by the Daily Prophet, revealing his bright white teeth.

Even the brightness of the camera flash was not as bright as Lockhart's teeth and body that were actually glowing... This man seemed to rinse his mouth with a sparkling potion.

New book release + news of becoming a Hogwarts professor = front page headline of the Daily Prophet.

Lockhart had already worked out a perfect formula in his mind to maintain a bright smile on his face. He was even so excited that he wanted to tremble - but he had to hold it back!

How long has it been? Finally - finally!!

On the other hand, Harry's friends had no idea what Rita Skeeter looked like... If they really knew, they wouldn't have just watched Harry curiously and followed this strange woman who suddenly appeared away after a few words of comfort.

At least you have to glare at him with hatred.

"Long time no see, Harry." Rita said happily after pulling Harry away from the crowded Flourish and Blotts Bookstore and finding a shop to sit down and rest.

She didn't take Lockhart seriously at all - but that was normal. As someone who had written a report related to Lockhart, Rita knew the man's background very well.

She knew that no matter how unhappy Lockhart was, he would not dare to do anything to her. This was the confidence of a professional reporter.

Knowing too much.

"Long time no see, ma'am." Harry turned into that innocent and shy little boy again and thanked Rita: "Thank you for speaking up for me in the newspaper."

"Aha, speaking up for justice? Yes, speaking up for justice." Rita's mood suddenly became better. "You're welcome, Harry, that's what I should do - after all, I'm Rita Skeeter, a reporter who dares to tell the truth, you can always trust me."

For Rita, the time she spent was just like a dream. It was a super comfortable, beautiful and wonderful time... Rita even felt that no matter how many compliments she used, they could not describe her experience during this time.

I made a lot of money and became the top reporter of the Daily Prophet. Not only that, even the editor-in-chief had to be polite to me. How cool!
And all this was thanks to the treasure boy in front of her. He was like her lucky star, her angel - she was born with the ability to make big news.

Simply perfect.

Thinking of this, Rita's smile to Harry became even more friendly.

"Well, as we agreed beforehand, let's start a pleasant interview." After taking a sip of her drink, Rita spread out the parchment in front of her. She didn't even use the automatic feather pen, but prepared to start editing it herself...she meant recording it.

"Yes ma'am" Harry nodded.

"So the first one, elemental magic - do you admit that you are the founder of the new magic?" Rita asked.

"Yes, I admit it," Harry nodded again.

He glanced at the parchment opposite him and saw that Rita was writing something quickly on it before he could answer.

[From the boy who survived a catastrophe to the inventor of magic, was this the secret support of the Ministry of Magic or the work of Dumbledore? An unnamed official from the Ministry of Magic expressed indignation that Harry Potter had broken too many rules since he entered the wizarding world...]

Harry sighed slightly.

You set the pace from the beginning, right?
Even in the fourth courtroom yesterday, no one questioned that the elemental magic he demonstrated was fake, especially since Dumbledore had already testified.

This is creating someone out of nothing.

"Very good, very good, that's it, Harry, continue." While writing something quickly, Rita said without looking up: "How did you invent this elemental magic? What was the opportunity? What can this magic do?"

She is no longer a stranger to Harry. In fact, their relationship is surprisingly good now. So Rita was very relaxed during the interview.

Harry was very cooperative and didn't hide anything. He told Rita everything from the origin of elemental magic (an improved version with wizarding world features) to his accidental discovery of elements that had existed since ancient times, to the shamans' positions, functions and beliefs, to what might happen after the elements were revived, and so on.

During this process, Rita nodded and muttered something, and when Harry finally stopped, the parchment was almost full of writing.

"...Even the wizards of the Wizengamot have to admit...a new...the dawn of a new era." Rita muttered to herself, putting a period to the article on the parchment. She stopped writing and looked up and said, "Very good - I will help you, Harry."

"Ah?" Harry didn't understand. "Don't worry, I will let everyone know that you invented this new magic yourself, and it has nothing to do with Dumbledore," Rita said with a quill.

"Huh?" Harry even hesitated for a moment before realizing what Rita was talking about.

Does she think that Dumbledore was actually the inventor of elemental magic, and he is a kid who wants to take the credit?

What made Harry laugh and cry was that from what Rita said, she even stood on his side.

He is worthy of being the reporter most hostile to Dumbledore.

"Uh, thank you?" Harry scratched his head in confusion. He stared at the parchment, or to be precise, a certain section in the middle.

[…A new kind of magic that can’t even be detected by the trace thread. This means there is no supervision, and no one knows whether this magic will have any effect on the user. Maybe it will cause memory disorder? Or emotional loss? Or even magic exhaustion? Obviously, the Boy Who Lived doesn’t have the time or mind to think about this problem…]

——Is this really help?
Harry couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, you care about this?" Noticing Harry's gaze, Rita poked the paper with the end of her beautiful feather pen and said, "Don't care about it, Harry."

"Uh..." Harry seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"Well, since you want to know so much," Rita sighed. Not wanting her precious boy to have any hostility towards her, she thought about it and showed some kindness. She explained, "You are still young. Maybe you do know a little bit about magic, but you don't understand news, Harry."

She had a smug look on her face.

“If you want people to accept something, you must never tell them directly what to do. Instead, you must oppose it first. The more you want them to accept it, the more fiercely you must oppose it. And you must make them feel that this is their own discovery and the conclusion they have reached through their own thinking.”

"So don't worry about these things." Rita waved the parchment in her hand, rolled it up and stuffed it into her purse. "I won't release so much heavy news at once. That would be a waste."

"Just wait and see. Maybe people won't say anything good about you at first, but as soon as my follow-up reports come out, they will change their stance. The more they scold you in the beginning, the more they will support you in the end." Rita said proudly, "Because they feel guilty."

Rita usually wouldn't say these words to other people, but Harry Potter was different. She was still counting on making a living from Harry Potter's news cash cow.

It's all news when it's praised all the way up, and it's news again when it's exposed all the way up...if it's done well, it can even be enough to make a living for many years.

Not to mention Harry would make his own news.

Rita has been missing out on the days when she could attract a lot of attention just by telling the truth for too long. It's been so long that she is like a person falling into the water and grabbing a life-saving straw. There is no way she can let go.

"...Yes, ma'am, you do know a lot about news." After a moment's silence, Harry nodded and said, "That is to say, if you want to oppose something, you must absolutely agree with it and not allow any doubts."

"You're very smart, Harry." Rita snapped her fingers coolly, then stood up and said, "Just keep these in mind. I usually don't say this kind of thing to other people. You have to cherish it."

"Thank you." It was the first time that Harry expressed such sincere gratitude to Rita.

After all, the theory that Rita talked about was something he had never heard of when he was in Azeroth. It was a knowledge he didn't know - it felt quite useful.

"You're welcome. If you have any big news, just remember to contact me." Rita stood up with her bag on her back and wanted to leave in a hurry. "I have to go back and get ready. Bye."

She can't wait to get back to polishing this new series of reports.

"Goodbye."

Watching Rita Skeeter Apparate away with an excited look on her face, Harry shook his head slightly, drank the drink in the cup, and then walked towards Flourish and Blotts.

The flowing wind element brought noise.

It is indeed a noise.

Harry didn't even need to enter Flourish and Blotts before he saw people running out of the store. After running out, they didn't seem to want to go away. Instead, they gathered in groups and looked inside with great interest.

The sound of women screaming, the mixed roars of men, the desperate sounds of the shop assistants trying to stop it but unable to do so, and the cheers of those watching the show on the sidelines - chaos.

Harry had to exert some strength to push away the person in front of him before he could squeeze in. As soon as he entered, he saw Mr. Weasley and old Malfoy fighting each other. The two men in suits were rolling on the ground. Just as Harry came in, they hugged each other and crashed into the bookshelf next to them. Those angular and hard books hit them directly, and it was painful just to look at them.

"Don't do this! Arthur! Don't do this!!"

Mrs. Weasley was screaming, for her husband and for her child.

Yes, several children also fought with each other.

Draco Malfoy fought alone against Fred, George and Ron. Neville, who was standing next to him, wanted to stop the fight but didn't know where to start. He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.

Draco's fighting ability completely exceeded everyone's imagination. He seemed to have rich experience in this kind of fight that did not involve magic. Although he was two years younger than Fred and George, he was able to dodge the twins' punches nimbly.

Even though he was surrounded by several people and some of the punches were impossible to dodge, Draco was able to grit his teeth and endure the pain, and then return the same pain to the Weasley children.

He was like a god of war.

"Wuhu! Intense! Gentlemen! Intense!!"

Lockhart, who was at the innermost, clenched his fists. He wished the incident could get even bigger.

"What's going on?!" Harry's eyes widened in astonishment. He squeezed next to Hermione and asked, "Why are they fighting?"

You know, as one of the first members of the Shaman Club, after a year of study, especially after Draco fought to the end with those people in Slytherin, to be honest, even Ron could say a few good words to Draco in class.

Although we can't be considered friends yet, it's okay to say that we have a friendly relationship.

"It's all Malfoy's fault!" Hermione was so anxious that tears were about to fall out. "I mean old Malfoy! It's all his fault for laughing at Mr. Weasley! Don't worry about it for now, go stop them quickly, Harry!"

Unlike Hermione and Mrs. Weasley, who were extremely anxious but couldn't separate the two groups among the pile of books, after hearing Hermione's explanation, the first thing Harry thought of was the instructions he had given to Lucius.

It seemed that Lucius was strictly following his orders, taking revenge and venting his anger on the Weasley family with open and secret hatred, and then waiting for an opportunity to contact those former Death Eaters.

Conscience wise, Harry felt embarrassed to pretend he knew nothing and then hit Lucius a few times. After all, he was a kind-hearted cow.

"Merlin's socks! Excuse me, everyone, please make way for me." Just then, a loud voice shouted, and then pushed through the crowd and squeezed in. It was Hagrid.

It fully demonstrated what was called the power of "unspeakable". Just like lifting two groundhogs, Hagrid separated Mr. Weasley and old Malfoy in the blink of an eye. Not to mention the children on the other side, no one could get past Hagrid's belly which was harder than a copper wall.

"Wait, Weasley, wait!"

After leaving these words, old Malfoy strode away from the crowd with his son - his acting skills were very good, and he even glared at Harry fiercely before leaving, as if the two had never met before.

(End of this chapter)