The Return to Hogwarts

Rita Skeeter seemed to have completely forgotten the events surrounding the Greyback incident. As soon as she entered the room, she slammed the door shut and faced Amosta with a delighted expression.

Good evening, Rita--

Amosta smiled inexplicably, then gestured to Rita to sit down.

"Please sit down. We can enjoy the drinks prepared for us by the kind and hospitable people in the lobby. Ah, no need to take them out. Your quill pen won't be of much use tonight."

A flicker of annoyance crossed Rita's green eyes, but she concealed it well. She shoved her handbag under the table, then extended her large, masculine hand across the table to Amosta.

"I didn't expect to receive a letter from you, Blaine. How have you been lately? Oh, did you see my speculation in the Daily Prophet last month about the truth behind the attack on Quidditch final night?"

"Absolutely fantastic!"

Amosta raised a glass of sherry towards Rita.

"I mean, your description of me as Cornelius Fudge's new henchman, and as being in cahoots with the Ministry of Magic, is quite objective—"

Rita Skeeter showed no sign of unease; in fact, she spoke with great enthusiasm.

"I just think that a wizard like you should have some rebellious spirit."

"Thank you so much for your frank advice, Rita. Oh, could you please stop leaving your quill pen dangling around in your handbag? I'm worried it might get into an accident later."

Amosta said with a smile.

"Oh, this quill pen is quite old; sometimes it doesn't work very well."

Rita's smile froze on her thickly powdered face. She kicked her handbag in frustration, then took a deep breath, her eyes gleaming as she stared intently at Amosta Blaine, and asked impatiently,

"So, Blaine, would you be willing to have an in-depth conversation with our readers about Vitia Kriona, that mysterious witch? Oh, the people have heard that name from you, after all. I was saying before that she, like you, is powerful but not interested in fame. You both belong to an unknown organization, and you have a grudge against each other, don't you? I mean, the people are very interested in your relationship. You are... oh, lovers?"

Amosta had anticipated this scene before summoning Rita Skeeter, and he smiled unmovedly, snapping his fingers.

boom!

A sharp crack suddenly rang out in the cramped private room, startling Rita Skeeter. She almost thought Blaine was angry, but nothing happened. A neatly folded parchment floated down from mid-air and landed on the table in front of Rita.

"what is this?"

As if only now remembering that the person in front of her was a powerful wizard unparalleled in the era, Rita's eyes revealed fear.

"Let's take a look first and then talk."

Amosta placed his glass on the table, leaned back in his chair, and smiled as he interlaced his fingers.

Chapter 546 I'm Not the Dark Lord

2023-10-20

"Oh, you've brought me some big news?"

Rita tried to hide her nervousness with a curious smile, but it was a clumsy attempt. Her scalp was still tingling and her heart was pounding in her chest.

After a series of events, Amosta Blaine's reputation was exceptionally good. Most people were incredibly grateful for Blaine's timely intervention on the night of the Quidditch final, which almost saved multiple magical civilizations around the world. However, amidst the praise, there were also some dissenting voices.

Rita was a well-informed real-time reporter, and she had heard plenty of those negative rumors, some of which were not without merit.

Rita looked at Blaine tentatively, but the man remained unmoved, simply watching her quietly.

Left with no other option, Rita picked up the parchment from the table. Her chubby fingers deftly unfolded the letter, and after adjusting her bejeweled glasses, she squinted at the somewhat unusually shaped parchment. The familiar names on the letter immediately drew Rita's attention.

"Oh, Merlin's beard!"

Rita, who had been sitting casually, suddenly sat up straight. She used her thick, chubby fingers to trace from the top of the letter to the bottom, her mouth uncontrollably reciting the names on it, along with the detailed information about the spoils after each name.

Amosta watched Rita's reaction upon seeing the object with great interest.

To be honest, he was somewhat surprised. He had thought that Rita Skeeter would be trembling with excitement after seeing the list, but as time went on, Rita's eyebrows arched higher and higher, her lips pursed tighter and tighter, and her hands began to tremble. However, according to Amosta, this was not necessarily due to excitement.

The few candles supported by cheap bronze candlesticks on the table emitted a dim, yellowish light. Every now and then, a few bright sparks would leap out from the steady flames, but they would vanish in an instant, like a fleeting moment.

Rita's gaze lingered on the name on the parchment, she looked at it intently, as if trying to etch the information into her mind, until Amosta had finished two glasses of sherry. Only then did she remove the parchment from her sight, and her face, which had been made up with powder, was now quite pale.

"I can't believe it, Blaine, you actually have something like this—"

Rita's exaggerated tone had vanished, making her almost forced voice sound less nauseating. She gripped the corner of the parchment tightly.

"This thing will bring down the Ministry of Magic!"

Rita said through gritted teeth.

"Why do you think so?"

Amosta chuckled and shook his head.

"As one of the most famous current affairs reporters at The Daily Prophet, I thought you had seen a lot of the world, Rita, but your performance has really disappointed me."

"What do you want to do, Blaine?"

Rita Skeeter stared intently at the man opposite her, her eyes almost filled with hatred. "You want me to expose this? You want me to put this in the Daily Prophet and let everyone see it?"

"What if it is?"

Amosta seemed to find Rita's reaction quite amusing. He continued to observe the somewhat agitated Rita Skeeter with great interest, and said casually.

For a moment, Rita Skeeter had the urge to grab her bag and leave, but she knew perfectly well that she couldn't leave without the man's permission, especially since she had already seen such a deadly thing. Of course, Rita didn't think Blaine would kill her now—so many people outside had watched her walk into Blaine's private room—but he would surely find a way to silence her, or even cause some seemingly plausible accident after she left the Leaky Cauldron.

Amos Stark Blaine is not a moral exemplar like Dumbledore, who is flawless; anyone who knows Blaine even slightly is well aware of this.

"Oh, then why don't you tell the Ministry of Magic that I'm an illegal Animagus, Blaine!"

Rita clenched her teeth, her eyes cold.

"Maybe I'll be lucky and my brain won't be ruined by those disgusting Dementors. That way, after I'm released, I can live off the gold I've saved up over the years. But if I put this in the newspaper... well, to be frank, I don't think it'll ever get published. But if I insist on doing it, oh well, maybe my dream of writing a biography of Albus Dumbledore will be shattered!"

Seeing Rita Skeeter's burning anger, Amusta chuckled.

“You’re much more clever than I imagined, Rita.”

Rita Skeeter, far from pleased by the praise, sprang to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury at Amosta Blaine's attempt to drag her into a deadly mess.

"Perhaps you want to seize power, to replace Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic, Blaine, but don't even think about dragging me down with this—"

Rita gasped for breath and said bitterly,

“I know those politicians better than you do. I know where their bottom line is. They may not care if I make them look bad in the news from time to time, but if their position is really threatened, they won’t care about the laws they made themselves!”

A wise perspective—

Amosta clapped his hands and exclaimed in admiration.

"But please sit down first, I haven't finished speaking, have I?"

After a slight hesitation, Rita Skeeter sat down, not only because she couldn't disobey Amosta Blaine's orders, but also because she wanted to see what Blaine was up to.

"You've probably seen most of this list already. Later, you can copy a portion of it to take back. I'll be going to the Ministry of Magic tomorrow morning to meet with Fudge. I'll tell him you have this list and are planning to publish it in the Daily Prophet. Don't get excited, just listen—"

Amosta gestured, interrupting Rita Skeeter, who was eager to argue.

“This matter is of great importance. It is foreseeable that Fudge will personally come to negotiate with you and persuade you not to do this. You can follow his instructions and give up publishing the information on the parchment.”

Amosta spread his hands, indicating that he had finished speaking.

"that's it?"

Rita opened her mouth in surprise.

"Of course, you can also negotiate with Fudge to get some special privileges or Galleons or something. You are a very experienced and tactful person, so I think you definitely know where the line is. Oh, there's one thing I must remind you of: Fudge will probably ask you if I gave you this list. At that time, you have to stick to your story. If he asks you where you got the information, well, you're very good at making up stories, Rita. I believe you can give our Minister of Magic a convincing answer."

Rita slowly closed her mouth, her green eyes gleaming. She had realized that Amostra Blaine probably didn't intend to use the list to bring down the Ministry of Magic, nor did he want to drive her to her death. Of course, he was indeed using her for some other ulterior motive.

But before she could ask, Amosta finally spoke in a calm tone befitting his status,

“Control your curiosity, Rita.”

Rita gasped for breath, her chest heaving rapidly.

"You're asking me for help, aren't you, Blaine? But why should I help you?"

"Isn't this also beneficial to you?"

Amosta said calmly.

"As long as you don't insist on publishing the list and make some kind of guarantee to Fudge, I don't think he'll do anything to you. And you do hold a weakness in the Ministry of Magic. If something happens to you in the future, you might be able to escape punishment because of this—"

Rita raised an eyebrow, speechless.

"Well then, that's settled then—"

Before Rita could give a clear answer, Amusta picked up the remaining drink and downed it in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Goodnight, Ms. Rita Skeeter--

After saying this, Amosta stood up from his chair, took two steps, and then touched the doorknob.

"Wait, Blaine!"

The door opened a crack, and just as Amosta was about to step out, Rita suddenly called out to him. The woman stared at him with a very wary look, hesitated for a moment, and then said dryly,

“You surprise me too, Blaine. You have the power that Fudge can’t stop you from doing whatever you want, but you’ve gone to so much trouble—I mean, this list certainly didn’t come easily—”

"hehe--"

Amostah chuckled softly, then turned and left, but his voice carried clearly through the closed door to Rita's ears.

“I am not the Dark Lord, Ms. Rita Skeeter—”