Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

"It still feels a bit too exaggerated..." Vizette guessed. "Headmaster Dumbledore, is the Ministry of Magic here to mend relations with you?"

"Perhaps? If the rubber band is stretched too long, it will eventually have to be snapped back." Dumbledore blinked noncommittally. "It's not necessarily a bad thing, and besides, we don't need to set up the venue."

“After Fudge took office, the Ministry of Magic hired a lot of special effects wizards. These people are very good at setting up award ceremony venues. If Fred and George meet them, they should be able to have a good chat.”

Vizette frowned slightly. "The Ministry of Magic adding special effects wizards seems like a waste of its proper duties. Doesn't anyone have any objections to this?"

“At least these past two years haven’t been a period of neglecting our duties…” Dumbledore smiled slightly. “The Quidditch World Cup finals next year will be held in England.”

"The venue will need to be set up and decorated. As a quadrennial event, the participation of special effects wizards is essential to achieve the desired effect. It's definitely something to look forward to..."

……

Sure enough, Fred and George appeared at the entrance of the auditorium, enthusiastically promoting their fireworks.

Fred waved his arms. "Sir, let's come out and see how it goes... It won't lose to the Bouncing and Playing Magical Joke Shop, and it definitely won't disappoint you!"

"The key is that it's cheap! Great value for money!" George patted his chest. "And let me tell you a business secret! The person Minister Fudge is going to present an award to today is our technical advisor!"

The middle-aged man asked with some skepticism, "That Vizette? Isn't he a researcher of transmutation magic... how come he can make fireworks?"

Fred waved his hand. "He's a Ravenclaw, so it's perfectly normal for him to conduct research in various aspects of magic!"

George nodded. "Actually, we're the same. We don't just make magic fireworks; we also develop other novel gadgets!"

Fred readily agreed, "That's right! That's right! We also have magical items. Would you like to show them to us?"

……

Vizzet followed Dumbledore into the Great Hall, which had been completely renovated. A dozen or so wizards were busy making the Great Hall even more magnificent.

A bright red carpet was laid out along the aisle from the auditorium entrance to the teachers' table.

Many fairies were flying in mid-air. When these magical creatures flapped their wings, snowflake-like specks of light fell onto the carpet.

One wizard lifted a small crystal dome, and another wizard cast a levitation spell to lift it into the air;

After everything was in place, the next wizard raised his wand and used the Expansion Charm to enlarge the crystal dome. Finally, another wizard cast the Illumination Charm to make the final adjustments to the light.

Through a series of collaborative spells, the crystal dome refracted soft rays of light, making the auditorium brighter than usual and giving it a dreamlike feel.

The principle is not complicated, but these special effects wizards all showed a high degree of control and tacit understanding when casting spells, which is worth Vizet's careful observation and learning.

Mischievous Pikachu floated down from the window, his tone full of sarcasm, "Oh my... what a big commotion! Look who's here... I think I recognize you!"

He lunged at a wizard, but just before they collided, he swerved ninety degrees and narrowly flew to the side, giving the wizard a fright.

"When you came here last time, weren't you all acting all high and mighty? Hurry up and get back to normal... otherwise it feels so unfamiliar! I'm starting to get a little scared!"

He floated around in mid-air, chasing after the flying fairies, and even put his hand into his pocket, groping for something.

The special effects wizards in charge of the setup had to spare some manpower to try and get Peeves out of the hall.

"Yay! Come and chase me! I'll treat you to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!" Pippi pulled a handful of chalk from his pocket and threw it at his pursuers while laughing.

……

“That’s right! That’s right! That’s a good question! Animagus is a dangerous form of transformation magic, but I believe that we should overcome difficulties when they arise…”

"Yes, yes, that's right! The Ministry of Magic has done a lot in this regard... What? Of course not! Our relationship with Hogwarts has always been very good!"

The sound grew louder as it approached, and Vizette saw a flash of light at the entrance to the auditorium;

Cornelius Fudge strode into the auditorium, surrounded by flashing lights, beaming with pride.

Vizette leaned closer to Dumbledore. "Headmaster Dumbledore, if they ask me questions later, I just need to answer truthfully, right?"

“Of course!” Dumbledore nodded with a smile. “When a carriage is going downhill, there always has to be someone… and someone always has to crack the whip to make the horse go faster.”

Besides the reporters, Connelly Fudge was followed by several wizards with furrowed brows.

“I have always respected Headmaster Dumbledore!” Cornelius Fudge walked over and offered a handshake. “The situation with the Daily Prophet involves a lot…”

He shook hands with Dumbledore, saying, "Dumbledore has been a great help to me during my time in office... He taught me to uphold justice..."

"That's why, out of concern for the students, I wrote a letter overnight to the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, asking them to end their holidays and come to investigate Hogwarts despite the snow..."

He then looked at Vizette beside him, "Everyone! This is Hogwarts' rising star, Vizette Lovegood, who published a paper on Animagus..."

When faced with the outstretched hand, Vizette took a step back.

Before Cornelius Fudge's expression could change, a piece of chalk suddenly appeared and went straight into his nose.

"Huh? My aim is actually that good?" Pipi Ghost looked at his hand in surprise. "How did I manage to hit it?"

While Cornelius Fudge was picking at the chalk, Dumbledore helped introduce the wizards around Cornelius Fudge.

"Mrs. Gershilda Marchban, Director of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, judge of Today's Transfiguration..."

"Ms. Sophie Cliona, editor of *Transfiguration Today*..."

"Chris Gamp, scholar of Gamp's fundamental transformation laws..."

"Emerick Sweech, author of *Transformation for Beginners*..."

The wizards around Cornelius Fudge were not only renowned scholars in the field of transfiguration magic, but also judges of "Transfiguration Today," responsible for evaluating whether papers could be published.

Vizette maintained her smile and greeted him politely.

The group didn't exchange pleasantries for long before Cornelius Fudge, rubbing his nose and grimacing, interjected, "Dolores, come here... and talk to Mr. Lovegood about the upcoming procedures..."

Chapter 68 Rita Skeeter

“No problem, Minister Fudge!” A middle-aged witch emerged from among the reporters, her high-pitched voice sounding like a little girl’s affected tone. “Mr. Lovegood, please come with me!”

Seeing the middle-aged witch's relaxed smile, Vizet's brows furrowed involuntarily.

The middle-aged witch wore a pink robe, and her curly hair, similar to Lockhart's, was adorned with a black bow. Combined with her eerie smile, she resembled a toad hunting butterflies.

She handed me a parchment scroll and spoke in a high-pitched, childlike voice, “Let me introduce myself. I am Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic.”

"You just need to read the contents above... This shouldn't be difficult for you, right? All the questions from the reporters later are written down here, so you can familiarize yourself with them first."

Dolores Umbridge clearly cared more about the reporters; after saying a few words, he immediately greeted them with a broad smile.

Cornelius Fudge was also busy, wearing a sincere smile and waving his hands, displaying a humble and kind demeanor.

The reporters did the same; some surrounded Dolores Umbridge, asking about the Ministry of Magic's next steps.

More reporters surrounded Cornelius Fudge and Dumbledore, taking notes on their conversation.

“Ah…they all seem to have forgotten who the main character is.” A middle-aged woman walked over.

The woman's blonde hair was styled into large curls, and she wore an extremely extravagant pair of glasses with frames full of jewels, making them look very heavy.

She carried a crocodile skin handbag, had very long fingernails painted with ruby ​​red nail polish, and looked like a ferocious female ghost.

The woman extended her hand. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Rita Skeeter, a special correspondent for the Daily Prophet."

Rita Skeeter...

When Wizette heard the name, she instinctively thought of those past reports.

However, he didn't show it, giving a perfunctory handshake and saying, "Hello, Ms. Skeeter."

“Ah… Hello, Mr. Lovegood.” Rita Skeeter’s tone revealed a hint of surprise. “Let’s find another place to talk… there’s a room over there.”

……

Next to the teachers' long table was a small room with many portraits hanging inside, but it seemed that the portraits were all out visiting other places and not in the portraits.

Rita Skeeter opened her crocodile-skin handbag, from which flew out a white quill pen and several parchment scrolls;

It was clearly a shorthand quill pen; it was suspended in mid-air, poised to write.

She raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Lovegood, that’s interesting… It seems Headmaster Dumbledore was right, you are different from other people your age.”

"I thought... you wouldn't shake hands like before, or you'd show a look of disgust. It seems I'm not as awful as Minister Fouché."

[Rita Skeeter, a blonde bombshell, is 42 years old and still possesses a captivating charm; even former Hogwarts stars who had conflicts with her couldn't resist her allure.]

This is what was written with a shorthand quill pen.

Vizette felt nauseous, a feeling he hadn't experienced even when he first cut open a dragon's liver.

Seemingly sensing something, Rita Skeeter adjusted her glasses. "I'm used to using this. I'm very trained in it, and it's intuitive. This way, we can focus more on the topic itself."

“I see.” Vizette nodded, putting his hand in his pocket and gripping his wand. “What do you intend to interview me about?”

“You don’t have to stare at it.” Rita Skeeter noticed Vizette’s gaze. “About the whole process of writing the paper…who exactly helped…”

"Oh?" Vizette was somewhat surprised. "I've read your article. Are you really going to report it truthfully?"

“I only do some polishing,” Rita Skeeter emphasized. “If the article is too dry, no one will want to read it…”

"Moreover, this situation is different. I made a deal with Principal Dumbledore, which is the main reason why I am here to interview you."

“What deal…” Vizette frowned slightly, “is it related to… Gilderoy Lockhart?”

“You’re a Ravenclaw, aren’t you?” Rita Skeeter smiled. “Looks like a fine Ravenclaw, just like me…”

Wizette smiled slightly. "Giddro Lockhart is also a Ravenclaw."

“Indeed…so we need to weed out some of the scum.” Rita Skeeter’s smile remained unwavering. “Dumbledore gave me a lot of information…”

"It allowed me to expose Gilderoy Lockhart's fraudulent activities... adding a significant chapter to my resume..."