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

“We still have to go back to England, and he'll forget about us then.” Vizet shook his head. “Let’s go! The press conference is about to start!”

-------------------------------------

Olga Goizueta finally breathed a sigh of relief when she returned to the hotel. She turned on the TV, then pulled off her raincoat and collapsed onto the large bed behind her.

The television was broadcasting news about the World Trade Center:

[It has been reported that a violent explosion occurred in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York, causing thick smoke to fill both inside and outside the building...]

Following the explosion, nearby buildings felt noticeable tremors, and the New York City Police Department, Fire Department, and emergency medical services immediately responded to the scene…

New York City Mayor David Dinkins held an emergency press conference, announcing that the explosion had resulted in multiple casualties and stating that all departments were fully engaged in rescue operations…

Police say initial suspicions suggest a deliberate explosion... Emergency rescue operations are ongoing, and firefighters and police are conducting a thorough search of the World Trade Center to ensure no other explosive devices are found...

The New York Times analyzes the nature of the bombing, identifies possible perpetrators and motives, suggesting it may be a terrorist attack, and calls for increased city security...

An FBI spokesperson announced that preliminary investigations indicate the explosive device was a one-ton nitrate explosive, hidden inside a truck. The investigation is proceeding rapidly to identify the perpetrator…

The New York City Police Department stated that the images circulating online of a 'giant fire-breathing creature over New York' are visual illusions caused by reflections of smoke and debris from an explosion. Citizens are advised to be discerning…

"Heh! I almost fell for your tricks! You guys have absolutely no integrity!"

Olga Goizueta sat up, looked at the announcer on TV, and gave a disdainful sneer.

He unzipped the backpack around his waist, took out a handheld camera, and pressed the play button.

Although the handheld camera footage is somewhat blurry, it is still possible to see Vizet gently waving her hand to shield herself from the splashing sewage.

Olga Goizueta came to the table, made a few simple operations on the laptop in front of her, and a rudimentary pop-up window appeared on the screen.

His hands moved quickly, typing a sentence on the pop-up window: "This time the harvest was great. Not only was the role of the heavy rain confirmed, but there were also unexpected gains!"

Within half a minute, a series of questions appeared on the pop-up window.

"Who did you meet?"

"Did we run into those agents?"

Olga Goizueta typed with a smile, “I’ve met our ‘god’!”

Chapter 103 Resisting the Fire Dragon Was Just a Matter of Ease

Through the large revolving door, Vizette and Luna entered the hall of the Magical Congress, where a large group of reporters stood.

Jacob Kowalski stood before the reporters. As the Director of the International Magic Cooperation Division of the Magical Congress, he needed to answer some questions to prevent the upcoming press conference from becoming too chaotic.

The Magical Congress hall was much brighter than usual, and photographers raised their cameras and snapped pictures of Jacob Kowalski.

With a series of "click-click" sounds, the flashlight burst into dazzling light, while the camera spewed out puffs of purple smoke.

"Journalists need to have keen observation skills...able to find newsworthy points in ordinary things..."

"They also need to have excellent intelligence gathering capabilities, conduct multi-faceted investigations, pay attention to uncovering details, and understand the most important point of this crisis..."

Rita Skeeter's voice rang out; she was still dressed in her usual flamboyant outfit, carrying that crocodile skin bag.

Those extravagant glasses seemed to have been maintained, with flashes of light and the inlaid gemstones sparkling brilliantly.

She strode up to Vizette and Luna, a smug smile on her face. "Who's the real protagonist of this crisis!"

Vizette said meaningfully, "You must have gone to great lengths to find me here."

Based on what Rita Skeeter just said, we can guess that she must have turned into a beetle, first gathering information throughout New York, before finally approaching Vizette.

“Ahem! It took a lot of effort!” Rita Skeeter’s smile faded slightly as she coughed lightly and said, “News about you is only circulating among the staff who are actually doing the work.”

“They always talk about you. Some of them have children who need to go to school and are considering whether to immigrate to England so they can get into Hogwarts.”

"Honestly, I suggest you talk to Dumbledore. Once someone gets into Hogwarts because of you, he needs to give you a bonus as a reward for your contribution to Hogwarts."

“No need for so many formalities.” Vizette looked into the distance. “Aren’t you going to seize this opportunity to ask Mr. Kowalski a question? The press conference should be starting soon.”

“That’s why I came to see you—because the press conference is about to start,” Rita Skeeter said. “That director’s talk was too bureaucratic; I didn’t get much useful information from him.”

"So, in order not to waste time, I came to you and planned to have a personal interview first... to get some unique information. That's the point of journalism, isn't it?"

……

Led by an Auror, the three entered a small council chamber, a perfect place for a personal interview.

Before leaving, Auror looked at Vizette and said, "Mr. Lovegood, I will come back here when the press conference starts later."

Vizet waved his hand, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll remember to attend the press conference."

“It’s really hard to imagine…” Rita Skeeter sighed as the Auror closed the door. “What did you do to earn such respect from an Auror?”

“That Auror…” Vizet frowned slightly, thinking about what happened that night, “I can’t remember clearly… I just helped to hold off the fire dragon’s attack, that should be all.”

“That explains it.” Rita Skeeter nodded as she opened her handbag, revealing a gray shorthand quill and parchment floating in the air. “Perhaps it was just a small favor for you.”

As she spoke, the stenographer's quill began to work, leaving a string of words on the parchment.

Paul had a wife and children behind him. For Mr. Wizette Lovegood, helping to fend off the fire dragon's attack was just a simple matter, but for Paul, it not only saved him but also his wife and children—an undisputed act of redemption.

“There’s no need to write it like that…” Vizet coughed lightly, “Isn’t it a bit too much…”

“I’ve already toned it down. This is another shorthand quill pen. Please note the color!” Rita Skeeter raised an eyebrow and pointed to the shorthand quill pen.

"And when I investigated before, I found that he was indeed a father of a child, and his name was indeed Paul, Paul Smith."

She coughed twice, her expression turning serious. "Let's begin! First, I want to ask... how exactly did you discover the fire dragon in New York's sewers..."

Rita Skeeter's questions were very targeted, and she finished asking all the necessary questions in no time.

“Honestly…” Rita Skeeter placed the parchment covered in writing in front of her, her tone somewhat wistful, “it looks like a story Gilderoy Lockhart made up…”

"Without Luna, those longhorned water snakes could not have been lured up."

"Without Vizet, there would definitely be no way to lure the fire dragon over."

Vizette and Luna spoke at the same time, both with great certainty.

"Gentlemen, please don't get so excited. I was just expressing my feelings!" Rita Skeeter interlaced her fingers, resting them on her chin, and revealed a very amused smile.

“I have no doubt about the authenticity of this content…and now I am even more certain that what you are saying is true…after all, you have both vindicated each other, haven’t you?”

Wizette countered, "Whom are you representing? The Daily Prophet? Or..."

“Of course, it’s The Daily Prophet,” Rita Skeeter said. “You’ve been on vacation here for too long; you have no idea how panicked people are in England right now…”

"Cornelly Fudge has sealed off the port, and the border is full of Dementors. It's extremely difficult to get out; you have to go through countless checks, even the goblin waterfall to prevent thieves, before you can finally leave."

“Dementors?” Vizette frowned. “Do we really have to use something like that?”

Rita Skeeter shrugged helplessly. "And then there's the Quidditch World Cup! They need a lot of wizards there, so the best and easiest way... is to requisition Dementors."

"And then there's your favorite 'The Quibbler'... I recently wrote another article about how Cornelius Fudge may have illegally bred Dementors, which would have given him enough Dementors to search all of England."

“That’s something Fudge would do.” Vizet and Luna nodded simultaneously.

“So you all think so much the same way…” Rita Skeeter was a little amused and exasperated. “Actually, I spent a few days at The Quibbler.”

"The atmosphere is usually quite good, but whenever Cornelius Fudge is involved, Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood becomes a completely different person and becomes particularly radical."

She put the stenographer's quill and parchment into her bag. "Speaking of which...don't you all dislike Cornelius Fudge?"

Luna shook her head gently. "He's not... a good person."

Vizette was equally direct, saying, "Yes! I don't like it!"

Chapter 104 Press Conference

“Alright… it’s about time.” Rita Skeeter stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her robes. “The press conference is in the Pentagon; let’s go together!”

Wizette pondered for a moment and said, "Ms. Skeeter, if the Daily Prophet publishes your article, Mr. Lovegood will probably contact you too..."

Rita Skeeter shrugged. "Of course I know. I mentioned it when I asked him for leave, and he asked me to help him write an article."

She pursed her lips, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. "So I still need to interview Mad-Eye Moody... This guy is crazy... He's not easy to deal with."

“But you’re right, ‘Singing the Divergence’ has changed.” She sighed again. “It’s much better than before. At least they pay for the articles now, although it’s better than nothing.”

She shook her crocodile handbag again and said, "But with your interview transcript, I think Mad-Eye Moody will be a little more accommodating."

Vizette nodded and said nothing more.

Rita Skeeter clearly knows how to read the room and tailor her approach. Ultimately, it's because Dumbledore is easy to talk to that Rita Skeeter's words were so extreme and even distorted the facts when she reported on Dumbledore.

When facing someone like Alastor Moody, she becomes much more cautious, gathering as much leverage as possible to her advantage before making contact.

……

The Pentagon was a place that left a deep impression on Wizette.

In the movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, and Jacob Kowalski were interrogated in the Pentagon.

This is a Gothic-style council chamber. Directly opposite the main entrance is a chairman's throne, which looks very impressive.

Several rows of tiered staircases extend from the throne, with a single marble floor in the center bearing a simple five-pointed star pattern, which is the origin of the council chamber's name.

When Wizette and her team arrived, the marble floor was already packed with reporters, and it looked like Rita Skeeter would have a hard time getting to the front.

“I expected this to happen,” Rita Skeeter said with a smug look on her face, lowering her voice. “But I’ve already got the most valuable information.”