A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 341 William Corrupted by Money

French Ministry of Magic

A grand, artfully designed hall was packed with people. These wizards were all journalists from around the world.

With such a major event happening in Paris, journalists from all over the world, as if they had discovered Gringotts' Niffler, flocked to the city like mad.

The French Ministry of Magic had no choice but to hold a large press conference on short notice to unify their statements.

This will prevent journalists from reporting indiscriminately, suppress rampant anti-French forces in various regions, and prevent them from wantonly smearing France's image as the leading European power.

As heroes who saved Paris, William and Hermione were naturally present at the press conference.

The spokesperson for this press conference was Crigan, Director of the Legal Enforcement Division.

He first emphasized the heinous nature of the terrorist attack, then highly praised the Ministry of Magic's fine tradition and style of hard work... Finally, he commended international friends William and Hermione and expressed his sincerest blessings to them!

It was a very simple thing, but Clegane talked about it for two hours.

This is probably what a leader is like!

Yawning is contagious. After William yawned, Hermione followed suit... In the end, the two of them put their heads together and began to take a nap openly.

There's nothing I can do!

The two of them worked until late last night to clean up the mess, and now they are naturally tired and sleepy.

Crigan seemed to realize he had talked a bit too much, so he casually talked for another half hour before finally starting the Q&A session.

"Mr. Clegane, where did Arya Grindelwald obtain Muggle weapons of mass destruction?" a French journalist asked first.

This person is clearly a plant of the Ministry of Magic, allowing Clegane to strategically shift blame and deliver Trump-style accusations.

He indeed shouted, "You can ask Ukraine about this. Don't ask me. Ask Ukraine, and you'll get an extraordinary answer."

"What do you mean, Mr. Director?"

"The Soviet Union was in a state of division, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Magic failed to shoulder its responsibilities; they lost the nuclear bomb, which led to the Paris nuclear crisis!"

"Will similar incidents happen again in the future?" another French journalist asked.

"Of course not, we will strictly prohibit it!" Crigan promised. "We have already informed the International Federation of Wizards."

The Federation recently decided to urge the Muggle government to pressure the Ukrainian government to destroy its nuclear weapons as soon as possible!

"I've heard that Arya is Grindelwald's daughter. Does this mean that the Dark Lord Grindelwald is about to take action?"

"No, we inquired with the Austrian Ministry of Magic... Nurmengard is perfectly normal, and Grindelwald is still imprisoned there!" Clegane replied.

"Furthermore, according to the current investigation, Arya is merely Rozier's adopted daughter and has no relation to Grindelwald himself."

"So what about the criminal Arya Grindelwald? Have you caught her?" a German journalist asked accusingly.

"After what she did, the French Ministry of Magic won't let her get away with it, will they?"

"This... the Auror is still at large, and we will issue an international warrant for her arrest!" Clegane said solemnly.

"Here, I would like to advise certain terrorist forces not to continue their reckless actions, otherwise the result will only be harming others and themselves."

"Of course, the arrest operation cannot rely solely on France; it is the responsibility of all countries in the world," Crigan added.

Reporters were abuzz with discussion, expressing their dissatisfaction with the French Ministry of Magic's incompetence, its empty rhetoric, its attempts to shirk responsibility, and its attempts to hold other countries hostage.

Britain did a much better job... strictly confining Voldemort to the British Isles, preventing him from running around and causing trouble for other countries.

"So how does the Ministry of Magic plan to address the problem of widespread leaks?" an American journalist asked.

"Most Muggles saw the dragon, France exposed the magical world, and you can't cast a forgetting charm on the entire city!"

"In fact, we can," Clegane said bluntly, looking at the American journalist.

"Mr. Scamander has provided the Ministry with the Winged Venom. With his help, we will erase all Muggle memories."

Winged Demon Venom is a glowing liquid substance extracted from the egg sacs of Winged Demons. When properly diluted, it has the ability to erase bad memories.

During the Battle of New York, Newt used this method, mixing himself into the rain, to directly erase the memories of all the Muggles in New York, making them forget the Obscurials.

Clegane, a seasoned cynic, told the American journalist that they would learn from the advanced experiences of the Magical Congress of America.

Old man Newt, standing to the side, kept nodding in approval with his head down, seemingly agreeing with what Clegane said—though it would have been even better if he hadn't drooled.

Old Man Newt goes to bed earlier than William and Hermione; he hates sitting at his desk. These long press conferences are killing him.

Clegane didn't seem to care. He gestured with his hand and said loudly, "We will work with the Muggle government to launch a plan to rebuild Paris, which I hope to complete within five years."

Paris is a treasure to all humanity. Starting tomorrow, a nationwide donation program will be launched, extending beyond our national borders.

Here it comes! Online begging, late but it's here!

The reporters whispered amongst themselves, expressing their dissatisfaction with the French Ministry of Magic's shamelessness.

"Speaking of Mr. Scamander," a sweet voice suddenly rang out.

That voice sounds so familiar!

William and Hermione, who had slept for more than two hours, were startled awake. They looked up and found that it was indeed an acquaintance!

—Rita Skeeter!

This woman is in Paris too!

Rita tossed her elegant hair and pulled several newspapers from her crocodile-skin bag.

She smiled, revealing three gold teeth: "Mr. Director, I have a few French newspapers here."

I noticed that your Ministry of Magic first arrested Mr. Scamander, and then issued nationwide warrants for the arrest of Mr. Stark and Miss Granger.

"Not to mention that Scamander and Mr. Stark are both recipients of the Order of Merlin and enjoy great international prestige."

One of them is an old man, and the other two are Hogwarts students... Forgive my bluntness, but without them, Paris would have been destroyed, yet you imprison one and have wanted two others.

How does the French Ministry of Magic explain such persecution of heroes, making them bleed and weep?

Rita flashed a "nuclear-kind" smile.

Clegane cursed under his breath; this was the hardest thing to explain, especially the orders to arrest William and Hermione.

His arrest warrant was unreasonable and illegal from the start!

Normally, such things could be covered up and forgotten, but now the two wanted men have saved Paris and become saviors!

Such illegal warrants can be amplified and severely damage the reputation of the French Ministry of Magic.

Clegane forced himself to explain: "Actually, the whole thing—the massive manhunt for Mr. Stark and Miss Granger—was a setup by us."

The real intention was to lower the enemy's guard so they could lure Arya out.

The reporters present exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Clegane insisted, "We French Aurors always like to do things unexpectedly, to do things that seem crazy, but are actually very creative, in our pursuits."

"In the end, we successfully stopped Arya... Mr. Stark and Miss Granger are certainly innocent, and neither of them was harmed."

Crigan wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Is that so, dear Mr. Stark?" Rita looked at William. "Don't be afraid, speak up bravely, we English are not afraid of France!"

William smiled and said, "That's right, Hermione and I are indeed cooperating with the French Ministry of Magic."

The so-called wanted notice... was just an act for Arya, to lower her guard.

All the reporters sighed in disappointment; this was not the sensational answer they had hoped for.

That answer is absolutely ridiculous!

Of course... that's nonsense!

William helped the French Ministry of Magic cover up the truth because they were paid a hefty hush money.

Just like the Gringotts incident back then.

The French Ministry of Magic paid William and Hermione a one-time compensation of 10,000 Galleons as emotional distress damages. William also took Norbert's body with him.

That's right... Norbert died. He fell from that height and died instantly!

His body was a bloody mess, so much so that even his mother (Hagrid) couldn't recognize him!

They died a terrible death.

The dragon's corpse was originally to be confiscated by the French Ministry of Magic, but after some bargaining, it was "gifted" to William and Hermione for their magical research.

Faced with such an exorbitant hush money, William and Hermione had no choice but to comply with the Ministry of Magic's demands.

William didn't want to be corrupted by the power of money, but he had no choice!

Ultimately, Newt did illegally smuggle dragons, and the dragon Norbert, under Arya's control, caused immense destruction.

Even if Newt is shut down for ten or eight years, it won't be a loss.

In order to prevent Newt from spending the rest of his life in tears behind bars, William had no choice but to temporarily abandon his principles and collude with evil forces.

He accepted money and the fire dragon only to mask his inner grief.

Yes, he was truly heartbroken; his mouth was practically stretched to the back of his head in a grimace.

Alas, as expected... It's hard to be a human, it's hard to be a wizard, and it's even harder to be a good wizard who sacrifices himself for his friends.

But William did it!

……

……

(End of this chapter)