A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 342 William's Reputation Was Damaged

Since William himself admitted to colluding with the French Ministry of Magic to set a trap... the situation has suddenly reversed.

French magic is no longer a symbol of incompetence; they are brave, resourceful, bold, and meticulous, and they thwart the terrorist Arya's plot!

William and Hermione are the saviors of Paris, and the Ministry of Magic is not incompetent.

Whether these reporters believe it or not, Criggan does!

Not only does he believe, but he also needs to inform the ordinary wizards so that they also believe.

Rita pushed her glasses down, staring sharply at Clegane, and questioned:

"So, the French Ministry of Magic already knew that Arya would release a Muggle weapon of mass destruction, but chose not to announce it and instead investigated in secret."

"Of course, that's fine, just to avoid causing panic." Rita offered Crigam an excuse, then abruptly changed the subject.

Road:

"But Arya rode a fire-breathing dragon and wreaked havoc in Paris. At that time, you were clearly out of control, yet you did not inform the public."

In the very last second before it exploded, you were still gambling... gambling that Arya's gun wasn't loaded?

"It wasn't a gun, it was a nuclear bomb," Crigan corrected.

"What does it matter?" Rita said nonchalantly, "They're all Muggle weapons anyway."

Rita put the tip of the green quill pen into her mouth, curled her tongue, licked it with relish, and smiled contentedly:

"Would you be willing to talk to everyone about why you made this decision, Mr. Director?"

When the situation was clearly out of control, instead of evacuating the people, you gambled with everyone's lives... Didn't you consider the consequences of failure?

Or do you think your political achievements are more important than the lives of the people?!

Clegane stood up abruptly, clutching the manuscript tightly in his hand as if it were a Desert Eagle.

If it really was a gun, he would definitely make Rita gamble on whether it was loaded or not!

William and Hermione lay on the table, trying hard not to laugh out loud.

Crigan had clearly never encountered a journalist like Rita who would seize upon a situation and make baseless accusations.

All the reporters excitedly picked up their pens and scribbled something on paper, occasionally whispering to each other about how to make the headlines even more "shocking"!

Crigan said urgently, "You guys, don't believe everything you hear. If there are any inaccuracies in the reports, you'll be held responsible."

If you repeat something that was made up out of thin air, then you're also partly responsible, don't you understand?

The reporters glanced at Clegane with disdain. They weren't French, so what if they had responsibilities... Come and bite me.

Seeing the situation deteriorating, Clegane prepared to use his trump card to divert everyone's attention.

He gestured with his hand and announced loudly, "The Q&A session is now over. I would like to make a solemn announcement."

We will award Mr. Stark and Miss Granger the French First Class Order of Valor in recognition of their saving of Paris!

The reporters became excited again.

The Order of Valor holds the same status in the French magical world as the Order of Merlin. The First Class Order is even more precious and is rarely awarded to living wizards.

Not to mention the two foreigners.

They are still two underage wizards...

This is the second highly valuable award William has received, following the Order of Merlin.

Unfortunately, he was not the youngest recipient of the Medal of Valor.

Because Hermione is the one!

William and Hermione were born in the same year, but Hermione's birthday is September 19th, making her a few months younger than William!

Rita's sketching pen also worked quickly, writing on parchment:

"The British have once again saved France from the Germans."

As everyone knows, the French Legion of Honour has always been reserved for the British. History, like the magic of love, goes round and round, eventually returning to its starting point…

Above this paragraph, there is another paragraph:

Clegane: I'm coming clean, I'm not pretending anymore, I'm a desperate gambler!

If Clegane saw Rita's sketch paper, he would probably just give her an Avada Kedavra and send her to meet her death!

"Alright, let's present flowers to our two heroes," Clegane said. "Wishing them a pleasant vacation in France!"

A girl walked in through the side door.

—Sofia Costa!

Costa walked over, carrying two bunches of blooming irises.

The iris is the national flower of France. It is large, beautiful, and graceful, and is very similar to the lily, so many people mistake it for the lily!

However, irises and lilies actually belong to two completely different families and are entirely different types of bouquets.

"A complex magic has been cast on this bouquet; it will never wither," Clegane exclaimed. "It symbolizes the unbreakable friendship between Mr. Stark, Miss Granger, and France."

After a burst of flashes, Hermione bowed slightly and happily accepted the brightly colored bouquet.

Costa then walked over to William and handed him the flowers with a beaming smile.

William politely accepted it.

Costa's eyes burned with passion. As she embraced him, she whispered, "William, are you free tonight? We can talk privately about the time you kissed me."

"Okay... wait a minute!" William was stunned, looking completely bewildered.

He had only met Costa twice, both times during prison visits.

William, with his silver tongue, charmed Costa and plucked a few strands of his hair, never to be seen again.

When did he kiss her?

You can drink potions however you want, but you can't say whatever you want, especially in this kind of situation.

William glanced at Hermione beside him and immediately denied it, saying, "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Rejected in public, Costa's face flushed red. She pointed angrily at William and said:

"You kissed my forehead in front of so many people that day, everyone saw it, but now you're denying it?"

Then why did you treat me like that?!

"Sophie, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" Hermione asked cautiously, craning her neck to look at her.

"How could I be wrong!" Costa roared angrily. "He kissed me in the lobby that day, everyone saw it. He even asked me out on a date, and now he's denying it?"

Stark, you're absolutely right, you're a scumbag who plays with other people's feelings!

You... insulted me!

Costa, true to her straightforward and uninhibited French nature, raised her hand and slapped William.

Costa covered his face and ran out of the hall crying.

William stood there dumbfounded, holding the bouquet of flowers.

This was the first time he had ever been slapped in the face and publicly called a scumbag.

That's so unfair! He didn't even have a chance to cheat on me yet!

In an instant, flashbulbs went off everywhere, and the reporters, as if they had witnessed a major news story, frantically snapped photos.

Hermione looked at William's face and asked with concern, "Does it hurt?"

William shook his head, looking aggrieved.

It didn't hurt at all; Costa didn't use any force at all. His movements were light and gentle, more like a caress than a slap.

But that's hurtful!

William's reputation has been damaged.

"Hermione, I didn't... You have to believe me!" William said helplessly.

"Of course I believe you." Hermione coughed guiltily, her eyes darting around. "Even if the whole world doesn't believe you, I will still believe you."

William felt a surge of emotion.

The girl blinked, then suddenly laughed, "So, English girls are definitely better, unlike French girls who are so unreasonable and domineering, right?!"

William gave Hermione a wink.

His intuition told him that this matter had the air of a conspiracy!

There must be some troublemakers trying to harm him!

Don't let William catch you, or he'll have to show you what it means to be a master of all trades and a highly skilled melee wizard!

……

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(End of this chapter)