allendalepharm Chapter 284 Old Ge's Promotion
Chapter 284 Old Ge's Promotion
Chapter 284 Old Ge's Promotion
Grindelwald was always quick to act. The day after the discussion, the magazine "The Quibbler" suddenly published a very interesting story.
?
The Magical Fairy Tale Journey of Muggle Jacob
The story follows a Muggle who accidentally wanders into the British Ministry of Magic building. After causing some trouble, he escapes the Aurors' clutches with the help of a kind goblin using a Portkey and arrives in Diagon Alley, where he once again encounters a series of amusing incidents.
The story isn't particularly original.
The problem is that this kind of subject matter is very sensitive and touches a nerve with countless people.
When Lockhart first received the magazine and saw the title on the cover, he initially thought it was about the Muggle that Newt's sister-in-law married. However, upon opening it, he discovered that it was actually a different story.
Oh, I should say it's a report.
Because editor-in-chief Mr. Lovegood insists that this actually happened. (Luna's father, editor-in-chief of *The Quibbler*)
Everyone knows this is a fabricated story, after all, The Quibbler magazine has always attracted attention with all sorts of outrageous information.
But naming the protagonist Jacob is clearly an attempt by Old Man Gottlieb to name Dumbledore.
Back then, Jacob, a Muggle, was one of Dumbledore's men, while Jacob's witch wife was one of Grindelwald's men—there's a very interesting story behind it.
Even during the years when the two wizarding masters were at their most antagonistic, and everyone thought they were complete adversaries, they actually shared the same political views on the issue of legalizing marriage between wizards and Muggles.
What I mean is—hey Albus, although we disagree on many things, we are aligned on many issues.
All of the above are Lockhart's speculations.
"I'm just curious, why did Mr. Lovegood suddenly choose Grindelwald's side?"
He looked at the magazine in his hand and chatted with Snape with some confusion.
"It looks like a third-rate magazine, and most of its content is third-rate magazine stuff," Snape said casually as he stirred the potion in the cauldron with his wand. "But in fact, all the Ministry of Magic officials fear this magazine more than The Prophet of Today."
Lockhart blinked. "Because it reports on the gossip and scandals of officials?"
Snape flicked his wand, setting it aside, before turning back. "The answer lies in the magazine's name, *The Quibbler*."
Its target has always been the Ministries of Magic in various countries, and its guiding principle is "to reveal the hidden truth."
Is it that high-class?
Lockhart opened the magazine with some uncertainty and immediately saw a bizarre story about a wizard riding a flying broomstick to the moon. He then flipped through it again and came across a conspiracy theory that seemed to be seriously plotting to incite another goblin rebellion by Professor Felix Flitwick, the Charms teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Good guy!
Are all Ravenclaws this brave?
Not to mention that Mr. Lovegood was Professor Flitwick's student back then, even now his beloved daughter is studying at the same school.
He leaned back slightly. "I don't quite agree with your point of view."
Snape chuckled, glanced back at the cauldron, grabbed a white mouse from a silver box beside him, raised his wand and cast a spell to make its eyes pop out, then casually tossed it into the cauldron.
Then, as if lost in memories, she murmured, "That's what I told Voldemort back then. Voldemort also looked down on this magazine, but it actually detailed the conspiracy theory that Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was a Death Eater."
And the fact that Sirius Black was a rock star.
"etc!"
Lockhart asked curiously, "A rock star?"
Snape shrugged. "The rebellious teenager was kicked out of the house, went to Muggle society to be a rock star for a few months, and found that he could easily make a living and even live a carefree life. So he had no more attachment to his family."
Lockhart chuckled, surprised that such a thing actually happened. "Wouldn't that be considered a violation of the Secret Service Act? Of course, no one can be sure what the impact would be on him becoming a Muggle public figure; it's not easy to define. Since you knew about it back then, why didn't you report him?"
He knows Old Si's character all too well; he would definitely do that.
Snape remained silent for a long while, his gaze deep and unsettling. "Peter Pettigrew came to me begging, so humble he practically knelt down. That spineless coward..."
This is the only way left to ask for help.
Past events are like the wind, and all sorts of things are happening, causing me great distress.
He shook his head, not wanting to get bogged down in these pointless emotions any longer, and gestured to the magazine in Lockhart's hand. "We can say Mr. Lovegood is unreliable, but we certainly can't say he's unintelligent. To be able to maintain a magazine with considerable influence on his own, this Ravenclaw is definitely not the clown some people think he is."
indeed.
Lockhart looked down at the magazine and sighed, "The Quibbler has met Grindelwald, and it's probably the best opportunity for development it's ever had. It might even become the biggest newspaper in the future."
Charging to the front lines against the Ministry of Magic, Old Grimm must really enjoy this magazine.
It's quite a strange feeling, or rather, a kind of intuition, to connect this magazine story with Grindelwald's behind-the-scenes manipulation. Many spiritually gifted masters possess this innate talent, like Harry Potter, who relies heavily on intuition and achieves remarkable success.
Lockhart's guess was correct.
Soon, major newspapers and magazines began to criticize "Singing a Different Tune" for fabricating stories and stirring up public opinion.
But this did not stop the topic from arising.
Discussions about the fairies helping Muggles in the story began to shift from rationality to emotionality, and conspiracy theories about Professor Flitwick, the fairy-half-wizard, began to emerge in various outlandish versions that blurred the details but sounded very serious, creating a great deal of noise.
Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, would never allow such outrageous claims to continue to spread.
Soon after, British Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge stepped in, condemning The Quibblers for publishing the story as a news report, and ordered the Aurors to investigate whether the unfounded accusations against Professor Flitwick were influenced by some unknown force.
The overt suppression of public opinion quickly sparked even more intense public discussion.
Although no public figures have come forward to discuss this topic in the newspapers, it has been the subject of endless discussion in casual conversations.
"The wizard is in danger, and the fairies are plotting another famous rebellion!"
As such comments increased, under the influence of Grindelwald's behind-the-scenes manipulators, they rapidly escalated, pointing the finger directly at half-blood wizards who had mixed blood with other species.
Even the most famous newspaper in the American wizarding community was affected, and it creatively gave this group the name "Anima Wizards" to distinguish them from Muggle-born mixed-race wizards.
The newspaper even listed a whole bunch of famous "Anima Wizards", with the number one on the list being none other than Orim Maxim, the headmaster of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
They asserted unequivocally that their lineage was "giant hybrid".
"This is absolutely outrageous! How did the wizarding world become like this!"
The newly appointed headmaster of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Gellert Grindelwald, gave an interview to reporters, vehemently criticizing this practice of wizards plotting against each other.
Then the saints who were still active in various fields of the wizarding world took action.
In just over two weeks, this newspaper, which had grown alongside the Magical Congress of the United States and witnessed the development of wizarding society in North America, declared its closure and disappeared completely into the dustbin of history.
All the saints were cheering for the victory.
They had been suppressing their emotions for far too long. In this "Dumbledore era," even the great Lord Grindelwald could not hold a public celebration upon his return. After this victory, they entered a state of jubilation.
But they were quickly proven wrong.
Not only them, but even Grindelwald was proven wrong.
A report appeared on the front page of The Wizarding Weekly, detailing the struggle between the two factions at Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Many people are aware of the millennia-long rivalry among prestigious universities, but no one could have imagined that Mrs. Maxim, the university's principal, would act so ruthlessly!
This half-giant principal actually arranged for a large number of giants to guard all the important figures of another faction, under the guise of security!
What's the difference between this and guarding prisoners!
Shameless!
That's absolutely shameless!
Rita Skeeter almost cried.
Clutching the newspaper, she arrived at Hogwarts, found Lockhart, and lamented, "Such a dramatic public opinion storm, and I wasn't able to participate even once!"
While crying, she secretly observed Lockhart's expression, trying to glean some information.
After all, it was Lockhart who told her not to get involved in this matter.
Too bad!
That's such a loss!
Lockhart chuckled and reassured him, "My people aren't suited to be involved in this."
My people?
Ha, my man?
Rita immediately stopped crying, forcing back a happy smile, and said very seriously, "Of course, we will always stand by Lord Lockhart's side and become your strongest allies!"
Speaking of this, she started criticizing Xenophilius Lovegood, the editor-in-chief of *The Quibbler*, saying, "He's a member of the Ravenclaw Alumni Association, and he actually has his own ideas!"
Lockhart, however, didn't seem to care. "He never swore allegiance to me, so I can only treat him as an ordinary classmate."
Moreover, Mr. Lovegood had no right to refuse Grindelwald's request.
He chose to respect it.
Grindelwald is incredibly discreet in his actions. In the public sphere, the most effective person for stirring up trouble would be Rita, but Grindelwald has never approached her even once.
"What's going on now?" Lockhart wondered how this would end.
Rita shook her head. "Grindelwald stood up for Mrs. Maxim and was humiliated. Now everyone is quiet and doesn't dare to breathe. Everything is calm."
"Everything seemed to have sunk back below the surface of the water—."
Her slender fingers tapped on the table as she carefully considered what she hoped to offer Lord Lockhart the most accurate assessment. "But the problem is that these things have all been exposed to the light of day, and now everyone knows what lies beneath the surface."
As she spoke, she gestured to the copy of *The Wizarding Weekly* she had brought. "Based on my keen intuition and extensive experience, this report about Mrs. Maxime sending giants to spy on the school's opposition leaders is untrue!"
"The problem is, she may not have a chance to refute it anymore; nobody wants to bring up this topic now."
This is quite an interesting situation.
Lockhart was actually very curious. Lady Maxim's giant-blooded identity could indeed lead to her being removed from her position at the school, so there was no need to make things so complicated. What exactly did Grindelwald want?
He doesn't understand.
"Keep an eye on Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for me."
Rita quickly nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, I've already found a few informants who can help me find out inside information about the school."
I will keep you informed of anything that happens at the school.
When asked about the information to report, she did indeed have some news to share during her visit.
"The Ministry of Magic is plotting something!" Rita said in a gossipy tone. "Someone's planning to oust Fudge!"
Grindelwald?
Lockhart immediately thought of Old Grimm, but quickly dismissed the idea, since Old Grimm had just said something about respecting the greatest and most powerful wizard of our time.
"A conspiracy?" His expression turned strange. "Everyone knows Fudge is Dumbledore's man."
If it wasn't Old Ge, who else would have the guts to do that?
"The secret message is—"
Rita looked around to make sure no one else was near the Forbidden Forest before leaning closer and whispering, "They say it's the Auror gang."
The ringleader was Kingsley Shackler; some believe he was acting on Scrimgeour's orders, while others say he did it all on his own.
Lockhart raised an eyebrow. Kingsley?
Is Kingsley getting impatient? Does he think that Fudge might be going to hold out for a long time, and that he himself has no chance?
is it possible?
He didn't know either.
But he can sense the changes in the world.
After Rita left, Lockhart shook his head, no longer thinking about these things, and began to organize his magic notes from this period of time.
First, there are Dumbledore's vast body of Transfiguration papers published in various newspapers. He has many ideas, all of which he has recorded. It is also time to sort out the supplementary concepts of "sociality" and "vitality" in the magical fairy tale theory.
Then there's the exploration of magic across various fields: bloodline magic, the mirror world, mysticism, research into various magical bloodlines and dark magic creatures, ghost ships, elevator monsters, Hakimi, Parsleyan, Wolf-like voices—"
Too much.
All of this will eventually come down to the second major stage of his exploration of the "magical fairy tale theory"—the cultivation of dark magic creatures.
He knows all too well which area he is best at.
Lockhart always had a peculiar premonition that his future lay in this area.
All the journeys we've taken this year, and all the precious fruits we've collected, will eventually be thrown into this cauldron to be boiled.
However, despite the inspiration, he looked at the messy documents on the table and couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"They should be connected by a thread—"
He murmured to himself, his gaze finally settling on "The History of Beauxbatons: Magic and Etiquette".
Is this the starting point for the birth of fairy tales?