Chapter 222
The situation returned to normal. Dumbledore sent the Death Eater, Barty Crouch Jr., to Azkaban via Ministry guards, although everyone was surprised by the appearance of Ministry guards inside the castle.
But with Dumbledore's help and his informing them to keep what happened inside the office a secret, no rumors were spread about the matter.
The real Professor Moody was able to accept Dumbledore's offer and remained in his office, finally becoming an official professor without impersonation as had happened with Jr.
Time passed at a terrifying speed, so much so that only about a month remained until the Third Task.
One of the best things that happened after the Second Task was everyone's eagerness to hear the details of what happened under the lake's water, which meant that Hermione would receive some of the spotlight that Albert stood in. Albert noticed that Hermione was describing the details of what happened inside the lake to her friends.
By the end of May, the weather had become drier, and the wind, which struck their faces and hands whenever they went out to the school courtyard, had intensified. Of course, this affected the postal service because owls could not fly properly, and the owl Albert sent to Sirius for the date of the next Hogsmeade visit on Saturday returned, having lost a large part of its feathers. As soon as Albert saw it, he took the letter from its leg, finding that Sirius's letter was also short this time.
"Be at the end of the road outside Hogsmeade (behind Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and bring all the food you can."
Ron said, not believing: "Is he returning to Hogsmeade?!"
Hermione said: "It looks like it!"
Albert folded the letter, thinking. If he were honest with himself, he wanted to see Sirius again, and so he headed to his last class with clear happiness. Outside the classroom, Malfoy was standing with Crabbe and Goyle, and with them, Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, looking towards something... Albert could not see it, and when he passed by them, Albert saw a copy of Witch Weekly magazine. The moving picture on the cover showed a curly-haired witch smiling widely and pointing at a cake with her magic wand. As soon as Pansy saw Hermione, she shouted: "There's something in this magazine that concerns you, Granger!" Then she threw the magazine towards Hermione, who caught it at the same moment Snape opened his classroom door and beckoned them to enter. Albert, Hermione, and Ron headed towards a table at the back of the classroom as usual, and as soon as Snape turned his back to write the steps of the day's potion on the blackboard, Hermione placed the magazine in front of her and flipped through its pages until she found what she was looking for. Harry and Ron leaned in to see a picture of Albert topping a short article.
Beside Albert's picture on the article, there was another picture of Rita Skeeter, showing her handcuffed and surrounded by a group of security men belonging to the Ministry of Magic.
The article spoke in detail about the arrest of Rita Skeeter on charges of helping the dangerous criminal Peter Pettigrew escape from Azkaban prison, a matter that caused a major shock in the wizarding community.
What made the article more exciting was that the journalist did not only reveal the details of this major crime but also clarified Rita Skeeter's involvement in a series of other heinous acts, most notably her attempt to harm the reputation of Albert Black, the distinguished student from Hogwarts School and one of the champions of the Triwizard Tournament. After failing to obtain personal information about Albert to publish in her articles to stir controversy, Rita resorted to attempting a magical attack on Professor Hagrid, in a desperate attempt to obtain sensational material for publication. Fortunately, Professor Hagrid did not suffer any harm.
The article did not fail to mention the decisive moment in which Rita Skeeter confessed to all the charges against her in front of Ministry officials yesterday morning.
This confession came as a major shock, especially since Rita was known for her sharp intelligence and her ability to manipulate events in her favor. But it seemed that the evidence against her was so strong that she could not deny it, as one of the Ministry officials was able to read her thoughts, which increased the validity of what she said.
So far, the Ministry has not issued any official ruling regarding Rita's fate, but the article clarified that the Wizengamot will meet within the next three days to make a final decision regarding her punishment. The entire wizarding community is awaiting the verdict, amid hopes that everyone will receive justice, and that this case will be a lesson to anyone who dares to use magic to achieve their personal goals at the expense of others.
After Harry finished reading the article, he closed the newspaper forcefully and shouted in a voice full of anger and excitement: "She truly deserves what happened to her! After all the lies she spread, and all the harm she caused to people for cheap excitement, I think this is the least she can face!" His tone expressed a mixture of relief and just vengeance, as if justice had finally taken its course.
Ron could not prevent himself from reacting, and he added enthusiastically, nodding in agreement: "Yes, didn't you forget the article she wrote about Hagrid?! It was full of lies and slander, she tried in every way to make people believe those ridiculous rumors about him, just because she couldn't find anything real she could use to tarnish Albert's image!"
Ron leaned back in his chair, his eyes shining with some excitement, then continued: "I bet Hagrid now, when he reads this article, will be very happy. He will finally feel that those lies and rumors she launched about him have become useless. Everyone will now see her truth, a lying and deceitful journalist who did not hesitate to do anything to get a scoop, even if it was at the expense of others."
Harry, who was still holding the newspaper, nodded in agreement and said in a quieter voice: "Yes, the whole thing is not just about Hagrid. She affected many people with her lies, and it is not fair for her to be allowed to get away with punishment. Finally, the wizarding world will see her truth and everyone will know that such actions will not pass unchallenged."
And here a cold voice emerged from behind them, saying: "It's wonderful that these matters are raised in my class, Harry Potter, and I must ask you not to discuss these matters in my class... Ten points from Gryffindor."
And when Snape turned around, he found the magazine that was in Harry's hands lying next to him, so he returned, saying: "Ah... reading magazines under the desk too... Ten more points from Gryffindor... But it seems Potter must follow the press movement."
The class filled with the laughter of the Slytherin students and a hateful smile appeared on Snape's face. Then he began to read the article that Rita Skeeter had written months ago about Hagrid and Albert, and Snape would stop at the end of every sentence to give the Slytherin students a chance to laugh until he finished reading the article, then he said: "What a touching article... Well, I think it is better if I separate the four of you so that each of you can focus on his work instead of discussing such matters during the lesson... Weasley stay here... and Granger there next to Parkinson, as for Potter, next to Malfoy, and Black here in the seat facing my desk... come on."
Each of them gathered their tools and headed to the place Snape specified for him, but moments later, as Albert stood up from his place, he subtly pointed his finger without anyone seeing him, sending a spell through his finger and controlling the path of a copy of the newspaper that Snape was holding, which was located on the side of the classroom door, sending it without anyone seeing him to the seat of one of the Slytherin students.
Moments later, Albert pointed his hand in the direction of the Slytherin student who had the newspaper and said as if surprised: "Oh... Professor Snape!! Look, a Slytherin student is also reading from a newspaper like us with his friends!! You must deduct points from Slytherin like us!!"
Professor Snape's eyes, as he sharply scanned the hall, fell on a newspaper placed on one of the Slytherin students' tables. The open Daily Prophet showed a prominent article about the topic of Albert and Hagrid that Rita Skeeter wrote.
Snape's steps suddenly stopped, and his eyes began to narrow in anger as he stared at that newspaper as if it had insulted his prestige.
The student raised his head, terrified, when he noticed Snape's gazes that seemed to penetrate his soul, as if the mere presence of the newspaper in front of him was an unforgivable crime. Snape headed towards him with heavy steps, and when he reached him, he leaned down slightly to approach the table and said in a cold voice carrying a threatening tone: "Do you think the classroom is a place for such nonsense? Ten points from you, Brock!" It seemed as if his decision was final, and a majestic silence permeated the place.
But amidst this majestic silence, Albert Black, the student known for his boldness and intelligence, cut through the quiet with a confident and clear voice: "Professor Snape, I think you should be fair in this matter. If you deducted ten points from our house because of this newspaper, it is fair to apply the same punishment to others as well. Aren't you known for loving justice, Professor?" Albert's tone was balanced, but it carried a quiet challenge, which surprised the other students who were not accustomed to confronting Snape in this way.
Snape paused for a moment and directed his cold gaze towards Albert. He seemed to be weighing his words, but the anger in his eyes was clear. Snape felt that he had been put in a situation with no easy way out. It was not his habit to back down, but Albert's words carried a logic that could not be ignored. After a moment of hesitation, which seemed like an eternity to everyone, Snape spoke in a calm voice full of displeasure: "Ten points from Slytherin!"
His words were short but carried a heavy burden, as if they were a tacit acknowledgment of no other trick for him in the face of Albert's logic. Snape then turned sharply and left the hall, exhaling suppressed anger, leaving behind a feeling of relief mixed with astonishment among the students who witnessed this rare situation.
To be continued...