[Daily Prophet Special Correspondent Rita Skeeter Reports:
Recently, two tourists discovered a bizarrely deceased body at the edge of Glennaff Forest. The victim's face was withered, body shrunken, and teeth missing, giving them the appearance of a hundred-year-old Muggle.
Identification revealed the body belonged to Eileen Caste, a thirty-two-year-old villager living near the forest. It is understood that Ms. Caste was seen walking near the village forty-eight hours before the body was found, and she had not been seen since.
Matilda Horne, a Wizard renowned for her spell-breaking abilities, stated that the condition of the body suggests this poor Muggle woman likely died due to some Dark Magic experiments. It cannot be ruled out that this is connected to the Dark Wizard who previously attacked the Quidditch World Cup campsite.
The Ministry of Magic has dispatched Aurors to investigate. Mr. Rufus Scrimgeour declined to disclose any leads. Of course, it's possible they haven't obtained any leads themselves.]
Wade: "..."
The article started off as serious news reporting, but by the end, it couldn't resist mocking the Ministry of Magic. This writing style was unmistakably Rita Skeeter's.
He flipped through the newspaper, but there was no more detailed report further on. There were only subtle accusations from the Ministry of Magic spokesperson that the Irish Ministry of Magic's minister couldn't even do two-digit addition and subtraction, new items recently launched in Diagon Alley, a scholar recommending a magic book, and so on.
Wade put down the newspaper and sent a message to Rita Skeeter in his Book of Friends, asking for the specific situation. Because Rita often had to "go undercover," it was difficult to contact her with a Communication Pea, whereas the Book of Friends was more efficient.
Due to similar reasons, although sales of the Book of Friends had declined somewhat after the Communication Pea came onto the market, the impact wasn't as great as they had initially anticipated.
However, items like the Anti-Curse Vest, being expensive, weren't bought by many. The largest customers were primarily Aurors from various Ministries of Magic, with a small number coming from the Alliance, and some secretive Wizards who didn't want to reveal their true identities.
When there wasn't a Dark Wizard threatening people's lives, most preferred to spend their limited funds on items that brought joy and comfort, such as Magic Golems, Softlight Badges, and Daydream Quills.
"Hey, Wade, why are you still reading the newspaper?"
Hermione pulled The Daily Prophet from Wade's hands, propping herself on the table with both hands. "You haven't forgotten today's plan, have you?"
"Plan?" Wade was still mulling over various data in his mind and didn't immediately react.
"Have you forgotten? We..." Hermione suddenly noticed several Beauxbatons students at the other end of the long table and quickly lowered her voice, saying, "The plan to help Hagrid with his image!"
...
The hulking gamekeeper sat on his low stool like a trapped beast, clutching his large mug as if it were a lifeline.
Under the scrutinizing gaze of the blonde girl, he mumbled, blushing, "I don't need anything fancy... I mean, I think I'm perfectly fine as I am..."
"Really?" Michael poked an artichoke in the vase on the table (the 'vase' was actually another one of Hagrid's dented, thick tin mugs). "I thought you were going to stick this flower on your clothes!"
Hagrid, who had indeed intended to do just that: "..."
"Seriously, Hagrid," Harry said earnestly. "If you want to pursue Madame Maxime, you really do need to make a small change to your appearance."
Hagrid's face grew even redder. "I... who said I was pursuing Olympe..."
"Olympe?" Ron's voice rose. "You're already on a first-name basis?"
Hagrid: "..."
"Alright now!" Astoria, brought by Daphne, said with her arms crossed. "It's not shameful to want to make yourself better because you like someone! Hagrid, just be honest!"
She was one of the few Slytherins Hagrid genuinely liked. She was currently sitting on a stool by the fireplace, holding a rock cake in both hands, trying to gnaw off a piece with her teeth.
Harry and the others knew well that Hagrid's homemade cakes were as hard as rocks, and they admired Astoria's actions immensely.
Daphne, on the other hand, watched her sister, who was utterly devoid of elegance, and showed expressions of forbearance several times. Finally, she took a deep breath, turned her gaze away, and chose to ignore it.
Then she saw Hagrid—his thick hair and beard looked like natural landscapes, and he emitted an unbearable, peculiar smell.
Daphne: "..."
As Hagrid continued to argue with Harry and the others about whether he should change his carefully maintained image, Daphne silently took a gleaming silver pair of scissors from her small handbag.
"Alright, the argument ends here."
Daphne raised her chin, looking at Hagrid and asking, "Professor Hagrid, do you want Madame Maxime to smile at you? Do you want her eyes to linger on you? Do you want to go on a date with her?"
"I won't listen to excuses, I only accept two answers—yes, or no!"
Wade and the others looked at her in surprise. In everyone's impression, Daphne had always been Pansy's quiet follower, reserved. They never expected her to have such a forceful side.
Hagrid: "...I... I do have an idea."
"That's settled then," Daphne said. "Leave him to me! You all..." Her gaze swept over the others, issuing orders. "Throw out the rubbish in this room and clean it up."
"Huh? We have to clean too?" Hagrid said blankly. "I've already cleaned it up very well!"
Daphne waved a hand. "Don't trust your own judgment too much!"
She looked at Hermione and Astoria and asked, "Do you like being guests in an environment like this?"
Hermione reluctantly tried to preserve Hagrid's dignity. "Actually... Hagrid has tried his best..."
Astoria, while gnawing on her cake, mumbled vaguely, "If it's Professor Hagrid, it's fine, the important thing is being with friends. But for dating, of course not!"
"Astoria..." Hagrid looked at his young friend in shock, his eyes drooping.
"It's the truth, Hagrid," Astoria said, swinging her small legs. "I don't want to lie to you with pretty words."
"Then... thank you for your honesty?" Hagrid said hesitantly.
"You're welcome," Astoria said, putting down the rock cake and hopping off the stool. "I'll help clean the clothes... Who brought Ralph's polishing solution?"
Wade pulled a large bottle from his pocket and asked, "I have homemade cleaning solution, suitable for all situations. Do you need it?"
"Woah!" Astoria's eyes widened as she stared at the large bottle. "You... you cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on your pocket?"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------