This is a very beautiful owl, with eyes shining like luminous pearls. The radial feathers resemble sharp cat ears, and the mottled brown and yellow feathers look like those of a leopard, appearing majestic.
The joy of getting a new pet instantly overwhelmed the disgust and frustration brought by the previous one, and Ron spent the whole day bragging about his owl, extremely happy.
Harry was also very pleased, eagerly counting the days until the moment his godfather would be released.
Over the weekend, Machioni was busy with work, so he had to temporarily delay his meeting with Vid.
So Vid and the others went to Hogsmeade through the Disappearing Cabinet for some fun. When they arrived at Lupin's house, they all saw that Lupin had hung that photo back on the wall, only this time with Peter Pettigrew's face covered.
Finally, Sirius' handsome and elegant face was revealed, with black hair hanging messily in front of his eyes, and a pair of striking, smiling gray eyes.
"He has the same gray eyes as you!" Michael exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, he does." Vid was also a bit surprised.
Harry stared at the photo, looking again and again, unconsciously breaking into a silly smile.
Lupin watched him, a smile on his face but with a hint of concern.
"What's wrong?" Vid asked him.
"I don't know... but I have a bad feeling," Lupin said vaguely. "I applied to visit Sirius, but my request was denied. Moreover, there are some unfavorable rumors..."
"Rumors?"
"Someone proposed a theory..."
Lupin lowered his voice so that others couldn't hear: "That both Sirius and Peter served Voldemort... Eleven years ago, when James and Lily were killed, they set up Sirius, while Peter went underground waiting for a chance..."
"Eleven years later, Peter was exposed, and he framed Sirius to clear his name... to ensure that there would always be a loyal Death Eater outside working for Voldemort..."
Vid was stunned for a while before saying half admiringly, half mockingly:
"What an imagination... Didn't they ever think why they couldn't both escape back then?"
"Yes, it's ridiculous that some people actually believe this theory."
Lupin could hardly hide his emotions: "The most important thing is that the Ministry of Magic seems to support this theory..."
"Who's so foolish?" Michael overheard and naturally inserted himself into the conversation.
"Minister of Ministry of Magic, Fudge, I hear he provided crucial testimony."
Lupin smiled bitterly: "Back then, he was the Deputy Head of the Magic Disaster Department, and they were the first to arrive at the scene after Peter's killings."
"He testified that... when bodies were everywhere, Sirius stood there laughing hysterically and was still laughing like a madman when arrested, like someone desperate to retaliate because of his master's failure..."
"Apart from Sirius, the Black Family are almost all staunch Pure-Blood supporters and have always supported Voldemort. Sirius had a younger brother who willingly joined the Death Eaters before graduating from school."
"So Fudge doesn't believe Sirius is innocent. He seems to think... if Sirius were released, he would find a way back to the Mysterious Man, and this loyal and crazed henchman would definitely help the Mysterious Man rise again..."
"But hasn't the Ministry of Magic always firmly believed that the Mysterious Man has been defeated?" Vid asked.
"Of course, that's what they say in public propaganda," Lupin shook his head. "Fudge said... it was only a possibility he proposed... just thinking about it makes him shiver..."
"Apart from Death Eaters, no one wants the Mysterious Man to return."
Michael said objectively: "Considering the situation, the trial might develop in an unfavorable direction."
"If they were more devious, they might even suggest Peter Pettigrew provide incriminating testimony against Black..."
Lupin's face turned paler, his brows tightly knit, and he looked particularly heavy-hearted.
He said in a low voice: "Vid, the thing we prepared before..."
Vid thought for a while before nodding: "I originally wanted to hold off on the news... but now it seems that maybe this is the most appropriate time..."
The tension in Lupin's expression eased a bit, and he couldn't help but say: "Luckily, you prepared in advance... I originally thought it was unnecessary..."
"What else did you guys do?" Michael asked curiously.
"Got a few journalists to prepare a big story," Vid said briefly.
If they waited a bit longer and exposed the news when the Ministry of Magic held a public trial, it might further damage the credibility of Fudge and others, preemptively forcing them out.
But doing that would mean more variables.
The most important thing is, although Fudge appears meek, he's a ruthless man capable of 'killing to silence.' If the situation were extremely unfavorable to him, he might order people to kill both Sirius and Peter.
A 'suicide out of guilt' in prison isn't uncommon; Fudge could easily shift the blame to one or two 'temps.' At that point, even if Dumbledore was dissatisfied, what could he do?
No matter how angry Dumbledore got, he couldn't break into the Ministry of Magic to take out Fudge, which is why that Minister dared to repeatedly provoke the White Wizard with impunity.
Before heading back to school, Vid contacted Machioni.
Early the next morning, Machioni sent Vid several newspapers.
France, the United States, Germany, New Zealand, Italy...
Several of the hottest newspapers from multiple countries published similar stories, narrating a turbulent, bewildering story happening in the United Kingdom.
In the Magic World, spatial distance doesn't mean much; the news quickly spread to the United Kingdom.
How could the UK mainstream media tolerate others stealing their front-page headlines?
By the third day, Prophet Daily published a very conspicuous story—
'Hero or Traitor? Peter Pettigrew's Crime Exposed After Eleven Years!'
The front page displayed two large photos.
One was of Sirius Black, with a sunken face and tangled, messy long hair.
The other was of Peter Pettigrew, bald, round-faced, and notably timid in expression.
Vid was satisfied to see that the reporter had almost entirely copied the foreign reports, recounting the whole story with repeated questioning and particularly engaging narration.
Anyone who read this article would likely conclude that Peter Pettigrew, once awarded the Merlin Medal, was the true betrayer, and that the Ministry of Magic made a huge error in this case.
After the paper was delivered, the entire hall buzzed with discussion. The students were hardly interested in eating.
The professors at the staff table each had a copy and occasionally discussed the report quietly—apart from those directly involved, most of the faculty at the school didn't know that Peter Pettigrew had been captured.
Vid hurriedly finished his meal and returned to the Room of Requirement, where he turned over the slightly warm Friendship Book.
[Machioni: A journalist contacted me saying Fudge is very unhappy with their report. The Ministry of Magic forbids them from portraying Sirius Black as an innocent martyr, putting a lot of pressure on the newspaper.]
[Vid: Wasn't it the Department of Legal Enforcement led by Barty Crouch who put Sirius Black in prison without trial back then? Shift the blame to him to downplay Fudge's role; then the Ministry of Magic might not be so opposed.]
[Machioni: Didn't you want to undermine Fudge's credibility?]
[Vid: It's just a temporary solution. We can always bring this up again later.]
Machioni meticulously drew a thumbs-up on the paper, then wrote:
[Machioni: This approach will reduce resistance significantly; I'll persuade them to cooperate.]
[Vid: Tell them I can pay extra.]
[Machioni: ...Then there'll be no problem.]
[Machioni: But I have one more question, if I may?]
[Vid: Please, go ahead.]
[Machioni: Why are you doing so much to exonerate Sirius Black when you don't even know him?]
After a while, Vid wrote:
[Vid: The law is designed to protect the innocent. If the principles aren't upheld, order collapses.]
[Vid: If those in power arbitrarily use the law to persecute innocent people, and if we have the ability to change it but choose to ignore it—when such persecution also befalls us, who will speak up for us?]
Much later, Machioni's reply appeared:
[Machioni: Looking forward to meeting you next weekend, Vid.]