Compared to Neville's progress, Rita Skeeter's efficiency was on an entirely different level.
Not only had she finished the article and published it within a week, but according to Marvolio, she had even completed the follow-up sections—defending Dumbledore and criticizing the Ministry—just waiting for the developments Tver was supposed to trigger.
Her diligence came entirely from Marvolio's subtle but unmistakable threats.
Without Tver keeping him in check, Marvolio would normally spend any free moment at Rita's home—aside from investigating Lockhart—to oversee her writing and build a connection. He never expected that the moment he let a bit of his cruelty slip, it would scare Rita half to death.
If her hands hadn't been shaking so badly, she might have finished even faster...
In any case, on the first morning of the weekend, while Tver was eating breakfast, he suddenly heard a burst of frantic wingbeats.
Looking up, he saw a downpour of owls flooding into the Great Hall.
Along with the flurry of feathers came piles of letters, as well as his copy of the Daily Prophet.
As he unfolded it, the first thing to fill his view was a photo of Hogwarts Castle. It occupied nearly a third of the frame—the details were blurry, but its snow-covered silhouette was unmistakable.
In the dim lighting, though, it looked unusually ominous.
Naturally, the photo he had provided couldn't be used, or he would risk exposing himself as the mole.
So this shot must have been taken secretly by Rita and her photographer.
Professional work—just from this image alone, he could sense a dreadful tension emanating from the castle.
Especially paired with the headline: Hogwarts in the Shadow of the Chamber of Secrets!
He continued reading:
"Special correspondent Rita Skeeter reports: While Hogwarts is widely known as a school with a long and storied past, few are aware that the castle itself originally belonged to Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders.
He generously gifted the castle to the school, giving generations of students a place to live.
Yet this founder was not as kind as many imagine.
After severing ties with the other three founders, he secretly left behind a Chamber of Secrets within the castle. Inside lies a terrifying monster, waiting for the day it will be released to purge the school of students deemed unworthy of learning magic!
According to the author's investigation, the Chamber of Secrets was confirmed to have been opened last Halloween, and three attacks have occurred, leaving four victims so far.
Because of these incidents, students no longer dare to be alone, nor do they venture into remote areas of the castle.
'My child spends every day terrified in that castle, afraid the monster will attack her. All I could do was send her a pile of protective charms and talismans. But as soon as Christmas break ends, she has to go back,' said Mrs. Phoebe of Yorkshire.
Additionally, the author heard of a student who broke out in full-body scabies due to overwhelming stress!
Fortunately, she visited Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions shop and purchased an extremely effective Cure for Boils Potion, restoring her beautiful complexion."
Rita's vivid writing filled half the front page, recreating the students' fear and the castle's heavy atmosphere—with a conveniently placed advertisement slipped in.
"Has anyone here gotten scabies from being scared?" a young witch asked curiously.
Her friend shrugged. "Didn't they say Granger went to the Hospital Wing because she was attacked? It must be her. I can't think of anyone else."
Well, embellishment is part of a journalist's skill set.
But in the latter half of the article, Rita shifted gears, guiding readers through Dumbledore's mountain of honors—
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, widely recognized as the greatest wizard of our time...
"Fortunately, this great wizard resides within the castle. We all know that ever since defeating the Dark Lord Grindelwald, Dumbledore has stayed at Hogwarts, living a quiet and secluded life.
The author has always held him in the highest regard—not everyone can resist the temptation of the Minister for Magic post and willingly choose to remain an unassuming headmaster.
This is a loss for the wizarding world, but a blessing for its students.
If anyone can truly guarantee the students' safety, it is this headmaster whose accomplishments could fill an entire book.
The author firmly believes that as long as Dumbledore remains at Hogwarts, it is the safest place in the world. Without his protection, one shudders to imagine how many students that monster might have attacked."
Honestly, the handful of awards Lockhart loved to brag about didn't come anywhere close to even Dumbledore's most unremarkable title.
With such dazzling honors laid out beside the looming crisis, the confidence it inspired was far more powerful.
"That's right, we should keep exploring the castle's secrets!"
Having read the report as well, George cheered loudly.
"No," Fred stood up beside him. "We should go beyond the castle and explore the Forbidden Forest!"
"I must remind you two Weasley gentlemen that your detention is not yet over," Professor McGonagall said quietly as she passed by.
Weasley Twins: … (drops to the floor in despair)
The students burst into laughter. The tension from before had faded, and their conversations shifted to guessing how many titles Dumbledore actually held.
But as Tver folded the newspaper, he suddenly noticed there was another letter for him.
"I've already led several rounds of opposition, but Lucius has teamed up with Fudge. They intend to forcibly take Rubeus Hagrid away and suspend Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster.
Additionally, Rita Skeeter's hidden material has been handed over obediently. The contents aren't damaging enough on their own, though. We'll need time to plan properly. —Cynthia."
Fifty years ago, Hagrid had been the scapegoat when Voldemort opened the Chamber of Secrets. Only the lack of evidence allowed Dumbledore to bring him back.
The Ministry's current actions honestly looked rather incompetent.
And Fudge agreeing to Lucius's plan was hardly surprising.
People often called him Dumbledore's echo. When he first took office as Minister, he consulted Dumbledore on practically every detail of policy.
But notice this: the longer he served, the less he sought that guidance.
He had his own opinions—and was increasingly desperate to assert them.
A line from described him perfectly:
"The little dog suspects the whole universe of plotting to steal its place."
So his wariness toward Dumbledore was only natural.
Hmph. Political animals, Tver thought with a cold inward laugh, letting the letter crumple in his palm before it dissolved into invisible dust.