After the photo session, Colin led Ivan and Harry to a classroom upstairs.
"This is it! Go on in!" Colin said.
Ivan nodded and pushed the door open, revealing a classroom that was quite spacious. The desks and chairs had been pushed to the back of the classroom, leaving a large space in the middle.
Fleur and Krum arrived early and were deep in conversation with Ludo Bagman, along with Rita Skeeter, who had not been seen for some time.
They all turned at the sound of the door opening, and Bagman pulled Ivan and Harry inside.
Bagman patted them on the shoulder and said genially, "You're finally here! Come on in, relax. The game won't start so soon. I called you here to check if the wand is working properly and avoid any unnecessary accidents…" He then pointed at Rita Skeeter.
"Also, I almost forgot to introduce you. This is Rita Skeeter, columnist for the Daily Prophet. She's writing a little article on the Tournament…"
"It's not a small article, Mr. Bagman. I'm sure it'll make the headlines tomorrow!" Rita Skeeter quickly rose from her seat and strode over to Ivan with an awkward smile on her face.
"We meet again, Mr. Harls!" Rita Skeeter's tone was strange, as if she were trying to contain her anger.
"You know each other?" Bagman asked, glancing curiously at Rita Skeeter and Ivan.
"Because I received the Order of Merlin a few years ago, Ms. Skeeter did a feature on me," Ivan explained.
Rita Skeeter's face fell, as Ivan's words reminded her of the time when Ivan threatened her.
Rita Skeeter quickly adjusted her expression so that no one else would notice, cleared her throat, and turned to Ludo Bagman.
"Mr. Bagman, I'm going to interview Harls alone. Is there somewhere quiet and undisturbed?"
"You can go into the cubicle. It's quieter there." Ludo Bagman pointed to the right.
"Then let's get out of here, Mr. Harls!" Rita Skeeter said with a fake smile on her face as she grabbed Ivan by the arm and pulled him that way.
Ivan frowned unhappily. He felt that pulling and pulling like this was really immoral.
After Rita Skeeter dragged Ivan into the cubicle, she locked the door behind them, and then her smile vanished, replaced by a look of deep anger.
"You owe me an explanation, Hals!" Rita Skeeter hissed through gritted teeth.
"Explain? Explain what?" Yvonne looked genuinely confused.
"Of course it's that. Do you need me to refresh your memory? It's about the Ministry!" Rita Skeeter's mouth twitched with anger.
The last time she was duped into writing about Fudge, Dumbledore was expected to boycott Fudge and declare that his candidacy for the Minister for Magic did not happen.
"You should be looking for Dumbledore. Why me? I'm only responsible for passing on instructions! Think about it. As a student, what can I do against the Headmaster's orders?" Ivan threw up his hands innocently. He was not going to take the blame.
It was Dumbledore's fault for leaving him with such a mess, and he would have been lucky to get it all sorted out.
"I'll find him!" Rita Skeeter's words were curt, and her face darkened as she questioned Ivan about why he had told Dumbledore that she was an Animagus.
"How do you think I know who you are, Madam Beetle?" Yvonne asked Rita Skeeter playfully.
"You didn't tell him, Dumbledore told you?" Rita Skeeter was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly recovered, disbelief on her face.
However, when she thought about it carefully, she felt that it was possible and even solved some of her doubts.
Before that interview with the Order of Merlin, she and Ivan had not known each other, and there had been no previous conflict between them. There was no reason for Ivan to investigate her.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, was different. In her earlier years, she had written several articles about him and uncovered some juicy information. It was possible that he hated her, and most importantly, he was capable of investigating her…
However, there are some suspicious points, such as why Dumbledore would want to reveal his identity as an Animagus to an imp.
Rita Skeeter had always suspected that Ivan had been fooling her the whole time, but in fact, she had heard some rumours and had no proof that she was an Animagus.
However, Ivan's answer was so precise that Rita Skeeter was left speechless.
Ivan's deliberate attempt to put the blame on Dumbledore for the discovery of Rita Skeeter's identity was, of course, to take some of the pressure off the old professor.
Given Dumbledore's shrewdness, Ivan had no fear of being exposed.
If the old professor couldn't handle this gossip editor, then he shouldn't be the Headmaster…
"Well, aren't you going to give me an interview? Let's get down to business, shall we?" Yvonne interrupted Rita Skeeter, annoyed by her questioning.
Rita Skeeter was still annoyed, but she took a chair, picked up a pen, and prepared to ask a question.
"Wait…we'll have to change the format of this interview!" Ivan interrupted Rita Skeeter as a thought struck him.
"What?" Rita Skeeter looked at him suspiciously.
"I'll do the writing, you do the writing!" Ivan was not at all comfortable with the gossip editor, stressing the fact that Rita Skeeter had embellished the story during their previous interview. "You don't change a word this time, understand?"
Rita Skeeter nearly snapped the quill in her hand. What kind of interview was that?
This is an affront to her status as a journalist and editor!
"Hales, I must warn you that it is not easy to write a good manuscript…" Rita Skeeter said, trying to contain her anger.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" said Ivan, raising his eyebrows. He was always good at boasting.