That afternoon, Ludovic Bagman issued a summons; all champions had to gather for a photo shoot.
Alaric brought Hermione to the designated location, a small classroom where most desks had been pushed to the back, leaving a large open space in the center.
Three desks were arranged in a row at the front with a long velvet cloth draped over them. Behind these desks were five chairs, one of which was occupied by Ludo Bagman.
He was engaged in conversation with a witch Harry had never seen before, dressed in a magenta robe.
Viktor Krum, as usual, stood gloomily in a corner, avoiding interaction with anyone.
Fleur Delacour sat in a chair, and upon seeing Alaric enter, she immediately smiled joyfully, tossing her head to make her silver hair shimmer brightly.
A chubby man held a smoking black camera and slyly eyed Fleur.
When Alaric arrived, Ludo Bagman stood up respectfully and greeted him. He was well aware of the gold Galleons he still owed Alaric.
Another woman spotted Alaric and approached eagerly.
"This is Rita Skeeter," Bagman pointed to the witch in magenta robes and introduced her, "she's writing a small piece on the Triwizard Tournament for the Daily Prophet..."
Her hair was elaborately styled into rigid, peculiar curls that matched her large-jawed face awkwardly.
She wore jewel-encrusted glasses and clutched a crocodile-skin handbag with thick, red-painted nails.
Alaric certainly knew Rita Skeeter, a notorious journalist known for stirring up trouble to boost circulation.
"Oh, you must be the famous Mr. Alaric?" Rita Skeeter eagerly approached Alaric for an interview.
"I've heard about you ever since you won the Wizard Chess Championship. I
've been wanting to interview you, but never had the chance. Since then, you've achieved so much. Perhaps we could..."
"No, Miss Skeeter, I have no interest in being interviewed," Alaric interrupted, waving his hand dismissively as if repulsed by something disgusting.
"Go and finish your task. And don't fabricate stories about me in your notebook again, or next time, I'll give you a lesson."
With a snap of his fingers, Skeeter's shorthand notebook burst into flames, consuming the pages she had just written about Alaric.
Skeeter opened her mouth to protest but found herself unable to speak—a side effect of Alaric's silencing spell.
"Don't sympathize with her. Her pen and her twisted mouth spare no one," Alaric explained to Hermione and Fleur with a disdainful glance at Skeeter.
"She enjoys stirring up trouble, digging into people's privacy, and then distorting it in the Daily Prophet.
Many who've been featured in her articles have faced dire consequences. Some lost jobs, and one person received so much hate letters that they ended up committing suicide."
Fleur and Hermione exchanged troubled glances, abandoning any thoughts of intervening for the journalist.
In the corner, the chubby man with the camera, seeing Skeeter's plight, decided not to raise his expensive camera, fearing it might suffer the same fate as Skeeter's notebook under Alaric's wandless magic during the photoshoot.
With Skeeter no longer a nuisance, Alaric, Hermione, and Fleur chatted amiably.
The two girls exchanged teasing remarks, with Fleur mainly teasing Hermione and thoroughly enjoying herself.
After a while, the door opened again, and the final champion, Harry Potter, was escorted into the classroom.
Bagman spotted Harry and hurriedly stood up, stepping forward eagerly.
"Ah, here he is! The fourth champion! Come in, Harry, come in... There's nothing to worry about, just a Wand Weighing ceremony—"
"Wand-Weighing?" Harry asked uneasily.
"We need to ensure your wands are fully functional and in good condition, as they are crucial for the upcoming tasks," Bagman explained.
"The experts are upstairs with Dumbledore. Then, we'll take a few photos. This journalist lady will handle everything."
He gestured toward Rita Skeeter, but she remained silent, the atmosphere growing awkward.
The journalist continued to struggle against Alaric's silencing spell.
Reluctantly, Bagman looked to Alaric for help. Alaric shrugged and lifted the silence.
Finally able to speak, Skeeter gasped for breath, casting a fearful glance at Alaric.
She now understood why Alaric had managed to evade journalists and their various reports after winning the championship.
It took her a while to recover.
"Well, perhaps it's not a small piece after all, Ludovic," Rita Skeeter said, her eyes fixed on Harry.
Unable to report on Alaric or the complicated relationship between him and the two girls, and having failed with Viktor Krum earlier, the only feasible target now seemed to be this young boy.
"Before we begin, may I have a word with Harry?" she asked Bagman. "As one of the youngest champions, you know... to add some color to the article."
"No problem!" Bagman said loudly. "But... Harry, do you mind?"
"Um..." Harry hesitated.
"Excellent," Rita Skeeter said, and in a flash, her crimson claw-like fingers gripped Harry's arm with surprising strength. She pulled him out of the room.
Alaric chuckled with a hint of misfortune.
Rita Skeeter was about to subject Harry to a significant ordeal—especially since she had hit a dead end with numerous potential stories and couldn't report on Alaric or his acquaintances.
Moreover, Harry himself had a compelling story, making him a perfect subject for Skeeter's sensationalism. This time, she was bound to reap a considerable harvest.
After a while, Harry returned to the room under Dumbledore's guidance, though during that time, Skeeter had already woven a tear jerking tale of his tragic past.
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