Drogon had flown off to deliver the letter to Dumbledore, but Milia remained.
William pulled out five Knuts, and Milia, with a dignified flair, extended one of her long legs, gesturing for him to place the coins into the small pouch strapped to her leg. After collecting her treats, she flew off towards the Hogwarts Owlery, carrying the rest of the snacks.
William opened the envelope, but instead of a letter, it contained the latest urgent edition of the Daily Prophet.
Everyone gathered around him, curious about the newest updates from the Ministry of Magic's investigation.
As William unfolded the newspaper, the front-page headline blared:
"SHOCKING! Important Evidence Discovered in Ministry Attack!"
Beneath the headline was a photo—of a wand.
The wand looked very familiar to William, and for good reason—he had seen it not long ago in Diagon Alley.
It was none other than Lucius Malfoy's wand.
Yes, it was unmistakably Lucius's wand, intricately carved with the Malfoy family crest. At the top of the wand, there was an indentation, where a large diamond had once been embedded—something William remembered from their encounter at Diagon Valley.
During the brawl in Diagon Alley, Lucius had managed to recover the diamond but had lost his wand. And now, it had mysteriously turned up at the scene of the Ministry attack.
"Could Malfoy be behind this?" Cho asked after reading the article.
Based on everything she'd heard about him, Lucius Malfoy didn't seem like a good person.
"Cho, they're all dark wizards!" George said heatedly.
"When You-Know-Who fell, Malfoy should've been punished. But he claimed he was under the Dark Lord's control and bought his way out with a ton of Galleons. The entire Malfoy family is rotten to the core. I wouldn't be surprised if he did this."
George was still fuming over the events in Diagon Alley, where Lucius had insulted their family, comparing their "breeding" to that of "Mudbloods".
Cedric rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But we saw Malfoy fighting in Diagon Alley that day, didn't we?"
Cho pointed to a paragraph in the article. "According to the report, the attack happened earlier in the night. He could've been there before coming to Diagon Alley. You said he lost his wand, but why would someone steal a diamond and not a wand worth just ten Galleons? This could easily be a setup."
Her analysis made sense, but the twins exchanged a knowing glance.
Fred lowered his voice and whispered, "Remember what Dad said that day? Mad-Eye Moody's been keeping an eye on Malfoy."
"Mad-Eye who?" Cho asked, confused.
"Mad-Eye Moody," George explained. "He's a semi-retired Auror, and he's bloody good at his job. He's caught more Death Eaters than anyone—he practically filled half of Azkaban by himself."
Fred chimed in, "Most importantly, he's on our side. He's got a close relationship with Dumbledore and is one of the best there is."
Cedric asked, "So, if Moody's been watching Malfoy, has he found anything?"
George hesitated for a moment before saying, "We overheard a bit, but nothing concrete."
"Our dad mentioned that Moody was investigating Malfoy to provoke him, make him move the dark magic items hidden in his house. After that fight in Diagon Alley, Malfoy did go out that night—Moody caught him red-handed at Borgin and Burkes, trying to sell some cursed objects."
Fred sighed, "But Moody acted too soon. He should've waited a few more days. Malfoy only tried to sell a cursed necklace, and while it was dangerous, it wasn't enough to put him in Azkaban—he'll just pay a fine and get out."
Cho frowned, her brow furrowed in confusion. "But doesn't that prove Malfoy wasn't involved in the Ministry attack? If he was selling things that night, how could he have had time to launch an attack?"
Fred grimaced. "That's the problem. When Moody found out about the attack, he was furious. If he hadn't arrested Malfoy that night, Malfoy wouldn't have had an alibi. He'd at least have been thrown into Azkaban for a while."
Cho looked even more perplexed. "If Malfoy didn't attack the Ministry, why would the Daily Prophet report that his wand was found there? Isn't that misleading everyone on purpose?"
"A scapegoat," William explained. "The Ministry doesn't know who the attacker is, and Fudge needs someone to blame to divert attention. It makes them look less incompetent, and it takes some of the heat off the Ministry."
False accusations and cover-ups were not uncommon—even in the wizarding world.
William had been wondering for a while now why the Daily Prophet had made such a big deal out of the brawl between the Weasleys and Malfoy. The feud between their families was well-known, but it wasn't front-page newsworthy.
Yet for weeks, the Daily Prophet had been milking the story, giving it relentless coverage. Now, William understood. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had been using the fight to distract the public from the Ministry's security breach.
In times of crisis, one big story could only be overshadowed by an even bigger one. It was a classic tactic, frequently used to divert the attention of the public.
People, like goldfish, had short memories. Once the story lost its initial shock value, no one would care about the Ministry attack—until the next scandal broke.
The Ministry attack, likely orchestrated by dark wizards, was one of those scandals that needed to be buried. It was a major blow to the Ministry's reputation, especially considering that Fudge had only been in office for about six months.
Fudge couldn't afford to have the word "incompetent" attached to his name—especially as he aimed for a long tenure as Minister. So, he used the Daily Prophet to distract the public with the Weasley-Malfoy brawl, hoping to steer attention away from the attack.
But Fudge underestimated the impact of the attack. Despite his efforts, rumors continued to spread. When the Ministry could no longer contain the story, they were forced to release the information themselves—over a month after the attack had occurred.
However, the delay in reporting had only fueled the public's anger. It wasn't the attack itself that infuriated people—it was the fact that the Ministry had kept it from them for so long.
When people felt deceived, their trust in those in power wavered. The public cared less about the actual truth and more about being misled.
And Fudge, as a seasoned politician, knew that in times like these, the best way to regain control was to offer up a scapegoat—someone to blame. That's where Lucius Malfoy came in.
By throwing Malfoy into the mix, Fudge could shift the narrative from an unsolved attack to a solved case with a clear perpetrator.
William realized that Fudge was far from the bumbling fool Hagrid had once made him out to be. When it came to manipulating public opinion and handling crises, the Minister of Magic was as sharp as any veteran politician.
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