Page 207
"This is today's newspaper, but it uses the same photo."
George pointed to the eye-catching title above the photo:
"The conspiracy at King's Cross Station, the savior's life hangs by a thread."
Still an article by Rita Skeeter.
But unlike the last time where the whole article condemned Mr. Weasley, in this article, he suddenly turned into a positive character who was meticulous and planned before doing anything.
It’s just a short sentence…but this is Rita Skeeter’s article, so it’s rare to have so many compliments.
Beyond that, the rest of the content isn’t so friendly.
"We understand that on the first day of school at Hogwarts, the entrance to Platform 9 was suddenly closed ahead of schedule, preventing two students from entering the platform.
An insider revealed that one of the two students was actually Harry Potter who defeated the mysterious man..."
The article describes the scene in great detail, as if she were there.
"It would take a very advanced Confusion Charm to close the platform in advance, which even the Aurors may not be able to do easily...
But according to a student's parent, he seemed to have seen a man in a black robe at King's Cross Station... and that dress was very similar to that of the infamous Death Eaters.
The person in charge of guarding the platform at the Ministry of Magic also said that when the entrance was closed, he was clearing the memory of a Muggle family... Because they were attracted by the cry of an owl, they accidentally saw a wizard entering the platform. "
……
Kyle turned to Fred and George and asked, "Were you seen by the Muggles?"
The Weasleys were the only wizards to enter the platform before the entrance was sealed.
"No...right?" George wasn't sure.
"But we didn't hear any owls when we were at King's Cross."
Kyle nodded and continued reading.
"Is this a coincidence? Or is the closure of the platform an elaborate conspiracy by someone who wants to kill Harry Potter and avenge You-Know-Who?
And that person may be hiding among the parents sending their children to school..."
"We got a letter from home this morning."
There was a hint of amusement in Fred's voice, "Dad's investigation is over."
"This is all thanks to you, Kyle." George walked up and patted him on the shoulder.
Kyle shook his head.
In fact, even without him, Dumbledore would not sit idly by and watch Mr. Weasley lose his job, it's just that it wouldn't happen so quickly.
"It seems that Lucius Malfoy should have received the news in advance and knew that Mr. Weasley was fine."
Kyle laughed and said, "No wonder he said yesterday that "Weasley" would not always be so lucky, instead of "you"..."
"That's it."
Fred couldn't help laughing and said, "And that's not all. Look at this!"
He turned the page of the newspaper and saw another paragraph on the back.
"The member of the Ministry of Magic guarding the platform said that he saw a total of six wizards at King's Cross Station, including Lucius Malfoy..."
When Kyle saw the name, he immediately understood what Fred and George meant.
Lucius was already a suspected Death Eater. Given Fudge's character, he might have investigated him after knowing this.
"Rita Skeeter...that's amazing."
Fred smacked his lips and said, "We prepared three letters in total, but only sent one."
"The remaining two letters have been thrown away." George spread his hands and said, "She wrote much more details than we did."
"It may be that someone else has written to her as well."
At this time, Harry said thoughtfully: "Look here... Only people in the school know that I hit the Whomping Willow, but she also knows it."
"Yes, we thought so too." George smiled.
Although the development of the matter was a little beyond their expectations, as long as Mr. Weasley could successfully pass the investigation, it didn't matter who wrote the letter.
……
In the wizarding world, any topic related to the You-Know-Who or the Death Eaters would immediately become a hot topic.
Although a whole day had passed, people in the hall would still steal glances at Harry from time to time during dinner.
In the guest of honor seat, Lockhart was also talking about this matter with other professors, saying that he was not at the station at that time, otherwise he would have caught the Death Eater.
As for Harry... he didn't care about the looks of these people.
The main reason is that after so much time, he has long been used to it... This is still good, it was even more exaggerated when he first entered school last year.
And he had something else on his mind.
To be honest, after reading today's Daily Prophet, even Harry himself began to doubt whether this was true.
It's all such a coincidence.
He couldn't help but think again of the house-elf named Dobby who had stolen his letters during the holidays and caused him to be warned by the Ministry of Magic.
The other party also didn't want him to return to Hogwarts.
Why on earth did it do this? Was it related to the incident on the platform? Was it related to Voldemort... or the Death Eaters?
Harry was puzzled.
……
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 285 Ancient Runes and Professor Babling
Although Rita Skeeter's report created a lot of hype, it didn't last long.
Mainly because it had been raining in Hogwarts since the second week.
The gloomy weather and continuous rain made everyone feel unhappy, and the damp cold air penetrated into the castle, and many little wizards caught colds.
Madam Pomfrey had to brew a large amount of stimulant in advance. Although this potion had an immediate effect, people who drank it would have white smoke coming out of their ears for several hours.
George was also caught, and he joked that he now looked like an old steam locomotive.
Fred found it very interesting, and although he didn't have a cold, he also asked Madam Pomfrey for a bottle of refreshing potion.
Then the two of them smoked together...
Under such circumstances, Kyle finally waited for the first ancient runes class.
The ancient runes classroom is on the third floor of the west tower. The professor in charge of this course is Bathsheba Barbling, a witch with gray pupils, about forty years old.
But there are rumors that she has been a professor at Hogwarts for more than fifty years, and it is not known whether it is true or not.
As the most difficult subject at Hogwarts, there were only a few people in the Ancient Runes classroom, only sixteen.
Because the number of people who choose this course is so small, this includes all the students from the four colleges.
After the class started, Professor Babuling looked at everyone and was a little surprised.
“Are there so many people this year?”
Her voice was strange, as if it came from a long tunnel.
“That’s still a lot…”
Kanna, who also chose this course, muttered quietly, "Are there so few people who choose this course?"
Although her voice was very soft, Professor Babeling heard it.
"Last year there were nine, and the year before that there were even fewer... only seven," she said. "This classroom rarely has ten people sitting in it."
Professor Babuling was not as serious as she looked. After answering Connor's doubts, she half-jokingly said, "Sometimes I even wonder if I can have five grades take classes together, so that I only need to take one class a week, and the rest of the time is just enough for me to go on vacation to other countries.
Unfortunately, your Headmaster Dumbledore always disagrees."
Everyone couldn't help laughing.
After everyone quieted down, Professor Babeling said, "Okay, now who wants to tell me what ancient runes are."
Qiu, who was sitting next to Kanna, was the first to raise her hand.
“Ancient runes, also known as ancient magic writing or runes, were used in many books before the Middle Ages.
In addition, different runes can produce specific magical powers when arranged into special symbols, so they are also widely used in alchemy. "
"Exactly, two points for Ravenclaw."
Professor Babling said: "The application of runes in alchemy involves more complex knowledge, so in most cases, it is usually used to translate those ancient documents.
But if you want to learn..."
She knocked on the table.
On the walls of the classroom, several symbols suddenly lit up, and then a bright ball of light appeared in the center of the ceiling.
“…I can teach you, too.”
Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.
Being able to cast spells without a wand is a skill they have always dreamed of.
"Professor, I want to learn this!" a Gryffindor student said excitedly.
"Do you think so too?" asked Professor Babuling.
Everyone nodded together.
"Okay, I can teach you some basic content, but you have to be prepared." Professor Babuling looked at all the students with a smile.
"Let's get started, I can't wait..." The other person patted his chest confidently.
But half an hour later, he regretted it.
too difficult!
There are a large number of magic runes, and each magic rune represents at least five or more meanings, and some even have as many as a dozen.