bioinnovel Chapter 263 follows.
Chapter 263 follows.
Chapter 263 follows.
For a full week, the Howling Letter's bombardment of the Ministry of Magic continued.
Burn marks were visible everywhere in the Ministry of Magic, disrupting not only the arrest of thugs but also the normal course of work.
The logistics support staff transformed into a fire brigade, appearing on every floor; wherever there was a shout, there was logistics support.
Even Dolores Umbridge, who had been out of the public eye for a long time, had to make frequent appearances, her repulsive figure appearing often in various departments.
Those who had been bullied by her in the past finally had a chance to get revenge, and many took the opportunity to ridicule Umbridge and ask which Wizengamo her father was.
Dolores Umbridge, the once universally disliked evil witch, unexpectedly becomes everyone's "joker" and the only source of happiness in the ministry, making one sigh at the capriciousness of fate.
However, the Ministry of Magic staff's happiness was short-lived, as the woman, whose wickedness rivaled Umbridge's, made her move.
Recently, Rita Skeeter has been scheming around the department, trying to get inside information.
As it turned out, she actually found something to report at the Ministry of Magic: she discovered that Bertha Jorkins had been missing for a long time.
This incident immediately made the front page of the Daily Prophet. The completely missing Joggins never dreamed that she would become a front-page headline in this way.
Bertha Jorkins' disappearance wasn't too late; Rita Skeeter seemed to have gotten in touch with the Ministry of Magic, and she also figured out the debt relationship between Ludo Bagman and the goblins.
Thus, Ludo Bagman replaced Bertha Jorkins on the front page of the Daily Prophet, the image of the Quidditch hero was gone forever, and the Ministry of Magic's number one deadbeat made his dazzling debut.
Two consecutive front-page headlines have cast a pall of gloom over the Sports and Physical Education Department. Everyone looks utterly devastated, and each one is itching to submit a transfer request immediately.
Ludo Bagman and Bertha Jorkins are both in the Department of Sport, one is the director.
The other is an ordinary employee.
Coupled with the previous Quidditch World Cup camp riots, the Department of Sport has suddenly become the most incompetent and chaotic department in the Ministry of Magic, bar none.
Compared to the "leaderless" Department of Sports and Physical Education, the Department of International Magical Cooperation is in a much better situation.
Although Belvina's current position is still Deputy Director, she exercises the power of the Director and does not even need to sideline the official Director, Barty Crouch.
Under her leadership, the International Department of Magical Cooperation, though seemingly chaotic, steadily advanced all aspects of the Triwizard Tournament.
They completely ignored the Sports Department, which was already suffering from the cold and rain.
In just one week, the preliminary preparations for the first project were basically completed, and all that remained was for the Triwizard Tournament to officially begin and for the fire dragon to arrive at Hogwarts.
Before we knew it, it was September 1st, the first day of the new school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
That morning, Belvina arrived at the Ministry of Magic on time as usual, instead of going straight back to school.
The magnificent hall was bustling with people, the footsteps of hundreds of male and female wizards mingling together in a chaotic cacophony. Some carried breakfast in their hands, while others walked and read newspapers.
The unfortunate Department of Physical Education and Sports is finally no longer on the front page of the Daily Prophet, but the headlines still belong to the chaotic and incompetent Ministry of Magic.
Today's headline is the Minister of Magic's statement, accompanied by a strikingly prominent photo of Cornelius Fudge.
The statement essentially says that the riot at the Quidditch World Cup camp was an accident, unplanned, politically motivated, and not the work of Death Eaters.
As for the Dark Mark that night, the minister said it was an accident, not the work of the Death Eaters, and the person who created the Dark Mark was killed on the spot.
The entire statement can be summarized in one sentence: the Death Eaters did not do this, and the Ministry of Magic remains reliable.
Cornelius Fudge still chose to handle the problem in his most effective way: downplaying the issue and engaging in self-deception.
This unreliable method proved to be effective; Fudge's nonsense, which even he himself didn't believe, was very popular, and the number of shouting letters sent to the ministry decreased significantly.
The Minister of Magic chose to deceive himself, and the public chose to accept the Minister's deception. They could not accept that the Dark Mark was the work of the Death Eaters, and were willingly kept in the dark, pretending not to know.
Everyone, from the high-ranking Minister of Magic to the ordinary people scattered throughout Britain, chose to bury their heads in the sand.
As long as I bury my head, as long as I can't see, the world is safe.
Belvina had no comment on this.
Belvina, and a few others like her who remain conscious, either blend in with the crowd or go it alone, unless those who are pretending to be asleep are slapped awake by a wolf.
Stepping onto the gleaming dark wooden floorboards and past the solid gold statue of the Magic Brothers Fountain, Belvina arrived at the crowded elevator lobby.
"Isn't this Miss Blake from the Public Press Office?"
One woman spoke in a strange tone, and then another woman spoke up.
She said, "Miss Black is now the Deputy Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and a professor at Hogwarts."
Belvina looked in the direction of the voice and saw two elegantly dressed witches looking at her. One of them was Rita Skeeter, and the other looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her before.
"It's been a long time, Miss Black." Rita Skeeter walked over, her excited eyes barely concealed.
She wore a green robe, her golden hair was styled into stiff, strange curls, and her two-inch-long fingernails were painted bright red, like the claws of a banshee.
Seemingly worried that Belvina would call someone to drive her away, Rita Skeeter preemptively flashed the silver guest badge on her chest.
Then Skeeter added, "Miss Black, it's been a long time since we last met! How have you been?"
Belvina remained silent, glancing sideways at Rita Skeeter.
"Let me introduce the lady next to me," Rita Skeeter continued, "Betty Braithwaite,
A reporter for the Daily Prophet.
"I've met Miss Black before, but she doesn't seem to remember me," Braithwaite said in a strange tone.
Belvina turned her head and glanced at it.
She remembered that the witch in front of her who couldn't speak properly was the same rookie reporter from back then. She never expected that she would end up with Rita Skeeter.
"Ms. Black, since we're all acquaintances, would it be convenient for you to grant us an interview?" Rita Skeeter said. "It's a joint interview between Betty and me."
As she spoke, Rita Skeeter opened her crocodile-skin handbag and then took out a shorthand quill and parchment.
It seems that regardless of whether Belvina agrees to the interview, Skeeter intends to write something.
Watching Rita Skeeter's skillful movements, Belvina felt that she had really gotten too big for her britches, daring to have designs on anyone.
"oops!"
Skeeter suddenly screamed, and the shorthand quill and parchment she had just taken out instantly caught fire and burned to ashes in a flash.
"How about I transfer to the Public Information Department right now? What do you think?" Belvina asked softly. "Then, not only joint interviews, but exclusive interviews wouldn't be out of the question."
Rita Skeeter, who had just been all dolled up, immediately became docile, awkwardly fiddling with her stiff hair curls.
“If I see any reports that seem to involve me, you know the consequences, Rita,” Belvina continued. “And you, the same goes for you.” She looked at Braithwaite. “By the way, what’s your name again?”
Having said that, Belvina ignored the two reporters who were buzzing around like flies and walked straight to an elevator.
"Are we just going to let it go like this?" Betty Braithwaite whispered. "Her attitude was absolutely awful!" Betty glared at Belvina's figure, watching the elevator slowly move.
"Otherwise what?" Rita Skeeter retorted. "If you want to give her a piece of your mind in the newspapers,"
I have no objection, but please don't include my name.
Looking at the elevator that had long since disappeared, Rita Skeeter murmured, "I thought she'd changed her ways, but she's gotten even worse than before."
Just as the detestable female reporter was fuming, the ill-tempered Belvina took the elevator to the fifth floor and strode into her office.
Before Belvina could even touch the office chair, a light purple paper airplane whizzed by.
Percy then knocked on the door and entered the office.
"Just received word that Alastor Moody has been attacked by unidentified individuals," Percy said quickly. "It's gotten quite a big deal; the Muggles living nearby have notified—" He paused for a moment, "and they've notified the police."
Belvina waved the light purple note in her hand; it was used specifically for passing messages between departments.
"The Office of the Prohibition of Abuse of Magic has been mobilized; it seems this has caused quite a stir," she said. "Do you think this attack actually happened, or is Moody just scaring himself again?"
As she spoke, Belvina walked to the desk.
She first erased the writing on the note, then took out a quill pen and began to write on the paper.
Then, she casually tossed the rewritten note aside, and it automatically folded into the shape of a paper airplane, which then flew out of the office with a whoosh.
"To be honest, I suspect Moody is just scaring himself again," Percy said. "He always feels his safety is threatened, always feels like someone is going to hurt him."
"I saw Rita Skeeter in the elevator lobby. Whether the attack on Moody is true or not, I can't let her know," Belvina said. "I don't want to see anyone blaming a decorated hero in the newspapers."
"Shall I go find Mr. Gordon now?" Percy said, stepping out the door.
Belvina called to Percy; the pale purple paper airplane that had just flown out of the office was delivering a message to the Public Press Office.
"I've already informed Bob," Belvina said. "Go ask him where Moody is now, whether he's at home or has been taken back to the department."