bioinnovel Chapter 406 Let the Voices of Opposition Rise
Chapter 406 Let the Voices of Opposition Rise
Chapter 406 Let the Voices of Opposition Rise
Even Belvina hadn't anticipated that Rita Skeeter's change of attitude would be so abrupt.
With just a few hints, the charming yet repulsive female reporter guessed everything, and although the truth was cruel, she accepted it nonetheless.
A ruthless female journalist who makes a living by writing defamatory articles, a ruthless female journalist who will stop at nothing to get information, is actually more steadfast than those self-proclaimed righteous gentlemen of the Ministry of Magic when it comes to matters of principle.
At that moment, a sense of respect rose in Belvina's heart—respect for Rita Skeeter, and at the same time, contempt for the Ministry of Magic.
Standing by the window, Rita seemed to have made up her mind, and she drank the orange juice in her glass in one gulp.
Then, Rita picked up the Daily Prophet from her desk.
She asked, "Do you know how dear Betty Braithwaite pried open Bathilda Baghatt's mouth?"
'
Belvina shook her head. She hadn't investigated the matter and naturally didn't know what despicable methods Braithwaite had used. However, she could make a guess.
"Truth serum, Legilimency, or the Unforgivable Curse—" Belvina counted on her fingers, "that's pretty much all the despicable methods they use."
"How can you call it despicable? They're just a little illegal," Rita said, dissatisfied. "They're truth serum."
Rita sat down in the editor-in-chief's chair and continued, "Later I went to see old Bashat again and found that she was not in a good condition, so I also used a little trick."
Without any written explanation, Rita Skeeter's tricks are certainly illegal.
Rita continued, "Bassart is quite old, and she can't resist the effects of the truth serum, so she can only tell Dumbledore and Grindelwald's past in detail."
The renowned historian of magic, Bathilda Bagshot, was very old. He was already famous when Albus Dumbledore was just a little kid running around the village.
It's worth noting that Bathilda Bagshot was Gellert Grindelwald's great-aunt.
Now, Dumbledore is over a hundred years old, and Bagshot is also very old; her memory is not what it used to be, and she sometimes becomes senile.
Such a person is unable to resist the truth serum, and Betty Braithwaite took advantage of this, successfully obtaining Dumbledore's past from Bathilda Bagshot.
Rita Skeeter, sitting in the editor-in-chief's seat, spun around in her chair and looked at Belvina with shining eyes.
She then asked, "So, what do you think after hearing about the great Dumbledore's dark past and his close friendship with Gellert Grindelwald?"
Rita leaned closer and continued, "I know far more than that brat Betty. Ariana's death wasn't entirely due to Dumbledore's failure to care for her; it was caused by the Dumbledore brothers and Grindelwald together."
Compared to Rita Skeeter, Betty Braithwaite was just a bratty little sister. Rita had all the underhanded tricks Betty knew, and Betty lacked the skills Rita possessed.
"Rita," Belvina said softly, "great people are not born great, but show their greatness as they grow up."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Professor Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 and led everyone in resisting the Dark Lord for many years afterward. He was great, without a doubt."
Rita Skeeter shrugged indifferently. Even if Dumbledore had made mistakes in his youth, his greatness was undeniable.
"I knew you'd say that," Rita said. "It's quite strange that a pure-blooded Black would so revere and protect Dumbledore, who is known for his Muggles and those born from Muggles."
Belvina ignored Rita's sarcastic remarks and sat down in the chair opposite Rita.
When Rita Skeeter first entered the office, Belvina was sitting in the editor-in-chief's seat. Now their positions have been switched, and Rita is now in the editor-in-chief's seat.
"Before we get down to business, perhaps we should send old Baghatt to St. Mungo for treatment," Belvina said. "Bathida Baghatt is a gem of history, even though she's gotten a bit senile these days."
"It doesn't matter," Rita Skeeter said nonchalantly, "as long as you don't make me pay for old Bashat's treatment."
"No need, Professor Dumbledore should cover the cost."
With that, Belvina rang a bell to summon Penelope Crivart and gave the former Ravenclaw prefect a few instructions.
"Alright, poor old Bashat has found a place to go. Now we should get down to business." Rita Skeeter straightened her posture and looked at Belvina seriously.
"You don't need to worry about the newspaper's qualifications or anything like that; I'll take care of everything," Belvina said. "The only thing you need to do is create high-quality content, content that people can't put down."
"High-quality content?" Rita said, disgruntled. "Are you questioning me, or mocking me?"
Rita Skeeter is one of the Daily Prophet's star reporters; her articles may not be of high quality, but they are certainly captivating.
Rita continued, "You don't need to hide anything. You must have already decided what to write, but your poor writing doesn't match your ideas, so you came to me, didn't you?"
That was a bit hurtful, but Belvina had to admit that Rita Skeeter was right; she was the real professional.
"Albus Dumbledore," Belvina said. "Our inaugural issue must be Albus Dumbledore."
Her tone and manner of speaking left no room for argument.
"If you want me to praise Dumbledore, I can't do that," Rita shook her head. "My writing is highly critical and not suitable for praise."
"You don't need to praise Professor Dumbledore," Belvina said. "You just need to write down everything you know and present Dumbledore's true image as accurately as possible."
Rita Skeeter didn't agree immediately, but thought about it for a while.
"That's not difficult. But are you sure you don't want to guide the narrative or incite public opinion in the article? Leaving the real Dumbledore to the public to judge is not a good approach."
As things stand, Albus Dumbledore is already infamous in wizarding society, and many people see him as a troublemaker.
“No,” Belvina said. “You just need to tell Dumbledore’s story well.”
As long as she doesn't spout nonsense in her articles, Rita Skeeter is one of the best journalists in the wizarding world.
If we're talking about storytelling ability alone, the only person who can rival Rita is probably the big liar Gilderoy Lockhart.
"In the second issue, we can switch the content to Connelly, and then you can really unleash your potential," Belvina continued. "The content I can provide is enough for you to write a biography of Connelly."
Rita Skeeter thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "You don't mean to give Fudge back everything he did to Dumbledore, exactly as it was, do you?"
"Pretty much," Belvina replied. "Use public opinion to shake Cornelius's foundations of rule, and let dissenting voices reach the Ministry of Magic."
This was just the first step in the plan: to smear Connelly Fudge, amplify the voices against him, and attack him from both inside and outside the ministry.
Once the voices of opposition are loud enough, Fudge's foundation of rule will inevitably be shaken, and a motion of no confidence can be launched to remove him from power without bloodshed.
However, the process was a bit long and slow, and Connelly Fudge had a chance to fight back.
This is where Belvina needs to step in; her trump card can speed up the process and deliver a fatal blow to Connelly.
All of this is inseparable from a newspaper, a newspaper not controlled by Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry of Magic, a newspaper that can transmit different voices.
Rita Skeeter looked left and right, carefully observing Belvina's exquisite features.
"You want to rebel," Rita said firmly. "To reshape Dumbledore's image, to overthrow Cornelius Fudge's rule, you want to be Minister for Magic!"
From Rita Skeeter's perspective, Belvina did all this to restore Dumbledore's influence and then, with Dumbledore's help, ascend to the position of Minister for Magic.
Just like Cornelius Fudge back then.
"I have someone else in mind for the ministerial position," Belvina said. "Her background is more suitable than mine."
"Amelia Borns?" Rita's mind worked quickly, and she immediately thought of the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Rita Skeeter thought for a moment and continued, "Her brother Edgar and his family were all killed by Death Eaters, and her mother, Mrs. Burns the Elder, also died at the hands of Death Eaters."
Compared to someone like Belvina, who has a clean and upright background, Amelia, who has a blood feud, is indeed more suitable.
But if Belvina doesn't want to be a minister, what's the point of all this running around?
Amelia Burns is not Cornelius Fudge; she is not a puppet to be manipulated.
"I understand you less and less," Rita Skeeter said. "Black of Slytherin, I don't believe you have no desires."
"Can't I also be working to maintain world peace?" Belvina World Peace Black said, dissatisfied. "In your heart, am I only a profit-driven person?"
Without any hesitation, Rita Skeeter nodded emphatically; she didn't believe Belvina would do anything without expecting anything in return.
Belvina sighed. Well, those thoughts in her heart were hard to explain in a few words; let Rita think what she wanted.
"How long from now, how long will it take for me to see the inaugural issue?" Belvina asked. "I hope it's as soon as possible."
"One week," Rita Skeeter said confidently. "Two days to gather more writers, three days to prepare the content, one day to proofread, and one day to print—that's enough."
Rita's eyes lit up, and she continued, "If the kids you recruit are willing to work overtime, the time can be reduced even further."
Overtime is a must!
Add as much as you can, as much as you can, until you're dead!
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