Rita Skeeter turned around gracefully and looked at Professor Mcgonagall, who was not looking well. "Professor Mcgonagall, long time no see." She paused. "The last time we met was …"
"Ms. Skeeter, I don't really want to talk about the past with you. Besides, it's not a good story."
Professor Mcgonagall interrupted Skeeter and rudely drove her and her partner out of the greenhouse. She closed the door softly and turned around.
"Let's talk about how you came in. Let's talk about that, and then I'll send you out according to etiquette."
"Definitely according to etiquette," Professor Mcgonagall emphasized.
Ms. Skeeter fell silent. She looked at her partner who was holding a camera and complained softly, "Didn't I ask you to wait for me outside?"
Her angry expression made her stiff face come alive. She pointed at the camera. "What are you doing in here?
And you're holding this stupid thing! "
"He even attracted Mag's attention!
Look at what you've done! "
Her partner, who was wearing a brown checkered suit, scratched his head. "Rita, you've been in there for too long. I'm just afraid you're in danger —"
"Ahem." Professor Mcgonagall coughed and interrupted their conversation. "Please answer my question, both of you …"
Obviously, Rita Skeeter didn't want to tell Professor Mcgonagall that she had turned into a beetle and flew in. She raised her eyebrows and smiled at Professor Mcgonagall. "I walked in from the front door. Mag, you didn't notice me. It only shows that the Hogwarts have a very poor sense of security …"
Rita Skeeter raised her chin. "Maybe I'll have new material for my next article — 'My Years as a School Safety Inspector.'"
"The Hogwarts Board of Directors should take care of the school's safety problem …" Skeeter didn't mention Principal Dumbledore. Instead, she brought up the Board of Directors directly.
"You didn't come in from the front door at all. Felcs only saw your partner, and didn't see you." Mag frowned. He wasn't very good at dealing with female reporters who kept pestering him.
Perhaps it would be more appropriate to hand it over to Professor Snape. A bottle of potion would be enough to shut her up.
"What does that mean?"
Skeet shrugged. "They believe whatever I write. That's how popular my writings are!"
Professor Mcgonagall had a tough attitude, but she had to consider the reputation of the Hogwarts and Headmaster Dumbledore. Who knew how Skeet would control public opinion and distort the truth?
The relationship between the Hogwarts Board of Directors, the Ministry of Magic, and Headmaster Dumbledore had been delicate since a long time ago, and now it was even worse.
The twelve board members had the right to appoint and temporarily suspend the principal of Hogwarts, decide whether to close the school in the event of an emergency, listen to the feedback of the parents, and make suggestions to the principal or directly interfere with the teaching methods.
These rights were recognized by the will of the Hogwarts Castle. Because education required funding, most of the twelve board members were pure-blooded and had the ability to make money.
The Ministry of Magic had the right to directly appoint the principal of Hogwarts, but this right wasn't recognized by the Hogwarts Castle. Therefore, the principal appointed by the Ministry of Magic couldn't enter the principal's office, and when he worked in the castle, he would be resisted by the will of the castle, such as Peeves.
The real principal of Hogwarts could only be chosen by the castle.
The Ministry of Magic and the Board of Directors naturally wouldn't accept the fact that they couldn't control the place to cultivate talents in the British magic world, and they had to provide funding every year.
The most recent principal, Headmaster Dumbledore, was the greatest light wizard of the century. Inevitably, the Board of Directors and the Ministry of Magic would find fault with him.
During the peaceful period before the Black Demon Fireworks were released in Diagon Alley, Rita Skeeter wrote a report on 'The Great Crisis of the Magic World' at the request of the Ministry of Magic in the Daily Prophet.
'… Some' ancient 'families are worried that Hogwarts is filled with Muggle-born young wizards. They believe that the appearance of these young wizards will further exacerbate the employment and survival problems of the pure-blooded and mixed-blooded wizards in the Magic World. They hope that the principal of Hogwarts will pay attention to this …'
'… Headmaster Dumbledore said that he would focus on education and cleverly avoided the issue of bloodlines. But can this issue really be avoided? The living space of the natives in the Magic World has always been squeezed by outsiders, and it has reached a critical point. If no changes are made, the situation in the future will only get worse …'
'… Muggle-blooded and pure-blooded children will work as house-elves in the future, watching the Muggle-born descendants busy in the Ministry of Magic. In the end, the Magic World will not be our Magic World, but the Magic World of Muggles. I, Rita Skeeter, hereby appeal to the Hogwarts to change …'
This report caused quite a commotion and even resonated with most of the pure-blooded and mixed-blooded families. There were even groups that organized a protest in Diagon Alley.
It wasn't until the big news of the Black Demon Fireworks in Diagon Alley that this matter was suppressed.
The terrifying Dark Lord Voldemort had captured the attention of everyone in the British magic world. Bloodline education and whatnot were put aside for now. Their lives were more important.
Then, Sirius escaped, and everyone had no time to pay attention to the issue of employment in the Hogwarts and the Magic World. What was the point of blindly thinking about it at home? They were afraid that Voldemort would bring his minions to destroy them in the next second.
Fortunately, the attention was diverted and the bloodline conflict in the Hogwarts was controlled. However, this incident also showed that Rita Skeeter's method of controlling public opinion was powerful enough.
They couldn't give her a chance to slander them.
Thinking of this, Professor Mcgonagall calmed down with an 'I want to turn you into two pigs and chase you out of the school right now' expression. "Why are you here?"
Rita Skeeter clasped her hands together and tapped the ground with the tip of her high heels. She seemed very excited. "Anna Lawrence," she said quickly.
Anna …
Mag frowned. He really didn't want to hear this name. Could it be that Skeeter found out that Anna had something to do with the fireworks in Gringotts?
"Slytherin's first-year student. Brown hair, green eyes, ordinary." Mag described Anna. "What's wrong with her?"
"Professor Mcgonagall. I don't think she's as ordinary as you described!"
Ms. Skeeter thought that Professor Mcgonagall was hiding something. She became even more excited and her eyes lit up. "She went to Azkaban with Headmaster Dumbledore before —"
"Just a few days before Sirius escaped!"
This was something Professor Mcgonagall didn't know. She knew that Dumbledore went to see Anna, but she didn't know that they went to Azkaban. Strange.
"They must have their reasons, Ms. Skeeter." Although she felt strange, Professor Mcgonagall didn't show it. "But it shouldn't have anything to do with Sirius Black —"
"Otherwise, are you saying that the greatest light wizard of this century, recognized by the International Wizard Union, ignored the law and let a criminal escape?"
"I didn't say that, Professor Mcgonagall." Skeeter shook her head, and her wonderful blonde hair swayed with it. "But I'm a reporter, the best reporter. I should dig up the truth of the incident, throw away the disguise of the incident, and tell everyone the real story."
"Well done." Professor Mcgonagall mocked her. Who didn't know that Rita Skeeter loved to exaggerate and make up stories? She would do anything for money and attention.
"Thank you for the compliment." Rita Skeeter fiddled with her hair. "Then please bring Miss Lawrence here —"
"I promise, I won't let this child feel pressured." Rita Skeeter smiled confidently, as if she felt that she could easily dig out the information she wanted from an 11-year-old girl.
Professor Mcgonagall stared at Skeeter's hair for a while and smiled slightly. "Then I wish you good luck, Ms. Skeeter."
Underestimating the enemy was a taboo for military strategists. However, Professor Mcgonagall wasn't going to remind her.
"Creak." Professor Mcgonagall pushed open the door of the greenhouse.
A group of little heads turned around.
"Miss Lawrence." Professor Mcgonagall looked at Anna, who was standing behind the twins and wearing a pair of dragon leather gloves.
"There's a reporter here who wants to ask you some questions. It'll be over soon …"
"Don't be too formal."