Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 967 Big News 3
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the magnificent Gothic spires of the Magical Congress headquarters in New York looked particularly austere in the dim light.

Across the street, a wizard's café opened early, with wizards dressed in formal attire occasionally entering and leaving to buy a simple breakfast, eat it quickly, and then head to the Capitol headquarters.

In a corner seat, Wade was sitting with Elsie, their coffee steaming in front of them.

"Your ability to take action far exceeds my expectations."

Elsie laughed, "It seems like just yesterday we were talking about Stonefield. I can't believe... in less than a month, that family is about to become history."

Wade leaned back in his chair and said, "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even if only a few branches of a family remain, they can still linger on for a long time."

“Those people are completely irrelevant. What interests me is something else…” Elsie chuckled, stroking her chin. “The Stonefield family must have some… ‘shadow assets’ that only a handful of core members know about, right?”

"Undeveloped land ownership that overlaps with the Magical Creature Reserve, businesses run in the magical world by agents, and 'hunters' who capture and acquire magical materials around the world."

“These things, if left unattended, could cause great harm, but they happen to be areas where the Vanderbilt family can ‘handle properly.’ We can benefit greatly from this and it can also help you avoid a lot of trouble. So…”

She laughed and asked softly, "—To cooperate?"

Before Wade could reply, she immediately added:
"Of course, in return, the Vanderbilt family will be one of your most steadfast allies in the United States in the future."

Wade looked at the girl across from him; the morning light shone through the glass, illuminating her loose, tousled hair.

Wade said gently, “I am very grateful for your help all this time, Elsie. Part of those assets can indeed be given to Vanderbilt. I will give you the manager’s contact information later, and you can have the family head discuss it with them.”

Elsie paused, then raised an eyebrow sharply:
"It sounds like those assets already have owners? I thought I would be the first person to contact you!"

"But ordinary forces couldn't possibly absorb such a vast amount of assets, and the one that would make our family back down... It couldn't be Professor Dumbledore, could it be..."

Elsie hesitated for a moment, then stared wide-eyed in disbelief, looked around, and asked in a low voice:
"—Is it the UMNO?"

Wade neither admitted nor denied it, but simply looked at her quietly and then smiled.

Elsie covered her mouth, her face a mixture of astonishment and almost thrilling excitement.

"Merlin's beard...you actually...okay."

She quickly regained her composure, even revealing a sly smile.

“I understand, I will keep it a secret… If it’s that gentleman, we really can’t compete. Being able to participate in a part of the cooperation is already very good.”

Wade's reaction was not unexpected.

Perhaps because Grindelwald did not cause too much harm in America back then, and his several plots were thwarted, the American wizarding community had a relatively good impression of Grindelwald, and even had many admirers of the sorcerer party.

This land always seems to produce some exceptionally unique individuals.

As he spoke, Wade recalled what Deline had said when they parted the day before—

“Since you want to protect those guys, I will spread the word that those Muggles were actually killed by our UMNO party.”

He glanced at Wade and said meaningfully, "In a sense, I'm not exactly lying."

Wade didn't respond to that, but just gave a wry smile and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

De Laine said calmly, "Only two hundred people."

"They may be very important in Muggle society, but to us, the lives of these rich people are not more important than others because of their wealth or status."

"Given what they have done, you are giving us honor, not trouble."

……

"How did you know each other?"

Her recollection abruptly ended, and Elsie asked curiously, "Mr. Dumbledore wouldn't...?"

Before she could finish speaking, a rapid, loud clattering sound of high heels approached, quickly growing louder, accompanied by a gust of wind carrying an exaggerated fragrance.

“Oh! Look who this is! The mysterious young lady of the Vanderbilt family, and a… handsome young gentleman!”

Rita Skeeter dashed to the table as if she were on a skateboard, her face now adorned with jewel-encrusted glasses and her hair styled in an exaggerated curl. She quickly pulled a parchment from her crocodile-skin handbag.

Beside her, a shorthand quill trembled excitedly in the air, eagerly beginning to write.

Elsie immediately frowned and said coldly, "Madam, we are having a private conversation. Please leave!"

"Of course, of course, we respect privacy!"

Rita spoke, but her feet didn't move. Her eyes swept between Wade and Elsie like searchlights, and she fired off a barrage of questions:
"But who is this young gentleman? Are the two of you meeting here in secret?"

As she spoke, her quill pen had already written a long string of words, and Wade, with his sharp eyes, caught the words "suspected new romance exposed".

He knew that if he didn't stop it, soon the whole world would know about the scandal of "Miss Vanderbilt's secret rendezvous with her boyfriend in a café," and Rita Skeeter had that kind of influence now.

Wade raised his hand, interrupting Rita's impending barrage of questions, and said softly:
"Rita, how's that invisibility cloak I gave you?" Rita Skeeter abruptly stopped speaking.

She stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar red-haired youth before her, and a few seconds later, her face flushed red with extreme excitement, and her body even began to tremble slightly.

"You?...It's you? Wei...Oh!"

She almost shouted it out in a breath, then suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with unbridled joy.

"I knew it! No one who can date Miss Vanderbilt can be an ordinary person! This time, it's not just America that's going to be in an uproar because of my news!"

Elsie lowered her eyes, her fingertips pinching the silver spoon, drawing meaningless circles along the rim of the cup. Her lips seemed to be brushed by a feather, about to rise, but she quickly suppressed it again.

Wade looked at Rita Skeeter and asked, "How did you end up in America?"

"Is that even a question, darling!"

Rita leaned closer and spoke rapidly:
"The inauguration ceremony of the new president of the Magic Congress! Famous journalists from all over the world will be here! This is top news! But before the ceremony begins..."

She then turned her gaze eagerly to Wade and Elsie: "I could easily do a feature story on the two of you! I guarantee it'll be on the front page of the Daily Prophet this weekend! A double interview! Just imagine, the unparalleled combination of a genius alchemist and the daughter of an ancient tycoon..."

Seeing that Wade was about to speak, she immediately said urgently, "You still owe me an exclusive interview! You promised!"

Wade was taken aback: "When?"

He had just finished speaking when he remembered that he had indeed made such a promise.

Wade tapped the table and said, "Stop making up scandals all the time, Rita. You could easily make your quill pen more substantial!"

Rita Skeeter panicked and shouted, "An exclusive interview!"

“I know,” Wade said. “But what if I were to replace this interview with a bigger, more sensational story—one that would make you a name for yourself in journalism history, but could also land you in jail?”

He lowered his voice slightly and asked with a half-smile, "Are you interested?"

Rita Skeeter bit her index fingernail hard, hesitating.

Just from hearing that string of descriptions, she knew this was no small matter... What kind of news could land someone in jail? Even when she was criticizing Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge in the newspapers, she didn't run into any trouble.

But Wade Gray wasn't the type to make things up just to avoid rumors. Because he'd probably resort to direct threats…

Rumors can be reported anytime, and it's not worth angering Wade.

Of course, she wasn't afraid of Wade Gray; she was just extremely interested in real "big news," like a hungry shark smelling blood.

"How big is it?"

Rita Skeeter asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Wade leaned forward and whispered a few words.

Rita Skeeter suddenly held her breath, then her breath became incredibly heavy.

She stared intently at Wade, and after a few seconds, nodded firmly and said decisively, "Let's do it!"

"Aren't you afraid of going to jail?" Wade asked with a smile.

“Hey, being hunted by Aurors for a news report? That’s a journalist’s badge of honor!” Rita said, raising her head. Her next sentence revealed her true thoughts: “Besides, what right do American Aurors have to interfere with our British wizards?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she left like a whirlwind, forgetting even to say goodbye to Elsie, her whole being immersed in a trembling feeling of about to uncover a shocking secret.

Elsie watched Rita's departing figure, then looked at the calm Vader, and let out a soft breath.

"Vade..."

"Ok?"

“I’m starting to think that betting on you might be the most exciting and wisest decision the Vanderbilt family has made in nearly a century.”

The girl smiled and said, "Thanks to you, it won't be long before my father listens attentively when I speak."

“I’m quite pleased, and also quite surprised,” Wade said, looking the other man into his eyes. “The Vanderbilt family didn’t get involved.”

"Oh……"

Elsie stirred her coffee and said softly, "That's probably because... we Vanderbilts are pure businessmen. And those people..."

Her gaze shifted to the window, peering through the gaps in the colorful stickers at the wizards entering the Capitol building.

"Those people...they still have some idealism in them, don't they?"

　One update tonight

　　
　
(End of this chapter)