Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 311 Are you trying to ruin the Triwizard Tournament?!
Rita tore the paper to shreds again.

Clearly, she wanted to report on the story of two minors breaking the rules to register for the Goblet of Fire, not to continue putting pressure on the Ministry of Magic.

Fudge has already begun taking some coercive measures against the Daily Prophet. Even if someone within the Ministry of Magic is protecting them, it's not safe to continue snatching things from the jaws of death.

"Never mind that pen, Rita."

Cohen said seriously,

"What you reporters need to do is trust your pens and spread the most sensational news, such as the Ministry of Magic framing a rising young wizard—"

Rita's smile is now so stiff it looks like it's etched onto her face.

This kid seems to enjoy making exaggerated statements even more than I do.

"Let's get back to the main topic. How did you feel after participating in the competition? Excited? Nervous?"

"It's alright," Cohen said. "It's just a small tournament; you can win easily by playing casually."

“Many brave warriors have lost their lives in the past, haven’t they?” Rita was extremely dissatisfied with Cohen’s fearless and indifferent attitude; this kind of reporting did not meet her expectations. “Have you thought about that?”

“That’s because they’re too weak,” Cohen said matter-of-factly. “If they can’t even beat a Sphinx, they’re too pathetic. I hope this competition will feature more challenging monsters.”

Rita's smile had faded, and she tore off the next piece of parchment.

Cohen looked like he was there specifically to cause trouble—saying things like "He's too weak to even beat a sphinx." What readers want to see is a journalist tearing away the glamorous facade to expose the dirty side of human nature, not to glorify a brilliant genius.

However, she had a backup plan. It's best to destroy a little kid's ideas, as long as...

"Do you remember your parents?" Rita asked arrogantly. "I mean your biological parents. I heard you were adopted—could that be the key reason you became a warrior of Azkaban?"

“I don’t quite remember.” Cohen raised his eyebrows. “Maybe, or maybe it’s because one of my parents was a Dementor.”

"Or maybe prisoners?" Rita said sharply. "If they knew you were going to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, how do you think they would feel? Pride? Worry? Or anger?"

When our conversation turned to his biological parents, whom he barely remembered, his dark eyes filled with tears. "I hope they can see all of this and be proud of me," he said, "because my current parents weren't actually that good to me..."
“I suggest you delete this section,” Cohen kindly suggested.

“Oh, then it’s definitely necessary to keep it.” Rita seemed to have finally found Cohen’s weakness, and her smile returned. “Why? Is it because your parents are putting you under immense pressure? Is it because of this trauma that you crave to sign up for the Triwizard Tournament to prove your abilities? Or—”

“No,” Cohen said. “Some of my parents were quite violent, and if they saw you accusing them of ‘child abuse,’ they might come after you.”

Chimera and Alycoon are unsure, but if Sissoko and Edward find out, they'll definitely rush to Rita's house and blow it up.

“This kind of childish threat is nothing to be afraid of,” Rita said dismissively. “I’m not some delicate, weak little reporter.”

"Forty-three and still single, of course I don't doubt your magical abilities," Cohen raised an eyebrow. "But as I said, one of my parents is a Dementor... and of course, some other dangerous creatures..." As he spoke, Cohen subtly activated some of the Dementor's aura abilities, such as absorbing pleasure and lowering the temperature—

The candles went out one after another, and Rita felt as if her stomach had frozen solid, and her emotions were rapidly fleeing her...

She looked around uneasily, but there was nothing unusual—only Cohen staring at her with his dark, unseen eyes.

She had only ever experienced this feeling when she was near Dementors.

“I can’t guarantee they won’t come looking for you,” Cohen said.

“You, you’re a monster!” Rita said hoarsely, “If you lay a hand on me…”

“I didn’t say I was going to lay a hand on you,” Cohen said sinisterly. “What does it have to do with me if the Dementors do something? You wrote your own report, which is all over the Daily Prophet. It’s inevitable that some other ‘creatures’ will see it, isn’t it?”

“The interview is over.” Rita knocked over the candles floating in the air and tried to leave the room, but she seemed to have all her emotions drained away. She couldn’t even cast a spell, nor could she break the door-locking spell Cohen had thrown at her. “I need to get out of here—Alaho Open—open the door now!”

“I thought you knew about the Burke Manor incident from over a decade ago.” Cohen narrowed his eyes. “As a journalist, you’re being rather lazy, not even bothering to dig up such a big story… Guess why I was assigned to Azkaban as a referee? Just because I have a relative in jail?”

"Let me out—help!" she cried out in fear, pounding on the ground, but her voice was muffled by the broom.

"Our casual chat is over," Cohen said coldly. "I'll say what I'm about to say, you write it down, and I want to see it in tomorrow's paper."

……

After Cohen read the contents aloud and Rita memorized them bit by bit, Cohen removed the magic from the doorway.

"Unbelievable! At least half the people in the Ministry of Magic know this, and you, a reporter who only cares about rumors, don't know?" Cohen said cheerfully and sunnyly. "How about it? Was my news explosive enough? This Triwizard Tournament is sure to be talked about for a long time."

"..." Rita just glared at Cohen resentfully, as if Cohen had destroyed something else about her, not her writing.

"Ah, there you are." Dumbledore pushed open the door and found them. "Hurry up, Cohen, the testing ceremony is about to begin, we can't do it without you."

“Dumbledore! You have to—” Rita tried to say something to Dumbledore, but was interrupted by him.

“Rita, it’s so good to see you.” Dumbledore’s eyes shone brightly. “I read your article from the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards, especially the part that described me as a rigid old madman. I loved reading it, but whatever opinions we have can wait until later. If one of our warriors is hiding in the broomhouse, the ritual cannot proceed.”

"Goodbye then, you 43-year-old auntie," Cohen said cheerfully to Rita. "It was a very pleasant interview, and I hope you'll come again next time."

Dumbledore's beard twitched slightly. Although he didn't know what had happened in the broom, he felt inexplicably pleased to see Rita's expression, which was a mixture of annoyance, fear, and panic.

(End of this chapter)