Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 110 Rita Skeeter in the Castle

“Sirlen Ollivander, can you describe what the monster that attacked you looked like?”

“No, it was too dark at the time, I didn’t see clearly.” Xiren looked expressionlessly at the witch in front of him with bright red nail polish.

Rita Skeeter, the most notorious troublemaker in the wizarding world, and one of the people most wizards least want to deal with.

Siron never expected that the Daily Prophet would find out about his attack, and he never expected that this resourceful troublemaker would be able to sneak into Hogwarts.

Rita Skeeter frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with Siron's answer.

On the stone platform beside them, a fancy quill pen began to write words on the parchment with great flourish.

Young Siren Ollivander, coerced by the professor, was forced to deny encountering a monster in the castle; his eyes were brimming with tears, filled with disappointment in Hogwarts.

Xilun only glanced at it, but felt a throbbing pain in his forehead.

How could he be so disappointed in Hogwarts... Well, that's somewhat true, but how did she even notice the tears welling up in her eyes?

Celen just wanted to get rid of this person as soon as possible, but Rita Skeeter held the entire aisle firmly, and if Celen wanted to leave, she could only squeeze past her.

"Where do you think the monster that attacked you came from?"

"I don't know," Xilun said casually.

"Sirion Ollivander admitted to being attacked, but refused to reveal the identity of the mastermind, and subtly suggested that Dumbledore might be cultivating a secret army..."

No, if she keeps writing, Dumbledore might storm into the Ministry of Magic tomorrow and tie Fudge to a horse to play a game of head-to-head hockey.

Siren wanted to turn back, but was worried that Rita Skeeter would become even more unrestrained and write wildly.

Just as Xilun was in a dilemma, two gray figures suddenly darted out one after the other.

Mrs. Lorris was the first to run over, stepping right under their feet. Rita Skeeter was startled, stumbled, and bumped into the railing, nearly falling.

Tom followed closely behind, and in a split second, it seemed to understand the situation. It leaped up and stomped its hind legs directly on Rita Skeeter's face, who hadn't even had time to regain her footing.

It's worth mentioning that the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts has extremely abundant food resources, and Tom's current weight is already quite considerable.

Furthermore, it did this intentionally, even revealing its sharp claws when it stomped down.

"what!"

Rita Skeeter's face was instantly covered in eight neat bloody welts, and she didn't realize what had happened until she regained her balance.

She let out a piercing scream as her trembling hands touched the bloodstains.

“Oh, how can Mrs. Loris, the cat owned by the Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, be allowed to run around in the corridors like that!” Siron said in a loud and clear voice.

“Madam,” he said, then looked at Rita Skeeter, “I suggest you go to the school hospital right now and have Mrs. Pomfrey apply some white safflower to it, otherwise it might leave a scar over time.”

“One of my classmates has a scar on his head, and he’s been troubled by it a lot.”

“Yes, yes, white sage, I need white sage.” Upon hearing the word “scar,” Rita Skeeter seemed to have a nerve snap, screaming as she ran toward the school hospital.

She had also attended Hogwarts, so she naturally knew where the school hospital was.

“Well done, Tom,” Siron said with a smile, glancing again at the shorthand quill and parchment his owner had left behind.

"And these, tear them into smaller pieces."

Tom pounced on it immediately and quickly bit the fancy shorthand quill into pieces.

The parchment was even easier to deal with. Tom often used it to sharpen his claws when he had nothing to do, and soon, scraps of parchment appeared in every corner of the passageway.

Silen casually picked up a few of the larger pieces of parchment covered in writing, intending to throw them into the fireplace later.

"Well done." He patted Tom on the head again. "I'll treat you to something better when I get the chance. Ever heard of the Basilisk?"

Tom tilted his head, clearly having never heard of it.

“It’s alright, go play.” Siren waved his hand. “Go easy on Mrs. Lorris, or Filch will go to Professor McGonagall to complain again. He seems to know you’re my cat.”

Tom yelled and turned to run away, it's unclear whether he understood or not.

But Mrs. Lorris is something else. It was one thing for Tom to get beaten up when he first arrived, but now that Tom is almost as fat as a ball, she can still catch up with him... It's clear that she hasn't made any progress at all during this time.

Silen shook his head, found a staircase leading upwards, and prepared to go to Professor McGonagall's office.

Hogwarts isn't the Ministry of Magic; if just anyone could come and go as they pleased, wouldn't that be chaos? After Professor McGonagall heard about this from Siron, her expression also turned grim, and she rushed to the school hospital immediately.

However, when she arrived, Rita Skeeter was already gone.

She claimed she was invited and left with half a bottle of white senna essence.

"If you ever run into her again, don't say a word," Professor McGonagall warned.

“Sirlen Ollivander is expressing her resistance with silence…” Sirlen said, mimicking the style of an automatic quill pen, “It’s no use, she can always create all sorts of topics.”

“My grandfather was previously described by Rita Skeeter as a schemer, who said that he made so many wands to arm Muggles and try to lead them to overthrow the Ministry of Magic.”

"Mr. Garrick Ollivander... to overthrow the wizarding world?" Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly rose. "That's utter nonsense! Doesn't she know that Muggles can't use wands at all?"

“I guess she knows, but what does it matter? People like to read this kind of article, so she will keep writing it.”

Xilun shrugged and said:

"Fortunately, she later discovered that people were more interested in the fact that Principal Dumbledore was an old madman, so she changed her target."

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but glance at Hillon... "Don't you want to listen to what you're saying? Doesn't the principal's reputation matter?"
“Mr. Ollivander, I’ll find out how she got into the school,” she said. “If you ever run into Rita Skeeter again, just remember not to say a word to her.”

The two winged wild boars on the wrought iron gates outside the school are not just for show; they are there to keep out anyone who tries to break into Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagall couldn't understand how Rita Skeeter had gotten in. Surely her Confusion Charm was more powerful than Hogwarts' defensive magic?

If Rita Skeeter had that ability… oh, she does seem to, but not necessarily a Confusion Charm, but rather the kind of ability that allows her to always uncover other people's secrets, which is also the main reason she can write so many articles.

After leaving the school hospital, Xilun hurried to the auditorium... hoping that lunchtime hadn't ended yet.

He had originally wanted to ask Professor McGonagall to find out who had told Rita Skeeter about it, but then he decided against it.

Too many people could have done this... Last weekend was Hogsmeade Week, and being attacked was the hottest topic at the school these days. If any student chatted about it while in Hogsmeade, it could be overheard by others.

This possibility also applies to Lockhart, who is extremely eager for fame.

Since no professors came forward to refute him, Lockhart became increasingly unscrupulous. He was no longer satisfied with just revealing it in class; he started talking about it openly.

Just like how he used to boast about how he reformed a vampire and made him drink only carrot juice.

Siron felt that if he were to write another book, "How Gilderoy Lockhart Overcame the Curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts," his attack would definitely be included in the book.

How could someone who loves to show off be content with just flaunting their talents among students?

When students are attacked at Hogwarts, Professor Lockhart makes a heroic appearance and saves the innocent young wizards in time. He then "inadvertently" reveals that the monster is a basilisk that has been missing for centuries.

Hogwarts, students attacked, basilisk—this is definitely headline news!

Given Lockhart's obsession with front-page content, would he pass up such a great opportunity?

Xilun thought it wouldn't happen.

Moreover, Rita Skeeter had only asked him about the attack, and if Mrs. Lorris and Tom hadn't suddenly appeared and interrupted him, she probably would have mentioned the rescue later.

While thinking about this, Xilun arrived at the auditorium.

Fortunately, he wasn't too late; there were still quite a few people eating. But just as he stepped inside, a gasp came from nearby:
"It's Siren Ollivander."

A thin, gray-haired boy stumbled over, clutching an ordinary Muggle camera in his hand.

“My name is Colin Crevey—” he said, his face flushed with excitement. “Were you really petrified that night…? What did that monster look like? Was it as terrifying as Professor Lockhart described…? Can I take a picture of you?”

Xiren frowned.

It's been almost two weeks since Halloween, and this topic should have been over by now. Why isn't it over yet?
Meeting Rita Skeeter is one thing, but this Colin Crevey, isn't he a crazy Harry fan?

“I took the photos for Professor Lockhart,” Colin said. “He said if the photos were good, they could be used as material for his new book.”

Perhaps due to excessive excitement, Colin's hand trembled, and he subconsciously pressed the shutter.

The camera flashed a white light, but captured nothing; it was completely blocked by a book.

"no need."

With the "Advanced Transfiguration Guide" in his hand, Siron thought, "Why don't you film some more valuable people? Compared to me, Professor Lockhart would probably prefer Harry Potter as his subject."

(End of this chapter)