Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 313 The Case is Hindered
"Amelia, please give my regards to your father!"

“Ms. Burns, my child also works in the Executive Division. Thank you for taking care of him!”

"..."

After speaking with Narcissa, Amelia Borns waited quietly by the wall of the banquet hall, holding a wine glass, her eyes vacant, staring at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the magic candles floating in mid-air.

But the guests couldn't ignore the director, and many strolled by, casually making a few meaningless remarks.

Borns handled the situation with ease, a perfectly timed smile playing on her lips, showing no sign of annoyance... If she hadn't adapted to the social situations of pure-blood wizards, she wouldn't have been able to get to where she is now.

In about half an hour, all the wizards who had tried to talk to them were seen off.

Ms. Burns sighed almost imperceptibly, glancing out of the corner of her eye at another focal point of the banquet, where she saw the elegant Mrs. Malfoy whispering in her husband's ear.

Opposite him was Malfoy, with sparse eyebrows, who would sometimes frown in thought, sometimes sigh in silence, but to no avail.

"I need to discuss it with my family..."

It was neither a clear refusal nor a promise, just a delaying tactic—a perfunctory social maneuver.

Ms. Burns sometimes wondered whether these elaborate and complex social practices were created by pure-blood wizards themselves or learned from Muggle society, since even that Muggle studies professor wasn't this particular.

But Ms. Burns had her own rules. She pretended not to understand the social niceties. When the socialite said it needed to be discussed, she waited quietly for the result, wanting a definite answer no matter what.

This perseverance paid off. Narcissa walked gracefully towards them, her elegant curls framing her face, and said with a perfectly curved smile:

“Ms. Burns, according to our information, Minister Fudge has promised to initiate trial proceedings immediately after the Christmas holidays. This matter... may not require our assistance?”

“What if they postpone the trial again after the holiday?” Ms. Burns stared quietly into the lady’s eyes. “Are you going to keep your cousin waiting in the waiting room?”

"In fact, Sirius and I are not very close."

Narcissa's smile faded: "Besides, the purebloods who are close to the Malfoys all have had Death Eaters in their families. Sirius is Dumbledore's man, so they won't get any help from him."

“I have faith in Mr. Malfoy’s wisdom. After so much discussion, you should have reached some substantial results,” Ms. Burns said with a smile.

Narcissa was silent for a moment, then lowered her eyes in compromise: "We can only help you introduce you to other pure-blood families and provide some funds for lobbying Wizengamor."

"Thank you very much for your support of the Executive Division's work."

"Hopefully the law won't get us into trouble." Narcissa turned and sighed.

As she watched her figure gradually disappear into the distance, Ms. Burns put down her wine glass. This was not the most satisfactory result, but she also knew that Malfoy had made a huge concession.

……

In the corridor outside the banquet hall, Crouch hid away from the crowd and quietly watched the male and female wizards swaying on the dance floor.

Wearing an expensive gown, yet not participating in any social interaction, and only sipping various fine wines, she remained detached from the banquet, like a silent ghost.

"You're here for the banquet, right?"

Ms. Burns teased him from behind: "A dress from the Elegant Wizarding Clothing Store, a special edition to commemorate the fall of Mysterio and celebrate the victory. Wearing this to the banquet hall at Malfoy Manor and not even saying hello to Mr. Malfoy, Barty, did anyone tell you that this is a waste?"

"These clothes are from twelve years ago, and I haven't worn them much. The little elf has kept them very well."

Crouch didn't even turn his head: "There are too many wizards waiting to clink glasses with Mr. Malfoy, one more won't make a difference."

"All right……"

Ms. Burns didn't dwell on the topic of clothing: "The case of Blake and Peter is stalled, and I need your help to move the trial forward, Barty."

“I’m sorry,” Crouch refused almost without thinking. “The Division of International Affairs and Cooperation does not interfere in cases handled by the Executive Division and the Secretary’s Office.”

“You were once an Auror in the Department of Executions, and you were involved in escorting Black and Peter during the day. You should have intervened. It’s not the Department of International Affairs’ responsibility, but it is the responsibility of a Ministry of Magic employee.” Ms. Burns offered a glass of wine at the opportune moment.

"I apologize again."

Crouch took the glass from Bones, swirled it slightly, and took a sip. "I'd be happy to help you, Amelia, but the preparations for the Goblet of Fire are still pending, and my department can't offer any assistance."

Borns tried several more times, but each time he failed.

Crouch is not Narcissa; he was someone who almost became minister and could see the reason why the trial was stalled: because of family reasons, he was unwilling to get involved in the conflict between Fudge and Dumbledore.

……

Morning, Diagon Alley, Prophet's office.

The Christmas holidays were not yet over, and half of the newspaper's staff remained on duty. Occasionally, editors and reporters could be seen passing through the corridors. They were mainly divided into two groups: one group was responsible for printing and distributing the Daily Prophet, and the other group was responsible for producing the video program.

In the editor-in-chief's office at the end of the corridor, the current editor-in-chief, Gu Fei, sat behind a desk in front of the fireplace, his hands clasped together, his fingers interlaced, staring straight ahead. Orange flames roared in the hearth, inside which floated the head of a witch, with a broad face and loose skin.

The meeting, which was part of the FiloNetwork, had been going on for an hour, with Umbridge doing almost all the talking while Barnabas Guffe listened in silence.

“I know that Editor-in-Chief Gu Fei is very well-informed, and the newspaper’s reporters are all outstanding. You should have already received news of Blake’s arrest, including some inside information that is not convenient to disclose.”

Umbridge's voice was high-pitched: "This is a case that has not yet been tried and is still in the confidential stage. I hope the newspaper will voluntarily keep the news under wraps."

"I don't understand what you're saying, ma'am. The mission of the Prophet's Newspaper is to let the wizarding public know the truth," Editor-in-Chief Gufei said calmly.

"Yes, editor-in-chief, we all know the value and significance of news, but you should also know that for the media to survive, it needs some special wisdom."

Umbridge chuckled and said, "In recent years, there has been a trend in the wizarding world to learn from Muggles. The Prophet's Newspaper is also following the example of Muggle media, learning how to expand and take on social responsibility. Correspondingly, the Ministry of Magic is also learning."

"Madam, you can put it more bluntly."

Gu Fei remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was startled. This senior deputy minister seemed to have a great understanding of Muggle society.

"To put it bluntly, the Prophet's Newspaper and the Magic Mirror Club have been in the limelight for too long. How can their news content, which is presented to the entire magical world, be so unrestrained and not subject to the law?"

Umbridge's head bobbed in the fire, the flames distorting his appearance and making him look grotesque: "Minister Fudge intends to establish the Wizarding News Act to appropriately regulate you."

Gu Fei's face darkened: "You want to control the club and the newspaper?"

“How can you say that? The Ministry of Magic is also learning from the Muggle government and keeping up with the times just like you.” Umbridge covered her mouth and laughed: “For a long time in the past, the Daily Prophet and the Ministry of Magic had a very close cooperation, especially in the years before the downfall of Varian and the Death Eaters. It was the Ministry of Magic that released inspiring news through the Daily Prophet, which encouraged many of the victims.”

She stopped smiling and stared coldly at the wizard outside the fireplace: "I hope the Prophet's Newspaper stays true to its original purpose and understands what news should be reported, instead of disclosing unverified information and causing unnecessary panic among wizards and the public."

With a soft pop, the remaining Floo Powder sprang up, and emerald green flames licked the outer wall.

Once the fire was back to normal, the witch's face was no longer visible; the connection had been severed.

Watching the fireplace return to calm, the flames burning quietly, Gu Fei took a quill from the ink bottle and began writing on a notepad. The completed notepad turned into a paper airplane and floated out the window, drifting towards the other employees' offices.

Page after page contained similar content, prompting a halt to the editing of related news articles.

With the last note, the quill pen suddenly stopped, no longer repeating the previous content, but instead notifying several core wizards of the newspaper to convene an internal meeting.

Half an hour later, at the Prophet's Newspaper, in the conference room.

Reporter Rita Skeeter, host Cecilia Haynes, and several other editors, or directors... all the key staff members who remained at the newspaper attended the meeting.

A stack of parchment documents was piled on the table; they were all related to the Black case.

Editor-in-Chief Gufair sat in the main seat and, in a few brief words, clearly explained Umbridge's warning. After that, there was a long silence, with almost everyone frowning.

"The Daily Prophet's reputation wasn't good before. Many wizards thought we were the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Magic, and some colleagues thought we were greedy and had no bottom line. But when we started broadcasting Shadow Mirror news, everything went smoothly. The newspaper's sales declined slightly, but its influence and reputation increased significantly."

Editor-in-Chief Gu Fei calmly said, "Now we have an obstacle in our path, and it is an obstacle that can make us suffer greatly."

The atmosphere was exceptionally heavy. The Prophet's Newspaper had been developing exceptionally smoothly in recent years. They had always been leaders among publishers, joined the Magic Mirror Club, and cooperated with the Department of Transportation. Even though Umbridge had created some difficulties for them in the past, they had always been able to overcome them easily.

Now they are suffering from unprecedented oppression by power.

“So what? Haven’t we been dancing on a tightrope before?” a newspaper editor said. “Making a balance between the Ministry of Magic and the public is how we survive.”

“We cannot compromise; this is a shameful information blockade!” said Cecilia, the female host. “These recent graduates still have a naive and innocent side. We should not give in. We must expose her true colors and let her office be flooded with shouting letters!”

The atmosphere at the meeting became somewhat tense, with the editors whispering amongst themselves, clearly feeling quite aggrieved.

"Quiet……"

Editor-in-Chief Gu Fei tapped the table, the sound not loud, but enough to quell the noise in the room. He turned to the reporter who was engrossed in writing: "Rita, what do you think?"

“I never advocate a direct confrontation with the Ministry of Magic; neither winning nor losing will benefit us.” Rita brushed a strand of curly hair behind her ear. “We’re not smart enough, we’re not strong enough, but we’re not the only victims either. Why don’t we look at the reaction of the Magic Mirror Club?”

“I have spoken with Wright of the Magic Mirror Club. As the club’s number two, he has no clear inclination and says he will wait for Professor Levent’s statement.”

Editor-in-Chief Gu Fei shook his head: "However, the club is relatively loosely organized, and Professor Levent doesn't usually interfere with the club members' choices."

Rita's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked meaningfully, "Did Professor Levent instruct us to report on this case?"

"what do you mean?"

“This is a battle between Dumbledore and Fudge. Mr. Levent teaches at Hogwarts, so since he hasn’t made a statement yet, we don’t need to rush,” Rita said in a low voice.

Editor-in-Chief Gu Fei looked around: "What do you all think?"

"I agree..."

"Yes, I agree."

"I have no opinion."

Seeing that everyone present had reached a consensus, Cecilia pursed her lips and refrained from making any further inflammatory remarks.

Watching his employees leave the room one by one, Gu Fei wearily rubbed his temples, feeling as if he had returned to the time when he first took over the newspaper. The mysterious man's power was at its peak, the Ministry of Magic was in jeopardy, Hogwarts was closed, and the wizarding residents were filled with fear and unease. He needed to find a balance among the various forces.

In the next office, a handsome wizard sat behind a desk with a silver potion on it. Inside the crystal ball, the potion churned, and images of popular science news flashed.

He waved his wand, cutting the images apart and then piecing them back together in a specific order. After completing each task, he would stop to admire them and reveal a genuine, radiant smile.

Gilderoy Lockhart has been an editor for three months now.

……

Hermione stood at the entrance to the portrait cave, holding the materials she had brought back from the library, and greeted the fat lady who had been reinstated.

Verify the password and crawl into the hole.

The warm air in the common room was much cozier than the stairwell. She let out a long breath, took off her scarf and draped it over her hand. She had only taken a few steps into the room when she saw her two companions.

Ron, wearing a brown hand-knitted sweater, lay on a single sofa, holding a copy of "The Origin of Fiendfire," engrossed in reading, nodding occasionally as if he deeply agreed with it.

Those who didn't know better would think he had mastered the essence of dark magic and could summon Fiendfire at any time.

Harry should be more serious. He stands by the window, wand held horizontally in front of him, with a serious expression and a determined look in his eyes.

[Expected Guardian]

A burst of silver light shot out from the tip of the staff. It was not a mist that drifted everywhere, but a cluster of silver light that was dazzling and eye-catching. The rudimentary shape of a four-legged animal could already be vaguely seen.

Harry squinted, trying to make out what it was, but the outline was still too blurry, lacking any distinguishable features.

"Harry!"

Hermione tossed the scarf and documents aside and exclaimed, "You've summoned a physical Patronus!"

"Ok?"

Harry was momentarily distracted, and the silver glow suddenly dissipated. He waved his wand, not annoyed at all: "It hasn't been fully summoned yet, but it shouldn't be too long. I can feel it."

Images of his parents appeared in his mind, and the joy of their reunion filled his heart.

(End of this chapter)