[The Vampire and the Muggle's Bitter-Sweet Love! The Untold Story Behind the Poisoning Case!]
[Snape's Escape? What Is the True Ending of This Love Story!]
[Revealing the Truth or a Sensational Tale? Exclusive revelations about The Quibbler!]
[Mad Newspaper Publishes Criminal Account of Poisoning Case… Truth or Lies?]
[…]
After resting overnight in Winchester, Severus skimmed through the various magical newspapers Worple had acquired, marveling at the eye-catching headlines crafted by the editors.
"Newspaper editors certainly aren't just for show. Even as someone who knows the truth, these headlines make me want to read what they've written."
Worple, on the other hand, was glowing with excitement!
Just from the articles in today's papers, he knew that this book was going to make him famous!
Though, to conceal his identity for the time being, The Quibbler had published the serialized story under a pseudonym he had made up. The magazine format also meant he wouldn't earn much upfront, as Lovegood had only promised him a share of the newspaper's sales later.
But the story itself wasn't finished yet, and the initial print run was only 3,000 copies. Once the complete story was properly edited and published as a full book, it was clear… he was going to be the most successful commercial writer in the British Wizarding World this year!
The newspapers had published all sorts of scathing critiques, but most of them were directed at The Quibbler itself or the audacity of the story's parallels to the poisoning case. No one was saying his writing was bad!
This kind of reception made Worple, who was usually steady and mature most of the time, couldn't help but have tears in his eyes. He turned his head and quietly wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.
Sanguini excitedly put his arm around his shoulders, he looked even happier than Worple himself!
"You did it, Eldred! I told you… You're a talented writer! I knew you'd succeed!"
This time, Worple didn't mock his old friend. He took off his glasses, no longer hiding his tears of joy, and hugged Sanguini tightly.
Harry also watched this scene happily and raised the glass of milk.
"Hey! Let's make a toast! To… to…"
"To Eldred's book selling like wildfire, and to Sanguini and Patty becoming household names!" Severus finished for Harry, who was still too young to come up with the words, raising his bottle of soda.
"Cheers!"
Sanguini and Worple also lifted their drinks, and the four clinked their glasses together in the inn's lounge!
"We have already made all the preparations…" After putting down his glass, Severus shook the newspapers, "Whether it's slander or skepticism, the entire Wizarding World is talking about this now. The public's curiosity about the book is at its peak."
"And the Ministry's reaction is exactly what we expected… They've been completely passive about the whole thing."
Severus singled out an article from The Daily Prophet, which featured an interview with a Ministry's employee from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, asking for the Ministry's official stance on The Quibbler's story.
"Scrimgeour and Crouch didn't even bother sending an Auror to respond to this matter. Either they genuinely believe this is just Lovegood's wild fabrication, or they simply don't care enough to act. Either way, it's perfectly in line with the Ministry's usual efficiency and attitude, which is exactly what we wanted."
"Their inaction means the rumors will keep spreading. The wizarding public will start digging for the truth behind the story themselves."
"The potion only needs one more day to finish brewing. We need to make our final preparations, everyone."
Severus stood up from his chair and pulled on his coat.
"Let's go. Time to head to our final destination. Then, I'll send a letter to Xenophilius to add the biggest spark of all."
…
As Worple's book spread by word of mouth among British wizards and witches, the story of Sanguini and the Patty became so pervasive that even while withdrawing money from Gringotts, one could hear the usually tight-fisted goblins debating whether Sanguini could inherit the Muggle Duke's family fortune as a son-in-law after he married Patty.
Meanwhile, the professors at Hogwarts had also gotten their hands on the sensational novel sweeping the Wizarding World.
McGonagall had obviously just finished reading as her eyes were still red. At this time, she went to the Headmaster's office to find Dumbledore.
"Pomona just finished it too. She was so upset she ran off to the greenhouses to tend to her plants. So... the story in the book is true, isn't it?"
Dumbledore slowly set down his copy of The Quibbler. He had always been a devoted fan of The Quibbler, even when Lovegood occasionally published articles teasing him… like suggesting he secretly planned to turn the Headmaster's office into a whimsical candy house.
Dumbledore would still seriously consider the idea.
Therefore, Dumbledore had already finished reading the supplement magazine the day before.
"It's true."
Dumbledore didn't hide it from McGonagall, and confirmed it plainly.
"Sanguini met the love of his life, but his insecurities about being a vampire made him feel unworthy of her. It was not until the last night in the story that he made up his mind to save the girl, and Worple helped him."
McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.
"You knew about this all along?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. Instead, he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a letter.
"Worple's work is worthy of praise. He is a very talented writer, but he has always lacked some luck. So, he pinned his hopes on famous figures helping to promote his new masterpiece."
"He wrote to many people, asking for their support. Including me."
"But in his carelessness, the parchment he used for my letter had already been written on. I guess when he was drafting his story, he heard Sanguini nagging him about the girl he met, which made Worple worry about his friend, so he scribbled down possible ways to help his friend on the back of one of his parchments."
"Then, when writing to me, he completely forgot what he had written on the other side."
Dumbledore unfolded the parchment from the envelope. Worple's plan to steal the potion was scrawled at the very bottom. Even if the parchment had been folded, the hidden writing would have gone unnoticed.
McGonagall took the letter from Dumbledore in shock. She could see that the notes on the back were very scribbled and messy, clearly a rough draft!
"So, you deliberately asked Snape to find Slughorn in order to get him involved in this matter?"
"Severus's choices exceeded my expectations." Dumbledore said calmly, steepling his fingers, "I considered that he might turn Worple and Sanguini over to the Aurors. Or perhaps appeal to the Ministry on their behalf. I even thought he might write to me for help. But I never imagined he would simply... run off with them."
"He wanted to draw everyone's attention. Even if it meant enduring public suspicion and scorn at first, as long as more people focused on the matter, his goal would be achieved."
"Unpredictable... but a brilliant plan!"
Dumbledore praised sincerely.
However, McGonagall frowned in concern.
"But how will he wrap this up? The Quibbler's reputation isn't exactly stellar. Most people think the stories in it are pure fabrications!"
"And yet, that hasn't stopped many from being moved by the tale and eagerly awaiting the next installment, has it?"
Dumbledore said, wagging his thumb and smiling.
Just as Dumbledore finished speaking, a newspaper owl suddenly flew in from outside the Headmaster's office's window!
It executed a graceful mid-air spin above Dumbledore's desk, dropped the latest issue of The Quibbler with practiced ease, then flew back out.
Both McGonagall and Dumbledore turned their attention to the newspaper. When Dumbledore picked it up and unfolded it, his eyes landed on the front page.
He immediately burst into laughter.
"See? Severus has achieved his goal. Now, he's ready to end it!"