"Please remain calm, Miss Skeeter!" Jon said. Though his voice remained composed, a faint trace of anger crept into it, lending his words a sharper edge. "Otherwise, we won't be able to have a proper conversation."
Rita struggled fiercely for a moment and let out several muffled whimpers. But once she realized she was completely outmatched by the young man and woman before her, she could only nod in reluctant resignation.
Jon waved his hand again, and the strip of tape instantly peeled itself off the reporter's mouth, finally allowing her to breathe properly.
"I believe we can speak calmly now," Jon continued, his tone returning to its usual gentle warmth.
"Miss Skeeter, have you read the article you wrote about me in the Daily Prophet a few days ago? I must say—it was quite an interesting piece. Especially the adjectives you chose to describe me."
"The Ministry of Magic made me write that!" Rita blurted out immediately, showing not the slightest trace of professional ethics. "They paid me to smear you!"
Hermione, standing nearby, opened her mouth in mild astonishment. Jon, however, showed no reaction at all.
"That's understandable," Jon said with a faint smile, nodding slightly. "Perhaps they paid you very generously. Generously enough that you were willing to transform into a beetle, sneak into Hogwarts, and try to dig up more secrets about me."
"And then I got caught by Miss Perfect," Rita muttered resentfully, glaring fiercely at Hermione before lowering her head and speaking in a dull voice.
"How shocking," Jon continued calmly, though his tone held no real surprise. "The famous journalist Rita Skeeter is secretly an illegal Animagus—one who never registered with the Improper Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic. If that little detail were to become public, I imagine it would cause quite a sensation."
"…And perhaps in a few months, the Daily Prophet might even pay you handsomely to write an insider's account of life in Azkaban," Jon added with a cold smile.
"Headmaster Hart… perhaps we should talk about this Order of the Phoenix correspondent position…" Rita Skeeter said weakly, her head drooping.
Yet beneath her discouragement, a hint of excitement flickered.
After all, the Order of the Phoenix had always been an extraordinarily mysterious organization within the wizarding world—arguably even more mysterious than the Death Eaters. The chance to get close to the truth behind such a secretive group was undeniably tempting.
...
Ten minutes later—
"You want to make all of these people's deeds public?" Rita exclaimed, nearly shrieking.
"That's correct," Jon said without hesitation. "Your hearing works perfectly fine, Miss Skeeter."
"Horace Slughorn… Alastor Moody… Remus Lupin… and the entire Arthur Weasley family…" She counted them off on her fingers while shaking her head wildly. "Merlin's beard! How long would that article even be? Are you sure you haven't gone mad?"
"In fact, you could write a series of interviews," Jon replied calmly. "Over time, you can reveal their stories one by one."
"But what you're proposing is outright defiance of the Ministry of Magic!" Rita Skeeter protested, raising her voice. "Rufus Scrimgeour despises the Order of the Phoenix—and he's no fan of Hogwarts either. He would never allow the Daily Prophet to publish something like this. The Ministry still has enormous influence over the newspaper's editorial board!"
"As it happens, I have a bit of a connection with Mr. Barnabas Cuffe, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, so you don't need to worry about that," Jon replied calmly, shaking his head.
"But even if it starts, it'll only last an issue or two," Rita argued stubbornly. "Scrimgeour will definitely pressure the Daily Prophet. He's not a man without means."
"If the wizarding world begins reading these stories, on what grounds could Scrimgeour suppress them?" Jon asked calmly. "Witches and wizards will enjoy them. Scrimgeour won't. And who exactly is he to decide otherwise?"
Rita looked up at Jon with a strange expression.
After a long pause, she said slowly, "Headmaster Hart… you are completely different from Albus Dumbledore."
"Well, naturally. I'm not Professor Dumbledore's clone," Jon replied with a light laugh.
"You'll have to pay me a very generous fee," Rita said quickly. "At least five Galleons per thousand words."
"No problem. If your work is excellent, that price can increase significantly."
"When do we begin?" Rita stood up, brushing the dust from her clothes, looking eager to get started.
"As soon as possible. But conducting an interview in the Headmaster's Office isn't very appropriate—especially since you're technically banned from entering Hogwarts, correct?" Jon glanced around the room before continuing. "So please head to the Hog's Head Inn now, Miss Skeeter. I'll bring Professor Slughorn there shortly to meet you… and give the interview."
"…And of course, don't try any tricks. It won't end well."
"I understand," Rita nodded. "I'll go to the Hog's Head and wait for you."
With that, she transformed back into the plump beetle and flew out through the office window.
"Fawkes, keep an eye on her," Jon said softly, patting the phoenix's perch.
A flash of golden light followed—and the phoenix vanished.
...
Astoria arrived back at school at a quarter to twelve.
She and her sister were among the last Hogwarts students to return after the Easter holiday.
Astoria was in an excellent mood. In fact, the Easter holiday she had just spent had been one of the happiest she'd enjoyed in years.
After returning to Hogwarts and finishing her first lunch back at the castle, Astoria slipped away from a few friends and quietly made her way to the eighth floor.
The path to the Headmaster's Office was already very familiar to her.
"Hello, Mr. Stone," Astoria said with a cheerful smile as she greeted the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance.
The stone gargoyle gave her an exaggeratedly elegant bow—though the motion looked rather clumsy in practice—and stepped aside to let her pass.
Astoria walked past it and climbed the spiral staircase until she reached the oak door.
Suddenly, she heard faint voices coming from inside the office.
Astoria's breathing quickened slightly.