When it came to the character of Rita Skeeter, the deepest impression Lucien had was that she truly understood the essence of journalism.
The news reports she wrote were always sensational, focusing exclusively on what readers wanted to read. The truth was completely irrelevant.
If he agreed to her interview, who knew what sort of outrageous things she'd twist his story into.
However...
Rita Skeeter was an Animagus who could transform into a beetle, allowing her access to places that were otherwise off-limits. This was how she managed to get so many exclusive scoops.
But she wasn't registered with the Ministry of Magic. She was an illegal Animagus, and if the Ministry ever found out, she'd be taking a vacation in Azkaban.
So, Lucien wasn't worried at all about her daring to write nonsense about his exploits.
As long as he ensured the woman didn't fabricate stories, she was an excellent propaganda tool.
Lucien didn't mind becoming a bit more famous, as long as it meant more people would buy his alchemical devices and potions, increasing his sales volume and accelerating the repayment progress on the fragmented Emerald Tablet.
Ah, having to market my own goods... what a life.
With this thought in mind, Lucien offered a polite smile.
"Madam, we can find a quiet place to chat."
In a private, quiet, and elegant room.
"Mr. Grafton, for you to find a suitable location for an interview so quickly, are you very familiar with Muggle society?"
Rita sat upright on the sofa, subtly observing the surroundings, while reaching into her crocodile-skin handbag to pull out a dazzlingly green, slender quill and a piece of parchment.
"Not especially. This place just happens to be owned by my family, so it's close and convenient."
Lucien's casual statement made the quill Rita was about to put in her mouth freeze. She hadn't intended to be shown up like that!
After calming her slightly agitated nerves, Rita put the tip of the quill into her mouth, quickly sucked on it, and set it upright on the parchment.
"Well, then I'm lucky to be under your roof today. Just a moment, testing... Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Daily Prophet."
The moment Rita finished speaking, the green quill slipped from her grasp and automatically began writing on the paper:
"The beautiful Rita Skeeter, who uses her rebellious quill to expose countless false reputations—"
Lucien caught sight of the flamboyant script on the parchment.
That's the Quick-Quotes Quill. It automatically converts ordinary interview dialogue into exaggerated, often false, flowery language.
Noticing Lucien's gaze, Rita quickly tore off the parchment, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it back into her crocodile-skin handbag.
"Slaying a Basilisk is truly a world-shaking feat, but I understand Mr. Grafton is only a second-year student at Hogwarts?"
Lucien nodded.
"Mm-hmm—"
His exceptional eyesight allowed him to clearly see the content the quill was already furiously writing on a fresh piece of parchment:
"Lucien Grafton is not only a boy of astonishing talent but also a handsome and charming youth. His every gesture reveals a maturity and charisma utterly unsuited to his age. It's no wonder countless rumors of adoration for him are already circulating within the walls of Hogwarts Castle..."
Lucien raised a hand and pointed at the rapidly twitching green quill:
"That quill is writing things that are far too exaggerated."
Hearing this, Rita nudged the parchment closer to herself.
"Please don't worry about it."
Lucien shook his head, looking at Rita with a slight, knowing smile.
"The information capture array at the base of the quill is centered around Auditory and Emotional Runes, using a..."
Lucien's orderly description of the quill's operational principles made Rita's heart skip a beat, but she forced herself to remain composed and adjusted her glasses.
"Speaking of which, you recently published two Transfiguration treatises that reportedly caused a huge stir among scholars. It seems that besides Transfiguration, you are also quite confident in Alchemy."
"But you can relax; this quill is merely for quick note-taking."
Seeing that the woman's attitude was still unrepentant, Lucien spoke again:
"Actually, regarding Transfiguration, I've had some new insights lately concerning Animagi..."
Rita's quill began to twitch rapidly. Clearly, it had picked up on a big story—this was another new discovery by Lucien.
"For instance, how to identify an Animagus in their animal form," Lucien emphasized the word "Animagus" and continued, "If an Animagus hasn't registered with the Ministry and is discovered and reported, I recall they are sent to Azkaban, aren't they? And the Dementors there..."
Hearing this, Rita's hand stiffened, and the quill stopped. She was forced to listen as Lucien chatted casually.
"Wizards should pay attention to their privacy. After all, nobody wants their life spied on by a seemingly ordinary animal that is actually an Animagus, right?"
"So, I've been trying to explore that area, but the progress isn't ideal yet..."
Hearing that the progress wasn't ideal, Rita secretly sighed in relief, thinking she had overreacted. Lucien wasn't alluding to anything; he was just genuinely discussing his Transfiguration research—
"However, I did develop an unexpected spell that can be used to identify who is an Animagus while they're in human form. It should be helpful for the Ministry in locating and capturing illegal Animagi. Oh, right, Madam Skeeter, would you like to see this spell?"
As he spoke, Lucien pulled out his wand. This action instantly panicked Rita. For a moment, she even forgot the rule that students were forbidden from using magic outside of school.
Rita was an Animagus, able to transform into a beetle. This small, flying animal form had allowed her to dig up many secrets.
But she was illegal!
"Oops, I forgot. I'm a student. I can't just casually cast spells with my wand outside of specific places."
Lucien's words also served as a reminder to Rita, sending her emotions on a rollercoaster ride.
"So, I took the liberty of trying this spell out while I was at the Ministry. Madam Skeeter, your animal form is quite interesting, isn't it? A beetle?"
"...A beetle..."
Those last words were like a sharp sword, plunging deep into Rita's heart. Her jewel-rimmed glasses slipped down her nose from excessive sweat, making her look both ridiculous and comical.
If Lucien had only said Rita was an Animagus, she might have suspected he was bluffing, but he had clearly stated her transformed shape!
Her breathing became shallow and heavy. It was only now that Rita realized she had made a terrible mistake and overlooked a critical issue:
The young man in front of her was only young in age, but his magical mastery could not be judged by normal standards!
Thinking of the imprisonment she faced and the horror of the Dementors, Rita's vision swam. She was close to passing out.
"I'd like a truthful and fair report. Do you think that's manageable?"
Lucien's casual sentence landed heavily in Rita's ears, and she clutched at it like a life raft.
Rita quickly adjusted her glasses.
"Understood. Perfectly understood."
The green quill frantically scribbled on the parchment, clearly crossing out the previously exaggerated and embellished content.
After wrapping up the interview with Rita, Lucien stretched a little and pulled a letter from his pocket.
The envelope bore a crest: a snake motif in black, green, and silver, with the Latin inscription "Sanctimonia Vincet Semper" (Purity Will Always Conquer) engraved on a ribbon.
It was the Malfoy family crest.
This letter from Lucius Malfoy had reached Lucien before the holiday, inviting him to a gathering at Malfoy Manor.
Although the wording was proper and flawless, Lucien could sense Lucius's urgency between the lines.
Lucien had a good guess as to why: it was because of Tom Riddle's Diary. Lucius was worried that the matter would be traced back to him.
The crisis of the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk was resolved, which was good, but the incident had severely threatened the safety of many students, especially after pure-blood students were attacked. If the outside world learned that the diary originated from Lucius, the public outcry and pressure he and the Malfoy family would face were unimaginable.
He had already planned to visit Malfoy Manor that afternoon. The idea was to go right after he finished his meeting about the Ministry—he just hadn't expected to run into Rita Skeeter. Fortunately, the interview was quick and didn't derail his plans.
Malfoy Manor, located in Wiltshire, came into view.
The estate was extravagantly luxurious, with white marble gleaming in the sunlight. Dobby the House-Elf appeared at the door and ushered Lucien through the meticulously groomed garden.
In the drawing-room, Lucius Malfoy stood before the fireplace, his platinum-blonde hair immaculate, leaning on his serpent-head cane.
"Grafton, welcome," Lucius offered his standard polite smile. "It is excellent that you could come."
"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Malfoy."
The small talk briefly moved from the weather to the Ministry of Magic, and the atmosphere appeared cordial.
However, Lucius's occasional, light tapping of his cane still betrayed his underlying anxiety.
The conversation finally turned to Hogwarts.
"...Your performance at the school was quite impressive," Lucius took a sip of his tea. "How did a Dark Arts artifact of that nature find its way into the school?"
After all, whether through outside gossip or accounts he'd questioned from his son, Draco, Lucius knew the young man before him had played a huge role in the Basilisk incident and was therefore likely aware of the diary's source through Lockhart.
While playing along, Lucien was also considering that Lucius surely didn't know the diary was a Horcrux.
Given Voldemort's twisted and paranoid nature, he wouldn't easily share a secret like a Horcrux with his subordinates, and certainly not with a typical weathervane like Lucius.
At most, he might have told Lucius that the diary was very valuable, a Dark Arts object that could be used to create trouble for Dumbledore, or something similar...
Lucius wouldn't even know that the diary couldn't be destroyed, or he absolutely wouldn't have attempted to smuggle it into Hogwarts. If something went wrong and the Horcrux was destroyed, that would be tantamount to betraying Voldemort.
Lucius's motive was likely to use the diary to create an incident, force Dumbledore out of office, and assert the authority of pure-blood families. He just didn't expect the situation to spin so far out of control.
"Since the person involved, Lockhart, is deceased, it will be very difficult to trace the origin of the diary now."
Hearing Lucien's statement, Lucius's expression eased slightly.
Some things didn't need to be said outright.
"Dobby."
At Lucius's command, Dobby instantly Apparated beside him.
The house-elf's slender arms were cradling a stack of books.
Lucius smiled at Lucien.
"Draco tells me you are a scholarly student. What do you think of these?"
Lucien didn't rush to look at the books.
"The Malfoy family's library is naturally second to none."
Seeing that Lucien wasn't immediately accepting the gesture, Lucius didn't press. Instead, he pointed at Dobby and asked:
"Grafton, what are your thoughts on House-Elves?"
Lucien was confused by the sudden change in subject, so he answered truthfully:
"They are excellent at household management, proficient in various domestic spells, and possess an inherent loyalty to their masters..."
The word "loyalty" made Lucius's brow twitch involuntarily. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the bowing Dobby.
Once Lucien finished, Lucius gave a small laugh:
"A very detailed explanation, though one tiny correction is needed: a house-elf's loyalty is to the family itself. The family's heirs automatically become their masters."
"I intend to transfer Dobby to you as a gift. What do you say?"
Transfer?
Lucien replied skeptically, "House-elves are usually passed down through wizarding families, and only some ancient, long-established families even possess them. What does 'transfer' mean?"
Hearing the phrase "ancient, long-established," Lucius raised his chin slightly and explained:
"Actually, what is truly valuable is the master-servant contract signed between the family and the house-elf. This has magical effect."
"As long as the house-elf is not completely granted freedom, the contract remains in force, and possession of the house-elf can still be transferred."
This was the first time Lucien had heard this explanation.
So, granting a house-elf complete freedom caused the contract to be dissolved, and the family would truly lose ownership of the house-elf.
No wonder. In the original story, when Harry tricked Lucius into freeing Dobby with a sock in the diary, Lucius's anger was more about losing the master-servant contract than just the public humiliation.
Lucius added, "With this method of transfer, the house-elf will only serve you, and your family's descendants will not possess the contract of enslavement over the elf."
"Of course, this means of transfer is also a secret technique unique to the Malfoy family."
Lucius had, in fact, contributed a house-elf to Voldemort in the past, trading wealth for security. Lucius was well-practiced; this was the Malfoy family's way of survival.
It was true during Voldemort's reign, and it was even more so after his downfall.
Lucien's gaze swept toward Dobby, finding that the elf was also observing him with his tennis-ball-sized eyes. As soon as he was caught, Dobby immediately bowed his head.
Having a house-elf to help manage the case world would be very convenient. Taking care of the fantastic beasts and all...
Hmm. Lucius was willing to gift Dobby. On one hand, this kind of transfer wouldn't affect the master-servant contract, and for the Malfoy family's connections, finding a new house-elf to replace him wouldn't be difficult.
Crucially, the secret transfer technique itself was apparently unique to the Malfoy family—a great way to curry favor.
On the other hand, Lucius must have become aware of Dobby's "betrayal," and this was a good opportunity to push him away.
In Lucius's view, since Lucien knew the origin of the diary anyway, having Dobby, who also knew the truth, wouldn't make things any worse.