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Ron finally went back to sleep.
He believed Harry's explanation that Scabbers had hidden himself in advance.
Perhaps he would find Scabbers lying next to his pillow first thing in the morning.
Basil and the others also managed to get back to sleep.
Though before lying down, Basil specifically cast a Scouring Charm over his bedding.
The next day, just as Ron had said, Scabbers returned to his pillow.
Only, it was a photograph of him, next to a short, stout man who looked like a rat.
It's worth mentioning that ever since Ron earned over three hundred Galleons from the Pet Case proxy purchase, he had started subscribing to various items.
Including the Daily Prophet.
Scabbers' photo was right on the front page.
Perhaps because today's Daily Prophet was much thicker than usual.
So, when the owl dropped it next to Ron's pillow, Ron, who had slept late, was startled awake.
And then he saw the newspaper.
"Scabbers! No!!! Blech!!!"
Ron vomited all over the floor.
Everyone was woken up, including Basil who was pretending to sleep and procrastinating getting up.
As soon as they opened their eyes, they saw the mess by Ron's bed, the pillow thrown far away, and the newspaper waving in his hand.
[Scourgify]
Basil pointed his hand, and the mess on the floor and the saliva on Ron's mouth vanished.
Harry and the others then sluggishly gathered around.
Ron said nothing, silently spreading the newspaper in his hand on the hexagonal table.
It was an article featuring a photo of Scabbers next to a man.
This man was very short, appearing only a few inches taller than Harry in the photo compared to an adult.
His thin, colorless hair was messy, with a large bald patch on top.
He was very fat, almost comparable to Crabbe and Goyle.
His skin was dirty, almost like Scabbers' fur, and his pointed nose and small watery eyes also had rat-like features.
> MAJOR MINISTRY BLUNDER
> By Special Correspondent Rita Skeeter
> Azkaban, in the middle of the North Sea, surrounded by water on all sides and guarded by Dementors, is undoubtedly the safest prison.
> Historically, no one has ever escaped from it.
> But if the inmates inside are innocent, or wrongly imprisoned, its advantages become disadvantages.
> Sirius Black, counted among the most notorious prisoners in Azkaban.
> Killed thirteen people with a single curse.
> Betrayed his friend James Potter, joined You-Know-Who, and murdered the hero Peter Pettigrew.
> Peter Pettigrew, friend of James Potter and Sirius Black.
> Recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, who sought out Black for his friends and was ultimately killed.
> Leaving behind only a finger.
> The above are the facts the Ministry of Magic told us.
> But sadly, we overlooked one thing.
> When Black was arrested, Barty Crouch Sr., then Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and only a step away from Minister for Magic, eager for promotion, imprisoned Black directly without a trial.
> Until yesterday, the truth came to light.
> Peter Pettigrew is still alive; his Animagus form is a rat.
> As a pet, he stayed with the Weasley family for nearly eleven years.
> For the last year, he even shared a bed with the Weasleys' youngest son, Ron Weasley, and the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter.
> Fortunately, before we received news of Harry Potter being bitten to death by a rat, Albus Dumbledore discovered the true face of this vile, filthy rat.
> He was taken to the Ministry for interrogation.
> Under the influence of Veritaserum, he confessed to everything.
> "...I betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort. But what choice did I have? The Dark Lord is so powerful and terrifying. It was Sirius who insisted I be the Secret-Keeper. Even after I said I didn't want to be, they didn't tell Dumbledore. Resulting in my mother not being protected either."
> "...Naturally, I could only betray them."
> When this fact was exposed, I thought Minister Fudge, who loves to whitewash peace and is cowardly, would be eager to destroy the evidence.
> Or push all the blame onto Crouch.
> Or stall for time, hoping to minimize the impact.
> But the fact is, our seemingly portly and cowardly Minister is much more responsible than we imagined.
> He went against the consensus and released Sirius Black on the spot.
> Displaying the excellent demeanor of a responsible Minister for Magic.
> Of course, if it were only this, we could only praise him for being responsible.
> After all, Fudge wasn't the Minister for Magic at the time.
> This couldn't be counted as his fault.
> However, also yesterday, while releasing Sirius Black, he also released Narcissa Malfoy, who had been wrongly imprisoned in Azkaban, on the spot.
Reading this, Harry also felt a bit sick.
He cast a Scouring Charm on his pillow.
Turning to the next page.
At the top was a photo of Sirius and Malfoy's mother.
Years of imprisonment had left Sirius with sunken cheeks, lifeless eyes, and waxy skin.
But his handsomeness was still discernible.
Malfoy's mother, perhaps because her imprisonment wasn't long, was still graceful, tall, and charming.
Her eyes were slightly red—tears of joy? Because of her release?
But Sirius seemed to be comforting Malfoy's mother.
The two were supporting each other.
At this moment, Ron let out a gasp, then lowered his head in guilt and remorse.
Startling Harry, who was immersed in the photo.
He hurriedly looked further down.
> Those who have read the 678th issue of the Daily Prophet should know.
> Lucius Malfoy was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for financial crimes.
> Families with children at Hogwarts or living in Hogsmeade should also know what happened at Hogwarts yesterday.
> Acromantula, a XXXXX-class beast (Known wizard killer / Impossible to train or domesticate).
> It loves human flesh, is cruel by nature, and highly dangerous.
> Just one is extremely dangerous to a wizard.
> And yesterday, after the first-year exams, while playing on the grounds outside the castle, a swarm of Acromantulas attacked from the Forbidden Forest.
> Fortunately, Hogwarts has excellent teaching staff and security.
> Albus Dumbledore, who had been called to the Ministry, sensed the danger and returned in time.
> In the end, not a single young wizard was injured.
> Dumbledore went deep into the Forbidden Forest and found the "culprit"—Lucius Malfoy's head.
> It had been in the Forbidden Forest for at least a month.
> It was also the source of the curse on the Acromantulas, driving them to attack the castle recklessly.
> Dumbledore said: "This is extremely vicious Dark Magic. A curse ritual that takes a wizard's life as a sacrifice and months to establish."
> I asked: "But what is this for?"
> Dumbledore replied: "You remember before school started, a Dark Wizard broke into Gringotts. The treasure targeted was later moved to Hogwarts."
> According to my investigation, the item is suspected to be the Philosopher's Stone, a treasure that can create endless gold and the Elixir of Life.
> This Dark Wizard is suspected to be Quirinus Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
> It was also he who killed Lucius Malfoy, placed a curse on Narcissa Malfoy preventing her from speaking or leaking information, made her take Polyjuice Potion, and sent her to Azkaban. And sent a large batch of Polyjuice Potion into the prison under the guise of mailing alcohol.
Further down was a critique of the prison system, questioning why luxuries like alcohol could be sent into Azkaban.
Even if Lucius Malfoy was rich and powerful and only staying for 6 months.
And also sycophantic praise for Fudge.
Extremely disgusting, so Basil didn't read it.